Education: A feasible solution in the long run?

Singapore's education system can prepare the youths for challenges of the future because the university courses are equipped with high quantity and quality content, allowing the youths to be more prepared for the challenges of the future. Compared to overseas universities such as in the US or Australia, it is easier to get a degree there than it is to get one here because of the different difficulty in examinations. The harder examinations in Singapore prepare youths with more knowledge to overcome future challenges.

Although the meritocratic system may cause elitism, it is a part of the education system that helps prepare youths for the challenges of the future. The meritocratic system motivates youths to work harder as it will enable them to attain a scholarship which lessens any financial burden from school fees. For example, the scholarship application to universities in Singapore like NUS and SMU. This will motivate youths to be hardworking and not lazy, preparing the youths for challenges of the future.

However, Singapore's education system are too exam-oriented and results-oriented causing youths to be drilled to getting good results. This poses a problem as youths may think that results are everything hence lacking interpersonal skills needed to communicate with others in the future workforce. In all schools, there will always be at least 2 major examinations every year forcing students to study and get good grades as their results will determine their chances of getting what they choose. As a result, youths are too focused on studying that they do not have time to build up their communication skills thus not preparing youths for challenges of the future.

Singapore's education system can prepare youths for the challenges of the future as the education system keeps up to date with the modern times of society in this ever-changing world. Today, technology has become a significant part in our everyday lives hence learning about knowledge pertaining to technology is important. To been on par with the changing world, junior colleges have offered subjects that are more relevant for the future such as computing. Since the education system does not fail to teach relevant knowledge needed for the future, it can prepare youths for the challenges of the future.

Overall, Singapore's education system may have some limitations but it can help prepare youths for challenges of the future.

Yes, Singapore's education system can prepare the youths for the challenges of the future as the curriculums designed caters to this requirement.

The challenges of the future includes digitalisation with high technology and the math and science academic has evolved into higher standard from the past to do this.

Challenges in the future includes people tension which through the proper civic and moral education by the teachers and even the teamwork such as project work in Junior Colleges trains students to tackle this issue.

It also includes terrorist attack that are foreseeable and students are taught adequately about racial and religious harmony in a multiracial country so that racial riots may not ensue in the future.

Based on the passage above, it is indeed that the Singapore's education system prepares the youth for the challenges that they might face in the working world especially the fourth industrial revolution with the integration of technology into the eduaction process. In addition, there is no doubt with the upgraded and well structured curriculum that students are equipped with skills such as bilingualism that sets them apart from other students in other countries and giving them an edge over them, preparing them for the harsh world outside.

Not only that, the view and value on meritocracy that is observed in svjools are ingrained in them, shaping their view and mentality that hardwork pays off which is important in society.

However, although most of of the points in the passage are true, i beg to differ that the harsh and pressuring environment in schools brings them negative impacts. Instead, these harsh conditions brings about and develops tenacity in them, improving their character and mentality.

Indeed, a side effect of such education method would be the rise of elitism as the emphasis on academics is pertinent. This boosts the ego of the book smart and diminish the confidence of others.

In conclusion, a perfect and all rounded education to prepare youths for the challenges in the future indeed is not Singapore's. It should encompass the education of both the intangibles and tangibles, the need for both emotional and intellectual intelligence is what makes the economy go on.

Singapore’s education system is unable to prepare youths for the challenges of the future due to its limitations in preparing individuals for industrial demands. Though our education curriculum is conducted by specialised educators, it lacks the fleibility to prepare individuals for the complexities they may face in the working environment. As a result of skills mismatch and skills inadequecy, this can lead to structural unemployment in the future as individuals cannot meet job requirements that are highly valued in the workforce. Due to such limitations in our education system in keeping up with the changing demands of industries as a result of the rigidty of our learning curriculum, individuals today have to turn to alternatives to compensate for the inadequacies in our education system. One of such alternatives is SkillsFuture which is a government-initiated movement to create opportunities for Singaporeans to maximise their learning potential and equip themselves with industrial skills and capabilities. By attending subsidised courses, people from all walks of life, be it young students, working adults and even the older generation, can achieve skills competency to meet the challenges of industries. Hence, this highlights that our current education system is not relevant and cannot prepare youths for the challenges of the future in meeting industrial demands.

