Aim for 4G leaders: Equalise vocational, academic pathways

Click HERE

the best form of welfare was a job

propagate the idea of "continuous meritocracy" so that careers can be founded on ongoing performance instead of just achievement in high-stakes examinations and academic credentials received early in life.

The Institute of Policy Studies 2017 Social Capital Survey, for example, found that self-declared alumni of elite schools mixed mainly among themselves, not with students from mainstream schools. Similarly, there was a lack of social mixing among those living in private and public housing.

One bold way forward is to adopt the Swiss system, which creates diverse, permeable pathways in education and skilling.

The Swiss have an even deeper egalitarian bias that appreciates the diversity of skills and talent such that theoretical and academic education is not considered superior to applied and practice-oriented education.

While we have diverse educational institutions in Singapore, we lack a paradigm that considers each pathway as being of different but equal standing. Instead, the academic is privileged above the vocational.

Qns:

1. ‘Practical ability is just as important as intellectual skills.’ How far is this true in your society? (Cam. 2017)
2. In your society, how far is equality for all a reality? (Cam. 2012)