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3 in 10 scholars polled say they're unhappy
Unreasonable employers or ungrateful scholars? Lack of dialogue and unrealistic expectations cited as reasons
By Tay Shi'an and Ng Tze Yong
April 20, 2009
IF THEY can turn back the clock, three in 10 scholarship-holders said they would not have signed on the dotted line.
This is one of the results from a random poll of 70 conducted by The New Paper on Sunday.
More than one third also admitted that they have, at one point or another, seriously considered breaking their bond.
Yes, they agree their present job fits the description they were given. And yes, three-quarters said they were sure or very sure about their scholarship when they signed on, and are generally happy with their jobs.
So why do they have second thoughts?
For John (not his real name), a PSC scholar who broke his bond, the fault lies with an education system that 'is sculpted to create scholarships as the end-goal of the schooling process.'
Peter (not his real name), a local PSC scholarship-holder suggested that only postgraduate scholarships be offered. Either that, or there should be a longer selection process, he said.
Added Ms Ana Ismail-Ow, a 33-year-old editor who served out a bond with the Ministry of Education: 'The importance of career guidance, while present in schools, is severely understated.'
The scholars who took part in our poll were randomly selected and have since completed their studies. This means they would either be serving or have finished serving their bonds.
They come from various organisations and, given the sensitivity of the issue, were given the option of anonymity.
Although far from conclusive, the poll does offer a glimpse into the mind of the Singaporean scholarship-holder.
The death of Captain (Dr) Allan Ooi last month had stirred up public debate that still simmers on today.
Capt (Dr) Ooi, 27, a Republic of Singapore Air Force medical officer, was serving a 12-year medicine scholarship bond and a three-year bond for an aviation medicine course that ran concurrently. Last year, he went absent without official leave (AWOL) for five months and was later found dead in Melbourne.
The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in conducting an inquiry into his death. Meanwhile, the questions about the SAF's policies for scholarship-holders lingers, spilling over into Parliament last week.
Members of Parliament wanted to know: What can Singapore do about the unhappiness of its brightest young talent?
Human resource experts urged companies to take a hard look at themselves.
Singapore Management University's Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources Tan Hwee Hoon said that organisations should provide realistic job previews to scholars before they sign the agreement.
Scholars would then know what to expect when they start work. This would go a long way to ensuring a good fit between the scholar and the job.
To avoid the unhappy scholar trap, the organisation should also engage constantly in two-way dialogue to ensure everything is on track, said Mr David Ang, executive director of the Singapore Human Resources Institute.
He said: 'There must be some feedback or tracking mechanism. It could be regular dialogue with HR, the supervisor, mentor or buddy, to determine how the scholar is performing.'
It's when the communication breaks down that trouble starts, said Mr Ang.
This could happen if, for example, the scholar's request is unreasonable and he does not understand the constraints of the organisation.
Or when the scholar feels he's being given meaningless work and brings this up, but the company does nothing about it.
Mr Ang said that in such cases, the sponsoring organisation must look into what is expected of scholars upon their return and give them ample avenues to provide feedback.
Agreeing, a government scholar, 28, who studied economics in the United States, said: 'If many scholars from an organisation are leaving, there's most probably a systemic problem with its handling of talent that needs to be resolved, rather than try to apply moral pressure to retain them.'
Mr Freddy Kee, a retired civil servant, has 38 years of experience in the education field.
When asked whether there is too much pressure on students to aim for scholarships, he said: 'There is pressure in any organisation. Even a waiter working in a food court faces pressure. Society tends to take pressure as an excuse. The word is overused.'
Alex (not his real name), a secondary school principal who preferred to remain anonymous because of the sensitivities involved, agreed.
'You can take a loan if you don't like a bond. But even if you do, you may still complain that there is interest to pay, and that there's no guaranteed job at the end of it all,' he said.
He added that Singaporean youths should be more appreciative of the system.
But some scholars pointed out that at the end of the day, it may all boil down to luck.
'Whether you are happy or unhappy also depends on who your boss is too, doesn't it?' said Alex.
Additional reporting by: Darren Foong, Pearly Tan, Joanna Hor, Ervina Mohd Jamil, Audrey Tan, Han Yongming, Naveen Kanagalingam, Geraldine Yeo, newsroom interns.
