REPUBLIC POLYTECHNIC BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

The Minister for Education (RAdm Teo Chee Hean): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

Role of Polytechnic Education

Sir, our polytechnics play a vital role in providing the key manpower for our economy. They provide future-oriented practical training of high quality, relevant to the needs of industry. They constantly keep abreast of the latest developments in technology and the changing needs of our economy in order to adequately prepare the students for the job market.

Polytechnic students are trained in a wide variety of practice-oriented areas. They include courses in engineering, media and design, information technology, health sciences, chemical and life sciences, maritime studies, building and construction, and business, finance and law. To meet the changing demands in our economy, the polytechnics constantly update their existing courses. Where necessary, new courses are introduced, for example, in areas such as mobile and wireless computing, and biomedical engineering.

Polytechnic graduates are highly valued as practice-oriented and knowledgeable middle-level professionals, managers and technologists. In the 2001 graduate employment survey conducted by the four polytechnics, about 75% of fresh graduates found jobs within the first three months of graduation. The average gross monthly salary of fresh graduates was about $1,500. Despite the economic downturn, a good majority of our polytechnic graduates were able to find jobs quickly. This bears testimony to the quality of the training provided by the polytechnics, and its relevancy to the needs of industry.

Rationale for a Fifth Polytechnic

Our first polytechnic, the Singapore Polytechnic, was established almost 50 years ago in 1954, to train middle-level professionals to support the technological and economic development of Singapore. Since then, we have established three more polytechnics - Ngee Ann Polytechnic in 1963, Temasek Polytechnic in 1990 and Nanyang Polytechnic in 1992. Together, these four polytechnics have spearheaded the training of skilled manpower to meet the needs of our economy.

Today, with the improvements in our education system, about 40% of each primary one cohort are admitted to polytechnics, compared with 28% 10 years ago. The average primary one cohort has also risen significantly in size, from a low of about 40,000 in the 1980s and early 1990s, to about 50,000 since 1995. The first batch of these larger primary one cohorts, which is the 1988 "Year of the Dragon" cohort, came to our primary schools in 1995, and is expected to reach the polytechnic level in the year 2005. The four polytechnics are already operating at full capacity. To cater to the increase in the cohort size eligible for polytechnic education, we need about 4,000 additional polytechnic places for our pre-employment training every year.

Besides the provision of pre-employment training, the polytechnic sector is also expected to shoulder a significant share of skills renewal and upgrading for our workforce. The polytechnics have established close links with industry and are therefore well-placed to provide continuing education and training in a diverse range of practice-oriented programmes. Graduates from the ITE, polytechnics and even universities who require further training or specialist skills upgrading now turn to the polytechnics for their training needs. Such continual upgrading and renewal of skills ensure life-long employability for our workforce.

My Ministry has therefore decided to set up a fifth polytechnic, the Republic Polytechnic, to cater to the need for increased capacity for pre-employment training. The Republic Polytechnic, together with the four existing polytechnics, will also cater to the increase in demand for continuing education and training. Furthermore, building a new polytechnic offers us the opportunity to inject new ideas and introduce innovations into a crucial sector of our education system. This will catalyse improvements and the introduction of new ideas into the entire polytechnic sector.

The advent of the new economy brings with it new challenges for our economy and the workforce. The Republic Polytechnic's vision, mission and educational philosophy will be geared towards meeting these challenges, which are characterised by globalisation, global competition, rapid technological advancements and changing business models.

The Republic Polytechnic will offer three core programmes of study in Engineering, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Applied Sciences with a focus on Biomedical Sciences. In the new economy, the Engineering industry continues to play an important role in providing critical services to support the manufacturing sector. ICT continues to remain a strategic resource in business and Government. The Biomedical Sciences industry is poised for rapid growth as Singapore aims to be a world-class hub for the life sciences industry with total business capabilities for manufacturing, and R&D of high value-added biomedical sciences products and services.

The Republic Polytechnic will adopt a new approach of integrating Business models into the three core programmes of study as well as offer hybrid programmes that will combine Business with any one of these three programmes. Such an approach will be in line with the increasing need by the industries for graduates trained in a multi-disciplinary way.

The Republic Polytechnic will commence operations in the year 2003 with a pioneer intake of 800 students. It will increase its intake gradually, admitting 1,200 students in 2004, and 1,800 in 2005, the latter being the "dragon" cohort. The steady-state enrolment is expected to be 13,200.

My Ministry and the URA are considering a site in the Woodlands area for the permanent campus, which would be within walking distance of the Woodlands MRT station. Accessibility is an important consideration in attracting students and working adults for Continuing Education and Training (CET) to the new polytechnic. The permanent campus is expected to be completed in 2006.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I now turn to the Republic Polytechnic Bill itself.

The Bill proposes to establish the Republic Polytechnic as a body corporate comprising a Board of Governors, a Senate, members of the academic staff and other officers of the Polytechnic. The Bill also makes provisions for the establishment of Schools within the Polytechnic.

The Constitution of the Republic 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.

The Republic Polytechnic Bill is similar in substance and intent to the Nanyang Polytechnic Act. The Republic Polytechnic, like the existing four polytechnics, will be established as a statutory board under the purview of the Ministry of Education.

Sir, I beg to move.

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. - [RAdm Teo Chee Hean].

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