Hardworking Filial Girl Gets Scholarship - Singapore Polytechnic

INSIDE 

She followed her heart, and 

pursued her passion for 

perfumery. Now she is a top 

graduate from SP. 

PAGE 3 

THE NEW PAPER | 6 MAY 2013 

“Looking 

back, I now 

know that 

it was too 

immature and 

presumptuous 

of me to 

assume 

that a poly 

education was 

not the route I 

wanted.” 

– Mr Steven Ong Kia Kian (left) 

TNP PICTURE: BENJAMIN SEETOR 

Former ITE student gets into 

serious traffic accident, but 

overcomes odds to become a 

scholar in SP. 

PAGE 6 

SP students win infocomm, 

Home Team and Public Service 

Commission scholarships, and 

many more… 

PAGE 29,32, 33 

Articles reproduced with permission 

from Singapore Press Holdings. 

Follow SP on 

www.facebook.com/singaporepolytechnic 

www.twitter.com/singaporepoly 

www.youtube.com/singaporepolytechnic 

www.sp.edu.sg 

Scan this QR code to go to 

SP’s main website. 

500 Dover Road Singapore 139651 

Tel: 6772-1400 | Fax: 6772-1978 

Poly education works for him 

More than half of those who take top two spots in Singapore Polytechnic courses 

are from neighbourhood schools 

REPORT: MAUREEN KOH 

maureenk@sph.com.sg 

T 

HE last thing he expected to 

do was to go to a polytechnic. 

Mr Steven Ong Kia Kian told 

The New Paper: “I must admit I 

thought that a polytechnic (education) 

was inferior to that of a junior 

college previously.” 

The 21-year-old, who was from 

Hai Sing Catholic Secondary 

School, reckoned that “because my 

friends and I came from the best 

class in the level, we were expected 

to go to a JC”. 

He did well enough in his O 

levels to make it to a local junior 

college. But six months into his 

first year there, things started to go 

downhill. He found himself failing 

his favourite subject, biology. 

Fast forward four years – Mr 

Ong will now graduate with a Diploma 

with Merit in Biotechnology 

from Singapore Polytechnic. 

And he made it to the top 5 per 

cent of his cohort in the course. 

As it turned out, 63 per cent of 

those who made it to the top two 

spots from each graduating course 

this year came from neighbourhood 

schools. 

Students from neighbourhood 

schools have performed well overall 

at Singapore Polytechnic, said a 

spokesman. 

This percentage has remained 

consistent for the past three years. 

But while others may have been 

certain of the route they wanted, 

Mr Ong took a longer path. 

He said: “Biology was a subject 

that I had so much passion for, after I 

was introduced to it in Secondary 1.” 

But when he was in junior college, 

he found the pace too competitive. 

“It was extremely pressurising, 

where you have to do well,” said 

Mr Ong. 

He realised he was in trouble 

when he found himself failing his 

tests. The last exams he took before 

he dropped out of JC one were the 

mid-year ones. 

He said: “I can remember only 

that I did very badly for biology 

and chemistry. I had even given up 

studying chemistry to focus on biology. 

“I’d have been comfortable if I 

could have scored a B, but it really 

crushed me when I couldn’t pass. 

“And I couldn’t sleep well, when 

there was work to complete, I’d find 

myself waking up like at 2-3am to 

just try and complete it quickly. 

That of course disrupted my sleep 

cycles.” 

Pressure 

Mr Ong now recognises that he 

gave himself the pressure. 

“As the environment was very competitive, 

I found myself wanting to be 

better than the others,” he said. 

“I didn’t hang out with friends. 

The only activity I got involved in 

was the debate club, which was also 

academic related.” 

Mr Ong finally decided to drop 

out. “I didn’t even discuss it with my 

parents, but they had seen how hard 

I studied. Still, they were not entirely 

supportive of my decision.” 

He recalled how his parents told him 

to return to his studies. 

His father, Mr Samuel Ong, 48, 

runs his own ship repair business 

while mum, 

Madam Serene Tan, 47, is a 

housewife. 

Madam Tan said she had a more 

traditional mindset at first. 

“In my time, the polytechnic was 

only an alternative route if we could 

not go on to do our A levels. 

Mr Ong’s father felt that his son 

had worked very hard to be successful. 

“I’m glad that he’s passionate 

about what he’s doing. I now feel that 

Steven has made the right decision to 

switch track,” he said. 

Mr Ong’s sister, 20, also a student 

in Singapore Polytechnic, will be 

graduating from the same course. 

Mr Ong attributes his success to 

the flexibility of the poly environment, 

where “you could plan your 

own study route”. 

He added: “Another factor is experiential 

learning. We get to put 

whatever we have learnt into experiments, 

so you can verify the theories 

(in textbooks). 

“Our teachers also had experience 

in the industry, so they could 

tell me how exactly theories could be 

applied in the real world.” 

Internships during his course allowed 

him to engage in real-life investigative 

R&D projects alongside 

scientists and their teams. 

After this, he hopes to study in a 

university, then go into research. 

Said Mr Ong: “Looking back, I 

now know that it was too immature 

and presumptuous of me to assume 

that a poly education was not the 

route I wanted. 

“We are cut out for various environments, 

mine was just not one that 

was too academically inclined. So, 

polytechnic worked for me.” 

Steven Ong’s SP journey 

included a 12-week 

internship at Harvard 

Medical School in 

Boston, USA, where 

he studied molecular 

biology techniques and 

performed tests to identify 

successfully cloned cells.

02 With SP, it’s So Possible 

THE NEW PAPER | 13 MARCH 2013 

MY PAPER | 10 MAY 2013 

卓欣霓获颁 “ 杜进才金牌 ”。( 新加坡理工学院提供 ) 

孝顺女发奋拿到 

大学奖学金 

叶伟强 

孝顺女体会家人经济情况不乐观 , 奋力向上 , 短短半年内 , 数 

学成绩从不及格进步到特优 , 现在还成为理工学院的状元 , 并 

拿到奖学金进大学。20 岁的卓欣霓说 , 母亲以前在家帮忙人 

照顾宝宝 , 月入不到 700 元 , 还需要养她和她的 2 个姐姐 , 家 

庭经济非常拮据。 

“ 我的 2 个姐姐为了不加重妈妈的负担 , 结果从理工学院毕 

业后 , 都放弃上大学 , 直接找工作了。” 

中二那年 , 卓欣霓各科成绩都普通 , 数学更是差劲 , 曾在 

学期刚开始的考试 , 只拿到了总分的 40%。 

体会到母亲和姐姐的牺牲后 , 她勤奋地做功课、试卷、考 

卷 , 到了 “O” 水准 , 数学成绩考到 A1, 也顺利进入新加坡 

理工学院修读会计系。 

卓欣霓最后以 4 . 0 的完美平均成绩 (GPA) 毕业 , 加上她 

在数个社区组织都有参与义工活动 , 在经校方推举后 , 成功赢 

得校方颁发的 “ 杜进才金牌 ”。颁奖及毕业典礼将在本月举 

行。 

卓欣霓也已经获得南洋理工大学的奖学金 ,8 月将继续深造 

会计系课程。 

“ 成绩好 , 真的没有什么秘诀 , 就是努力、上课要专心。 

我当时深刻体会到家人的辛苦 , 下定决心后 , 现在算是有一些 

成绩可以报答家人了。” 

>> yapwq@sph.com.sg 

Summary of Chinese article 

Hardworking Filial Girl Gets 

Scholarship 

SP top graduate and institutional medallist Toh 

Xin Ni from the Diploma in Accountancy (DAC) 

worked hard to excel in studies and alleviate the 

financial burden on her family. She eventually got 

a scholarship to pursue a degree in accounting in 

Nanyang Technological University.

With SP, it’s So Possible 03 

THE STRAITS TIMES | 17 MAY 2013 

THE NEW PAPER | 20 MAY 2013 

New perfumery course at S’pore Poly 

Smelling success 

REPORTS: KERRI HENG 

kerrihyp@sph.com.sg 

S 

UNSCREENS, hair gels and soaps. 

These were some of the things 

she concocted during her time at 

Singapore Polytechnic, while pursuing her 

diploma in perfumery. 

It was a course her parents weren’t keen 

on her doing, as they had wanted her to be 

a doctor. 

But after getting a stint at the University 

of Oxford, and topping her course here, 

they are glad she had chosen her own path 

to success, and not try to be what they had 

wanted her to be. 

Miss Alethea Joy Han Hui En, 20, is 

among the pioneer batch of students who 

will graduate this Wednesday from the 

poly’s diploma in perfumery and cosmetic 

science course. 

She got interested in scents when she 

was four and put rose petals into water in 

an attempt to make perfume. 

It didn’t work out. 

Now, she can become a perfumer for 

real, but she has had to overcome several 

obstacles along the way. 

One of them was the perception her 

parents had about polytechnics. 

Her father, Mr Han Kian Kwang, 55, 

the chief executive officer of Gurusoft, a 

supply chain management software company 

said he and his wife were initially not 

supportive of their daughter’s decision to 

go to a polytechnic. 

He said: “What we knew about polytechnic 

was based on impressions from 

long ago. 

“(But) I learnt to listen to my daughter 

and find out where her passion lay.” 

Miss Han, a former Methodist Girls’ 

School student, said: “I was excited about 

school and I looked forward to learning 

things I liked.” 

Miss Han, who scored a perfect 

GPA of 4.0, did intense chemistry and 

mathematics modules throughout her 

course. 

She created many products like sunscreens, 

hair gels and soaps during 

practical lessons. 

For two design thinking projects, 

where students made products based on 

users’ needs, she created a rose fragrance 

and an anti-ageing moisturiser. 

For her final year project, she and her 

teammates came up with a series of four 

scents inspired by the freesia, a flowering 

plant from Africa used in hand creams 

and shampoos . 

They made four scents called Freesia 

Juice, Freesia Tea, Freesia Cordial and 

Freesia Milk. Each scent was made for use 

during a different part of the day. 

Oxford internship 

One of Miss Han’s highest points came 

when she and another course mate were 

selected to go to Oxford for an internship 

in September 2011. 

She was there for 1½ months, working 

on an organic synthesis project at the 

university’s chemistry research laboratory. 

She said: “I was excited and happy that 

we had the chance to go to Oxford. I had a 

lot of fun exploring the place and meeting 

new people.” 

She also clinched several awards, 

including the Chua Chor Teck Gold Medal 

and Procter & Gamble Singapore Award. 

Miss Han will be going to the University 

of Edinburgh in Scotland for three 

years to pursue a degree in chemistry this 

September. 

TNP PICTURE: LATASHNI GOBI NATHAN 

“If you love what you study, then 

studying wouldn’t be a chore.” 

– Miss Alethea Joy Han Hui En (above) 

A lab to delight the senses 

THIS laboratory is no ordinary room. 

There are dazzling blue lights and huge 

glass display walls filled with world-famous 

perfumes. 

Singapore Polytechnic’s perfumery and 

cosmetic science centre, which opened this 

year, wows both visitors and students. 

The centre is divided into three spaces 

– conceptualisation, crystallisation and 

communication – providing an ideal 

environment for students to brainstorm, 

formulate products and showcase them. 

It is also a facility specially for students from 

the diploma in perfumery and cosmetic science. 

The course, which sees its first batch of 

graduates this year, is the only full-time diploma 

in Singapore that offers training in chemistry, 

perfumery and cosmetic science. 

Some of them have already found jobs in 

fragrance-related industries. 

Prominent companies with a foothold in 

Singapore’s perfumery industry include Procter 

& Gamble, Johnson and Johnson, Lubrizol, 

Croda and Unilever. 

Course manager Jessie Tong said the diploma 

will enable students to serve the chemical, 

beauty, flavour and fragrance industries. 

She said: “The demand for talent is high. (We 

are) the only local institute of higher learning 

that trains students in perfumery and cosmetic 

science (and) our graduates are highly sought 

after.”


BERITA HARIAN | 30 MAY 2013 

Summary of Malay article 

Parents Are 

Supportive 

SP graduate Nur Faatihah 

Mohd bte Amin’s supportive 

parents played a part in her 

studies, helping her achieve 

an impressive GPA of 3.98 

out of 4.00. She is the gold 

medallist for the Diploma 

in Engineering with 

Business (DEB). 

KUNCI JAYA: 

Faatihah (depan) bersama kedua ibu bapanya, 

Cik Rosidah Pagi dan Encik Mohd Amin Ahmat, 

yang tidak pernah lelah dan jemu memberinya 

sokongan. Bersama mereka ialah adik-beradik 

Faatihah, (dari kiri) Nur Faiqah, Nur Fatinahdora 

dan Nur Fadilah. – Foto KHALID BABA 

Faatihah during 

her graduation 

ceremony this year. 

Poly Student Going To 

Medical School 

Diploma In Biomedical Science (DBS) gold 

medallist, Meetrra Seyher has the honour of being 

one of the latest DBS students to be accepted 

into the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the 

National University of Singapore. 

TAMIL MURASU | 23 MAY 2013 

Summary of Tamil article


THE NEW PAPER | 17 DECEMBER 2013 LIANHE ZAOBAO | 17 MAY 2013 

Top-notch facilities 

a big draw 

Former Anglo- 

Chinese School 

(Independent) 

student Raphael Ng 

Shea did very well for 

his O levels. 

He qualified for his dream junior college 

( JC), Anglo-Chinese JC, but the 

19-year-old decided to take a different 

path from most of his peers by picking 

the polytechnic route. 

He is now a Biomedical Science 

student at Singapore Polytechnic (SP). 

“Biology was my favourite subject 

and I felt that polytechnic was a better 

option because I could just concentrate 

on it without taking other subjects 

like I would have to in JC,” said 

Raphael, who picked SP because he 

was impressed by its top-notch facilities 

during its open house. 

“We have to work in groups and 

my classmates are helpful and willing 

to share their knowledge.” 

His decision paid off. 

He thrived in the learning environment, 

where projects make up a 

huge part of their grades, and earned 

a near-perfect GPA. 

At SP, he also manages to pursue 

his other passion, music. 

I look forward to the 

club activities all the 

time. Music is my 

real passion. 

The avid guitarist is a committee 

member with the SP Guitarist Club 

and has performed at many gigs in 

and outside school. In September, he 

performed at events organised by the 

Yellow Ribbon Project and the Children’s 

Cancer Foundation. 

“I look forward to the club activities 

all the time. Music is my real 

passion,” said Raphael, who also uploads 

videos on his YouTube channel 

Sheamisen and formed a band named 

The Warrants with a fellow SP student. 

