Asia’s young leaders hold regional dialogue at NTU Singapore to discuss inequality

Education Minister Lawrence Wong (front row, third from right) with faculty and students at the STEP Youth Regional Affairs Dialogue at NTU Singapore. 

More than 80 student leaders from Asia gathered at NTU Singapore to discuss potential solutions to the region’s social inequality at the second STEP Youth Regional Affairs Dialogue.

Speaking at the dialogue, guest of honour Mr Lawrence Wong, Singapore’s Minister for Education suggested three broad areas that the young leaders can think about and seize opportunities in the new post-COVID-19 environment. These are: pushing for greener growth, reducing inequalities and encouraging philanthropic giving.

The Dialogue, organised by NTU and Temasek Foundation, involves young leaders analysing and proposing fresh solutions to address social inequality.

The guest speakers included Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Singapore’s former communications and information minister and current advisor to the president of Singapore Institute of Technology, and Ms Debbie Fordyce, president of Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), a Singapore society that seeks to promote the rights and wellbeing of migrant workers.

Professor Ling San, NTU Deputy President and Provost, said, “NTU Singapore is proud to host the Dialogue this year for the second time. This year’s Dialogue takes place amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has brought to the forefront issues of stark inequality across the globe, such as access to healthcare, digital technology, education and jobs. As we begin to reimagine and rebuild a new post-COVID-19 world, there is no better time for us to come together to discuss and find fresh solutions to address these challenges.”

Mr Benedict Cheong, Chief Executive of Temasek Foundation International, said, “As the past year has shown us, our communities are intrinsically interconnected and we all need to work closely together to tackle global challenges like a pandemic. These conversations should begin with our youth leaders so that they can continue to build a stronger and more connected Asia together.  With this second run of the STEP Youth Regional Affairs Dialogue, we hope the student leaders will take the opportunity to share and learn from ideas and perspectives from across the region and be inspired to create a better future for all.”

The participating students were selected from more than 380 applicants from universities in Singapore and the region, representing 20 countries and territories.