Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Provide good balance between arts, music education and IT skills

With demand for technology increasing, it is safe to say that the number of jobs catering for this demand will also increase.

With demand for technology increasing, it is safe to say that the number of jobs catering for this demand will also increase.

This could be a reason that 43.8 per cent of parents in an Institute of Policy Studies poll felt that more importance should be given to teaching IT skills (“Parents prefer schools to focus more on teaching IT skills”; July 17, online).

Putting more emphasis on IT education would better equip students with those skills before they enter the workforce. This, in turn, would increase their chances of getting a high-paying job and good working environment, as most Singaporeans would explain it.

Only 22.3 per cent of parents, conversely, supported a greater emphasis on the arts and music education. This is understandable, as students with IT skills are more likely to attain a stable job in future.

Few out of the hundreds of students who pursue music or the arts would be successful in the industry, not to mention that their career may not be stable owing to society’s changing preferences.

In this fast-paced society, however, basic needs tend to get forgotten. While technological advancements can boost Singapore’s development, the arts and music make us human and teach us to express ourselves, empathise and feel what others convey through their creations.

This ability of ours differentiates us from robots. If schools were to replace the arts and music with IT, would we not be cultivating “robots”? People addicted to gadgets such as smartphones are slowly lacking in verbal communication skills.

IT skills, the arts and music are all part of the educational process. The arts and music focus on emotional development, and more emphasis should be placed on IT skills only after primary school.

Primary schools should focus more on the arts and music, as their pupils are still maturing emotionally. Instead of equipping them with advanced skills, we should focus on the basics.

By providing a good balance between arts and music education and IT skills, we would be able to cultivate a society socially and economically.

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.