After graduation, Raphael hopes to 

pursue a degree in dentistry. 

He said: “There is science involved 

and I enjoy the interaction with people. 

On top of that, I will still have 

time to explore music.” 

Besides exploring their passion in a 

diploma course of their choice, SP 

students can also discover and grow 

their own hidden talents in the poly’s 

CCA clubs! With more than 120 clubs for 

sports, art, music, community service and 

other special pursuits (e.g. beatboxing, 

debating, wushu), our students get every 

chance to develop themselves physically, 

mentally and emotionally. 


Poly Student Works Towards His 

Hollywood Dreams 

SP institutional medallist James Ng, from the Diploma in 

Visual Effects and Motion Graphics (DVEMG), went to 

Hollywood, USA for six months for the prestigious NDU-MDA 

Hollywood Attachment Programme, where he learned about 

the latest technologies used in the film industry.


LIANHE ZAOBAO | 17 MAY 2013 


Poly Student Obtains Two 

Certifications; Is Awarded 

Lee Kuan Yew Prize 

Diploma in Integrated Events 

and Project Management (DEPM) 

graduate Walter Tan had a rough start 

academically. His PSLE score was 

183 and he went into to the Normal 

(Academic) stream. This did not 

discourage him, however. He worked 

hard for his ‘O’ levels and got a L1R4 

of 12 and was admitted into SP. 

Now, in 2013, the top graduate and 

institutional medallist has finished his 

course with a near-perfect GPA of 

3.99, and has also been awarded the 

Lee Kuan Yew prize. Walter has helped 

to organise events for major brands 

such as Nike and Citibank, and has 

travelled as far as USA and China for 

exchange programmes. 

THE NEW PAPER | 4 JULY 2013 

REPORT: LOK JIAN WEN 

jwlok@sph.com.sg 

E 

VERY painful step he takes reminds him 

to be the best he can be – a lesson etched in 

his mind after an accident that left doctors 

wondering if he would walk again. 

Just two years ago, Mr Arshad Supa’at was 

riding his motorcycle home after his shift as a 

food delivery man, when a lorry knocked him 

down. 

His left thigh was pinned underneath the 

lorry’s wheels, before he was extricated. The 

accident left him in a coma for two days. 

The Jalan Kayu accident forced him to miss his 

business studies course at ITE College Bishan for 

six months as he underwent physiotherapy and 

multiple skin grafts. 

His four-member family took a financial hit 

since he was the main breadwinner. His dad was 

recovering from a heart attack while his mum was 

working as a parking attendant then. 

He has a younger sister, now 21. 

Yesterday evening, Mr Arshad, 25, was awarded 

the prestigious, bond-free SP-ITE Scholarship 

by Singapore Polytechnic. He was shortlisted for 

his outstanding academic results and co-curricular 

activities. 

This included being the best speaker at the 

Inter-College ValidITE Business Debate last year. 

He is also the recipient of the prestigious Lee 

Kuan Yew Gold Medal award this year. 

But Mr Arshad is not free from the complications 

of the accident. 

He said: “I feel pain in my knee even if it’s just 

taking a step. I will be taking painkillers for a long 

time, but I have accepted it as part and parcel of 

my life.” 

After returning to school last year and 

missing the bulk of his first year, Mr Arshad faced 

the sizeable task of graduating with his peers. 

But with the help of his teachers and classmates, 

he crammed two years of work into one 

and earned a near-perfect 3.9 grade point average. 

He even earned straight distinctions in all his 

first-year subjects. 

On the financial front, Ms Joyce See, 47, 

Arshad’s then form teacher, rallied her 

colleagues and students to raise nearly $3,000 for his 

expenses. 

The money came through various efforts, 

including cookie-selling sessions. 

Mr Arshad said Ms See was an inspiration to 

him and she motivated him to push himself harder, 

even getting him to join the debating team. 

No surprise 

His results were no surprise to Ms See. 

She said: “He is a bright boy and always had the 

potential to excel. For Arshad, it was about setting 

the stage for him.” 

Mr Arshad’s mother, Madam Enah Harun, 54, 

was pleasantly surprised by The New Paper. 

Madam Enah, who was not aware of her son’s 

scholarship award when TNP spoke to her yesterday, 

said: “Maybe he wanted to surprise me. Now 

that I’ve found out, I feel so proud.” 

Mr Arshad is quick to attribute his success to 

his peers, teachers and family. 

He said: “After doing some soul-searching 

while I was bedridden, I was more determined 

than before the accident. 

“Seeing how my family and friends in school 

supported me gave me more reason to recover 

quickly. After the accident, I was more focused on 

what I wanted to achieve. 

“I knew what I wanted to do and worked extra 

hard to catch up.” 

After all the help from people around him, he 

just wants to inspire others.


THE STRAITS TIMES | 7 JUNE 2013 

Mukkesh Kumar 

will be studying for a degree 

in Chemical Engineering in 

Newcastle University through 

the Singapore Institute of 

Technology. 

Photo insertion: 

Singapore Polytechnic 

BERITA HARIAN | 9 MARCH 2013 

Pelajar aeroangkasa 

mahu jadi 

juruterbang 

Antara 30 penerima Anugerah Pelajar Contoh Poly Singapura 

Oleh NURUL ’AIN RAZALI 

nrazali@sph.com.sg 

INSPIRASI IBU: Cik Tri Handajani Amron Sukarto merupakan sumber inspirasi 

Encik Rifat Hidayat Ja’afarino apabila dugaan hidup tampak semakin sukar. Mereka 

berdua ditemui dalam majlis penyampaian Anugerah Kecemerlangan Politeknik 

Singapura 2013 di Gardens by the Bay petang semalam. – Foto JOHARI RAHMAT 

SEJAK kecil, Encik Rifat Hidayat Ja’afarino didedahkan kepada 

dunia penerbangan. 

Ibunya, Cik Tri Handajani Amron Sukarto, 51 tahun, merupakan 

jurutera reka bentuk bahagian ganti pesawat manakala ramai mak 

cik serta pak ciknya bekerja di Lapangan Terbang Changi. 

Kini, pelajar bidang kejuruteraan aeroangkasa Politeknik 

Singapura (SP) itu berharap dapat mengongsi minat mereka dalam 

bidang tersebut dengan bercita-cita menjadi juruterbang apabila dewasa 

kelak. 

“Orang semua tanya kenapa tak nak jadi jurutera atau pekerjaan 

lain. Saya tanya balik, anda tidak ada impiankah? 

“Saya kuat bersaing dan enggan kalah. Lantas, jika peluang 

disediakan untuk saya, saya akan memanfaatkannya sebaik mungkin,” 

ujar Encik Rifat, 20 tahun. 

Semangat kentalnya membuahkan hasil apabila beliau meraih 

agregat enam mata untuk layak belajar di SP. 

Bahkan semasa di politeknik itu beliau berjaya meraih gred 

purata mata (GPA) 4.0 bersih bagi tujuh penggal berturut-turut. 

Berkat kegigihannya itu, Encik Rifat diberi Anugerah Pelajar 

Contoh dalam majlis penyampaian Anugerah Kecemerlangan SP 

2013 di Gardens by the Bay, semalam. 

Encik Rifat merupakan penerima Anugerah Pelajar Contoh SP 

Melayu tunggal antara 30 penerima lain tahun ini. 

Untuk menerima anugerah tersebut, seseorang pelajar harus 

cemerlang dalam pembelajaran di samping menyumbang kepada 

salah satu bidang berikut: kesenian, kemasyarakatan, sukan dan 

kepimpinan. 

“Saya tidak melihat pelajaran atau ulang kaji itu menyusahkan. 

Saya punya impian untuk dicapai dari mula lagi. Saya tahu apa yang 

saya lakukan sekarang akan menjejas impian saya. 

“Apabila saya hampir putus asa, atau ketika penat sampai rumah, 

saya lihat ibu saya. Walaupun beliau bekerja sehari suntuk dan terpaksa 

buat kerja rumah, beliau juga sedang mengejar ijazahnya. 

Kalau saya putus asa, apa alasan saya?” ujar anak bongsu dalam 

keluarga dua beradik itu. Dalam majlis itu semalam, seramai 125 

pelajar menerima anugerah di bawah empat kategori. 

Tiga kategori lain ialah Anugerah Pemimpin Kelas Cemerlang, 

Anugerah Sukan, Anugerah Sumbangan Individu Cemerlang dan 

Anugerah Sumbangan Berkumpulan Cemerlang. 

Menerusi ucapannya, pengetua SP, Encik Tan Choon Shian, mengucapkan 

tahniah kepada semua pemenang, sambil berkata bahawa 

majlis tersebut merupakan “penghargaan terhadap usaha, pengorbanan 

dan sumbangan” pelajar kepada suasana pembelajaran di SP. 


Aerospace Student Wants To Be A Pilot 

Aspiring pilot Rifat Hidayat bin Ja’afarino was surprised and happy when he heard he could qualify for SP’s Diploma in 

Aeronautical Engineering (DARE) with his L1R4 of 6 points. Throughout his three years in DARE, Rifat stayed consistently 

motivated, scoring a perfect GPA of 4.0 for seven consecutive terms. He also received the Model Student Award given to excellent 

students who also contribute in areas such as arts, sports or community service. One driving force behind his success is his 

inspiring mother, who is an aircraft engineer. He said: “I do not see education as troublesome, as I know what I do now will affect 

my dreams later in life. When I come close to despair or when I’m tired, I look at my mother. Though she worked a full day job 

and had to do chores at home, she still pursued a degree. If I give up, what excuse do I have?” Now, Rifat has been accepted into 

Nanyang Technological University to study mechanical engineering.

08 Authentic Learning: Global Exposure 

THE STRAITS TIMES | 11 MARCH 2011 

Besides Harvard, 

Stanford and Yale, 

students from the 

School of Chemical 

and Life Sciences 

(CLS) are also 

attached to other 

top universities 

and institutions 

like Cornell, 

Massachusetts 

Institute of 

Technology, Imperial 

College London, 

the Max-Planck 

Institute and the 

Wyss Institute. 

Locally, they have 

opportunities 

for prestigious 

internships in 

places such as the 

Agency for Science, 

Technology and 

Research (A*STAR) 

and Tan Tock Seng 

Hospital’s medical 

laboratories. 

Scan QR code for details on 

School of Chemical & Life 

Sciences diploma courses.

Authentic Learning: Global Exposure 09 

THE NEW PAPER | 11 DECEMBER 2012 THE STRAITS TIMES | 13 MAY 2013 

ITE graduate aims for 

gold at ‘Skills Olympics’ 

Contest aims to bring out the best in those 

studying vocational courses 

By PEARL LEE 

Mr Brendan Tan, 20, (right) has been preparing 

for the WorldSkills International 

contest under ITE lecturer Raymond Yeo, 

45. ST PHOTO: SEAH KWANG PENG 

DAY and night, Mr Brendan Tan has been 

training to win an “Olympic” gold. 

The 20-year-old has spent the past two years 

hitting the gym, going for runs and even camping 

overnight in school when his coaching sessions 

lasted more than 15 hours. 

Yet his event is neither track nor field, but 

something a little more cerebral – electrical 

installation. 

He is among 22 students from the Institute of 

Technical Education (ITE) and polytechnics who 

will be representing Singapore at the “Olympics 

of Skills”. 

The contest – held this year in Leipzig, 

Germany – is designed to bring out the best in 

youngsters studying vocational courses ranging 

from beauty therapy to robotics. 

Mr Tan was selected to compete in Germany 

after he emerged tops in an ITE competition last 

year that lasted a gruelling 28 hours, spread over 

three days, while he was still a student in ITE. 

On two of those days, he had to work from 

8am to 7pm – which explains his need to hit the 

gym to build up his stamina. 

“It was a very intensive competition, that is 

why you must be physically fit too,” said Mr Tan, 

who studied electrical technology in ITE and 

is currently enrolled in Singapore Polytechnic 

learning about clean energy. 

During his previous competition, he had to 

create lighting systems. 

This involved setting up the wiring for the 

lights and installing a circuit before finally 

programming the system on a computer. 

ITE lecturer Raymond Yeo, who has been 

coaching Mr Tan since 2011, said: “Brendan is 

very willing to pick up new skills, and has the 

drive. He told me that his reason for joining this 

competition is simply because he wants to win.” 

Hundreds of young people from more than 60 

countries will compete at the 42nd WorldSkills 

International Competition, which is a biennial 

event. In the last contest in London, Singapore 

won four golds: in IT (information technology) 

Network Systems Administration, Beauty Therapy, 

Caring, and IT Software Solutions for Business. 

This year, the Singaporean representatives will 

compete in 20 out of the 46 categories – the most 

since the Republic started taking part in the event 

in 1995. For the first time, they include electrical 

installation – in which Mr Tan is competing – 

and aircraft maintenance. 

“ 

AIMING FOR THE TOP 

Brendan is very willing to pick up new 

skills, and he has the drive. He told me that 

his reason for joining this competition is 

simply because he wants to win. 

– ITE lecturer Raymond Yeo, who has been coaching 

Mr Tan since 2011 

Representing Singapore in this second 

category is fellow ITE graduate Chow Wei Li. 

The 22-year-old, now studying at Nanyang 

Polytechnic (NYP), was the winner in this field 

last year at WorldSkills Singapore – the local 

version of the competition. 

For that contest, he had to complete seven tasks 

in four days, including removing components 

from an aircraft and checking for defects in its 

engine. Some were conducted on a real aircraft, 

while others were carried out using a simulator. 

“It was really four days of high stress, very 

tiring,” said Mr Chow. “You must be very clear 

and focused on the tasks.” 

Mr Desmond Tan, the course manager for 

aeronautical and aerospace technology at NYP, 

has been preparing Mr Chow for the upcoming 

competition, which takes place from July 2 to 7. 

“Everyone can perform tasks, but how you 

handle your tools... that will show how passionate 

you are,” he said. 

leepearl@sph.com.sg 

” 

Healthcare Scholarship Winners 

A bumper crop of 13 School of Chemical and Life Sciences (CLS) recent 

graduates received scholarships from Ministry of Health Holdings this 

year, which will finance their healthcare-related degree studies in places 

such as the National University of Singapore, the University of Missouri 

(Columbia), and the University of Queensland (Australia). 

Showing Off Skills in Germany 

Five SP students represented Singapore at WorldSkills 

2013, an annual international competition that invites 

talented youths from around the world to compete in skills 

ranging from healthcare-giving to robotics, mechatronics 

and even cooking! The School of Electrical and 

Electronic Engineering (EEE) and School of 

Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering 

(MAE) flew to Leipzig, Germany to compete in various 

engineering-related fields.

