Discussion Topic #1

The government has formed a task force to study the feasibility of starting another one or even two universities.
a. Why do you think they are doing this?
b. Do you think it is a good idea to have a university purely for diploma holders?

It is because the poly students have the opportunity to upgrade themselves in advance technical skills and show their capability of handling technical stuff as what they have learned from their previous attachment and also in school. Having another one or two universities, it gives a broad range of courses that are benefits for Singapore in future example courses that are related to upcoming business at marina bay or future life science to make more drugs as now having pandemic that causes more people die with the disease.
As universities purely for polytechnic students, I think it is not a good idea as it does make a impact on knowledge because poly system are standard in such a way that they have theory and practical for 3 years of course. As compared to Junior College student, they have theory for 2 years and it does make a difference in sense of sharing each other knowledge. The universities need JC perception on certain things during lecture and even poly student. If having suggestion and opinion on both side will shows capability to answer such challenging question.

Why do you think they are doing this?
I guess it is to allow more local students to get an opportunity to pursue their degrees here in singapore, and their aim should be to increase the percentage of each cohort to get into publicly-funded universities, so, in order not to overpopulate the present ones, the government is looking forward to open new ones? I think their statistics shows that almost all polytechnic students will want to pursue a degree after their diploma eventually, and some even go abroad for their education. So, aside from creating the opportunity to earn their degree, maybe it all comes down to the quality of education which could be their main aim of starting new universities. There are countless of universities worldwide, and some are quite renowned, but, unfortunately, even these graduates have a hard time finding jobs because there are so many of them, and all of them studied in universities which neglects the quality in the education they give. Hence, this universities that are to be started must find a way to build their own area of excellence so that we singaporean students can avoid the problem of having the difficulty landing a job.

Do you think it is a good idea to have a university purely for diploma holders?
I don't want to seem bious by saying this but it would be great if a university purely for diploma holders is build, i mean almost all of the local universities here in singapore generally accepts A-level holders more than they do of us, diploma holders despite them determining whether we get to go to university through comparing our O-level results. It will be very effective because in my opinion, diploma holders have somehow been neglected, especially those who don't have the money to go abraod to pursue their degree. It's common to find poly students nowadays who aren't satisfied with just a diploma, therefore they will want a degree too. Statistics have showed that more graduates from JCs', NP and SP were successful in securing more spots in NUS and NTU rather than NYP and TP, maybe because it has to do with the students being less skilled or unpopular (which is of course, not refering to all) but the point is, lesser graduates from these two polys' get to save a spot for themselves in universities...And asking this question from someone who's from NYP, it's a definite YES for me to set up universities purely for diploma holders. Because if you're neither rich (like me) nor super-smart, then you'll be "trapped" in this unfair reality, that's just the way it is, even C-graded JC graduates have a higher chance of securing a spot in universities than we do.

The government has formed a task force to study the feasibility of starting another one or even two universities.

a. Why do you think they are doing this?

I am only a poly student so I dont know how the government think and their reasons for their action to do so but in my point of view,starting one or two universities are not a bad thing,as long as more students can have a higher chance to seek a higher education and find a better jobs...Afterall, during all these few years,we have to waste 20 years of our life due to education and hardworking student deserve to have a better treatment but less than 1/4 of poly student can enter universities and the number of universities in singapore is ....only 4...which is too low to cover up the whole nation student including foreigners,since government cannot increase the percentage of poly student entering universities,starting more universities might help.In additional, more talented students who fared good results have came to poly to study their choice of interest rather than going to JC ;this might be one of the reasons why more universities are started so that the country will find more hidden talents to work for the society.But does opening more universities mean that it is better,or will it have a opposite effect?This kind of thing is hard to be explained on,at least we have to wait for about 10 more years to see the effects of it...

b. Do you think it is a good idea to have a university purely for diploma holders?[u]

I really dont think that it is a good idea,even though I am a poly student and I support this idea but this effect might produce a huge impact on the education in Singapore.By having a university purely for diploma holders mean this will give people a idea that going poly to study is better than going to JCs,at least in poly,you can study less thing and yet can do well in exam and practical. And also,you have three years to spent your life in joy ,since it is due to human nature that students want to enjoy life rather than study boring stuffs for 2 years in JC,wearing the same school uniform to school without any own identify.But i afraid of this this action,more talents will study in poly since they do not need to complete with graduated JC students over pursuing their degrees in a university purely for diploma holders .However as more people entering a university purely for diploma holders mean that the chances of getting a diploma is harder than before....which means what to the government have to so much trouble to open a university purely for diploma holders,what I mean is that having one is not enough ,at least 3 is better as if there is only one university for poly student,four poly for only one university?Is that worth for wasting twenty years of education only to be found that you can either drop your education once you graduate from poly or go complete with other people from JC and foreigners in NTU,SMU and NUS or go the only one poly for dipolma holder. This kind of thing is too complex for my mind and I dun wan waste my another three years of life in a university since i feel that learning is a process that must be entertaining and motivating,not a process that waste your time to get higher pay....-.-

