There is
sufficient scope in Singapore to develop a brand new university model - one
that is teaching-focused and practice-oriented with close industry ties.
This is the view of Minister of State for Education Lawrence Wong, who
is also chairman of the Committee on University Education Pathways Beyond 2015.
The committee is looking at various ways to expand Singapore's university
sector.
Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Mr Wong said the country's publicly
funded universities are largely research-intensive ones. It was not realistic,
however, to expect all universities to be equally adept at research.
Other countries, he noted, have a more balanced landscape with a good
stable of teaching universities that are practice-oriented and share close
links with industries.
'While these elements already exist in our current universities, we
want to integrate them and take them further, to offer something distinctive and
valuable for our students,' said Mr Wong as he gave an update to the House on
his committee's work.
'The mix of disciplines offered should have a strong industry focus,
including niche programmes not offered by the existing universities, as well as
areas where we need more skilled manpower - for example, in hospitality and
tourism, social services and allied healthcare.'
Such a university model, he added, could also include elements of
cooperative education, where academic studies are fully integrated with
practical, hands-on work experience, and where students alternate between
semesters of full-time study and relevant paid work.
He shared how one possibility was to leverage on the Singapore
Institute of Technology (SIT), which works with its overseas partners to offer
applied degree pathways in disciplines with strong industry practice such as
occupational therapy and digital animation.
'(SIT) has also built close links with industry and received strong
endorsement from industry partners,' said Mr Wong. 'Building on these
foundations, we can develop an innovative model of teaching-focused, industry-
linked and practice-based university education for Singapore.'
About 27 per cent of each cohort here goes to publicly funded
universities and this rate is expected to reach 30 per cent by 2015. This does
not include students studying at private education institutions in Singapore or
abroad.
Mr Wong added that his committee was studying a suggestion to extend
state subsidies to students enrolled in private institutions in Singapore.
'We recognise that there is a role for private providers to meet the
demand for university education, but this has to be managed carefully to
preserve the value of university education for our students,' he said.
Lee U-Wen | The Business Times
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Consulting, Investment and Management, focusing three main economic sectors: International PR; Healthcare & Wellness;and Tourism & Hospitality. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programs. Sign up with twitter to get news updates with @SaigonBusinessC. Thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment