Some highlights in the education this month include:
- Starting this year, local universities are to assess
students based on their aptitude, rather than grades, when selecting students.
As part of this, NUS, NTU and SMU will stop offering discretionary admissions,
and instead begin to assess applications on the ground of aptitude and interest
across the board. Education Minister Ong Ye Kung, announcing the move at the
Applied Learning Conference, said the new initiatives will bring the Singapore
education system "closer to having a flexible and porous system of
inter-connected pathways".
Link: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/education/unis-to-admit-more-based-on-aptitude-ong
- Starting from October this year, A-Level graduates can be
exempted up to two semester (one year) when they start in certain polytechnic
courses. In 2019, A-Level students were allowed mid-year entry or certain
exemptions. But this move will allow them to begin in Year Two of polytechnic
if they meet the requirements.
- Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) has
partnered with Shopee, well-known internet commerce platform, to launch
Shopee-SUTD bond-free scholarships as well as dialogue sessions. In a joint
statement, they declared their aim to enable "financially
disadvantaged" students to pursue an education in technology and design.
Four Singaporean undergraduates from the university will receive full,
four-year scholarships starting from the academic year 2020 intake, with no
bond period.
- SMU president Lily Kong said in an interview with the
Straits Times that SMU aims to promote the value of interspersing learning with
work throughout a student’s life, be it through short-term employment or a gap
year. SMU hopes to lead the change in admissions and other aspects of
university education. “If we say employers are not looking for the right thing
when they focus on qualifications, then we should apply that to ourselves as
universities. If we're not looking for the right thing, behaviour will not
change,” she said.
Link: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/education/smu-wants-students-to-interrupt-studies?
- The National
Environment Agency (NEA) launched a new scholarship on 12 February, targeted at
students who intend to study or are studying environmental services-related
courses at polytechnics or the Institute of Technical Education (ITE). These
include engineering, built environment and the sciences, such as applied
chemistry and molecular biotechnology.
