The outdated Singapore education model is going to hurt job seeking graduates badly

By dpsk3000

Many Singaporeans do not know they are merely economic digits. From womb to tomb, every single move of their life has been planned by someone and they merely execute and follow the herd to pay tax and rack up domestic middle class spending, especially in housing and cars.


When the economies are overflowing with degree holders (local and imported) which the businesses do not require so (for sake of lowering cost), or if there is critical shortage of manpower in a specific business sector, the tertiary institutions will kick into action to attempt to fulfill the industry talent shortage.


But, often in this world now where it is not what you know but whom you know that matters. When degree and even doctorate-level knowledge is at your fingertips on google, Singaporeans really should not be wasting time in polytechnics and the local universities that teach outdated stuff.


Worst of all, if you are in these tertiary institutions, the outdated academics shortfall is then covered with internships that hardly mean anything in real business world. Most of the interns are taken for a ride in small and big companies as cheap labor to do meaningless stuff or elementary fill-in-the-role jobs. I am sure the polytechnic folks here will attest to this. Historically it has been so, and I believe it will be so too in future.


So regardless what the latest hype in the job market is now, this strategy of fulfilling the shortfall using the system now is a failure to start with. You want a generation of coders, cyber security gurus, and Lucas-Artists, let me put it in local Singlish context - wait long long, mind you, the countries around you are near equilibrium now, and time is running out with the inverted pyramid. Stay liquid, stay mobile, the world is your oyster.


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Studying at Singapore Management University (SMU)