10 Authentic Learning: Global Exposure 

THE NEW PAPER | 27 JUNE 2013 

Eugene Lim is the 2013 top graduate 

and course medallist for the Diploma in 

Maritime Business (DMB). 

Around 

REPORT: ANDRE JOSEPH THENG 

ajtheng@sph.com.sg 

I 

N A sea of men, female student Baby Tan aims to make 

her mark. Miss Tan, 19, loves sailing and is one of very 

few women in this line. 

In her diploma in nautical studies course at Singapore 

Polytechnic, where she is in her final year of the three-year 

programme, there are only five female students in the cohort 

of 60. 

She chose the course partly because she was inspired by her 

cousin, who took the same course years ago and regaled her 

with tales of her experiences at sea. 

It was also partly a pragmatic decision. 

She said: “As Singapore is a maritime hub, I knew there 

would be plenty of opportunities for me to pursue a career in 

this field after my studies.” 

Little did she know that she would come to enjoy the course 

so much. As part of the course, she has learnt skills such as 

navigation, passage planning and how to react to various situations 

which may occur on board ships. 

The highlight of the course was two six-month internships 

which she spent on board a 260m-long container vessel with 

some 30 crew members. 

The first internship saw her visit ports in Myanmar and 

Malaysia. The second took her halfway round the world to 

South America, where she visited countries like Argentina, 

Brazil and Uruguay. 

Both times, she was away from home for months, with 

hardly any access to a phone or the Internet. 

The male-centric nature of the industry was even more evident 

during her time at sea. On the first ship, she was the only 

female crew member and on the second, she had one female 

course mate. 

But aside from minor inconveniences, such as having to 

return to her own room to change, being in the minority was 

no problem for Miss Tan. 

She said: “While there will still be some crew members who 

have second thoughts about having women on board, I am 

confident that women can be trained to be as equally competent 

as their male counterparts.” 

Miss Tan lives with her father, who is a school bus driver, 

and two siblings in a four-room flat in Ang Mo Kio. 

While her father was initially reluctant to allow her to pursue 

the course due to the long periods spent at sea, he is now 

supportive after seeing Miss Tan enjoy what she is doing. 

Cyclones 

Spending much time at sea has given Miss Tan the opportunity 

to realise that there are many things here that she is 

grateful for. 

Citing one example, she said: “We sometimes encounter 

bad weather such as cyclones while at sea, and I’m glad that 

we don’t have such natural phenomenon here.” 

Recounting how some uniquely Singapore traits are evident 

even while at sea, she said: “Singaporean crew members have 

a habit of wearing flip-flops, though they should be wearing 

safety boots while on board the ship!” 

Her enthusiasm for sailing has rubbed off on her sister, 

who is now taking the same course at Singapore Polytechnic. 

She said: “I’m proud that she decided to take up the course. 

She knows that our cousin and I are here to guide her.” 

the World 

Diploma in Nautical Studies 

(DNS) student Ahmad Sufyan 

is travelling the world while on 

his one-year internship aboard 

a cruise vessel. So far, he has 

been to places such as Istanbul, 

Barcelona, Venice, Italy and Rome. 

Opportunities for Singapore Maritime Academy (SMA) students grow more bountiful with each passing 

year. Besides the fact that junior officers in the Diploma in Nautical Studies (DNS) can draw a starting monthly 

salary of around $3,000, students from all SMA courses get chances 

to receive the SMA-MaritimeONE scholarship which finances degree 

courses at places such as Nanyang Technological University, Chung- 

Ang University (South Korea) and Maritime Institute Willem Barentsz 

(The Netherlands). New collaborations with partners such as Dalian 

Maritime University (China), the premier maritime institute in Asia, 

give students even more opportunities to take part in internships, 

exchange programmes and/or degree studies all over the world. 

Scan QR code for more details on 

Singapore Maritime Academy 

diploma courses.

Authentic Learning 11 


LIANHE ZAOBAO | 18 DECEMBER 2013 


Digital animation 

exchange between 

SP and Japan 

SP’s School of Digital Media 

and Infocomm Technology had 

a recent exchange programme 

with the Nihon Manga Geiyutsu 

Gakuin (a manga and voiceacting 

school) from Japan. The 

exchange allowed the students 

to share and learn about digital 

animation from their Japanese 

counterparts.

12 Authentic Learning 

THE STRAITS TIMES | 1 NOVEMBER 2013 


Summary of 

Chinese article 

SP Design School conceptualises *Scape Christmas campaign 

SP Design School students conceptualised a Christmas campaign for *SCAPE, which consists of a TV advertorial, an animated 

clip and *Scape’s Christmas decorations.

Authentic Learning 13 

THE STRAITS TIMES | 11 OCTOBER 2013 

Singapore Polytechnic students and staff prepping their SunSpec 3 solar car after camping for the night in the Australian outback. The 

team expects to finish the 3,000km race today or tomorrow. 

PHOTO: COURTESY OF SINGAPORE POLYTECHNIC 

Students head for finish line beyond 

Aussie outback 

By JONATHAN PEARLMAN 

FOR THE STRAITS TIMES IN SYDNEY 

The winning car by Dutch team Nuon on 

display yesterday in Adelaide at the finish 

line of this year’s World Solar Challenge. 

PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCEPRESSE 

FIVE days and 2,185km into his 

3,000km sunpowered odyssey 

across the Australian outback, Mr 

Jayson Ang did not seem bothered 

by the lack of sleep or a daily diet of 

cereal and instant noodles. 

Nor did he mind sleeping by the 

roadside or fending off a stray donkey 

attacking his camp. 

Instead his main concern, along 

with his 23 fellow students and 

teachers from Singapore Polytechnic 

(SP), has been to follow the 

movement of the sun – and to frantically 

squeeze as much energy out 

of it as he and his teammates can. 

“Everything is about the sun,” 

Mr Ang told The Straits Times. “We 

have to catch every single bit of it.” 

Since Sunday, Mr Ang and his 

teammates have been making their 

way from the top of Australia to the 

bottom to support a space-age looking 

one-person car, named SunSpec 

3, that runs on nothing but solar 

power. 

Two students and two staff are 

registered to drive the car, while the 

rest of the team helps with navigation, 

maintenance and logistics. 

The team expects to finish the race, 

called the World Solar Challenge, in 

Adelaide today or tomorrow. 

They are at least a day behind the 

winner, the Dutch team Nuon, from 

the Delft University of Technology, 

which won the race yesterday. A 

total of 40 cars from 22 countries 

competed. 

Speaking by phone from Coober 

Pedy, a small opal-mining town, 

Mr Ang said poor weather kept the 

car at about 65kmh instead of the 

hoped-for 85kmh. 

The 200kg car is fitted with 516 

pieces of solar cells which can absorb 

23 per cent of the sun’s rays. On 

Wednesday, the car briefly hit 95kmh 

and overtook a few competitors. 

“As time goes by, I believe people 

will build solar cars for commercial 

purposes,” said Mr Ang. “We can 

travel so far without using a single 

bit of fuel. It can help to save the 

earth.” 

The race is held every two years 

and aims to push the quest for designs 

that can one day be put to 

widespread use. The cars race between 

8am and up to 5.17pm and 

do all they can to capture and store 

solar energy. 

This time, cars were required to 

have four wheels rather than three, 

which added wind resistance and 

weight. 

The winning Dutch car had an 

average speed of 90.71kmh and took 

33 hours to finish. 

“We predict every second of the 

race,” a Nuon spokesman told reporters 

after the race. That includes 

calculating weather, energy use and 

top speed to arrive at the finish line 

at the precise moment when the battery 

is empty. 

The Singaporean team did not 

seem to mind the prospect of finishing 

near the back of the pack. 

“So far, so good,” Mr Ang said. 

“It was pretty exciting camping in 

the middle of nowhere. It is very 

hot in the day and cold at night and 

the roads can be straight and neverending.” 

Mr Steven Chew, a staff member 

from SP’s School of Electrical 

and Electronic Engineering, said 

the students had not merely learnt 

about engineering but also about 

coping with pressure and life in the 

outback. 

“You can see a lot of the students 

really growing up,” he told The 

Straits Times. 

jonathanmpearlman@gmail.com 

For the full story, log on to www.stasiareport.com 

THE NEW PAPER | 18 DECEMBER 2012 

Convenience in a cup 

Entrepreneurs: Mr Leon Thor, 20 and Mr Lee Zhen Yang, 19, both pursuing a Diploma in Business Information Technology. 

Mr Alwin Citroen, 19, and Mr Joel Chiam, 21, both pursuing a Diploma in Business Administration. 

Business name: Empro Ideas LLP 

Nature of business: Suckies brand of bean curd pudding in a cup 

Start date: June 2012 

Start-up cost: $2,000 

Number of employees: Eight part-time salesgirls 

Turnover: Five-figure sales 

THESE four Singapore Polytechnic (SP) students 

who aspire to be businessmen, took up a yearlong 

entrepreneurship programme and are now 

seeing their dreams turn into reality. 

Third-year students Mr Leon Thor, 20, Mr Lee 

Zhen Yang, 19, Mr Alwin Citroen, 19, and Mr Joel 

Chiam, 21, who had to pitch a business idea for 

their Entrepreneurship option project, came up 

with the idea of serving bean curd in a cup to beconsumed 

through a straw. 

Said Mr Lee: “We realised that a lot of stalls 

were selling bean curd pudding and we wanted to 

explore different ways of consuming it. 

“Having it in a cup and using a straw to consume 

it is convenient and suits the busy lifestyle 

of Singaporeans.” 

The team put the concepts and skills they learnt 

in class, such as financial and marketing knowledge, 

to use in setting up their business in June, 

and officially launched their bean-curd-in-a-cup 

called Suckies on July 16, at one of the food courts 

on campus. 

And Suckies has become the drink of choice 

among SP students. The novel way of eating (or 

drinking) the bean curd, coupled with delectable 

flavours, such as caramel and vanilla, have proven 

to be a success. 

The team hopes to offer their product to the 

public next. They plan to rent a shop and sell 

Suckies at a shopping mall. 

Said Mr Lee: “As a school project, we are happy 

that it has exceeded the requirements that we 

needed for our final-year project. 

“(But) at the business level, there are still a lot 

of things we have to learn – like building up our 

brand name and getting the public to like our 

product.” 

– Writers Masagoes Agoes Masayoe Nabilah and Amal Lina Abdul Rahim are second-year students 

pursuing a Diploma in Media and Communication at Singapore Polytechnic

14 Authentic Learning 

THE STRAITS TIMES | 18 JANUARY 2013 

Robodog 

adds 

bite to 

elders’ 

therapy 

Robot breaks monotony of exercise, 

frees up nurses for other tasks 

By JANICE TAI 

AT LING Kwang Home for Senior Citizens, 

residents are now more eager to do 

exercises because the routines are led by 

a robotic dog called Eric. 

Believed to be Singapore’s first 

robotic dog designed for the elderly, it 

has visual sensors that also enable it to 

react to movements made by the elderly, 

injecting an element of fun. 

The battery-operated Eric, short for 

Elderly Rehabilitative Interactive Companion, 

is aimed at making repetitive 

therapy exercises less of a monotony for 

the elderly and providing them companionship. 

With the health-care sector facing a 

manpower crunch, the robotic dog will 

also free up nurses’ time to do other 

tasks. 

The Singapore Polytechnic team 

behind Eric has laboured over the 

project since 2010. After fine-tuning 

the prototype, the second version was 

piloted at Ling Kwang Home in 

February last year. 

Ms Sandra Chan, nurse manager at 

the home, said it is a great help because 

the attention of up to half its residents 

can flounder during therapy sessions. 

“Day in, day out, they have to exercise 

and some stop halfway when the nurses’ 

backs are turned,” she said. 

When The Straits Times sat in at a 

recent exercise class, it observed that the 

residents were visibly excited by Eric’s 

presence. 

When the 30-minute session ended, 

cries of “Is the class over already?” and 

“When can I have a dog?” were heard. 

“I am more motivated to do the 

exercises now because it is such a marvel 

to see something inanimate react to 

us,” said Mr Lim Kok Leong, 92, who 

has lived in the home for more than two 

decades. 

To gauge Eric’s effectiveness, the 

team compared the facial temperature 

and heart rates of the elderly during 

exercises with and without the robotic 

dog. 

They found that the seniors were 

more engaged when Eric was around. 

Aware of the benefits of pet therapy, a 

handful of nursing homes and hospices 

have also let volunteers bring dogs and 

rabbits to mingle with residents. 

Ling Kwang Home prefers the robotic 

version as some residents are allergic 

to fur or afraid of animals. The home 

in Serangoon Garden Way hopes to tap 

robotic dogs in future to take the place 

of its therapists on weekends as they 

work a five-day week. 

It estimates that 85 per cent of its 350 

residents will be able to benefit from the 

workouts led by Eric. The rest of its residents 

are bedridden. 

The team behind Eric has set its 

sights further to incorporate voice commands 

and behaviour such as responding 

when it is stroked. 

“Beyond helping them exercise, we 

also want it to be a companion to alleviate 

loneliness as some have few visitors 

and can’t get along with the therapists,” 

said Mr Lee Xun’An, 20, a student from 

the team which comprises six other 

students. 

They had taken on the project from 

their seniors who started it three years 

ago. 

Their supervisor, Mr Jaichandar K. S, 

a senior lecturer at the School of Electrical 

and Electronic Engineering, said 

they intend to add finishing touches to 

the robotic dog in two months and patent 

it by the end of the year. 

They hope to commercialise it and 

roll it out to other elder-care and healthcare 

institutions. 

“There is a lot of potential in this and 

the long wait for such pets here is finally 

over,” said the 40-year-old, who has presented 

two papers on it at international 

conferences. 

Similar robotic dogs are also in use in 

places such as Japan but are mainly for 

entertainment. 

jantai@sph.com.sg 

THE STRAITS TIMES IN | 23 JULY 2013 

Sending a scary message 

In order to emphasise the harmful effects of drugs, some 

students turn to scare tactics. Tan Xing Qi reports 

I 

f there were auditions for the position of Scary Dot, 

one group of Singapore Polytechnic (SP) students 

would win hands down. 

These students drew gasps from shoppers along Orchard 

Road last month, as they walked down the popular 

shopping street wearing ghostly make-up and tops 

that were half tattered and ripped on one side. The other 

side, however, looked perfectly normal. 

