One Stop Portal - Education In Singapore

NUS medical school sees greater diversity in intake

2019-07-15T05:00:00.000+08:00

The school admitted 280 out of some 2,000 applicants this year.ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

It wants doctors with right values and skills to better handle challenges in healthcare

Senior Education Correspondent

Singapore's oldest and largest medical school now has students with more diverse academic backgrounds to better deal with healthcare challenges, following changes in the way applicants are evaluated.

Professor Chong Yap Seng, dean of the National University of Singapore's Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, told The Straits Times in an interview that in recent years, more polytechnic graduates and students from a wider range of junior colleges are being admitted.

The school admitted 280 out of some 2,000 applicants this year. Around 40 per cent of incoming freshmen are from junior colleges that are not among the top-ranked.

Prof Chong attributed the trend to the rising calibre of JC and polytechnic students and to a new admission system, saying: "Selecting students for medical school should not be just about grades, but about whether they have the right skills and values to be good doctors."

Singapore's chief health scientist and executive director of the Health Ministry's Office for Healthcare Transformation yesterday echoed this emphasis on skills and values in a commencement speech.

Addressing this year's NUS medical school graduates, Professor Tan Chorh Chuan said they should not focus overly on becoming narrow specialists.

As patients age, they develop multiple medical conditions, and their health and well-being are also affected by social, economic and environmental factors. This shows the importance of holistic patient care.

"There is clearly a tension between this need and the trend towards greater medical specialisation... My hope is that you would not overly focus on becoming narrow specialists but keep yourself sufficiently grounded in broader-based medical practice," he added.

"There is a crucial and growing role for good family physicians and generalist doctors, and I hope you would consider these as compelling options for the future."

Prof Tan, a former NUS president, also addressed the concern that trust in general is diminishing and trust in experts is being eroded.

He found this worrying as the doctor-patient relationship, the effectiveness of the healthcare system and the partnership between the health professions and society at large are grounded on trust. "It is therefore critical that all of us in the health professions work on this together, to actively contribute to building trust with our patients and the wider community," he added.

Factors like empathy are key. NUS' medical school assesses applicants beyond grades, and evaluates them on attributes such as empathy and teamwork via a series of interviews. They are also tested on how they make judgments in real-life scenarios. Shortlisted students get interviewed at several stations, with doctors, nurses and even people posing as patients speaking to them.

"Doctors should not come from just one segment of society. It is good if they come from different backgrounds and bring different strengths," said Prof Chong, who took over as dean in January.

The school is also introducing courses in areas such as health informatics, social determinants of health and health economics to nurture doctors who can adapt to new knowledge, interventions and changing patterns of illness.

"There are many challenges facing Singapore's healthcare system. But the key to overcoming these challenges lies in nurturing compassionate, competent and innovative future doctors," said Prof Chong.

Polys to offer fast-track programme to degree and a job

2019-07-13T05:00:00.000+08:00

Temasek Polytechnic students Kenneth Lim and Cecilia Soh are both keen to apply for the new programme, as it will allow them to graduate with a degree faster. It will also provide job security as they will return to their sponsoring companies after graduation as full-time employees. ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO

Students selected to take this route will graduate from university up to a year earlier than peers

Amelia Teng

Education Correspondent

A new "through-train" programme starting next year will allow polytechnic students to not just get a place in a local university, but also be assured of a job.

Students on this route will also graduate from university up to a year earlier than their peers.

For a start, Temasek Polytechnic (TP) has tied up with the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) and the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) to offer this new pathway in April next year for 40 students in the building services and mechatronics sectors.

This was announced by Education Minister Ong Ye Kung yesterday at a work-learn carnival at Nanyang Polytechnic.

The higher learning institutions have in recent years offered a host of work-study programmes at the diploma and degree levels, in a trend that is seeing more convergence between work and study.

But this new pathway, which will be expanded to more courses, is the first such programme in Singapore that gives full-time diploma students a guaranteed route to a degree.

Students in TP's mechatronics diploma will go on to SIT's Bachelor of Engineering in mechanical design and manufacturing engineering, while those in TP's integrated facility management or green building and sustainability course may move on to SUSS' Bachelor of Science in facilities management.

They will take three or more university modules in their third year of polytechnic, go on an internship with their sponsoring companies and graduate with a diploma.

In university, they will study and work concurrently for the company, and after graduation return as full-time employees. The entire programme will take about five years.

Mr Ong said: "Essentially, students entering this pathway will be embarking on a Work Study Degree Programme, but starting during their diploma programme.

"Students will have a seamless integrated pathway that allows for a longer and more effective workplace learning stint with the same employer."

"Companies will also benefit through a longer engagement with the trainees and can better plan for their deployment and career progression," he added.

In a speech addressing 1,500 polytechnic students and employers, he said that existing work-study programmes will be expanded.

The Nanyang Technological University will offer six new work-study degrees in areas such as engineering, data science and business analytics in the new academic year that begins next month. Currently, the local universities offer 16 work-study degree programmes.

The polytechnics will roll out another 15 new Earn and Learn programmes (ELP), while the Institute of Technical Education is adding more work-learn technical diploma programmes, which are also a form of ELP, to its current slate of 14. In total, there are currently 123 ELPs.

Mr Gary Lim, deputy director of TP's SkillsFuture Academy, said students on the new pathway will not have to repeat similar modules across polytechnic and university.

"Many polytechnic students today have the aspiration to obtain a degree. At the same time, we cannot neglect the fact that Singapore is facing a manpower shortage in some areas," he said.

Students will be selected yearly for the programme after interviews with the universities and employers, and need to maintain an academic grade point average to continue in the programme. More than five companies and 15 students have expressed interest so far.

TP second-year mechatronics student Cecilia Soh, 18, wants to apply for the programme as it will give her a head start to university and her career, and allow her to graduate faster.

Her coursemate Kenneth Lim, 18, is also keen to take the same route because of the job security it offers.

"It is also more difficult to get into university from polytechnic, so having that added security is good."

Making NUS and NTU great Singapore universities

2019-06-02T05:00:00.000+08:00

It is important for both to develop their own authentic Singaporean characteristic

ST ILLUSTRATION : CEL GULAPA

By Han Fook Kwang

Editor-at-Large

Singapore can rightfully be proud of its universities being among the top ranked in the world.

According to the Times Higher Education ranking, the National University of Singapore (NUS) is 23rd and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is 51st in this year's list.

But their stellar achievements have also attracted criticism that they are overly focused on these rankings, even more so now that they are so highly placed.

Everyone knows ranking is a bit of a game and it is possible to improve one's position by focusing only on those areas that matter, such as in research and the international reputation of the faculty.

But Singapore universities are also national teaching institutions tasked with educating the nation's brightest minds.

The quality of teaching is hard to measure and hence not easy to take into account, if at all, in these rankings.

A university might be great for teaching students who benefit enormously as a result, but if its research work does not get published in top-tier journals, it will be ranked poorly compared with another with the opposite attributes.

You can guess where a rank-conscious university will put its resources into.

Research and teaching are both important and universities should do both well.

But what sort of research?

When resources are limited, it makes more sense to focus on studies that support the country's economic and social development to advance the people's well-being.

This is especially important here because the Government has made research and innovation a key part of its plan to transform the economy to make it more competitive and productive.

For Singapore, it is a matter of economic survival, and big bucks are involved.

The budget under the five-year Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2020 plan is $19 billion - the sixth since 1995, amounting to $60.5 billion in all, over 25 years.

What has been the result so far?

The RIE2020 plan lists some of the achievements: NUS and NTU rising up the world rankings; the number of research institutes under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research has increased to 20; the development of the pharmaceutical industry; the progress made by universities and hospitals working together to advance healthcare; and various industry-science projects including the Keppel-NUS Corporate Laboratory and the Institute of Microelectronics' Advanced Semiconductor Joint Labs.

What is not so clear is whether these achievements have been worth those billions spent, including years of effort by so many of Singapore's top brains.

At best, you can say it is an investment, even if a bit of a gamble, that will hopefully pay off in the future.

For ordinary Singaporeans, it is hard to make a meaningful accounting of the results because most have no knowledge or experience in these matters.

They can only hope those in charge know what they are doing.

A key issue is deciding what the universities and research institutes focus on.

What should a Singapore university work on that will make a difference to the country and its people?

