World insight: Banging 바카라사이트 drum for liberal arts in East Asia

There is some irony in 바카라사이트 fact that at 바카라사이트 very moment that 바카라사이트 liberal arts model of education is under attack in 바카라사이트 West as impractical and irrelevant, it is being embraced in Asia. Places that routinely post 바카라사이트 top international test scores in maths and science ¨C 바카라사이트 likes of Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea as well as India and China ¨C have moved to create new undergraduate liberal arts programmes or colleges, adopting 바카라사이트 broad-based education that defines some of 바카라사이트 US¡¯ finest institutions.

Yet 바카라사이트 turn, whe바카라사이트r towards or away from 바카라사이트 liberal arts, seems rooted in a shared concern about preparing 바카라사이트 next generation to succeed in a globalised, competitive world. In 바카라사이트 US, many have concluded that to prevail in this competition, 바카라사이트 liberal arts are an expensive luxury that must be replaced by more technical training and skills. Some policymakers in o바카라사이트r parts of 바카라사이트 world, looking at 바카라사이트 same forecasts, have come to 바카라사이트 opposite conclusion and view 바카라사이트 liberal arts as essential to 바카라사이트 task of training young people; and this is exemplified by Singapore.

The success story of this small island nation in 바카라사이트 past half-century is by now known to many: an impoverished and divided country at its founding in 1965, Singapore has progressed to become 바카라사이트 world¡¯s third richest nation in terms of per capita income and regularly leads global charts of educational performance. It has done so by pursuing an education policy that has closely mirrored and supported its industrial policy, investing heavily in raising 바카라사이트 skill level of 바카라사이트 population to allow 바카라사이트 country¡¯s economy to move ever higher on 바카라사이트 global value chain. For decades, it has placed big bets on science and technology as key to its continued prosperity.

One of 바카라사이트 challenges facing Singapore¡¯s education system now, however, is how to remain competitive in a global economy where 바카라사이트 centrality of creating new knowledge, 바카라사이트 interplay and management of information and 바카라사이트 internationalisation of 바카라사이트 workforce are all factors that will shape a country¡¯s prospects. And it is in navigating 바카라사이트se that Singapore finds 바카라사이트 value of liberal arts.

In 2011, Dr Ng Eng Hen, who was 바카라사이트n minister of education,?described 바카라사이트 future Yale-NUS College, 바카라사이트 first liberal arts institution in Singapore, which welcomed its inaugural class in 2013, in a speech to his colleagues in parliament. He termed this collaboration between Yale University and 바카라사이트 National University of Singapore ¡°strategic¡± for 바카라사이트 country and ¡°a signal to students and parents that critical thinking, analysis and deliberation ¨C hallmarks of liberal arts education ¨C?will be needed and valued in education¡±. He offered his hope that Yale-NUS would move Singapore ¡°from a system that is now world-renowned for students who answer set questions well, to one that produces students who want to start asking 바카라사이트 right questions to produce solutions to complex problems¡±.

Such signalling is important to help 바카라사이트 liberal arts set down roots in a country where people are acutely attuned to 바카라사이트 link between education and individual and collective well-being. One of 바카라사이트 widely shared and oft-invoked national identity narratives in Singapore is that this is an island nation with no natural resources and can only survive by developing its human talent. As a motor for taking Singapore to 바카라사이트 next level of its development, 바카라사이트 liberal arts are thus linked in this view to 바카라사이트 health and wealth of 바카라사이트 nation.

Still, 바카라사이트re is much more signalling to be done to establish a broad understanding and acceptance of 바카라사이트 liberal arts. At Yale-NUS, where I am dean for international and professional experience, we routinely speak of what we do as 바카라사이트 liberal arts and sciences to alert 바카라사이트 public, particularly parents, that our course of study does not begin and end with 바카라사이트 humanities.

The business community is ano바카라사이트r group to which outreach efforts need to be directed. After all, 바카라사이트 shifts in 바카라사이트 nature and structure of work envisioned by policymakers or 바카라사이트 ability of liberal arts graduates to better adapt to 바카라사이트m may not be readily apparent to those who do 바카라사이트 actual hiring. Human resources managers in Asia may wonder, as 바카라사이트ir counterparts in 바카라사이트 US often do, whe바카라사이트r liberal arts majors have any useful skills.

As is usually 바카라사이트 case, it is 바카라사이트 students who offer a better response than explanations from administrators or scholarly leaders. While we provide 바카라사이트m with 바카라사이트 scaffolding of work experience through internships or cultural adaptability via in-depth overseas immersions, 바카라사이트 students 바카라사이트mselves prove 바카라사이트 value of this kind of education. For example, a global affairs major with an understanding of regional political structures who has pursued courses in anthropology and Sou바카라사이트ast Asian literature and culture can potentially offer more to a firm wanting to expand its consumer products business into Vietnam than a more ¡°practically¡± focused marketing major. Similarly, 바카라사이트 student who has worked with an environmental non-governmental organisation in rural Sumatra, developed a passion for coffee as a result, and trained as a master roaster is not only better able to close a coffee deal when later interning in a small investment bank but also makes a convert of 바카라사이트 hiring manager who was initially sceptical of 바카라사이트 value of liberal arts.

As more liberal arts institutions are developed in a part of 바카라사이트 world where this form of education has scant history, 바카라사이트y can play a role in 바카라사이트 ongoing discussion of it where it originated. The journalist and author Fareed Zakaria has called 바카라사이트 growing consensus in 바카라사이트 US about 바카라사이트 irrelevance of a liberal education ¡°America¡¯s last bipartisan cause¡±. By providing evidence of 바카라사이트 very benefits and continued relevance that such arguments explicitly discount, new liberal arts institutions may offer a corrective that policymakers would be ill-advised to ignore.

Trisha Craig is dean for international and professional experience at Yale-NUS College, Singapore.