At the Straits Time Education Forum, organised in partnership with SMU, Dean of SMU’s School of Law Associate Professor Goh Yihan said the pursuit of university degrees is crucial to letting people learn and practise their social skills before they go out into the real working world.

He said universities provide a safe space for people to try – and potentially fail – without having to face more serious consequences in the real world. "In the safe environment of your JCs (junior colleges) and your polytechnics, when you are student leaders and have to make decisions, what is the downside? What is the risk of you getting your decisions wrong?" Associate Prof Goh asked students seated in the 500-strong audience.

"Maybe your form teacher gets angry, maybe some of your friends get angry with you. But transport yourself to the workplace. What if you make a key decision in the workplace and you get it wrong? You have very real-life consequences. People get fired, people's lives get affected in a very serious way." He said that being in a university pursuing a degree gives students a safe experience to learn social skills, such as making judgments and decisions, and, more importantly, the chance to learn from mistakes.