NANYANG POLYTECHNIC BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

The Senior Minister of State for Education (Dr Tay Eng Soon): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

The purpose of this Bill is to provide for the establishment of a fourth polytechnic in Singapore. It will be known as the Nanyang Polytechnic.

Our first polytechnic, the Singapore Polytechnic, was established 38 years ago - in 1954 - to train middle-level professionals to support the economic and technological development of Singapore. Since then, we have established two more polytechnics, Ngee Ann Polytechnic and its predecessor, Ngee Ann Technical College, in 1967 and Temasek Polytechnic in 1990. These three polytechnics have spearheaded the training of skilled manpower to meet the needs of the economy. Today, polytechnic graduates are valued as practice-oriented and knowledgeable middle-level professionals and are much sought after by industry. Since the beginning, our polytechnics have produced a total of 83,000 graduates for our economy. Based on the projected enrolments of the four polytechnics, we should produce another 105,000 polytechnic graduates by the year 2000. At present, polytechnic graduates form only 5% of our workforce. By the year 2000, they should form 12% of the workforce.

Meeting manpower needs

Sir, as our economy becomes more sophisticated, we will need a manpower structure that is similar to that of the developed countries. Take Japan as an example. In 1990, 16% of Japan's workforce were university graduates and 58% have post-secondary education. In contrast, our 1990 workforce comprised 6% degree holders and 13% post-secondary graduates which include polytechnic graduates, A-level holders and other post 0-level graduates. Clearly there is a large gap at the post-secondary level including at polytechnic level. This is a crucial sector of our workforce. While many degree holders occupy the higher echelons of industry and provide professional and managerial expertise, they must be supported by middle-level professionals and managers who can implement plans and concepts efficiently and effectively. Feedback from employers suggest that there is indeed a demand for middle-level professionals with polytechnic qualifications. This is further confirmed by the higher median starting salaries of polytechnic graduates which today have crossed the $1,000 mark. To meet the needs of the economy, we must therefore expand the polytechnics rapidly.

Meeting pupils' aspirations

However, the expansion of polytechnics must not be at the expense of standards. We must also consider whether there is a sufficiently large pool of students who can benefit from polytechnic education. In the last few years, we have witnessed the increasing popularity of the polytechnics among '0' level school leavers. In 1991, for example, there were 16,100 first-choice applicants for the 8,800 polytechnic places available, or about two applicants for every vacancy. An analysis of these applicants showed that most of them meet the entry requirements of the polytechnics. This year's Joint Admission Exercise results for polytechnic admission are not out yet. However, I can report that the number of first-choice '0' level applicants for the polytechnics is 17,300. This is a record number. They are applying for about 10,000 places offered by the four polytechnics for '0' level school leavers. We must therefore provide more places at the polytechnics to meet the aspirations of students and parents.

With the improvements in the education system, more students will have at least 10 years of general education, including four years of secondary education. For the majority of our students, education will not end at the secondary level. Most of them will expect to continue their education and training in various post-secondary institutions such as junior colleges, the polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education. It is envisaged that, by the second half of this decade, about 40% of a cohort, or about 16,000 students, could benefit from the courses offered by the polytechnics. This translates into four polytechnics, each catering to an intake of about 4,000 students. To meet this demand for places, the Government has decided to establish a fourth polytechnic instead of expanding the existing three into very large institutions. Our experience tells us that a polytechnic should not be too large. Otherwise its quality of education will be affected.

Courses to be offered

Nanyang Polytechnic will offer courses which are relevant to the needs of industry, taking into account courses currently offered by the other polytechnics, trends in our economy and our manpower needs. Initially, the Polytechnic will offer courses in Engineering, Business Management, Information Technology and Health Sciences.

Engineering

In engineering, the Polytechnic will focus on key areas, such as automation, manufacturing technology and precision engineering.

Business Management

As Singapore positions itself as a global city with total business capabilities, we need middle-level professionals well-trained in fields, such as financial trading and insurance and risk management. Courses at Nanyang Polytechnic will take cognizance of the regional economy and adopt a regional and international outlook.

