Complete your studies and follow your passion later. "Die die" get that university degree first.

This is a familiar struggle for many Singaporeans growing up in a pressure cooker system that favours paper qualifications above everything else, stifling them from pursuing their real interests.

In the eyes of Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung, the "die die must do it this way” mindset is the biggest challenge that Singapore is up against in its quest to transform itself in higher education to meet future challenges.

This is especially since Singapore is standing "at the threshold of major changes in our society and economy".

Ong made this point in Parliament on Mar 7 as he spoke out against the entrenched social culture in our society that continues to value academic achievements over skills and experience.

"We have an effective and internationally well-regarded education system. But sometimes a great strength can also be a weakness. Because there will be a temptation to let things be or just tweak things at the margins, instead of making more fundamental but necessary changes.

Five-year transformation plan

Announcing an ambitious five-year transformation plan for higher education, Ong highlighted 5 important shifts that will need to happen:

1. Fulfil hopes and aspirations, besides leading to good jobs and lifelong employability.

2. Lifelong education and learning. Adult training needs to be bite-sized, relevant, concise, and convenient.

3. Impart skills, not just information. Because information can be Googled, skills cannot.

4. ‘Learning by (italics) doing’ instead of ‘learning for (italics) doing’.

5. Help Singaporeans adapt to a data-rich and digital working environment.

Ong described these shifts as "the building blocks of transformation" that will set the stage for Singapore's continued progress for the next 20 years.

New and enhanced initiatives

Using a "build, configure and scale" approach, new and enhanced initiatives will be implemented to help bring about the fundamental shifts in higher education. They include:

1. ITE Technical Diploma

ITE students no longer need not see Polytechnics as their only progression pathway. For a start, this new diploma will be available for sectors such as Mechanical & Electrical Services Design & Supervision, Security System Engineering, Rehabilitation Therapy and Offshore & Marine.

2. Enhanced Government Bursaries

Four bursary tiers will be introduced across all Post-Secondary Education Institutions. Students can be eligible for bursaries by either meeting the per capita income or gross monthly household income criteria.

Income eligibility caps will be revised upwards, allowing more students to qualify.

3. Expanding aptitude-based admissions

The Universities will implement aptitude-based admission for their admission exercises later this year, for up to 15% of their intake.

MOE will increase the quota for Polytechnic Early Admissions Exercise (EAE) from 12.5% to 15%, for the 2018 Admission Year. Over 500 more places will be included under EAE.

An ITE EAE will be introduced, where ITE can systematically admit up to 15% of its intake via aptitude-based admissions.

4. Future@Work training programme

To be implemented by the end of the year across Singapore for all Singaporean workers to understand the future work environment.

5. SkillsFuture Engage workshops

Guide Singaporeans in finding the right training programmes to attend, identify the right skills to learn and how to use their SkillsFuture Credit well.

Since you're here how about another article:

They say we can buy anything online, so here’s a life-sized gummy snake

Watch out, paper qualifications. Real life experience is coming for you.

Top photo from MOE Facebook

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