They were simply showing the ill effects of drugs on 

the human body as part of this year’s Anti-Drug Abuse 

Campaign launched on June 21. 

Organised by the National Council Against Drug 

Abuse and Central Narcotics Bureau, this two-monthlong 

campaign aims to educate the public, especially 

young people, about the dangers of drug abuse. 

This year’s theme is: “Life does not rewind, say no to 

drugs”. 

Five SP students, from the Diploma in Integrated 

Events and Project Management programme, created 

the campaign. They are Mr Jenson Seah, 26; Ms Fenney 

Aw, 21; Mr Joseph Lee, 20; Ms Claudia Nicole Loo, 18; 

and Mr Lo Jia Wei, 18. 

Besides their walkabout along Orchard Road, they 

also created a scary maze, re-telling the story of a drug 

abuser, at the launch of the campaign at Bugis+ shopping 

mall. 

Called Sam’s Journey, the maze was inspired by the 

true story of a former drug abuser, Mr Johnny Chin, 

whose life was almost destroyed by drugs. 

Visitors experienced withdrawal-like symptoms such 

as blurred vision and mild epilepsy, which was simulated 

by strobe lights. The students also built a mock 

prison cell to simulate the grim conditions behind bars. 

The entire campaign was intended to shock and it 

worked. 

Mr Seah, the leader of the group, told Little Red Dot 

that many strangers wanted to take pictures with them. 

Some were even afraid because they looked like real 

drug addicts. 

He added: “It really opened the team’s eyes to the 

dangers of drug abuse. Abusing drugs doesn’t just affect 

one’s health, it also destroys relationships.” 

From now till the end of the month, schools can create 

their own Anti-Drug Corner. The top three schools 

selected will win attractive cash prizes. 

Visit www.cnb.gov.sg/ and click on events/activities 

to look for information on the Anti-Drug Abuse Corner 

Competition for primary schools.

Authentic Learning: The Design Thinking Experience 15 


THE STRAITS TIMES | 4 APRIL 2013 LIANHE ZAOBAO | 4 APRIL 2013 

Fun way to 

learn food 

science 

By SUE-ANN TAN 

WHY are some meringues rubbery while others are hard 

and brittle? Why are some jams harder to spread on bread 

than others? 

These are among questions answered in a new food 

science and technology educational booklet designed to 

teach these concepts to secondary school children in a “fun 

and engaging manner”. 

Created by four Singapore Polytechnic students, it 

explains how protein structures are important in making 

meringue and how degrees of acidity used in fruit juice 

will affect the consistency of jam. 

Miss Oh Hui Qi, 21, helped to create the booklet – the 

first of its kind in Singapore. She is now studying to be 

a teacher and said: “I realised that so often, teachers are 

unable to show their students the relevance of theories 

they teach. 

“So much more can be done in the classroom rather 

than letting students blindly learn theories without real 

understanding.” 

The package has been licensed by Amdon Consulting 

Group, an international company that provides teaching 

resources to educators. 

Amdon helped to bring the booklet to more than 100 

students in pilot programmes in Beatty Secondary, Shu 

Qun Secondary and Bukit Panjang Government High. 

During four three-hour sessions, students spent time in 

labs applying the concepts to food making. 

Beatty student Eunice Tan, 14, said: “I enjoy this 

programme and I would do better in class if they were all 

hands-on like this.” 

Amdon founder Eric Lam said: “We don’t want students 

to see the application of concepts 10 years later. This course 

helps them see the relevance of what they learn instantly, 

in cooking and eating food.” 

suetan@sph.com.sg 


SP students design hands-on food science learning kit 

SP students and staff from the Diploma in Food Science and Technology (DFST) developed 

a food science learning kit for secondary students. The package, developed together with Amdon 

Consulting Pte Ltd, teaches students about scientific principles and molecular processes through 

the cooking or baking of foods like pastries and confectionaries, as well as other practical food 

science experiments.

16 Authentic Learning: The Design Thinking Experience 

THE NEW PAPER | 3 JANAUARY 2013 THE STRAITS TIMES | 

6 DECEMBER 2012 

Poly creates 

healthy 

food options 

S’pore Poly comes up with healthier 

pre-mixes for baked goods, sausages 

By DAVID EE 

REPORT: ESTHER NG 

estherng@sph.com.sg 

A 

NEW robotic arm can help stroke patients do these 

things: Lift their elbows and wrists up and down, and 

turn their forearms – movements necessary to pick up a 

cup, use a fork or spoon, or comb their hair. 

Singapore Polytechnic’s (SP) third-year engineering students, 

who came up with the arm, said this is the difference between 

their invention and those in the market. 

“There are medical devices in the market that target the wrist 

or the elbow, but there are few devices that can do all three – 

extension and flexion of the wrist and elbow, and supination and 

pronation of the arm,” mechanical engineering student Joern 

Yeoh, 21, told The New Paper. 

The final-year project is a collaboration involving six electrical 

and electronic engineering students and five of their mechanical 

engineering colleagues. 

The idea to develop a better robotic brace came from one of 

the team members whose relative had suffered a stroke eight 

years ago. 

Student Ho Qian Ci, 20, said: “When my aunt’s husband got a 

stroke, she was forced to take three cleaning jobs to support my 

three cousins. The family was stressed financially and mentally,” 

he said. 

Such a device would help a stroke patient recover faster, 

student Chia Wen Feng, 19, said. 

“It’s 2kg, made from carbon fibre – light enough to be carriedhome 

or from ward to ward,” he said. 

The students spent about nine months from March to 

December last year developing the prototype, working with 

three therapists from St Andrew’s Community Hospital (SAHC), 

where they observed the movements of stroke patients and took 

measurements of their arms. 

One of the challenges was to come up with a prototype that 

was ergonomic and modelled after the human arm. 

SAHC’s inpatient therapy services manager, Ms Anna Lee, 

said the therapists highlighted to the students the potential 

problems patients may have when using the brace and how they 

could fine tune its movement, and any safety issues that needed 

to be considered. 

Between April and October last year, the students made six 

prototype changes before settling on their final product. 

“There are medical devices in the market that target the wrist or the 

elbow, but there are few devices that can do all three – extension and 

flexion of the wrist and elbow, and supination and pronation of the arm.” 

– Mechanical engineering student Jo-Ern Yeoh 

Their efforts seem to have paid off. 

Said SAHC’s Ms Lee: “This lightweight arm brace definitely 

can help to restore a weakened arm due to stroke injury. 

Its ability to provide passive range can facilitate a weakened 

arm to experience normal if not a functional range of 

movement.” 

The next stage is to apply for grants, refine the design, embark 

on clinical trials and approach companies to produce the 

brace, said Dr Lee Kim Kheng, senior lecturer of SP’s School of 

Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering. 

He said: “We hope it will be used in community hospitals with 

the option for patients to rent the device.” 

The students estimate that the robotic arm can be sold for 

less than $2,000 and that some patients might want to buy it for 

home use. 

Mr Gibson Chan, senior rehabilitation manager of St Luke’s 

Hospital, said the invention would be an “extra help” and cut 

down the time taken for such devices to become available in 

Singapore. 

He said: “Some products have been on the market for 10 years, 

but only arrived here two or three years ago. They are usually 

available in the US first, then Europe, and then, after sometime, 

in China and Asia. 

“This has usually to do with intellectual property rights. The 

students’ invention can help bridge this gap, and more people 

can benefit from using the device.” 

Mr Ken Koh, 28, the managing director of Talentpreneur 

Hub, an entrepreneurship consultancy, said that SP could link up 

with existing players in the market. 

“There are established distribution channels in place, 

competitors with vested interest,” he said. 

“The students should leverage on this, work with them, find 

out what else influences purchasing decisions by clinics or 

hospitals, instead of going against company A or B, because 

what (the students) have done is to have improved on an existing 

device.” 

The robotic arm brace is one of the 87 engineering projects on 

display at SP’s Engineering Show. 

The show, which ends next Tuesday, is open to the public on 

Saturday. 

THEY are hardly the standard options for weight-conscious 

foodies. 

But gourmet sausages, brownies and cupcakes could 

soon find their way onto dieters’ menus after students in 

Singapore came up with healthier versions. 

The Singapore Polytechnic (SP) team has created 

pre-mixes for baked goods with a low glycemic index – 

meaning sugar is released into the body more slowly. 

This makes the cakes more suitable for those with 

diabetes. 

The team’s gourmet sausages – which include popular 

varieties such as chipolatas and bratwurst – contain a quarter 

less saturated fat on average than regular ones. 

They will be available in supermarkets from early next 

year. The pre-mixes went on sale yesterday at baking 

specialist Phoon Huat. 

Dr Jasmine Leong, a senior lecturer in food science and 

technology at SP, said the aim was to develop “more healthy 

food options for Singaporeans”. In 2010, more than one in 

10 people in the Republic was obese or had diabetes. 

Ms Teo Kiok Seng of Alivia Foods, which is producing 

the pre-mixes, said it was targeting not only diabetics, but 

also those who were generally health-conscious. “It will 

make you feel full for longer and have fewer cravings,” she 

said. “It’s good for weight management.” 

Suppliers are confident that the flavours will please 

Singaporeans’ notoriously fussy taste buds. 

Ms Claris Koh, executive manager at Wang Foong 

Foodstuffs Suppliers, said retailers had given her positive 

feedback on the sausages. “One said that the taste was quite 

comparable.” 

Dr Leong said customers would be more likely to accept 

the changes if they were introduced in stages. “As we reduce 

the fat, salt or sugar content, we have to reduce it gradually 

so that consumers may come to accept it.” 

The global market for foods with additional health 

properties is forecast to be worth $38 billion by 2014. Forty 

per cent of the demand will be from Asia-Pacific. 

davidee@sph.com.sg 

SP alumnus Yue Chao 

SP is a pioneer in Singapore engineering 

education and the first-ever poly to offer 

engineering courses. Together, the School of 

Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) and 

the School of Mechanical and Aeronautical 

Engineering (MAE) offer a total of 10 diploma 

programmes and one Common Engineering 

Programme that delve into exciting fields such 

as energy system technology, aeronautical 

engineering and bioengineering. 

The SP engineering experience prepares our graduates well for later life. Recently, Diploma 

in Electronics and Communication Engineering alumnus Yue Chao graduated top of his batch 

in the Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at Singapore 

Institute of Technology-Technical University of Munich. Another alumnus, Edwin Tan, received 

a first class honours degree in Electrical & Electronic Engineering at Nanyang Technological 

University. See page 31 for more details. 

Scan QR code for more 

details on 

School of Electrical 

and Electronic 

Engineering and 

School of Mechanical 

and Aeronautical 

Engineering courses.


THE STRAITS TIMES | 19 DECEMBER 2013 

Train in cyber warfare at S’pore Poly 

School launches academy to offer courses from Jan 

By AMELIA TENG 

INFORMATION technology professionals who want to be 

trained in cybersecurity can soon do so at Singapore Polytechnic 

– the first local institute of higher learning that will 

offer such courses. 

The move comes in the wake of a recent spate of attacks on 

Singapore websites since mid-October. 

The school yesterday launched the Cyber 

Security Academy, which will conduct courses 

starting in January next year. 

The academy will initially provide two cybersecurity 

courses taught by trainers from 

IT firm Ixia, which specialises in security. The 

polytechnic lecturers will also teach courses in 

future. 

Cost details are being finalised. 

The courses will be held in the school’s Cyber 

Wargame Centre, a facility launched earlier 

this year which can simulate cyberattacks. 

This is the first time the centre, which is used 

by the school’s infocomm security diploma 

students, is open to working adults. 

The centre is equipped to handle large-scale 

simultaneous cyberattacks involving up to 7.5 

million users. At the facility, organisations 

of various sizes can test how resilient their IT systems are 

against such attacks. 

The need to train more experts in cybersecurity has assumed 

greater urgency, following recent cyberattacks on a 

number of websites including those of the Istana and the 

Prime Minister’s Office. 

“Recent events in Singapore and the world have heightened 

awareness of cybersecurity threats and prompted many 

organisations to revisit their attitudes towards cybersecurity,” 

said Ms Jacqueline Poh, managing director of 

Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, 

who was the guest of honour at the launch. 

The setting up of the academy is in line with 

the National Cyber Security Masterplan launched 

in July, she said. There are also plans to offer infocomm 

security courses and degree programmes 

and more scholarships to encourage students to 

specialise in cybersecurity, she added. 

Mr Naveen Bhat, vice-president of Ixia in 

Asia-Pacific said organisations that arm their 

networks with firewalls and other defence systems 

fulfil only “a rudimentary network security 

checklist”. 

This approach overlooks the more important 

role played by humans and this is where the 

academy can play a key part in training professionals 

in network security, he added. 

The polytechnic will also partner info security 

provider e-Cop and ST Electronics to roll out more 

courses next year. 

ateng@sph.com.sg 

The new Cyber Security Academy will arm future batches of infocomm 

specialists against increasingly sophisticated cyber-attacks. 

Turn to page 36 to read more about SP’s Cyber Wargame Centre, a 

facility designed for conducting cyber security training. 

Photo insertion: Singapore Polytechnic 

SP’s engineering innovations are showcased every year at 

the SP Engineering Show during the school’s Open House 

in January. There, students display creative technologies 

they’ve worked on such as portable solar energy 

generators, robots with voice-recognition and speech 

capabilities, advanced water purifying filters (article below) 

and various assistive tools that help to rehabilitate the 

injured or the elderly. This exhibition allows members of 

the public and industry professionals to learn more about 

the skills and portfolios of our engineering students. 

THE STRAITS TIMES | 7 MAY 2013

18 Authentic Learning: The Design Thinking Experience 


THE SUNDAY TIMES | 27 OCTOBER 2013 

Project aims to let seniors practise in a safe environment amid a rise in traffic 

accidents involving them 

JANICE TAI 

Diploma in 

Architecture 

(DARCH) and Diploma 

in Landscape 

Architecture (DLA) 

students and graduates 

collaborated with key 

government bodies such 

as the National Library 

Board and the National 

Environment Agency to 

design interior spaces and 

structures for projects 

such as Singapore’s 

hawker centres and a 

public library. 

An elderly person walks along a zebra crossing, just as 

a car screeches to a halt to avert an accident. 

Such a scenario plays out every day at busy traffic 

junctions, resulting in potential danger to the elderly. 

But some seniors can soon learn how to safely cross 

roads, among other scenarios, at St Andrew’s Community 

Hospital. 

Singapore Polytechnic has partnered the Agency 

of Integrated Care and Temasek Cares to come up 

with a floor projection system at the hospital that 

trains the elderly on road safety. 

