Stacy Hong has always been a model student. She had a stellar CCA record, was the vice-president of the science society, and was involved in numerous student research projects.
She attained straight As for her ‘A’ levels, guaranteeing her a position in the medicine faculty in NUS, where her doctor parents had always wanted her to go.
Now imagine their horrified faces when she comes home one day and told them she has applied to study Philosophy and Religion at Bates College in Maine, USA.
They objected vehemently to her choice, harping on the impracticalities of an arts degree and her rashness in making that decision.
She pleaded tearfully saying that she was just following her passion, and the first question they shot at her is this:
“What are the job prospects?”
She attained straight As for her ‘A’ levels, guaranteeing her a position in the medicine faculty in NUS, where her doctor parents had always wanted her to go.
Now imagine their horrified faces when she comes home one day and told them she has applied to study Philosophy and Religion at Bates College in Maine, USA.
They objected vehemently to her choice, harping on the impracticalities of an arts degree and her rashness in making that decision.
She pleaded tearfully saying that she was just following her passion, and the first question they shot at her is this:
“What are the job prospects?”
An education system to be proud of
Traditionally, the Singapore education system is well known for producing excellent mathematics and science students.
Even its tertiary institutions had a decidedly science and engineering focus in the early years. In a recent Straits Times article on 19th December 2007, it was reported that universities in the US are encouraging trainee teachers to teach “Singapore maths”, while the state of California has endorsed the use of a Singapore maths textbook in its elementary schools.
However, Singapore is undergoing a metamorphosis in its development as a nation, and in the way it shapes education policies. A paradigm shift in the Singaporean mentality is emerging: from pragmatism to idealism; practicality to passion.
Traditionally, the Singapore education system is well known for producing excellent mathematics and science students.
Even its tertiary institutions had a decidedly science and engineering focus in the early years. In a recent Straits Times article on 19th December 2007, it was reported that universities in the US are encouraging trainee teachers to teach “Singapore maths”, while the state of California has endorsed the use of a Singapore maths textbook in its elementary schools.
However, Singapore is undergoing a metamorphosis in its development as a nation, and in the way it shapes education policies. A paradigm shift in the Singaporean mentality is emerging: from pragmatism to idealism; practicality to passion.
Liberal arts degree a pragmatic choice
We are witnessing transformations in the local education landscape – Singapore’s first pre-tertiary arts institute, the School of the Arts, is receiving its first intake in 2008, while the Lasalle College of the Arts has moved to its new urban campus along McNally Street this year, highlighting the government’s willingness to invest in fine arts education and develop Singapore’s nascent arts scene.
In the midst of this transition phase, the government has also pondered the idea of a liberal arts college as the fourth public university in Singapore.
A liberal arts education is a drastic contrast from the more practical and market-oriented education that is now dominating tertiary institutions in Singapore. Instead of gearing the student towards a specific career, a liberal arts college provides students with a vigorous mind exercise, developing within them the ability to think critically, integrate knowledge from various disciplines, and articulate their ideas eloquently either in speech or writing.
The skills acquired by a liberal arts graduate are often not immediately recognised in the workforce. A liberal arts degree does not translate immediately into job prospects, quite unlike an engineering degree.
In a study by CNN.com in 2005 on the starting pay of university graduates, the average liberal arts graduate earns about US$29,000 – 80% of what a marketing graduate (US$37,500), 70% of what an accounting graduate (US$43,000) or barely 60% of what an electrical engineering graduate (US$51,000) earns.
However, it is unfair to base the value of a liberal arts degree on starting pay alone. It is a well known perception that a liberal arts education prepares the student for a highly mobile and fast-paced job market where career switches are commonplace. Effective presentation skills and the ability to write well and work across disciplines and learn new knowledge are traits highly valued by employers across all fields.
A liberal arts education is also well known for producing leaders. According to The Annapolis Group, an alliance of independent liberal arts colleges in the US, even though only 3% of graduates in 1998 were educated at a residential liberal arts college, they account for 8% of Forbes magazine’s listing of the nation’s wealthiest CEOs and 19% of all US presidents.
A liberal arts education may be the most pragmatic form of education after all. Even as Singapore aims to produce more leaders and innovators out of its education system, is setting up a liberal arts college really the solution?
We are witnessing transformations in the local education landscape – Singapore’s first pre-tertiary arts institute, the School of the Arts, is receiving its first intake in 2008, while the Lasalle College of the Arts has moved to its new urban campus along McNally Street this year, highlighting the government’s willingness to invest in fine arts education and develop Singapore’s nascent arts scene.
In the midst of this transition phase, the government has also pondered the idea of a liberal arts college as the fourth public university in Singapore.
A liberal arts education is a drastic contrast from the more practical and market-oriented education that is now dominating tertiary institutions in Singapore. Instead of gearing the student towards a specific career, a liberal arts college provides students with a vigorous mind exercise, developing within them the ability to think critically, integrate knowledge from various disciplines, and articulate their ideas eloquently either in speech or writing.
The skills acquired by a liberal arts graduate are often not immediately recognised in the workforce. A liberal arts degree does not translate immediately into job prospects, quite unlike an engineering degree.