The question is not just about research but ultimately about identity.

In fact, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong himself raised it in a speech in 2015.

This was how he put it: "It is very gratifying that we are ranked so high, and our hard work has been recognised. But, at the same time, we should keep a level head and realise that our universities' KPI should not be how high or low the rankings are.

"Rather, the KPI should be how well the universities serve Singapore. Whether they are academically and intellectually rigorous and vibrant, and at the same time develop an authentic Singaporean character."

Four years hence, the question remains: What is the authentic Singaporean characteristic of NUS and NTU?

A follow-up question: Which university abroad do they draw inspiration from?

I hope it is not an American university because the United States is too different from Singapore in so many respects - in size, culture, history and, increasingly, its politics.

Yet, all too often, university leaders here appear to look towards it for the next new project, as they did in the past, including the Duke-NUS Medical School, the Yale-NUS College and the Singapore University of Technology and Design's collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

These US partners are all world-class universities in their own right, but they serve America's needs first and foremost.

If not the US, where?

I have one in mind, though you have probably never heard of it.

At No. 59, Wageningen University and Research (WUR) in the Netherlands isn't as highly ranked in the Times list as NUS or NTU. But it has helped the Netherlands become a global powerhouse in agriculture and horticulture.

The Netherlands is one of the smaller countries in Europe with a population of only 17 million. Yet it has become the largest exporter of live trees and plants and the third-largest exporter of agricultural products in the world.

Such an outstanding achievement requires highly efficient, innovative and productive methods of cultivation, from years of research into seeds, soil, irrigation, planting methods and greenhouse technology.

WUR has been at it for decades now, working with entrepreneurs and farmers in the country, developing a deep working relationship with them.

It is not just about research but about collaboration and partnerships across many different levels of Dutch society.

This was what Dr Ernst van den Ende, managing director of the Plant Sciences Group at WUR, was quoted as saying in his university publication: "On his own, an entrepreneur or researcher would never have achieved this, but together, in an open research structure, you can spend 15 years studying, testing and putting this innovation on the market.

"The time when our researchers simply 'scattered' their knowledge among entrepreneurs is far behind us. The whole process is increasingly one of interaction and exchange... This keeps the rate at which knowledge is converted into cash consistently high at the WUR."

The Dutch have a long history of overcoming their geographical constraints - much of the country is below sea level and prone to flooding - and they have had to develop the skills to turn adversity to advantage.

Their flood alleviation technology is acknowledged as the world's best and much sought after by many cities, supported by years of research from their universities such as the Delft University of Technology (TUD).

When universities specialise in issues that people in the country can identify with, there is a natural alignment of interests between them, businesses and citizens.

WUR and TUD made their mark in areas that are relevant to the Netherlands, contributing to the country's well-being in highly visible ways.

They are universities with an authentic Dutch characteristic.

Can NUS and NTU find their calling in a similar way?

• The writer is also senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

NUS, NTU shine in global league table by subject

2019-02-28T05:00:00.000+08:00

14 of their offerings in top 10 amid decline among China, Japan, S. Korea, HK schools

Sandra Davie

Senior Education Correspondent

Singapore's two leading universities - the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) - have done well in a league table comparing universities around the world by subjects.

The latest edition of the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject released yesterday showed that in total, 14 Singapore subject offerings ranked in the global top 10.

This was more than the combined totals of China (four), Hong Kong (three) and Japan (three).

Of Singapore's 14 top-10 performances, nine were achieved by NUS, and five by NTU.

Singapore Management University broke into the top 50 for the study of business and management. In doing so, it reached its highest ever rank in this subject table - No. 41.

QS, a London-based higher education analyst firm, stressed that Singapore's universities continue to improve, with 41 of its 76 ranked university departments improving their positions year on year.

It said these results come amid a widespread Asian malaise at the very top, with China, South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan all regressing.

The data is used to evaluate more than 1,200 universities across 78 places, providing students, policymakers, academic administrators, faculty and employers with unique insight into institutional performance. The methodology comprises four key indicators:

• Academic reputation: In how much esteem a particular university is held by the global academic community.

• Employer reputation: How highly employers worldwide regard a particular institution's graduates.

• Citations per paper: How impactful, on average, a faculty's research is.

• H-Index: How productive, and impactful, the average scholar at a given faculty is.

The highest rank of any Singapore university was achieved by NUS.

It rose from No. 6 to No. 2 in civil and structural engineering, having overtaken the University of Cambridge and the University of California, Berkeley.

NTU remained the world's third-best university for the study of materials science.

Harvard University remained the world's leading university, ranking as the world's best institution for the study of 12 subjects.

Its closest competitor was still the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which was the world leader in 11 subjects. However, the United States' higher education system continued to decline relative to competitors, with six fewer No. 1 ranks than last year.

Mr Ben Sowter, director of research at QS, said: "Singapore has long been Asia's most successful higher education system in our rankings, but there is some evidence that its ascendancy may be beginning to increase further. With China, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan all seeing their number of top-10 and top-20 places decrease, Singapore is the only major Asian higher education system to record consistent improvements.

"This is driven by the increasing desirability of Singaporean graduates, with the average score achieved by its universities for our employer reputation indicator rising this year."

Mr Sowter added that though QS stresses the importance of a nation cultivating a successful system - because the best higher education sectors are those that serve an entire population - Singapore's trajectory could see it take a global No. 1 rank in its subject tables in future years.

This could happen as the Republic's universities have come close to entering the global top-10 in the overall QS World University Rankings. "These would be significant milestones for a group of universities that remain as ambitious as they are competitive," Mr Sowter said.

Why graduates from S'pore's newer universities find it easier to get jobs

2018-10-16T05:00:00.000+08:00

SIT graduates enjoy high employability because of the university's strong commitment to an industry-centric and practice-oriented education, says the author.Facebook / SIT

By WOO JUN JIE

According to the 2017 Joint Graduate Employment Survey that was released last month, graduates from the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) were more likely to find employment within the first six months of completing their final examinations, compared to their counterparts from other universities.

Furthermore, the overall employment rate of SIT graduates was 92.3 per cent in 2017, up 3.3 per cent from 2016.

This is significantly higher than the overall employment figure for graduates from the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Singapore Management University (SMU), which stood at 88.9 per cent, a slight dip from 2016’s 89.5 per cent.

Similarly, the Singapore University of Technology and Design outperformed NUS, NTU and SMU, reporting an overall employment rated reported of 91.4 per cent, up 0.4 per cent from 2016.

While the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) has yet to complete its graduate employment survey of its pioneer batch of 168 full-time degree graduates, anecdotal data has shown that SUSS graduates receive good job offers and high salaries as well.

Despite being relatively new to Singapore’s higher education scene, SUSS, SIT and SUTD have exhibited a strong ability to produce graduates who are highly attractive to potential employers. These figures also raise several important questions.

How have the three newer universities achieved this level of success in such a short span of time? And are NUS, NTU and SMU losing their shine as higher education institutions?

At the heart of SIT's and SUSS’ success in graduate employability is the two universities’ strong commitment to an industry-centric and practice-oriented education.

Indeed, the two universities were established to provide students with an applied-degree pathway that aims to integrate theoretical knowledge with real-life application.

Furthermore, both universities feature longer-than-usual work attachments for their students, with those from SIT typically spending eight to 12 months in such stints under the university’s Integrated Work Study Programme (IWSP).

Due to their extensive work experience, SIT graduates are seen as more capable of adapting to their new work environments and jumping right into their new roles and responsibilities.

More importantly, these work attachments are grounded in the university’s practice-oriented curriculum as well its efforts to ensure the availability of internship opportunities. For instance, the content and schedule of IWSP are customised according to industry needs.

Indeed, I know of personal contacts within the SIT faculty who have spent an extensive amount of time carrying out industry scanning and networking with industry partners.

This helps the faculty members to obtain a deeper understanding of what employers expect from a university graduate, which in turn helps inform the university’s curriculum and pedagogy.

In contrast, the three older and more established universities tend to take a more traditional and academic approach to designing their pedagogy and curricula.

Indeed, there is a strong emphasis on theoretical knowledge in NUS and NTU, as well as a ‘chalk-and-talk’ approach among many of its lecturers.

