JEDDAH, 22 February 2005 — “To get people to acquire their knowledge and do their best, no one should be discriminated against on the basis of race, gender or religion,” said Singapore’s Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong. “If he is, he will see no reason to enhance his own capacity or perform at his best.”
The minister used the experience of Singapore’s meteoric rise from a poor city with no natural resources and half the area of Jeddah state to world class economy with a GDP 66 percent of Saudi Arabia’s as a paradigm in a keynote speech on the last day of the Jeddah Economic Forum yesterday.
Elaborating five fundamentals he saw as vital in the successful development of Singapore, he saw the principle of meritocracy as critical. “Meritocracy helps build the ethic of hard work. A person’s advancement depends on his ability, performance and contributions.” Whilst all might not end up at the same level, all are given the chance to compete.
Goh Chok Tong drew special attention to the place of women in the workforce and society, emphasizing that they are given the same education, training and opportunities as men. In 2003 women made up 54 percent of the workforce -- higher for younger women -- and the highest levels of law and commerce include women decision makers. “More than 10 percent of our Members of Parliament are women.”
He identified tolerance; honest and effective government; openness to new ideas and change and the “pragmatic, not dogmatic” approach as the other four factors in the country’s progress.
The engine driving Singapore’s development Goh Chok Tong said was education. Studies have shown that countries that have achieved the fastest rate of growth are those which have properly educated citizens who apply the knowledge to production of goods and services.
In 1965 only three percent of each year’s school output went to university in a country where literacy was only 60 percent. Literacy now stands at 94 percent and 22 percent go to university; four percent of GDP is spent on education.
“However,” he said, “It is not simply the amount spent that counts; it is what is being taught and whether it is being used productively.” Streaming students according to their ability, said Goh Chok Tong, proved effective in maximizing their potential. It particularly benefited students who did not take well to books, allowing students with talents other than academic to develop.
‘Real world’ skills take priority in the education system. He opined that if a child was not educated to take care of himself in society, it would lead to political and social problems.
“Even Muslim students going to madrasas must study and attain a minimum standard in secular subjects for example English, Mathematics and Science. “The madrasas can fulfill their role in imparting Islamic knowledge as well as prepare them to make a living,” he said.
The learning of English he felt gave Singaporeans an edge over regional competitors when tackling the global market.
Formal education though is not enough and the Singapore government works with employers and unions to upgrade people’s skills continuously to be flexible enough to meet new challenges. Employers, Goh Chok Tong said, contribute one percent of their payroll to a Skills Development Fund that they can draw on to subsidize worker training. Singapore is now a knowledge based manufacturing economy, shaped by the demands of a rapidly changing global market. National flexibility and constant upgrading of skills, thought Goh Chok Tong, have kept Singapore ahead of the game.
Based on his analysis of Singapore’s achievements, he saw the potential for development in Saudi Arabia as enormous. He identified two reasons for his conclusion.
Firstly, almost half the total population of the Kingdom is under 15 years old. “This is a huge asset if heavy investments are made in education and skills training,” he said. “You have the resources to do this; Singapore first had to create the resources to invest in our people.”
The second reason was historical. “The Arabic golden age came about because of the power of intellectual capital. The Middle East led the world based on the strength of great minds. The descendants of those same minds live here today. Provided they maximize their human resource potential, they can be in the forefront of knowledge again.”
