Why our education system is so hard to change
And how we can improve Singapore’s pre-tertiary education
The flaws of Singapore’s education system have been discussed for decades. The pitfalls of rote memorization, suppression of creativity, discouragement of curiosity…these issues are recurring themes in popular opinion.
Countless education experts and members of society have called for changes to the system, yet little has changed. The problems of yesterday remain. So what’s impeding the progress towards a better education?
The self-perpetuating nature of institutions
Elite institutions generally take in students of a higher caliber. Thus, regardless of genuine ability, one’s mere reputation of being a student from an elite institution goes a long way — they breeze through the “first cut” of job interviews; the ticket to the pinnacle of our social ladder is that all-powerful elite degree. Those who occupy powerful positions reinforce the “elite” nature of their alma mater, encouraging promising youths to apply to the very same institutions. This cycle continues for generations — as such, the long histories of top colleges and high schools are not a coincidence.
This self-reinforcing loop is a major obstacle to change. Imagine you’ve created a school that tackles all the problems of modern schooling — it is test-free yet motivating, individualistic yet standardized, collaborative yet competitive. But no one will enroll. Simply because your perfect school doesn’t have the social status of incumbent institutions — the lack of recognition from employers and other institutions will be fatal. (Of course, this is an exaggeration. I’m sure Elon Musk will have no difficulty starting a school. It is nonetheless true that a wildly different school will be facing an uphill battle.)
Moreover, existing institutions are powerful entities, attracting the best talents across the globe and often have deep connections with the government and businesses. They have a vested interest in keeping the status quo, for change may challenge their social status. To be fair, these institutions are receptive to improvements, but uprooting our current system will likely be met with resistance if it challenges their status.
Breaking out of the cycle is difficult. It takes the zeitgeist of society as a whole, and the will of governments and businesses, to modernize education. Perhaps this is the greatest irony of our age — education can bring change to everything, except itself.
Older generations
Singaporean parents are often exam-addicted, which is the idea that grades supersede all other pursuits and qualities of their children.
Why? Perhaps an artefact of their times, where grades determined life outcomes. Perhaps one’s wish for a better life manifests in their desire for their kids to do comparatively better — after all, academic results are the key to social mobility, right? Or perhaps a yearning to fulfill their dreams through their children — a sad reality where life is seen as its creator’s vehicle, rather than an independent being.
Of course, not all parents are exam addicts, and not all exam addicts are parents. But the unyielding emphasis on grades can at least partially be linked to the exam-addiction borne by older generations. The shift in PSLE’s scoring system to banding serves to reduce the emphasis on grades — and unsurprisingly, parents were the most disgruntled.
To parents, grades are the ultimate tool for a bright future — good grades lead to a good university, which leads to a good career, which leads to a good life. So naturally, de-emphasizing them is perceived as a challenge to social mobility, a lost opportunity to future success. And in their defense, exams are indeed the most meritocratic medium for measuring one’s ability against the entire cohort — the “perfect” way of differentiating a student from another. However, the goal of pre-tertiary education is to educate (duh), not differentiate. Of what use is a tool that fails to help students learn, their most fundamental need?
Students share no love for exams. MOE recognizes the need to shift away from traditional pen-and-paper methods, as evidenced by the new PSLE banding system, and towards a more holistic approach to evaluating students. Businesses understand the importance of creativity and curiosity in the 21st-century workplace, skills which rote memorization does little to develop.
Shifting the older generation away from exam addiction will allow all stakeholders in Singapore’s education system to align in terms of goals.
What can be done
Ultimately, as students, we are the biggest beneficiaries of a good education. Societal systems are difficult to change, but individual behaviors are not. Instead of blaming other stakeholders, what can we do to cultivate creativity and develop a life purpose? In the long, arduous journey towards a better system, a victim mentality will do us no good. Let’s take ownership of our own education.
For example, Singapore’s core subject curriculum offers little room for creativity, but there are other avenues available for keen students. Co-curricular activities (CCA) are one such opportunity. We can freely choose an area of interest to explore; sessions and objectives are unstructured enough to allow flexible thinking and asking deeper questions. If you’re part of your school’s Robotics Club: how do these machines work? How can robotics be used to benefit society? How can I expand the functions of these robots? There is no lack of creative pursuits.
Besides, who says learning and other productive activities have to take place in school? It is commonplace to take interest in an area not taught by our school. And we are living in the golden age of self-learning. Pick up a book from the library, or maybe take up a course on Coursera — virtually everything is learnable online today.
Going out of our way to develop ourselves requires much energy, but learning and the satisfaction that comes with it makes the effort worthwhile.
Of course, only structural changes will solve the root cause of our education system’s problems. Convincing society to move away from overemphasizing grades is a tall order — but MOE is in the best position to do so. They should continue on their current trajectory of transitioning pre-tertiary education towards a more holistic experience. With decades of “small shifts”, society and businesses will become accustomed to a different, better system.
There is little debate that Singapore’s education system will adapt to face the unique challenges of the 21st century. The question is when, and what form it will take.
