On the 25th anniversary celebration of fund management group Amundi, the author and thinker Nassim Nicholas Taleb made his presence felt with his speeches. Among all his concerns regarding to the Singapore and its strategic direction, he focused greatly on the education system of the country. Being aware of the fact that good grades and degrees are considered as a passport to success here, his statements were a bit controversial. According to him, having a class of well-educated people is a must but education is the ‘enemy of entrepreneurship’. The reason he gave was that with a high level of education, the school success will become a criteria for hiring.
The main motive of school should not be attaining maximum marks in exams, but also sharpen their skills, making them smarter. And their smartness gets repressed due to ‘too- much education’. Thus, it is necessary for the parents, students and employers to move ahead of the simple paper qualifications. The biggest challenge is to build up the next generation in right way. It is important to make them work harder. Reducing the education pressure doesn’t mean that you have to make the next generation too comfortable. It is just that don’t over-educate them. Help them to progress; if education increases in a country, the progress is lowered.
To this Mr.Taleb also added that there are no evidences that raising the general level of education will affect the country’s income level. But the opposite is true; wealth always leads to the rise in education!