07 December 2019

Now aged 82, Mr Chan Sek Keong was the first local law graduate to be appointed attorney-general and later, chief justice of Singapore. He was among the first batch of law graduates from the University of Malaya, the predecessor of the National University of Singapore.

Recently, Mr Chan was conferred an Eminent Alumni award by NUS. The award is for the university’s alumni who have “distinguished themselves nationally or globally for their exceptional and sustained contributions and achievements”.

Former top civil servant Ngiam Tong Dow was also given the award.

Past recipients of the award include veteran diplomat Tommy Koh and former senior minister S. Jayakumar.

Second Education and Finance Minister Indranee Rajah receiving the Distinguished Alumni award.

She and five others were given the award for having “demonstrated impact in their respective fields, and rendered excellent and sustained service to NUS, its predecessor institutions or the community”.

03 December 2019

The Singapore University of Social Sciences recently organized a conference titled Univer-Cities, which was attended by some 200 local and foreign academics and industry leaders.

The participants expressed the view that universities must keep up with changing times and prepare people for possibly longer careers by helping them learn new skills throughout their lifetime.

These include retraining adults, work stints, online learning and rethinking the typical four-year undergraduate course.

SUSS itself for instance caters to a range of learners, from fresh school-leavers to working adults looking for a qualification, or who are facing job dislocation. In addition, SUSS has started work-study programmes to allow adult learners to earn a degree while working.

Unlike most other universities, SUSS has developed the applied degree pathway. It will also work with SkillsFuture Singapore Agency to develop courses to support industry needs. There will be strong inter-lacing of theoretical knowledge with real-life application. This will complement the work of the Singapore Institute of Technology, which focuses on applied degrees in science and technology.

Ms Denise Phua, an MP for Jalan Besar GRC who heads the Government Parliamentary Committee for Education, said that at a time when most tertiary institutions are playing catch-up in online and blended learning, SUSS is already way ahead in digital education and catering to a learner population in a fast-paced work setting.

“SUSS presents an exciting opportunity to paint and deliver the vision of what future learning for Singapore’s working adults can be,” she said.

01 December 2019

Although education in Singapore is already largely subsidised, the Ministry of Education relaxed its eligibility criteria for financial assistance for Singaporean students in April last year.

Pre-university students who need financial aid can also get a bursary of $900, up from the previous $750. The total monthly school fees for each pre-university student is $33.

Despite the range of options, social workers here said some families still do not seek help. Among the reasons is the perception that it is a hassle to file the necessary documents to apply for assistance. In some cases, there is a lack of initiative to seek help.

Social workers said instances of families owing school fees are rare, because they would already be on financial assistance. When help is needed, they would encourage parents to liaise directly with the respective schools for help.

Social workers also note that when fees go unpaid, schools typically reach out to the families themselves. But schools can do better in working with parents and students to make clear that they can receive help, even if it is not financial support they need.

30 November 2019

In the last five years, over four thousand Singaporean and permanent resident students were readmitted into mainstream local schools after having lived abroad with their families for some years.

For entry into a secondary school, returning students may sit English and mathematics placement tests to determine their eligibility.

The MOE has made reintegrating into local schools easier. Returning students can attend classes in schools here as part of an immersion programme when they are in Singapore for short periods of time.

The MOE is also planning to provide overseas Singaporeans access to the Student Learning Space, an internet portal where they can find subject resources. This is to allow them to keep in touch with the national curriculum.

The MOE has also reduced the processing time needed for admissions. The time required is now down to three days, from two weeks previously.

26 November 2019

This year, more than one-third of Nanyang Technological University entrants were admitted based on criteria other than their academic results at the GCE A level examinations.

Compare this to five years ago, when as much as 90 per cent of NTU undergraduates were admitted based solely on their A-level or polytechnic grades.

This is due to the fact that NTU has introduced a broader admission process to select students for 40 of its 111 degree courses.

NTU provost Ling San said over the next few years, the university hopes to select 50 per cent of its students through the holistic admission process. It will be used for entry to about 60 of the degree courses.

To make the move, Professor Ling said that the university is considering using online interviews, especially for full-time national servicemen who may find it difficult to attend face-to-face interviews.

For the remaining programmes, interviews will be conducted for high potential candidates who may fall slightly short of the entry score for a degree course, or for those considered based on their talent in fields such as the arts and sports, under the discretionary admissions scheme.