Does GPA matter when applying for a job?

NTU should not be faulted for exclusive job fair

Mr Ethan Chong's letter has brought some pragmatism into the emotive elitism debate (GPA represents undergrads' hard work over long period of time; Oct 13).

Why must Nanyang Technological University (NTU) succumb to populist pressure and apologise for holding a job fair exclusively for students with top grades?

Was it the one and only job fair organised by NTU and were there no other fairs that were open to all? Why can't NTU organise both general and targeted job fairs?

Who is to tell employers whom they should and should not target and what weight they should give to grades?

Employers live with the consequences of their decisions and know their needs best.

If they tell NTU that there are certain vacancies for which they would like to consider only students with top grades, should NTU be barred from providing such a service to employers?

If all job openings must be open to all students, then shouldn't headhunters be banned and all openings mandated to be openly advertised?



Employers all over the world regularly target certain students for certain jobs.

Some have even established relationships with professors so that they can be tipped off on graduating bright students, whom they then approach well before these students graduate.

Should professors be banned from recommending students based on criteria spelt out by employers?

We had better grow up, or we will be left behind in the global quest for talent.

Yes, NTU could be faulted for organising a job fair for top students in a manner not sufficiently sensitive to the feelings of the general student body.

But it does not follow that universities should either organise fairs open to all, or not at all.

In recent years, the legitimate call for inclusiveness has many a time slipped dangerously into anti-talent political correctness.

This spells disastrous consequences for a country like Singapore, which has nothing to rely on except people and talent.

Cheng Shoong Tat
ST Forum, 17 Oct 2018

Mahathir's crooked bridge to Singapore may be revived, says Johor Mentri Besar

Crooked bridge project to replace the Causeway may be revived, says Johor Chief Minister
The Straits Times, 17 Oct 2018

KUALA LUMPUR • The Johor government will hold a meeting with Singapore officials soon, during which the possibility of reviving the "crooked bridge" project linking the Malaysian state and Singapore will be raised, said Johor Menteri Besar Osman Sapian.

He said the meeting, to be held either on Oct 27 or 28 in Singapore, will also be attended by Economic Affairs Minister Azmin Ali.

"We will discuss issues including water price, bilateral development and investments. We will try to attract investors from Singapore to Malaysia," Datuk Osman told reporters yesterday.

"We might also discuss the crooked bridge project with them to see if they want to join us or otherwise, and also the third (Singapore-Johor) bridge project. We will get feedback from them." He did not say what the meeting in Singapore would be about.

The Johor chief minister said he had proposed the idea of reviving the crooked bridge project linking Johor to Singapore with Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad during a meeting last month.

The bridge plan, to replace the Malaysian side of the Causeway in Woodlands, was mooted by Tun Dr Mahathir in 2003. It was dubbed the crooked bridge as the infrastructure would involve an S-shaped, six-lane highway that would allow vessels to pass underneath.

The project was dropped by Tun Abdullah Badawi after he took over as prime minister in late 2003.



Mr Osman said Dr Mahathir had asked him in a recent meeting if Johor needed the bridge, and he had said that it was up to the Prime Minister to decide.

"Perhaps past prime ministers didn't feel comfortable continuing a project started by Dr Mahathir," Mr Osman said. "So he said if we want to do it, no problem, because it would not involve demolishing the Singapore parts of the bridge, only on our side," he added.

Mr Osman also mentioned the possibility of a "third bridge" linking Singapore and Johor. In August, Malaysia media reported that the Johor government was researching the possibility of a bridge from southern Johor's Pengerang district to Singapore's Pulau Ubin.

Singapore Blue Plan 2018: Conservationists set out new plan to preserve marine landscape

Government will work with the marine community to realise common goals in ground-up initiative
By Linette Lai, Health Correspondent, The Sunday Times, 14 Oct 2018

Conservationists have drawn up an extensive new plan to preserve more of Singapore's marine landscape - from mangroves and seagrass meadows to coastal forests and coral reefs.

Responding to the ground-up initiative, the Government has said it will see how it can work with the marine community to realise common goals.

The third iteration of the Blue Plan makes six recommendations, including improved laws to protect marine environments, formalised management systems for these areas and sustained funding for long-term research and monitoring programmes.

