MP Who Suggested Having ‘Expiry Date’ on Degree Apologises for the Misunderstanding

By
Gan Zhen Yin
-
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There’s no such thing as bad publicity.

But in the case of MP Ang Wei Neng, he had incurred too much wrath from Singaporeans altogether when he spoke about imposing a time-stamp on degrees by institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs)  on 1 March, the second day of the Budget debate.

It was at this moment he knew, he messed up.

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According to a written reply sent to The Straits Times, MP Ang Wei Neng had expressed that his intent was “to be provocative to ‘sound scary’ and draw attention to the importance of lifelong (learning).”

Mr Ang had no intention for his suggestion to be taken as a policy recommendation at all.

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“In hindsight, I recognise that it had been more provocative than needed and had caused people to misunderstand the intentions behind the suggestion. I apologise for the misunderstanding.”

Reactions from Singaporeans To MP Ang Wei Neng’s Degree Expiry Idea

For starters, some netizens voiced out that the idea of having Singaporeans to renew their degrees every five-years was financially not feasible.

Others thought that this recommendation would cause students from wealthier backgrounds to opt for overseas universities so that their degrees will not expire.

However, some netizens do recognise the good intentions of Mr Ang and believed that there are situations where work superiors will attempt to tell their juniors on what to do despite having skills “that are outdated or not relevant to today’s climate.”

Meanwhile, tertiary education holders have spawned some cheeky reactions to the ongoing drama between university graduates and MP Ang’s comments:

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Further Clarification from MP Ang Wei Neng

Mr Ang also told The Straits Times that he was not advocating for people to repeat a basic degree but rather to encourage them to consider the courses IHLs offer for graduates to refresh their knowledge, skills sets, and understanding of industry trends.

One example he cites was that professionals working in fields such as medicine effectively mandate that degree holders must take up continuous education training through courses and programs each year or every few years, in order to be able to continue working in the sector.

Mr Ang had also posted on Facebook that he had been taking note of the sentiments voiced online and offline and that he sees that “many Singaporeans are speaking fervently about this critical yet complex issue.”

At least we know our degree holders and local graduates are safe from more ‘radical’ changes for now.

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However, if you want to, you can watch this video to understand the logic behind this suggestion:

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Gan Zhen Yin
Email: [email protected]