Heng Swee Keat, Singapore Education Minister
Technology will never be the master of education

When the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) last May ranked Singapore as the nation with the top education system, based on mathematics and science test scores of 15-year-old studentsoutperforming the UK, US, Japan And Australiathe strategy behind Singapore's success became the focus of world attention. Just 60 years ago, this island-state of 3.5 million people had one of the highest levels of illiteracy.

Tempo interviewed Singaporeean Education Minister Heng Swee Keat, 54, in early June, to find out more. "I might not quite agree with the results (of the tests)," he said. He said there were many ways to measure success. "I tell my colleagues, we must never be complacent, never be arrogant. There are many things that we continue to learn from people around the world," Heng said.

August 11, 2015