Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light, though wise men at their end know dark is right, because their words had forked no lightning they, do not go gentle into that good night.
Singaporean ambassador emphasizes importance of education during 2025 Korea Times Global Conference
Singaporean Ambassador-designate to Korea Wong Kai Jiun speaks during his congratulatory speech for the Korea Times Global Conference at the Grand Hall of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry building in Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
By Jhoo Dong-chan
Singaporean Ambassador-designate to Korea Wong Kai Jiun emphasized the role of the higher education system during his congratulatory speech for the Korea Times Global Conference at the Grand Hall of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry building in Seoul Wednesday.
The conference, titled “Beyond Borders: Strengthening Global Competitiveness of Korean Universities,” studied various issues in education, such as shrinking domestic student populations due to declining birthrates and the dwindling competitiveness of local colleges in Korea.
The ambassador-designate said higher education should rapidly evolve as the world is changing continuously.
“This conference comes at a time when growing global interconnectedness, rapid technological advancement, emerging skills demands and evolving student aspirations are impacting education sector around the world,” Wong said during his speech.
“Our higher education sector, too, must continually evolve in order to remain competitive, fit for purpose and ready to meet future challenges.”
He highlighted that partnering with industry is now a must in order to overcome such challenges.
“Singapore has grown our higher education landscape into a portfolio of modern research and applied universities that not only are committed to academic excellence, entrepreneurship, as well as partnership with industry, but also contribute to increasing the number and diversity of pathways to success for our students, whether they are from Singapore or overseas,” he added.
Following his keynote speech, participants discussed strategies to attract and support international students and how to empower international students and create pathways to careers in Korea.