“Unlike the advent of the Internet or Artificial Intelligence, both of which are technological disruptions, the Ageing Society is a demographic phenomenon. But, like the 4th industrial revolution, it is also a form of disruption and one that has significant social and economic implications for the world,” said Singapore Management University (SMU) President, Prof Lily Kong in her keynote speech during a plenary session at the QS Asia-Pacific Professional Leaders in Education (QS-APPLE) 2019 Conference held on 27 November in Fukuoka, Japan.

Themed ‘Industrial Revolution 4.0 and Ageing Societies: The Changing Roles of Universities in the Asia-Pacific’, this year’s event attracted a total of 708 participants from 256 institutions around the world.

Observing that these implications might have received less attention from universities than the 4th industrial revolution, Prof Kong shared her views on the evolving role of universities in an ageing society and  pointed out that, “In the twin missions of universities – education and research – we (universities) have a significant role to play”.

For the former, Prof Kong illustrated her point with two recent initiatives rolled out by SMU. She highlighted  the setting up of the SMU Academy to provide continuous upskilling and reskilling opportunities for workers for the future economy, and the review of SMU’s undergraduate curriculum to enhance the competencies and skills of graduates for these young adults to thrive in an increasingly complex, digitised and data-driven working environment.

Through its slew of sector-customised, industry-relevant and modular courses aimed at developing the functional skills of Singaporean workers, the SMU Academy supports the Singapore government’s thrust towards lifelong learning which brings tremendous socio-economic value to society. In undergraduate education, SMU’s launch of a new second major in Health Economics and Management, in partnership with SingHealth, a first-of-its-kind collaboration in Singapore between a university and a major health services provider, integrates academic and practical learning to nurture a pool of local graduates adept in healthcare planning and administration.

“Even as we re-design our pedagogy and support lifelong learning to address new challenges posed by an ageing society, universities also have an important role to play in contributing thought leadership to enhance our understanding of the world and to help make it a better place,” said Prof Kong, before elaborating on SMU’s two major research programmes relating to ageing to address “Strengthening Social Fabric and Quality of Life” – one of the five societal challenge areas identified by SMU.

The ongoing research by SMU’s Centre for Research on the Economics of Ageing (CREA) through the Singapore Life Panel (SLP) survey, one of the largest population-representative monthly surveys in the world involving over 10,000 local participants aged between 50 and 70 years, generates rich data that gives deep insights into Singapore’s ageing situation. In addition, ShineSeniors, which stands for Smart Homes and Intelligent Neighbours to Enable the Seniors, is a joint research project by SMU and TATA Consultancy Services combining sensor-based IoT technology with data analytics to help people age in place, and uses a community caregiver ecosystem to provide last-mile human touch. These are but two research undertakings which underscore SMU’s commitment to making meaningful impact to society.

QS-APPLE is the oldest Asia-Pacific international higher education conference and exhibition, with its first edition being held in Singapore in August 2005.

The full speech of President’s keynote can be viewed in the PDF attached. 

[Featured Photo: SMU President, Prof Lily Kong, shared her views on the evolving role of universities in an ageing society at the QS Asia-Pacific Professional Leaders in Education (QS-APPLE) 2019 Conference held on 27 November in Fukuoka, Japan.]

Photo credit: Kyushu University