Well.... In my opinion I think their purpose of starting this task force is to actually investigate whether poly students or JC students deserve to be the majority in the universities. Well from a polytechnic student point of view I would welcome any policies or strategies to improve the chances of polytechnic students being able to further improve their studies in the local universities. Furthermore, I think its about time the government do something about the education system. Logically speaking, polytechnic should be given more places in the university. Why did I say that? Simple, its all down to experience and exposure. Polytechnic students are exposed to Industrial Attachements which is vital in the working world. This allow them to make crucial judgements which can only be made with vital experience. Polytechnic students are students who have decide their career path and chosen while line of work they wish to pursue. For instances science students. These students will then know what is their objective, their future employers. They will then be able to plan out their working life. Furthermore, polytechnic students are taught what they need to know. Unnecessary subjects like humanities are not taught. Therefore it further strengthen the student's mindset.


For the second part of the question, ofcourse I will welcome more universities set up here in singapore. It would be a bonus for Science students if the university were to solely focus on maths and science only. Like wise for business students. But the government should not set up too many universities here in Singapore. If not Singapore would then be a source of 'stopover' for foreign students to obtained their qualification and leave for their own country. (No offence to the foreign students)

Administrator wrote:The government has formed a task force to study the feasibility of starting another one or even two universities.
a. Why do you think they are doing this?
b. Do you think it is a good idea to have a university purely for diploma holders?

a. Indeed Singapore is well known for producing top-notch graduates in various fields of study. Also, man is the only resource that Singapore holds. Only with widespread and enhanced knowledge can Singapore further excel in the world's economy. Thus, I feel that the Singapore government wants to look into the possibility of building more universities in hope that there will be higher chances of producing better qualified and better equipped graduates to raise its level of competitiveness.
With only a few universities currently, the intake of students is limited. With more universities built, there will be a higher intake and so, a higher percentage of graduates.
Besides, having just one of its few universities in the top 20 list of universities worldwide is insufficient if compared to the standard of living and rapidly advancing technology. Thus, having more universities increases Singapore's chance of having at least one more in the top few list.
With more and more foreigners flocking to Singapore to attain a higher degree of qualification, the current universities are insufficient both in terms of space and capacity. This is another reason why Singapore wants to build more universities.
Moreover, as Singapore is becoming more versatile, the focus is widespread and no longer just on the Sciences or Business fields of study. Instead, universities related to the Arts as well as design, which will provide potential students a more in depth training related to their forte a higher qualification here, at home. An example is UniSIM, which was established in 2005 to cater to adults who wish to pursue their studies in various areas. Thus, having more of such universities that cater specifically to a target group can boost Singapore's education level.
On the whole, Singapore's focus is education and thus, aspires to build more universities here.

b. No, I do not think that having a university purely for diploma holders is a good idea. Singapore is never biased in any situation which keeps the country peaceful. If there are any such universities, it will be unfair to those who have graduated from other tertiary institutions such as junior colleges. Unless Polytechnics are the only tertiary institutions existing, then, it will be a good idea to do so.
Otherwise, those who choose to go to jcs and wish to graduate in a university which happens to offer a course that they desire but only caters to diploma holders, will not get a chance to pursue in their area of interest. This is an infringement of their rights to pursue their study of interest.
Besides, there is no situation in Singapore such that only jc graduates can enter a particular university. Also, the level of competition in Polytechnics may drop, resulting in students not living up to their fullest potential. In the end, Singapore or whichever the country is, loses out in producing quality graduates.
Hence, to maintain fairness and equality, I don;t think that having a university only for diploma holders is a good idea after all.