3 in 10 scholars polled say they're unhappy
Unreasonable employers or ungrateful scholars? Lack of dialogue and unrealistic expectations cited as reasons
By Tay Shi'an and Ng Tze Yong
April 20, 2009
IF THEY can turn back the clock, three in 10 scholarship-holders said they would not have signed on the dotted line.
This is one of the results from a random poll of 70 conducted by The New Paper on Sunday.
More than one third also admitted that they have, at one point or another, seriously considered breaking their bond.
Yes, they agree their present job fits the description they were given. And yes, three-quarters said they were sure or very sure about their scholarship when they signed on, and are generally happy with their jobs.
So why do they have second thoughts?
For John (not his real name), a PSC scholar who broke his bond, the fault lies with an education system that 'is sculpted to create scholarships as the end-goal of the schooling process.'
Peter (not his real name), a local PSC scholarship-holder suggested that only postgraduate scholarships be offered. Either that, or there should be a longer selection process, he said.
Added Ms Ana Ismail-Ow, a 33-year-old editor who served out a bond with the Ministry of Education: 'The importance of career guidance, while present in schools, is severely understated.'
The scholars who took part in our poll were randomly selected and have since completed their studies. This means they would either be serving or have finished serving their bonds.
They come from various organisations and, given the sensitivity of the issue, were given the option of anonymity.
Although far from conclusive, the poll does offer a glimpse into the mind of the Singaporean scholarship-holder.
The death of Captain (Dr) Allan Ooi last month had stirred up public debate that still simmers on today.
Capt (Dr) Ooi, 27, a Republic of Singapore Air Force medical officer, was serving a 12-year medicine scholarship bond and a three-year bond for an aviation medicine course that ran concurrently. Last year, he went absent without official leave (AWOL) for five months and was later found dead in Melbourne.
The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in conducting an inquiry into his death. Meanwhile, the questions about the SAF's policies for scholarship-holders lingers, spilling over into Parliament last week.
Members of Parliament wanted to know: What can Singapore do about the unhappiness of its brightest young talent?
Human resource experts urged companies to take a hard look at themselves.
Singapore Management University's Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources Tan Hwee Hoon said that organisations should provide realistic job previews to scholars before they sign the agreement.
Scholars would then know what to expect when they start work. This would go a long way to ensuring a good fit between the scholar and the job.
To avoid the unhappy scholar trap, the organisation should also engage constantly in two-way dialogue to ensure everything is on track, said Mr David Ang, executive director of the Singapore Human Resources Institute.
He said: 'There must be some feedback or tracking mechanism. It could be regular dialogue with HR, the supervisor, mentor or buddy, to determine how the scholar is performing.'
It's when the communication breaks down that trouble starts, said Mr Ang.
This could happen if, for example, the scholar's request is unreasonable and he does not understand the constraints of the organisation.
Or when the scholar feels he's being given meaningless work and brings this up, but the company does nothing about it.
Mr Ang said that in such cases, the sponsoring organisation must look into what is expected of scholars upon their return and give them ample avenues to provide feedback.
Agreeing, a government scholar, 28, who studied economics in the United States, said: 'If many scholars from an organisation are leaving, there's most probably a systemic problem with its handling of talent that needs to be resolved, rather than try to apply moral pressure to retain them.'
Mr Freddy Kee, a retired civil servant, has 38 years of experience in the education field.
When asked whether there is too much pressure on students to aim for scholarships, he said: 'There is pressure in any organisation. Even a waiter working in a food court faces pressure. Society tends to take pressure as an excuse. The word is overused.'
Alex (not his real name), a secondary school principal who preferred to remain anonymous because of the sensitivities involved, agreed.
'You can take a loan if you don't like a bond. But even if you do, you may still complain that there is interest to pay, and that there's no guaranteed job at the end of it all,' he said.
He added that Singaporean youths should be more appreciative of the system.
But some scholars pointed out that at the end of the day, it may all boil down to luck.
'Whether you are happy or unhappy also depends on who your boss is too, doesn't it?' said Alex.
Additional reporting by: Darren Foong, Pearly Tan, Joanna Hor, Ervina Mohd Jamil, Audrey Tan, Han Yongming, Naveen Kanagalingam, Geraldine Yeo, newsroom interns.
