PART-TIME EXTERNAL UNIVERSITY DEGREES (Non-acceptance for Education Service)

Mr Rohan bin Kamis asked the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education what is the rationale of the new policy of not recognising university qualifications achieved through part-time studies by education officers for emplacement on the graduate scale.

The Minister of State of Education (Dr Tay Eng Soon) (for the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education): Mr Speaker, Sir, I am replying on behalf of the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education.

There are many kinds of degrees from many universities which the Public Service Commission does not accept for emplacing a person in the civil service on the graduate scale. This is the prerogative of the PSC, one of whose concerns is to ensure that only qualifications which are appropriate and of suitable standard are accepted. In the case of the Education Service the primary concern of the PSC is that the degrees of persons accepted to become graduate teachers should be both relevant and appropriate for their work.

The PSC recently reviewed the status of degrees obtained from external part-time studies and has decided that these degrees are no longer acceptable for appointments on the graduate scale in the Education Service.

There are two reasons for this. First, part-time external degrees, almost all of which are done with the University of London External Degree Scheme, are essentially single subject degrees, for example, in Economics or Geography.

On the other hand, PSC's policy of recruiting graduates for the teaching service is that they should have majored in at least two teaching subjects. This policy is to ensure that graduate teachers can be deployed to teach at least two subjects in secondary schools or Junior Colleges. With the existing graduate shortage, this policy is necessary.

Secondly, part-time external degrees do not allow the student to attend lectures and tutorials, nor to interact with University Professors, tutors and fellow students. The part-time external degree course is mainly examination-oriented, even if the student is enrolled in a correspondence college. The quality of such a course must suffer when compared with a full-time degree course.

For these reasons, the number of bursaries and scholarships for teachers to go to the National University of Singapore to do a degree has been increased. This year alone 160 such awards were made. At present there are over 400 teachers studying full-time for degrees at NUS. More awards will be made in the coming year.

Mr Rohan bin Kamis (Telok Blangah): Sir, in view of what the Hon. Minister of State has said, to cater for the Education Officers who wish to upgrade themselves with University education but who for various reasons, domestic and otherwise, could not undertake full-time University courses, would the Minister consider reintroducing acceptable part-time degree courses in our University?

Dr Tay Eng Soon: This is a matter which the University itself has to consider in the light of the courses that they are already running.

Mr Rohan bin Kamis: Point of clarification, Sir. There are no part-time courses being run by the University.

Dr Tay Eng Soon: There are part-time courses being run by the University, e.g. the MBA, or the Diploma in Business Administration.

Mr Rohan bin Kamis: Sir, I mean undergraduate courses. If a teacher is already a degree holder, my question is superfluous.

Dr Tay Eng Soon: Sir, as I said, this is a matter for the University to consider, as it affects courses that are being run and also the standards which they want to maintain.

Mr Sia Khoon Seong (Moulmein): Sir, is there not today a serious shortage of graduate teachers in secondary schools, and how does this policy help to alleviate this problem? According to the Minister of State's reply -

Mr Speaker: Mr Sia, I wish you will give me your supplementary question.

Mr Sia Khoon Seong: I thought I have put my question.

Mr Speaker: It is a very long question.

Mr Sia Khoon Seong: How does it help to alleviate this problem? The other question that I want to ask the Minister of State is this. Supposing a teacher is willing to offer two major teaching subjects for the part-time degree course, would his Ministry consider a case like that rather than giving a blanket refusal not to recognise any degree even with merits just because the degree was obtained on a part-time basis?

Dr Tay Eng Soon: Sir, there is a shortage of graduate teachers in our schools. That is true. With respect to the Member's second point, which is, if a teacher can do a degree by part-time means and do two or more teaching subjects in that course, I think this matter can be taken up as and when teachers do such a course.

Mr Tang See Chim (Chua Chu Kang): Sir, does this policy not run counter to the Government's declared policy of encouraging our citizens to upgrade themselves?

Dr Tay Eng Soon: Sir, there is indeed a call by the Government to members of the public to upgrade themselves through various means. But I think we should, in the case of the Education Service, consider this in the light of whether the upgrading is relevant and appropriate. A part-time external degree, for example, is appropriate for many fields of employment. But in the case of the Education Service, as I have explained, which requires that every graduate should have majored in at least two teaching subjects, it is not an appropriate degree.

Mr Ho See Beng (Khe Bong): Sir, I want to ask a supplementary question with vested interest. This concerns a teacher who upgraded himself or herself and got admitted into the University, but the teacher has got to forgo his or her salary. In the case of an SAF officer, if he is sent to the University, he does not have to sacrifice his salary. Why is there a discrepancy?

The Minister of State of Defence (Dr Yeo Ning Hong): Sir, although this question was not directed to me, but since the SAF was raised, could I take this opportunity to reply?

Mr Speaker: Go ahead.

Dr Yeo Ning Hong: The point raised by the hon. Member concerning SAF scholars going to the university is but one of the very many schemes made available to assist our officers to upgrade themselves, I do not think it relevant in this particular context to compare one out of a whole range of possibilities against another scheme operated by the Ministry of Education.

Encik Mansor Haji Sukaimi (Kampong Kembangan): Sir, as a matter of policy, is the Ministry of Education in favour of promoting part-time education at tertiary level?

Dr Tay Eng Soon: Sir, where it is appropriate and where it leads to qualifications that can be accepted by the PSC, in principle, it is yes.

Encik Mansor Haji Sukaimi: Sir, I have heard the reply from the Minister of State. He refers to other authorities which give me the impression that these authorities, like the PSC and the University, make the decisions. I appreciate the reasons. But what is the Ministry's view? I presume the Ministry submits its recommendations to the PSC or the University on such matters. I would like to know what is the Ministry's basic policy, because I can see the role that part-time education can play in upgrading the educational level of Singaporeans.

Dr Tay Eng Soon: Mr Speaker, Sir, we have over the years supported on a case-by-case basis teachers who have done various types of courses to the PSC for consideration. Some of these cases have been accepted by the PSC and others have been rejected. As I said, the prerogative thus rests with them. But on our part we do support cases and these matters have been raised in this House before.