Mr Samuel Goh Shao Ming - Economic Society of Singapore

Samuel Goh Shao MingIs Our Education System Able to Meet the Challenges of Globalisation?SummaryChange is inevitable and globalization will surely hold many challenges forSingapore’s education system. However, the government has already beguna series of reforms, which have indicated an extremely positive approachtowards the phenomena. Globalization is beyond the control of any individualor state. Therefore, rather than let it become a threat, it is important that weadapt to ride the wave of globalization. As such, reforms such as thescrapping of the ranking of schools, creating ‘through-train’ programs andchanging the examination system, have all served to prepare the country forthe era of globalization. This author recognizes the effort of schools, whichhave incorporated technology together with the curriculum. However, thereare further changes that need to take place before Singapore can be fullyprepared for the challenges of globalization. These include, promoting morecreative teaching methods and encouraging students to dream and pursuetheir own dreams. Ultimately, the aim should be to train people to be able totake on the world, who are both technology savvy and culturally sensitive toother cultures. Therefore, the thing that the government needs to promotemore actively is the notion of lifelong education, whereby learning does notstop outside of the classroom. Until Singaporeans realize that there is more toeducation than just a paper chase, it will be extremely difficult for the countryto meet the challenges of globalization. Globalization is not about being wellqualified; it’s about being highly adaptable to your environment. Therefore,this essay looks at the series of reforms, which have already been initiated,and suggests ideas, which the nation seriously needs to consider should theytruly want to create a system ready to tackle the challenges of globalization.1

Samuel Goh Shao MingIs Our Education System Able to Meet the Challenges of Globalisation?The process of globalization is by no means a new phenomenon; in fact, theprocess of globalization is as old as the human race itself. In moderninternational relations however, ‘globalization’ is a buzzword, and itswidespread and casual use is not helpful towards our understanding of theprocess itself. It would help, therefore, to properly define the term.Globalization is defined as ‘a historical process, which transforms the spatialorganization of social relations and transactions’. 1 The emphasis here isplaced on the fact that globalization is a process, and not an event. Indeed, itis a phenomenon beyond the control of any individual state or corporation.While globalization has been presented as an opportunity, it has also beenperceived by many to be a threat. One thing for certain though, is that withglobalization, there will also be a new set of problems and challenges.Functionally, globalization has forced the state to adapt its way and policies inorder to remain relevant, in particular, education. This essay however, is notfocused on the process of globalization per se. Therefore, the term has beenloosely defined in the broadest sense. Singapore has long prided itself on itseducation system. This small island nation can boast the top scores ininternational competitions of its students. Granted, the system has no doubtbrought our society thus far and is continuing to produce scholars for theeconomy, but this begs the question of whether or not this system is sufficientto carry us through to the new century and beyond. The Singaporeaneducation system now stands at a crossroads, the past forty years have beenprosperous, but the system now needs to change in order to meet thechallenges of globalization. Change is by no means easy, and in this case, itis a painful process that shakes the very core of our belief system. However,without change, it is courting certain doom. Singapore must adapt to meet thechallenges of globalization. Two thumbs up to the education ministry fortaking a pro-active stance in this regard, but it is worth looking at the currentsystem and the proposed reforms before making a fair analysis on whether or_____________________________________________________________________1David Held and Anthony McGrew, The global transformations reader : an introduction to theglobalization debate, Cambridge, Blackwell Publishers, 2000, p. 22

