Singapore Schools Need to Teach AI-Era Soft Skills Like Discernment, Says MOS Jasmin Lau

As AI tools become deeply embedded in Singapore's classrooms and workplaces, the question shifts from whether students can use AI to whether they can thrive alongside it. Minister of State for Education Jasmin Lau put that tension into sharp focus at a July 26 public engagement session, arguing that skills like discernment, problem-solving, and effective communication — not technical AI fluency — will define how well Singapore's next generation navigates an AI-saturated world.

Speaking at a session organised by Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao and supported by the Ministry of Education, Lau said the education system needs to examine how to cultivate and assess these soft skills more intentionally. While character and citizenship education already covers areas like overcoming challenges, she flagged the need for more flexibility and practice opportunities so students can demonstrably apply these qualities when they enter the workforce. The session drew around 80 participants including parents, teachers, and students, with discussions held under the Chatham House rule to encourage candid feedback.

Lau, who also holds the Digital Development and Information portfolio and became Acting Manpower Minister on July 27, offered a rare ministerial perspective that bridges two critical domains — education and digital transformation. She described her biggest concern not as AI replacing jobs, but as the gradual erosion of human communication and relationships. "In the past, if a child did not know something, they would ask their parents and that creates an opportunity for a conversation," she said in Mandarin. "Before we know it, our entire society will be relying on AI for communication, and we will lose a lot."

The session surfaced other tensions in Singapore's education landscape. Some participants proposed banning tuition for pre-primary children to reduce academic pressure, while MOE deputy director-general of education (curriculum) Sng Chern Wei emphasised that schools must remain safe spaces where children can experience failure — falling short on a test or facing social setbacks — without those experiences being framed as irreversible. This philosophy sits alongside ongoing MOE experiments with AI under "guard rails" in primary schools and a recent study finding over half of eight-year-olds in Singapore have already used AI, with ChatGPT being the most popular tool.

Why it matters for Singapore: As Singapore positions itself as a global AI hub, the education system faces a challenge that no government grant or corporate partnership can solve — teaching children when to use AI and when to rely on their own judgment. Lau's comments signal that MOE sees this as a pedagogical priority, not just a curriculum update. The real test will be whether the system can move beyond teaching AI literacy to building the human skills that AI cannot replicate, before the next generation's default response to any question becomes asking a chatbot.