Lifelong learning, a buzzword often used to characterise a continual process of personal development and improved employability, is the new norm.
Unlike formal education which entails the frontloading of concepts to prepare one for a career, the benefits of lifelong learning such as promoting social inclusivity, developing self-growth and providing increased opportunities for career advancement throughout an individual’s life are undeniable.
Sean Liu is an assistant head specialising in academic quality at a Singapore university. He firmly believes in the notion of learning for life.
He was after all once a schoolteacher in Sydney and had also taught in private schools and universities in Singapore.
Most recently, he graduated with a Master of Arts (Educational Management) (MAEM) offered by the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NIE NTU, Singapore). “NIE is the go-to institution for education and educational research in the region,” shared Liu.
NIE, being an autonomous institute under NTU, Singapore, is consistently ranked among the top 20 education institutions in the world and the top five in Asia by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) ranking.
Liu was able to transfer the knowledge that he had picked up from the master’s programme to his work.
“As my work is research-heavy, the programme really helped me in coming up with better research questions, methods and analysis,” said Liu.
Emphasising that grades and rankings are secondary, Liu added, “I just wanted to gain as much knowledge as possible.”
Apart from educational management, NIE offers an extensive range of graduate programmes in various specialisations intended to develop the critical thinking skills of its students so that they can apply intellectual approaches to their work.
