https://www.todayonline.com/big-rea...ze-tdy_Today-Big-Read_newsletter_05082023_tdy
The Big Read: ITE sheds 'it's the end' tag after makeover but students, graduates still face prejudice
- The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) has come a long way since its founding in 1992, with many of its graduates going on to do well in further studies and their careers
- The Government has also pumped in vast resources into developing ITE, which is now seen as a model vocational education provider by other countries
- Despite this, there are still stereotypes here of ITE, including how its students are below-average academically, have low self-esteem and lack discipline
- Current and former ITE students who spoke to TODAY sought to debunk such perceptions, though some say these have nonetheless affected their self-esteem
- Experts said that students can be taught coping mechanisms, and more efforts should be made to address the salary gap between ITE graduates and those of tertiary institutions
“When I went to ITE in 2002, I often heard… that ITE is for students who have no hope and cannot study.”
Ms Chan Wai Lim, 43, another ITE alumnus, also recalled people expressing disbelief when they realised that she does not have a degree and was from ITE.
The founder of design consultancy studio Trigger Design added: “The common practice is that people in the design industry have degrees. It’s rare that people in my profession don’t have degrees, what more if you have only ITE and diploma certificates.”
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Such negative perceptions about ITE — viewed as the last option for academically weakest students, typically those from Normal (Technical) stream in secondary school — continue to exist, despite the many success stories of its graduates and the vast amount of resources that have been pumped into developing the 31-year-old institute.
Last month, the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced that ITE students who achieved a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.5 in their Higher National ITE Certificate (Nitec) exams would be guaranteed positions in polytechnics, offering more opportunities for ITE graduates to further their education.
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