8 Junior Colleges are Merging? Rumors or Reality?
-
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 -
lee_yl:
A piece written by Roy Ngerng (Ya, that return-my-CPF guy
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 ) in 2014. Not sure how true the allegations were though:
https://thehearttruths.com/2014/01/22/singapore-government-spends-400-million-to-invite-international-students-to-study-in-singapore/[quote]Government Gives International Tuition Grants Of $210 Million, Gives Scholarships Of $185 Million?
So, we were told that international students had received tuition grants of $210 million every year. But what if we were to include the scholarships?
Based on a rough estimation, for the 5% who did not receive tuition grants but who could have received scholarships, about $120 million should have been spent on them. Of those who had received tuition grants and who would also have received scholarships, about $65 million should have been spent on them.
In total, there could have been $400 million spent by the government to bring in international students to study in Singapore.[/quote] -
phtthp:
As an accountant, I can safely say that the demand for accountancy is still high.The kids growing up, face a future challenge, in jobs search.
21 jobs, are already being replaced by robots, through automation :-
including accountants, surgeons, factory production line workers, sales & marketing staff, etc.
We are living in a VUCA world :-
Highly volatile, filled with uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity.
Secondary schools are thinking hard : how best to prepare our students, for future jobs ?
There's no answer ...
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/21-jobs-where-robots-are-already-replacing-humans/ss-BBv6yiU#image=4
Hello! It looks like you're interested in this conversation, but you don't have an account yet.
Getting fed up of having to scroll through the same posts each visit? When you register for an account, you'll always come back to exactly where you were before, and choose to be notified of new replies (either via email, or push notification). You'll also be able to save bookmarks and upvote posts to show your appreciation to other community members.
With your input, this post could be even better 💗
Register Login