SINGAPORE POLYTECHNIC (Setting up of department with Mandarin as medium of instruction)

Mr Low Por Tuck asked the Minister for Education whether consi deration will be given to the setting up of a department in the Singapore Polytechnic using Mandarin as a medium of instruction to cater for students from the Chinese stream of education.

Mr Yong Nyuk Lin: Mr Speaker, after the Polytechnic was reorganised in August 1959, it decided to modify its entry qualifications to the various courses so that the Polytechnic would be open to graduates from Chinese schools.

At present, there are no less than 345 students from the Chinese stream in the Polytechnic.

I would like to inform the Member for Havelock that there are altogether 31 courses being taught in the Polytechnic, requiring a total of 71 full-time staff and 96 part-time staff. In view of the magnitude of the organisation involved and the fact that the Polytechnic has barely settled down, setting up a Chinese Department in the Polytechnic is difficult and impracticable.

Mr Low Por Tuck: (In Mandarin): May I ask the Minister, if there are some people who are keen on educational matters and who want to donate freely towards this course, whether he will permit such action?

Mr Yong Nyuk Lin: If according to the Member for Havelock there are people who want to come forward with money to set up a Polytechnic, I am sure the Government will be prepared to consider the question.

Mr Low Por Tuck: (In Mandarin): According to my personal understanding, there are people who are devoted to educational matters and who want to donate towards this public educational course. They have presented their case to the Minister but it has been refused. Will the Minister confirm whether this is true?

Mr Yong Nyuk Lin: I think the Member for Havelock is probably thinking of a proposal which was put forward by certain individuals to start a Singapore College, and I do not think it was purely a Polytechnic. The sponsors did see me quite some time ago and I indicated to them that I would prefer that the matter be deferred until such time as the Nanyang University reorganisation was put into effect. So since the Nanyang University has not yet been reorganised, it may be said that the matter is just postponed sine die.

Mr Low Por Tuck: Mr Speaker, may I put the question to the Minister for Education clearly? I am not referring to the Singapore College. I am referring to a group of educationists who want 'to convert the Chinese High School into a Chinese stream polytechnic.

Mr Yong Nyuk Lin: Evidently, Mr Speaker, I gave the Member for Have lock more credit than he deserves. There has been no official application put to this Ministry. Perhaps individuals have made Press statements and so on and so forth. I do not suppose the Minister should take cognizance of what he reads in the newspapers. If people are really interested, they should put forward the matter in writing together with all relevant facts and figures. So if the Member for Havelock refers to certain newspaper reports, statements and so on, then I am afraid that, officially, I am not aware of it.