Parliamentary Replies
New University
Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mrs Josephine Teo, MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC
Question
To ask the Minister for Education (a) given the significant resources required to start a new institute of higher learning, what were the compelling reasons for having both the fourth university and the Singapore Institute of Applied Technology instead of an integrated facility; and (b) whether more Singaporeans will benefit from the education partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by having a higher enrolment than 4,000.
Response by Minister Ng Eng Hen
The establishment of two more tertiary institutions—the New University and the Singapore Institute of Applied Technology (SIAT) cater to students with different aptitudes and will provide more choices to both A-Level and polytechnic students to obtain their degrees.
The New University will have longer, mainly four-year Science and Engineering-based programmes with research components which will suit those who are more inclined towards academic pursuits. The SIAT will tie-up with reputable foreign universities to offer applied degree programmes obtainable within two years and would cater to mainly polytechnic graduates with some working experience.
The member has asked if more Singaporeans would benefit from the education partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by having a higher enrolment. MIT will develop an academically rigorous curriculum in partnership with the New University. Students will benefit from such an environment but must have sufficient academic grounding to be able to perform to expectations. Thus, the decision to cater to an intake of about 1,000 students a year is a realistic one, given the size of our birth cohorts and the existing capacity in the other three autonomous Universities.