Dr Syed Alwi Ahmad flags education system challenges while PM Wong lauded quantum computing and AI adoption

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong used his National Day Rally 2025 speech to underline Singapore’s ambitions in quantum computing and artificial intelligence (AI), describing them as critical to the nation’s long-term economic competitiveness. But theoretical physicist Dr Syed Alwi Ahmad offered a pointed response, arguing that Singapore’s greatest barrier to becoming a leader in scientific discovery lies not in research funding, but in its education system. Dr Syed Alwi, who serves on the Central Executive Committee of the alternative political party Red Dot United, shared his views in a Facebook post on 18 August. While he welcomed the government’s commitment to frontier technologies, he said the country must first confront structural weaknesses in its schools, where students are trained as “skilled implementers or metronomic exam-takers” rather than original thinkers. Wong outlines long-term bets on frontier technologies In his second National Day Rally speech since securing a stronger mandate in the 2025 General Election, Wong said Singapore is “taking a long-term bet” on quantum computing. He described it as “a completely new way of processing information, with the potential to transform many industries”. The government has been investing in capabilities at universities and research institutes, though Wong cautioned that “major breakthroughs may only come in 10–20 years”. On artificial intelligence, Wong highlighted practical applications already visible in Singapore. At Tuas Port, robotics and AI have streamlined port operations. In healthcare, AI assists dentists in interpreting X-rays to support diagnosis. Across industries, he said small and medium-sized enterprises would also be supported to harness AI, ensuring benefits are not limited to large firms. At the same time, Wong acknowledged concerns over job disruption, noting that “some jobs will disappear, but new ones will emerge”. He pledged government collaboration with the National Trades Union Congress, unions and companies to redesign jobs, retrain workers and support Singaporeans in the transition.

Praise for ambition, but warning on rhetoric

Dr Syed Alwi, who holds a PhD in Physics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the United States, said Wong’s speech reflected “aspirations for research, innovation and Singapore’s place at the technological frontier”. However, he criticised the framing of science largely in terms of economic payoff and efficiency. “Any genuine commitment to basic research is welcome,” he wrote, “but what appears absent is engagement with the way scientific discovery really works—rooted in a culture that values depth, risk-taking and open-ended curiosity over mere application or efficiency.” According to him, this gap is not unique to the government’s strategy but embedded in the education system, which continues to prize exam performance over exploration.

Education system ‘greatest barrier’

Singapore frequently ranks among the world’s best in mathematics and science in international assessments. But Dr Syed Alwi said this success masks deeper issues. “Our system is still built on exams and rote memorisation rather than on nurturing risk-taking, enquiry and creativity,” he wrote. He argued that students rarely have the chance to “fail productively, ask new questions or follow their intellectual instincts”. While the Ministry of Education has pursued reforms to foster critical thinking, he said a “culture of standardisation, high-stakes exams and conformity” continues to dominate. This, he suggested, has broader consequences for Singapore’s scientific ecosystem. The heavy reliance on foreign talent, while beneficial in some respects, risks becoming a substitute for nurturing local thinkers. “Science flourishes when ideas move freely across borders, and I do not object in principle to welcoming international researchers,” he said. “The real concern is that reliance on imported expertise can become a substitute for building deep local wells of talent and aspiration.”

Beyond application to discovery

Dr Syed Alwi also contrasted the government’s emphasis on adopting technologies with the need for original breakthroughs. Wong had cited examples of how automation and AI are improving productivity in ports, healthcare and job-matching systems. But, Dr Syed Alwi noted, “applying imported technologies is not the same as advancing the cutting-edge of human knowledge”. He pointed to advances in particle physics as an illustration of the value of creative science. At the Large Hadron Collider in Europe, machine learning algorithms have transformed researchers’ ability to detect rare particle collisions, opening new paths to discoveries beyond the Standard Model. These kinds of achievements, he argued, are only possible in environments that encourage boldness, experimentation and intellectual curiosity.

The role of science beyond economics

A further concern raised by Dr Syed Alwi was what he described as a “utilitarian thread” in Wong’s rhetoric. By focusing mainly on job creation and economic gains, he said, the government risks overlooking science’s broader contributions. “Science is not only an economic tool,” he wrote. “It also opens minds, questions orthodoxies, and shapes a culture of imagination and intellectual integrity.” True progress, he said, requires cultivating these deeper values, beginning with reforms in schools.

'Real change must begin in our schools'

“Scientific excellence is possible only if we move away from our obsession with standardised testing and academic rankings, towards nurturing the habits of mind that fuel innovation: questioning, experimenting, tolerating failure, and thinking differently.” Dr Syed Alwi concluded that the “enduring divide between rhetoric and reality” in Singapore’s pursuit of innovation will persist unless the education system itself is transformed. He called for giving students more room to be “creators and original thinkers, not simply skilled implementers”. In his view, only such cultural change can lay the foundation for Singapore to move beyond technological adoption to genuine scientific leadership.