Singapore must adopt the best aspects of Switzerland's education system, which emphasises vocational training, to prepare young people for an uncertain future, Education Minister Ong Ye Kung said yesterday.
To achieve that, society must broaden its notion of success.
"The secret and deciding ingredients for success are still societal norms, beliefs and culture," Mr Ong said in a keynote address at the 3rd International Congress on Vocational and Professional Education and Training in Switzerland.
Mr Johann N. Schneider-Ammann, head of Switzerland's Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research and US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos were present.
Mr Ong said the Singapore and Switzerland education system faced the danger of becoming obsolete due to technological disruption, and the "creative destruction" caused by computers replacing human functions.
With national borders "more porous than ever" and divisive forces creating fractures in societies between classes, age groups, races and religions, the youth need to be equipped with critical "soft skills", like the ability to collaborate with fellow human beings, Mr Ong stressed.
He said the Swiss dual study system, which combines classroom study with workplace apprentice training, is of particular interest to Singapore.
"I see a more egalitarian society, where parents and children choose either the academic or apprenticeship route based on the child's interests, aptitudes and passion," Mr Ong said.
But Singapore's education system has served students well, he said, citing the good performances of the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University in international rankings.
