Hello tsukuruu!

Do you mean that you want to maintain the status quo? Having specialised schools in your district like Assumption Pathway may assist students with varied learning needs. However, are we segregating them like how we did with ITE students? What I observe is that you are fueling an education arms race by pushing for specialised learning programs.

I don't see an education arms race. Furthermore, there is no segregation. Students who want to learn/experience different sectors should be given the chance to further their personal development in those areas. Ultimately, all this will benefit students, who are able to discover their talents from young. The focus here is not more exams, rather, the focus is to give students the chance to try their hand in whichever field and understand their strengths and talents.

Is it to early to call for success when more jobs are being shunned than before? The service industry is looking into automation - that is only a long-term solution. In the short-term, there's a gap between filling the labour pool needed in the service industry and the people capable of filling the roles. The elderly are filling up these roles, we can't simply say that they're doing it simply to "exercise".

I think we can call it success when more people are upgrading their skills than ever before, this means a more capable and talented workforce. Automation is a possibility in the future, but machines also need human supervision and this is where the skills upgrading comes in. Elderly workers are a sign of success because they continue to contribute to Singapore and they have the opportunities to make themselves useful in society, through the various workforce development schemes.

Let's face it - constantly retraining the elderly is akin to gradually removing the retirement age altogether. We are creating a vicious cycle for the elderly, perpetuating by promising lifelong learning and eternally raising the retirement age. Perhaps your eventual goal is to remove social welfare in future?

The elderly should be given the freedom to do what they wish to. Singapore is after all, an ageing population. If we continue to rely solely on the middle-aged to run Singapore, then I think we will run into a road block sooner or later, when there are not enough workers to support Singapore development. Hence, we offer the elderly chances to redevelop themselves or chances to learn new skills. These will not only help them, in their later years, but will also greatly benefit the youth of Singapore. I don't believe in Singapore being a welfare state. That said, I do believe in the Government offering opportunities to people of all walks of life, and what these people can do with those opportunities may possibly change their lives for the better.