a) Singapore’s educational policies are to emphasis meritocracy and to develop the talents of individual. To improve the quality of education, streaming was introduces to cater to the different abilities and learning paces of the students. The needs of all pupils were addresses but the best were given opportunities to stretch them further. Therefore, Polytechnics were set up for students who work best or better with hands on.
To remain competitive Singapore chooses to move to a KBE (knowledge based economy) – one where information and knowledge drive economic activities, rather than material resources that Singapore is lack of. Thus, the workforce needs to process, learn and apply knowledge in manufacturing and services activities. Creative and innovation workers are needed in Singapore workforce. Upgrading and retraining of skills are necessary.
Hence, by starting new universities will help to attract foreign talent to increase our manpower needs and further enhance the education system. Furthermore, Singapore is facing an aging population due to the dropping population/birth growth rates. Foreign talents with specialized skills and business contact are welcomed to create more business opportunity and jobs. To contribute to the national talent pool, foreign student are also welcome to enroll into local universities.
Thus, by stating new universities the possibilities of Singapore students enrolling to local universities are higher. They will be more readily prepared to serve the country and sustain Singapore economic developments.

b) Personally, I believe that Singapore practice meritocracy and everybody will have the chance to enroll into local universities if they work for it. I do not think that there is a need to set up a university in Singapore for polytechnics student. Concerning the size of our country, 25% is a reasonable percentage for polytechnic student to enroll into university. Furthermore, not every student can manage and cope with the syllabus of universities. Even the top 25% polytechnics students that managed to enroll into universities might not be able to excel or even cope with the tedious studies in university.

Administrator wrote:The government has formed a task force to study the feasibility of starting another one or even two universities.
a. Why do you think they are doing this?
b. Do you think it is a good idea to have a university purely for diploma holders?

a. There are factors that are needed to be taken into considerations as to why the government is doing this. Firstly, some students graduated from polytechnics may not get the chance to go the local universities as most of them are pursuing their degrees overseas. This is usually due to the intake percentage where majority are from junior colleges. Besides that, there are more people, especially foreign students, who would want to pursue their studies in the universities here. Apart from the increasing number of people who would want to achieve their degrees so that they have a secure future ahead, locals can benefit from the subsidy offered in the local universities. Overseas universities may be quite costly as compared to the local universities. One of the disadvantages studying abroad is that one may need to prepare more money for travelling fees, and besides they need to be away from their families for a long period of time. As such, I think it is a good idea to have one or two more universities here so that local students can get their degrees here without having to waste a large amount of money to go abroad and missing their love ones.

b. I agree to a certain extent. More polytechnic students can seize their opportunity to obtain a degree here without having to compete with students from junior college. But having said that, polytechnic students should not take advantage of the privilege. Even though it is so called “the purely diploma holders’ universities”, the basic requirements still apply. But I don’t think it’s a good thought. Polytechnics students are trained in the practical part as well as theory and they get exposed to working life based on individual’s industrial attachments. But for students from junior college? Students need to share their experiences and knowledge amongst their peers and thus more will improve for the better.

a. Why do you think they are doing this?

I suppose it is because there are more and more students heading overseas to further their studies especially polytechnic students. Reason being the percentage of polytechnic students entering Singapore University is about 15-20%. Many polytechnic graduates would not consider local university as we know that the chances to get in are slimmer. Therefore many left for overseas. Hence, many parents had to clean out their retirement savings and maybe even go to debt so that they would have the money to sustain their child/children education abroad. I believe having more universities would open up more opportunity for students to further their studies here in Singapore and the education fees would definitely be lesser compare to student studying overseas. More universities would also motivate the younger generation to pursue in their studies and not just stop at a diploma for instance. It is because not everyone is able to have the money to go overseas to study if they can’t enter local university. So with more opportunity it might motivate them to pursue a higher education. In the long run this would also be beneficial to the county as the people are more educated.


b. Do you think it is a good idea to have a university purely for diploma holders?

No, I do not think that it is a good idea to have a university purely for diploma holders. It is because all these while we know that going to JC was like an “express way” to university and maybe for those who have not know what they would want to do in the future at sec 4. JC students would have a higher chance of getting in local university. Therefore if a university purely for diploma holders is set up, competitiveness would no longer be as strong and maybe more students would turn to polytechnic instead as the final destination which is entering the university would be met at the end of the day be it studying in JC / Poly. Knowing that JC is more stressful compared to poly. I believe setting up more universities would already open more doors for us (poly students), at least for now I don’t find that a university purely for diploma holders is necessary unless in years to come more students choose polytechnic compared to JC.