Certainly, there is nothing inherently wrong with this approach. Having spent much of my academic career in these two universities, I appreciate the strong theoretical grounding that an NUS or NTU education provides for its graduates.

However, an increasingly complex economy that is rife with change and disruption may necessitate closer linkages between universities and industries.

In order to ensure greater employability among our graduates, there is a need to first ensure that degree programmes are attuned to the real-world needs of firms and industries.

This may require reducing an emphasis on theory and introducing more applied learning to our curricula.

It should also be noted that NUS, NTU and SMU have established themselves as leading research institutions. But an over-emphasis on research can have detrimental effects on educational outcomes.

More extensive and structured industry attachments will certainly help our students attain much-needed work experience before they graduate.

While SIT and SUSS have been earmarked by the Education Ministry to provide applied degree programmes, other universities such as NUS and NTU can also foster greater linkages with industries.

This will help ensure that degree programmes and curricula remain relevant and attuned to the needs of industry and employers.

Such efforts cannot be left to administrative staff; university faculty members will need to play a bigger role.

For instance, faculty members may need to spend much more time networking with their industry partners, in order to understand the skills and competencies that will be required of their students upon graduation.

Indeed, professors who are not actively engaged with industry and society run the risk of becoming ‘out of touch’ with Singapore’s overall socio-economic milieu.

This will in turn hamper their ability to provide a comprehensive and relevant education for their students. One can even argue that such engagement with industry and society can make our professors better teachers.

Furthermore, such efforts should not end with graduation. As Singapore’s universities are increasingly called upon to participate in the Ministry of Education’s efforts to encourage lifelong learning, there is also a need to ensure that university alumni remain employable for the rest of their careers.

To this end, all six universities have established schools or colleges for adult education and lifelong learning, such as NTU’s College of Professional and Continuing Education.

The ultimate aim of a university is to ensure that our students are well-educated and capable of securing meaningful employment.

While other activities, such as research, can also contribute to knowledge creation and help foster innovation, these should not come at the expense of the university’s fundamental role as an institution of higher education.

As the needs of Singapore’s economy continue to shift and change, universities will need to reorient their curriculum and pedagogy accordingly.

The success of newer universities such as SIT and SUSS in ensuring graduate employability can present useful learning points for all universities and educators alike.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Woo Jun Jie is an Assistant Professor in the Public Policy & Global Affairs Programme, Nanyang Technological University.

Rankings need to evolve and evaluate wider impact of unis: Ong Ye Kung

2018-09-27T05:00:00.001+08:00

Global rankings need to go beyond just publications and citations, said Education Minister Ong Ye Kung, seen here with Professor Ho Teck Hua, who chaired a dialogue session at an education summit at NUS yesterday.ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG

Amelia Teng

Education Correspondent

With universities going through deep changes to keep pace with disruption - from the way they teach to the research they do - how they are ranked also needs to evolve.

Rankings need to go beyond just publications and citations, and instead take into account how a university works with industries, communities and government, and improves these areas.

Education Minister Ong Ye Kung made this call yesterday at an education summit at the National University of Singapore (NUS) that was organised by Times Higher Education, which publishes one of the world's most recognised university rankings.

"If there is a change I wish for... it will be to evaluate the effectiveness of a university in collaborating with the world outside of academia - industries, society, communities, government - and delivering impact in all these sectors. This will go way beyond publications and citations, which are the easiest to measure today and we may have relied on quite a lot."

He explained this was also the view of the International Academic Advisory Panel (IAAP), comprising university leaders and chief executives of global companies, that met in Singapore in June to discuss higher education. The panel agreed that current rankings rely too much on research indicators and overlook other areas such as experiential learning and entrepreneurship.

He said "the IAAP was quite unanimous in expressing that today's methodology needs to be enhanced to take into account the varied and profound roles of universities today".

Mr Ong also highlighted two aspects of university collaboration with the outside world.

One is working closely with industry "to seek the next competitive breakthroughs and innovations".

TOWARDS EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

There is a realisation that lifelong learning will change the rhythm and mix of education. There is less pressure for universities to front-load knowledge during formal years of undergraduate studies, and more effort is required to make university education experiential.

EDUCATION MINISTER ONG YE KUNG

"We are bringing industries into campuses, and vice versa. So, it is not just a flipped classroom, but also flipped campuses and flipped faculties. Not just asking students to contribute in class, but industries contributing to education."

He gave the example of the National Institute of Education, which not only trains teachers here, but also conducts research and spearheads innovation in schools.

Another aspect of collaboration is for universities to recognise the work of academia in industries and government, and encourage a flow of talent between the sectors.

An example of this was how Nanyang Technological University's Mely Caballero Anthony was recently promoted to a full professor for her work outside of the university, in chairing the United Nations Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters in 2016, and having served as the director of external relations at the Asean Secretariat.

Mr Ong also said there is a "clear imperative" for more collaboration in social sciences and the humanities, between researchers, the social sector, communities and governments.

"Globalisation has put much stress on societies. Far-right parties are gaining ground in many countries... Inequality and social stratification are an issue across all mature societies," he said. These issues need to be examined "in a robust, evidence-based, scientifically rigorous, outcome-focused way".

He said such work can help the world draw lessons from Singapore. "We should allay the worries that a social scientist has no future doing local research. Singapore is a multicultural, urban and international city... Many countries are curious about our social and governance solutions and our experiments."

Times Higher Education is planning to pilot a new university ranking next April which takes into account factors such as the quality of jobs their graduates land, their contributions to economic growth and innovation, and the global partnerships they forge.

Called the University Impact Rankings, it aims to provide a broader assessment of a university's impact on society.

Mr Phil Baty, editorial director of global rankings at Times Higher Education, had said earlier this month: "(New metrics on impact) is an area we have been exploring and consulting on for many years and takes us well beyond traditional rankings parameters of research and reputation."

NUS loses title of Asia's top uni but scores in global outlook

2018-09-27T05:00:00.000+08:00

NUS, ranked 23rd in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, lost the title of Asia's top university to China's Tsinghua University, which came in 22nd.ST FILE PHOTO

Sandra Davie

Senior Education Correspondent

The National University of Singapore (NUS) may have gone down by just one spot but, in the process, it has been knocked off its perch as Asia's top university by China's Tsinghua University in the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

In the rankings released last night, NUS slipped to No. 23, while Tsinghua University climbed eight places to No. 22.

Last year, NUS tied for 22nd place with the University of Toronto in the annual list, and was ranked as the top Asian university for the third year running. It was also the only one from Asia in the world's top 25 universities list.

Tsinghua University beat Beijing's Peking University to also become China's top university. Peking University was down four places to 31st.

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) moved from the 52nd position to 51st this year.

Times Higher Education magazine, which unveiled its latest rankings last night at the World Academic Summit in Singapore, said Tsinghua's rise is driven largely by improvements in its teaching environment, while Peking's decline is largely due to increasing competition and a drop in research income.

Mr Phil Baty, editorial director of the Times ranking, said that NUS remains "one of the most innovative and dynamic universities in the world".

He added: "NUS has outstanding scores across all of Times Higher Education's core metrics, but it has one of the highest scores of all universities in the elite world top 30 for international outlook, demonstrating that NUS is a magnet for global talent, and a highly sought-after research partner for universities across the world."

But he noted that the new rankings show strong competition from China.

Seven Chinese universities feature in the top 200 this year, with several moving up in the rankings.

He said China has positioned its universities at the heart of its national economic growth strategy.

In contrast, traditional power regions such as America, Europe and Australia are experiencing the effects of deepening cuts and creeping isolationism.

NUS president Tan Eng Chye said he was pleased that NUS continues to be recognised among leading universities in the world and in Asia.

"The nature of work is changing rapidly, and universities will need to innovate and evolve to effectively respond to the Fourth Industrial Revolution," he said.

An NTU spokesman said the university was making steady progress. It has improved on the overall score from last year and ranks as the top university in Singapore for citations and industry income.

The Times ranking - now in its 15th year - lists more than 1,250 higher education institutions from 86 countries this year.

It uses 13 indicators - including research, knowledge transfer to industry and international outlook - to assess a university.

Oxford University claimed the first position for the third consecutive year, while Cambridge retained its second position, and Stanford in the United States held steady in third place.

