Let's Talk About How We Want to Learn ... and Grow
Forward Singapore invites Singaporeans to share about our hopes and dreams for our future generations, and to renew our pledges as citizens, as members of our communities and as one people to contribute to our home, Singapore. This invitation comes at a time of great change, when political and social turbulence in the world offers just as great an opportunity for us to make the next leap ahead.
We believe Singapore must continue to be an inclusive, thriving space, where opportunities abound and where we, as Singaporeans, can forge our own path with dignity, and help others embark on theirs.
Since August 2022, the Ministry of Education has :
-
held over
20
ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS
-
engaged more than
2000
SINGAPOREANS
-
collected more than
7500
PLEDGES
To round up these engagement sessions and move towards collective action, the Ministry of Education engaged a group of 200 youths, parents, educators, as well as representatives from the industry and community on 19 November 2022. Discussions centred on the following three areas which resonated most with the various stakeholders engaged earlier:
- Embracing lifelong learning to seize new opportunities and maximise potential;
- Supporting our students' diverse interests, learning needs and aspirations; and
- Building an inclusive society for our students with special educational needs (SEN) and their families.
Collective Actions
One key collection action that stemmed from the session was the School-Industry Partnerships.
Participants discussed how to strengthen partnerships and encourage greater collaborations between schools, Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), the industry and the community, to create more opportunities for educators and students to learn for life. Participants also discussed ways to encourage companies to move towards skills-based Human Resource (HR) hiring practices.
Building on existing efforts to prepare students for the world of work, the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), Singapore Human Resource Institute (SHRI) and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) will work with MOE to facilitate and curate partnerships between industry and schools.
This partnership aims to enhance and enrich students' experiences and exposure to industries, to gain a deeper appreciation of the skills and competencies needed in the workplace. While there are existing collaborations through school programmes, Co-Curricular Activities, and guest speakers, this strengthened approach will enable more schools to come on board so that more students can benefit from such interactions.
There was also rich discussion on how parents and individuals can be partners in education to support diverse learning needs and aspirations, and build a more inclusive environment in school and the community.
Parents pledged to support their child's holistic learning and development, and to instil in them sound values of care and concern for others. Across all stakeholder groups, individuals recognised the importance of taking care of their own mental well-being while looking out for their peers. To this end, other possible partnerships discussed included:
- Creating parent peer communities to support parents on their parenting journey, for example, for parents of children with special education needs to support one another, and
- Co-creating resources to support parents in engaging their children on their holistic well-being.