In a study by CNN.com in 2005 on the starting pay of university graduates, the average liberal arts graduate earns about US$29,000 – 80% of what a marketing graduate (US$37,500), 70% of what an accounting graduate (US$43,000) or barely 60% of what an electrical engineering graduate (US$51,000) earns.
However, it is unfair to base the value of a liberal arts degree on starting pay alone. It is a well known perception that a liberal arts education prepares the student for a highly mobile and fast-paced job market where career switches are commonplace. Effective presentation skills and the ability to write well and work across disciplines and learn new knowledge are traits highly valued by employers across all fields.
A liberal arts education is also well known for producing leaders. According to The Annapolis Group, an alliance of independent liberal arts colleges in the US, even though only 3% of graduates in 1998 were educated at a residential liberal arts college, they account for 8% of Forbes magazine’s listing of the nation’s wealthiest CEOs and 19% of all US presidents.
A liberal arts education may be the most pragmatic form of education after all. Even as Singapore aims to produce more leaders and innovators out of its education system, is setting up a liberal arts college really the solution?
Liberal arts in the local context
While Singapore could benefit from the setting up of a liberal arts college, starting from scratch may not be the best option. Education at a liberal arts college comes at a high price due its low faculty-to-student ratio, its small class sizes, and frequent student involvement in faculty and independent research. As such, a liberal arts college, with a usually small annual intake of 1,000 to 2,500 students coupled with expensive tuition fees, may not be what the government is looking for.
Nevertheless, there are already some elements of a liberal arts education here in Singapore. In SMU, for example, the climax of the Bachelor of Social Sciences programme is the Capstone Seminar which promotes cross-disciplinary dialogue, interaction, and research. Furthermore, SMU practices the seminar teaching approach, which it hopes will promote interaction and critical thinking. The university prides itself in developing an “interactive, collegial environment that models and encourages open communication and life-long learning.”
However, students looking for natural science oriented programmes with a similar teaching emphasis will be disappointed.
While Singapore could benefit from the setting up of a liberal arts college, starting from scratch may not be the best option. Education at a liberal arts college comes at a high price due its low faculty-to-student ratio, its small class sizes, and frequent student involvement in faculty and independent research. As such, a liberal arts college, with a usually small annual intake of 1,000 to 2,500 students coupled with expensive tuition fees, may not be what the government is looking for.
Nevertheless, there are already some elements of a liberal arts education here in Singapore. In SMU, for example, the climax of the Bachelor of Social Sciences programme is the Capstone Seminar which promotes cross-disciplinary dialogue, interaction, and research. Furthermore, SMU practices the seminar teaching approach, which it hopes will promote interaction and critical thinking. The university prides itself in developing an “interactive, collegial environment that models and encourages open communication and life-long learning.”
However, students looking for natural science oriented programmes with a similar teaching emphasis will be disappointed.
Bringing liberal arts into the education system
The best way forward may not be to start a liberal arts college, but to bring liberal arts into existing faculties. The high costs of a liberal arts education would be offset by the sharing of many facilities and student services. There would not be a need to hire as many new faculty members as there are competent ones in the existing faculties.
It is certainly easier to make adjustments to the existing system rather than to start from scratch. Also, to ease parent’s concerns about the value of a BA degree, professional internships could also be included in the programme, as universities like the Colorado State University are already doing.
Changes should also be made to the education system as a whole.
Starting from primary school, students should be taught to think critically and be vocal about issues affecting our nation. Educators should make humanities more interesting for students instead of treating them as second-tier subjects. While the junior college has been adjusted to incorporate more breadth, there is still too much of an emphasis on rote learning and the ten-year series.
Liberal arts for everyone
Skills like critical thinking and rhetoric should not be learnt only when the student has reached college level. Indeed, a liberal arts education is not just a university programme, but a lifelong process that starts from young.
During the holidays, I had the opportunity to teach creative writing at a private education centre for kindergarten and primary school children. The students there are taught to be imaginative and they learn how to write well. However, students should be able to pick up these skills in public schools, and not just in private education centres.
In an interview with The Business Standard, Mr Kamath, chief executive officer of India’s second largest bank, attested to the value of a liberal arts education when he said: “I am probably too technical a person. By training I am an engineer and also did my MBA but I never had an exposure to liberal arts. I wonder sometime that if I had an exposure to liberal arts, probably I could have been a better person, better leader and achieved a little more than what I have [done].
Early in my career I used to feel that technical education is the best education but after 35 years of working I like to admit that I stand corrected.”
Skills like critical thinking and rhetoric should not be learnt only when the student has reached college level. Indeed, a liberal arts education is not just a university programme, but a lifelong process that starts from young.
During the holidays, I had the opportunity to teach creative writing at a private education centre for kindergarten and primary school children. The students there are taught to be imaginative and they learn how to write well. However, students should be able to pick up these skills in public schools, and not just in private education centres.
In an interview with The Business Standard, Mr Kamath, chief executive officer of India’s second largest bank, attested to the value of a liberal arts education when he said: “I am probably too technical a person. By training I am an engineer and also did my MBA but I never had an exposure to liberal arts. I wonder sometime that if I had an exposure to liberal arts, probably I could have been a better person, better leader and achieved a little more than what I have [done].
Early in my career I used to feel that technical education is the best education but after 35 years of working I like to admit that I stand corrected.”
