Poly students should think about how all in S’pore can ‘thrive’, says Education Minister at forum
Polytechnic students were encouraged to be bold and innovative in envisioning Singapore’s future while solving national issues amid challenges.
This was said at the Polytechnic Forum 2025 by Education Minister Desmond Lee, who also urged them to keep their feet “firmly planted on the ground”.
Source: Desmond Lee on Facebook
Poly students reminded at forum about upcoming responsibility to lead
Kicking off the forum at the Singapore Polytechnic on Monday (15 Sept) with a speech, Mr Lee said SG60 is a “special year” for Singapore, recognising the efforts of earlier generations who have made today’s Singapore possible.
Looking ahead, he reminded the students that “the mantle of responsibility and leadership will be thrust upon [them]” sooner than they think.
Source: Desmond Lee on Facebook
Thus, they were encouraged to think about their vision for Singapore when it’s their turn to lead.
4 of S’pore’s most pressing challenges
Mr Lee then listed Singapore’s four most pressing challenges for the students to think about.
Firstly, he urged students to consider how increasing geopolitical and economic pressures affect Singapore.
Considering our position as a small and open city-state and reliance on the free flow of international trade, goods, people, and ideas, the Republic is especially susceptible to global developments, he said.
Thus, they should try to figure out how the changing world is going to affect us, what we should do, and how we can operate in the future.
Secondly, Mr Lee noted the shrinking workforce that will come with Singapore’s rapidly ageing population.
Not only will this demographic shift “undermine our economic growth trajectory”, it will also add pressure on our healthcare, eldercare, and built environment sector.
Thirdly, following advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and technology, repetitive jobs have been made redundant, allowing humans to focus on higher-order tasks that require judgement, cross-disciplinary thinking, and creativity and ideas, he said,
New jobs have also been born of this change, many of which require the use of AI.
As such, he reiterated the importance of upskilling and reskilling to keep up with the changes.
Lastly, Mr Lee highlighted Singapore’s vulnerability to the effects of climate change.
Due to our reliance on food imports and our low-lying nature, we could easily be affected by unpredictable weather conditions and rising sea levels, he added.
Think about how S’pore can ‘thrive’
Advising students to tackle these challenges in a way that enables Singapore to “thrive”, Mr Lee encouraged our future leaders to be “bold” and “innovative” while having their feet “firmly planted on the ground”, saying:
Don’t just think about surviving in this new environment, think about how all of us in Singapore can thrive.
Source: Desmond Lee on Facebook
During the forum — “a key milestone programme”, he added — student leaders will try to solve complex national issues while wrestling with trade-offs, enabling them to discuss “fresh insights and perspectives” of what to do and the part they can play in improving Singapore.
Desmond Lee advises poly students to ‘dream big’
Mr Lee added to his message in a Facebook post on Tuesday (16 Sept), where he said he hoped the students would continue to learn through life, adopt strong values and character, and be bold in their vision, adding:
Most importantly, may your generation build a strong collective so that Singapore will continue to thrive.
Describing them as the generation “who will shape Singapore’s next chapter”, he also advised them to “dream big, work together” and remember that they can punch above their weight on the world stage, “just as our past generations did”.
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Featured image adapted from Desmond Lee on Facebook.
