NTU PRESIDENT: Ass Loon's Discouraging of SGs Getting Degree narrow-minded!

[h=1]NTU PRESIDENT: THE GOVT IS WRONG, WE NEED MORE GRADUATES FOR SG TO SURVIVE[/h]


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Post date:
30 Aug 2014 - 7:37pm









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While the government continues to insist that Singaporeans shouldn't focus on the paper chase, Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) President, Mr Bertil Andersson has said that Singapore actually needs more graduates to stay competitive.

He explained that the real problem with Singapore is not that there are too many degree holders, but more that people only see getting a degree as a way to get a good job.
In an interview with TODAY, Mr Andersson said that Singapore trades with the whole world so its citizens need to be more educated than those of the rest of the world.

He also said that Singapore seems to treat degree holders and non degree holders as two completely separate things that are opposite to each other.

Instead, Mr Andersson said that it should not be viewed this way. Even those with deep technical skills need to eventually study academically if they want to really advance.

He gave the example of an engineer. While working in front of a machine may require deep technical skills, eventually he should be the one programming machines to do the work that he is doing. At the same time, a degree holder who wishes to successfully program such a machine would need to understand how it works well, something best learned by actually working in front of it for a long time.

He suggested that deep skills and a degree are complimentary and should not be treated as if they are opposite things where people should choose one or the other.







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He criticised PM Lee for calling the aspiration of getting a degree a "paper chase". He said this is narrow-minded and extremely streamline.

Mr Andersson cited that in other countries like Sweden, where he is from, people often join the workforce before even entering university. For them, going to university is about upgrading themselves and deepening the knowledge to go with their skills rather than a degree just being a ticket to a job.

He suggested that Universities here should change their admission criteria to value work experience as well as academic grades so that they could promote more people to get a degree even later in their lives.

He said that NTU would be happy to do such a thing if they were permitted to by MOE.

He is right.
Work before attending university is a norm to all developed countries, but we do not have that culture here.

ang moh is truly the best!!

"He explained that the real problem with Singapore is not that there are too many degree holders, but more that people only see getting a degree as a way to get a good job"

I think he is just trying to put it in a nice way. In a blunt way, it may go like this,


"He explained that the real problem with Singapore is that there are too many degree holders, who are not qualifief and that many of the degree holder bought a degree as they see getting a degree as a way to get a good job."

Seee3 said:

"He explained that the real problem with Singapore is not that there are too many degree holders, but more that people only see getting a degree as a way to get a good job"

I think he is just trying to put it in a nice way. In a blunt way, it may go like this,


"He explained that the real problem with Singapore is that there are too many degree holders, who are not qualifief and that many of the degree holder bought a degree as they see getting a degree as a way to get a good job."

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Ha ha... a good phrase in deed.

I think this angmoh is correct, nowadays in other countries, very common for people to get master degree or higher. A degree is just a basic requirement in many big companies and nothing much, so it is strange for a govt to openly discourage citizens from getting degrees and calling it a paper chase.

ginfreely said:

I think this angmoh is correct, nowadays in other countries, very common for people to get master degree or higher. A degree is just a basic requirement in many big companies and nothing much, so it is strange for a govt to openly discourage citizens from getting degrees and calling it a paper chase.

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You know PAP cannot provide enough jobs for local graduates as most MNCs prefer hiring FTs.
Let see whether they walk the talk by promoting non-graduate(s) to Senior management position.

greenies said:

You know PAP cannot provide enough jobs for local graduates as most MNCs prefer hiring FTs.
Let see whether they walk the talk by promoting non-graduate(s) to Senior management position.

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Oic so plum jobs in MNCs can easily be justified to go to FT next time as no Spore degree holders around haha. PAP should find out the MNCs' hiring and promotion requirement before they unilaterally encourage people not to take up degree. Wait end up like those careers that PAP encouraged in the past but all flopped.

Dishwasher $3k
Taxi driver $7k
Crane operator $6k
Hawker $?k
Beggar $10k
ITE diploma $500k pa.
Who needs a degree?

Degrees are of no value if they are awarded to twits and morons.

Leongsam said:

Degrees are of no value if they are awarded to twits and morons.

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But Singapore believes the nation should be run by a bunch of twits and morons.

ginfreely said:

so it is strange for a govt to openly discourage citizens from getting degrees and calling it a paper chase.

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If too many sinkies are highly qualified, they will challenge the establishment. Pinky rather keep sinkies uneducated and poor than to have the Leegime toppled. Foreigners can form the educated part of the workforce, they will be grateful to Leegime and as their main aim is to earn money, they won't challenge Leegime so long as policies benefit them

Sg is going down, downhill, with Pinky in charge.

singapore is a technocracy,which means all the highly educated work for the government administration and civil service.civil serpents are paid handsomely to not ask questions and follow orders.

SgGoneWrong said:

If too many sinkies are highly qualified, they will challenge the establishment. Pinky rather keep sinkies uneducated and poor than to have the Leegime toppled. Foreigners can form the educated part of the workforce, they will be grateful to Leegime and as their main aim is to earn money, they won't challenge Leegime so long as policies benefit them

Sg is going down, downhill, with Pinky in charge.

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do not be forced to live in the shadow of the dictator so that he can co tinue to suppress your life your pay your voice. the things they do is for betterment of themselves only.

This ang mor is just saying it as his enrolment numbers will drop n he will b out of a job.

We are one step behind koreans, taiwanese and Japanese. Since 1-2 decades ago, they have been working towards the target of grooming 80% uni grads per cohort. If the student is good, they get their bachelor's degree in 3-4 years, if they are weak, they will still grad in 5-6 years. Students are encouraged to master their fields/interests before entering the workforce, be it engineering, arts or business; they don't really force the students to enter the workforce with pre-U qualifications and then nag at them to upgrade after that.

Leongsam said:

Degrees are of no value if they are awarded to twits and morons.

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indeed. just look at the foreign trash they bring in.

Runifyouhaveto said:

We are one step behind koreans, taiwanese and Japanese. Since 1-2 decades ago, they have been working towards the target of grooming 80% uni grads per cohort. If the student is good, they get their bachelor's degree in 3-4 years, if they are weak, they will still grad in 5-6 years. Students are encouraged to master their fields/interests before entering the workforce, be it engineering, arts or business; they don't really force the students to enter the workforce with pre-U qualifications and then nag at them to upgrade after that.

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yeah right......its impossible to make 80% of the cohort degree holders....normal distribution curve depicts that 50% of human race are above 100iq and 50% are below.......average iq of a bachelors degree holder is 115 iq which means its only feasible for 30 to 40% of the population to be bach degree holders and above.....trying to educate the stupid is a waste of time and resources.

Singapore learning from Malaysia! LEARN ONLY MALAY you will be OK, but the minister's sons are graduate in an ang moh country, huat ah PAP!

Why diploma holder only classify as 2 class govt servant?????

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cheerguan said:

Dishwasher $3k
Taxi driver $7k
Crane operator $6k
Hawker $?k
Beggar $10k
ITE diploma $500k pa.
Who needs a degree?

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Under Gov. ministers' remuneration package, engineer career is one of the five professionals they compared with.
If I am correct, they put the engineer salary as 1.5 millions pa. earning.