Dr James Gomez: Policy ideas for tertiary and research instituitions in Singapore

(Speech delievered at Reform Party Seminar on Education on 230110)

Dear friends and participants, greetings.

I would like to start off by thanking the Reform Party for inviting me to share some policy ideas at this Education Seminar. This is an important issue for Singaporeans and I am glad we will be able to spend some time today to discuss the matter.

My focus today will be on policies for universities and research institutes in Singapore. In the next few minutes I would like to sketch out some emerging trends and issues affecting tertiary and research institutions and enumerate in broad strokes the type of education policies we should be developing to address some of these key concerns.

These policy ideas are organized according to the three questions posed by the Reform Party for this seminar but are clustered specifically to address issues at tertiary institutions and research institutes in Singapore.

1. Policies on curriculum development and delivery of courses at tertiary institutions.

a. Tertiary students are increasingly motivated by the need to receive a “practical” education at the university level. Hence, I believe our challenge will be design programs and curriculum that will increasing be “practical” but which still need to be under pinned by theories and debates related to subject disciplines. For instance, in communication and media courses, there has been a marked shift towards to the practical aspects of the communication industry as opposed to a solely theory based approach to communication studies. This “practical” aspects can also be applied were relevant to other disciplines.

b. We need to acknowledge that tertiary students globally, are no longer full-time students. Being a full time-student is a luxury many cannot afford. Students tend to work full-time if not part-time these days. Further many working adults want to pursue undergraduate and post-graduate studies while working. Since this is increasingly the case, we need to look into expanding and building on flexible modes of course delivery. These can include, in addition to the traditional methods, online and off campus modes of delivery as well as intensive course modules. These methods of delivering tertiary courses will also benefit special needs students at tertiary institutions who need special consideration in the way they take courses, turn in assignments and contribute towards assessments. The role of exams as an end of module assessment needs to be revisited in this context. The need for our local tertiary intuitions to cater more for Singaporean working adults wanting to pursue tertiary education also requires attention.

c. There has been a rise in the number of service providers and overseas tertiary institutions providing degree level courses as education grows into a commercial sector in its own right in Singapore. This has grown to cater for the demand for tertiary education by Singaporeans as well as foreigners. Here there are two areas of policy concern. One is the quality of teaching and related services that are being provided to the students. Two is the remuneration and working conditions of teaching and other staff employed at these enterprises. These should be reviewed and be brought up to international standards and be made comparable to other tertiary institutions in Singapore.

2. Policies for the inclusion, equity and access to tertiary education for all Singaporeans.

a. Entry into university education is becoming prohibitive for many in terms of ever increasing costs. More financial aid instruments need to be looked into in terms of helping Singaporean students meet tertiary education costs. For instance, we can substantially reduce bank loans for tertiary studies through special government subsidies. Essentially, we need to expand the volume of financial support for lower-income Singaporean students. And one way is to increase the number scholarships for Singaporeans. What we don’t want is tertiary students and their family being saddled with large debts in order to pursue tertiary studies. Tertiary education should not be the privilege of the rich.

b. Apart from finance, meeting the educational pre-requisites for entry into tertiary institutions is also an important area that requires policy attention. For instance we should set up pathway programs for those wishing to explore opportunities to pursue further studies and training at public tertiary institutions in Singapore. These pathways should supplement existing modes of entry into tertiary institutions and should also target ITE students. In Australia, a Diploma in Tertiary Studies is one way in which entry into university level courses is being facilitated. A pathways program would ensure that an elitist mentality towards tertiary education can be overcome. Working adults and mature students should also have equal access to local government funded tertiary institutions on a competitive basis via a pathways program.

c. In the spirit of equity, there should be equal remuneration between Singapore and foreign staff at our tertiary and research institutions. This should be reflected in their pay scales, in fringe benefits such as housing allowance and educational allowances for children as well as relocation packages from overseas to Singapore. There should also be equity in terms of tenure position at tertiary and research institutions. Overall there should be more transparency in terms of promotion, appointment into leadership positions, awarding of tenure, recruitment of academics and termination of contracts. Universities further need to improve their dual track careers for researchers and lecturers with equivalent employment standards and remuneration.

3. Fostering an intellectual climate of critical thinking and debate.

a. We also need to create an intellectual atmosphere in our tertiary and research institutions that feels free when academics critically engage in issues. An open intellectual environment is necessary to ensure there is critical debate that is beneficial to the nation and beyond. Academics and researchers should feel comfortable in expressing their ideas and not harbor fears of being penalized when criticizing local and international policies. Perhaps we should even consider immunity from libel proceedings for academics.

b. We should additionally discontinue the practice of recruiting ex-civil servants as heads of research institutes in Singapore. While there may be benefits from their policy experience, such top positions should be competitively filled by persons from the academic and research community who possess a track record of leadership and service at research institutes.

c. Among the several good research institutes we have in Singapore, I would like to see the setting up of an independent regional research institute called the Asian Institute for Democracy and Civil Society in Singapore. Such an institute should be government funded and its directions be set by stakeholders from civil society. It would allow active research and cooperation with individual and institutions on topics related human rights and democracy.

In conclusion, I want to end by saying that education policies are an important area of governance. Opposition parties in Singapore have a role to play in challenging and formulating alternative policies that are reflective of the people’s wishes.

The policy ideas I am putting forward to you today are not comprehensive but they do reflect part of the ongoing discussions in different quarters in Singapore about how we want our tertiary institutions and research institutes to operate. My remarks are brief and should be taken as policy-ideas-in-progress which is being presented here today for discussion, clarification and refinement. I thank you.

Dr. James Gomez
Monash University