NUS falls one place in university rankings and loses its title as Asia's No. 1

2018-09-26T21:00:00.000+08:00

The National University of Singapore (NUS) slid one place to the 23rd position in the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings released on Sept 26, 2018.PHOTO: ST FILE

Sandra Davie

Senior Education Correspondent

SINGAPORE - The National University of Singapore (NUS) slid one place to the 23rd position in the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings released on Wednesday (Sept 26), and has lost its Asia's top university accolade to China's Tsinghua University.

Last year, NUS tied for 22nd place with the University of Toronto in the annual list and was ranked as the top Asian university for the third year running. It was also the only one from Asia in the world's top 25 universities list.

Up eight places at No. 22, Tsinghua University beat Beijing's Peking University to become China's top university. Peking University was down four places to 31st.

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) moved from the 52nd position to 51st this year.

Times Higher Education magazine, which unveiled its latest rankings on Wednesday night at the World Academic Summit held in Singapore, said Tsinghua's rise is driven largely by improvements to its teaching environment, while Peking's decline is largely due to increasing competition and a drop in research income.

Mr Phil Baty, editorial director of the Times ranking, said NUS remains "one of the most innovative and dynamic universities in the world".

But he noted that the new rankings show strong competition from China. Seven Chinese universities feature in the top 200 this year, with several moving up in the rankings.

He said China has positioned its universities at the heart of its national economic growth strategy.

In contrast, traditional power regions like America, Europe and Australia are experiencing the effects of deepening cuts and creeping isolationism.

NUS president Tan Eng Chye said he was pleased that NUS continues to be recognised among leading universities in the world and in Asia.

"The nature of work is changing rapidly and universities will need to innovate and evolve to effectively respond to the Fourth Industrial Revolution," he said.

An NTU spokesman said the university was making steady progress.

It has improved on the overall score from last year and ranks as the top university in Singapore for citations and industry income.

The Times ranking, one of the most watched university league tables, uses 13 indicators - including research, knowledge transfer to industry and international outlook - to assess a university.

Oxford University claimed first position for the third consecutive year, while Cambridge retained its second position and Stanford in the United States held steady in third place.

New global ranking to evaluate universities' wider impact on society to be out next year

2018-09-26T16:30:00.000+08:00

Education Minister Ong Ye Kung at the Times Higher Education World Academic Summit on Sept 26, 2018. He said that universities should be evaluated in collaboration with the world outside of academia.ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG

Amelia Teng

Education Correspondent

SINGAPORE - A new way of ranking universities that takes into account factors like the quality of jobs their graduates land, their contributions to economic growth and innovation and the global partnerships they forge will be unveiled next year.

The Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings aims to provide a broader assessment of a university's impact on society.

The initiative, which will be launched as a pilot in April next year, is in line with Education Minister Ong Ye Kung's call for global rankings to measure an institution's impact beyond publications and citations.

He noted in a discussion at the Times Higher Education World Academic Summit here on Wednesday (Sept 26): "Evaluate the effectiveness of a university in collaborating with the world outside of academia - industries, society, communities, government - and delivering impact in all these sectors."

Mr Ong was reiterating the views of the International Academic Advisory Panel that met in Singapore in June to discuss the higher education sector here.

The panel - comprising university leaders and chief executives of global companies - had agreed that current rankings rely too much on research indicators and overlook other areas like experiential learning.

The new league table that Times Higher Education will release next April will assess universities based on 11 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals adopted in 2016. These include providing quality education, achieving gender equality and encouraging innovation.

Mr Phil Baty, editorial director of global rankings at Times Higher Education, said in a statement earlier this month: "Universities contribute a huge amount to society, and this data can help capture unique new insights on how they're addressing some of the most pressing global issues.

"(New metrics on impact) is an area we've been exploring and consulting on for many years and takes us well beyond traditional rankings parameters of research and reputation."

The latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings will be released on Wednesday night.

Mr Ong noted at Wednesday's summit that Singapore has built a good foundation in research and development, drawing from the European traditions in industry-based crafts and guilds and the American research universities.

"Yet all of us should constantly question how the current research model, and system of ranking and evaluation, need to evolve with the times," he said, adding that the definition of a university education and degree is going through a major rethink.

"There is a realisation that lifelong learning will change the rhythm and mix of education. There is less pressure for universities to front load knowledge during formal years of undergraduate studies, and more effort is required to make university education experiential."

Universities also need to join hands with the outside world by working with industry and recognising how academia can contribute to industry and the government, said Mr Ong.

The three-day summit, which ends on Thursday, is being hosted by the National University of Singapore.

More SIT graduates find full-time work: Survey

2018-09-11T05:00:00.000+08:00

The Singapore Institute of Technology started in 2009 with 500 students in 10 degree programmes. Some 82.9 per cent of SIT graduates last year found full-time jobs six months after completing their final exams, up from 77.1 per cent in 2016, but their $3,200 median monthly salary last year did not increase from 2016.ST FILE PHOTO

Amelia Teng

Education Correspondent

More Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) graduates secured full-time permanent jobs last year, results from the university's annual survey show.

The proportion of SIT graduates who found full-time work six months after completing their final examinations was 82.9 per cent last year, up from 77.1 per cent in 2016.

But there was no shift in median gross monthly pay. It remained at $3,200, like in 2016. Overall, 92.3 per cent of SIT graduates found jobs, up from 89 per cent in 2016.

In a statement yesterday, SIT's vice-president for industry and community Ivan Lee said the university is heartened its students continue to "enjoy high employability and competitive salaries despite SIT being a young university".

SIT started in 2009 with 500 students in 10 degree programmes.

Associate Professor Lee said the improved results can be attributed to increased awareness of SIT as Singapore's first university of applied learning, as well as more extensive partnerships cultivated with the industry. "The recovery of the employment climate in the engineering sector also helped to push up the employment rates," he added.

The university said more than 80 per cent of graduates from the accountancy and hospitality business programmes received job offers from the companies they worked in before graduating.

SIT graduate Nurul Afiqah Mohamad Jumad, 23, benefited from the integrated work study programme, joining Ernst & Young as a full-time audit assistant after completing her eight-month work stint at the company. The stint gave her a first-hand experience of what to expect of the profession, she said.

The survey results also show a slight increase in graduates opting for freelance employment, from 2.5 per cent in 2016 to 2.8 per cent last year. But there was a dip in the part-time and temporary employment rate, from 9.4 per cent in 2016 to 6.6 per cent last year.

This is the fourth year that SIT has taken part in the graduate employment survey. About 85 per cent of its cohort of 1,530 graduates responded to the survey, which was conducted from March 1 to May 14 this year.

Due to different academic calendars, the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Singapore Management University (SMU) conduct their surveys in November each year, while the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) conducts its survey in February and SIT in March.

The latest graduate employment survey for NUS, NTU and SMU show that 78.4 per cent of graduates were in full-time permanent work last year, compared with 86.2 per cent of SUTD graduates.

The Singapore University of Social Sciences, which was not represented, will join the survey from the next cycle.

More Singapore Institute of Technology graduates find full-time work

2018-09-10T19:30:00.000+08:00

Overall, 92.3 per cent of SIT graduates found jobs, up from 89 per cent in 2016.PHOTO: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Amelia Teng

Education Correspondent

SINGAPORE - More Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) graduates secured full-time permanent jobs last year, results from the university's annual survey show.

The proportion of SIT graduates who found full-time work six months after completing their final examinations was 82.9 per cent last year, up from 77.1 per cent in 2016.

But there was no shift in median gross monthly pay. It remained at $3,200, like in 2016.

Computing science graduates earned between $3,600 and $3,800, while nursing graduates secured $3,650 in monthly pay.

Overall, 92.3 per cent of SIT graduates found jobs, up from 89 per cent in 2016.

In a statement on Monday (Sept 10), SIT's vice-president (industry and community) Ivan Lee said the university is heartened its students continue to "enjoy high employability and competitive salaries despite SIT being a young university".

SIT started in 2009 with 500 students in 10 degree programmes.

Associate Professor Lee said the improved results can be attributed to increased awareness of SIT as Singapore's first university of applied learning, as well as more extensive partnerships cultivated with the industry through its integrated work study programme, industry projects and professional development programmes.

"The recovery of employment climate in the engineering sector also helps to push up the employment rates," he added.

The university said more than 80 per cent of graduates from the accountancy and hospitality business programmes received job offers from the companies they worked in before graduating.

