It is necessary to continuously upskill and reskill throughout life, beyond the first 15 years of formal education, says Education Minister Chan Chun Sing. File photo of people crossing the street at South Bridge Road in Singapore.
In the latest cycle, about 5, Singaporean and permanent resident participants aged 16 to 65 were assessed on their literacy and numeracy proficiency, as well as adaptive problem skills.
Most countries that participated in the study saw a decline in literacy proficiency. In Singapore, literacy in adults declines sharply after 35 years old and the downward trend continues as adults age. The trends observed could be due to a combination of several factors, Mr Chan said in parliament. He cited the atrophy effect where skills decline after adults leave the formal education system and enter the workforce. This could be because the skills are not used as frequently or deliberately honed as compared with during formal schooling years.
He also pointed to the obsolescence effect - skills becoming less relevant or even obsolete at work due to rapidly changing market demands, technological advancement and enterprise transformation.
The cohort effect, where younger cohorts have benefitted from significantly improved educational opportunities compared with earlier cohorts, is likely another contributing factor. Several Members of Parliament had filed questions on the results of the PIAAC study, asking if the Ministry of Education MOE has initiatives in place to help people in Singapore maintain literacy levels as they age, and whether the decline in literacy will affect the employability of workers above Mr Chan on Wednesday said that there is growing research interest in how technology has changed the way one consumes and processes information, with many people moving away from complex writing to shorter social media posts and videos.
