Brief Intro – Skipping the Details
This is the first of what I expect to be many posts about the education system here in Singapore. The system follows the exam-oriented British model, which is much different than the one in the USA. If you are not familiar with the British system, it can be quiet confusing trying to figure out how the Singapore system works (I know from experience). For those interested in education, the Ministry of Education as a lot of useful information on their site (check out the left hand column for a description of each level): http://www.moe.gov.sg/
Polytechnic – What is it?
A poly is similar to a community college in the United States. Students who graduate from these post-secondary institutions usually enter the work force. The polytechnics were originally considered to be the end of one’s education, but this has changed in recent years. Some students will try to attend a foreign university, while others (around 5%) will qualify for Singapore’s universities. The universities are excellent, and are heavily subsidized by the Ministry of Education.
Here is the officially description from the Ministry of Education:
Polytechnics were set up with the mission to train middle-level professionals to support the technological and economic development of Singapore. Reflecting the wide range of abilities, aptitudes and interests of their students, the polytechnics seek to train students with relevant and specific skills for the workplace to give Singapore a competitive edge as we move into a knowledge-based economy. Today, polytechnic graduates are valued as practice-oriented and knowledgeable middle-level professionals, much sought after by industry.
The polytechnics are also a significant provider of continuing education and post employment professional development programmes and services. There are currently five polytechnics in Singapore:
- Singapore Polytechnic (SP)
- Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP)
- Temasek Polytechnic (TP)
- Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP)
- Republic Polytechnic (RP)
The Poly Jargon
One of the first challenges as a newbie at a poly is learning the jargon. There are three components to this: abbreviations, matching known words to new definitions, and finally, learning new words.
One of the things that really stood out when I first got to Singapore was the frequent use of acronyms and abbreviations. Fellows that had only been here for a couple of weeks were dropping acronyms without even pausing to see if I understood. Here is a hypothetical conversation:
Me on the first day: “so, what should I do tomorrow?”
Fellow who has been here for a while: “well, you should probably head across the PIE to meet with your RO in BA. After they brief you on the BCOMM stuff, we can meet at SIM for lunch”
Me: “huh?”
The second challenge: attaching known words to new definitions. Words we use for tests, assignments, etc do not have the same meaning. If you don’t learn the jargon, you will confuse (and possible scare) your students. Here are some common words we commonly use that have different meanings:
Homework: you have to call this an “exercise”, not an “assignment”. Assignments are large project, and are never a daily exercise. If you ask for the completed assignment (when you mean exercise), the students will either be confused or scared.
Course: This is not a single course, but rather, a series of courses leading to the diploma. The US equivalent for ‘course’ is ‘major’.
Class: A group of students, not the subject of study. What we think of as a ‘class’ or ‘course’ in the states is referred to as a module. So, I teach a Business Communication Module.
The third challenge: new words! Again, if you don’t know these, it can be confusing! Three examples:
Invigilate: Proctor an exam.
Viva: Oral test for students that missed an exam.
Supp: Supplementary exam, which is given to those that fail the module.
Although it is quiet different (keeping in mind I left out some examples), you get use to it fairly quickly.
