Staying Relevant
How do we prepare our youth to be successful in a rapidly evolving working environment? With increasing automation, digitisation, and AI, what are job-creators looking for from job-seekers?
Ask any business or employer what they desire in their employees and you will most likely hear versions of the following:
someone who can problem solve
someone who can engage effectively with others
someone who is comfortable with ambiguity
someone who has grit
someone who can drive results
In fact, Forward SG, an initiative of the Singapore government to re-look our social contract as Singapore journeys into the future, agrees.
One of its key focuses is on enhancing employability among graduates and supporting job transitions. Forward SG emphasizes the need to align educational outcomes with industry needs to ensure that graduates possess the necessary skills and competencies for the evolving job market.
Competencies, Skills, and Dispositions
Singapore’s MOE has been quick to articulate that major changes in education have to be made to meet the demands of this rapidly changing world.
This is most evident in MOE’s 21st Century Competency (21CC) framework which hopes to build the following in its students:
confident person
self-directed learner
active contributor
concerned citizen
It’s aim - to equip our students with the “dispositions, skills and knowledge to take on the opportunities and challenges of the future.” The 21CC framework is now part of every primary school in Singapore, where educators are encouraged to inculcate them into their lessons.
What is 21CC?
The 21CC framework is about more than just learning English, Mathematics, Science, and Mother Tongue.
It includes competencies like:
critical, adaptive and inventive thinking
communication, collaboration and information skills
civil, global, and cross-cultural literacy
In other words, it makes students:
better at problem solving
better at working with others
better at understanding the world and their place in it
In the curriculum and syllabus of ALL subjects (English, Math, etc) created by MOE for Singapore schools, the integration of 21CC is highly emphasized.
Now, doesn’t that sound like exactly what we need?
BUT, at the same time, the culmination of that education for primary school students remains the PSLE.
Can a system that ultimately ends with the PSLE as a test of primary school education, and academic results measured in grades, also successfully deliver these lofty goals?
Can we on the one hand say, “Focus on learning what you need to do well in the PSLE exam,” and with the other hand say, “Focus on developing the competencies you need to do well in the rest of your life.”?
The Role of the PSLE
In Singapore today, the final and key assessment of primary school learning is the PSLE.
In the eyes of 12 year-olds around Singapore, and most of their parents and teachers, their PSLE results will determine:
what secondary school they go to
the rest of their lives!
It’s a huge leap from (a) to (b). And not one that is necessarily true. But, unfortunately, it is what a lot of them believe.
And can we blame them? The PSLE has been a key part of our education system for three-quarters of a century, since 1952, originally called the Standard Six Entrance Examination (SEE). It became the PSLE in 1960, inspired by the UK's Eleven-plus exam, which the UK largely phased out by 1976.
In fact, initially, the PSLE was the most important standardised examination in Singapore because students were allowed to leave formal schooling after Primary 6, which is why it was introduced as a school leaving certificate in the first place.
It was only in the 1980s that reforms started to emphasize a more inclusive approach to secondary education, encouraging more students to continue their education beyond Primary 6.
Which would have been a great time to do away with the PSLE! Yet here we are in the 21st Century, using it to make major decisions about our kids’ futures at age 12.
MOE has often highlighted the importance of PSLE in maintaining high educational standards. But if the aims of education have changed so much in the 21st Century, as articulated by MOE’s 21CC, then surely the key measure of a successful primary school education has to undergo major changes as well?
PSLE vs 21CC
So can PSLE in its current form and 21CC logically co-exist in the same education system?
This table should help answer that question:
Feature | PSLE | 21CC | CONTRADICTION |
Assessment Scope | Focuses on fixed formats and templates. Focuses on what is already known, so ‘10-year series’ are a favourite preparation tool. Token recognition of real-world application of knowledge. | Prepares students for real-world challenges, including how to tackle the complexities and unknowns of the future. | PSLE's rigid structure limits the flexibility needed for real-world applications emphasized by 21CC. |
Learning Styles | Favours students with the focus and attention span to sit through long-form written exams. Does not consider individual learning styles or strengths. | Celebrates diverse learning styles. Allows students to demonstrate learning through a variety of mixed methods more relevant to real life and the working world, e.g. discussions, presentations, etc. Encourages students to pursue their passions and develop unique talents. | PSLE's narrow form of assessment disregards the varied learning styles supported by 21CC. |
Continuous Growth | Provides a snapshot of what a student knows at one point in time. Does not reflect overall progress or potential. | Emphasizes continuous growth and lifelong learning. | PSLE’s one-time assessment contradicts the continuous, evolving assessment approach of 21CC. |
Deep Learning | Encourages teaching to the test. Does not promote learning for the joy of expanding knowledge. | Aligns education with modern workforce demands such as problem-solving and communication. | Teaching to the test in PSLE undermines the broad, skills-focused learning approach of 21CC. |
Mental Well-Being | Causes stress to students, parents, and teachers due to its high stakes. Does not provide tools for enhancing mental well-being. | Emphasizes resilience and socio-emotional learning. Fosters a supportive learning environment. | The high stakes of PSLE create stress, conflicting with the well-being focus of 21CC. |
Holistic Development | Focused narrowly on academic achievement. | Promotes holistic development to equip students for future challenges. | PSLE’s narrow focus is at odds with the broad developmental goals of 21CC. |
Future-Ready Education | Limited preparation for future job market and changes. | Ensures students are ready for the future job market and adaptable to changes. | PSLE's academic focus does not equip students with the adaptive skills emphasized in 21CC. |
Real-World Relevance | Limited real-world application of skills. | Aligns education with the demands of the modern workforce. | PSLE’s focus on academic knowledge contradicts the real-world skills emphasis of 21CC. |
Do the current PSLE and 21CC appear to be at opposite ends of the education continuum?
That’s because they are!
The PSLE belonged to a world where:
education ended for many after primary 6
most jobs were in factories or were low-level repetitive white-collar jobs
In other words, YESTERDAY!
An education in 21CC belongs to a world where:
education is a life-long pursuit
jobs require creativity and collaboration. AI can do the rest.
In other words, TODAY and TOMORROW!
To quote J K Rowling, “Neither can live while the other survives”!
So Who Will Win?
As long as the PSLE is the main success indicator for primary school education, it is what students, teachers and parents will work towards. Given that 21CC is on the opposite end of the education continuum, it doesn’t stand a chance while PSLE is in place.
It is time for a major reform of how we assess learning in primary school. For some ideas, read ‘6 Better Ways to Assess Learning than PSLE’. And if you’re concerned about how secondary school allocation would work without PSLE, read more at ‘PSLE Optional? How Will That Work!?’
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