Prof Lee said: "With the world economy being increasingly unpredictable and complex, more and more employers value real work experience."

SIT graduate Nurul Afiqah Mohamad Jumad benefited from the integrated work study programme, joining Ernst & Young as a full-time audit assistant after completing her eight-month work stint at the company.

The attachment gave her "a first-hand experience" of what to expect of the profession, said the 23-year-old.

The survey results also show a slight increase in graduates opting for freelance employment, from 2.5 per cent in 2016 to 2.8 per cent last year.

But there was a dip in the part-time and temporary employment rate, from 9.4 per cent in 2016 to 6.6 per cent last year.

Due to different academic calendars, the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Singapore Management University (SMU) conduct their surveys in November each year, while Singapore University of Technology and Design and SIT conduct theirs in February and March respectively.

The latest graduate employment survey for NUS, NTU and SMU show that 78.4 per cent of graduates were in full-time permanent work last year, compared to 86.2 per cent of SUTD graduates.

The Singapore University of Social Sciences, which was not represented, will join the survey from the next cycle.

SUTD still popular without MIT branding

2018-07-23T05:00:00.001+08:00

Singapore University of Technology and Design’s president Chong Tow Chong said 76 per cent of freshmen this year chose to join the school despite having multiple university offers. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

The Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) continues to be a draw for school leavers seeking a degree education, with over 3,000 applications received this year.

The school took in 458 students, which is 5 per cent more than the 437 students it took in last year. This is despite the fact that SUTD ended its undergraduate collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology last year.

SUTD president Chong Tow Chong said 76 per cent of freshmen this year chose to join SUTD despite having multiple university offers.

The latest graduate employment survey released in March showed that SUTD's class of 2017 received higher starting salaries than their peers from three other local autonomous universities - the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and Singapore Management University.

SUTD still a draw after ending MIT partnership; student intake up 5%

2018-07-23T05:00:00.000+08:00

Singapore University of Technology and Design president Chong Tow Chong said 76 per cent of freshmen this year chose to join SUTD despite having multiple university offers.ST FILE PHOTO

This year's intake up 5%; students attracted by varsity's broad-based approach, good employment outcomes

Sandra Davie

Senior Education Correspondent

Despite ending its undergraduate degree collaboration with the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) has not suffered a drop in the number of applications.

The university, which ended its education agreement with MIT last year, received just over 3,000 applications this year and took in 458 students, 5 per cent more than the 437 students it took in last year.

The university received 116 applications for the 10 places in the new dual-degree programme combining engineering and medicine.

When the university announced it was ending its partnership with MIT, which helped it develop a distinctive curriculum, there was some concern that it would lose some of its lustre with school leavers heading to degree education.

SUTD president Chong Tow Chong, who took over in January this year, said the university, which opened its doors to students in 2012, was confident that it would be able to stand on its own, having made a name over the years for a distinctive and rigorous university education.

SUTD offers a curriculum that infuses design into courses in four areas: architecture and sustainable design, engineering product development, engineering systems and design, and information systems technology and design.

It also offers three dual-degree programmes - engineering combined with a master's in entrepreneurship; an undergraduate degree in technology and management with the Singapore Management University (SMU); and the new one with postgraduate medical school Duke-NUS, where students who graduate with an engineering or science degree can go on to study medicine.

SUTD ENROLMENT
458 Number of students it took in this year.

437 Number of students it took in last year.

SUTD GRADUATES

$3,700 Median gross monthly salary of 2017 graduates.

$3,650 Median gross monthly salary of 2016 graduates.

Professor Chong said: "SUTD offers a different brand of university education with a distinctive curriculum and pedagogy, and the students coming to us appreciate this difference."

He added that 76 per cent of the freshmen this year chose to join SUTD despite having multiple university offers.

"SUTD's design-centric and hands-on learning education has consistently been the top reason for their acceptance," said Prof Chong, who added that SUTD is still continuing to collaborate with MIT on research.

Another reason for SUTD continuing to draw students has been the positive employment outcomes of its graduates.

The latest graduate employment survey released in March showed that the university's class of 2017 - its third batch of graduates - received higher starting salaries than their peers from three other local autonomous universities - the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and SMU.

They also earned more than graduates from the previous year - the median gross monthly salary among its graduates employed in full-time permanent positions was $3,700 last year, compared with $3,650 in 2016.

Students interviewed were also encouraged by SUTD's five-year plan unveiled in December last year, where it said it was developing new programmes in key economic sectors, including artificial intelligence and data science.

Some were keen on the new medicine track to produce doctors who will be adept at harnessing technology to provide better patient care.

SUTD said these graduates would have the ability to treat patients and design medical innovations in fields such as healthcare product design, biomaterials, drug delivery and hospital design.

Freshmen interviewed said they were not too concerned about SUTD dropping the MIT partnership.

They said they were attracted to its broad-based approach, which requires students of all disciplines to take common subjects such as physics and humanities.

For students such as Ms Lim Xin Yi, 21, a Singapore Polytechnic graduate who is enrolled in the SUTD-SMU dual-degree programme in technology and management, the hands-on, project-based learning was a draw.

Said Mr Loh De Rong, 21, who will study engineering and medicine, of his decision to choose SUTD: "It's what the school itself could offer, rather than the MIT branding, that I thought would help me become a more all-rounded clinician in the future."

2018-07-16T05:00:00.000+08:00

The Singapore University of Social Sciences announced the Marriage and Baby Bonus scheme for its part-time adult students, saying this was "in support of Singapore's continued focus on encouraging marriage and parenthood".PHOTO: FACEBOOK/SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

Scheme for students to claim free modules creative, a wonderful gesture, say academics

Janice Tai

Social Affairs Correspondent

Jasia Shamdasani

A university's offer of free classes to students who marry or have kids during their course of study has been welcomed by most students and academics interviewed, with some calling it a creative move.

Last Friday, the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) announced the Marriage and Baby Bonus scheme for its part-time adult students, saying this was "in support of Singapore's continued focus on encouraging marriage and parenthood".

From July 23, those who qualify can redeem two free modules, with a maximum of five credit units per module, or one 10-credit unit module. This move may save students up to a few thousand dollars.

Sociologist Paulin Straughan from Singapore Management University said the SUSS move is an innovative way to encourage young adults to integrate lifelong learning with family responsibilities.

"We tend to look at our life aspirations in linear segments - first we complete our formal education, then we get a job and build our careers, and then we get married and grow our families," she said.

This mindset results in a delay in people getting married and having their first child, she added, as investment in formal education and careers now take longer.

Associate Professor Tan Ern Ser from the Department of Sociology at the National University of Singapore (NUS) also thinks the SUSS scheme is creative, even though it will not enhance marriage and fertility rates significantly.

"It's a well-known idea in sociology that universities serve a latent function, that of providing opportunities for people to meet potential partners and to spend time as couples," said Prof Tan.

Associate Professor Daniel Goh, a sociologist from NUS, called the offer "a wonderful gesture".

"The point is that the university is recognising the struggles of its part-time students and trying to alleviate their financial burdens just that little bit because it can," he said.

But Prof Goh said he does not see the scheme as encouraging marriage and childbirth, adding that this is something that universities should not be involved in.

"I don't see it as an incentive for students to get married or have children, because marriage and raising a child are immense responsibilities that most people take seriously and a free module is hardly part of the calculations," he said.

Part-time students interviewed were mostly in favour of the SUSS scheme, though some voiced concerns about fairness.

Mr Nicholas Goh, 27, who is studying digital marketing at PSB Academy Singapore, said one issue facing couples looking to get married and start a family is financial security. "Since Singaporeans often prioritise education, this move will certainly help some young adults marry earlier than when they initially planned to so as to save some money," he said.

While noting the scheme's benefits, Ms Nadzirah Eunos, 24, a part-time communications with psychology student at the Singapore Institute of Management, said it may not be fair to students who are single.

Ms Jermaine Loh Wai Lin, 21, who is studying human resource part-time at SUSS, said: "I think such a scheme is only workable for students of a certain age group. Maybe those 30 and above."

Her SUSS coursemate Muhammad Farhan Afiq Ja'afar, 25, said the cash savings will be significant to the students who qualify for it.

