SINGAPORE - What kind of skills will be valued and in demand as technology advances and jobs get disrupted? How can education adapt to these changes in an inter-connected world, challenge established norms and prepare students for an uncertain future?

These are some of the questions that speakers and participants will explore on Feb 3 at a forum, "Disruptions in Education (DisruptED)", co-organised by The Straits Times and the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM).

The event, at SIM Global Education campus along Clementi Road, will feature panellists such as Ms Kristina Kaihari, counsellor of education at the Finnish National Agency for Education, and Mr Ben Nelson, the entrepreneur who founded Minerva, a company whose goal is to reinvent higher education by stripping it down to its essence, eliminating lectures and tenure for faculty.

They will be joined by seasoned education administrators, Dr Lee Kwok Cheong, chief executive of SIM Global Education, and Dr Charles Zukoski, provost and executive vice-president for academic affairs at the University at Buffalo, New York.

The half-day forum will be moderated by The Straits Times' head of training and development, Ms Lydia Lim.

It will end with a discussion on young people taking the path less travelled in higher education, to be led by Ms Sandra Davie, The Straits Times' senior education correspondent, and Mr Oswald Yeo, who dropped out of University of California, Berkeley, to start Glints, an online talent recruitment and career discovery platform.

Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for Education, and Communications and Information, is the forum's guest of honour.

Dr Lee said that SIM is proactive in monitoring external developments and constantly reviewing its offerings to anticipate the needs of its students.

"Disruptions in the world are occurring at an unprecedented manner and pace. The education industry is not immune. To stay relevant, incumbents need to rethink the goals of education so that we remain at the forefront of producing people who can lead society in a positive manner," he said.

"There is no more critical time to focus on the empowering potential of education to produce citizens who will be transformative forces for good in their communities and the world at large."

More information on the forum can be found at http://www.simge.edu.sg/ge/simforum