As quoted from Today newspaper 12-01-07 -Voices
"A friend was recently posted to a junior college (JC) in the
north. But she decided to withdraw as she was ineligible for her
preferred subject combination and the travelling took more than 2
hours each day.
When my friend said she was considering going to a polytechnic
instead, the vice-principal, who handled her request, made several
disparaging remarks about polytechnics. He allegedly called them a
bad choice and a stupid decision, adding that any fool can
make it in poly. He also likened students who forgo the first
three months of JC to delinquents who dont study, dont listen in
class and skip class and school. This biased and
unjustified.
I thought the stereotype of a polytechnic education being inferior
to a JC one was history, a view largely confined to the older
generation who favour the more conventional route to university. I
certainly did not think that an educator and a JC vice-principal
at that would still hold such views. More polys are tying up with
overseas universities to offer their students degrees in various
disciplines, it is becoming apparent that a poly education is no
less inferior to a JC one.
My friend was understandably unhappy and told him that she would
not stay on at the college even if she were posted there after the
Joint Admission Exercise. His reply was galling: We would not
accept you either.
Is such an attitude befitting a leader in education?"
A disgrace first to his JC first...
