SINGAPORE - Broadening the definition of meritocracy, introducing targeted re-employment support and reducing the cost of SkillsFuture courses are among the moves the Government will take to shape Singapore’s future amid an uncertain and dangerous external environment. Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Monday that months of engagement with Singaporeans have shown that the next stage of nation-building will...
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These five key shifts will be important parts of the new social compact, which the nationwide engagement exercise Forward Singapore had been trying to establish, he said. “Many parents, too, are anxious about their children’s future. Some go to great lengths to maximise their children’s chances to get into brand-name schools, even pre-schools.”
There needs to be a key mindset shift to recognise that formal education early in life is not the endpoint of Singapore’s concept of meritocracy, said Mr Wong. Instead, meritocracy must be a continuous one, with continuous learning, reskilling and upskilling made a way of life. This will become more important with slower economic growth, rapid technological disruptions and greater job churn, he said.
For example, skilled trades like electricians and plumbers can be further professionalised, so that they can be granted greater renumeration and the right value is ascribed to such forms of labour. He made a plea to all Singaporeans to be willing to bear a higher cost for the goods and services they consume, for a new definition of success to become a reality.
The social strategy also includes assuring that the broad middle class can be confident of meeting their needs at every stage of life, even in the face of setbacks, said Mr Wong. Instead, the Government wants to design a targeted re-employment support scheme that will reduce the strain on making ends meet, while still encouraging the displaced workers to continue with upskilling and job search, he said.
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