Samuel Goh Shao Mingnot the Singaporean education system is able to meet the challenges ofglobalization. Therefore, by looking at the recent reforms in the educationsystem, this essay will discuss how ready the Singaporean education systemis to meet the challenges of globalization.Education lies at the very heart of much of Singaporean society. For the pastforty years, education has been perceived as the key to prosperity andbreaking out of the cycle of poverty, and indeed, this has been so. Singaporecan stand proud that it has gone from third world poverty to first world richeswithin a span of thirty years or so, and this has been due to the education ofher people. Much credit must go to the system that the previous generation ofSingaporeans has gone through. However, it is also from the educationsystem that the ‘kiasu’ syndrome is the most obvious. There is nowhere elsein the world where parents would queue up overnight just to get a place fortheir child in the top kindergarten. The amount of time and money whichparents spend sending their children for tuition or enrichment classes isstaggering. It would be interesting to do a survey on how much parents doactually spend on such activities, which are on top of school homework.Therefore, it is obvious that education is an issue that resonates very strongamong Singaporeans. Partially due to the Confucian system of puttingeducation as a priority, and also to the ‘kiasu’ mentality, the education systemhas come to mean more than just education. It has become a reflection of thecompetitiveness of society at large. In this sense, the student’s complainsabout feeling the pressure is not unfounded. Over the past few decades,education has become increasingly competitive due to the stigma involved indoing well or doing poorly. In competitive Singapore, the success of theirchildren is a measure of the success of the parents. The ranking of secondaryschools is a case in point. Two equally bright students, one from a top school,and one from a ‘neighborhood’ school would accord a different impressionamong people. Mention that you’re from Raffles Institution (RI) and peoplewould be impressed. However, mentioned that you’re from Jurong Secondary,and no one would give you a second look. This is by no means anexaggeration, sad to say, as this author has experienced it firsthand. Much3

Samuel Goh Shao Mingneeded change however, has been made to the secondary school rankingsystem, officially, secondary schools are no longer ranked. However, thestigma of going to a ‘neighborhood’ school has already created substantialdamage for the past two decades in which the ranking system has been inplace. Every year, parents would eagerly await the ‘school-ranking’supplement in The Straits Times newspaper before making a decision inselecting a ‘good’ school for their offspring. Hats off to the ministry ofeducation officials who realized that the school-rankings were doing moreharm than good. Unfortunately, the damage has already been done and itwould take at least a decade in order to undo the stigma involved in going to a‘good’ school and a ‘neighborhood’ school. Very diplomatically,‘neighborhood’ schools are not dubbed as ‘lousy’ schools, yet, in theperception of many Singaporeans that is the impression. Often, theseprophecies become self-fulfilling as non-elite students start to believe the factthat they can never be as good as other students in ‘better’ schools. As such,in order to adapt to the challenges of globalization, there must be a change ofmindset among Singaporeans. Education is by no means an ends in itself,and Singaporeans need to stop thinking that going to a ‘neighborhood’ schoolis the end of the world. To succeed in this global environment, we need everypossible talent. Therefore, until Singaporeans can come to the realization thatthere is nothing wrong with going to a neighborhood school, the educationsystem cannot be fully ready to undertake the challenges of globalization.In order to meet the challenges of globalization, the examination system hasto undergo reform. The typical Singaporean school-going child has thefollowing milestones in his life: Primary Three Screening for the GiftedEducation Program, Primary Four for deciding whether the child would end upin EM1/2, Primary Six to decide which Secondary School he will go to,Secondary Two to decide which combination of subjects to take, SecondaryFour to decide which vocation he will pursue and Junior College Year 2 to seeif he/she is good enough for university entrance. The pattern is obvious, everytwo years; the child is faced with a major exam. At this point, one must reallyquestion the necessity of having such frequent examinations. There is nothing4

Samuel Goh Shao Mingto look forward to except exams. In the Singaporean system, with majorexaminations beginning at the tender age at nine, there is a tendency to favorthe early boomers while discriminating against the late developers. People,who do well in exams, usually continue to do well in exams and the samegoes for people who do not have exams as their forte. This author is notagainst examinations per se, but is against the excessiveness ofexaminations within the education system. The result is that instead oflearning to gain knowledge, students are learning for the sake of passing theexamination. This robs students of vital opportunities to look into othermethods of learning. Yet, in order to get ahead in life, the student is forcedthrough the rigidity of the system. There is no longer any joy in learning. Thisis due to the emphasis which Singapore places on the examination system.Changes however, have been made in the past couple of years with theintroduction of the ‘throughtrain system’. In this system, students are allowedto skip their “O” levels and take a six-year program culminating in either the“A” levels or in the International Baccalaureate (IB). On the surface, it wouldseem as if educational reforms were beginning to take place across the entiresystem. However, upon closer examination, one would realize that theseprograms are mostly on available at ‘good’ schools, which accept only thecrème-de-la-crème of Singapore’s brightest students. Students who do well inexaminations will always do well in examinations, and it is by the system ofexaminations which determine who goes through the ‘throughtrain’ program.Ironically, it is the students in the ‘neighborhood’ schools who should pursuealternatives to examinations, as they most probably have talents, which arenot evident in examinations. This author proposes therefore, that alternativemethods of assessment be implemented for non-elite students so as to meetthe increasing demands of globalization.In this era of increasing globalization, it is absolutely crucial that one is able tothink creatively and outside of conventional methods. There is no such thingas promoting creativity while issuing guidelines on how to be creative. In thiscurrent age, while it is important to know basic facts and information, the bulkof the attention will be focused on the creation of new knowledge and5

