Minimum-criteria-entry universities
Singapore has a skilled worker gap. Remarkably, the recognition that there could be such skilled worker shortages is not new. As far back as the 1980s, observers have noted that demographic changes could threaten the viability of economic progress on our island, if human resource needs remained unmet.[1] Yet today, we still see reports attesting that as many as 4 in 5 companies face workforce talent shortages.[2] This has, we are told, necessitated the continued stream of foreign migrants.[3]
At the same time, many in this house face a seasonal pattern of appeals after exam results are announced. Young residents (and their parents) often come to our meet-the-people sessions in a desperate effort to appeal for the entry of their children into a given tertiary institution or program of study. Often, these appellants actually possess the necessary scores required for entry. However, the limited number of spaces would mean that these local kids are unable to secure a spot, as spaces are filled by those who obtained grades better than their own.
These two problems, while seemingly unrelated, are actually not. Essentially, almost a half-century after the matter of a potential skills shortage was first identified, our local schools seem unable to fill the nation’s tech worker shortfall, despite possessing secondary school students that are sufficiently talented and willing to pursue technically-oriented tertiary education.
Altering the entry criteria for our tertiary institutions
One strategy we can consider is to alter entry criteria into certain autonomous universities (AUs),such as the SUSS, SIT, and SUTD, such that they are able to take in students so long as they meet the absolute entry criteria, rather than relative to all applicants for a particular program.
This approach has been profitably used elsewhere
The proposal is not as pie-in-the-sky as one might imagine.
A similar approach to tertiary education is used in other places, such as France, Germany, and the state of California. In France, while entry into the private Grande Écoles system(full disclosure: I teach at one such school) is indeed competitive and dependent on relative scores acquired in a national-level exam known as the concours,[4] admission into the public Université system is generally open to all who have passed the baccalauréat, the equivalent of our local A-level.[5]
German universities are also more forgiving with entrance criteria,[6] with certain programs even practicing free admission; essentially, all applicants that fulfill basic university entrance qualification are let in. Standards are maintained by introducing tougher courses in the early stages and having students voluntarily dropping out, and in STEM subjects, this may be as high as 9 out of 10 students.[7]
And while the prestigious University of California system only guarantees a spot to high school graduates that come within the top 9 percent of the state’s high school cohort,[8] admission into the next tier (the California State University system) is much more liberal, and low-income residents who are first-generation, underrepresented college students may even be assured entry into certain majors, subject to a commitment by the student to complete their studies within four years.[9]
Objections to easing entry criteria
One instinctive argument against this proposal is that grades serve as a filter for whether the potential student is likely to make it in the desired course of study. But this is precisely why the proposal will retain minimum criteria for entry into programs, to ensure that those who embark on a certain course of study have a realistic chance of completion. The key difference is that students that would otherwise meet this threshold do not get rejected simply because of their relative performance.
Another objection is that this system may be brutal, and if students drop out, they may incur a debt burden with no degree to show for it. Relatedly, this also means that, at least in the earlier years, the system will require more funding to cater to a larger matriculating cohort. But this is precisely what the threshold criteria are for; these should be chosen to ensure that any student that meets the minimum requirements should be able to successfully complete the course of study. And perhaps more importantly, if you believe, like I do, that any Singaporean who qualifies for a local university should have the opportunity to pursue a degree, then we should not shy away from expanding the system, and set aside the resources to ensure that this is so. In the long run, this could even pay off economically, since employers are able to hire the workers they need, while reducing the cost of searching for talent from abroad.
A third concern is that this liberal approach may end up churning out too many graduates. But in reality, there is a shortage of certain skilled professionals—especially in tech[10]—and companies often weight skills over degrees.[11] Yet experts say that the skills learned in our tertiary institutions don’t necessarily align well with their needs on the job.[12] Relevant skills instead are instead acquired with certification exams.[13] But the pre-requisites/eligibility criteria for many certificates are actually incredibly accessible, often only requiring “O” or “N”-level credits, but not accompanied by stellar grades. What we need to ensure, therefore, is a better alignment of training and the graduates we churn out. Loosening the criteria for entry—while simultaneously tightening the conditions for graduation—will help keep our tertiary offerings nimble, since we need to worry less about how failing out already-small intakes could pre-emptively decimate programs.
One may, finally, argue that removing competitive entry could weaken the quality of our lauded autonomous universities, such as NUS and NTU. As suggested earlier, more flexible entry requirements do not appear to have undermined the STEM standing of the best French, German, and Californian universities. And in any case, my suggestion is limited to the applied tier of our AUs, those that were less oriented toward academic accomplishment and research output to begin with.
[1] Curry Jr., R.L. (1991), “Singapore’s Emerging Labor Shortage as a Constraint to Progress,” Journal of Third World Studies8(1): 6–24.
[2] ManpowerGroup (2024),Singapore Talent Shortage, Singapore: ManpowerGroup.
[3] Zalizan, T. (2024),“Confronting Singapore’s Need for Foreign Manpower and Talent, Amid Its Ageing and Shrinking Workforce,” CNA, Jun 10.
[4] Bourdieu, P. (1996), The State Nobility: Elite Schools in the Field of Power, Redwood City: Stanford University Press.
[5] The French baccalauréat is, in turn, separated into scientific (scientifique), social scientific (économiqueet social), and humanist (littéraire) streams, with further technical differentiation possible in the second year. A separate track (baccalauréat professionnel) is more oriented toward vocational training.
[6] The German secondary school system has three tracks, the more vocational Hauptschulabschluss and Mittlere Reife, and the more academic Abitur. Only the final assures entry to university, although not necessarily to all programs, some of which may also carry additional grade requirements.
[7] Der Spiegel(2016), “94 ProzentFallen Durch,” Der Spiegel, Apr 21.
[8] University of California (2024),Statewide Guarantee, Oakland, CA: Regents of the University of California.
[9] California State University (2024),Freshman: Admission Requirements, Long Beach, CA: California State University Office of the Chancellor.
[10] Tay, H.Y. (2024),“Tech Talent: Skills Take Time to Catch Up with Demand,” Straits Times, Nov 22.
[11] Lau, D. (2023),“Employers and HR Experts Say Academic Qualifications Shouldn't Be Totally Done Away With, As Survey Shows Changing Attitudes,” Today, May 17.
[12] Ng, W.K. (2022),“Upskilling: Workers Need Help to Identify Skills They Lack, But Information is Scarce, Say Experts,” Straits Times, Nov 7.
[13] Low, K. & C. Yang (2024),“Universities in Singapore Revising IT, Digital Modules to Keep Up with Industry Demands,” CNA, Jul 17.