Information Technology

Demand for information technology professionals is still increasing. Nanyang Polytechnic's diploma course in Information Technology will provide a strong grounding in programming and systems analysis related specially to manufacturing software, computer-integrated manufacturing, and computer networking. Health Sciences - a new field

The Health Sciences programme at the Nanyang Polytechnic will be a new development. Presently, the training of health care personnel, such as nurses, is hospital-based with an emphasis on clinical work. With the rapid advances in medical technology, we need to inject more rigour into the training of health care professionals through institution-based training. This is consistent with worldwide trends. The training will still be practice-oriented, but more theory will be included in the curriculum. This will help upgrade our health care professionals so that they can better meet the needs of a more affluent society with a maturing population.

Our diploma courses in Health Sciences are new to Singapore. Nanyang Polytechnic will be collaborating with the University of Sydney to tap their expertise in this area. Sydney University's Faculty of Health Science is well recognised in Australia. Under the collaboration, it will help our new School of Health Sciences introduce two new diploma courses - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy, in addition to nursing and radiography.

Plans for 1992-1993

In 1992, Nanyang Polytechnic will start at two temporary campuses and offer diploma courses in the Health Sciences and Business Management. Courses in Health Sciences will be conducted at the Outram campus, formerly the Silat Primary School, as well as the present School of Nursing. The second campus, the site of the former Tiong Bahru Secondary School and Delta Circus Primary School, will be used for courses in Business Management. This year, Nanyang Polytechnic will take in 380 students for its Nursing, Radiography and Therapy courses and another 320 students for Business Management courses.

Next year, Nanyang Polytechnic will start courses in Engineering and Information Technology. For this purpose, ITE will loan the premises of the newly built Yishun Technical Institute to the Polytechnic. The initial intake for Engineering and Information Technology will be 360 and 160 students respectively. Long-term Plan

Sir, the long-term plan is to develop a new campus for Nanyang Polytechnic on a 30-hectare site in Ang Mo Kio New Town, catering to an intake of about 3,800 students in four to five years' time. This site is ideal because it is centrally located and it is near to high technology industries. The site is also conveniently located next to the Yio Chu Kang MRT station and will, therefore, allow the Polytechnic to serve students, including adult workers attending evening classes, living along the MRT corridor.

Purpose of Bill

The Nanyang Polytechnic Bill proposes to establish the Polytechnic as a body corporate, comprising the Board of Governors, the Senate, the members of the academic staff and other officers. The Bill also makes provisions for the establishment of Schools within the Polytechnic. The Constitution of Nanyang Polytechnic is set out in the Schedule to the Bill. The Constitution defines the composition, powers and duties of the Board and Senate, as well as other details which will be governed by statutes.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question proposed.

Mr Lew Syn Pau (Tanglin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the Nanyang Polytechnic Bill before the House.

The GPC for Education welcomes the establishment of the Nanyang Polytechnic which will help to produce more better educated, middle-level professionals and staff with highly marketable skills to meet the demands in the various sectors of our economy.

I am pleased to note that the courses offered by Nanyang Polytechnic will complement the existing polytechnic programmes, as well as broaden the range of options with the introduction of the Health Sciences programme. Over the last few years, the 'O' level and 'A' level examination results have been improving constantly and this year's results are the best ever. Naturally, high standards will fuel greater competition among our students for a limited number of places in our tertiary institutions. It is timely, therefore, that the number of our polytechnic places be expanded to take in as many qualified applicants as possible. The Nanyang Polytechnic provides this expansion without compromising standards. In addition to meeting the demands of the labour market and the students' aspirations for higher education, the Nanyang Polytechnic will also contribute towards levelling up the standard of education of our workforce to match that of the developed nations.

There is, however, some apprehension that the glut of polytechnic and university graduates in the labour market may arise in the near future leading to disappointment, frustration and even disillusionment. I do not share these sentiments. Singapore does not stay competitive by holding down the potential of our students and our workforce. On the contrary, their potential must be maximised. We stay ahead of our competitors by tapping higher value-added, higher technology industries that have the capacity to pay our workers higher wages. Our workforce must have the education, the training and the skills to meet the requirements of such industries. With higher wages, our people can then expect a higher standard of living and a better quality of life.

Mr Speaker, Sir, the quality of an educational institution is not just determined by the quality of the buildings or the students, but also the quality of the teaching staff. I would like to ask the Minister: with Temasek Polytechnic set up just two years ago and taking up a substantial pool of teaching staff from the labour market, would Nanyang Polytechnic face problems in recruiting qualified professionals for the various schools? Are we looking overseas in view of the shortage of labour and expertise in Singapore?

