Curbing Overeducation in Singapore: A Demand-Supply Analysis
Keywords:
aspiration, overeducation, policy, private education, Singapore, University GraduatesAbstract
There is a growing concern in Singapore that students are investing time and money to obtain a degree that may not land them on jobs that commensurate with the newly acquired qualification. To mitigate the situation, the Singapore government released the Applied Study in Polytechnics and ITE Review (ASPIRE) report in January 2014, detailing measures to meet the demands of the future and aspiration of the students. To curb the supply side of the equation, the government through the Committee for Private Education embarks on the mission to raise the entry requirements for Singaporeans enrolled into external degree programmes - the external degree programmes are offered by foreign universities in Australia, the United Kingdom and other countries, in partnership with private education institutions (PEIs). This paper suggests that curbing the growth of the undergraduate education market is a herculean task that needs time. A degree is often seen as a passport to good life. Many Singaporeans are (still) not able to get into the public universities such as the National University of Singapore. Raising the bar to enrol into the external degree programme may raise discontentment, and force more Singaporeans to travel abroad to acquire a degree.
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