Parliamentary Replies
Subsidised Degree Programmes
Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mrs Josephine Teo, Member of Parliament for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC
Question
To ask the Minister for Education whether there are plans to enable all polytechnic students who wish to pursue a degree to have access to subsidised degree programmes in Singapore.
Response
The Government has committed to increase the university cohort participation rate (CPR) to 30% by 2015. The expansion of the university sector will allow more polytechnic graduates to have access to subsidised degree programmes. Currently, about one in seven polytechnic graduates matriculate into our three autonomous universities (AUs).
The newly-established Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) will expand the upgrading opportunities for polytechnic graduates by bringing in industry-relevant degree programmes from reputable overseas universities, in close partnership with the five polytechnics. At steady state in 2015, SIT will offer about 2,000 full-time places each year, which together with the AUs, will allow one in five polytechnic graduates to obtain a degree.
Beyond that, any increase in CPR should be carried out in a way that continues to uphold the high standards of our public universities. The experience of other countries that have expanded university intakes to respond primarily to aspirations to obtain degrees without due regard for the quality of university education that their students receive has not been positive. When the quality of these institutions is not maintained, students suffer, as employers do not value the qualification.
We will continue to invest in our tertiary institutes to build global best-in-class institutions that offer different tertiary and post-secondary education pathways, in our universities, polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education.