To guard against elitism, it reaches out to students from more schools
By Robin Chan Political Correspondent And Janice Heng, The Straits Times, 18 Sep 2013
THE public service is casting its net wider to schools that do not traditionally produce government scholarship winners, in a bid to increase the diversity in its ranks and guard against elitism.
In an open letter on the Public Service Commission (PSC) website yesterday, its chairman Eddie Teo underscored the value of having diversity in the public service as governance and policymaking become more complex, and demographics and the education system undergo changes.
"We need a diverse public service to avoid 'groupthink' and to appreciate the needs of a diverse Singapore population," he said in a letter penned to mark the start of his second term as chairman of the agency overseeing civil service recruitment.
PSC scholarships are seen as a pipeline for future top senior civil servants. But the perception that they are given mainly to students from top junior colleges is a perennial problem.
Lately, the need to address it has become more urgent amid growing concerns over social mobility and elitism.
In his letter, Mr Teo sought to reassure people that this was not the case.
The PSC, he said, will guard against elitism by taking in students from different socio-economic backgrounds and sending them to a wider range of universities and courses. The proportion of scholarship holders from traditional sources has shrunk, he added, using their schools as a proxy for socio-economic class.
In the last two years, 60 per cent of them were from Raffles Institution and Hwa Chong, a drop from a peak of 82 per cent in 2007. In the last 10 years, these two schools produced 68 per cent of scholarship holders on average.
Joining their ranks in recent years are students from such junior colleges as Pioneer, St Andrew's and Nanyang.
Hoping their presence will dispel the popular perception, Mr Teo said: "A public service comprising only the privileged and upper classes will add to the impression that meritocracy leads to a lack of social mobility in Singapore."
But the PSC will not go for diversity for its own sake, he added. "We continue to subscribe to meritocracy and do not practise affirmative action or positive discrimination."Mr Teo said the PSC has also been refining its concept of merit over the years, and now uses psychological interviews and psychometric tests to determine abilities such as leadership, character, interpersonal skills and stress tolerance. The foremost qualities for a scholarship candidate are integrity and commitment to serve Singapore and Singaporeans, he added.
The shift in the PSC recruitment process comes in the wake of a new approach to governance and an education system that strives to provide opportunities for all.
In his National Day Rally speech, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong laid out a new direction to build a fair and just society.
Acknowledging this, Mr Teo said public service leaders recognise the need for diversity.
"Just as the Government is changing the way it governs, public service leaders are learning how to manage a new generation of younger public servants, who want greater participation and more voice."
But the effort to have greater diversity would "come to naught" if these divergent views are discouraged, or those with different and non-conventional views are not valued and appreciated, he added.
Yesterday, principals and students said the move for more diversity would encourage more students from other schools to apply.
Indeed, principals of some of those schools said the PSC has, in the past few years, been holding more information sessions.
"The message is getting through to our students that they don't need to be the top scorer in academics. If they are well-rounded in their achievements, they have a chance," said Mrs Tan-Kek Lee Yong, principal of Pioneer JC.
PSC reaches out to students from diverse backgrounds
It hopes to change perception that only top scorers get scholarships
By Janice Heng, The Straits Times, 18 Sep 2013
NANYANG Junior College second-year student Ashwin Lee, 19, has never seriously considered applying for a Public Service Commission (PSC) scholarship.
NANYANG Junior College second-year student Ashwin Lee, 19, has never seriously considered applying for a Public Service Commission (PSC) scholarship.
He plans to study at a local university and said that is also where the ambitions of many of his schoolmates lie. That is a situation the PSC hopes to change.
In an open letter published yesterday, PSC chairman Eddie Teo stressed that the public service needs and values diversity.
He said he was glad that students from Nanyang, Pioneer and St Andrew's junior colleges were starting to receive PSC scholarships, the bulk of which has traditionally been awarded to students from two top JCs - Raffles and Hwa Chong.
As a result, there is a belief that PSC scholarships "normally go to those from the top few JCs", said Nanyang JC principal Kwek Hiok Chuang.
Pioneer JC principal Tan-Kek Lee Yong said the PSC "tends to be associated with high standards", so students might not be confident of their chances.
But perceptions can change. Two Pioneer JC students who did not have perfect grades but were outstanding in their co-curricular activities have won PSC scholarships, said Mrs Tan. "So the message is getting through to our students, that they don't need to be the top scorer," she said.
Both principals said the PSC has reached out to them with briefings and urged them to prepare their students for scholarship interviews.
Since 2002, when a polytechnic student won a PSC Overseas Merit Scholarship for the first time, others have done so. Ngee Ann Polytechnic student Clarence Ching, 18, has taken note and plans to apply for one.
Though not from a top JC, 20-year-old Loh K.Y. received support from his school's scholarship development programme when applying for a PSC scholarship last year. He was not successful, but does not think a preference for students from top JCs was to blame. He said some of his peers are not interested in PSC scholarships and prefer scholarships that match their career aspirations, such as those given by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research.
In the last two years, 60 per cent of PSC scholars were from Raffles and Hwa Chong, lower than the 10-year average of 68 per cent. Raffles Institution principal Lim Lai Cheng said the strongest students have many options, including bond-free scholarships from US universities. The school has "encouraged students from diverse backgrounds and talents to consider public service; and we will continue to do so".