Meritocracy based on narrow metrics will hinder Singapore from building resilience: Chan Chun Sing
A NARROW meritocracy will not allow Singapore to build a resilient society with diverse strengths, said Education Minister Chan Chun Sing on Tuesday (Apr 18), as he laid out strategies to keep the country’s meritocracy “sustainable and resilient”.
These include valuing diverse abilities by moving away from “single, narrow and static” metrics of evaluation, as well as creating more diverse education pathways.
“Heart” and “hand” work – sectors such as special education and essential services, for instance – must also be fairly rewarded and remunerated, in a way that is commensurate with “head” work.
Chan was speaking on the second day of the debate on President Halimah Yacob’s address at last week’s opening of Parliament, in which she called for a “broader meritocracy” and more inclusivity.
Another strategy is investing in Singaporeans “throughout life”, said Chan. The government plans to make training more accessible for working adults with competing commitments, and provide more training support for mid-career workers, including SkillsFuture Credit top-ups.
These ideas have emerged from the Forward Singapore exercise, with details to come “in due course”, he added.
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Beyond government efforts, industry must actively shape students’ interests and support employees to upskill; institutes of higher learning must enhance their offerings, such as “stackable modules” suitable for mid-career workers; and Singaporeans must have a “passion for life-long learning”.
Earlier in the debate, labour Member of Parliament (MP) Patrick Tay suggested an industry-led accreditation of career coaches and counsellors, and letting SkillsFuture credits be used to engage such coaches.
In an increasingly complex employment landscape, such guidance is becoming “more of a necessity than a luxury”, he said.
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Yet, these individualised services tend to be available only to high-potential employees, or the retrenched or unemployed.
In response, Minister of State for Education and Manpower Gan Siow Huang said the government will study Tay’s suggestion.
Another danger of meritocracy that Chan identified was that of “stratification over time”, as parents pass on advantages to their children.
Earlier in the debate, Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli emphasised the need to sustain social mobility, to avoid the risk of a fractured society.
Efforts to uplift lower-income families include getting businesses more involved. Singapore will do more to help private capital and family offices “maximise their philanthropic impact”, he said, without elaborating.
This follows the recent extension of the tax deduction rate of 250 per cent for donations, until end-2026.
Another approach lies in providing extra support to families who take the initiative to improve their circumstances, said Masagos: “When such families put in the effort, we know they are on the road to making progress in their lives. And as part of our social compact, it is good and right that we recognise such efforts.”
Inequality and mobility were concerns for many MPs in Tuesday’s debate, including Workers’ Party MP for Aljunied GRC Leon Perera, who called for “far-reaching reforms” in areas such as wages and housing to address “economic pessimism”.
He cited the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer survey, in which only 36 per cent of respondents in Singapore feel that their families will be better off economically in five years – the lowest since the survey began 23 years ago. The less well-off might be the ones feeling anxiety, he said.
Such pessimism could lower the country’s fertility, and could lead to a brain drain as people leave for more liveable countries, he warned.
“We need to address this economic pessimism fundamentally, not only through ad hoc measures such as an additional grant here or an additional rebate there, helpful as that is,” Perera said. “More far-reaching reforms are needed to make everyone believe that the society has their back.”
He reiterated five proposals by the Workers’ Party: a national minimum wage; a redundancy insurance scheme; “seriously tackling” the issue of poverty; lowering the prices of public flats; and overhauling trades and vocational jobs for higher productivity, pay and conditions.
Progress Singapore Party Non-Constituency MP Leong Mun Wai echoed the call for a minimum wage, among ideas to help Singapore workers. He also proposed tighter rules for Employment Passes, such as levies and diversity quotas.
People’s Action Party MP for MacPherson Tin Pei Ling said while Singapore should continue to welcome high-quality, committed foreign talents and enterprises, “we want them to do more than just putting money here”. She argued that it should be an “explicit requirement” for them to contribute socially and integrate more.
For example, applicants to the Global Investor Programme for permanent residency and holders of the Tech Pass could be required to give annual lectures to tertiary students or civil servants, to enhance industry knowledge. They could also mentor local startups or adopt a community or charitable programme.
“Having chosen Singapore as a destination, I am sure these distinguished business leaders will be happy to support good causes here,” she said.
Yet labour shortages remain a problem for firms, said other MPs. Don Wee, MP for Chua Chu Kang GRC, reiterated his appeal to the Ministry of Manpower to review foreign worker quotas, as many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – especially in food and beverage – face manpower constraints.
He highlighted several other challenges faced by SMEs, such as in understanding and applying for government help.
To improve their own talent pipeline, companies should consider students from polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education, said Nominated MP Janet Ang.
She suggested that the government do more to incentivise companies to employ such students as apprentices even before graduation, and that on-the-job training should count towards the qualifications they are pursuing.
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