Archive for the ‘School’ Category
A Fourth University for Singapore?
The Government is thinking of setting up a fourth university. “One university for every one million,” says DPM Tony Tan — a handy slogan, if ever there was one.
As an undergraduate, this issue strikes me close to home. My visceral response is to reject the notion out-of-hand. A university degree ought to imply some exclusivity, and opening a 4th university, and a 5th and 6th, will erode the prestige that’s attached to the degree. Effectively, you get ‘degree inflation’. Though more Singaporeans get Singaporean degrees, Singaporean degrees are perceived as less valuable; the bar is raised even higher, and everyone loses out. The fact that Job Applicant X has a degree no longer conveys useful information to her prospective employer about her intellectual and professional calibre.
Eventually, the ‘gold standard’ is forced upwards: a postgraduate degree, a double degree, a joint local-overseas degree, etc. In fact, this inflationary pressure already manifests itself in the rising demand for and the (correspondingly) rising supply of double-degree and joint degree programmes at the 3 universities.
The Concept of a “University”: An Analysis of Basic Features
I do think this intuitive view has some truth to it. But to avoid being branded an (irrational) elitist, I must justify this view. From a critical standpoint, I object to how we tend to use the word, “university”, very loosely, not least in Singapore. We need to unpack this concept of a “university”, so that we know what exactly are the implications of maintaining 4-6 universities in Singapore.
The First ‘Current Affairs’ Post! (Odex and Legal Academia)
I’m toying with the idea of having this blog go on its “IPO” once it hits 20 substantive posts. Such exhibitionism would be quite unlike me, though. Anyway, that milestone is a little far off, given my chronic inconsistency.
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So far, despite my resolving to comment on wider political and legal issues, I’ve been rather derelict in fulfilling that commitment. But let me start now, with short remarks on Odex’s case against PacNet, as well as Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong’s comments on legal academia.
Surviving the first year of law school: a guide
I’ve been roped in to join a student panel discussion (organized by the LAWR tutors) next Monday on the aforementioned topic, and this post mainly serves to consolidate what I’m planning to say, and also to leave something for posterity, for the legions of NUS law students who will follow after me…
Without further ado, my non-exhaustive guide (last edited 5 Sep 07):
The NUS S/U Option Saga
A little word about the S/U Option controversy that’s currently raging through the student community (although it doesn’t impact me, as a law student).
Background facts are as follows:
NUS students from several faculties are permitted to exercise a Satisfactory / Unsatisfactory Option over a maximum of 12 credits from any modules they are taking. If they exercise an S/U Option, they only need to get a pass in that module; their actual grades don’t count towards their CAP. The philosophy behind this scheme is to enable students to pursue their interests without worrying too much about how their CAP might be adversely affected.
Students had to exercise the S/U Option by mid-semester. Now, though, NUS apparently has changed its policy, allowing students matriculating in AY 07/08 to exercise their S/U Option only after the results are announced. This change of policy does not extend to students who matriculated earlier.
The seniors are considerably riled up by this perceived ‘unfairness’. Personally, I don’t see what the whole ruckus is about. There is no unfairness as far as I can tell.
