Debate on President’s Address: Darryl David on ‘whole-of-community’ effort in education and diversity, equity and inclusion
For education to be effective, we need to look at it from across all the multiple stakeholders in society, said MP Darryl David. Speaking in Parliament on Monday (Apr 17), he stressed the need for families, employers, non-governmental organisations, voluntary welfare organisations, social groups and communities to play their part. He said as Singapore moves forward into the post-COVID era, the education of society will be crucial. This education will not be a “whole-of-Government” but a “whole-of-community” effort, he said. He urged the Government to aim to go beyond skills and to strive for the attainment of competencies as the ultimate end-goal of education. “If skills are what you can do, then competencies are how you do it,” he said. He cited three “transformative competencies” identified by an OECD Learning Compass 2030 report that students and learners will need to contribute, thrive and shape a better future. These are creating new value, reconciling tensions and dilemmas and taking responsibility. He urged students, educators and employers to be “courageously curious” so that they can create new value. For students to develop competency in reconciling tensions and dilemmas, he suggested increasing the focus on formative assessments such as coursework and less on summative assessments like examinations. He urged the Ministry of Education to look into how it can make each Primary 6 student’s final grade a combination of coursework and the PSLE score. As for taking responsibility, Mr David said students and learners must be proactive and focused in dealing with societal and environmental challenges and issues, and not wait for the Government or "someone else" to do it. Mr David also spoke of the need for diversity, equity and inclusion. He said one area that Singapore can do better in would be in greater diversity and representation in the Public Service leadership, especially at the senior levels. He said if senior public leaders are responsible for formulating key policies to take Singapore forward, there should be more ethnic diversity. Mr David said greater diversity in Public Service leadership will not just result in diverse perspectives, less group think and a richer quality of strategic decisions. He said it also introduces role models that Public Service officers of every background can relate to and look up to.
For education to be effective, we need to look at it from across all the multiple stakeholders in society, said MP Darryl David. Speaking in Parliament on Monday (Apr 17), he stressed the need for families, employers, non-governmental organisations, voluntary welfare organisations, social groups and communities to play their part. He said as Singapore moves forward into the post-COVID era, the education of society will be crucial. This education will not be a “whole-of-Government” but a “whole-of-community” effort, he said. He urged the Government to aim to go beyond skills and to strive for the attainment of competencies as the ultimate end-goal of education. “If skills are what you can do, then competencies are how you do it,” he said. He cited three “transformative competencies” identified by an OECD Learning Compass 2030 report that students and learners will need to contribute, thrive and shape a better future. These are creating new value, reconciling tensions and dilemmas and taking responsibility. He urged students, educators and employers to be “courageously curious” so that they can create new value. For students to develop competency in reconciling tensions and dilemmas, he suggested increasing the focus on formative assessments such as coursework and less on summative assessments like examinations. He urged the Ministry of Education to look into how it can make each Primary 6 student’s final grade a combination of coursework and the PSLE score. As for taking responsibility, Mr David said students and learners must be proactive and focused in dealing with societal and environmental challenges and issues, and not wait for the Government or "someone else" to do it. Mr David also spoke of the need for diversity, equity and inclusion. He said one area that Singapore can do better in would be in greater diversity and representation in the Public Service leadership, especially at the senior levels. He said if senior public leaders are responsible for formulating key policies to take Singapore forward, there should be more ethnic diversity. Mr David said greater diversity in Public Service leadership will not just result in diverse perspectives, less group think and a richer quality of strategic decisions. He said it also introduces role models that Public Service officers of every background can relate to and look up to.
Popular Shows
