PM Asks "What kind of people do we want to be?"

[Way2GO]

Lilac66:

should our govt increase the no. of U places?

Aren't d gahmen planning to add another 2 uni?
More grads without availability of jobs will be another major problem to handle.

[WeiHan]

Lilac66:

. Looking at South Korea's grads in such a dire state, should our govt increase the no. of U places?

To be fair, our government has been controlling the numbers of grads better than other countries.

In the US, it is known as \"tuition fees bubbles\". Everybody take study loan in a hope of securing a better future with a college degree but end up with all the loan that they cannot afford to pay back.

But then, you see, there is a displeasure broiling in the ground that more places were given to foreigners in our universities. PRs can buy our BTO HDB flats but singles SCs that have served NS can't etc.....Thus, LHL is trying to mitigate some of these displeasure.

[Lilac66]

Way2GO:

Lilac66:

should our govt increase the no. of U places?

Aren't d gahmen planning to add another 2 uni?
More grads without availability of jobs will be another major problem to handle.

Sarcasm intended in the post. I mean why increase the places. What will happen during a slowdown?

[AceTutors123]

3Boys:

An issue (that PM also highlighted, although using different words) is Singaporeans' penchant for externalising blame. Its unfortunately part of the learned helplessness that pervades the middle-aged, middle-classed Singaporean of today.


The root cause of anti-foreigner sentiment is.........anti-foreigner sentiment. If one were not xenophobic to begin with, one could not easily be turned xenophobic by external circumstances.

Well said 3Boys. The last thing I want is for Singapore to be as hostile to foreigners as Australia. I feel sorry enough for fellow Singaporeans who have ventured to Australia and received unwarranted insult.

[Lilac66]

WeiHan:

Lilac66:

. Looking at South Korea's grads in such a dire state, should our govt increase the no. of U places?

To be fair, our government has been controlling the numbers of grads better than other countries.

In the US, it is known as \"tuition fees bubbles\". Everybody take study loan in a hope of securing a better future with a college degree but end up with all the loan that they cannot afford to pay back.

But then, you see, there is a displeasure broiling in the ground that more places were given to foreigners in our universities. PRs can buy our BTO HDB flats but singles SCs that have served NS can't etc.....Thus, LHL is trying to mitigate some of these displeasure.

That may be a concern for us in future, I fear. The only redeeming factor is that the new Us will have more hand-on , practical courses tailored for the real economy. But the vacancies whether it'll be one too many, we'll can only guess for now.


Btw, WeiHan hope your niece is fine now

[WeiHan]

Lilac66:

Btw, WeiHan hope your niece is fine now

Thanks. She is very well now. Still at home. Minimum 6 months before medication that suppress immune system reduces and after that she will be free to go anywhere she likes.

[Lilac66]

WeiHan:

Lilac66:

Btw, WeiHan hope your niece is fine now

Thanks. She is very well now. Still at home. Minimum 6 months before medication that suppress immune system reduces and after that she will be free to go anywhere she likes.

Good to hear that. :rahrah: Nothing is more gratifying than seeing our loved ones hale and hearty.

[Dora1]

I think it is time for us to re-look at the endless academic pursuit of our society. The reason why all parents and students have the burning desire to get into Uni is that the pay discrepancies between graduates and non graduates are very wide, and gets much wider later on in life. Therefore, it is perfectly understandable for parents and students to fight to enter Uni.

We should look into paying non-graduate professions a decent salary, like some of the western countries. Their plumbers, tailors, carpenters, electrician, cooks etc all earn very decent pay. I believe it is also for this reason that schooling is a lot less stressful in their society because, if you are not academically inclined, its perfectly ok. You can choose a skill that you are interested in and good at, and earn a decent living. Of course they cannot be the top earners, but most are comfortably middle class if they have the right skills.
If you compare this with the Singapore model, our kids only have 1 way, that is the Uni way. That’s why all the parents and kids are so stressed. If your kid happens to be academically inclined, well and good. If not, you still have to push them up. cos plumbers, electricians, etc in SG below to the lower income, so they have to struggle for life if they choose this profession.
Of course, there will be a lot of changes that we have to make as a society, e.g. super high fees charged by plumbers and electricians, so must pple must learn and DIY. It will obviously take a long time to change the thinking of the whole society. But I think it’s high time we start exploring the other options instead of just increasing the % of Uni places to fulfill the desire for Uni education, not because of academic pursuit, but as a key to better paying jobs.

[keroppi]

My regular plumber/aircon man, car mechanic and piano tuner guy charge relatively high fees for their labor. And it's so hard to book them. I don't believe their pay are indecent (alamak, not sure why maple leaf comes to mind when I use this word :faint: ). I think the problem lies in the society/parents perceiving these jobs as less glamorous compared to desk-bound ones with air cond offices. Ironically, these are jobs that can withstand economic ups & downs.

[corneyAmber]

Lilac66:

Adapting well seems the way to go now... read the ST report about the unemployed grads in Korea. The usual route of going to renown Us now mean nothing there. 30% of PHD holders were jobless last year.


To survive in the future, we can see that academic achievement is not a sure route to success, many more attributes are needed. Looking at South Korea's grads in such a dire state, should our govt increase the no. of U places?

That is why whenever I say I am not interested in academic achievement for my child as the focus... people will :roll: their eyes at me... like I speak Greek not Singlish.... kekeke It is always good to get a decent education but it is important to know how to live.