18 July 2018

Education Minister Ong Ye Kung has asserted strongly that Singaporeans should not lose faith in meritocracy, even though there seems to be unfairness in our education system.

He urged Singaporeans to refrain from populist but unworkable ideas like banning tuition classes or implementing quotas in premier schools.

Instead, the correct path for Singapore was to shift its emphasis on academic results to one that recognizes skill sets. He terms this a “broader meritocracy of skills”.

Rather than adopting a “beggar thy neighbour” mindset which is counterproductive, Mr Ong called for Singaporeans to adopt a “prosper thy neighbour” mindset by pursuing key values such as social equality, and continually striving to “lift the bottom”.

Ms Denise Phua (Jalan Besar GRC), who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Education, had called for an education master plan to be reviewed every three years.