23 June 2019

Fresh graduates in Singapore are getting more short-term contract jobs, along with multiple rejections or even non-replies to job applications, as well as having to lower their job and salary expectations.

Their job hunt this year coincides with the United States-China trade war, which has cast a dark shadow on the global economy. Singapore, whose economy is highly dependent on global trade, will not be able to escape unscathed.

The Ministry of Manpower recently issued its labour market report on the first three months of this year. The report noted that there are more vacancies than job seekers, but the demand for labour has eased following seven preceding quarters of increases. It also said that more workers were retrenched in the first quarter of this year, compared to the previous quarter as well as a year ago.

The MOM report said that companies were more cautious with the economy undergoing restructuring, and they preferred hiring workers on a short-term basis.

Despite the possibility that those in contract roles could be easily let go by companies when the going gets tough, most fresh graduates are open to taking up contract jobs. Many fresh graduates are now attracted to contract jobs as these allow them to experience a spectrum of roles, rather than to specialise in one for a long time. They also see such roles as opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of the job responsibilities and working culture before committing to a longer term career.

16 June 2019

A frequently raised question is whether the Ministry of Education would consider reducing class sizes from 40 to 25 students to allow teachers to give more attention to the students within their charge.

But Education Minister Ong Ye Kung has pointed out that the oft-quoted 1:40 teacher-student ratio within a single classroom is in fact an inaccurate perception, and in fact, the ratio should be 1:12 or 1:13 for secondary schools in terms of the overall numbers of teachers and students in a school, and 1:11 for junior colleges.

These ratios are considered healthy by OECD standards.

Pointing out a lesson Mr Ong himself gleaned from studying Finland’s education system, he said: “The moment the government does the popular thing to say, ‘I legislate class size to 20’, the (extra) resources disappear. The weaker students are deprived of teachers. Hence, this would be something I will be extremely reluctant to do.”

Member of Parliament Louis Ng recently called for the Government to stop streaming in secondary schools because it contributes to the social divide.

Schools can explicitly address the issue of socio-economic status in the national education curriculum so that students understand from young that one’s level of conventional achievement (for example, academic results) may be constricted by one’s access to opportunities that exist alongside one’s socio-economic background.

Teachers can also receive training on how to foster an inclusive environment, to engage students of different backgrounds in open conversations to enhance understanding among them. Additionally, streaming outcomes can be complemented with assessment tools that are proven to be less biased by one’s socioeconomic backgrounds, such as measures of conscientiousness, motivation and resilience.

14 June 2019

Education Minister Ong Ye Kung has reiterated that education and continual training remains a key strategy in empowering Singaporeans to cope with the new economy and the myriad changes brought about by technology.

The government’s near-term objective is to ensure that Singaporeans have up-to-date skills, and are able to stay relevant and competitive.

He said that the Government’s long-term mission is to help each Singaporean be part of technological change and become a stakeholder in society.

Mr Ong was addressing a crowd comprising of around 400 young people who were just about to enter the workforce at an NTUC event held at the Marina Bay Sands.

He also urged the audience to strive to do their jobs better to “inoculate” themselves from the impact of technology and not to feel pressured to switch jobs frequently just because many others do.

11 June 2019

Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat has urged Singapore’s young to seize the fast-growing opportunities in Asia.

Mr Heng was addressing around 540 students at the annual Pre-University Seminar. During his keynote speech, he said that for the first time, the fourth industrial revolution is not just happening to Asia but is occurring within Asia, with many Asian companies being among the most innovative in the world.

This year’s Pre-University Seminar focusses on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is marked by networked technologies, robotics, and artificial intelligence.

In his speech, Mr Heng also highlighted Asean, calling it a beacon of growth in Asia.

On its part, the Government is creating more opportunities for Singaporeans to venture abroad. A new academy, for instance, was set up in September 2018 to send Singapore students abroad for internships at start-ups or companies that undertake entrepreneurship and innovation.

08 June 2019

The Straits Times and Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) recently conducted a survey on 19-year-old students to understand how they view the world and what they want out of life. The students were mostly either about to enter their first year in university, or were final-year polytechnic or Institute of Technical Education students.

Over forty percent of the respondents said that their future job should hold some meaning for them. They also said that other considerations, such as work-life balance, how related the job is to one’s field of study, and the opportunity to progress in the career of their choice, mattered to them.

The survey also showed that ITE students had more practical considerations. More of them said factors such as salary and how related the job is to their discipline of study would influence their decision to take it up.

Labour economist Randolph Tan, who led the ST-SUSS study, said: “Young people value their freedom and have greater confidence in their own abilities than the generations before them, and do not believe in serving merely as a cog in the system.”

In response to the survey results, SUSS president Cheong Hee Kiat said that the Government must continue to open up alternate pathways to career success for young people. It must also keep pushing the message that in this age when information can be “Googled”, skills are what will carry a premium, not degrees.

02 June 2019

Nanyang Technological University is at the forefront of our nation’s initiative to produce energy efficient buildings and develop a sustainable eco-city.

NTU has completed the upgrading all of seven of its zero-energy buildings (ZEB), all of which have been nominated for Building and Construction Authority awards.

ZEBs draw their entire energy consumption from renewable resources.

NTU also currently holds the national record of 57 Green Mark-certified building projects comprising more than 230 buildings, of which 95 per cent are certified Green Mark Platinum — the highest award for sustainable building design in Singapore from the Building and Construction Authority.

Despite these groundbreaking achievements, NTU is not resting on its laurels. Plans are already in place for new ZEBs by 2021.

30 May 2019

It has been said that the easiest way to close the achievement gap in the Singapore education system is to prevent top students from advancing, such as by banning tuition and enrichment classes, and redistributing resources from popular to less popular schools.

This “beggar-thy-neighbour” approach is wrong-headed and simplistic. Capping achievements and limiting opportunities runs against a very fundamental philosophy of our education system — the realization of the fullest potential of every student.

Instead, the Ministry of Education has tried to “lift the bottom”. Some success has been achieved over the years. For example, a good proportion — about 7.5 per cent — of students who live in one to three-room HDB flats emerge as top PSLE performers every year.

There are also many students with non-academic strengths and talents. We should continue to strive to help them develop their strengths to the fullest. Indeed, MOE’s resourcing of schools reflect this approach. MOE also regularly rotates and ensures that our good performing teachers and principals are well spread across different types of schools.

Additionally, what we used to regard as opportunities only available to students from more affluent backgrounds are now broadly accessible. For example, most schools now organise overseas learning experiences. Schools are also offering a wider variety of CCAs.