Has education become a religion in Singapore?
The all-too-familiar story
Go to school. Study hard. Get good grades. Get a good diploma or degree. Get a good job at a good company (or become a lawyer, doctor, accountant or engineer).
Sound familiar?
This is the kind of story you probably heard when you were growing up. It’s also the kind of story we continue to tell young people today.
Golden ticket to a comfortable life?
This idea that educational qualifications are the golden ticket to a comfortable life—it’s become accepted as a universal truth.
We no longer just pursue educational qualifications; we worship them.
The story goes that the more certificates you accumulate, the more you’ll receive in the future in terms of wealth, happiness, and—of course—favourable remarks from relatives during family gatherings.
The religion of education
The religion of education preaches that no matter how much academic success you've achieved, it’s never enough. This explains our obsession, as a nation, with tuition classes.
Don’t get me wrong; there’s no doubt that having certificates, diplomas and degrees will open doors for you. But the world is evolving rapidly.
The jobs of tomorrow don’t even exist yet
Two or three decades ago, it was indeed true that a university degree almost guaranteed that you’d be able to find a stable job with decent pay and benefits.
This isn’t the case today.
It’s unlikely that you’ll work for the same company for your entire career. Moreover, old jobs are disappearing and new jobs are being created every single day.
Over the past decade, entire industries have been created (think about all the jobs related to social media and "big data" analysis that didn't exist until a few years ago).
You can’t predict the future, and neither can schools
It’s impossible for schools to fully prepare students to face the complex world out there—a world that’s becoming increasingly difficult to understand and navigate.
Of course, industries like oil and gas, pharmaceuticals and manufacturing aren't going to die out any time soon. But, by and large, you’ll need to learn how to create your own career.
Waiting to be picked vs. picking yourself
In this insightful article, marketing guru Seth Godin alludes to how, in the past, you needed to wait to be picked.
First, you had to have the right skills, knowledge and experience.
Next, you had to submit your CV and go for a job interview.
Then, you had to wait for someone to pick you.
But the time has come where you need to start picking yourself.
This means that it’s your responsibility to create your own ideal job, to take the initiative to make yourself valuable, to seek out new opportunities, to contribute in fresh and exciting ways. (This applies whether you’re an employee or an entrepreneur.)
Picking yourself requires that you learn continually, adapt relentlessly, and fail intelligently.
Success belongs to those who fail enthusiastically
It’s former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill who said, “Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.”
More than ever before, teaching students this kind of courage is vital if we want to help them find enduring success.
That’s what real education is about.
Education as a philosophy, not a religion
More schooling doesn't necessarily equate to more education, in the same way that more academic success doesn't necessarily equate to more success in the real world.
Education shouldn't be a religion where we worship certificates, diplomas and degrees.
Instead, education should be a life philosophy, an attitude, a way a life.
The better story to tell our young people
How about this story instead of the one at the beginning of this article?
Go to school. Study hard. Learn things that are both inside and outside the syllabus. Learn from everyone, not just your teachers. Tap into the vast amount of information on the Internet. Read books, not just Facebook status updates. Experiment. Take risks. Dare to fail. Focus on contribution, not achievement. Pick yourself. Never stop learning. Build skills. Build character. Make a difference. Give. Serve. Care. Take action. Start today.
Now that’s a story worth believing. More than that, it's a story worth living out.
Daniel Wong is a learning and personal development expert, as well as a certified youth counselor. A sought-after speaker and coach, he is also the best-selling author of "The Happy Student: 5 Steps to Academic Fulfillment and Success". He offers programmes to help students attain exam excellence while also finding happiness and fulfillment, and to empower parents to motivate their unmotivated teenagers. He writes regularly at www.daniel-wong.com. Download his FREE e-books, "The Unhappiness Manifesto: Do You Make These 150 Mistakes In The Pursuit Of Happiness?" and "Singapore Scholarship Guide: The $500,000 Decision". The views expressed are his own.