The project comes amid a worrying trend of rising 

road casualties involving the elderly. In the first six 

months of this year, 102 elderly pedestrians died or 

were injured, police told The Sunday Times. Last year, 

the number of casualties who were elderly rose 13 per 

cent to 226, from 200 in 2011. 

The statistic on elderly pedestrian fatalities is just 

as grim. Of the 44 pedestrian fatalities reported last 

year, more than half were above 60 years old. 

A police spokesman said some of the top causes of 

accidents involving the elderly are jaywalking, failure 

to obey traffic signals and failure to use pedestrian 

crossings. 

Mr Heng Chee How, Senior Minister of State in 

the Prime Minister’s Office, said earlier this year that 

senior citizens are more vulnerable on the roads due 

to their age and slower reflexes. 

Hence, the project seeks to help the aged improve 

their gait, strengthen their limbs and regain their 

sense of balance. 

For example, the pilot scheme at St Andrew’s will 

have an image of a traffic crossing projected onto a 

Confidence boost 

“With such real-life practice, 

the elderly will be less 

dependent on their children 

and dare to leave their 

homes to run daily errands” 

THERAPIST CHARITY CHU of St Andrew’s 

Community Hospital, on the new system 

floor for an elderly 

person to 

manoeuvre and 

practise with 

a therapist. It 

targets mainly 

elderly persons 

who are at high 

risk of suffering 

from falls or 

who have a history 

of stroke and arthritis, which impairs their balance 

or lower limbs. 

Sensors attached to an ankle, a knee and a hip of 

an elderly person will enable the therapist to note the 

time he takes to get on his feet after sitting, his reaction 

time as he starts to cross the road at a traffic junction 

or zebra crossing, and the time he takes to make 

his way across. 

They also allow the therapist to discern if the 

amount of weight the person is placing on each leg 

is appropriate. With the information, limb or other 

types of exercises are then designed for the elderly, if 

necessary. 

Therapist Charity Chu from St Andrew’s said 

many of her elderly patients lack the confidence to 

venture outdoors. 

“They are stressed out by the blinking traffic lights 

which remind them that they need to walk faster, by 

MRT doors which close quickly or hawker centres 

where they have to jostle with the crowd,” she said. 

To help boost their confidence, she takes them out 

to use public transport or cross roads for practice. 

With the new system, which will begin its pilot 

run early next year, her patients can practise and exercise 

in a safe indoor environment before heading 

out. Temasek Cares will fund the project to the tune 

of $182,000 over three years, and an evaluation will be 

done after one year. 

If successful, it may be rolled out in other hospitals, 

nursing homes or day rehabilitation centres. 

“With such real-life practice, the elderly will be 

less dependent on their children and dare to leave 

their homes to run daily errands,” said Ms Chu. 

jantai@sph.com.sg 

The School of Architecture 

and the Built Environment 

(ABE) incorporates design, 

technology and media 

to allow you to turn 

imagination into reality. 

ABE provides exciting 

opportunities for students 

to hone their skills and 

see their work making an 

impact in the real world. 

Scan QR code 

for more details 

on School of 

Architecture 

and the Built 

Environment 

courses.


THE STRAITS TIMES | 28 AUGUST 2013

20 Go Serve with a Heart 


Poly students 

make life easier 

for villagers 

SP team designs machine to save time and 

effort for women making tapioca crackers 


YOGJAKARTA (Indonesia) – Squeezing water from 

strips of tapioca is harder than it sounds, but a group 

of Singapore Polytechnic (SP) students have made life 

easier for some Indonesian village women by cracking 

the problem. 

It took them less than 10 days to design a machine 

that does the job in half the time and with less effort. 

Usually, it takes two people up to three hours to 

squeeze out water manually from the strips when making 

tapioca crackers, a popular snack which a group of 

30 women from Polengan village in the southern Indonesia 

district of Magelang sell for side income. 

Now all they need to do is put the strip in the machine, 

and turn its handles. 

For SP student Muhd Shazly, 23, the experience was 

a break from typical school projects. 

“I’ve learnt theory in school, but I’ve never seen 

what’s next – and this was it, the application part,” said 

the second-year digital media and infocomm technology 

student. 

He is one of 23 students on the polytechnic’s Learning 

Express – a new programme in which students put 

what they learn into practice. 

It is part of the conceive-design-implement- operate 

(CDIO) framework which was conceived by 

the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the late 

1990s, and implemented by SP in 2004. 

The Learning Express’ inaugural run this month 

was held in Yogyakarta, where the polytechnic also 

signed a memorandum of understanding yesterday 

with the University of Muhammadiyah Surakarta and 

University of Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta to train 70 

faculty in the CDIO method. 

The training, led by about six academic staff from 

SP, consists of a two-year series of workshops which 

started last month. 

Of the 70 staff, 12 will also be trained to teach the 

system to another 100 participants from other institutions. 

The training programme is funded by a $453,780 

grant from the Temasek Foundation, the philanthropic 

arm of Temasek Holdings, and another $146,250 

from the two Indonesian universities. 

SP’s Learning Express projects served as a demonstration 

to the Indonesian faculty there of the CDIO 

method in action. 

In groups of about seven, they spent 10 days in 

three villages in Yogyakarta, getting to know the locals 

and their needs. They worked together with their peers 

from countries like Indonesia, Japan and Vietnam to 

come up with solutions to meet challenges that villagers 

face. 

In the village of Gatak, in the Kasihan district, for 

example, students helped villagers develop an ecotourism 

business model. 

Said second-year information technology student 

Haseena Banu, 20: “The programme is not about earning 

more points, or grades. It’s about using our skills to 

help others.” 


Singapore Poly students 

design floating toilet 

SP Diploma in Chemical Engineering 

(DCHE) students designed a floating toilet 

system that can help villagers in floodprone 

regions to maintain hygiene and 

sanitation when floods submerge their 

normal, ground-level toilets. 


Summary of Chinese article

Go Serve with a Heart 21 

THE STRAITS TIMES | 19 AUGUST 2013 

THE NEW PAPER | 26 DECEMBER 2013 

Govt to fund volunteer 

youth corps 


A VOLUNTEER youth corps will be set up to help 

spur the young to make a bigger difference to Singapore 

and to the world. 

It is for those keen on community service and will 

be established and funded by the Government. 

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in announcing 

the move yesterday, urged young people to step up: 

“You are our future. You are idealistic, full of energy 

and passion. Go forth, change Singapore, change the 

world, for the better.” 

The new body will expand opportunities for community 

service in Singapore for young people, especially 

students from the Institute of Technical Education, 

polytechnics and universities. They may receive 

funding to start projects and, if necessary, be given 

time off from school to work full-time on community 

projects. 

Grants will also be available for those who continue 

to be involved in the projects after graduation. 

Young Singaporeans will receive guidance from 

mentors and be matched to areas where the community’s 

needs are especially critical. 

Young people who want to serve abroad can seek 

aid from the Youth Expedition Project, which will 

now be part of the new corps. The project, started in 

2000, has supported more than 26,000 young people 

on 1,300 expeditions around Asia. 

Among them is Ms Amanda Teng from Singapore 

Polytechnic, who went with fellow students to Nepal 

to build a classroom and a water system using rainwater. 

“At first, the children looked at us funny because of 

the way we dressed and how we seemed to be from a 

different world. But when I was leaving, a 10-year-old 

boy, Galchen, cried,” said the 19-year-old, who was in 

Nepal for two weeks. 

“What I learnt was: the kids there don’t have the 

best things but were very contented. Singaporeans 

should learn to appreciate better what we have.” 

elgintoh@sph.com.sg 

SP students preparing a concrete mixture for building a classroom. 

SP students and staff involved in Project Nepal (from left): Lu 

Ci’en (Diploma in Applied Chemistry with Pharmaceutical Science), 

Kelvin Tan You Kai (Diploma in Chemical Engineering), Oh Ai Ye 

(lecturer, Diploma in Chemical Engineering), Ng Su Ling (Lecturer, 

Diploma in Applied Chemistry with Pharmaceutical Science), 

Muhammad Zahin Bin Saini (Diploma in Applied Chemistry with 

Pharmaceutical Science). 


LIANHE ZAOBAO | 19 AUGUST 2013 

出国当义工更激发青年 

贡献本地社区 

先到国外做志工 , 更能激发青年回国为本地 

社区贡献的决心。 

昨晚被总理点名赞扬的新加坡理工学院青年 

义工团 “ 无尽热情与爱心 ”(Project NEPAL) 计 

划于 2012 年 3 月推出 , 至今已四次远赴尼泊尔 

做志愿服务 , 为当地学生开办科学实验课、体 

育及美术课 , 也为当地学校修建教室。这项计 

划参与人数多达 110 人。 

在新加坡理工学院修读化学工程的陈友凯 

(21 岁 ) 也将他在课堂上所学到的知识学以致 

用 , 为当地学校设计首个集雨系统 , 收集 1000 

公升雨水。 

“ 他们可以把收集下来的雨水用来做清洗 

工作 , 这样就无需浪费稀缺的饮用水。” 

总理昨晚宣布 , 将推出新加坡青年志愿者计 

划 , 鼓励青年在本地社区进行志愿工作。工院 

讲师黄诗琳 (29 岁 ) 指出 , 出国当义工的经历 , 

和在本地是很不一样的。 

“ 在新加坡当义工 , 大多是单日活动。相反 

的 , 在国外乡下地方和当地人一起生活 , 抛开 

科技工具 , 返朴归真 , 真诚地与人沟通互动 , 

这会让学生更珍惜目前所拥有的。有了这样的 

启示 , 他们将更有决心做好志愿工作。所以 , 

我更认为出国当义工应是青年志愿工作者的第 

一步。” 

吕慈恩 (20 岁 ) 则表示 , 工院带队到尼泊尔做 

义工前 , 已在本地一家儿童院服务。“ 出国前 

先在新加坡培养正确的社区服务精神 , 其实也 

是很重要的。” 

她认为 , 一些青年的心态不对 , 把到国 

外 “ 当义工 ” 当成是出国玩乐的机会 , 这样会 

适得其反。 

“ 做义工应是发自内心的 , 而且要秉持虚 

心向学的态度 , 这样才能惠及他人 , 也充实 

自己。” 


Overseas community service trip spurs teens to help others 

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong praised Singapore Polytechnic youths 

who were part of Project NEPAL (Never Ending Passion And Love). 

Since 2012, SP students have travelled there to help conduct sports, 

art and science classes for children. They’ve also constructed a 

classroom for a school there and used their knowledge learned in SP to 

design a rain catchment system for the locals.

22 Spirited Performance 

THE STRAITS TIMES | 9 JULY 2013 

Never too busy to go back to school 

Stories of encouragement from among 10,000 graduating from NUS this year 

FOR the first three years in law school, Mr 

Darren Tan kept to himself. Now he wishes 

he hadn’t. 

The 35-year-old, one of over 10,000 to 

graduate from the National University of 

Singapore this year, was afraid that he would 

not be accepted because of the more than 

10 years he spent in jail for drug and gangrelated 

offences. 

But last July, he told his story to the media. 

“After I went public, I received messages 

of support from my classmates,” said Mr Tan, 

who will receive his law degree on Thursday. 

He has secured a practice training contract 

with TSMP Law Corporation, but 

hopes to continue helping lawyers with pro 

bono work. 

Fellow graduand Chua Koon Ting, the 

first polytechnic student to enter the Faculty 

of Dentistry, also said that he was not treated 

differently by fellow students. 

“What I learnt is that in university, no 

one cares where you came from, it’s in the 

past,” said the former Singapore Polytechnic 

student, 27, who is now practising at the National 

Healthcare Group Polyclinics. 

This year, 10,282 will be graduating from 

NUS. They will include the first graduates 

from five programmes, including the master 

of Social Work and Public Health doctorate. 

President Tony Tan Keng Yam presided 

over the main commencement ceremony 

yesterday, in which 160 students from the 

University Scholars Programme received 

their scrolls. 

One of them was valedictorian Ow Yeong 

Wai Kit, 25, who received first class honours 

in English literature. 

He will be heading to University College 

London to do a masters in literature on a 

Ministry of Education scholarship. 

“It’s not so much about whether one has 

a degree. What’s more important is that we 

have certain intangible skills that can be 

used regardless of one’s vocation, such as a 

sense of curiosity,” he told reporters. 

The ceremony was also attended by Education 

Minister Heng Swee Keat. During his 

address yesterday, NUS President Tan Chorh 

Chuan spoke about former Prime Minister 

Lee Kuan Yew, who last month received an 

honorary Doctor of Laws from NUS. 

Said Prof Tan: “The qualities and values he 

exemplifies, and in particular, his deep sense 

of purpose, these serve as a powerful beacon 

not just for all of us in NUS, but for the broader 

community in Singapore and beyond.” 

staceyc@sph.com.sg 

ldebbie@sph.com.sg 

Alex Chua Koon Ting from SP’s Diploma in Biomedical 

Science was the first-ever poly student to enter the 

Faculty of Dentistry in NUS. 


Future doctors-to-be (from left): Desmond Thiam, 

Meetrra Seyher, Koh Shi Min, Charlene Mok and Joey 

Seah. Not in photo: Russell John Chuah and Darren Goh. 

Learning to 

Save Lives 

Seven SP graduates have been accepted into 

Singapore medical schools thus far. Among 

these alumni from the Diploma in Biomedical 

Science (DBS) are Koh Shi Min, SP’s first-ever 

female graduate accepted into Yong Loo Lin 

School of Medicine at the National University of 

Singapore, and Russell John Chuah, the firstever 

polytechnic graduate to be admitted into the 

new medical school jointly set up by Nanyang 

Technological University and Imperial College. 

TAMIL MURASU | 5 SEPTEMBER 2013 

Summary of Tamil article 

From Failure 

to Success 

Diploma in Business 

Information Technology 

(DBIT) graduate Vaishnavi 

Naidu shared about the 

challenges she faced in 

her academic pursuits. The 

former JC student attempted 

two tries in the GCE ‘A’ level 

exam, only to be rejected 

for admission into university. 

She subsequently enrolled 

herself into SP where she 

did well in her studies and 

actively took part in CCAs. 

She is currently pursuing 

her degree in Business 

Management in Singapore 

Management University.

University Opportunities 23 

THE NEW PAPER | 27 FEBRUARY 2012 

THE STRAITS TIMES | 25 APRIL 2013 

Bright sparks flock to engineering course 

They opt for NTU course that combines engineering with business, liberal arts 

By SANDRA DAVIE 

SENIOR EDUCATION CORRESPONDENT 

IT has long been one of the least appealing career choices for the country’s 

brightest sparks. 

