Singapore is Asia’s best in equipping students for the future
Singapore’s education system is the best in Asia in preparing students for the future, a new study looking into the quality of education in 35 important economies worldwide showed.
The research by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released on September 19 ranked countries which together account for 77 per cent of the global population. The index assessed how well they were preparing students for a world where they would need interdisciplinary, creative, analytical, entrepreneurial, leadership, digital and technical skills, as well as global awareness and civic education.
Singapore scored 80.1 out of 100 to rank fifth overall – behind New Zealand (88.9), Canada (86.7), Finland (85.5) and Switzerland (81.5) – in the study that assessed how well governments equip people aged 15 to 24 with skills for their working life.
Japan, which ranked seventh, was the next best Asian economy with a score of 77.2. South Korea ranked 12th, Hong Kong came in 14th and China was placed 31st out of 35 economies.
The EIU said that employees of the future will compete across global borders for the best education, jobs and growth, and they will need to be nimble, flexible and dynamic, ready to recognise and respond swiftly to emerging trends. Thus, students must be prepared for rapidly evolving technologies and face challenges such as environmental change, urbanisation, migration and demographic shifts, the report said.
Singapore was especially lauded for its pool of effective teachers, which are even more central to a successful future-skills education system than in more traditional schooling environments. However, the study cited Singapore as one of the economies that could improve in having initiatives beyond the classroom assisted by collaboration with businesses, the wider society as well as other schools or universities.
The mediocre ranking of Hong Kong, instead, is mainly owing to not performing well in socioeconomic environment, scoring poorly – 58.4 out of 100 points – for cultural diversity and tolerance.
The study said that Hong Kong lacked “a comprehensive policy on equipping youth with skills for the future, in particular, an assessment framework for future skills, global citizenship skills and project learning,” adding that this was “a wake-up call” for the education system there.
Singapore's education system is the best in Asia in preparing students for the future, a new study looking into the quality of education in 35 important economies worldwide showed. The research by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released on September 19 ranked countries which together account for 77 per cent of the global population. The index assessed how well they were preparing students for a world where they would need interdisciplinary, creative, analytical, entrepreneurial, leadership, digital and technical skills, as well as global awareness and civic education. Singapore scored 80.1 out of 100 to rank fifth overall - behind New...
Singapore’s education system is the best in Asia in preparing students for the future, a new study looking into the quality of education in 35 important economies worldwide showed.
The research by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released on September 19 ranked countries which together account for 77 per cent of the global population. The index assessed how well they were preparing students for a world where they would need interdisciplinary, creative, analytical, entrepreneurial, leadership, digital and technical skills, as well as global awareness and civic education.
Singapore scored 80.1 out of 100 to rank fifth overall – behind New Zealand (88.9), Canada (86.7), Finland (85.5) and Switzerland (81.5) – in the study that assessed how well governments equip people aged 15 to 24 with skills for their working life.
Japan, which ranked seventh, was the next best Asian economy with a score of 77.2. South Korea ranked 12th, Hong Kong came in 14th and China was placed 31st out of 35 economies.
The EIU said that employees of the future will compete across global borders for the best education, jobs and growth, and they will need to be nimble, flexible and dynamic, ready to recognise and respond swiftly to emerging trends. Thus, students must be prepared for rapidly evolving technologies and face challenges such as environmental change, urbanisation, migration and demographic shifts, the report said.
Singapore was especially lauded for its pool of effective teachers, which are even more central to a successful future-skills education system than in more traditional schooling environments. However, the study cited Singapore as one of the economies that could improve in having initiatives beyond the classroom assisted by collaboration with businesses, the wider society as well as other schools or universities.
The mediocre ranking of Hong Kong, instead, is mainly owing to not performing well in socioeconomic environment, scoring poorly – 58.4 out of 100 points – for cultural diversity and tolerance.
The study said that Hong Kong lacked “a comprehensive policy on equipping youth with skills for the future, in particular, an assessment framework for future skills, global citizenship skills and project learning,” adding that this was “a wake-up call” for the education system there.
