S'pore's pursuit of excellence needs open meritocracy, a broader definition of success: Chan Chun Sing

At a lecture on Feb 11, as part of celebrations marking SG60 and his ministry's 70th anniversary, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing spoke about the need for shifts in mindset and culture in the face of new challenges. Here is an edited extract of his speech.

- Education Minister Chan Chun Sing

This year, we commemorate SG60, MOE70 and NIE75. It is timely for us to look back on how our education system came to be, and look ahead to envision how it will need to be.

PHASE 1 - FOUNDATIONS: FRAGMENTATION TO UNIFICATION

Singapore achieved independence in 1965. But our survival was not a given. Our education system would be key for Singapore's success and survival as a nation.

The pioneers of Singapore were convinced that we needed a unified education system, that would achieve three goals - ensure our people had the skills to find jobs, build a nascent Singaporean identity, and foster cohesion amidst simmering racial tensions.

In the early years, our pioneers had to confront three very immediate and immense challenges.

First, our education infrastructure threatened to buckle under the weight of a growing population. There was a critical shortage of schools. Many had been damaged or destroyed during the war. Teachers were also in short supply.

Second, the education system was split along language fault lines. Schools were classified by language streams which each had their own separate curriculum and examination requirements. Without intervention, we faced the possibility of raising generations of disparate groups of citizens, with different world views, who could communicate only with those in their own language stream. Command of English was also increasingly required for new jobs.

Third, the education system was fragmented. Schools were provided for by various organisations and quality varied widely.

We overcame the capacity issue by the 1970s. Access to education was widespread.

Industrialisation had also created many well-paying jobs.

But as our schools began to take in students with varying levels of ability, the problems of the language fault line and quality became more pronounced.