POLYTECHNIC DIPLOMA HOLDERS IN SINGAPORE UNIVERSITIES (Performance)

Mr Loh Meng See asked the Minister for Education how are polytechnic diploma holders performing in the Singapore universities.

The Senior Minister of State for Education (Dr Tay Eng Soon) (for the Minister for Education): The polytechnic diploma holders admitted to courses in NUS and NTU have generally performed well. One of the reasons for this is that these students have some working experience prior to entering the university. Their work experience has stood them in good stead to better understand and assimilate what they are taught in the undergraduate courses. The attrition rate of polytechic diploma holders is low. Over the last three to four years, no polytechic diploma holder had to leave NUS for failing the examinations, and only three in NTU did not complete their course of study within the minimum period.

Mr Loh Meng See (Kampong Glam GRC): Sir, will the Minister consider increasing the intake of polytechnic graduates into our universities because there are a large number of them going overseas for further studies?

Dr Tay Eng Soon: Sir, in the last three years, 1990-92 admissions, the universities took in a total of 1,100 polytechnic graduates. The universities are planning to take in more over the next few years as the universities themselves expand to provide more places.

Mr Loh Meng See: The Minister said that the students have prior working experience. Does it mean that he will rule out those without working experience but with Polytechnic diploma qualifications?

Dr Tay Eng Soon: Sir, the experience of the universities with polytechnic graduates is that they do well when they have practical working experience in addition to the diploma course that they have done. So the intention is that, in admissions, not only will they take into account the grades of these students at the polytechnics, they will also take into account their working experience.

Dr Low Seow Chay (Chua Chu Kang): Why is it that polytechnic students require working experience before they are admitted to the university, whereas 'A' level students do not need that particular requirement?

Dr Tay Eng Soon: As I said, based on the experience of the intakes, they found that when they have working experience behind them, they will have the maturity to get on with the course that they have enroled at the university.

Mr Sinnakaruppan: Sir, in addition to what the Member for Chua Chu Kang has said, would the Ministry consider admitting the Merit Scholars or diploma holders to the universities straightaway instead of waiving the three-year working experience requirement for the Merit Scholars?

Dr Tay Eng Soon: I think this is something which we can ask the universities to look into.

Mr Umar Abdul Hamid: Does the Ministry have statistics to show that graduates who went overseas do have industrial experience before they get into the university? If there are statistics, how does that substantiate the fact that NUS or NTU need students to have industrial experience before they get into the engineering programmes?

Dr Tay Eng Soon: The polytechnic graduates who go overseas are quite a mixed group of people. Many of them do have working experience. In fact, they save the income from their working experience before they go overseas. So many do have working experience before they go overseas.