Secondly, with the four polytechnics competing for the same pool of teachers, is there coordination among them to prevent staff poaching of one polytechnic by another? In order for polytechnic education to remain relevant to industry, our teaching staff must continue to maintain their links with them through industrial attachments. At the same time, industry professionals should be invited to serve on the Advisory Committees to ensure that course curricula remain relevant to their needs.

Education is a life-long experience and it is important that our graduates continue to upgrade themselves even after they enter the world of work. In this respect, I would like to ask the Minister whether Nanyang Polytechnic will also play a role in providing continuing education in selected fields for working people. Will the Nanyang Polytechnic also conduct part-time courses at the diploma level for mature workers who have missed out on a post-secondary education in the past? This can be done by using the credit system which allows working people to take courses at their own pace and at their own time.

Although Nanyang Polytechnic is the fourth polytechnic to be established, I certainly hope that it will not be the fourth choice for our students. Nanyang Polytechnic should quickly develop its own character and reputation and carve out a niche for itself among the four polytechnics in Singapore.

Mr Umar Abdul Hamid: Sir, I rise to support the Nanyang Polytechnic Bill. Before I speak on the Bill, I would like to declare my interest as a polytechnic lecturer.

Sir, Singapore depends on the quality of its human resource for economic growth and Government must play pro-active roles to ensure that our learning institutions produce sufficient professionals, middle-level professionals and skilled workers for our industry. I am glad to note that Government recognises the importance of our middle-level professionals and continuously emphasise the quality of polytechnic education.

Sir, a few months ago, a Director of Technikon Natal from Durban, South Africa, visited our polytechnics as part of his visits to polytechnics in Hong Kong, Australia and UK. He commented that after visiting all the polytechnics in these countries, he found that Singapore is the only country that is still upholding the real objectives of polytechnic education and, that is, to train future technologists. He noted that many countries have succumbed to political pressure and convert their polytechnics into degree awarding institutions. In fact, he was amazed to note that not only have we maintained the standard of our polytechnics, but we are also expanding it.

Sir, like many parents and students, I welcome the establishment of the fourth polytechnic, but, however, I have a few questions and suggestions to make. More than 16,000 first-choice applicants applied to the polytechnics last year and since Temasek Polytechnic has limited places due to space constraint, I would assume that the majority of the applicants applied for conventional and popular courses, like Engineering and Business Administration, which are offered by Singapore and Ngee Ann Polytechnics. However, Sir, I do not see the rationale of how we could meet the aspirations of students and parents if the new polytechnic is going to offer unconventional and new courses, like Health Sciences and Information Technology. The Minister has indicated that these courses are relevant to the needs of industry, but has any study been made to show that these courses are actually demanded by students. I believe that we should strike a balance between the needs of industry and the interest of our students.

I also observe that Nanyang Polytechnic will be offering engineering courses in automation, manufacturing technology and precision engineering. In my view, Sir, these courses are restrictive and too specialised. In engineering, specialised knowledge should be preceded by general knowledge. Speaking as a trained electronic engineer, I feel that our polytechnic graduates should not be trained in a specialised area because it will inhibit their versatility and adaptability when they join the workforce. I suggest that Nanyang Polytechnic offer more broader based courses, like Electronic Engineering (which happens to be the most popular course applied by students), Electrical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering. Within these courses, we could then include areas of automation, manufacturing technology, precision engineering, or any areas of specialty which are needed by our industry.

Sir, many private institutions and schools are doing a good job in offering courses, like Information Technology, and many of them are in collaboration with prestigious foreign universities to ensure its credibility. My question to the Minister is: is there a need for Nanyang Polytechnic to duplicate their effort? If so, will the Information Technology course offered be in collaboration with any creditable university or institution? In my view, Sir, we should not duplicate what private schools or institutions are doing, but instead concentrate on providing courses which could not be offered by these schools.

Dr Tay Eng Soon: Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank Mr Lew Syn Pau and Mr Umar Hamid for their support of this Bill.

