Time stamp on degrees: netizens rip into MP for making incredulous suggestion

Image Credit: WHYLIDDATSG


In the name of getting folks to constantly refresh, reskill, upskill, upgrade (or however you wish to call it) themselves, Member of Parliament (MP) for West Coast Group Representation Constituency Mr Ang Wei Neng suggested during his recent budget debate speech that all university degrees attained be accorded a shelf life of 5 years, thereafter one must periodically attend relevant courses in order to renew his/her "expired" credentials. In his own words:


"We may need to put a time stamp on degrees conferred by the universities ... one radical idea is to put it as a requirement that the graduates have to attend upgrading courses every five years or so. If you do not upgrade, the degree will fade over time and you no longer can claim the degree as your credentials after a while."


If you find Mr Ang's recommendation absolutely incredulous bordering on preposterous, you are not alone. Netizens wasted no time deriding the villain of the hour; a handful implored him to come down from his ivory tower, others fiecely queried who will ultimately shoulder the financial costs associated with having to "go back to school" time and again, then there were some who cheekily demanded that he step aside given his own degrees (fun fact: he earned his MBA in 2000) would have long been deemed invalid.


Mr Ang subsequently took to Facebook to clarify things. He proffered:


"To ensure that university education remains relevant, an idea I raised as food for thought in Parliament was that graduates could be requested to attend training and upgrading programmes every five years or so, to keep themselves updated on the latest trends and technology affecting their industry. My intention was to emphasise the need for Singaporeans to continually upskill to stay relevant in the modern economy, and spark a conversation about what role IHLs can play in this."


FOOD FOR THOUGHT???? SERIOUSLY??? As a certain Sherman Lee opined sarcastically: "Genius at work.", I couldn't agree more. Dude you just shot yourself not once, but twice in the foot. Anyways do savour the barrage of comments archived below, and have yourself a jolly good laugh.


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