I came across an intriguing article by Mr Padraig Flanagan about the benefits of coding. He commented that coding should be made a leaving cert for young students. With the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Singapore government’s push to turn Singapore into a ‘Smart Nation’, Mr Flanagan’s idea seems feasible. I do believe … Read more
The Independent reported that social media is damaging children’s mental health. Nine in ten children were found to have been bullied online or exposed to disturbing material. “Most headteachers have received reports of pupils being exposed to upsetting material on social media sites – including self-harm, bullying, hate speech and sexual content, a poll by … Read more
More universities in the UK are giving students unconditional offers into their universities. These are some of the top universities in the world. Unconditional offers are made based on predicted grades even before the students even sit for their A levels. “Last year, more than 50,000 students were offered unconditional places, raising fears universities were … Read more
There was an article on USNews.com about coaching for teachers. The phrase “Just like athletes become stronger under the guidance of a good coach, so do teachers“ caught my attention. Teachers have to keep improving just like athletes and change their teaching methods to keep up with times. Being a teacher myself, I constantly set … Read more
Minister of Education (Schools), Mr Ng Chee Meng said in parliament that all primary schools would undertake the Applied Learning Programme (ALP) come 2023. Currently, ALP is implemented in 80 primary schools. It allows children to have a more hands-on approach to learning and teaches students skills-based learning such as robotics and basic coding. This … Read more
The Straits Times recently shared Mr Andreas Schleicher’s views on the role and significance of university education in today’s world. Mr Schleicher is OECD’s Education and Skills director. The article quoted “A widely quoted 2011 study by researchers Richard Arum of New York University and Josipa Roksa of the University of Virginia, showed that a … Read more
I came across an interesting article about entrepreneurship. Naveed, a senior management executive at Credit Suisse, launched two start-ups before turning 16. He founded Young Founders School in Hong Kong, which revamps the way entrepreneurship is taught. Naveed also has courses in Singapore. Naveed terms his startup as a charity-based entrepreneurship school. The school targets … Read more
Singapore’s education curriculum has often been emulated by many developed nations around the world. While we perform well at examinations, we need to look beyond examination grades. I read a recent Straits Times article on examinations, and it highlighted two main points. Examinations are not just about how well one performs but serve as a … Read more
Minister of Education (Higher Education and Skills), Mr Ong Ye Kung mentioned in an interview with The Straits Times, “If you work like a robot, you will be replaced by a robot”. Mr Ong stressed that we should stop viewing university education as the only way to success. We need to reinvent ourselves to stay … Read more