At the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) Schools Work Plan Seminar last September 20, Minister for Education Chan Chung Sing shared nationwide initiatives to equip students with greater digital literacy.
This includes digital information management skills for them to better discern the accuracy, credibility, and relevance of information. In particular, the field of generative artificial intelligence (AI) will be an area of focus.
In today’s workforce, the use and acceptance of AI has been growing steadily. A survey by global tech giant Salesforce and conducted by YouGov found that 40% of Singaporean workers use AI.
However, less than 37% showed an understanding of ethics and safety in the use of AI.
Chan acknowledged, “Our students will have greater uncertainty to deal with, and they may not be able to experience the stability and peace that we have experienced in the last 20, 30 years.”
Beyond preparing the future workforce for an AI-driven market, the MOE is already integrating AI tools in the educational process. For example, self-paced lessons with AI features will be provided through the Singapore Student Learning Space (SLS), the country’s online learning portal.
Earlier this year, an International Baccalaureate spokesman stated the use of AI would not be banned for use in schoolwork.
“That is the wrong way to deal with innovation,” he said, adding that it is more sensible to adapt and teach students how to use these new tools ethically.
Chan also shared that it is critical for schools to develop students’ values and competencies to help them navigate a world defined by information overload and rapid change.
