8 Junior Colleges are Merging? Rumors or Reality?
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lee_yl:
will this mean more students who are not so good A level grades : be forced to study overseas, in more expensive private universities, abroad ?
So to summerarise, the government wants to encourage people to take the Polytechnic route with vocational training. Actually what vocational training/jobs does the government have in mind? But with rising automation and AI, aren't the jobs most at risk vocational in nature as well as simple white-collar jobs (such as paralegals)?DaddyD:
Which education path to take?
Which career path to take?
More headaches for parents...
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/education-system-must-be-aligned-with-economy-ong-ye-kung
\"The education system needs to be aligned with the structure of the economy, so that people will continue to be armed with the required skills to find jobs in the current age of disruption, Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung said yesterday.
In Singapore, this means capping the proportion of graduates in a cohort at about 30 per cent to 40 per cent, while training the rest for vocations in various industries...\"
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/manpower/fresh-grad-hopes-to-earn-2500-a-month
\"He started looking for jobs in March and has sent out about 40 resumes to companies looking for sales, accounting, human resource and finance staff.
He has gone for three interviews so far, with two human resource companies and a local bank...\"
one thing striked in the article -
skills gotta be part of the change in globalization
was reading an article about how Hong kong had deteriorated, because HK was trying to maintain status quo of pre 1997, before China takeover. Now that China is wealthy, became a super-power, superior in skills and languages and taking over Hongkong's Top jobs ....
anyway, bank teller jobs, insurance, construction workers, accountants jobs, traditional taxi drivers : no more (into the future), leading to massive, global unemployment crisis worldwide
Singapore :
is one of the first countries, to place automated self-drive taxi, on the road :-
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-25/world-s-first-self-driving-taxis-debut-in-Singapore
Which industry will survive?
maybe food & beverage industry, because people still need to eat
https://www.fastcompany.com/3067279/you-didnt-see-this-coming-10-jobs-that-will-be-replaced-by-robots -
isetan:
It will just simply encourage more mid tier students to go overseas for their further education.
will the government give more grant to students studying in overseas uni?
Many families cannot afford that.
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I’m genuinely surprised that people are surprised that there’s a limit on the number of local grads a year. I mean, hello, the number of local universities can be counted on one hand and a bit more (and if anything, the situation has actually improved over the years).
I do applaud OYK for stating the obvious (much like I applauded LW for stating the obvious that at the end of 99 years, the value of your HDB is 0, and then the whole of Singapore pretend that they are surprised… but I digress). As long as the supply side doesn’t improved, only a handful (and in Singapore, that means those with good results) can qualify. Personally, I see no reason why the number of university places should increase when there really isn’t a need to.
While earning a degree may be one’s desire (who set this rule anyway?), ensuring that everyone gets one isn’t the Gov job. A university place isn’t the same as your pink IC where every Singaporean should get one. You want a place in university? Work for it. If you CMI, think of better things to do with your life. It’s not the end of the world.
No one guarantee every A level students a place in university, and that’s why there’s an examination to qualify (a.k.a. the Air Level). It’s a risk that every A level student willingly partake. If you are mid tier or the results aren’t good enough, you don’t qualify. If you are not willing to take the challenge, choose a different path to take. If you have decided to take on the challenge, it’s nobody’s fault but yours when you fail to clear the hurdle. It’s not that difficult to understand really.
Rant over. -
floppy:
Agree. That's what I told my daughter when started her A level course. And when her performance wasn't great, we applied for poly courses. It turned out that she did get into a university in the end (by the skin of her teeth), but we when we thought it wasn't a possibility, we asked her to focus on getting training and a job some other way. I think we need to be realistic about our kids' abilities. Since we know that only about 30-40% will make it to university, if the student is not at that level, it's better to accept it and explore some other path to earning a living.... You want a place in university? Work for it. If you CMI, think of better things to do with your life. It's not the end of the world.
No one guarantee every A level students a place in university, and that's why there's an examination to qualify (a.k.a. the Air Level). It's a risk that every A level student willingly partake. If you are mid tier or the results aren't good enough, you don't qualify. If you are not willing to take the challenge, choose a different path to take. If you have decided to take on the challenge, it's nobody's fault but yours when you fail to clear the hurdle. It's not that difficult to understand really.