Samuel Goh Shao Mingresearch as the human race progresses further into the information age. It istherefore important that the education system is able to produce people whocan think laterally, as well as being able to equip students with the correctskills in order to encourage them to create new knowledge. In this regard, thekey lies in the fact that young minds need to be stretched and challenged.Students should be encouraged to fail because failure is part of the learningprocess. Indeed, the system needs to stop frowning upon failure. However,due to a constant fear of failure, many Singapore students are terrified to gobeyond the boundaries of what they have been taught. The common patternof doing well in the system seems to be memorization. Doing well, in thiscase, is equated to a good performance in the examination. However, sad tosay, memorizing facts via rote learning is simply taking the easy way out, it isnot a viable method in which the country should be looking to so as toprogress. Spoon-feeding students with notes and information is simply not theway to prepare for the challenges of globalization, although it is highlyeffective for the sake of passing exams. Memorizing requires neither thinkingnor analysis, just assuming things for granted. The results of rote learning areobvious, it results in people being full of knowledge, but yet they are unable toneither apply it nor express it. As a result, the memorized informationbecomes redundant. We need to teach students to express themselves bothin written form and spoken form. Memorization is most definitely not the waytowards building a system, which is capable of producing the next generationof thinkers and public speakers. Therefore, in order to prepare us for thechallenges of globalization, the system needs to reform itself in such a way,which encourages students to think out of the box instead of spoon-feedingthem with information, and this, has to start right from the beginning of theeducation system, and all throughout.In order to meet the challenges of globalization, there has to be a broadbasededucation with emphasis not only on mathematics and the sciences,but also on the arts and the creative arts. Students should be encouraged towork towards their passion and interests. Many a time, students areencouraged to specialize in mathematics or science as these subjects are6

Samuel Goh Shao Mingseen as more ‘academic’ and therefore more employable. The arts, in thiscase, are deemed as ‘no future’. This mentality is grossly inaccurate. The artsand the sciences are both crucial for the development of the nation; toadvantage one over the other is courting certain disaster, as both fields areessential to tackle the challenges of globalization. We need a balance of both,and we must encourage scholars of both disciplines. As the process ofglobalization gathers pace, it will also affect the growth of global civil society.A hallmark of global civil society is the ability to go beyond the academicpursuit of education and having a heart to care for others. Singapore,unfortunately, is still some way off from that caring and gracious society whichwas envisioned by then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong in 1990. Education ismore than academic study. Education prepares you for life and it builds themind, character and the soul, it must inculcate a sense of morality and socialresponsibility. Ultimately, the purpose of education should be to prepare onefor life. Values such as volunteerism and community work are not naturallyacquired values, these are values, which are taught, and these are values,which are severely lacking in our education system. Even though youngSingaporeans must complete a minimum of six hours of community serviceeach year, the aim of cultivating a sense of social awareness is not hitting itstarget. Young Singaporeans seem to be turning a blind eye to the needsaround them. For example, this author was on a bus recently with lots ofsecondary school children and an elderly man was trying to get off the buswith two large grocery bags. It was disheartening to see that not even onestudent attempted to help the elderly man with his bags. This begs thequestion of whether or not students are just doing community service for thesake of fulfilling an obligation, rather than of genuine concern. As thepopulation of Singapore beings to experience the effects of an ageing society,younger Singaporeans must have a greater sense of social responsibility.This author admits that it is extremely difficult to teach, but to teach socialawareness would be a blunder; social awareness must be created anddemonstrated in practice by example. Perhaps greater emphasis must beplaced on civics and moral education so as to create an environment wherehelping someone in need is not seen as a chore. In line with globalization andin order to move towards a global civil society, it is important that education be7

