Schools must help students build discernment, problem-solving skills in AI age: Jasmin Lau

SINGAPORE – With artificial intelligence making information readily accessible, students need opportunities to develop and practise skills that will be key in workplaces, such as discernment, problem-solving and effective communication.

Although such skills are already taught in schools, the education system needs to examine how to cultivate and assess such qualities, said Minister of State for Education Jasmin Lau during a public engagement session centred on the future of education.

The relationship between AI and education was among the key points of discussion during the session held on July 26 organised by Chinese flagship daily Lianhe Zaobao and supported by the Ministry of Education (MOE).

“Character and citizenship education already teaches skills such as how to overcome challenges... but we need to consider how we can be more flexible and give students the opportunity to practise,” said Lau in Mandarin at the session held at SPH Media’s News Centre in Toa Payoh.

This would allow students to demonstrate these qualities when they enter the workforce, she added.

While there are worries about AI’s impact on education and employment, Lau said her biggest concern is the gradual loss of human communication and relationships arising from AI use.

“In the past, if a child did not know something, they would ask their parents and that creates an opportunity for a conversation,” said Lau, adding that children and parents today might instead turn to AI for answers.

“Before we know it, our entire society will be relying on AI for communication, and we will lose a lot – we just do not realise how much yet. So we definitely need to understand this better in the field of education and work to improve our teaching methods.”

Beyond AI, the session also featured a wider discussion on how schools and parents can support children’s overall development.

Lau, who becomes Acting Manpower Minister on July 27, was joined by about 80 members of the public – including parents, teachers and students – who were invited to share their views and concerns.

The need for more holistic development and a reduced emphasis on grades was raised by attendees during small-group discussions held under the Chatham House rule, under which participants may use the information shared but cannot identify the speakers or their affiliations.

Some participants suggested that tuition classes should be banned for children who have not yet entered primary school, while others highlighted that some co-curricular activities have high barriers to entry that dissuade children from pursuing their interests.

Homemaker Lee Sia Ang said she was concerned that large class sizes make it difficult for teachers to give every student enough attention, especially if a teacher is struggling to teach effectively.

“Engaging a tuition teacher becomes helpful because they can teach with a smaller class size, and the student goes in feeling more confident,” said Lee, who spoke to ST on the sidelines of the event.

However, the mother of a 15-year-old son said tuition classes often have to be held on weekends because weekdays are already packed with school-related activities. This, in turn, reduces the amount of time families can spend together on weekends.

At a panel discussion with Lau during the event, counsellor Chong Ee Jay said most parents know that grades are not the most important aspect of a child’s life but find it difficult to put that into practice.

The struggle is exacerbated for families with parents who both work full-time and have a limited amount of time with their children after returning home from work, he said.

“Should I focus on whether they have completed their homework or on what their friends did today and what they learnt at school?” asked Chong.

“It is difficult to strike a balance, especially if they have three spelling tests tomorrow and have not studied or memorised the material yet. They start to get anxious, and I get anxious for them. I have seen this happen quite often in my line of work.”

Fellow panellist Sng Chern Wei, MOE’s deputy director-general of education (curriculum), said schools are safe spaces where children can experience failure – be it falling short of expectations on a test or feeling hurt by a classmate’s thoughtless remarks.

“As parents, we should not try to solve their problems for them or shield them from failure,” said Sng, adding that students should not encounter failure for the first time only after entering the workforce.

“It is through failure that you will discover you can actually take things in your stride and let things go, and work harder to change the outcome the next time you face a similar situation.

“If we consciously create an environment where children can grow up without fearing failure – and without seeing failure as an irreversible situation – I believe they will develop well in the long run.”