https://sg.news.yahoo.com/must-break-cycle-pm-wong-113341642.html
‘We must break this cycle’: PM Wong on reducing emphasis on single exams, grades
Yufeng Kok
Wed, 24 September 2025 at 7:33 pm SGT
5 min read
Singapore has to move from a narrow meritocracy based solely on grades to a broader and more inclusive one that values a diversity of talents, said PM Lawrence Wong.
SINGAPORE - More will be done in this new term of government to reduce the stakes of single examinations and change the way that workers are hired and promoted, by valuing their skills rather than grades, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
“I know for many parents, education still feels like an arms race,” he said during the debate on the President’s Address in Parliament on Sept 24.
He said parents want to cut back on “endless tuition”, but hesitate to take that step, as they fear their child will lose out. Many families thus feel like they are stuck on a treadmill, running harder and harder to avoid falling behind.
“We must break this cycle,” said PM Wong.
Singapore has to move from a narrow meritocracy based solely on grades to a broader and more inclusive one that values a diversity of talents, he said.
“That’s how we keep social mobility alive, so every Singaporean can rise on the strength of their contributions and will be respected.”
PM Wong outlined plans to keep the social escalator here moving, including by expanding government schemes that provide financial aid and resources to lower-income families.
He noted that inequality in Singapore is narrowing, with the Gini coefficient now at its lowest level in more than two decades. This is despite this figure rising slightly after a revision in the way it is calculated.
Many other societies have become more stratified, with privilege becoming entrenched, PM Wong said.
“In extreme cases, your caste and social class determine who you are, what you can do, and what you can become,” he added.
While Singapore is starting from a stronger position in terms of social mobility compared with elsewhere, it cannot stand still, PM Wong said.
“We have to tilt the balance continually and keep opportunities open at every stage of life,” he added.
He said several MPs have highlighted that disparities in opportunities are opening up at earlier ages because of the advantages that better-off parents confer on their children.
To close these gaps quickly before they widen, the Government will expand KidStart and enhance the ComLink+ scheme, he said.
KidStart is an initiative that supports the development of children in lower-income homes, while the ComLink+ programme gives financial incentives to lower-income households if they can meet certain conditions like holding stable jobs and enrolling their children in pre-schools.
PM Wong said the Government will also provide more support for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
While pre-school enrolment here is “near universal”, attendance is less regular among children from lower-income families, he noted.
The authorities will redouble efforts to ensure these children get consistent support, and action will be taken across agencies, with a more integrated, family-centric approach, he added.
On education reforms, PM Wong said the Government will do more in this term to reduce the stakes of single exams, further broaden definitions of success, and give every child the chance to discover and develop their strengths.
But he noted that this alone will not be enough to change things.
“If employers still cling to narrow academic criteria to judge ability, then the arms race will simply shift from schools to workplaces,” he said.
In the public service, academic results are no longer the be-all and end-all, instead forming one part of the overall assessment, PM Wong said.
More skills-based assessments are also being used for recruitment, he noted.
“In some roles, we have stopped looking at grades altogether,” he said, citing how engineers at the Government Technology Agency are recruited through coding and problem-solving tests, and interviews.
“Step by step, we will move more towards skills-based hiring and progression because what matters most is not where you started from, but what you can do and how far you are willing to go,” PM Wong said, adding that the private sector is changing its attitude on this too.
Another move that will continue into the new term of government is how different professions are recognised and rewarded.
Pointing to the raising of salaries for pre-school teachers and allied health professionals, PM Wong said the Government will continue to professionalise other skilled trades, including those that are considered blue-collar work, by creating more structured career and learning pathways.
While pay matters, much depends on how society attaches status to the different paths that people may choose, he said, calling for a deeper change in attitudes.
“There remain vocations where pay is not the main issue. Rather, it is societal recognition and respect that continue to lag.”
On the issue of inequality, PM Wong pointed to Singapore’s Gini coefficient, which was 0.364 in 2024 after taking into account taxes and the assistance and benefits provided by the Government.
This was down from 0.371 in 2023, and the lowest since records of the measure began in 2000. The higher the Gini coefficient is on a scale of 0 to 1, the greater the disparity in income or wealth.
This figure was previously measured using only income from work. The Department of Statistics has since updated the measure to include income from all other sources, like rental and investments, PM Wong said.
This brings it more in line with the way countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development calculate their Gini coefficients.
PM Wong said the full set of new data will be published soon.
He noted that the revised Gini coefficient for Singapore comes out slightly higher, at about 0.38, adding that this was expected.
But what matters more is that even with the revised measure, the Gini coefficient continues to move downwards, PM Wong said. “We are determined to keep it that way.”
He added that the Government has ways to mitigate wealth inequality in Singapore and transfer wealth to those with less.
“Taken together, our measures are helping to narrow both income and wealth inequality, and we will press on, and continue to innovate in our social policies.”
