David compares our society to Finland’s, which holds an entirely different attitude towards lifelong learning.

“During a work trip there, a Finnish man told me that he was learning how to juggle. You would probably be ridiculed here in Singapore for learning a skill like this that seems ‘useless’. But the Finnish people take so much pride in what they do, and they genuinely want to be good at the next skill that they learn.

“It’s not the perfect country, but this is something that we can definitely emulate.”

I ask David what he is currently learning outside of work. He has just recently picked up golf, which he plays frequently. To improve his skills, he has even driven up to a golf course in Johor. The self-proclaimed gadget geek is also pursuing a hobby in drone photography.

Singaporeans’ obsession with KPI, results and competition is so entrenched today, and stems from an innate dilemma in the country’s education system that reinforces this mentality.

Being a former teacher himself, David knows the problems all too well.

He recalls having to continually convince his students why they had to learn computer coding, or even do a class project well, when they were not examinable.

Many Singaporeans would be quick to point the finger at the deep-seated problem of an education system that is too focused on grades, which has also led to how employers tend to hire workers based on paper qualifications alone – a point which was raised by Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung.

Hence, there is an urgent need to rethink how we distill education so that our workforce would be properly transformed for the future.

In order for this to happen, everyone from teachers, students, parents and even employers will need to accept responsibility. Instead of just relying on educators and the Ministry of Education to take the lead, we will all need to play our part in cultivating a real love for learning in our children and future generations.

David visibly becomes more passionate and agitated at the same time when discussing the role of education in Singapore, an issue that is very close to his heart. “How we teach children to learn in schools will have a huge impact on how they work and live when they grow up,” he says.

But it would take a monumental shift to change society’s attitudes towards educational reform, especially when the system is one of the best in the world (Singapore was ranked first in the world in the latest Pisa tests) and has already worked for many Singaporeans.

Convincing everyone to leave an established system behind for a new one would not be easy, but it is the only way for our society to progress

In fact, David’s sentiment was just reiterated at the LM Conversations. In response to a question on how education could become less books-heavy, Minister for Education (Schools) Ng Chee Meng said:

“[MOE] is trying very hard to reduce the over-emphasis on academics and promote the intrinsic joy of learning that is needed for lifelong learning, whether you are a student or worker. We want to get our kids out of the classroom and apply their skills so that they can keep that unique philosophy of exploring and discovering, and hopefully they can create value for our economy and create more job opportunities for Singapore.

“But I’ll need all the parents to partner MOE on this new venture. We are no longer talking about grades. Grades is just a piece of paper and it’s not the most important any more. Applying skills and knowledge is most crucial in the new economy.”