Source: Channel News Asia, 06 September 2013

SINGAPORE: Acting Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean has suggested there is scope for Singapore’s education institutes and programmes to have a more open admission system.

Speaking at the topping out ceremony for the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) on Friday, Mr Teo stressed the need to continue keeping the pathways to success open to all.

He also urged Singaporeans who have done well to help preserve a greater sense of community in society.

Singapore’s fourth university celebrated the structural completion of its seven-storey building at its East Coast campus.

Mr Teo said SUTD is a good example of the government’s commitment to provide more educational pathways for Singaporeans.

However, he noted that institutes of higher learning place a heavy weightage on past academic results.

More pathways can mean more open admission systems for students, to take into account factors like work experience.

Mr Teo said: “This is already being done, but we should study how more of it can be done, so that people will have the opportunity to try, and always feel that they have the opportunity to do so. The standards for graduation and for progressing from one level to the next should be maintained, in order to maintain the value of the qualification, but even if some students do not complete the full course of study, they could acquire useful knowledge and benefit from the experience.”

He said success ultimately depends on one’s own effort and ability. However, pathways must be kept open at every stage of life. This is so that Singaporeans who work hard can fulfill their potential, excel and have a better life.

Mr Teo reminded students that as they take up the opportunities offered at the university, it is not just about individual success.

Those who have succeeded must help those who have not done as well.

He said: “For it is only by working together as a people, that we can provide the best and widest opportunities for each person – better than if we each strived on our own, or worse, strived against each other.”

The SUTD campus sits on 23 hectares of land next to the Singapore Expo. The first phase of construction includes three academic buildings and two residential blocks. These are expected to be completed by the end of next year.

Also on display at the SUTD for the first time are structures from the Qing dynasty, donated by film star Jackie Chan.