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Press Release 30 May 2006 -
Singapore’s first group of students trained in the “problem based learning”
approach graduated from Republic Polytechnic (RP) today. Mr Tharman
Shanmugaratnam, Minister, Ministry of Education was the Guest of Honour for the
event.
The 619 RP
graduates offer employers finely honed practical and problem solving skills
developed over three years. Each day at RP, students are presented with
challenging situations to which they must gather information and devise workable
solutions. In the process, students are trained to think outside the box, be
resourceful and not rely on others to hand them answers. As such, RP graduates
are better able to analyse and solve problems such as those faced in the
workplace.
"We
believe these are the most ‘work-ready’ polytechnic graduates ever to enter
the Singapore workforce,” Professor Low Teck Seng, Principal and CEO of
Republic Polytechnic said.
"Employers who
are looking for graduates that can think and act independently will appreciate
the skills of our RP graduates.”
“When we first set up RP, we were tasked to create a viable
and credible alternative to more conventional approaches to education and to add
diversity to the educational landscape in Singapore. After more than 3 years of
hard work, our efforts are finally being rewarded as we witness our first group
of students receiving their diplomas.”
“We have succeeded in creating a different kind of learning
environment in Singapore driven by innovation and entrepreneurial learning which
helps develop problem-solving skills and a commitment to life-long education in
our students."
“We are proud of each of these young men and women and are
confident that they will do well in whatever field they choose to pursue because
they have been equipped to deal with changes in a knowledge-based economy,”
Professor Low said.
Mr Richard Yeck, Chief Executive Officer of Royale Wings
International Pte Ltd, welcomed the new breed of graduates saying they would
revolutionise the workforce in Singapore. “These RP graduates are just what
employers are looking for. The truth is you cannot learn everything from a
book. Graduates need to be able to use their knowledge to move a project
forward, not just memorise facts and figures.”
RP commenced operations in July 2003 and is the first
educational institution in Singapore to adopt a Problem Based Learning (PBL)
approach for all its diploma courses. The inaugural graduation ceremony honours
students from the School of Engineering, School of Applied Science, and School
of Information and Communications Technology.
To graduate with a diploma, a student needs to complete 30 modules in 3 years,
at an average of 5 modules per semester. Each module would typically have 4
contact hours weekly during which 25 students are divided into groups of five to
work with a facilitator to set goals, present information and share knowledge.
Each student is expected to spend 20 hours of scheduled contact time with
facilitators per week over a 16-week semester. Students are assessed regularly
in a holistic and comprehensive manner.
To ensure that
students are equipped with the necessary skills required for further learning,
the three main diploma programmes are supported by programmes in areas such as
culture and communication, innovation and enterprise and cognitive skills.
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