All parents will do everything they can to ensure that their children will live a safe, comfortable, healthy, and happy life. They want their children to grow up with high-quality education to provide them the right tools they need to become successful in their chosen careers, whether they want to become a doctor or an astronaut.
Common Concern Among Singaporean Parents
A previous study conducted by Hewlett-Packard (HP) found that mums and dads in Singapore are worried that their children will be unable to keep up to pace with the constantly changing world. As every parent does, they want their children to remain competitive, especially in a global job market where they will compete with other highly skilled workers from around the world.
To prepare their children for their future roles, half of the Singaporean parents said they would spend extra income on quality education. Nearly a quarter of them added that they would send their children to a school abroad (23%) or they will move to send their children to a school in a better district (22%).
The study included the response of over 3,000 individuals between the ages of 25 and 42 across China, India, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore. Another common concern among the respondents, all of whom have at least one child, is the rising cost of living.
The Benefit of Experiential Learning
The study also uncovered that adults’ opinion when it comes to the education of their children is changing. More than three-quarters of all Singaporean parents who participated want experiential learning versus memorization. Moreover, they no longer believe that exam scores are the greatest or most effective indicator that a student is learning.
Learning through experience, especially during early childhood education, removes the pressure that comes with the more traditional rote learning. The student still learns, but they apply the knowledge to solve real-world challenges in a meaningful way. They receive information and gain a better understanding of when, how, and why they can use the knowledge they have been provided.
For young learners, it also means that they get to explore and discover the world on their own. They also gain communication skills, become used to working with a team, and develop self-reflective habits. All these will give them an advantage in school and the future when they enter the workforce.
Increased Incorporation of Technology
People no longer have to guess what the future of the workforce will look like. Right now, automation, artificial intelligence, and robotics are increasingly being deployed in offices, warehouses, and factories.
The workforce in the future should be able to work with different types of technologies. Instead of discouraging children from using electronic devices, they should be encouraged to understand how it works and, perhaps, how to build one.
Technology does not just manifest out of thin. People create them. Experts believe that students should learn how to code. It not only enables them to construct their own apps and websites, but it also boosts logic and critical thinking skills, hones creativity, and develops problem-solving skills.
By 2030, experts warn that many white-collar jobs will be obsolete as machines become smarter and take over. That does not mean that humans will become unemployed in the future. New roles will emerge, some of which might involve running these machines and ensuring that everything is working as it should. A thorough understanding of technology will certainly help them remain employed.
Instill a Love for Learning
To survive the future, one must be agile and adaptable. You can only gain these two traits through lifelong learning.
Learning as an adult equips you with new knowledge and skills that are relevant in the present. It means that, as a professional, your grasp of a certain industry or field is up-to-date. Despite the emergence of new workers, you can remain competitive because you continue to improve your credentials and contribute to the company.
A genuine love for learning is an admirable trait, and it is desired in the workforce. According to hiring managers, only 15% of job applicants have the right set of skills they are looking for to fulfill the position. A person who constantly and continues to build their skill set will find it easier to look for a future job.
No one knows what the world and the job market will look like in the future. However, that will not stop parents from making efforts to ensure that their children will be ready for whatever will happen.
