The announcement by then Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung last month that more in-depth conversations regarding race and religion will be encouraged in schools is welcome, said Mohammad Alami Musa, Head of the Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies Programme at RSIS in a commentary. The move recognises the growing interest among the young to talk about these sensitive subjects as well as difficult issues that include those of class and gender. This is due to their desire to be socially conscious and socially engaged – a manifestation of the way the theory of intersectionality is gaining acceptance among the young today, he said.

 …Mohammad Alami Musa is head of the Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.