What Is the Future of the University? The Beginning of a Discernment Journey (GS Letter Aug 2020)
A new academic year has just begun among the universities here. Our CFs have welcomed new students through various online Freshmen Orientation Programmes, including virtual Welcome Teas. In this post-Covid-19 era, all students, both new and returning, are forced to shift and adapt to virtual classrooms and online learning experiences. Similarly, lecturers and tutors have to do likewise. Changes in pedagogy and assessment methods also follow.
Nevertheless, many big questions remain. Will the greater degree of online learning work well, and will it be here to stay? If yes, what is the future of in-person university education? Consequently, will there be a massive competition in online education, which may lead to the demise of many educational institutions?
In addition to that, due to travel restrictions, the number of international students will drop significantly among the universities in Singapore. Revenue will go down and costs will go up. Even the big players may find it difficult to cope, without sustained funding from the government.
At the same time, more corporations, especially technology companies, are now entering the market developing their own niche and specialist certificates or diplomas tailor-made for the company’s job demands. This pragmatic trend will shrink many disciplines currently offered in the university, especially those arguably not in demand by the job market.
To add insult to injury, technology will also enable a personalised learning platform that is able to curate individual learning opportunities and document outcomes. Consequently, a traditional university described as a microcosm of society in which communities of students interacting with their friends, professors, and school staff may soon be a long-gone era. Studying in a university can be reduced to a solitary and pragmatic journey towards personal wealth or well-being acquisition. It is truly a commodification of education at its worst.
The above possible substantial and grim changes demand FES to have well-thought through, as well as sound theological and biblical responses. What is happening now in the education scene is just one of the central issues that the FES Discernment Team, led by Jeremiah Goh, the FES General Secretary Designate, is now grappling with. The team, comprising of a few staff workers, graduates, and student leaders, aims to articulate key strategic priorities for the FES ministry for the next 5 to 10 years. Then, the team will present the outcome to the FES Council for final approval, likely in the first quarter of 2021.
Some other major areas that the team is also mulling over are recent government initiatives on life-long learning, intentional and strategic partnerships with local churches, the reality of what many of our young graduates experience post-formal education, and unique historical lessons from the past 60 years of FES serving the students of different generations.
I would like to humbly request that you remember and support the FES Discernment Team in your prayer as they attempt to outline what God is leading FES to carry out. Pray that as stewards of this ministry, the Lord will find us trustworthy (1 Cor. 4:2) to remain “as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (4:1) among the tertiary-level students in Singapore.
In His grace,
Lisman Komaladi
General Secretary
