30 March 2019
Education Minister Ong Ye Kung has said that while education is still the best social leveller, Singapore needs a broader definition of meritocracy.
Mr was speaking at a forum at the National University of Singapore, where he was joined by other panellists including Mr Andreas Schleicher, director for education and skills at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and Yale-NUS College president Tan Tai Yong.
The forum explored issues such as the divide between schools perceived as elite and neighbourhood, and the need for a more compassionate meritocracy.
“Some employers are changing the way they hire, many parents are getting the message. I hope that within a generation, this culture will shift to something which is more nurturing, more compassionate,” said Mr Ong.
“Singapore’s education system has become too differentiated,” said Prof Tan Tai Yong. This is the result of an education system that sorts students by abilities, aptitudes and performances.