‘We must break this cycle’: PM Wong on reducing emphasis on single exams, grades
Yufeng Kok
Wed, 24 September 2025 at 7:33 pm SGT
5 min read
Singapore has to move from a narrow meritocracy based solely on grades to a broader and more inclusive one that values a diversity of talents, said PM Lawrence Wong.
SINGAPORE - More will be done in this new term of government to reduce the stakes of single examinations and change the way that workers are hired and promoted, by valuing their skills rather than grades, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
“I know for many parents, education still feels like an arms race,” he said during the debate on the President’s Address in Parliament on Sept 24.
He said parents want to cut back on “endless tuition”, but hesitate to take that step, as they fear their child will lose out. Many families thus feel like they are stuck on a treadmill, running harder and harder to avoid falling behind.
“We must break this cycle,” said PM Wong.
Singapore has to move from a narrow meritocracy based solely on grades to a broader and more inclusive one that values a diversity of talents, he said.
“That’s how we keep social mobility alive, so every Singaporean can rise on the strength of their contributions and will be respected.”
PM Wong outlined plans to keep the social escalator here moving, including by expanding government schemes that provide financial aid and resources to lower-income families.
He noted that inequality in Singapore is narrowing, with the Gini coefficient now at its lowest level in more than two decades. This is despite this figure rising slightly after a revision in the way it is calculated.
Many other societies have become more stratified, with privilege becoming entrenched, PM Wong said.
“In extreme cases, your caste and social class determine who you are, what you can do, and what you can become,” he added.
While Singapore is starting from a stronger position in terms of social mobility compared with elsewhere, it cannot stand still, PM Wong said.
“We have to tilt the balance continually and keep opportunities open at every stage of life,” he added.
He said several MPs have highlighted that disparities in opportunities are opening up at earlier ages because of the advantages that better-off parents confer on their children.
To close these gaps quickly before they widen, the Government will expand KidStart and enhance the ComLink+ scheme, he said.
KidStart is an initiative that supports the development of children in lower-income homes, while the ComLink+ programme gives financial incentives to lower-income households if they can meet certain conditions like holding stable jobs and enrolling their children in pre-schools.
PM Wong said the Government will also provide more support for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
While pre-school enrolment here is “near universal”, attendance is less regular among children from lower-income families, he noted.
The authorities will redouble efforts to ensure these children get consistent support, and action will be taken across agencies, with a more integrated, family-centric approach, he added.
On education reforms, PM Wong said the Government will do more in this term to reduce the stakes of single exams, further broaden definitions of success, and give every child the chance to discover and develop their strengths.
But he noted that this alone will not be enough to change things.
“If employers still cling to narrow academic criteria to judge ability, then the arms race will simply shift from schools to workplaces,” he said.
In the public service, academic results are no longer the be-all and end-all, instead forming one part of the overall assessment, PM Wong said.
More skills-based assessments are also being used for recruitment, he noted.
“In some roles, we have stopped looking at grades altogether,” he said, citing how engineers at the Government Technology Agency are recruited through coding and problem-solving tests, and interviews.
“Step by step, we will move more towards skills-based hiring and progression because what matters most is not where you started from, but what you can do and how far you are willing to go,” PM Wong said, adding that the private sector is changing its attitude on this too.
Another move that will continue into the new term of government is how different professions are recognised and rewarded.
Pointing to the raising of salaries for pre-school teachers and allied health professionals, PM Wong said the Government will continue to professionalise other skilled trades, including those that are considered blue-collar work, by creating more structured career and learning pathways.
While pay matters, much depends on how society attaches status to the different paths that people may choose, he said, calling for a deeper change in attitudes.
“There remain vocations where pay is not the main issue. Rather, it is societal recognition and respect that continue to lag.”
On the issue of inequality, PM Wong pointed to Singapore’s Gini coefficient, which was 0.364 in 2024 after taking into account taxes and the assistance and benefits provided by the Government.
This was down from 0.371 in 2023, and the lowest since records of the measure began in 2000. The higher the Gini coefficient is on a scale of 0 to 1, the greater the disparity in income or wealth.
This figure was previously measured using only income from work. The Department of Statistics has since updated the measure to include income from all other sources, like rental and investments, PM Wong said.
This brings it more in line with the way countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development calculate their Gini coefficients.
PM Wong said the full set of new data will be published soon.
He noted that the revised Gini coefficient for Singapore comes out slightly higher, at about 0.38, adding that this was expected.
But what matters more is that even with the revised measure, the Gini coefficient continues to move downwards, PM Wong said. “We are determined to keep it that way.”
He added that the Government has ways to mitigate wealth inequality in Singapore and transfer wealth to those with less.
“Taken together, our measures are helping to narrow both income and wealth inequality, and we will press on, and continue to innovate in our social policies.”
