SINGAPORE – Respect for teachers is crucial to attract and retain them, and grow the profession, and is more important than monetary factors and work environment, said Education Minister Chan Chun Sing. 

“The quality of the teaching force is the most important determinant of the outcomes of our education system,” Mr Chan said in his speech at the opening of the 14th International Summit on the Teaching Profession on April 22.

It is one of the fundamentals that should not change amid shifts in the education sector, he said, adding that students should also develop beyond academic foundations so that their diverse strengths will contribute to a society’s collective good.

Hosted by Singapore for the first time, the summit from April 22 to 24 has drawn 140 delegates from 18 countries, including education ministers.

During the summit at Raffles City Convention Centre, these leaders of global education systems will discuss the future of learning, the role of technology in education and training, and the importance of partnerships in supporting lifelong learning.

They will also visit Singapore’s primary and secondary schools, as well as institutes of higher learning and other training institutes.

Mr Chan said that education is at a turning point, citing how knowledge is becoming more commoditised.

Teaching should not just be about sharing information, but also focus on preparing students to anticipate challenges and create solutions, he added.

Other shifts in education include the introduction of artificial intelligence to meet diverse learner needs, and ensuring that foundational academic skills are complemented with skills and individual dispositions such as adaptability and curiosity, and the ability to learn in teams, he said. 

Societies and the global environment are also becoming more fragmented, Mr Chan noted, and it is important to nurture empathy, understanding, and the ability to build connections across diverse perspectives, so students can contribute positively to society.

“They must learn to create new value propositions, so that their company or country can continue to be competitive, as well as to shape a better world,” he said. 

This requires Singapore to go beyond the traditional metrics of success, where students should be encouraged to become creators to contribute to the collective good, and connectors to create a safe environment for ideas to thrive. 

Students should also be pushed to be lifelong learners and contributors, he added.

This is “where success is defined not by personal accomplishments alone but by their contributions to the collective; where respect for diverse strengths engenders a meritocracy that encourages all to pay it forward; and where every generation can aspire to be better than the one before”, Mr Chan said. 

For success to be achieved beyond conventional metrics, there is a greater need to understand more about how learners learn, he said, listing various approaches to support students to go beyond academic benchmarks. 

“We should use assessment mindfully to help our students discover their strengths and interests, and to identify the most appropriate setting for their next lap of education, and empower students to constantly surpass themselves throughout life, rather than strive to surpass others in a test.

“It is about doing our best, rather than beating the rest,” he said. 

Mr Chan added that a strong socio-emotional foundation and stable family environment are also key factors, as well as building a lifelong learning ecosystem that cultivates individual skills beyond individual desires, but curated for the needs of the future. 

The summit, held every year since 2011, brings together education ministers, union leaders and teacher leaders worldwide to review how to improve the quality of teachers, teaching, and learning. 

In 2023, Mr Chan attended the summit’s 13th edition in Washington from April 25 to 27.

Also speaking during the opening of the summit were Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development deputy secretary-general Yoshiki Takeuchi and Education International president Susan Hopgood.

Both speakers touched on topics such as the well-being of teachers, navigating technology in education, and nurturing the skills in students for continuous learning.

Mr Takeuchi said: “As policymakers and educators, our responsibility is to prepare future generations to navigate the challenges of the future.”