Debated in Parliament on 16 Oct 2012.
Mr Ang Wei Neng asked the Minister for Education (a) of the 634,098 resident graduates aged 15 years and above in 2010, how many are graduates from local publicly-funded universities in the age group of (i) 25-29 years; and (ii) 30 years and above; (b) what are the social and economic implications of having an unequal gender proportion (43% male and 57% female) of resident university graduates in the age group of 25-29 years; and (c) how will the 5th and 6th publicly-funded universities change the profile of young graduates.
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Of the total resident graduates aged 15 years and above in 2010, the following proportions graduated from local publicly-funded universities:
(a) About 44% of those in the 25-29 years age group; and
(b) About 33% of those in the 30-34 years age group.
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Although the statistics for resident graduates aged 25-29 years suggests that a higher proportion of females are graduates compared to males (43% male and 57% female), the disparity is not as sharp after accounting for National Service for males. This can be attributed to the fact that many males in the 25-26 age group would not have graduated yet.
It is important to note that our universities accept students based on merit, regardless of gender. Our workplaces also promote fair and merit-based employment practices regardless of gender, as laid out in the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices, formulated by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP).
The Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and SIM University (UniSIM) will raise our publicly-funded university cohort participation rate to 40% by 2020 by developing a distinct applied degree pathway to cater to a broader range of students with different learning preferences and interests. This will provide more opportunities for university education for our young people, and increase the proportion of graduates among the younger workforce. We also expect more to upgrade to degrees via part-time places through enhancements to our Continuing Education and Training offerings, which would raise the graduate profile in the overall workforce over time.
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