But engineering could now be growing in popularity, with an overwhelming 

number of top-notch candidates applying for a course at Nanyang 

Technological University (NTU). 

The elite programme, which combines the study of engineering with 

business and the liberal arts, offers 50 places. But more than 400 people 

have applied each year since it started in 2011. 

This year, one in three applicants is an A-level student with three As, 

which means they fall into the top 15 per cent in their age group. As a result, 

NTU is ready to boost the number of places to 70. 

Part of the attraction of the residential Renaissance Engineering Programme 

is that students will get to graduate with two degrees – a Bachelor 

of Engineering Science and a Master of Science in Technology Management. 

They also get to spend a year at the University of California, Berkeley 

and take up internship opportunities in Silicon Valley. 

The cost over the full 4 1 /2 years is $125,000, but students pay only about 

half in fees, thanks to tuition fee subsidies from the Government. 

Professor Teoh Swee Hin, who heads the programme, said some of the 

best professors from NTU’s engineering and business schools are co-opted 

to teach. Class sizes are kept to about 10. 

He said he hopes the course will nurture a new generation of wellrounded 

“renaissance engineers” – modelled after Leonardo da Vinci, 

who was also a painter and sculptor. They could then go on to become 

chief executives and chief technology officers. This approach is important 

as “many of the complex problems facing the world today need an interdisciplinary 

solution”, said Prof Teoh. 

Prof Kam Chan Hin, associate provost in charge of undergraduate education 

at NTU, said he was pleased to see the programme attracting top 

students to engineering – a subject which has not been popular over the 

last few years. “In the past, engineering used to pull in the best students,” 

he said. 

First-year student Mi Muxin, who scored 4As for her A levels, was offered 

a place in chemical engineering at the National University of Singapore. 

But she picked the NTU course as she will get to learn about different 

fields in engineering before going on to choose her specialisation in her 

third year. 

The 22-year-old said she originally considered specialising in chemical 

engineering but is now leaning towards electrical and electronic engineering. 

“I am still keeping my options open. Learning about the different aspects 

of engineering has opened my eyes to the many choices available to 

engineers.” 

Another straight-A student, 23-year-old Alex Chen, chose the programme 

over NTU’s business and accountancy course. He said his internship 

at a bank made him realise an engineer’s training can be applied to 

many other fields. “Why choose business alone when I can combine it with 

engineering? To me, it’s combining the best of two degrees.” 

Prof Teoh said an engineering career can be a stepping stone to bigger 

things, adding that many chief executives in Singapore are trained in the 

discipline. 

“There is a need to make young people realise the central role that engineers 

play. Just about every issue in the modern world, ranging from 

climate change to the treatment of diseases, needs an engineer’s input.” 

sandra@sph.com.sg 

Edwin together with Mrs Lee Mei Lai. 

First-class 

student and 

teacher 

Diploma in Electrical and 

Electronic Engineering (DEEE) 

alumnus Edwin Tan not only obtained 

a Bachelor of Engineering degree 

with first class honours from Nanyang 

Technological University, but also the 

Koh Boon Hwee Scholars Award, which 

recognises the influence of inspirational 

teaching and the bonds forged between 

teacher and student. For his success, 

Edwin acknowledged SP lecturer Mrs 

Lee Mei Lai.

24 Our Alumni Our Pride 

THE NEW PAPER | 9 JULY 2013 

Photo by Olivia Sari-Goerlach. 

Of his music education in the Diploma in 

Music and Audio Technology (DMAT), 

Shun Ng said: “The time I had in SP was 

some of the best years of my life. I had great 

lecturers and met my closest friends. To have 

that opportunity to be around fellow passionate 

musicians at just 17-years-old was amazing. 

I grew with them in SP, and I found myself 

as a musician, artist and human being.” 

Besides music, the School of Digital Media and 

Infocomm Technology (DMIT) nurtures talents 

in all fields of digital possibilities, including 

information technology, digital animation and 

visual effects and motion graphics. 


details on School 

of Digital Media and 

Infocomm Technology 

courses.

Our Alumni Our Pride 25 


SUCCESS: Local rapper 

Shigga Shay, whose real 

name is Pek Jin Shen, 

released the three-minute 

track LimPeh on Tueday. 

ShiGGa’s (real name Pek Jin 

Shen) passion for rap music 

was supported by skills he 

learnt during his time in 

SP’s Diploma in Media 

and Communication 

(DMC). He said: “I definitely 

learnt a lot. My lecturer 

Mr Loh Aik Khoon taught 

me how to direct, edit and 

produce my own videos. 

Without him, I wouldn’t be 

where I am today. So my 

three years in SP were really 

well spent.” 

Ian Batey, founder of Batey 

Ads, helped develop Singapore 

Airlines, Raffles Hotel and Tiger 

Beer into global brands. 

$250,000 scholarship from Ian Batey for DMC students 

Ian Batey, the creative honcho behind Singapore brands like Singapore Airlines and Raffles Hotel has started a $250,000 

scholarship fund for SP students, with a matching grant from the Ministry of Education. Called the Batey Scholar Award, it will be 

awarded to deserving students from the Diploma in Media and Communication (DMC), the future branding and marketing 

experts. Said Mr Batey, “We – that’s all the old Batey team – are delighted to make this contribution. It’s an expression of our deep 

appreciation for the extraordinary opportunities given to us over three decades by Singapore Inc. And we have a dream that sees 

Singapore as the most exciting creative centre in Asia-Pacific for creating and developing global power brands, and for creating 

outstanding global advertising campaigns. We hope the Batey Scholar Award programme will help attract more talented young 

people to a career in marketing communication, and that Batey Scholars, together with their colleagues, will grow our dream into a 

dazzling long-term reality.” 

DMC offers the most broad-based and comprehensive education in communication amongst the 

polytechnics. SP students learn how the various media platforms and the different communication 

disciplines work together to effectively and consistently deliver the right messages to the right people. 

They design campaigns for real clients in an authentic learning space at The Agency, a living laboratory 

which functions as a real integrated marketing communication agency. The Batey Scholar Award will 

cover three years of tuition fees as well as participation in overseas internship and study programmes. 

DMC is one of the courses offered by the School of Communication, Arts and Social Sciences (CASS). 


details on School of 

Communication, Arts & 

Social Sciences courses.



Grandma inspired his 

passion for medicine 

THE STRAITS TIMES | 

16 MAY 2012 

First S’pore 

Poly grad to get 

into NUS med 

school 

THE path less travelled has led him to medical 

school. 

Desmond Thiam, 20, is the first Singapore 

Polytechnic (SP) graduate to be admitted 

into the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the 

National University of Singapore (NUS). 

He is among a rare few who have taken this 

route. In 2007, The New Paper reported that two 

Ngee Ann Polytechnic graduates were the first 

poly graduates to make it to medical school. 

Desmond obtained a diploma in biomedical 

science earlier this month. 

He said that his ambition to be a doctor 

stemmed from watching his grandmother struggle 

to bring him up while she was saddled with 

many health problems. 

He is the only child in a single-parent family. 

His parents separated when he was in primary 

school. 

His mother, who works in IT, was the sole breadwinner, 

leaving his grandmother to take care of him 

since he was two. 

REPORT: LIM WEI LI 

limweili@sph.com.sg 

Sacrifices 

He said: “For the past 18 years, my grandmother’s sacrifices 

and endeavours were a source of motivation and strength 

for me to strive on in the face of continuous hurdles. 

“Watching her suffer from multiple health problems, including 

depression and arthritis, helped me empathise with 

the elderly and made me want to do more for them.” 

Desmond’s compassion for the elderly extended to 

school activities. 

He was the organising chairman of “Health Mapping 

Exercise”, an on going community service project that the 

polytechnic organised with the Singapore Heart Foundation. 

Between 2007 and early this year, he went from door to 

door at HDB blocks with one- and two-room flats all over 

Singapore, screening residents’ heart rate, and blood glucose 

and cholesterol levels to check for health problems. 

He found that many of the elderly residents suffered 

from very high blood pressure. 

He termed them “walking time bombs” because their 

condition was so severe they could suffer heart attacks or 

strokes any time. 

He said: “Many of these patients reminded me of my 

grandmother and what it was like for her. They were a group 

of neglected people. Several residents were aware of their 

condition, but they had no money to pay for medicine. 

“We gathered data and presented it to the grassroots 

leader, who referred them to the relevant organisations to 

follow up.” 

Desmond graduated with an L1R5 score of 5 from Commonwealth 

Secondary School, which would have qualified 

him easily for the science stream of top junior colleges here. 

But he chose to study biomedical science at SP as he 

wanted to focus on his area of interest. 

His mother supported his decision because she felt that 

such a course would be more practical, given his interests. 

Desmond thinks his honesty and compassion were 

probably the qualities that impressed his interviewers 

at NUS. 

Tough interviews 

He was one of three students shortlisted by the poly to go 

for interviews at NUS’s medical faculty. 

He said that the interviews were tough as he was asked 

technical questions that he could not answer. 

He said: “I told them honestly that I did not know the 

answers to the technical questions. 

“They also asked me many other questions... on topics 

like euthanasia and why I wanted to be a doctor. I think the 

important part was how I took a stand on the issues.” 

He hopes to become a doctor in an emergency department 

as he prefers frontline work. 

He said: “My experiences have taught me that warmth, 

compassion and understanding are crucial aspects of 

being a doctor, more so than the surgeon’s knife or chemist’s 

drug.” 

Madam Mah Mon Moey, the course manager of the diploma 

of biomedical science at SP and one of Desmond’s 

lecturers, said that he was a highly motivated student. 

She said: “He is a team player and an inspirational leader, 

who has impressed his lecturers with his ability to juggle numerous 

co-curricular activities while maintaining an excellent 

academic performance.” 

Desmond’s grandmother died in February this year and 

didn’t live to see his achievement. She was 70. 

He said of the two women who brought him up: “Without 

them, I would not be who I am today.” 

In total, seven SP graduates 

have been accepted into medical 

schools in Nanyang Technological 

University and the National 

University of Singapore thus far.


THE STRAITS TIMES | 6 NOVEMBER 2012 

LIANHE ZAOBAO | 17 JULY 2013 

Summary of 


Daily life + 

scientific 

knowledge 

= making 

science fun 

Diploma in Biotechnology 

(DBT) graduate Dr Jonathan 

Loh continues to support his 

alma mater readily. He has 

worked with SP to create 

internship opportunities 

for students in institutions 

such as Yale, Harvard and 

the Massachusetts Institute 

of Technology. In addition, 

he also lectures at SP, 

supervises the projects 

of graduating students, 

and assists students from 

broken families by counselling 

them. Dr Loh strongly 

believes that by integrating 

science into daily living, 

young students will become 

more motivated to discover 

the complexities and beauties 

of the subject.


THE STRAITS TIMES | 28 SEPTEMBER 2013 

Double success as other twin wins Golden Bayonet too 

By ROYSTON SIM 

YEO Jin Rui and his identical twin, Jin Run, 

have marched to the same beat since birth. 

They went to the same school, joined the 

same co-curricular activity and yesterday 

completed another double, this time in the 

army. 

When newly minted Third Sergeant Jin 

Rui graduated from the Specialist Cadet 

School (SCS) with a Golden Bayonet, he 

matched his brother’s effort six months earlier. 

The Golden Bayonet is awarded to the 

top cadets from each branch of the army. 

The older twin by two minutes, 3SG Jin 

Rui, 21, said of his brother’s achievement: “I 

wanted to be like him. That gave me extra 

motivation.” 

Both brothers also graduated from the 

SCS as signals specialists. 

In all, 995 specialist cadets received their 

new ranks at yesterday’s graduation parade 

at Pasir Laba camp, with 18 of them receiving 

the Golden Bayonet from Minister of 

State for Trade and Industry Teo Ser Luck. 

The Yeo brothers attended East Spring 

Primary together. Then Pasir Ris Crest 

Secondary, where both signed up for the 

National Cadet Corps, and then Singapore 

Polytechnic, where they took diplomas in 

business and information technology and 

served in the student union. 

After enlisting for national service in 

November 2011 and serving their basic 

training, neither was selected for command 

school. Said 3SG Jin Rui: “This did not deter 

our commitment to serving, and we decided 

to do our very best in our vocations.” 

They trained together at weekends to 

improve their physical fitness, and their efforts 

paid off. 

The younger brother, Jin Run, who was 

posted to the Singapore Guards, was later 

selected to attend the SCS and is now undergoing 

the Officer Cadet Course. 

3SG Jin Rui also expressed his interest 

in being a commander while serving as a 

signals operator in the 23rd Battalion, Singapore 

Artillery. His outstanding performance 

led his superiors to recommend him 

for the SCS. 

OCT Jin Run was thrilled when he found 

out his twin had also won the Golden Bayonet. 

He said: “He put in a lot of effort, and 

I’m jubilant that it has been recognised.” 

Both brothers extended their national 

service after attending command school, 

and have not ruled out signing on with 

the Army. They said their father, general 

manager Clement Yeo, 51, had always told 

them to do their best during NS, which he 

believes is an important rite of passage. 

roysim@sph.com.sg 

THE NEW PAPER | 17 NOVEMBER 2013



Summary of 


Entrepreneurs 

with a heart 

Seven years ago, SP alumna Ereen Toh (Diploma in Business Administration - DBA) started Stirring 

Hearts, a business selling handmade environmentally-sustainable gift and greeting cards. Last year, she 

collaborated with the Muscular Dystrophy Association Singapore and the Movement for the Intellectually 

Disabled of Singapore to conduct lessons for special needs children in making these cards. 

University scholarships for SP graduates 

Over the years, many SP graduates have been awarded prestigious bond-free scholarships from the local universities to pursue degree programmes. This is 

in addition to the scholarships awarded by ministries, companies, and organisations that you read about in this issue of SP News. Here are some of them: 

Andrew Ong 

Awarded the Global 

Merit Scholarship by 

National University of 

Singapore. 

Photo courtesy of NUS 

Nicole Loh 

Awarded the 

Nanyang Scholarship 

by Nanyang 

Technological 

University. 

Selene Bay 

Awarded the Lee Kong Chian 

Scholarship by Singapore 

Management University. 

Steven Jude Peeris 

Awarded the 

National University 

of Singapore 

Undergraduate 

Scholarship. 

M Sabareesh Nair 

Awarded the 

Singapore 

University of 

Technology and 

Design Scholarship. 