"Most of the students studying part-time in SUSS, like me, are working full-time in order to pay the bills and survive. So this scheme will help some students to be less afraid about taking more modules and racking up school fees."

Marry or have kids and get free modules at SUSS

2018-07-14T05:00:00.000+08:00

A photo posted on SUSS' Facebook page, on Feb 24, 2018, showing attendees at an open house organised by the school.PHOTO: FACEBOOK/SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

Scheme for uni's part-time adult students starts from July 23

Isabelle Liew

From July 23, part-time adult students of the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) who marry or have children during their course of study will receive free modules, the university announced yesterday.

This Marriage and Baby Bonus scheme is "in support of Singapore's continued focus on encouraging marriage and parenthood", it said in a statement.

To qualify for the scheme, the candidate must register his or her marriage, or a child's birth or adoption, on or after the implementation date.

The candidate must also be Singapore citizens or permanent residents who are at least 21 years old.

Those who qualify can redeem either two free modules, with a maximum of five credit units per module, or one 10-credit unit module.

Each module of five credit units would typically cost about $2,000 before the government subsidies kick in. After subsidies are applied, a student has to pay about $1,000.

A module with 10 credit units costs $2,600 to $4,000. After subsidies, it costs between $1,100 and $1,800.

The scheme is open to all fee-paying SUSS students who are enrolled in a part-time programme, including undergraduate, law and postgraduate programmes. Students on SUSS scholarship or company sponsorship are not eligible for the scheme.

Mr Safeel Noor, 23, a part-time psychology and sociology student, said: "I think students here (who want to get married) would benefit from this programme, because the point of these part-time courses is to make ourselves more marketable as we advance into the working world.

"This scheme may also help Singapore's declining birth rate."

Ms Andrea Chua, 27, is studying art education and psychology part-time in SUSS while working as a graphic designer.

Said Ms Chua, who got married last year: "I would love to apply for the scheme as I enjoy learning new things to upskill myself."

She added that with the skills she could pick up from taking the extra modules, she would be able to advance faster in her job, and save more money to buy a house and pay for her future children's expenses.

Don't pay too much attention to uni rankings, say experts

2018-06-30T05:00:00.000+08:00

Members of the International Academic Advisory Panel observing a demonstration of Folo Fleet, a semi-autonomous smart mobility device convoy system, at NTU on Wednesday, as part of their three-day meeting. Key topics discussed were the value of a degree, lifelong learning and impactful research.ST PHOTO: SYAMIL SAPARI

Advisory panel calls for other ways to assess S'pore universities based on their main missions

Amelia Teng

Education Correspondent

Do not put too much weight on university rankings, which are at best a crude gauge for quality and can overlook an institution's true strengths.

This was the consensus of a panel of experts from the likes of Imperial College London and Cambridge University, after a three-day meeting to advise the Education Ministry and universities here.

"We need a much more variegated approach," Education Minister Ong Ye Kung said yesterday at the end of the meeting of the International Academic Advisory Panel, which he sat in on.

Highlighting how each of Singapore's six autonomous universities has its own focus, and social and economic mission, he added: "Perhaps we need to have different kinds of measurements, different kinds of matrices, that can gauge the success and achievements of each of our universities."

The panel, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and is now in its 11th edition, meets every few years. The heads of Singapore's six autonomous universities were also present during the meetings.

This year, panel members discussed three key topics: The value of a degree, lifelong learning and impactful research.

Singapore's universities have been doing well in rankings. For instance, in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings released earlier this month, the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University came in 11th and 12th, respectively, with NUS emerging as Asia's top university.

Professor Stephen Toope, vice-chancellor of Cambridge University, which came in sixth in the latest QS list, said one key message was to not pay too much attention to global rankings, and instead find ways to assess universities based on their main missions.

"It is especially important here in Singapore. It is a small country with only a limited number of universities," he said, adding that different universities have different roles. "Rankings tend to pull everyone back to a mean and make it seem as if there is only one model of university that is right. I think that is a fundamental misconception."

Mr Ong said there was strong agreement within the panel that Singapore's efforts in moving towards experiential learning, such as internships and overseas exposure, are on the right track.

Singapore Management University provost Lily Kong said: "It is not about provision of knowledge because that is available everywhere. It is about throwing students into the real world, getting hands and feet dirty, and learning that way."

The university leaders also discussed their role in supporting adult learners, with panel members agreeing that Singapore is ahead of other countries in its push for lifelong learning.

The national movement SkillsFuture has, in the past few years, started a push to encourage people to rethink learning, jobs and skills through work-study programmes and initiatives to draw university alumni back to school, for instance.

One recommendation is to help working adults better assess the quality of courses available and to curate suitable learning options for them.

Prof Kong said: "We are still thinking through, working through the different pedagogies that are needed for different types of learners - the experienced worker versus the fresh-faced undergraduate.

"We are thinking through the different business models that universities have to adopt and adapt in the face of these changes."

Professor Henrik Wegener, rector of Denmark's University of Copenhagen and one of 11 overseas representatives on the panel, said that with the wave of digital disruptions, even university graduates are at risk of losing their jobs.

"Universities have a very important role to play there which they have not played before. Our faculty is not used to teaching adult learners. Our institutions' offerings are not adapted to the needs of adult learners... so there is a lot of work to do."

NTU tops young universities list

2018-06-25T05:00:00.000+08:00

According to Quacquarelli Symonds, which released this year's Top 50 Under 50 league for universities last Wednesday, NTU leads a new generation of young Asia-Pacific universities that occupy seven of the top 10 spots this year.ST FILE PHOTO

It takes No. 1 spot in QS ranking for fifth straight year, scoring well on research, academic reputation

Sandra Davie

Senior Education Correspondent

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has been ranked the world's best young university for the fifth straight year after doing well in research and academic reputation.

NTU gained pole position in this year's Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Top 50 Under 50 league for universities that are 50 years old or younger.

QS research director Ben Sowter said NTU's No. 1 ranking exemplifies "Singapore's emergence as a globally competitive research nation".

He added: "As NTU continues to reiterate its highly successful transformation from a primarily engineering-focused university to a more diverse, international institution, it will be difficult for the ambitious young universities below it to displace it at the top of the rankings."

According to QS, which released the list last Wednesday, NTU leads a new generation of young Asia-Pacific universities that occupy seven of the top 10 spots this year. NTU's institutional research impact remains the highest among Singapore universities - jumping 11 places to rank 46th in the world this year. NTU also performed strongly in the academic reputation indicator this year, rising 12 positions to 38th place globally.

QS said universities from the Asia-Pacific region dominated this year's list, with 27 of the 50 places occupied by institutions from Asia or Australia.

NTU president Subra Suresh said the university owes its rise to the talent and commitment of faculty and staff. The American scientist, who took over the helm at the start of this year, said: "It's such an exciting time to be at NTU Singapore... We continue to strengthen the foundations of the university - investing in excellent people who will push new research frontiers, provide them with world-class and sustainable facilities, and educate and inspire the next generations with our innovative teaching methods."

Commenting on the rise of Asian universities, he said: "In the globally competitive higher education landscape, NTU leads a new generation of young, nimble and progressive universities that are taking their places among the world's best.

"In particular, Asian universities have developed strong reputations in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) fields, and it is a result of significant investments to grow the quality of research and education.

"Asia's higher education landscape will only continue to grow in prominence. The impact of this growth will have an increasing impact on the global stage as Asia plays an important role in shaping the course of the 21st century.

"NTU Singapore is exceptionally well positioned to contribute to the region's development and growth."

NUS is back on top as Asia's No. 1 university

2018-06-07T05:00:00.000+08:00

The National University of Singapore has reclaimed its perch as Asia's top university this year.PHOTO: PHOTO: FACEBOOK/NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE

The varsity, ranked 15th last year, moved to 11th place, beating NTU, which now ranks 12th

Sandra Davie

Senior Education Correspondent

The National University of Singapore (NUS), which lost out to the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in a worldwide ranking last year, has reclaimed its perch as Asia's top university this year.

In the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings released this morning, NUS climbed from its 15th position last year to 11th this year, dislodging NTU, which moved back one rank to the 12th placing.

Singapore Management University was placed 500th. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology remains the world leader for the seventh consecutive year.

The World University Rankings employs six performance indicators to assess a university's strengths in research, teaching, employability and internationalisation.