Singapore's education system can prepare the youths for the challenges faced in the future because it emphasises on bilingualism which is essential to embrace globalisation. Due to the ease of communication, Singapore has been involved in high levels of trade and this is one of the significant reason why we can strive economically even though we have limited land and labour. High levels of interconnectedness has led to the rise in the mobility goods and service and labour between foreign countries. Hence, by making the mastery of English and one's mother tongue compulsory, it ensures that there is lower possibility of our students to face language barriers when they are communicating with people abroad. This can hone their soft skills, like communication, ensuring that they will be able to converse with people from other countries comfortably. Hence, the emphasis on learning two languages is especially important in preparing youths in Singapore for the future because it is needed for people to communicate between countries.
Secondly, the education system ensures students learn the technical skills needed in our fast paced and pragmatic society. The conducive environment and with the well trained teachers provided, the students are able to maximise their potential through the given opportunities to excel and learn throughout their educational journey. These opportunities can allow students to master the technical skills needed in the economy. For example, students are taught how to carry out experiments in the Science labatory and this can help them develop the important skills needed for Research and Development of Singapore. In the future, they would be able to contribute greatly and productively to the economy when they come out to the workforce, resulting to economic growth. Hence, the development on technical skills in our education systems can prepare youths for the future of Singapore.
However, our education system may not be able to prepare youths for the challenges faced in Singapore in the future because it is too results orientated and it may lead to route learning. The increasing emphasis on good grades and academic qualifications would only motivate students to do well for a written paper. This may be detrimental because it may result to route learning. Route learning will cause students to be less adaptable to changes of the economy or society because students are trained to only focus on good paper qualifications. Given the rapid technological advancements recently, machines may easily replace workers and cause them to be structurally unemployed because they cannot do what they are trained to do while they were studying. This low level of adaptability among the Singaporeans is caused by route learning and hence it may not prepare youths for the challenges in the future.

From a technological perspective, Singapore education system indeed prepares youth for the challenges in the future through the inculcation of technological skills into the students in order to be able to overcome economic challenges due to the changing demographics in the workforce. As the world rapidly embark into the digital age, technical knowledge has become increasingly necessary in the workforce such that the government recognizes the need for the youths to be equipped with these skills. Consequently, the education system has been tweaked and modified in such a way where learning IT has become part of the school curriculum. For instance, Ministry of Education is encouraging more schools to join the Code for Fun
programme, which aims to promote interest and develop talent in computing.
Under the programme, it allows students to create their own interactive stories,
video games and animations using coding. As a result, this shows how the government understands the need for IT skills and thereby prepare the youths by encouraging them acquire such skills.

However, there is a need to recognize that Singapore education system is still too exam and result-oriented. As such, even the inculcation of technical education has become pragmatic learning as students will only focus on the knowledge which is deemed important in their examination. As such, this may undermine youths capability in IT skills such that they become less competitive in the future which may severely impede their chances to secure jobs. Consequently, this may negatively impact their livelihood in the future. This can already be seen whereby a survey conducted by International Computer Driving License (ICDL) found out that Singaporean tertiary students overestimate their level of proficiency in digital literacy skills, including in word processing and spreadsheets as their proficiency level was below the global average. Thus, such examples indicate how youths in Singapore may be blinded with the assumption that they are proficient in IT from the examination conducted by the education system but in reality, they fail to reach the profiency level that is required in the workforce. Hence, the education system may have inadequately prepare students to overcome economic challenges in the future.

In today’s world, it is a cause for concern that the challenges of the future are becoming tougher to overcome, such as globalisation and the need for economic growth in our prevailing economic climate. Without a doubt, many believe that Singapore’s education system is able to prepare the youths for it. However, some are skeptical as the shortcomings of our education system makes them believe that they are inadequate in preparing youths. I feel that SG education system can prepare the youths for the challenges of the future.

Opponents of my view suggest otherwise as they believe that it promotes the elitism among top achievers in the highly competitive education system which is detrimental to our society and impedes the youths from solving the problem of globalisation in SG. Since our education system is based on meritocracy, students are rewarded based on their academic achievements. This results in top students feeling superior to others and being arrogant as they receive recognition from performing well. Consequently, they would be unable to work harmoniously with others who are deemed to be inferior to them, hence they would be lacking the soft skills required in the workforce. For example, students with better degrees in prestigious institutes such as Harvard University would feel like they are more worthy than graduates from a less known university and hence would be relunctant to work with them. This lack of social cohension would make them unable to overcome the challeneges faced during globalisaion and hence making our education system ineffective in solving them.

With the integration of advanced technology into our education system, it makes SG education system more capable in preparing youths for the challenge that is to promote economic growth in SG economy. Technology helps facilitate efficient learning among students and enables students to fully maximise their potential. Since SG engages in the production of high value-added goods, a highly skilled and educated workforce is essential in the production. With the adoptation of technology, it can equip students with complex technical skills which would prepare them for it. For example, the highly developed science labs in the School of Science and Technology imparts technical skills to students, enabling them to effectively attain higher levels of knowledge which would better prepare them to partake in high value-added production, hence allowing their generation to promote economic growth in the future, hence solving this future problem.