The government has formed a task force to study the feasibility of starting another one or even two universities.
a. Why do you think they are doing this?
b. Do you think it is a good idea to have a university purely for diploma holders?
a) It’s to let more students to pursue their studies. As we know more and more students choose to study overseas or choosing study private universities. ,most of the students will stay overseas for working after pursing their studies at other countries so in order not to let our “future asset” working for others we have to open up more universities to cater to more students needs. If government starts more universities it also can attract foreign talents to stay in Singapore and it can enhance our education level. More universities can let students have more chances to enroll in local universities. It also can increase the economics as more students will choose to study in Singapore rather than overseas which costs more expensive then Singapore. By starting up more universities, it can boost up the economics and education level.
b) I don’t think it’s a good idea. If university is set up purely for diploma holders, there will be lesser students choosing JC as they will have an idea that by studying polytechnics they can enroll to university easily. This is unfair to those students who study in JC, there will be no more competition between the polytechnics and JC students. Students will rather choose polytechnics then JC, they will not give their best in o level in order to get into JC.

jieying c3
a)they are doing this because there are many student here who could'nt get a place in the university even their result are good.As there are more foreigner coming to singapore to study,therefore it is more competitive between local and foreigner,so the grades to get into the university is getting higher.Those with good result such as 3.4 or 3.5 does'nt get a place in the university;some of them may opt for private university whereas some other may discountinue with studying as private school is more expensive.Jc student get more place in the uni than poly student,as most student who get into jc are those who are able to get rather good result in the 'o'level,whereas poly student are those who get moderate result.But there are more student who get good result opt for poly instead of Jc.so they open more uni for more poly to get into uni.
this is to give more student a chance to study and get a degree.they may do that to increase number of university intake to attract foreigner to come to singapore to study so as to generate income.
b)i agree to a certain extent as those who can get good result in 'o'level would not give intheir best and those who get good result would not opt for jc as they know that there is a uni for diploma student,this will lead to lesser student going to jc, and more student opt for poly.therefore those with moderate result would not get a place in poly due to the competitive.whereas in another perspective,this is able to give poly student more chance to futher their studies in uni

Why do you think they are doing this?

well to start with...as we all know Singapore is well known for producing top-notch graduates in various fields of study. And also man is the only resource that Singapore holds. therefore starting more university in singapore is important and Essential. Only with the enhanced knowledge of Singaporean can Singapore further excel and compete with the world. Now in singapore more and more people are going overseas for their further education rather than staying in singapore. some of the reason behind this is because of the limited cpacity of the universities in Singapore.

Well with only a few universities currently in singapore, the intake of students is very limited. As we all know JC students have more priority to poly student to get into the universities in Singapore, plus With more and more foreigners coming into Singapore to attain a higher degree of qualification, the universities in singapore are insufficient both in terms of space and capacity thus poly students will stand even lesser chances to get in to university. JC and poly students are fighting for spots in the universities but with more universities built i think there will be a higher intake of poly students and other schools. experience and exposure is what we poly student have, this give us an edge for this world. we have the woking experience and we are expose to this harsh and cruel world, compare to the JC students we have the experience to win them and now this is what singapore needs. no just people with academies but with real life experience. i personally have been abit of an experience and have been through it.


Do you think it is a good idea to have a university purely for diploma holders?

Well in life things are never perfect, there will be pros and cons for everything and purely having a university for diploma holder is just one of them. The pros of having purely dipolma holder university are the diploma holders would not have to worry about competting with JC students to enter university, they will have less stress about getting into university. it would be good for people like me as a normal technical student from secondary school to ITE then now POLY as because we don't have to worry about competting with the JC students as i am not strong in my academies.

the cons for having purely dipolma holder university, it will be unfair to those who have graduated from other tertiary institutions such as JCs. Going to JC was like an express way to university but Knowing that JC is more stressful compared to poly, people will want to go poly instead of JC. And thats just human nature we can't blame them people are born this way, human being will only take the easy way and not the hard way and thats who we are. so in near future there will be more poly student rather then JC.

The level of competitiveness in Polytechnics will drop, resulting in students not living up to their fullest potential. the level of competitiveness in the whole singapore will drop also as secondary school student will not study hard to get into JC, they can just have a pass and get into poly. In the end we will be producing low quality graduates. thus Singapore economy will be affected and we won't be able to compete with the competitiveness in this world. we won't be able to keep up with the world.

A)As the government continue to give more incentives to family who give birth for more babies. This urges them to give birth to more and thus give rise to the increasing population. As this increase, the amount of new students going into university will be eventually higher. However, each school only have a limited space for student intake every year. Those who are not as smart or lucky will not have the chance to enter and continue their studies. And as we know, Singapore does not have natural resource besides its own people. To survive through the rapid changing and challenging future, government have to train its people to have the skill and knowledge. So in order to let more people to excel better, so they open up more universality to give students more chance of using their potential to the fullest, instead of wasting their time away when they’re not eligible for the university, choosing to give up and go to work.
And nowadays, people with good O level result choose to come into poly instead of JC. But only a handful percentage of poly students are eligible for the intake of university. Those people, on the other hand, are ‘snatching’ with us, the average scoring students, in the place in university. And this isn’t very fair to us.

