Page 17 - Education Change and Economic Development: The Case of Singapore Dr. Goh Chor Boon National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University

Education Change and Economic Development: The Case of Singaporec77

To support an economy that thrives on innovation and digitisation,

Singapore’s education system did away with standardized, mass education.
Critics of standardized, mass education have argue that such a system does not
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match to the needs of a twenty-first century, skills-based knowledge economy.
As Ken Robinson says in today’s education system “schools need to cultivate
the great diversity of young people’s talents and interests; to dissolve the
divisions between academic and vocational programs, giving weight to both

areas of study; and to foster practical relationships with the world of work so
that young people can experience different types of working environments
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firsthand”. Singapore’s school education customizes teaching and learning
with the aim to help students to discover their own talents, to make the best of

these talents and realize their full potential, to develop the skills, character and
values, and to develop a passion for learning that lasts through life. Flexibility

and diversity of learning opportunities to meet different interests and ways
of learning are now features of a more broad-based education to ensure an
all-round or holistic development, in and out of the classroom, for young
Singaporeans. Being able to choose what and how they learn will encourage

them to take greater ownership of their learning.
At the core of the Singapore education, its “thinking curriculum” continues

to be emphasized. Young Singaporeans are encouraged to ask questions,
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look for answers, think in new ways, solve new problems and create new
opportunities for the future. Besides the body of content knowledge of a

20 See Ken Robinson, Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution That’s
Transforming Education (New York: Viking, 2015).
21 Ibid., p. 47.
22 The results of the “thinking curriculum” is reflected positively in the performance of
Singapore students in PISA. See https://www.bbc.com/news/education-38212070