QS said NUS has risen primarily due to improvements in its research performance. It improves its score for citations per faculty - which QS uses to measure institutional research impact - from 66.2/100 to 72.8/100.

NUS also maintains its position as the 11th in the world for academic reputation, an indicator that is based on the expert opinions of more than 83,000 academics across the world. It achieved the world's 18th-best score for employer reputation, which is based on the insights of more than 42,000 employers about the quality of an institution's graduates.

NUS, NTU and SMU scored 100/100 for international faculty ratio.

However, NTU retains its status as Singapore's strongest research institution, scoring 87.5/100 for citations per faculty - placing it 47th in the world.

Mr Ben Sowter, QS research director, said of Singapore's two leading institutions : "For a young nation of only 5.6 million people to be home to two of the world's top 15 institutions is remarkable. If they can embrace collaboration, there seems very little that NUS and NTU may not be able to achieve together."

On NUS, he said: "NUS has strengthened its year-on-year research profile to gain four places in this year's ranking... This iteration sees NUS re-establish itself as Asia's number one."

He also praised NTU for remaining among the world's top 15 despite being such a young university.

NUS president Tan Eng Chye said the university distinguished itself in the areas of academic as well as employer reputation, and continues to ramp up its research performance.

Elaborating on NUS' plans, he said: "The future of work in Singapore and around the world is changing rapidly. More than ever, universities around the world need to bring distinctive value to the communities that we serve."

NTU president Subra Suresh said: "NTU Singapore is immensely proud to be placed among the world's very best in the top 12, although it is the youngest in that cohort."

He added: "The other great story here is that Singapore is home to two universities in the top 12. We should be very proud that Singapore is punching well above its weight."

NTU also remained third in the Times Higher Education ranking of young universities under 50 years old, which was released last night.

Said Professor Suresh: "As the only Singapore university listed in the under-50 ranking, NTU is leading a new generation of young, agile and forward-thinking universities that are championing high-impact research and innovative teaching methods."

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology was placed top young university by Times Higher Education.

Final SIT batch of early childhood education students graduates

2018-06-01T05:00:00.000+08:00

The students in the 2016 batch were the last to be enrolled before SIT phased out the early childhood education degree programme.ST PHOTO: SYAMIL SAPARI

Rahimah Rashith

Tears flowed freely and voices cracked over the microphone on stage at the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) yesterday as staff and graduands celebrated the final graduation ceremony for an early childhood education degree programme offered by Wheelock College from Boston, United States.

The 64 students were from the 2016 batch, which was the last group to be enrolled before SIT phased out the programme.

The Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) introduced a full-time degree course in early childhood education last year.

The SIT-Wheelock College degree programme was launched in 2012 but Wheelock College's impact in Singapore's early childhood education sector goes back to 1991.

Lien Foundation chief executive Lee Poh Wah said the sector in Singapore was built on the expertise, commitment and goodwill of many pioneers like Wheelock College which took a chance partnering Singapore three decades ago.

"This partnership evolved to stay relevant to our changing needs and their large alumni footprint continues to positively shape the lives of our children and the agenda for the sector in Singapore," he said.

Singapore's first master's degree programme in early childhood education was established by RTRC Asia (now Seed Institute) and Wheelock College in 1991.

In 2007, Wheelock College launched a full-time Bachelor of Science degree in early childhood education in collaboration with Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Seed Institute. It evolved into the SIT-Wheelock College programme in 2012.

Wheelock College president David J. Chard said the institution was part of Singapore's education sector early on. "Wheelock became involved in Singapore early in the country's development, at a time when people here were looking for answers for building a nation that is strong. They understood that one thing that they would have to do is build strong education systems."

Some 90 per cent of Wheelock College Singapore's over 3,700 alumni have worked as childcare teachers over the years, with 30 per cent of former students moving on to become principals.

The school's alumni include academic director of Seed Institute Ho Yin Fong, and manager for education at the National Gallery Singapore Elaine Chan.

Principal at Preschool for Multiple Intelligences and Wheelock College alumnus A'qilah Saiere, 25, said: "Most of the graduates join the field and are represented in different positions - ranging from special educators to administrators in the Early Childhood Development Agency."

US' Wheelock College lauded for role in early childhood education in Singapore at graduation ceremony

2018-05-31T20:07:00.000+08:00

The final batch of graduates from Wheelock College-Singapore at their graduation ceremony, on May 31, 2018.ST PHOTO: SYAMIL SAPARI

Rahimah Rashith

SINGAPORE - Tears flowed freely and voices cracked over the microphone on stage at the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) as staff and graduands celebrated the final graduation ceremony for an early childhood education degree programme offered by Wheelock College from Boston, United States.

The 64 students on Thursday (May 31) were from the 2016 batch, which was the last group to be enrolled before SIT phased-out the programme to focus more on science and technology.

The Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) later introduced a full-time degree course in early childhood education in 2017.

The SIT-Wheelock College jointly-run degree programme was launched in 2012 but Wheelock College's impact in Singapore's early childhood education sector goes back to 1991.

Lien Foundation's chief executive Lee Poh Wah said that the sector in Singapore was built on the expertise, commitment and goodwill of many pioneers like Wheelock College who took a chance partnering Singapore three decades ago.

Singapore's first master's degree programme in early childhood education was established by RTRC Asia (now SEED Institute) and Wheelock College in 1991.

In 2007, Wheelock College launched a full-time Bachelor of Science degree in early childhood education in collaboration with Ngee Ann Polytechnic and SEED Institute.

It evolved into the SIT-Wheelock College programme in 2012.

Wheelock College president David J. Chard said the institution was part of Singapore's education sector early on.

"Wheelock became involved in Singapore early in the country's development, at a time when people here were looking for answers for building a nation that is strong. They understood that one thing that they would have to do is build strong education systems."

Some 90 per cent of Wheelock College Singapore's over 3,700 alumni have worked as childcare centre teachers over the years, with 30 per cent of former students moving on to become principals.

The school's alumni include academic director of SEED Institute Ho Yin Fong and manager for education at the National Gallery Singapore, Elaine Chan.

Principal at Preschool for Multiple Intelligences and Wheelock College alumnus A'qilah Saiere, 25, believes that the school's graduates are known to make quality educators and leaders in the industry.

"Most of the graduates join the field and are represented in different positions - ranging from special educators to administrators in the Early Childhood Development Agency," she said.

SUSS gets $200k to set up law study award

2018-05-31T05:00:00.001+08:00

Justice Choor Singh started out as a solicitor's clerk and rose to the top of the legal profession.ST FILE PHOTO

$10,000 annual award named after late Supreme Court judge Choor Singh

Madhumita Paramanantham

A second scholarship will be available to law students in the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), thanks to a $200,000 donation from the estate of former Supreme Court judge Choor Singh.

Under the Choor Singh Study Award, $10,000 will be presented each year to up to two deserving candidates enrolled in either the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or the Juris Doctor (JD) programme in SUSS starting from next year.

The award is bond-free and will be available to Singapore citizens with an average monthly household income of no more than $4,300 or who can provide evidence of financial hardship.

Other eligibility criteria include acceptable academic results, involvement in social or community work and a likelihood of practising family or criminal law.

According to SUSS' press release, Justice Singh, who rose to the pinnacle of his profession after starting as a solicitor's clerk, was passionate about serving his community and especially sympathetic to educational causes.

He contributed to many Sikh educational charities and was a member of the Singapore Indian Education Fund Trust, which provides financial assistance to needy and deserving Indian students in Singapore. He died in March 2009 at the age of 98.

His son, Dr Daljeet Singh Sidhu, presented the cheque to the university's provost, Professor Tsui Kai Chong, yesterday.

Dr Singh said SUSS' dedication to training mid-career students in law resonated with him because his father could pursue his law studies only when he was in his 30s. Justice Singh also had to work to support a young family while he was studying.

"The study award was created in my father's memory to encourage mature students to pursue law," he said. "He would have been pleased to know that we're supporting both young and working adults in SUSS who need financial help to do this."

Prof Tsui said the university was honoured to be a recipient of the donation. He added: "This will benefit deserving law students and have a positive ripple effect on society when students graduate and serve as legal professionals."

Application for the award opens online in August.

The Choor Singh Study Award is the second scholarship open to SUSS law students.