B)Yes, but to a certain extend. Of cause I would be more than happy if this were to happen. As this will be a advantage for us, the poly students. But on the other hand, having a university for diploma holders only defeats the purpose of ‘University’. And as far as I know, Singapore local university is well known throughout the world. And I think, opening another university just for diploma holders will pull down the standard of Singapore’s university.
Besides, we would not strive and study as hard compare to now, wanting very hard to have that place in university, completing with every other people in Singapore. So after all, I personally don’t think that its a good idea to have a university for diploma holders only if we want to remain competitive and maintain the standard of Singapore’s university reputation.

a) There has been an on-going trend of many local talented and straight-As students who head to overseas universities for higher education. This is possibly a worrying sign for the government in the long run as the outflow of local talents overseas could lead to a serious brain-drain with lesser competent people to take up important leadership positions here. Setting up new universities here with tie-ups and affiliations with other renowned universities gives our new local universities new attractions and the extra edge in retaining these promising talents. Secondly, this is a move in the direction the government is branching towards to promote singapore as a world-class education hub. Thirdly, this allows for education models used by top-notch universities to be replicated and developed here to nurture home-grown expertise.

b) I think not. A well-rounded unversity should encompass different groups of students of diverse background from all walks of life. This promotes a healthy and vibrant exchange between people of different strengths which could lead to new ideas and breakthroughs for the betterment of the society. A university opened for solely diploma holders is not fair towards A level holders as they would then stand a lesser chance of getting a place. Also, the quality of students the university chooses from might be compromised.

Why do you think they are doing this?

I think they are doing this to allow more students to get maximum opportunity to get into universities to pursue their degree cert. They increase the number of population to allow more percentage of students to get into the courses they want rather than to persue private degree that cost more as compared to government universities. I agree with the government to open more universities so as to also allow students who are very interested and determine to get into universities though their results are not very good. Results show that more students chose to get into universities than going to work in the society straight. I believe graduates will have a hard time looking for jobs based on singapore's crisis at times and they will most chose to get into universities. Therefore, i agree with the government to open up more universities and to build up more on their studies in order to get into better jobs.


Do you think it is a good idea to have a university purely for diploma holders?

I agree to have purely diploma holders than to mix up with the A-level students in universities. Because Diploma students and A level students both have difference in their results and study ability. I feel that universities will have most of the people from A level students compared to Diploma students. So i feel that diploma students will have a hard time catching up with the A level students and their result will not be that good.It's common to find poly students nowadays who aren't satisfied with just a diploma, therefore they will want a degree too. So being a diploma students , I ought to say that it's will be pretty good if we can have pure diploma holders students in universities.

C3 Eric Tan 083070H



Why do you think they are doing this?

They are having more Universities is because of the number of intake and the score of the intake of students from O’levels student are higher than what it used to be. Hence the number of students eligible to be going to universities are actually increasing , and more Polytechnic students should be given the chance to go to university. Poly Students are actually more capable in practical work than JC students that is in the same course as in Poly the students has attachment and is familiarized with the industry and knows the basics of the Course of study.

Do you think it is a good idea to have a university purely for diploma holders?

The idea of having a university mainly for poly student is good, but I feel that will make poly students be stereotyped and ,therefore , students from the university which consist of mainly poly students will not have the same priority as the normal universities . However the current intake to university from poly is very little , they only take and cream of the crop while the rest will have to spend extra money overseas to pursue a degree. In my opinion , I feel that the new university should be open for all instead of just for poly students , but the intake to university from poly should increase .

The government has formed a task force to study the feasibility of starting another one or even two universities.

a. Why do you think they are doing this?

Where there's a demand, more infrastructure will be required.
There's simply too many students in Singapore. The universities in Singapore just can't sustain the number of intakes. It has come to a point that many Singaporeans parents have decided to spend more and head their child abroad to study.
To make sure that the Singapore universities can retain as many local students, as well as provide for the foreign students, actions has to be done, and I think setting up more universities is a great idea.

b. Do you think it is a good idea to have a university purely for diploma holders?

It is a great idea. After all, the knowledge of a graduate from a polytechnic is different from those of a Junior College A'level graduate. It could be more specialized, catered strictly to the needs of a polytechnic graduate. Methodology of how the timetable should be or how classes are to be run could be similar to the polytechnic style.
It would just be like 7 years of polytechnic lifestyle. [3 yrs diploma + 4 years degree]