There were doubts back then.but im glad im from this route.To be a poltechnic graduate!
We took the unconventional route back then but i believe those years were among the best years of my life.
To SP,Happy 50th Anniversary!
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4386,275897,00.html?
One in two chooses poly route
Govt intends to maintain and enhance this education option, PM Lee pledges
By
Rebecca Lee
FROM centres that offered typing and sewing 50 years ago, polytechnics today have become the preferred choice for many young students.
Half of this year's O-level school-leavers chose to go to a polytechnic. Many had aggregate scores below 10 points, which would have qualified them for entry into almost any junior college, but they chose a polytechnic instead.
Their choice doesn't surprise Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who highlighted the merits of a polytechnic education at a dinner to mark Singapore Polytechnic's 50th anniversary last night.
For one, polytechnics have been turning out students who are highly employable. For example, nine out of 10 diploma holders found jobs within three months of graduation last year, despite the weak economic conditions.
Employers also find that polytechnic graduates are enterprising and versatile.
A polytechnic education also provides the foundation to allow its graduates to go on to university. By 2010, the universities here will take in three times more polytechnic graduates than the current intake.
In fact, some employers reckon polytechnic graduates make better entrepreneurs, while university graduates make better managers, said Mr Lee.
There's no shortage of successful entrepreneurs who are polytechnic graduates. They include: Mr Edmund Tie, executive chairman of DTZ Debenham Tie Leung; Mr Lawrence Leow, executive chairman of Crescendas Group and Association of Small & Medium Enterprises president; Mr Kenny Yap, executive chairman of listed fish farm Qian Hu; and Creative Technology's Mr Sim Wong Hoo.
In fact, so successful have polytechnics been in Singapore, the government intends to maintain and enhance this education option which caters to 40 per cent of students, pledged Mr Lee.
It won't follow the trend in other countries in the last 10 to 15 years, which converted polytechnics into universities to meet students' aspirations for university degrees and to achieve what they called 'parity of esteem' between academic and technical qualifications. 'However, the results have not been happy,' Mr Lee said.
The upgraded polytechnics often became second-class universities, issuing paper qualifications, but providing students with no real practical skills. The result: large numbers of unemployed graduates.
This was a 'mistake' that Singapore was not about to repeat, Mr Lee said.
Tertiary education has to cater to students with different inclinations. Polytechnics 'produce graduates with a wide range of skills and strengths which complement workers emerging from other educational pathways', he said.
Mr Lee went down memory lane with the 1,500 guests, as he spoke of how far Singapore Polytechnic has come in the last 50 years.
From an institution operating in temporary premises offering courses such as typing and sewing, it now has a modern campus at Dover Road offering courses such as bio-informatics, nanotechnology, aeronautical engineering and creative media design.
Its progress mirrors the development of polytechnic education in general in Singapore, said Mr Lee.
One man made a real contribution: the late Dr Tay Eng Soon, who was minister-in-charge of technical education from 1981 to 1993.
Paying tribute to him, Mr Lee said: 'Dr Tay's passion for people and their development, together with his unceasing efforts and dedication to promoting technical education, raised polytechnic education in Singapore to its current stature.'
Outlining the challenges ahead, Mr Lee said polytechnics must ensure they remain relevant to the rapidly changing economy. One area he singled out was the services sector, which will become increasingly important as a source of jobs.
Polytechnics need to adapt their curricula to produce talent for these new sectors, while continuing to train enough graduates for science and engineering, he said.