The School of Law set up the Irene Tan Liang Kheng Scholarship Award after receiving a $2 million donation in January from the estate of the late Madam Irene Tan Liang Kheng.

NUS, NTU rise in world university rankings

2018-05-31T05:00:00.000+08:00

The National University of Singapore climbed three places to the 24th position while Nanyang Technological University moved up to the 51-60 bracket.PHOTOS: ST FILE

Sandra Davie

Senior Education Correspondent

The National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have risen in the latest Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings released this morning.

NUS climbed three places to the 24th position, closing the gap on the top Chinese institutions, whose Tsinghua University retained its 14th spot. Meanwhile, Nanyang Technological University moved up from the 81-90 band to the 51-60 bracket.

Harvard University takes the top spot for the eighth year in a row. The rankings are based on ratings by senior academics around the world. This year, over 10,000 academics were asked to rate institutions based on excellence in research and teaching .

Commenting on the higher rankings by NUS and NTU, Mr Phil Baty, the editorial director for global rankings at Times Higher Education, said: "The growing strength of both institutions seems to be increasingly matched by rising prestige among the global scholarly community."

On NUS' performance, he said: "It is clear... that scholars around the world are increasingly paying attention to NUS, recognising and reporting its excellence. This should produce a virtuous circle, where excellence drives improved reputation and improved reputation supports excellence - helping to attract more global talent, more prestigious international partnerships and more inward investment."

NUS president Tan Eng Chye said he and his staff were pleased that NUS' reputation for excellence is recognised by leading academics around the world.

He added: " We remain committed to delivering high-quality education and conducting cutting-edge research in areas of strategic importance to Singapore and the region."

Meanwhile, NTU president Subra Suresh said: "Reputation takes time and effort to build. For a young university such as NTU Singapore to climb about 30 places to the 51-60 band from 81-90 within one year is therefore quite an achievement.

"Some of the universities ranked above us have had several centuries to build their international standing, while NTU climbed to its current position within a relatively short period of time."

TOP 10 UNIVERSITIES

1. Harvard University

2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

3. Stanford University

4. University of Cambridge

5. University of Oxford

6. University of California, Berkeley

7. Princeton University

8. Yale University

9. University of California, Los Angeles

10. University of Chicago

24. National University of Singapore

51-60. Nanyang Technological University

SUSS Law students set to benefit from Choor Singh Study Award

2018-05-30T17:13:00.000+08:00

Law students in the Singapore University of Social Sciences can go online to apply for the Choor Singh Study Award in August 2018.PHOTO: FACEBOOK/SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

Madhumita Paramanantham

SINGAPORE - A $200,000 scholarship will be available to law students in the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), thanks to a donation from the estate of former Supreme Court Judge Choor Singh.

Under the Choor Singh Study Award, $10,000 will be presented to up to two deserving candidates enrolled in either the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or the Juris Doctor (JD) programme in SUSS starting from next year.

The award is bond-free and will be available to Singapore citizens with an average monthly household income of no more than $4,300 or who can provide evidence of financial hardship. Other eligibility criteria include acceptable academic results, involvement in social or community work and a likelihood of practising family or criminal law.

Justice Singh, who rose to the pinnacle of his profession after starting as a solicitor's clerk, was passionate about serving his community and was especially sympathetic to educational causes, said a press release from SUSS. He contributed to many Sikh educational charities and was a member of the Singapore Indian Education Fund Trust, which provides financial assistance to needy and deserving Indian students in Singapore. He died in March 2009 at the age of 98.

His son, Dr Daljeet Singh Sidhu, was present at SUSS on Wednesday (May 30) to execute the donation documents and present the cheque to the university's Provost Professor Tsui Kai Chong. Dr Singh revealed that SUSS' dedication to training mid-career students in law resonated with him because his father was only able to pursue his law studies in his 30s. Justice Singh also had to work and study while supporting a young family.

"The Study Award was created in my father's memory to encourage mature students to pursue law," he said. "He would've been pleased to know that we're supporting both young and working adults in SUSS who need financial help to do this."

Professor Tsui, who received the cheque on behalf of SUSS, said that the university was honoured to be a recipient of the donation.

"This will benefit deserving law students and have a positive ripple effect on society when students graduate and serve as legal professionals."

Law students at SUSS can go online to apply for the award in August 2018.

The Choor Singh Study award is the second scholarship opportunity made available to them, with the School of Law having set up the Irene Tan Liang Kheng Scholarship Award after receiving a $2 million donation from the estate of Madam Irene Tan Liang Kheng in Jan 2018.

Financial Times’ ranking of the best MBAs for a career in Finance

2018-05-08T05:00:00.000+08:00

The Singapore Management University (SMU) Lee Kong Chian School of Business’ MBA programme is ranked 30th globally and 2nd in Singapore in the latest 2018 Top MBAs for Finance ranking by The Financial Times (FT). The National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School comes in at 34th on the list. Insead, which has campuses in Singapore, is ahead at 7th.

The list is a spin-off from the FT Global MBA ranking published in January and is based on the number of alumni who reported finding work in finance, banking or fintech start-ups three years after graduation.

FT has reported that the most successful schools have retained their value to the banks, venture capitalists and asset management firms by teaching skills for a changing world of disruptive business models and digital finance. They also tend to be institutions that nurture students who wish to launch their own ventures.

Keeping in good company, ahead of SMU in the rankings are 17 top business schools from the US, 7 from Europe and 5 from China.

Find out which schools have made it to the ranking here.

First day of work for NTU's first batch of doctors

2018-05-02T05:00:00.000+08:00

(From left) Dr Stewart Retnam, Dr Ang Jia Wei and Dr Kiang Wen Wei are among the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine's first cohort of medical students, who were selected from more than 800 applicants.ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO

52 doctors from Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine start work today after five years of training

Amelia Teng

Education Correspondent

The first batch of doctors from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) are looking forward to starting work today, after five years in training.

The 52 doctors from Singapore's newest medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, will start their postings at various healthcare institutions here.

The school was set up in 2010 by NTU and Imperial College London as part of efforts to meet Singapore's growing healthcare needs.

Its pioneer cohort was selected from more than 800 applicants and started school in 2013.

Dr Kiang Wen Wei, 24, who starts his postgraduate training in Tan Tock Seng Hospital's orthopaedic surgery department, said: "We've been adequately trained in terms of content and simulations and finally, we are able to make a real difference to patients, to do some good work."

Relating to patients is a key part of the curriculum at the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. From their first year, students learn clinical skills through feedback from role-playing patients.

The school also replaces traditional lectures with a "flipped classroom" model that sees students watch recorded video clips and go through materials ahead of class.

They then attend seminar-style classes and spend more time discussing and solving problems in groups.

The school also uses plastinated human bodies - cadavers preserved with plastic - to teach anatomy, along with an interactive table that displays life-size 3D images of full-body anatomy.

These novel methods of teaching attracted Dr Ang Jia Wei, even though the school had no track record at the time.

The 24-year-old, who starts her stint at Tan Tock Seng Hospital's general medicine department, chose NTU over the National University of Singapore (NUS) as she wanted to be part of something new.

"Both schools offered very attractive programmes, but I liked how NTU was trying to do things differently and improve how medicine is taught."

Her cohort mate, Dr Stewart Retnam, added: "The emphasis on communication skills made us aware of our strengths and weaknesses. It really helped to be put in a mix of scenarios - from asking patients questions, explaining mistakes or breaking bad news to them."

The 25-year-old, who is with Singapore General Hospital's orthopaedic surgery department, said that being posted on a three-week polyclinic stint earlier this year made him see the importance of family medicine.

"The patients we see in hospitals are the sickest and the tip of the iceberg. So it was a huge benefit to see other types of patients in Singapore at the polyclinics, which are doing really good work, and be aware of the transitions of care," he said.

The Ministry of Health said last year that its aim this year is to have an annual intake of 500 students across the three medical schools here, a target that it is moving closer to.

The combined intake for the three schools last year was about 480, up from 336 in 2011.

NTU took in 120 medical students while NUS admitted about 300 students into its Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine last year.

The Duke-NUS Medical School, the first United States-style graduate medical school here, took in 63 students into its Doctor of Medicine programme.

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SUSS Law students set to benefit from Choor Singh Study Award

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First day of work for NTU's first batch of doctors

52 doctors from Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine start work today after five years of training