- Joined
- Jul 24, 2008
- Messages
- 33,627
- Points
- 0
[h=2]PM: Having many U grads doesn’t guarantee happy outcome[/h]
October 18th, 2013 |
Author: Editorial
PM Lee Hsien Loong
Speaking at the official opening of the NUS University Town yesterday (17
Oct), PM Lee said experiences in other countries have shown that having a large
proportion of students going to university “doesn’t necessarily guarantee happy
outcomes”.
He then cited South Korea, which has a university participation rate of 70%
but which sees higher unemployment among university graduates compared to
graduates from vocational high schools.
“We must learn from these lessons and avoid these pitfalls. Our universities
must equip students with skills that are relevant in the future and which enable
them to hold good jobs, be productive members of our society. They must imbibe a
spirit of free inquiry and pursuit of knowledge,” he said.
He also said that international university rankings cannot measure
everything.
In any case, Singapore is increasing the number of publicly-funded university
spots to cover 40% of each school-going cohort of Singaporeans by 2020, up from
the current 26%. That is, currently, only about a quarter of students from each
batch go to university.
Meanwhile, thanks to the worst election results the PAP have ever had in the
2011 general election, the PAP government is now enrolling fewer international
students (‘International student proportion at local unis going down, thanks
to GE 2011‘).
In a written parliamentary reply to NCMP Yee Jenn Jong in May 2013, Minister
of Education Heng Swee Keat revealed the following breakdown for our
universities’ collective intake in Academic Year 2012:
In 2011, international students formed 18% of the total intake.
The decline in percentage terms has come about from expanding university
intakes and reserving more places for Singaporean students. PM Lee has promised
to cut the international student population to 15% by 2015.
At the National Day Rally in August 2011, not long after GE2011, PM Lee
said:
[W]e also have to strike the right balance between the local and foreign
students. We take in 12,000 Singapore students annually now at our universities
and we are going to expand the intakes further considerably. Over the next four
years, we will expand university intakes by 2,000 university places per year,
and that is a lot of places because the whole of Singapore Management University
only takes about 1,700 students each year.
We are talking about one extra SMU-plus intake over the next four years and
all 2,000 additional places will go to Singapore students. By 2015 our
universities will take in 14,000 Singapore students, more than ever before. But
while we do this, we will cap the foreign enrolment at the present levels and
therefore gradually the mix will shift and the proportion of foreign students
will come down.
In fact, before GE2011, the proportion of foreign students in our
universities has consistently been 20% over the last decade [Link]
but limited to 10% before 1998:
GE2011 forced the PAP government to finally listen to the people when angry
Singaporeans started to vote in large numbers against the PAP.
PM Lee Hsien Loong
Speaking at the official opening of the NUS University Town yesterday (17
Oct), PM Lee said experiences in other countries have shown that having a large
proportion of students going to university “doesn’t necessarily guarantee happy
outcomes”.
He then cited South Korea, which has a university participation rate of 70%
but which sees higher unemployment among university graduates compared to
graduates from vocational high schools.
“We must learn from these lessons and avoid these pitfalls. Our universities
must equip students with skills that are relevant in the future and which enable
them to hold good jobs, be productive members of our society. They must imbibe a
spirit of free inquiry and pursuit of knowledge,” he said.
He also said that international university rankings cannot measure
everything.
In any case, Singapore is increasing the number of publicly-funded university
spots to cover 40% of each school-going cohort of Singaporeans by 2020, up from
the current 26%. That is, currently, only about a quarter of students from each
batch go to university.
Meanwhile, thanks to the worst election results the PAP have ever had in the
2011 general election, the PAP government is now enrolling fewer international
students (‘International student proportion at local unis going down, thanks
to GE 2011‘).
In a written parliamentary reply to NCMP Yee Jenn Jong in May 2013, Minister
of Education Heng Swee Keat revealed the following breakdown for our
universities’ collective intake in Academic Year 2012:
- Singaporeans 79%
- International Students 16%
- Permanent Residents 5%
In 2011, international students formed 18% of the total intake.
The decline in percentage terms has come about from expanding university
intakes and reserving more places for Singaporean students. PM Lee has promised
to cut the international student population to 15% by 2015.
At the National Day Rally in August 2011, not long after GE2011, PM Lee
said:
[W]e also have to strike the right balance between the local and foreign
students. We take in 12,000 Singapore students annually now at our universities
and we are going to expand the intakes further considerably. Over the next four
years, we will expand university intakes by 2,000 university places per year,
and that is a lot of places because the whole of Singapore Management University
only takes about 1,700 students each year.
We are talking about one extra SMU-plus intake over the next four years and
all 2,000 additional places will go to Singapore students. By 2015 our
universities will take in 14,000 Singapore students, more than ever before. But
while we do this, we will cap the foreign enrolment at the present levels and
therefore gradually the mix will shift and the proportion of foreign students
will come down.
universities has consistently been 20% over the last decade [Link]
but limited to 10% before 1998:
GE2011 forced the PAP government to finally listen to the people when angry
Singaporeans started to vote in large numbers against the PAP.
