SINGAPORE: The proposed fourth university will take in its first batch of students by 2011, said Senior Minister of State for Education Lui Tuck Yew, who chairs the committee on the expansion of the university sector in Singapore.

Mr Lui revealed on Saturday that after the recent Cabinet reshuffle, he is now also overseeing the polytechnics and institutes of technical education (ITEs).

Top students can soon look forward to a new choice of publicly funded university in 2011.

Mr Lui said his committee aims to submit its final report to the government by the third quarter of this year.

"We have the International Advisory Panel that is meeting in Singapore at the end of June. So we are putting together a draft report that we hope they will consider, and give us their inputs and suggestions, then we will submit to the government," he said.

With his promotion announced in the Cabinet reshuffle on 29 March, Mr Lui, who has been in charge of the teaching of the English language, will now also oversee the post-secondary sector, as well as the Private Education Bill which will be introduced later this year.

Mr Lui is meeting the principals of the various polytechnics and ITEs on Monday to hear their plans.

He said: "Our technical education and vocational education are really of very high standards. The institutions do a very good job in preparing students for the workplace. In terms of numbers, those who are able to find work within six months are well above the 90 percent mark, and that's discounting those who go on to further education.

"Starting salaries for polytechnic graduates are now about S$1,700 or S$1,800 for those who have served National Service. It's also gone up for the ITE students. That's one of the reasons why our students now see the polytechnic avenue and the junior college avenue on equal basis."

As for his new portfolio as Senior Minister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts, Mr Lui said his immediate priority is to familiarise himself with key areas of work.

"The start is to make sure that I am at least familiar with all the major areas that MICA (Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts) is looking at. Minister Lee Boon Yang has asked me to try and make sure that I'm familiar with all the different areas that the ministry is looking at. He's already lost two very good doctors and he's gotten me – a rookie – in place of the two doctors," he said.

But there is no doubt Mr Lui will ease comfortably into his new posting at MICA.

He said: "All these are different but very exciting things that add colour not only to my life but also to my work!"


- CNA/so