Lim Hui Yin 

Awarded 

the College 

Scholarship 

by Nanyang 

Technological 

University. 

Nurzahidah Bte 

Mohd Yusoff 

Awarded the 

Singapore Institute 

of Technology 

Scholarship.


THE STRAITS TIMES | 24 AUGUST 2013 

Wider 

perspective 

the aim at 

Yale-NUS 

Plato and Aristotle can wait, classes 

start with Chinese philosophers 


MOST liberal arts students are schooled in the works of Western 

thinkers like Plato and Aristotle, but at Yale-NUS College, students 

will grapple first with ancient Chinese philosophy. 

Classes at Singapore’s first liberal arts college have begun and last 

Tuesday, a class of 16 found themselves comparing the teachings of 

Chinese philosophers Confucius and Mozi. 

In later weeks, they will learn about the Roman Cicero, Hindu 

scripts like The Bhagavad Gita, and Buddhist texts like The Questions 

of King Milinda. 

In their literature classes, they will read Homer’s epic poem The 

Odyssey, alongside ancient Indian texts like the Mahabharata and 

the Ramayana. 

They will also study how Asian cultures in Japanese Noh drama, 

Chinese opera and South-east Asian puppet theatre have influenced 

modern theatre. 

Yale-NUS, a tie-up between Yale and the National University of 

Singapore, has promised a broad-based education merging East and 

West. 

This “broader training” is a “good challenge” to students to widen 

their perspectives, said the university’s president, Professor Pericles 

Lewis. 

Yale-NUS professors have been working on the curriculum since 

July last year. 

Unlike in the United States, where there is no prescribed course of 

study, students at the NUS University Town campus will take common 

courses in the first two years and focus on a major in the third. 

They can choose from 14, like urban studies, life sciences and economics. 

Aspiring journalist Dennis Chiang, 23, said he chose Yale-NUS 

over the Nanyang Technological University as he wanted “something 

different”. 

“To be a good writer, I need to have a perspective on a lot of 

things,” said the Singapore Polytechnic graduate, whose father is a 

taxi driver and mother a housing and insurance agent. 

Into his second week of school, he is excited by the environment. 

“In secondary school and polytechnic, teachers needed to prompt 

classroom discussions, but here they can’t get students to shut up. 

Instead they step back and listen to us.” 

Some 62 per cent of the university’s first students are Singaporean. 

The rest are from countries like the US, India, China, Malaysia 

and Canada. More than half, 55 per cent, are girls. 

Students pay an annual tuition fee of $15,000, almost double what 

their peers pay for general degrees in NUS. 

The university took in 155 students this year, and will raise the 

number next year to 170. It has the capacity for 1,000 students. The 

college received 11,400 applications for its first intake. 

The school has more than 50 full-time teaching faculty, five of 

whom are Singaporean. The college will have a total of 100 faculty 

members in time. 

Prof Lewis said a committee is looking into different modes of assessment. 

Currently students have no final exam in the first semester 

but will be evaluated on projects and assignments, as well as oral and 

written presentations. 

To ease them into school life, each will have an academic adviser, 

who is also a faculty member, and a mentor on things out of the 

classroom, like careers, internships, programmes abroad and leadership 

training. 

Like other liberal arts colleges, Yale-NUS aims to teach skills that 

are relevant across disciplines and professions. 

“We’re trying to prepare students for jobs of the future that we 

don’t even know exist yet,” said dean of international and professional 

experience Anastasia Vrachnos. 

Executive vice-president of academic affairs, Professor Lai Choy 

Heng from NUS, said that the school’s mission is towards the “more 

idealistic end of education” in an increasingly sophisticated Singapore. 

Students at Yale-NUS can also draw on existing overseas partnerships 

of both parent institutions. These include Yale’s programmes in 

European locations and NUS’ programmes in over 80 countries. 


SP Diploma in Media and Communication graduate Dennis 

Chiang is currently studying in Yale-NUS college. 


Excellence Despite 

Daily Shuttle To Johor 

SP alumni Mr Abdul Halim 

is one of the recipients 

of the Muhammadiyah 

Scholarship. He graduated 

from the Diploma 

in Aeronautical 

Engineering (DARE) 

course in 2012, and is 

now studying aeronautical 

engineering at Imperial 

College London. 


BERITA HARIAN | 25 DECEMBER 2012 

Cemerlang walau ulang-alik 

Johor setiap hari 

NUR’ADILAH MAHBOB 

adilaham@sph.com.sg 

KESESAKAN di Koswe sejak beberapa hari ini mungkin 

melemahkan semangat sesetengah warga Singapura untuk ke 

seberang tambak. 

Tetapi bagi sesetengah warga Singapura seperti Encik Abdul 

Halim Ali Akbar, perjalanan ulang-alik Singapura dan Johor 

Bahru itu adalah sebahagian daripada kehidupan seharian 

mereka, meskipun tidak hari-hari sesak seperti itu. 

Bagi Encik Halim, 22 tahun, beliau merentasi Koswe dengan 

menaiki bas atau kereta ke sekolah di sini, sejak dari sekolah 

rendah hinggalah ke peringkat politeknik. 

Namun, bekas pelajar Madrasah Al-Irsyad Al-Islamiah dan 

Politeknik Singapura (SP) itu langsung tidak menjadikannya 

sebagai alasan baginya kurang memberi perhatian kepada pelajarannya. 

Malah, beliau berjaya meraih keputusan cemerlang dan kini 

menceburi bidang kejuruteraan penerbangan di Imperial College 

London. 

Encik Halim, mahasiswa tahun pertama di universiti itu, merupakan 

antara enam penerima Biasiswa Muhammadiyah tahun ini. 

Beliau menerima Anugerah Ibnu Sina yang bernilai $4,000. 

“Bagi saya yang kerap ulang- alik Singapura dan Johor Bahru, 

pengurusan masa penting sekali untuk mengatur masa belajar,” 

ujar Encik Halim, semasa ditemui Berita Harian di majlis 

penyampaian anugerah itu baru-baru ini. 

Beliau berjaya meraih Diploma dalam bidang kejuruteraan 

penerbangan dari SP dengan Mata Gred Purata (GPA) 3.9 daripada 

mata penuh 4. 

Keputusan cemerlang itu sekali gus melayakkan beliau ke 

kolej ulung di London itu. 

Namun, beliau bukan satu-satunya bekas pelajar madrasah 

yang berjaya meraih keputusan cemerlang dan kini menguakkan 

sayap di universiti luar negara. 

Seorang lagi penerima Anugerah Ibnu Sina ialah Cik Nafisah 

Mohd Rafiq, 20 tahun, yang meneruskan pengajian di Imperial 

College London juga tetapi dalam bidang Sains Bahan 

dan Kejuruteraan pula. 

Bekas pelajar Madrasah Wak Tanjong dan Politeknik Nanyang 

itu merupakan adik Cik Nisha Mohd Rafiq, yang meraih 

ijazah sarjana muda kelas pertama dalam bidang sains hayat 

dari Universiti Nasional Singapura (NUS) awal tahun ini. 

Seperti kakaknya, Cik Nafisah juga lulus dengan cemerlang 

dari politeknik dengan GPA 3.9. 

“Saya rasa tiada resipi rahsia bagi kejayaan. Kalau ada apaapa 

yang saya tidak faham, saya akan minta penjelasan sertamerta. 

Usah tunggu hampir peperiksaan baru nak tanya,” ujar 

Cik Nafisah. 

Diperkenalkan pada 2010, Biasiswa Muhammadiyah bertujuan 

menghasilkan tenaga profesional di kalangan masyarakat 

Melayu/Islam yang mampu menguasai kededua bidang agama 

dan saintifik.

Work Ready 31 


THE NEW PAPER | 10 JANUARY 2013 

Polytechnic graduates are earning more, a new survey shows. 

ESTHER NG and AUDREY TAN report 

This poly grad earned 

$12,000 

He has been at his job for only two years. 

Yet his monthly earnings, including commission, 

hit $12,000 in June and July last year. 

Mr Tan Xi Liang, 25, graduated from 

Singapore Polytechnic with a Diploma in 

Banking and Finance in 2009. 

He joined Prudential Singapore as a 

financial consultant in 2011 after completing 

his national service. 

Like him, polytechnic graduates are earning 

more these days. 

According to the Graduate Employment 

Survey jointly conducted by the five polytechnics 

last year, the median gross monthly 

salary among fresh poly graduates was $1,950 

compared to $1,850 in 2011. 

The figure for those who completed 

national service was $2,253 compared to 

$2,100 in 2011. 

Commission 

Mr Tan gets a basic monthly salary of 

$1,500, but with commission, he earns about 

$60,000 yearly. 

He said that being a polytechnic graduate 

is an important factor in his success. 

“Polytechnics help students to present well 

because of the many presentations we do. 

This is good preparation for working life,” he 

said. 

Mr Tan, who supervises two others, said 

the reason employers are willing to pay more 

now may be due to the hands-on training 

polytechnic students receive. 

He said: “I’m looking for people who can 

perform. Gone are the days when certificates 

were the only thing you looked out for. 

“At work, you have to communicate 

effectively with your co-workers, subordinates 

and bosses, and this doesn’t always 

require higher qualifications.” 

Founder and managing director of 

recruitment firm AYP Associates, Ms Annie 

Yap, attributed the increase in starting 

salaries of polytechnic graduates to the 

demand in the workforce. 

She said: “Some companies have a demand 

for positions which don’t require degrees, and 

because there is a demand, the pay increases. 

“But it depends on the type of company 

the poly graduate is in. In some companies, 

there’s a pay ceiling, so they employ poly 

graduates. 

“For jobs that do not pay commission, you 

might need higher academic qualifications.” 

Mr Josh Goh, The GMP Group’s assistant 

director of corporate services, said the increase 

in poly graduates’ salaries is due to the 

tight labour market. 

He said: “Diploma graduates are getting 

more because degree holders are also getting 

more, so wages have moved in tandem. 

“The whole labour market is tight, and 

when you have limited manpower, wages will 

increase.” 

Opportunities 

Job opportunities are also bright for polytechnic 

graduates. Slightly more than three in 

five fresh graduates and four in five graduates 

wh had completed national service found 

full-time jobs last year. 

Overall, the employment rate (which 

includes those with part-time and temporary 

jobs) remained high for poly graduates – 91 

per cent for fresh graduates and 93.1 per cent 

for those with who had finished their national 

service. 

However, when compared with 2011 

figures, the employment rate dropped 

marginally by about one percentage point. 

This could be because hiring activity last 

year slowed, said Mr Goh. 

“The banking sector started tightening 

hiring in late 2010 because of the Eurozone 

sovereign debt crisis, and the rest of the 

sectors followed. 

“So last year, recruitment was for 

replacement rather than firms expanding and 

needing to hire more staff,” he said. 

The survey was conducted between 

October and November last year and involved 

14,329 respondents. 

The SP Business School (SB) 

diploma is highly valued by 

employers and widely accredited 

by reputable universities worldwide 

for admission to accelerated 

degree programmes. Its diploma 

courses train students in a full 

spectrum of key business functions 

including accountancy, business 

administration and financial 

informatics. New students will also 

get to enjoy the brand new Business 

School building (complete with 

state-of-the-art learning labs and 

studios) due to be finished in 2015. 

Scan QR code for more details on 

SP Business School courses.

32 Scholarship Partner 

THE STRAITS TIMES | 22 APRIL 2013 

SP wins lion’s share of 

infocomm scholarships 

SP students clinched a whopping 24 out of 40 

Integrated Infocomm Scholarships (IIS) offered by 

the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore to 

polytechnic students this year. Under the scholarship, 

these 24 students from the School of Digital Media 

and Infocomm Technology (DMIT), SP Business 

School (SB) and SP Design School (SD) will pursue 

a polytechnic to university path, paving the way for 

themselves to pursue a career in digital media or 

infocomm-related industries. Four recent graduates 

also clinched the National Infocomm Scholarship. 

Diploma in Information Technology student Russell Loh receiving 

the award from Minister for Communications and Information Dr 

Yaacob Ibrahim. 


Guide to Scholarships 

The Integrated Infocomm Scholarship brings Ms Tan Shi Hui closer to her career goals in 

information technology 

by mike lee 

MS TAN Shi Hui used the computer at home just once a month while 

in primary school. At that time, she was still using a dial-up connection, 

and used the computer only for project work. 

When she joined Fairfield Methodist School (Secondary), she was 

still not all that interested in information technology (IT). Nevertheless, 

she picked the Media Club as her co-curricular activity (CCA) 

and this kindled her passion for IT. She picked up web design skills 

and built and maintained CCA websites. She also explored digital art 

and designed banners and pamphlets. 

Competitions like the British Council Digital 

Art Competition were good experiences, and 

being a top 10 finalist at the N.E.mation! digital 

animation contest organised by NEXUS (National 

Education Singapore) was a confidence booster. 

She also learnt Flash, Dreamweaver and Photoshop, 

picking up skills through books and asking 

senior students about the things she did not understand. 

After her O levels, Ms Tan chose the Business 

Information Technology diploma programme at 

Singapore Polytechnic’s School of Digital Media 

and Infocomm Technology as she “liked its balance 

between information technology and business, 

and also for future prospects”. 

She liked what she saw in the prospectus, with 

modules covering areas like project management, report writing and 

presentation skills. 

It was when she was invited to the Integrated Infocomm Scholarship 

(IIS) Day that she came to know about this scholarship option 

for outstanding O-level students to pursue infocomm-related diploma 

and degree courses from polytechnic to university. 

The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) administers 

the IIS. Attachment opportunities with major organisations 

both locally and overseas are part of the programme. At the polytechnic 

level, full tuition fees at a local institution as well as computer and 

annual allowances are part of the scholarship package. 

Ms Tan, who was sure about pursuing IT till university level and 

as a career, applied for and secured the scholarship. She also saw it as 

a way to become more self-reliant. 

In school, she has picked up programming languages such as Java 

and PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor, a coding language for web development; 

she has also created mobile apps for the Android platform. 

On the business side, she has learned topics like accounting, marketing, 

digital marketing and business analytics. 

She has been able to work with real clients, such as on a group 

project for an events management company, and a project to manage 

a children’s activities camp for a charity. 

Last year, she embarked on a six-week attachment at University 

College London’s (UCL) Department of Management 

Science and Innovation as a researcher. She 

researched on trends on various information technology 

topics such as business analytics, business 

process, and security, and assessed them to evaluate 

their stage of maturity and demand in the industry. 

The findings were presented to a panel of professors, 

to propose ideas on incorporating those topics into 

UCL’s current programmes. 

