Our society needs more data knights in shining armour

MORE TO BE DONE TO MAKE SINGAPOREANS DATA LITERATE

By Paul McLean, data literacy lead for Asia-Pacific at Qlik

The reality is – we all need to act in concert if we want to change this situation for the better.

Championing data literacy should not be the work of just one single entity—everyone from all walks of life must be involved, be it individuals, the public or private sector. And we can’t start too early.

That’s why I welcome initiatives like the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA)’s Data-Driven Innovation Challenge, for instance, where students were tasked to develop data-driven solutions that impact everyday lives. It’s a great platform to promote data literacy among young minds.

Nanyang Technological University in Singapore has also introduced an innovative undergraduate degree programme in data science and artificial intelligence this year to prepare students for the new digital economy.

However, it will take time for these programmes to bear fruit – our Data Literacy survey also shows that 89 per cent of graduate-level employees in Singapore currently don’t see themselves as being prepared to deal with data at the workplace, worrying considering the amount of data they will have to deal with as soon as they start their first jobs.

This is why Singapore will have to play a bigger role in championing greater data literacy for the benefit of its citizens.

The Government’s SkillsFuture for the Digital Workplace scheme is the largest national training effort focusing on instilling digital skills, which includes the ability to use, create and share digital content responsibly.

But the underlying factor is data literacy itself. Because at the end of the day, how far can one go with digital literacy, if they don’t know how to make sense of the data they are exposed to in the first place?…