"More top O-Level scorers choosing polytechnic route"

last SG · 2008-12-02T00:36:44+00:00

rubbish lorah tiong not that good as you all made them out to be lorThey will top the O Levels next time. By virtue of so many of them taking it and soon out...

UltimaOnline SG

This is an important thread (over 10 pages and 200+ posts long) with many thoughtful posts (and often with multiple opposing viewpoints), regarding the Singapore Education System, that everyone, especially secondary school 'O' level students, would be well advised to read.

More top O-Level scorers choosing polytechnic route

There really is no easy solution, no right nor wrong. MOE themselves, are constantly struggling to balance students' wants with the needs of society. (Sure they could just have popular courses like medicine, law, banking, and make them available to every student who wants it; then the entire country would be overrun by only doctors, lawyers and bankers, and no one else left to do everything else that needs to be done and society would collapse.)

If you think you have some brilliant suggestions (on this issue) for MOE to take into consideration in planning the future of the Singapore Education System, do your part as a Singaporean and share your thoughts (on the original thread, on this thread, on the Straits Times Forum, email to MOE, etc).

FireIce SG

bcos they no like to wear uniform

Kuali Baba SG

My take? Shape up or ship out. Those who do well should be allowed to choose whatever they want to do. It's good that the perception that polytechnic education is an inferior option is changing.

lzyjosh SG

My friends who went JC didn't choose to go to polytechnic not because they aren't interested in it but because of the fact that they have to spend 3 years and polytechic is still (sadly) viewed upon as inferior. Oh and not to mention the difficulty of entering a local university.

I guess these sort of sterotyping is here to stay whether we like it or not (similar to racism).

Also, when I occasionally ask my friends on why they chose the polytechnic route, the answer is often that they are tired of the daily routine of the "normal" school life, ie. wearing a school uniform, stringent timetables and having lessons in classrooms (I can never understand the last point, aren't tutorials in classrooms too??).

yourmotherrr SG

polytechnic ish da bestu.

Uraniumfish SG

My sister who just sat for her o level paper this year, is interested in taking a veterinary course in a uni from australia. People who want to go to uni usually take jc right? But she wants to take the 'veterinary technology course' in a polythen go for the uni degree. she says that they will auto accept the diploma and it will be easier as she 'specialise' earlier than jc student.

skythewood SG

if that is the result of her research, than should be true. if this is just her reasoning, ask her to go find out. If i am not wrong, A level is easier than diploma to get into a university.

hampden11 SG

Its not the case all the time. Australian Universities often give credit exemptions to poly students for their prior learning and often takes from a semester to about 2 years off their course syllabus depending on the relavance to the degree from the diploma they did.

I would agree that it would be a better choice to enter poly to get a diploma first as its qualification will be recognised by the local universities as well? And if they dun accept you, you can always get into either overseas universities with credit exemptions or do courses in PSB and MDIS offering overseas degree where you may graduate faster with exemptions than compared to the local universities.

I think poly route now-a-days are the win win situation with nothing to lose.

What you all think?

GHoST_18 SG

for my case,

2 years (a-level) + 5 years (local university) = 7 years (total)

3 years (poly) + 3 years (2 years exemption in overseas university) = 6 years (total)

i save 1 year by going to poly...

do ur maths...

who say go poly no good...

lzyjosh SG

for my case,

2 years (a-level) + 5 years (local university) = 7 years (total)

3 years (poly) + 3 years (2 years exemption in overseas university) = 6 years (total)

i save 1 year by going to poly...

do ur maths...

who say go poly no good...

Depends if the university will give exemption. For me, i think my course will only give 1 year exemption if I go overseas university. Plus I wan to go local U =(

eagle SG

for my case,

2 years (a-level) + 5 years (local university) = 7 years (total)

3 years (poly) + 3 years (2 years exemption in overseas university) = 6 years (total)

i save 1 year by going to poly...

do ur maths...

who say go poly no good...

dun compare local and overseas uni la

For me,

2 years (a-level) + 4 years (local university) = 6 years (total)

2 years (a-level) + 3 years (US university) = 5 years (total)
Or 4 years in the US uni for a double degree...

Also save 1 year

davidche SG

not all gib exemptions right

also, if you go jc route and go overseas uni, u need some foundation course or sth.

I think the clear distinction between jc and poly is specialisation. I am interested in both the med and engineering field for now. Thus, i cant go poly. If i choose med, it is hard to go to another field altogether.

On the other hand, if i choose jc, the indepth study of chem and phy wld allow a better analysis of my strengths and perhaps interest in aspects of the subject.

OasisBlue SG

I am thinking of the same route as your sister too. But vet med is very exp. So i am trying to get scholarship. Then again, i think i may be going jc because i don't want to limit myself to one route, which may not succeed. I've also been advised by some vet students to go jc instead, though i am really interested in the diplomas in temasek poly. The % of poly students being accepted in vet uni seems low.

Richsteo SG

What MINED needs to do is identify the career pathways of all occupations. The pathways must include the technical skills and knowledge that do not need University Education such as :

Health Technicians -- these same techcos can progress to be doctors should they wish to one day when the bridging courses and training become available. Not difficult at all. All it needs is for the educationists to work and think outside the box. The several tiers that can provide for a health technician to progress from looking after the hygiene of say a clinic to a technician for servcing and repairing health equipment (medical engineering stuff), to nursing, management of a hospital etc. are pathwaus that have not been clearly stated.

Likewise Engineers technicians can become paper degree holders too. Strangely enough these engineers who come from the ground-shop floor are usually better engineers than the fresh uni graduate. The pathways are a blur and many who have come up this way has been by sheer hard work after poly.

So wake up educationist and help tye young aspirants. Come down from your ivory tower and show the way. Create levels of expertise and training avalability to progress from O to U.

skythewood SG

I think poly route now-a-days are the win win situation with nothing to lose.

What you all think?

are you discussing about credit exemption?

I thought we were discussing about A levels and poly, which one is easier to get into uni.

From what you said, yes, they give credit exemption. credit exemption not equal to easier to enter the uni.

skythewood SG

for my case,

2 years (a-level) + 5 years (local university) = 7 years (total)

3 years (poly) + 3 years (2 years exemption in overseas university) = 6 years (total)

i save 1 year by going to poly...

do ur maths...

who say go poly no good...

what course need 5 year one? it sounds like one of a kind course...

Karma88 SG

PooLy mor char bor

GHoST_18 SG

dun compare local and overseas uni la

For me,

2 years (a-level) + 4 years (local university) = 6 years (total)

2 years (a-level) + 3 years (US university) = 5 years (total)
Or 4 years in the US uni for a double degree...

Also save 1 year

be it local or overseas...

it's all about the degree in the end...

eagle SG

be it local or overseas...

it's all about the degree in the end...

my point is,

the time difference wouldn't be as large as you have claimed if you compared within the country

Y_Shun SG

Go JC is better.

Go poly = hard to get to Uni

Go JC = easier to get to Uni.