Special Select Committee to review Singapore’s current university cohort participation rate and adult education

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim, Sengkang GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry will consider convening a Special Select Committee to review Singapore’s current university cohort participation rate and adult education.

Response

1. The provision of subsidised university places and pathways for skills upgrading are key policies which the Ministry of Education reviews regularly. As mentioned at the Committee of Supply in March, we are reviewing the lifetime cohort participation rate in university education to give working adults more opportunities in subsidised degree programmes. We are also studying ways to enhance structural support for Singaporeans in their 40s and 50s who may need significant reskilling to provide a second wind in their careers.

2. Our approach involves working with economic agencies to study the quantity and mix of the increase in university places, as this depends on the economy's medium-term demand for manpower, and where the growth areas are. We do not plan to convene a select committee, but are engaging relevant stakeholders, and members of the public who wish to share their views may also write to MOE.