A MCKINSEY report has concluded that the quality of an education system can never exceed the quality of its teaching force. Class size and tests are secondary issues. The recent move by the Ministry of Education to recruit only graduate teachers and 7,000 into the teaching force is a step in the right direction.

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Easy to say than done... Who going to fund the deficit or extra cost? Gahment already dip into reserve to get us thro the storm, Im sure the last things we want is extra deficits. Since so many mid-career bankers or professionals got retrenched recently, I believe we can make use of these talents in the teaching field...

The problem with the education system now, is that the process to identify 'TOP' whatever is flawed. Teachers are being moved away from 'teaching' to brainstorming new activities (that earns points) that may or may not help the students. Same thing with principles.

Employing graduate teachers only, is not going to change anything.

I strongly object to the idea or concept of 'beating' others in order to be superior. The word may have been used in a very loose and general sense, but it does betray the negative and LIMITED mindset behind it!

Why should we want to beat the Finnish system, whatever that is in substance. It suggests that the motivation to better our own system is all wrong. You want to improve because that is the correct thing to do for our students. When you plan and manipulate with beating someone in mind you are basically involved in a game, not serious work towards betterment. Did the Fins have the Singapore education system as a 'target' when they set about designing and improving their own children's education!

It's petty to say the least, the very idea of believing that there is a competition.

The full McKinsey report can be seen at:
http://www.mckinsey.com/clientservic...tems_Final.pdf

Note that McKinsey is a management consultancy. Did not know that they had expertise in educational policy and philosophy, but there you go. Personally, I would prefer to read reports by well respected university departments of education, whose reports are published in peer-reviewed journals.

Tay Xiong Sheng does not make it clear what is meant by 'best' in the world. McKinsey's agenda seems to be asserting the primacy of the relationship between educational systems and economic success. Some of us think that there is more to education than producing future factory fodder.

In the Preface of the Report, McKinsey states: "We have chosen not to focus on pedagogy or curricula". Really!? McKinsey states that the reason is: "These subjects are well-debated in the literature". This seems a bit of a cop-out. Surely the essence of education is what is taught and how.

If the cost of having slightly lower economic growth is producing more rounded individuals with compassion and empathy for their fellow man, then I would go for slightly lower economic growth.

Maybe I'm in a minority...

PS: As an aside, is human capital Singapore's only natural resource? I thought having a deep-sea harbour strategically placed on international shipping lanes is a significant natural resource, or don't I understand economics as well as education?

Incidentally, Tay Xiong Sheng might like to find out what is the emphasis in the Finnish system. The emphasis is on socialisation and the group; and in many ways is the antithesis of individual competition. Their pre-school education is purposely playful rather than academic (avoiding reading and writing); they only start primary school at the age of seven. Can you imagine Singaporean parents being told "Do not teach your four year old flashcards etc. They will be taught to read when they go to school at seven."

Salary is dictated by supply and demand. There are 30,000 teachers and more than 2000 are produced each year. Entry barriers to becoming a teacher is low and there are more teachers than taxi drivers in Singapore. We cannot artificially inflate the salary as it will distort market level. Also, teachers are civil servants. Once your raise the salary of one category, the rest will demand a raise as well. Who is it to say teachers are more critical than say, police, SAF, nurses, firemen etc? No teacher was ever retrenched or died while teaching. So, teaching is a stable job with very low financial and physical risks.

Anyway, I do not think Singapore civil servants are under paid. Infact they are all paid market rate, and for some, well above market rates.

The 2nd and 3rd suggestions are already done. Please follow the annual national day awards. Many civil servants including teachers are given national award each year. The elite civil servants are selected into the Admin Service. They come from all ministries including MOE. Some teachers, especially the scholars, are in the Admin Service and they are paid top dollars. A 32 years old Admin Service officer are paid over $350,000 an annum. Who say our civil servants are underpaid. Some can even go to Paris for a $45,000 cooking holiday.

When we beat Finland which country we intned to beat later?

Education is to produce good and sensible citizens. Honest and non greddy people is what we want.

If we want to the best in the world we may end up the worst.

What is Complete Education?

MOE should ask the PM of NZ what is Ccomplete Education.