Singapore Institute of Technology Bill

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, let me thank Mr Lim Biow Chuan, Mr Yee Jenn Jong and Mr Christopher de Souza for speaking in support of the Bill. I am very heartened by the Members' strong support for the education of Singaporeans in general, and for SIT in particular. This bodes very well for the future of SIT and in particular your endorsement of the unique pedagogy that SIT will be adopting. So, let me address some of the specific concerns and comments which have been raised.

Page: 126

Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked about the standing of SIT's degrees and whether the SIT's degrees will be recognised by employers both here and abroad. Sir, although offering degrees in its own name is new for SIT, SIT itself is not new, having been around since 2009. Over the past five years, SIT has worked closely with the industry and has produced graduates who are well received by the industry. SIT will continue to maintain close links with the industry and to ensure that its graduates can excel. The Bill that is before the House will also clearly signal the Government's support for SIT and its degrees. MOE will also put in place the governance and quality assurance framework for SIT, similar to that for the current autonomous universities, to maintain the rigour of the programmes and that standards are maintained across the university. The expansion of places and programmes at SIT will also be carefully calibrated to maintain these standards. With these measures, I am confident that graduates of SIT's own degree programmes will be recognised both here and abroad, and have their distinctive standing.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan has also asked whether SIT will offer other of its own degrees beyond the current three and the status of SIT's collaboration with overseas universities. Sir, as Mr Christopher de Souza has also shared, these collaborations have produced graduates who are highly valued for the industry relevant skillsets. Thus, SIT's collaborations with overseas universities remain important, especially for the niche areas where certain overseas institutions and overseas universities have specialised expertise and where it is difficult to build critical mass in Singapore.

As SIT builds up its capabilities, it will offer other degrees in its own name as it would need to respond to changing demands in the industry. Our intent is for SIT to be able to respond dynamically to these changes. However, the pace of expansion would have to be calibrated to ensure that the quality of the programmes stays high.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan has also asked about how we could ensure a high quality of education in SIT. Mr Yee Jenn Jong mentioned about a more distinctive pedagogy. Mr Christopher de Souza has also noted that SIT will be pioneering the applied degree pathway and will offer young Singaporeans a distinctive education focused on integrating theory and practice as well as hard skills and soft skills. This approach will permeate across SIT's curriculum, pedagogy and assessment.

So, let me say a few words on how each of these elements – curriculum, pedagogy and assessment – will shape SIT's distinctive approach and how we

Page: 127

could ensure that its quality will be maintained.

On curriculum, SIT will tap heavily on its industry partnerships to ensure that its curriculum is current and relevant. I am glad that many companies recognise the value of SIT's approach and have stepped up to offer their support. Mr Yee Jenn Jong mentioned about partnership with industry associations. I am very pleased to say that key companies have already signed Memoranda of Understanding with SIT or offered to sit on SIT's Industry Advisory Committee to help shape SIT's curriculum.

In terms of pedagogy, SIT will not just focus on teaching students to learn to work, but rather to learn by work. Here again, the industry will play a crucial role. SIT students will undergo structured and longer work attachments aimed at integrating classroom learning and the application of theory at work. SIT students will also be able to take on applied projects, centred on real-life work-related issues following their attachments. Such experiences with industry will be invaluable in preparing SIT students for work and life after graduation.

Finally, SIT will also seek to cultivate in its students the important habits of continually learning, unlearning and relearning in order to adapt to dynamic trends.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan had also touched on a very critical aspect of developing values and character in our students, including at the universities. Indeed, education is not just about learning technical knowledge or preparing for work. Rather, it is in developing one's character, developing a curious and lively interest in the world around us and developing an interest to create value. The board of SIT and its leadership team are deeply committed to both character development and the habit of lifelong learning.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked where lecturers and tutors will be recruited. Indeed, this is a very important aspect of how SIT will be run. In line with SIT's focus on applied pathway, SIT intends to recruit a significant proportion of lecturers with relevant industry experience and the requisite academic qualifications. The most important quality, though, will be a passion for teaching, a passion for making a difference to our students.

Mr Yee Jenn Jong mentioned that SIT does not have a centralised campus. In fact, SIT does. It has a current centralised campus at Dover Road as well as five distributed centres. I have met many students of SIT as well as graduates of SIT and discussed this with them. It is important indeed to create that sense

Page: 128

of identity and that sense of being part of one university. I have been studying this issue for some time now, and we will announce details when we are ready. In fact, I have also asked the leadership of SIT to not just think about creating the sense of identity but to think about how the university can play a role in the broader community.

Mr Christopher de Souza mentioned about the need to diversify the education sector to enable us to provide a number of distinct pathways for students to excel based on their individual strengths, and I fully agree with him. That is why we have developed SIT to offer an applied degree pathway to add diversity to our higher education landscape and to provide educational opportunities to a greater number of young Singaporeans.

In line with the philosophy of an applied education, SIT is adopting a more holistic admissions framework that will look at criteria such as work experience, hands-on orientation and passion for the programme, and their own unique strengths and interests. This will allow us to have a wider spectrum of students with different strengths and learning preferences the access to a skills-based degree qualification.

I am happy to share that SIT is already off to a good start. Its recent Open House drew significant interest from a broad range of students and it will be extending its outreach to build public awareness of its new degree programmes.

Mr Yee Jenn Jong shared the story of Lawrence and how our students have been benefiting from the expansion of university pathways and the way that we have created a more diverse university landscape, including at SMU. I thank the Member for raising this point. In fact, opportunities for our students to access higher education, be it through the ITE or the Polytechnics and the universities, have expanded significantly in the last decade. So, apart from students who enter full-time programmes at our autonomous universities, many more are also doing part-time programmes at our existing autonomous universities particularly at NUS and NTU, and more so at UniSIM and all these programmes are heavily subsidised.

Sir, MOE will continue to ensure that our youths have access to high quality education that enables them to realise their potential and aspirations, and to contribute back to our society. Certainly, the degree qualifications signal a certain level of competency. I would like to add that what matters most of all, is the deep skills and expertise of our students, the disposition to continue learning all their lives and the character traits and emotional competencies that

Page: 129

allow them to lead, care and strive. These are the endearing qualities that will allow them to succeed at work and in life.

SIT is an exciting endeavour to provide a holistic education and to expand opportunities for our young. As Mr Lim Biow Chuan and Mr Christopher de Souza mentioned, this is another major Government initiative to create many pathways to success, many more distinct paths, different paths that allow us to develop our young more fully. We have high hopes for SIT as our fifth autonomous university that it will develop into an innovative and distinctive institution that nurtures graduates to rise and soar in their chosen fields, while staying rooted and committed to our society.

Once again, I thank Members for their support of the Bill, and look forward to your continued support for the education of our young.

*Question put, and agreed to.*

*Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House.*

*The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. – [Mr Heng Swee Keat].*

*Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed.*