What kind of skills will be valued and in demand as technology advances and jobs get disrupted? How can education adapt to these changes in an interconnected world, challenge established norms and prepare students for an uncertain future?
These are some of the questions that speakers and participants will explore on Feb 3 at a forum, Disruptions in Education (DisruptED), co-organised by The Straits Times and the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM).
The event, at the SIM Global Education campus in Clementi Road, will feature panellists such as Ms Kristina Kaihari, counsellor of education at the Finnish National Agency for Education, and Mr Ben Nelson, the entrepreneur who founded Minerva, a company whose goal is to reinvent higher education by stripping it down to its essence, eliminating lectures and tenure for faculty.
They will be joined by seasoned education administrators – Dr Lee Kwok Cheong, chief executive of SIM Global Education, and Dr Charles Zukoski, provost and executive vice-president for academic affairs at the University at Buffalo, New York.
The half-day forum will be moderated by The Straits Times’ head of training and development, Ms Lydia Lim.
It will end with a discussion on young people taking the path less travelled in higher education, to be led by Ms Sandra Davie, The Straits Times’ senior education correspondent, and Mr Oswald Yeo, who dropped out of the University of California, Berkeley, to start Glints, an online talent recruitment and career discovery platform.
Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for Education, and Communications and Information, will be the forum’s guest of honour.
Said Mr Warren Fernandez, editor-in-chief of Singapore Press Holdings’ English/Malay/Tamil Media Group and editor of The Straits Times: “Just about every industry is facing major disruption, from airlines to banks, hotels and taxi companies, to media and even universities. So, how do we prepare our young for the future? This is a major challenge, not only for students, but also parents and educators to ponder.”
Dr Lee said it is time for the education industry to rethink its goals, adding that SIM has been proactive in monitoring external developments and reviewing its offerings to meet the needs of its students.
He said: “To stay relevant, incumbents need to rethink the goals of education so that we remain a the forefront of producing people who can lead society in a positive manner.”
Article & Photo from Straits Times