Tey's Argument on the Impact of Technology on Education and Employment
Tey was commenting on a news story that quoted Lee Hsein Loong discussing the impact of technology and the internet on society. The Singaporean minister claims that technology could put pressure on the social compact. (Mediacorp Press Ltd, 2016). Tey's primary argument is that education reform is necessary to ensure that students receive the right education and adopt the proper perspective on technological advancements in order for society to meet the demands that technology has created.
The Need for Education Reform
First, Tey makes the case that the sort of education that young people need to succeed in the future is challenged by the rapid advancements in technology. While what is taught in schools is aimed at preparing students for their future occupations, reliance on technology is making the current job ranges become obsolete. Secondly, Tey asserts that the current employees are perceiving technology as a threat to their employment, which causes anxiety that is likely to be heightened if the correct mindset is not used to view the push by the government for incorporation of technology in different sectors. Thirdly, she is for the belief that to embrace and address the technological challenge, it is important to provide the right education that will teach the youths to have the right attitude towards technology. She claims that the right education should be at a position to help the students develop values and skills, other than imparting factual knowledge that is easily accessible on the internet. Fourthly, Tey claims that technology is important in bringing efficiency and convenience, but should not be allowed to undermine the thinking abilities of the young people. Education should therefore be geared towards equipping the youths with the capability to face the scenarios in real life using the learnt theories. Fifthly, Tey calls upon the employees to embrace the changes brought by technology and upgrade their skills proactively so as to complement the efforts by the government in the support of structural changes they suffer (Min, 2016).
Agreement with Tey's Views on Technological Advancement
I strongly agree with the views presented by Tey regarding the issue of technological advancement in the current society. As Tey notes, I believe that change is inevitable, and it is the role of the education paradigm as well as the people to advance to keep up with the change. The government and the citizens should work together in addressing the presented challenge, and the only rational way is through changes in education to ensure that after school, the skills learnt will complement the advances in technology and that people will continue working alongside the technology (Kraut et al., 2002).
Technological Unemployment and Education Reform
Generally, Tey is talking about technological unemployment that might ensue if education is not reformed to shape the student for the job market. Technology has automated various jobs thereby affecting the livelihood of people in the society. According to Cesaratto, Serrano & Stirati (2003), there is structural unemployment due to technological advances. Frey & Osborne (2017) maintain that since the 1980s, structural unemployment has increased in economies that are advanced, which is seen as a growing threat to the society. One cannot deny that technological changes have currently accelerated, hypothetically leading to more insightful dislocations. The pace of today's technological change is so swift that many employees might not be able to adjust and become obsolete, similar to horses after the advent of automobiles (Bills, 1995; Frey & Osborne, 2017).
The Optimistic View on Technological Advancements
However, there are other people that are optimistic about advances in technology, who agree that although innovation has the potential of disrupting jobs temporarily, there are many compensation effects through technology that ensure there is no permanent unconstructive influence on jobs. According to du Rausas et al., (2011), the internet is a catalyst for the creation of jobs. The authors maintain that a survey of 4,800 SMEs show that 2.6 jobs were created by the internet for each that was lost due to efficiencies related to the technology. Moreover, Freeman, (2002) notes that information and communication technologies are responsible for changing the labor markets in important ways, an assertion that Tey does not dispute. According to Tey, technology is important, but the education system needs to reform to match its advancement. While Tey is worried about the type of education people will need to advance in the future due to technological challenges, Glenn & D'Agostino (2008) have shown that its use has enabled multi-modal teaching in the classroom and has spawned rich categories of online research. Technology will soon enable professors to teach in multiple media. Moreover, contrary to Tey's assertion, educational reforms are not the only approaches towards addressing the technological issue. Even if employers anticipate graduates to have accumulated most of the essential technological skills afore joining their businesses, there is a need for on-the-job training aimed at acclimatizing new workers. To augment the educational reforms by the government in the learning institutions, organizations have a role to create training programs that are more engaging, make retention programs increasingly personalized, and ensure that process improvement initiatives are more open to the input of the workers.
Closing Thoughts
Though Tey's response did not focus more on showing the strengths of technological advances in today's society, she made a clear point in showing the responsibility of the government and the citizens in addressing the current challenge related to social contract and employment. Her argument is strong because she shows how the education system should focus on not only equipping students with the necessary education in their area of study but also ensure that the students are armed with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively leverage technology in the job market (Greenhow, Robelia, & Hughes, 2009). Tey could have made her arguments more convincing if she first talked about the many benefits of advances in technology before going straight to showing the challenge it places on the current education system. Moreover, she should have shown the nature of the current education as well as the type of graduates that are released in the market to ensure that the reader is convinced on why the education system needs reforms.
Addressing the Challenge of Technological Advancement
In conclusion, the current technology-enabled economy learning institutions are facing a challenge. The quality of the education obtained has been slipping because of the inability to generate high-quality professionals. Few graduates can be at a position to successfully compete in today's international marketplace. Indeed, advances in technology are challenging the form of education needed for future advancement of the youths. The current employees need to embrace technology and accept the many changes to be able to upgrade their skills to fit in the job markets. The government is pushing for the incorporation of technology in all sectors because of the benefits associated, which means that employees should have the right mindset to survive in the changing society. Though educational reforms alone cannot address the problem, they are essential in ensuring that the graduates are well equipped to undertake the training programs that hiring organizations give.
References
Bills, D. B. (1995). The new modern times: Factors reshaping the world of work. SUNY Press.
Cesaratto, S., Serrano, F., & Stirati, A. (2003). Technical change, effective demand and employment. Review of Political Economy, 15(1), 33-52.
du Rausas, M. P., Manyika, J., Hazan, E., Bughin, J., Chui, M., & Said, R. (2011). Internet matters: The Net’s sweeping impact on growth, jobs, and prosperity. McKinsey Global Institute, 21.
Freeman, R. B. (2002). The labour market in the new information economy. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 18(3), 288-305.
Frey, C. B., & Osborne, M. A. (2017). The future of employment: how susceptible are jobs to computerisation?. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 114, 254-280.
Glenn, M., & D'Agostino, D. (2008). The future of higher education: How technology will shape learning. New Media Consortium.
Greenhow, C., Robelia, B., & Hughes, J. E. (2009). Learning, teaching, and scholarship in a digital age Web 2.0 and classroom research: What path should we take now?. Educational researcher, 38(4), 246-259.
Kraut, R., Kiesler, S., Boneva, B., Cummings, J., Helgeson, V., & Crawford, A. (2002). Internet paradox revisited. Journal of social issues, 58(1), 49-74.
Mediacorp Press Ltd. (2016). Pace of globalisation ‘will put social contract under pressure’: PM Lee. Retrieved online on 1st February, 2017 from http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/pace-globalisation-will-put-social-contract-under-pressure
Min, T. (2016). Education reform needed to keep up with the times. Retrieved online on 1st February, 2017 from http://www.todayonline.com/voices/education-reform-needed-keep-times