Rant over. -
yuki2010:
If your child study overseas, will be on papa-mama savings,isetan:
It will just simply encourage more mid tier students to go overseas for their further education.
will the government give more grant to students studying in overseas uni?
Many families cannot afford that. -
floppy:
Sounds brutal. But true, and I agree with you. This is what I tell my DDs too, that they have to work HARD for what they want. If, in the end, that's not enough, it is alright as they know they have tried their best, and we see how we can move on from there.
While earning a degree may be one's desire (who set this rule anyway?), ensuring that everyone gets one isn't the Gov job. A university place isn't the same as your pink IC where every Singaporean should get one. You want a place in university? Work for it. If you CMI, think of better things to do with your life. It's not the end of the world.
No one guarantee every A level students a place in university, and that's why there's an examination to qualify (a.k.a. the Air Level). It's a risk that every A level student willingly partake. If you are mid tier or the results aren't good enough, you don't qualify. If you are not willing to take the challenge, choose a different path to take. If you have decided to take on the challenge, it's nobody's fault but yours when you fail to clear the hurdle. It's not that difficult to understand really.
As for foreigners in our local universities, I am actually of the belief that there should be foreign students in every university. Universities are different from say primary schools. Foreign students, visiting professors, etc -- all these add to the diversity and richness of the uni education, and contributes to the competitiveness and global standing of the universities themselves. Even though \"reserving\" all the places for local students would mean easier entry for our kids, I am not sure that in the long run that is actually good for our children, our universities or our country. -
MotherHen:
As for foreigners in our local universities, I am actually of the belief that there should be foreign students in every university. Universities are different from say primary schools. Foreign students, visiting professors, etc -- all these add to the diversity and richness of the uni education, and contributes to the competitiveness and global standing of the universities themselves. Even though \"reserving\" all the places for local students would mean easier entry for our kids, I am not sure that in the long run that is actually good for our children, our universities or our country.
I agree with this too. And don't Singaporeans send their kids overseas, and not all because they can't get into local universities? Having a mix of cultures is a good thing. As long as MOE does what it says - i.e. provides enough places so that their target of 40% of the local cohort is able to get a university education (whether than includes those who study overseas or not, I don't know) - then having some places for foreign students who make the grade is not a bad thing. -
In all fairness, many Singapore children get accepted into overseas uni but somehow are not deemed good enough for local Unis. That is because they have been restricted by an arbitrary number 30%-40% set by our govt due to some strategic considerations. And this group of students on papamama scholarships can also do well enough to graduate, not that they can't study.
Let's not forget that many of these foreigners come to study on scholarship, that is, with taxpayers' money. How would you feel knowing that you indirectly sponsor foreigners to the local universities but your child cannot get into them (through no fault of his). And when these foreigners default, the taxpayers are saddled with the bad debt:
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/auditor-general-flags-lack-of-oversight-in-moe-on-enforcing-study-loans-scholarship-bonds -
lee_yl:
It's true that admissions into some overseas universities is easier than local ones - but I don't expect the Singapore taxpayer to provide enough university places for all who want it. There are also options to get degrees locally at privately-set rates. Each family has to decide whether it's \"worth it\" based on affordability and prospect of jobs. Just graduating doesn't guarantee a \"graduate\" job, as situations in other countries have shown.In all fairness, many Singapore children get accepted into overseas uni but somehow are not deemed good enough for local Unis. That is because they have been restricted by an arbitrary number 30%-40% set by our govt due to some strategic considerations. And this group of students on papamama scholarships can also do well enough to graduate, not that they can't study.
Let's not forget that many of these foreigners come to study on scholarship, that is, with taxpayers' money. How would you feel knowing that you indirectly sponsor foreigners to the local universities but your child cannot get into them (through no fault of his). And when these foreigners default, the taxpayers are saddled with the bad debt:
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/auditor-general-flags-lack-of-oversight-in-moe-on-enforcing-study-loans-scholarship-bonds
I don't like the way that so many foreign students get generous scholarships from the Singapore govt to study here, but that's a separate issue. Even without that, there will still be foreigners who want to study in Singapore, and if they make the grade, I think they should be made welcome (as long as sufficient places are reserved for Singaporeans, based on the govt's announced targets). -
I found this post on the Junior College mergers very informative and gives a balanced perspective on how it affects all stakeholders.
http://accdenteach.blogspot.sg/2017/05/jc-merger-how-will-it-affect-me.html
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