On Lifelong Learning for All

SPEECH MOE COS ON LIFELONG LEARNING FOR ALL

By Denise Phua

Image: CNA; Watch full video here: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/watch/committee-supply-2024-debate-day-4-denise-phua-lifelong-learning-all-singaporeans-4168321

I commend the Ministry of Education (MOE) for its dedication to lifelong learning, as outlined in Budget 2024, focusing on younger ITE graduates and mid-career Singaporeans. However, I seek MOE’s response to what I raised in my Budget Speech on the challenges these groups face, such as opportunity costs and ensuring positive job outcomes from further education.

Moreover, I'm concerned about those outside these groups, such as non-ITE graduates and non-mid-career Singaporeans who are in low-skilled or some gig jobs. How will MOE urge them to take up trainings and opportunities in emerging sectors like digital, care, and green economies?

Many Singaporeans aspire for further education beyond diplomas, including master's degrees in fields like sustainability. They want to take a second bite of the cherry of tertiary level studies. Given the higher costs, how will MOE support these ambitions?

Additionally, I seek MOE’s inputs on whether the investment in certifiable diplomas means a move away from MOE’s vision of a more eclectic mix of pathways to lifelong learning. What about promoting more bite-sized, skills-based certificates of competency instead of going for diplomas, degrees, Masters, and PhDs?

Next, I would like to continue to speak up for the lifelong learning needs of persons with disabilities.

The SkillsFuture course landscape offers a vibrant array of over 20,000 courses for adult learners, now further enriched by the SkillsFuture Level Up initiative introduced in Budget 2024. However, this vibrant and optimistic scenario does not extend to school graduates and adults with special educational needs (SEN), This is regardless of whether they graduate from SPED or mainstream schools. To ignore the 'cliff effect' of learners with disabilities or SEN, would be to create a larger pool of Singaporeans relying on state welfare and who might be leading sub-optimal lives.

While the Ministry of Education (MOE), SGEnable, and their learning partners have made commendable efforts to support recent school graduates, these initiatives are insufficient to ensure lifelong learning for all. Current efforts often appear fragmented and constrained by the scope and budgets of each ministry, making it challenging to discern a unified vision or ecosystem where these efforts synergize.

As a leader in education, and with the Minister championing lifelong learning for all Singaporeans, MOE is positioned to spearhead this domain. There is a pressing need for MOE to commission a comprehensive study to map the current landscape, analyze disability profiles, and assess learning needs. This would pave the way for a more robust vision and the development of a strategic, cohesive Lifelong Learning Plan for All. Innovative, cost-effective learning solutions should be explored—for instance, rather than merely reducing fees for SPED schools, could we have redirected some grants to support learning into adulthood?

In summary, I urge the MOE to refine its strategy for lifelong learning to include all Singaporeans, ensuring no one is left behind, and to take its place and lead in developing a more inclusive and comprehensive learning ecosystem for all Singaporeans, regardless of ability and background.