Singapore Maths Tuition - University and JC

20 October 2019

From next April, students fresh out of secondary school will be able to take up a full-time diploma programme in applied artificial intelligence and analytics at Singapore Polytechnic. The polytechnic will take up to 80 students in the first batch.

Students enrolled in the programme will learn to apply AI and big data to solve challenges facing industries such as finance, information technology and commerce.

On Friday, the polytechnic also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Singapore University of Technology and Design, which will see graduates from this course, as well as those from its specialist diploma in data science programme, receive exemptions for SUTD’s Modular Masters in Data Science programme.

Students in the programme can accumulate subject credits from a series of “stackable” courses and receive a certificate from the SUTD Academy at the end.

16 October 2019

Singapore students are beginning to reap the benefits of the various changes to the education system that the Ministry of Education has implemented.

Some schools are spearheading their own initiatives to make the curriculum more flexible and inclusive, and in so doing, making sure that no student is left behind.

The principal of Boon Lay Secondary, Mr Tan Chor Pang for example, has come up with a “modular academic curriculum” programme to give students the flexibility of trying subjects outside their subject combination via e-learning modules. Students can prove their competency in the subjects if they finish the modules, pass an assessment and clear an interview. They then have the option to change their subject combination permanently.

Boon Lay Secondary has been piloting the new programme for its Secondary 3 students since March. The e-modules, pegged to what is being taught in class, are open to all. Students can attempt the assessments whenever they feel ready.

The online modules also allow students to try the same subject at a higher level, or “out of stream” – a concept similar to subject-based banding, where students take subjects at a higher or lower level based on their strengths.

12 October 2019

A new resource website for arts freelancers, artsresourcehub.sg, was recently launched by Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Transport and Culture, Community and Youth Baey Yam Keng. The website consolidates resources and information in areas such as financial planning, career development and legal knowledge.

These are part of the nation’s push to develop the arts scene in Singapore, according to Mr Baey, who also mentioned that by January next year, there will be two dedicated spaces at the Goodman Arts Centre and Stamford Arts Centre for arts freelancers to hot-desk and network with each other.

Mr Baey had spoken in Parliament earlier this year during the Committee of Supply debates about enhancing professional support for independent artists, and helping them grow meaningful careers.

The National Arts Council’s director for education and development, Ms Grace Ng, said that the resource website is “the first time that such resources have been specially curated and organised with the arts community’s needs specifically in mind, and we hope the website becomes a first-stop platform for them”.

Mr Baey also cited initiatives that further improve the employability of arts freelancers. An example is how the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and its key arts and heritage agencies have adopted the Ministry of Manpower’s Tripartite Standard for Contracting Self-Employed persons. This aims to encourage businesses to have proper written contracts, and addresses the problem of late or non-payments, and fosters fair employment conditions for freelancers.

08 October 2019

In today’s economy, there is an increasing demand for graduates with soft skills, such as those taught in psychology programmes, for the job market.

Such university programmes increasingly getting the attention of international organisations that are placing greater emphasis in hiring individuals with high emotional intelligence.

A report titled Workforce of the Future by PWC, an international consulting firm, states that in the increasingly automated job market, businesses still place great emphasis on soft skills such as creativity, leadership and empathy.

According to Hays Asia Salary Guide 2019, a report that tracks salary and recruiting trends in Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Japan and Malaysia, shows that soft skills such as problem-solving, team-working and verbal communications are the most in-demand.

Dr Patrick Lin, a senior lecturer of psychology at James Cook University, whose research includes the study of interpersonal attraction, says: “At JCU, most of the lecturers are from different cultural backgrounds. We bring in our own life experience when we teach. Because we’re a research-focused university, lecturers also provide real-life examples such as up to date data, for them to work with so they can foresee what will happen when they graduate.”