SSS Forum 2026: Students Take the Conversation Beyond Meritocracy
Organised and managed by the SSS Club, the annual SSS Forum 2026 brought students together on 16 September for an evening of conversation, questions and reflection around “Beyond Meritocracy — Mobility, Inequality, and the Singapore Dream.”
The student-led Forum welcomed Guest-of-Honour Associate Professor Teo You Yenn, acclaimed sociologist and bestselling author of This Is What Inequality Looks Like and States of Unease, alongside Associate Professor Walid Jumblatt Bin Abdullah, author of the recent work Why Palestine?. Together, they opened up a conversation on meritocracy, inequality, social mobility and what the Singapore Dream means today.
Student engagement was central to the evening. During the floor Q&A, participants took the conversation further with questions such as: Is inequality inherently bad? Is reducing inequality enough? Can a system designed to promote meritocracy also unintentionally reinforce inequality? The speakers’ responses explored the complexities behind these questions and encouraged students to consider different perspectives, challenge assumptions and reflect beyond easy answers.
Beyond the discussion itself, the Forum also allowed the SSS Club to take ownership of organising and managing a major student engagement platform—from shaping the Forum and bringing the community together to facilitating an open exchange between students and faculty.
More than a conversation on stage, SSS Forum 2026 created space for students to ask, engage, challenge, and think critically about issues that matter to society.
Click here to view more photos from the forum.
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