Samuel Goh Shao Minglooked upon as more than just academic pursuit, but it is also the acquiring ofvalues such as a sense of social responsibility and social awareness.The education system must adapt in order to stay relevant to the knowledgeeconomy. As such, the recent reform of the teaching of the Chinese languageis a step in the right direction. While the global language of commerceremains English, the Chinese language continues to instill in the youngergeneration a sense of cultural heritage and belonging. In a world of mergingcultures and of an emerging global culture, it is often difficult to distinguishoneself from other cultures. In an increasingly globalized world, while onemust be global in outlook, one must also have a sense of belonging andattachment. However, it is the change in the teaching method of the Chineselanguage that is in-line with the future method of education of havingpersonalized learning styles suited to each individual child at his/her ownpace. This, blended with information technology will ensure that Singaporecontinues to produce bright young sparks. With the reforms to the teaching tothe Chinese language, Singapore is taking a step in the right direction towardsan overhaul of the traditional methods of teaching. Hopefully, the change instyle of the teaching of the Chinese language will be the spearhead and thefirst of the method of teaching towards our students. The needs of this worldwill be ever changing; therefore, it is important that the system must adapt inorder to stay relevant. In the aspect of teaching methods, Singapore hasalready begun to adapt to these necessary changes, as such, the country’seducation system is one step closer to the meeting the challenges ofglobalization.Education is a lifelong process. Education does not and should not stop themoment one leaves the formal system of education. This will become evenmore critical in the era of globalization, where one needs to constantlyupgrade his/her own skills. Therefore, the education system needs to create afoundation, which is suitable for acquiring more information at a later stage inan individual’s life. And this lies at the heart of the method of instruction. Pure8

Samuel Goh Shao Mingmemorization techniques are not the solution towards building a nation ofthinkers. A system is only as good as the people who run the system. And tobe honest, there is no such thing as a perfect system. There is always a wayto improve and do things better. As external observers, we can only commentand give suggestions, what is needed in the system now, is a change ofmindset, in the educators, the students and the parents. Until the oldergeneration of teachers and principals can come to terms with the changingnature of education, it is impossible for the system to be able to rise up tomeet the challenges of globalization. Our teachers hold the key in preparingthe future generations of young Singaporeans for this globalized world. At thesame time, principals must encourage their teachers to be daring in theirteaching styles. Perhaps it is also time that principals review the way in which‘creative’ teachers are being restrained for being too flamboyant. In a countrywith limited resources, we cannot afford to lose our most ‘creative’ teachersdue to bureaucracy and traditional ways of doing things, it would a sheerwaste of talent if teachers left the system because the system was so rigidthat it gave them no breathing space, and unfortunately, this has been thetrend among young teachers. Therefore, in order to have the system ready forthis age of globalization, we need to encourage our teachers to think outsidethe box and promote creativity among them.In conclusion, the Singaporean education system has already begun to takesteps towards meeting the challenges of globalization. And indeed, these areextremely positive steps in the right direction. It has often been remarked thatthe first step is always the hardest, and indeed, changes are neither easy norpleasant. However, it is with bubbling aspirations that this author concludesthat Singapore is well under way towards tackling the challenges ofglobalization. From the rate the education system is progressing, globalizationwill present itself more of an opportunity than a threat. However, the future ofour most valuable asset is far from secure and this island will constantly needto upgrade itself in order to remain relevant in this global environment. What ismost needed now is a change in the general mindset of Singaporeanstowards education. Education is more than just books and gaining a paper9

Samuel Goh Shao Mingqualification. As much as the Ministry of Education has done a fantastic job inre-inventing the education system, changes will only be effective if the publiccan embrace these changes – and at the moment, judging by the generalresponse, the reforms have been successful. As Singapore advances fromthird world poverty to first world prosperity, changes must also be madetowards the social aspects, we need to foster a more caring and moregracious society, only then, can we truly call ourselves global citizens in aglobal world.10

Samuel Goh Shao MingBibliographyLyen, Kenneth et al, Creativity and Education, Armour Publishing, Singapore,1997Lyen, Kenneth et al, The Education of Highly Creative People, ArmourPublishing, Singapore, 1997Tan, Jason et al, Education in Singapore: A Book of Readings, Simon andSchuster(Asia), Singapore, 199711