Improving tertiary education can't just be about increasing varsity places: Singapore PM Lee
Launching the National University of Singapore's (NUS) new University Town, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the challenge is for local universities to keep improving and serving Singaporeans better.
SINGAPORE: Improving Singapore's tertiary education cannot just be about increasing university places, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Launching the National University of Singapore's (NUS) new University Town, Mr Lee said the challenge is for local universities to keep improving and serving Singaporeans better.
The NUS University Town (UTown) cost S$600 million to build, and it is the first of its kind in Singapore.
It is an integrated living and learning environment, which features research centres, residential colleges and recreational facilities.
Launching UTown on Thursday evening, Mr Lee said it is an example of how NUS is enhancing its student experience.
"It shrinks NUS into a smaller community, so that students can foster closer ties with their schoolmates and teachers. Each college will have its distinct features, but all of them will emphasise multidisciplinary learning, with intensive small-group sessions to encourage interaction and discussions," he said.
Mr Lee said UTown is part of broader efforts to upgrade Singapore's tertiary education system. But he believes that improving tertiary education cannot just be about increasing university places.
Mr Lee said: "But improving tertiary education cannot just be about increasing university places. Other countries have found that having large proportions of students going to university does not necessarily guarantee happy outcomes.
"Take for example South Korea, where 70% of students attend university, but the Korean economy cannot generate jobs for all of them, especially jobs to match their training and their aspirations, so unemployment among university graduates is higher even than graduates of vocational high schools.
"Or take Denmark, a Scandinavian country, much admired and with much to learn from. 50% of each cohort attend university, but after they graduate, within a year more than a quarter of those who graduate are still unemployed."
He said Singapore's universities must equip students with skills that are relevant in the future, while maintaining their rigour and standards.
And this is a consideration even as the government expands the university sector, with Singapore's fifth and sixth universities offering full-time applied degree programmes from next year.
Their challenge, Mr Lee said, is to keep improving and serving Singaporeans better.
And this cannot be measured by international rankings alone.
He said: "Because our universities are unlike top universities in bigger countries - Harvard or Stanford in the US, Oxford or Cambridge, Beida or Qinghua in China, University of Tokyo in Japan.
"These admit a very small percentage of the university students in their countries. Whereas in Singapore, our universities admit the bulk of Singaporean students who are going to university, and therefore, besides maintaining good research rankings our universities have to work hard, to develop each student to his or her full potential."
At the same time, Mr Lee said Singapore's universities have important national and social roles - to develop students' character, imbue in them Singaporean values and ethos, and build lasting friendships.
Launching the National University of Singapore's (NUS) new University Town, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the challenge is for local universities to keep improving and serving Singaporeans better.
SINGAPORE: Improving Singapore's tertiary education cannot just be about increasing university places, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Launching the National University of Singapore's (NUS) new University Town, Mr Lee said the challenge is for local universities to keep improving and serving Singaporeans better.
The NUS University Town (UTown) cost S$600 million to build, and it is the first of its kind in Singapore.
It is an integrated living and learning environment, which features research centres, residential colleges and recreational facilities.
Launching UTown on Thursday evening, Mr Lee said it is an example of how NUS is enhancing its student experience.
"It shrinks NUS into a smaller community, so that students can foster closer ties with their schoolmates and teachers. Each college will have its distinct features, but all of them will emphasise multidisciplinary learning, with intensive small-group sessions to encourage interaction and discussions," he said.
Mr Lee said UTown is part of broader efforts to upgrade Singapore's tertiary education system. But he believes that improving tertiary education cannot just be about increasing university places.
Mr Lee said: "But improving tertiary education cannot just be about increasing university places. Other countries have found that having large proportions of students going to university does not necessarily guarantee happy outcomes.
"Take for example South Korea, where 70% of students attend university, but the Korean economy cannot generate jobs for all of them, especially jobs to match their training and their aspirations, so unemployment among university graduates is higher even than graduates of vocational high schools.
"Or take Denmark, a Scandinavian country, much admired and with much to learn from. 50% of each cohort attend university, but after they graduate, within a year more than a quarter of those who graduate are still unemployed."
He said Singapore's universities must equip students with skills that are relevant in the future, while maintaining their rigour and standards.
And this is a consideration even as the government expands the university sector, with Singapore's fifth and sixth universities offering full-time applied degree programmes from next year.
Their challenge, Mr Lee said, is to keep improving and serving Singaporeans better.
And this cannot be measured by international rankings alone.
He said: "Because our universities are unlike top universities in bigger countries - Harvard or Stanford in the US, Oxford or Cambridge, Beida or Qinghua in China, University of Tokyo in Japan.
"These admit a very small percentage of the university students in their countries. Whereas in Singapore, our universities admit the bulk of Singaporean students who are going to university, and therefore, besides maintaining good research rankings our universities have to work hard, to develop each student to his or her full potential."
At the same time, Mr Lee said Singapore's universities have important national and social roles - to develop students' character, imbue in them Singaporean values and ethos, and build lasting friendships.
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