13 December 2018

How do we ensure there is social mobility? Some people suggest that one way is to provide equality of opportunity. The goal should be to equalise opportunities by ensuring that people’s adverse circumstances do not prevent them from advancing.

However, this is conceptually problematic. For example, the efforts of parents can influence the circumstances of children: Rich parents who have earned their money through hard work spend more on their children, which gives those children a better start in life compared with children of poorer parents. Thus, “equality of opportunity” is a slippery concept.

According Vikram Khanna, Associate Editor at the Straits Times, inequalities created by people’s circumstances tend to be seriously underestimated. Unequal outcomes, which perpetuate unequal opportunities, should not be ignored. This calls for higher levels of social protection in areas such as income, health and education.

Higher government spending on education can help narrow the gap in opportunities.

Singapore spends just under 3 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) on education, compared with more than 5 per cent in Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. So one prescription would be to progressively raise education spending to at least 5 per cent of GDP within 10 years.

19 November 2018

Second Education Minister Indranee Rajah has stated that streaming still has a place in Singapore’s education system.

However, there is a need to change certain negative perceptions, for instance, regarding students from slower streams as having less general ability and potential.

In a recent Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development report on equity and education, the streaming of children was highlighted as a problem that could cause social division.

Ms Indranee, who is currently heading a task force to help children from disadvantaged households meet their full potential, said: “The intention behind streaming was to help students progress at a pace that was comfortable for them. It greatly reduced dropout rates and ensured that people were able to stay in school and access the different pathways. So what we want is to retain a system that allows people to learn at their own pace but, at the same time, encourage more social mixing, empathy and programmes that allow students to do things together so they get to see each other for who they really are.”

03 November 2018

A first year student in National Junior College’s Integrated Programme was one of those who excelled at the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition this year.

Janine Shum drew on her personal experience of being overlooked in Singapore, of being forgotten. She wrote a poem from the perspectives of an Afghan girl and a Singaporean girl, reflecting this deep sense of disaffection, of being shunted aside as the world moves on inexorably.

In her poem, the Afghan girl faces persecution for pursuing education, while the Singaporean girl feels stifled in the rat race. They are halfway round the world from each other and each live under vastly different material circumstances, yet this is the thread that binds them.

Another Singaporean, Ng Woon Neng, also did remarkably well in the senior category of the competition.

Woon Neng, a Nanyang Girls’ High School student, submitted a short story on her view of wealth, health, freedom and happiness.

30 October 2018

Singapore has been ranked among the top in the world with respect to providing its citizens with upward mobility through education.

According to a recent report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, students with more qualified parents are still likely to end up better educated than their peers, but the gap in Singapore has shrunk considerably over the years.

Now, a Singaporean born to parents with only upper secondary education has about a 60 per cent chance of completing tertiary education.

The OECD report also pointed out that disadvantaged students here still manage to attain core skills in science, reading and mathematics, as measured by the Programme for International Student Assessment.

The Ministry of Education said that it is heartened to see that education mobility across generations has improved over the years.

It noted that going forward, it is more important for people to develop skills instead of pursuing academic qualifications alone.

28 October 2018

Singapore University of Social Sciences students will each be getting an enhanced portfolio to better their employment prospects.

Full-time students will now be receiving records of their achievements that showcases their non-academic skills, such as creative thinking and decision-making.

Enhanced transcripts for these students will also list students’ acquisition of 18 generic skills, such as communication and managing relationships.

In addition, e-portfolios, kept by the students to reflect on the courses they took and involvement in co-curricular activities and work attachments, will also become part and parcel of the entire package that students can present future employers when marketing themselves.

President Halimah Yacob and Senior Minister of State for Education and Trade and Industry Chee Hong oversaw a recent SUSS graduation ceremony held at the Clementi road campus.

Mr Chee Hong Tat said: “For Singapore to grow and develop further, we must have a culture which supports continual pursuit of knowledge, innovation and improvements so that we remain globally competitive and socially cohesive in a fast-changing economy.”