The Parliamentary Wake-Up Call: Jamus Lim's Urgent Plea

During the Budget 2026 debate in Singapore's Parliament on February 25, 2026, Workers' Party Member of Parliament and Associate Professor Jamus Jerome Lim, an economist at Singapore Management University (SMU), delivered a compelling speech highlighting the need for AI-driven education reforms. Assoc Prof Lim praised the government's forward-looking Budget, which allocates significant resources like the S$37 billion Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2030 plan to bolster AI capabilities, but warned that Singapore's world-renowned education system faces existential threats from artificial intelligence (AI). He emphasized that while Singapore consistently tops global benchmarks such as the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) rankings—where it ranked first in mathematics, reading, and science in PISA 2022—and the World Bank's Human Capital Index, these achievements may not sustain in an AI-dominated future.

Assoc Prof Lim argued that AI is rapidly compressing talent gaps, making rote knowledge and routine cognitive tasks obsolete. 'We've done exceedingly well till now, but it's highly uncertain if we'll continue to do so,' he stated, pointing to the 'breathtaking' pace of AI in his own teaching experience at SMU, where complex problems are now solved instantaneously. This disruption challenges Singapore's meritocratic model, where high-stakes exams like the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) and GCE O-Levels have long sorted students into streams leading to top universities and high-paying jobs.

Singapore's Education Model: A Legacy Under Siege

Singapore's education system has evolved dramatically since independence, with average schooling years rising from under four in 1960 to over 12 by 2015. This rigorous, exam-centric approach has produced a highly skilled workforce, fueling economic growth. However, AI tools like generative models (e.g., ChatGPT and its successors) and agentic AI—autonomous systems that execute multi-step tasks—are devaluing traditional credentials. Research shows AI boosts productivity of less-skilled workers more than experts, leveling the playing field and eroding Singapore's edge in producing 'competent, reliable executors.'

Local indicators are flashing warning signs: youth unemployment has trended upward since mid-2024, with reports of fresh graduates struggling amid AI-driven displacement in entry-level roles like data analysis, coding, and even professional services such as legal research and financial planning. Demand for AI-related skills has more than doubled from 2022 to 2025, per SkillsFuture Singapore analysis, underscoring the urgency for higher education institutions to pivot.

In this context, Assoc Prof Lim's call resonates deeply within Singapore's higher education sector, where universities like the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and SMU must prepare students not just to use AI, but to thrive alongside it. For those eyeing academic careers, platforms like university jobs in Singapore highlight growing demand for AI-savvy educators and researchers.

Primary Education: Prioritizing Smaller Classes and Human Interaction

Assoc Prof Lim advocated starting reforms early, at the primary level, where large class sizes of up to 40 students hinder personalized attention. In an AI era, he argued, classrooms must foster curiosity, critical thinking, and foundational skills like sustained reading and original writing—areas where AI cannot replicate human guidance. EdTech tools can complement teachers in language drills or math practice, but over-reliance risks shrinking attention spans and weakening memory.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) is actively studying AI's impact on cognitive development, delaying widespread use for younger students while exploring balanced integration. This aligns with global concerns, but Singapore's emphasis on holistic environments—safe spaces for questioning and exploration in arts, sports, and sciences—positions it well if teacher-to-student ratios improve. Parents and educators can support this shift by reducing tuition dependency, allowing children to build intrinsic motivation essential for AI-resilient learning.

Reimagining Secondary Education: Beyond High-Stakes Exams

Secondary reforms are central to Assoc Prof Lim's vision: diminish the dominance of sorting exams like PSLE and O-Levels, which historically accounted for up to 80% of grades. He praised the recent abolition of mid-year exams but called it 'halfhearted' without reweighting toward continual assessment—frequent, low-stakes quizzes that enhance retention and identify gaps early.

• Genuine continual assessment over exam cramming, proven to boost long-term understanding.
• Expand through-train programs for late bloomers, offering flexibility as AI equalizes early skill disparities.
• Delay or soften early tracking, as subject-based banding experiments show, to reduce inequality without lowering standards.

Tuition centers' mock exams persist due to incentives; reforming rewards—family support, school placements—will drive change. For aspiring university students, this means more emphasis on sustained engagement, preparing them for higher ed's evolving demands. Check academic CV tips to stand out in competitive admissions.

Tertiary Transformation: Cultivating Uniquely Human Skills

Higher education faces the sharpest disruption, Assoc Prof Lim noted, as AI upends teaching, research, and job pipelines. Universities must shift from rote problem-solving to nurturing empathy, creativity, judgment, networking, and vision—'unescapably human' traits. He proposed absolute entry criteria over relative exam rankings and urged autonomous universities to prioritize genuine scholarship over global rankings chases.

In research, RIE2030 funding is welcome, but success hinges on sophisticated questions AI can't pose. Agentic AI already handles graduate-level tasks like software debugging or diagnosis, reducing entry-level hires. Singapore's low AI cheating rates—few cases at public universities—show proactive policies, but curricula must evolve.

Explore opportunities in faculty positions focused on AI ethics and innovation.

Leading the Charge: AI Integration at NUS, NTU, and SMU

Singapore's universities are responding dynamically. NUS is redesigning undergraduate curricula for the AI age, embedding generative AI tools to teach critical use while fostering human strengths like ethical reasoning. NTU offers the Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence (MSc AI), alongside specialized programs like AI in Medicine, and its Academic Profile System uses AI for personalized student advising.

SMU, Assoc Prof Lim's home institution, launched the MSc in Business AI and the Resilient Workforces Institute, partnering with SkillsFuture on AI-enabled adult learning. These initiatives equip students for AI-resilient careers, with full employment rates in AI-related fields. NTU MSc AI exemplifies targeted reform.

Budget 2026: Government's AI Education Push

Budget 2026 positions AI as a 'strategic advantage,' with free six-month access to premium AI tools for Singaporeans, redesigned SkillsFuture pathways (over 1,600 AI courses), and NTUC-led training for all skill levels. No 'jobless growth' is anticipated, but MPs like Assoc Prof Lim urge measurable outcomes. MOE's research on AI's cognitive effects informs cautious rollout, aligning with Assoc Prof Lim's vision.

Budget 2026 AI Section.

Challenges, Perspectives, and Stakeholder Views

Stakeholders applaud the foresight but highlight hurdles: teacher training for AI complementarity, equity in access, and balancing innovation with core skills. Unions push AI-ready transitions; universities report minimal cheating but stress ethics. Assoc Prof Lim stresses teachers' irreplaceability for soft skills development.

Photo by Aleksandra Jarocka on Unsplash

• Risks: Attention deficits from AI over-use, degree devaluation.
• Benefits: Personalized learning, research acceleration.
• Comparisons: Singapore leads Asia, but trails in creative thinking emphasis per PISA.

Future Outlook: Actionable Steps for Singapore's Higher Ed

By 2030, AI literacy will be core, per RIE plans. Universities should pilot absolute admissions, expand interdisciplinary AI-humanities programs. Students: build portfolios showcasing creativity; educators: leverage Rate My Professor for feedback. Job seekers: target higher ed jobs and career advice. Singapore can pioneer AI-driven education reforms, securing its competitive edge through human-AI synergy.