SUSS Podcast · Singapore University Of Social Sciences

How Can We Refresh Our Social Compact? (Part 2)

·24 min·1 clip

“Who is in the room?” becomes the first test for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

1. SUSS Podcast’s “How Can We Refresh Our Social Compact? (Part 2)” focuses on how education, social mobility, and community support can be reshaped in Singapore. 2. Han from the Centre of Excellence for Social Good and Jay lead the discussion, and Jay says he has taught secondary school, university students, and adult learners. 3. The episode asks what education institutions should do when youths already learn through YouTube, online textbooks, and technology. 4. Jay argues that classrooms should mirror real life through experiential learning, project-based learning, problem-based learning, and group-based assessments. 5. Han points out that SUSS admits learners from their late teens to their 70s, which makes the student body unusually diverse. 6. The speakers say universities should connect classroom learning with industry, because educators cannot teach “content in a vacuum.” 7. Jay also says universities must protect academic freedom, so ideas can be taken forward without being treated only as tools of society. 8. Both speakers stress safe and brave spaces where students can practice negotiating workplace difficulties before they enter jobs. 9. Jay says younger people now have many contact points outside school and home, including friends from around the world through online games. 10. He describes youth as a heterogeneous group, with different pressures at 18 to 20, in the 20s, and in early family life. 11. The conversation then moves to older adults, and Jay says a 70-year-old senior met him on a Sunday morning for breakfast and still had meetings all day. 12. He also mentions someone close to 80 who wants to write a book, using both examples to show that seniors are not a single category. 13. Jay says social mobility in Singapore should include single parents, children with disabilities, sandwich-generation caregivers, and other groups who do not fit the status quo. 14. He distinguishes formal support such as CDC vouchers, subsidies, and housing from informal support like community groups and ground-up movements. 15. The Marine Parade program Good Life Makkan is presented as an example of addressing social isolation through an open void-deck cooking space. 16. Jay says food brings people together, and Han adds that the point is to build natural relationships rather than rely only on referrals and problem matching. 17. The sports analogy becomes central when Jay compares society to a race where the fastest runner should not be slowed down, but others should still be helped to finish. 18. Han and Jay then turn to equity, asset-based community development, partnerships, coalition building, and a “web of tight connections” instead of tug of war. 19. The tone is reflective and practical, with back-and-forth conversation, concrete examples, and repeated use of analogies like the room, the race, and the rope. 20. People interested in Singapore education, social mobility, and community design would likely find this useful, while listeners wanting a light or entertainment-focused episode may skip it.

As heard by us

A thoughtful look at how education, mobility, and community support help hold a social compact together.

Thought Starters treats a question about the social compact as a focused look at what education is for, and what it can still do when the classroom is meant to mirror real life.

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Why you'd press play

Press play if you want a thoughtful conversation about education, social mobility, and belonging in Singapore.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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