She was able to attend lessons alongside UCL undergraduates 

too, and join various student events. 

It was her first time to London, as well as her first 

trip outside Asia. In her free time, she explored the 

city and and got a glimpse into the culture and people. 

Ms Tan enjoyed the experience and she will be applying 

for the National Infocomm Scholarship (NIS), also administered 

by the IDA, for sponsorship to an overseas university. She currently 

has an offer from UCL to study computer science. 

Ms Tan, 19, is currently in her final school term at Singapore Polytechnic. 

For her final-year project, she is working with SAS Singapore 

(Statistical Analysis System Singapore). 

She and her elder brother, who is currently a national serviceman, 

will be studying for infocomm-related degrees in the second half of 

this year. 

Ms Tan has this advice to those considering the IIS: “You have to 

be really interested in infocomm technology, as you will have to pursue 

the course until university level. 

“When you enjoy what you learn, you will tend to do better. Always 

do your best.” 

Ms Tan became interested in IT while in secondary school and 

now sees it as an interesting career. 

PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG

Scholarship Partner 33 


未毕业就得到工作保障 , 建设局与业界联合颁发的 

建筑业奖学金得主叶思慧 ( 左 ) 与陈春元希望学成 

能在建筑业有一番作为。( 唐家鸿摄 ) 

赖彥志报道 

fredlai@sph.com.sg 

外籍劳工政策收紧 , 原本就人手短缺的本地建筑公 

司速美建筑集团 (Soilbuild Construction Group) 不 

只前线的建筑员工人手吃紧 , 连管理层与工程师等专业 

人员也人才难求 , 前去应征者每十人只有三个是本地 

人。 

为了吸引更多本地人才加入建设行业 , 创办了 37 年 

的速美建筑今年首次与建设局合作 , 为 10 名大专学生 

提供奖学金 , 希望为公司栽培人才 , 也为建筑业注入新 

血。 

速美特别企划部门主管徐耀琮受访时说 :“ 建筑业 

得忍受日晒雨淋 , 向来就人手吃紧 , 如今各行各业都在 

竞争人手 , 即使员工经验不足也没有办法 , 只能骑驴找 

马 , 让他们边工作边培训 , 我们得花多一点时间监督和 

栽培。” 

今年共有 166 名大专学生从 1000 多名申请者中脱颖 

而出 , 获颁建设局与业界联合颁发的建筑业奖学金 , 是 

自 1993 年该奖学金设立以来人数最多的 , 赞助奖学金 

的建筑业者则有 45 家。 

国家发展部长许文远昨天发博文表示 , 希望透过采 

用更多预制技术、资讯科技、3D 立体设计与模拟工具 

等高科技技术 , 改善建筑业的工作环境 , 吸引更多本地 

人才加入建筑行业 , 包括引进更多女性生力军。 

 

他说 , 过去四年 , 获颁奖学金的女性明显增加了 , 

在 2010 年每四个奖学金得主 , 只有一个是女生 , 今年 

则有将近半数是女性。 

新加坡理工学院土木工程与管理系二年级学生叶思 

慧 (18 岁 ) 是其中一人。 

她不讳言刚报读这个科系时还 “ 懵懵懂懂 ”, 不确 

定自己是否要加入这个行业。 

后来她受到师长的启发 , 加上自己喜爱数学 , 励志 

在学成后成为一位结构工程师。 

她说 :“ 申请奖学金不但让我在毕业后马上就有工 

作保障 , 也能帮助减轻学费与生活费的负担。” 

南洋理工大学机械工程系三年级学生陈春元 (22 

岁 ) 则是受到哥哥影响 , 决定投身建筑业。他的二哥两 

年前也获得建设局奖学金 , 两兄弟时常在家中讨论与建 

筑业相关的课题 , 让他对这个行业越来越感兴趣。 

他获颁的是澳大利亚联盛 (Lend Lease) 公司和 

建设局颁发的奖学金 , 毕业后将到这家公司履行两年合 

约 ,“ 希望在毕业前有机会到联盛实习 , 参与项目管理 

方面的工作 , 吸取更多经验。” 

Summary of 


Construction 

companies work 

with BCA to groom 

construction talent 

Diploma in Civil Engineering 

with Business (DCEB) 

student Hazel Yap is one of the 

recipients of the Building and 

Construction Authority (BCA) 

- Industry Built Environment 

Diploma Scholarships, which 

are given out to attract more 

talent to Singapore’s building 

and construction industry. 

Recipients will receive financing 

of their tuition fees and annual 

or monthly allowances, and be 

bonded to the company that 

sponsors their scholarship. 

LIANHE ZAOBAO | 24 JULY 2013 

张赞成 : 本地大学可媲美外国优秀学府 

随着我国高等学府的知名度提升、学生越来越国 

际化 , 公共服务委员会主席张赞成认为 , 本地大学 

已可媲美外国优秀学府 , 所提供的求学体验不亚于 

到外国留学。 

在今年 92 名 PSC 奖学金得主中 , 只有 15 人选择 

在本地大学求学。张赞成在致词中指出 , 许多学生 

在申请奖学金的面试中 , 表明希望到外国留学 , 开 

拓视野并与不同国籍的学生交流。 

他说 :“ 这些原因都有道理 , 但我们的学生或许 

没有发现到本地的高等教育景观已经改变 , 而他们 

希望到外国寻找的东西 , 其实本地也有。” 

张赞成认为 , 本地大学如今在国际排名中被列为 

顶尖学府 , 吸引了更多外国学生前来 , 氛围也更环 

球化 , 再加上本地大学与一些海外学府联办新学院 

和课程 , 这些都 “ 有助于加强本地教育的吸引力与 

独特性 ”。 

比如新科大作为美国麻省理工学院 

(Massachusetts Institute of Technology) 和中国 

浙江大学的结合体 , 就吸引了新加坡政府奖学金得 

主梁熙勤 (20 岁 ) 。 

毕业自新加坡理工学院工程系的他说 :“ 我很欣赏 

新科大将工程与设计结合的新颖概念 , 所以一开始 

就锁定要进入这所大学 , 甚至在假期时申请到新科 

大实习 , 进行研究工作。” 他相信 :“ 工程学所教 

导的解决问题技能 , 未来在公共服务部门工作时能 

派上用场。” 


Local universities are 

comparable to overseas unis 

Leong Hei Kern (photo below) from the Diploma in Mechanical 

Engineering (DME) won the prestigious Public Service Commission (PSC) 

Open Scholarship and has accepted a place to read engineering at the 

Singapore University of Technology and Design. 

Pursuing 

National 

Development 

Sheryl Lee receiving her MND scholarship 

from Minister of National Development Mr 

Khaw Boon Wan. 

A second group of students from the Diploma in 

Business Innovation and Design (DBID) was awarded 

the Ministry of National Development (MND) EDGE Business 

Innovation and Design Scholarship (last year, another 

batch of five students was given the scholarship). Only SP 

students enrolled into the DBID course can apply for this 

prestigious scholarship, which covers their tuition fees 

and the cost of an overseas immersion boot camp. The 

scholarship also provides an annual book allowance and 

opportunities to intern with agencies within the MND family 

such as the National Parks Board and the Housing and 

Development Board. 

Leong Hei Kern, top graduate from SP’s Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, not only received the Public Service Commission Scholarship but 

also a string of other prestigious awards such as the Lee Hsien Loong Outstanding All-Round Achievement Award, the LTA Engineering Award 

and the A*STAR Science Award (Polytechnic). 

Photo insertion: Singapore Polytechnic

34 Taking the Lead 


LIANHE ZAOBAO | 18 JUNE 2013 THE STRAITS TIMES | 3 JULY 2013 


Two agencies to research on rapid diagnostic kit 

Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) and SP will be working together to research on a rapid 

dengue diagnostic kit, which will allow medical professionals to diagnose suspected 

cases within 30 minutes. The two organisations will also work together on researching 

genome sequencing and HIV viral quantitation. 

Students from SP will also benefit from the collaboration. Diploma in Biomedical 

Science (DBS) students will have the opportunity to go for a seven-month internship at 

TTSH to do hands-on research work (as opposed to a standard three-month internship).

In Demand 35 

THE STRAITS TIMES | 23 SEPTEMBER 2013 

School’s idea spurs students to work harder 

and aim higher 


IT WAS Aqil Luqman B. Zamberi’s first time 

in a polytechnic. 

What he saw from the campus at Singapore 

Polytechnic made the 15-year-old determined 

to study there in the future. 

He was taking part in a programme run 

by his school Zhenghua Secondary, which 

will receive the Lee Hsien Loong Award for 

Innovations in the Normal Course this year. 

It has been praised for thinking creatively 

to help academically weaker students. 

Aqil was one of his school’s Secondary 

3 Normal (Academic) students who spent 

five days at Singapore Polytechnic this year 

learning about tourism and hospitality. 

There, he experienced fine dining at the 

polytechnic’s Graduates’ Guild and observed 

how a restaurant was run. He said: “The 

place was big, the school environment was 

very nice and the teachers were friendly.” 

On one of the days, he even went to Bugis 

and spent a few hours with his schoolmates 

speaking to tourists, finding out why they 

chose Singapore as a holiday destination. 

“This helped me to gain knowledge about 

how it feels like to be a polytechnic student,” 

added Aqil. 

Zhenghua Secondary principal Fiona Yeo 

said the programme aimed to let students 

“experience life in higher education”. 

“We want to encourage them to set goals, 

work hard, put in effort so that they can progress 

to the polytechnics.” 

The Lee Hsien Loong Award for Innovations 

in the Normal Course honours schools 

that look for ways to motivate students. It 

will also be given to Temasek Secondary. 

Each winning school gets $3,000 to fund 

its programmes. 

It is one of the prizes handed out by the 

Ministry of Education each year to recognise 

best practices. 

This year, a total of 293 schools have won 

awards, and 23 will receive theirs from Education 

Minister Heng Swee Keat on Wednesday 

at the ministry’s workplan seminar. 

Madam Yeo said her school runs programmes 

like sports activities to build leadership 

and character. It also has vocational 

training and career guidance workshops for 

Normal stream students. 

For instance, Sec 3 Normal (Technical) 

students get to learn various skills like creating 

smartphone applications, hair-styling, 

cooking, producing video games and being a 

DJ. 

“We are preparing them for the world 

beyond school,” said Madam Yeo. “We hope 

values like resilience and responsibility, 

which they learn, will be transferred to their 

studies.” 

Temasek Secondary also runs leadership 

programmes, which give students a chance 

to plan and carry out community projects. 

For instance, Sec 4 Normal (Technical) 

student Lim Jing Heng learnt how to plan 

a clean-up at East Coast Park in August last 

year. 

“I thought cleaning the beach would be 

easy, but it was challenging. It involved planning 

logistics, transport and deciding which 

materials to use,” said the 16-year-old. 

Jing Heng, who is a student leader and 

also the vice-captain of his school’s canoeing 

team, said: “School has helped me build my 

confidence, learn leadership skills and values 

like teamwork and compassion.” 



Polytechnics give engineering a new face 

Marrying subject with others has attracted more top students 


WHAT does a kangaroo have to do with 

aeroplanes? Enough to inspire Singapore 

Polytechnic student Bryan Lim into 

making a “bendable” landing system to 

help aircraft land more smoothly. 

“Kangaroos’ muscles compress as they 

jump, reducing the landing impact,” said 

the 17-year-old, after being taught during 

his engineering systems classes how 

to apply animal movement in product 

design. 

He is one of 40 pioneer students taking 

the new diploma programme, which 

merges social science and management 

with engineering. This is just one of the 

latest “hybrid” courses introduced by 

Singapore’s polytechnics to change the 

face of engineering, long seen as “boring”. 

These multi-disciplinary programmes, 

which marry engineering with business 

studies or the life sciences, are also altering 

the make-up of engineering students. 

While engineering courses used to 

draw those with poorer O-level scores 

of 18 points and more, students with aggregate 

scores as low as nine points are 

flocking to these new courses. 

Said Bryan, who scored 11 points for 

five subjects in his O levels: “I chose the 

course because of its multi-disciplinary 

nature and we also get to learn how we 

affect society with products.” 

Dr Thian Boon Meng, who oversees 

the new Singapore Poly (SP) course, said: 

“Students prefer to study engineering 

alongside other areas. That’s why more 

hybrid courses are sprouting.” 


With SP, it’s So Possible

36 Space for Excellence 



New poly course in 

engineering systems 

By ROYSTON SIM 

SINGAPORE Polytechnic (SP) has launched a new diploma 

in engineering systems, which teaches students 

engineering disciplines along with social science and 

management skills. 

The course is touted as the first of its kind in Singapore 

and will begin with a pioneer batch of 40 students 

in April. 

It will include modules and materials jointly developed 

with technology giant IBM and transport operator 

SMRT. 

Both companies have partnered SP to launch this 

programme. 

At a signing ceremony yesterday, SP principal Tan 

Choon Shian noted that the course is a departure from 

regular engineering courses. 

He said: “It is designed to specially nurture a new 

breed of engineering students who will be equipped 

with the knowledge and skills of interdisciplinary 

engineering, engineering management and social sciences.” 

Students will receive hands-on training to conceptualise, 

design and integrate engineering processes in 

systems related to sectors such as telecommunication, 

transportation and health care. 

They will be taught in a studio environment, with 

lectures, tutorials and lab work all taking place in one 

classroom. 

In their third year, students can choose to specialise 

in urban transportation systems or intelligent systems. 

They will then embark on an 18-week internship 

with SMRT or IBM. 

IBM chief technology officer Foong Sew Bun said 

the course would produce engineers with deep problem- 

solving skills who can also communicate effectively. 

SMRT has found it difficult to get the right people to 

join the industry, said its executive vice-president for 

trains Khoo Hean Siang. 

SP’s new diploma will equip students with relevant 

knowledge and better prepare them for a career in 

transportation, he said, adding that it will also give 

them an advantage in terms of career progression. 

roysim@sph.com.sg 

Rising Defence Engineers 

Four young SP engineering alumni have clinched 

the DSTA Undergraduate Scholarship that will see 

them pursuing studies of their choice in science and 

engineering at renowned universities worldwide. 

These Diploma in Mechanical Engineering (DME) 

and Diploma in Aerospace Electronics (DASE) 

graduates will embark on careers in organisations 

such as the Defence Science and Technology Agency 

(DSTA) and DSO National Laboratories. 

Lee Jian Wei receiving his 

scholarship from Minister of 

Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen.

Hardworking Filial Girl Gets Scholarship - Singapore Polytechnic

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