I would first take up the points made by Mr Lew Syn Pau. He asked whether, in the process of setting up Temasek Polytechnic and now Nanyang Polytechnic in such a short time, we are depleting staff members from the other polytechnics, and whether there will be an unhealthy competition for manpower between them. Let me assure him, Sir, that there is no problem in this area at all. In fact, the two older established polytechnics are well stabilised and they are providing some of their staff members to help start the courses in the new polytechnics, to be heads of departments and senior members on the staff. The new polytechnics are recruiting beyond that from the private sector. They look for people who have working experience, as well as the requisite academic qualifications, to become academic staff. And they are doing so not only locally within the Singapore context, but they are also recruiting from Britain, Australia, Canada and the United States. This is in fact a good time for the polytechnics to recruit, because in the countries I have just mentioned, there is a budget squeeze in these countries. And the education budget in these countries is also being squeezed. So we are able to benefit by recruiting some of their academic staff to come here to work for us. So the staffing position, although tight, is possible, because there are these sources from which we can recruit staff members.

I personally coordinate this matter because I meet the principals of the polytechnics on a monthly basis. And amongst other issues, the question of staffing comes up and I ensure that there is a great deal of cooperation amongst the polytechnics in this matter.

Secondly, he raised the question of part-time courses for working adults. Yes, indeed, the polytechnics are conducting evening and weekend courses for working adults leading to the diploma and leading to the advanced diploma that they offer. This is very well established in the case of Singapore Polytechnic and Ngee Ann Polytechnic. Temasek Polytechnic is beginning to go into continuing education courses. In the case of Nanyang Polytechnic, it will concentrate, first of all, on its full-time courses to get itself established. And I would not advise them to start going into part-time courses for working adults, especially as the other polytechnics are already providing for this. But in due course, Nanyang Polytechnic, I am sure, would also want to help working adults upgrade themselves through their part-time evening courses.

Sir, the Member for Ang Mo Kio GRC - and it is indeed in Ang Mo Kio where the Nanyang Polytechnic will be established - raised several interesting questions. I think he has made a general point which is: should the polytechnics start unusual courses like Health Sciences for which there may not be much student demand? And he is in fact saying: why not wait for student demand before you start courses? I disagree with him on that point. I think what is more important is to ask the question: does the economy need professionals and technologists in this or that area? Do employers need people? What kind of skills and experience and knowledge do they need? Starting with that, then there is a justification to spend a lot of public funds on the establishment of very expensive courses at the polytechnics. And having done that, then the polytechnics will set out to persuade the students that these courses are in demand by employers and to persuade them to come in to take these courses. That is the approach taken by the polytechnics which, I believe, is the right approach. And it has proven to be correct because all the courses offered by the polytechnics are well subscribed and taken up by school leavers.

In the case of Health Sciences which is a new area for the polytechnics, the request to start diploma courses in Health Sciences, especially in the therapy courses which we do not have up to now, came from the health sector, particularly from the Ministry of Health. They have been watching this situation for many years and they have now convinced the Ministry of Education and the polytechnics that they should go into the field of Health Sciences. So this year we have made a start on this. I am glad to tell the Member that based on first-choice applications, there are more applications for, say, nursing places than there are places available to take them in. I believe this may be the first time that we have such a healthy response for Health Sciences courses. And it could be because the courses have been upgraded to diploma level. So we have got on to a good start for Health Sciences.

In the case of Information Technology, he is right in pointing out that there are some private sector computer schools that are running computer courses, programming courses, system analysis courses. I think they have a role to play and they should continue to play this role, providing these courses especially for working people who want to acquire computer skills.

But as far as the national need for information technology professionals, whether at degree level or diploma level, is concerned, the need is very large. The National Computer Board has projected that by the end of this decade, Singapore will need something like 30,000 information technology professionals, generalists, specialists. Today, we have 14,000. We are not quite half way there yet. And they have therefore requested through the Committee for Professional and Technical Education, a Ministerial Committee, for an expansion in the number of places offered at the NUS and NTU for degree level courses for information technology and also at the polytechnic diploma level for similar courses. The NUS and NTU will be raising their intake from about 800 currently to about 900 in 2-3 years' time. At the level of the polytechnics, currently they are taking in 700, but they will be gradually raising the intake to about 1,100. So by that time, a total of about 2,000 IT professionals will be coming out into the workforce. But despite that, NCB thinks that there will still be some shortage and indeed many companies which cannot recruit enough people on the local market are recruiting from overseas. There is recruitment of overseas IT professionals into Singapore. But I should tell the Member that there is a world-wide shortage, so that even if you try to recruit from overseas, you may not be able to find the people you want.

Sir, I want to assure him that these courses have been very carefully studied, surveys have been done and that there is no danger of redundancy in the creation of these courses.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House.

The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Dr Tay Eng Soon].

Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed.