8 Junior Colleges are Merging? Rumors or Reality?

[floppy]

janet88:

there are people who do not encourage kids to enter poly because of tuition grant. as singaporeans enjoy tuition grant in poly, they feel that it will be harder to enter local U compared to those who took JC path.
whether there is any truth to it, it's beyond my control. my boy is EEE in the poly.

:?
Taking tuition grant in poly would not affect the tuition grant in a local university. How would that make it any harder to enter our local U?

[mindays]

ngl2010:

phtthp:

don't think RI will absorb more students.


As it is currently, RI have some students who are \"drop-out\" of IP track, by opening an \"on-demand\" O level class, for those students who cannot cope with IP. Some of them graduated with more than 20 points, don't qualify for JC entry.

It is written in the Straits Times, Friday, 21 April 2017, page A8 that MOE will ask RI and other JCs to take in more students.

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/education/ri-and-other-jcs-may-take-in-more-students-next-year

I wonder what will the teacher to student ratio be

[janet88]

floppy:

janet88:

there are people who do not encourage kids to enter poly because of tuition grant. as singaporeans enjoy tuition grant in poly, they feel that it will be harder to enter local U compared to those who took JC path.
whether there is any truth to it, it's beyond my control. my boy is EEE in the poly.

:?
Taking tuition grant in poly would not affect the tuition grant in a local university. How would that make it any harder to enter our local U?

some have the mentality that singaporeans who take tuition grant in poly would mean that going to local U will be taking another grant. actually i don't understand either.

now that some JCs are closing down, next to be hit might be closing down polytechnics....again based on same reason, falling birth rates.

[ngl2010]

janet88:

some have the mentality that singaporeans who take tuition grant in poly would mean that going to local U will be taking another grant. actually i don't understand either.

now that some JCs are closing down, next to be hit might be closing down polytechnics....again based on same reason, falling birth rates.

School fee for govt JC is about $20/mth. I am sure it is not enough to cover the costs so government definitely is topping up behind the scene. It is just they don't call it \"tuition grant\".

[lee_yl]

jetsetter:

lee_yl:

I think the closure/merger of 4 JCs definitively has something to do with the demographic changes, from DH's era of 100K+ live birth a year till only 30K+ live births a year. Balestier Hill Sec and Henderson and other secondary schools have already been \"merged\" so it just a matter of time before the JCs merge. Even for GEP, 3 classes had to shut down in 2016 and another 2 classes were shut down in 2017 due to the shrinking pupil cohort. So who knows, govt might just shut down another 2 JCs next year.


However, the govt planning could be better improved? Tampines is the biggest estate in Singapore and they will be left with 1 JC after this merger excercise. Whereas Bishan, with a smaller population, will have two JCs there. :scratchhead:

Or maybe the govt now wants to promote STEM (Science/Technology/Engineering/Maths) education and trying to shepherd more to poly? I wonder if we will see a merger of the polys and opening of new JCs when another new educational minister takes over. :rotflmao:

Some asked why open EJC when within a few years, 4 JCs will be \"merged\"? Let's not forget EJC was planned under the previous educational minister hor, so \"change minister must change policy\".

To put it crudely, even when a NTUC store changes its manager, the new manager will re-arrange the shelves until I can't find my canned food. :siam:

MOE already attributed to declining live births in the press release.

https://s21.postimg.org/3nrdf77af/170420_moe_falling-births_online.jpg\">

Joint IP of SCGS, CHS and SNGS was conceptualised not during the 'previous' Ed Min's (HSK) term, but NEH's.

Thank you for attaching the graphics to reinforce my point about the declining birth rate being a determining factor.

Whether HSK or NEH, both were 'previous' ministers of education. My main contention is that, with every change of minister, there are bound to be changes in the directions, which may lead to a seemingly contradiction in policies. So on one hand, open a brand-new IPJC (and spending $XXXmil in the process) and on the other hand, merging 4 established JCs.

[mum_sugoku]

floppy:

mum_sugoku:

Since the affected JCs will cease admitting students from next year, we shall see if, come 2018, max COP of least popular JC remains unchanged at 20pts. Else, we'll have ground to suspect that MOE is indeed downsizing JCs to force borderline scorers to go poly instead.

COP is based on supply and demand. COP will probably change with an increase in places, but +2 at best. It's unlikely to fall drastically unless the supply (availability of places) is ramped up significantly.

To offer a max COP of 20, it would have to be a deliberate decision to artificially maintain it at 20 given the reduction in available places.

MOE's official justification for 'merging' JCs is that it expects enrollment to fall due to falling birthrates. It also says remaining JCs will increase intakes to ensure whoever qualifies for JC can get into one.

So by right, falling birth rate => smaller cohort size => fewer borderline scorers (20-pointers), coupled with increased intake in the remaining JCs, all 20-point JC applicants can still get into one and hence, COP remains unchanged at 20. - This is what MOE says.

On the other hand, if a reduction in JCs results in supply not meeting demand, then, come next year, 20-pointers (or even 19-pointers) may not be able to get a place in JC anymore; perhaps only 18-pointers could make it. Max COP for JC becomes 18, and 19, 20-pointers can only go to poly instead. - This is what we are speculating here.

[phtthp]

Serangoon JC students can say they are from Anderson.


Instead of calling it Yishun JC, maybe rename it to Innoshun JC

[starlight1968sg]

Janet

Do you mean after studying in a poly (so received the grant), when the student enters the U, he will have to pay full like a foreigner instead of receiving the grant as the majority citizen?

[sharonkhoo]

starlight1968sg:

Janet

Do you mean after studying in a poly (so received the grant), when the student enters the U, he will have to pay full like a foreigner instead of receiving the grant as the majority citizen?

This is a question I had, and I checked. The answer is that as long as the S'p citizen student (not sure about PR) is going to higher level of education, he can still receive the tuition grant, i.e., a poly grad will get the tuition grant for university, but not for a 2nd poly diploma.

[starlight1968sg]

Tks, slmkhoo

I am thinking so as this shld be the case ie can receive U tuition grant even after poly tuition grant for citizens