Ong Ye Kung Says Skills Are More Important Than Degrees Speaking at the 47th St. Gallen Symposium in Switzerland last week (May 4), Minister of Education (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung was reported saying that Singapore’s number of graduates per cohort needs to be capped at about 30% to 40%, with the remaining being trained for jobs in other relevant industries. Read our story about how Mr Ong Ye Kung talked about a cap on the number of graduates in Singapore. Source Although he reasoned his remarks by saying that a “dual-education track” is necessary so that the next generation can become proficient in a wide range of fields, especially as we are moving into a digital age, his views were met with huge debate. His comments about the cap on degrees for local students seem to contradict plans announced by the Government in 2012 to increase university places to accommodate up to 40% of each cohort by 2020. Why increase uni places if you feel that the number of graduates needs to be capped? “Unimaginative” Significantly, one strike came from former Government of Singapore Investment Corporation chief economist Yeoh Lam Keong. In a Facebook post, Mr Yeoh described […]
8 years ago
