Dear Mr. Tan,
I agree with what you said about university degree, and how it may be a waste of time, if the graduate does not apply what he learn in the job.
But, you must agree with me that without a degree, the progress may be hampered, especially in the government service. A non-graduate is automatically barred from promotion.
What say you?
REPLY
I agree that the most damage is done by the government. By giving the signal that a degree is a MUST, they have led to many people pursuing the paper qualification, at the expense of real skills on the jobs.
For example, if there is a riot, we want the regular policeman to know what to do, and not to act blur, waiting from instructions. What is the point of having policemen with a degree, if they are not able to carry out real police work and control rioters and arrest criminals?
To solve our problem of recruiting people who can make a career in the police force, the government should be ready to recruit non-graduates and put them under a special training program to be a competent policeman.
At the end of 4 years of actual police work, accompanied by training in the police academy, and provided that the policeman learn the skill and competency, he should earn a pay that is similar to a graduate at that time.
We have to make it worth while for young people to choose a career in their specialized occupation and pay them as well as those with a paper degree, provided they do their jobs well.
The same approach can be applied to the work of a teacher, nurse, administration officer and other jobs.
If the government sets an example of training people for the job, the private sector can be encouraged to follow. It can be the apprenticeship system used in Germany.
This approach will allow us to build real competencies for the various jobs in the economy.
It is rather sad to see so many people getting, for example an engineering degree, and end up selling property and financial products - and worse, sell them wrongly, causing damage to the wealth of the customers.
It is time for us to review our strategy in the development of our human resource and have a more balanced approach, involving wider options than a university degree.
I agree with what you said about university degree, and how it may be a waste of time, if the graduate does not apply what he learn in the job.
But, you must agree with me that without a degree, the progress may be hampered, especially in the government service. A non-graduate is automatically barred from promotion.
What say you?
REPLY
I agree that the most damage is done by the government. By giving the signal that a degree is a MUST, they have led to many people pursuing the paper qualification, at the expense of real skills on the jobs.
For example, if there is a riot, we want the regular policeman to know what to do, and not to act blur, waiting from instructions. What is the point of having policemen with a degree, if they are not able to carry out real police work and control rioters and arrest criminals?
To solve our problem of recruiting people who can make a career in the police force, the government should be ready to recruit non-graduates and put them under a special training program to be a competent policeman.
At the end of 4 years of actual police work, accompanied by training in the police academy, and provided that the policeman learn the skill and competency, he should earn a pay that is similar to a graduate at that time.
We have to make it worth while for young people to choose a career in their specialized occupation and pay them as well as those with a paper degree, provided they do their jobs well.
The same approach can be applied to the work of a teacher, nurse, administration officer and other jobs.
If the government sets an example of training people for the job, the private sector can be encouraged to follow. It can be the apprenticeship system used in Germany.
This approach will allow us to build real competencies for the various jobs in the economy.
It is rather sad to see so many people getting, for example an engineering degree, and end up selling property and financial products - and worse, sell them wrongly, causing damage to the wealth of the customers.
It is time for us to review our strategy in the development of our human resource and have a more balanced approach, involving wider options than a university degree.
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