It also advocates better coordination between agencies and researchers, further measures to protect Singapore's remaining marine habitats and the inclusion of information about such habitats in the school curriculum.

More than 100 people contributed to the latest edition of the Blue Plan, including biologists, geographers, environmental lawyers and representatives from non-governmental organisations.

The 220-page plan was presented to Second Minister for National Development Desmond Lee yesterday at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Mr Lee is also Minister for Social and Family Development.

"The amazing marine biodiversity that thrives along our shores and in our waters is something we should treasure and be proud of," Mr Lee said, noting that progress has been made since the second Blue Plan was launched in 2009.

"We will approach the proposals in this Blue Plan with the same spirit of collaboration and openness," he added. "The agencies will study the recommendations in detail and see how we can work with the marine community to realise some of the common goals."

Mr Lee said that apart from funding marine research, the Government will expand outreach and education efforts to help Singaporeans better appreciate the country's biodiversity. "You cannot protect what you don't love, and you can't love what you don't know," he said.

Social Enterprise Hawker Centres: Teething problems with new not-for-profit model

Challenges like high costs faced by hawkers prompt debate on not-for-profit system
By Benson Ang, The Sunday Times, 14 Oct 2018

They were meant to help hawkers negotiate lower rates for services like cleaning, lower ingredient costs by bulk-buying, and even introduce innovation such as wireless Internet services - along with offering healthy, affordable food.

Operating surplus is supposed to be shared to improve the centres, and to help keep traditions alive by making sure hawker entrepreneurs get a leg up. But six years since not-for-profit hawker centres were proposed, the operating model is caught in the crosshairs.

Hawkers are complaining of high rents, being saddled with additional fees for services such as tray returns, having to work long hours despite low footfall, and being locked into contracts.

Makansutra founder and well-known food critic K. F. Seetoh is leading the charge against not-for-profit hawker centres, urging the National Environment Agency (NEA) to end the experiment, in an open letter to Dr Amy Khor, who is Senior Minister of State for Health and Environment and Water Resources.

What went wrong?

BIRTH OF A NEW MODEL

The idea of operating new hawker centres on a not-for-profit basis by social enterprises or cooperatives was recommended by the 18-member Hawker Centres Public Consultation Panel, which was formed in 2011 and chaired by entrepreneur Elim Chew.

It was driven by three key considerations, top of which was to let the community "derive maximum benefit from the centre". The other aims were to provide employment to lower-income groups and provide a platform for hawker aspirants.

It was suggested that social enterprise "management" teams look at ways, from loyalty programmes to community events, to increase crowds, and to draw income from ads and to use the funds to benefit the centres and stallholders.

Wi-Fi access was talked about, as was recycling, cutting down energy use and promoting a tray-return system. Instilling social graciousness through posters was also part of the menu. Even then, there was some scepticism. Some hawkers said they would bid for stalls elsewhere if the new rents were too high. Others were worried about having to seek the manager's approval if they wanted to raise food prices.

In 2015, NEA began appointing socially conscious operators to manage new hawker centres.

Currently, seven out of 114 hawker centres are new centres managed by private social enterprises and cooperatives, such as Fei Siong Social Enterprise, NTUC Foodfare, Timbre+Hawkers, Hawker Management by Koufu and OTMH by Kopitiam.

The new centres are Ci Yuan Hawker Centre, Hawker Centre @ Our Tampines Hub, Yishun Park Hawker Centre, Jurong West Hawker Centre, Bukit Panjang Hawker Centre and Market, Kampung Admiralty Hawker Centre and Pasir Ris Central Hawker Centre.

In August, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that the country's hawker culture will be nominated for inscription into UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity - raising a debate on whether enough was being done to preserve the culture.

Public Transport Workers Appreciation: Thanking the People Who Take Us Everywhere

New initiatives aim to encourage commuters to show appreciation for these unsung heroes
Saying thank you to public transport workers
By Zhaki Abdullah, The Straits Times, 13 Oct 2018

From bus drivers to train station managers, public transport workers here help ensure commuters safely get to school and work - and back home again - every day of the week, all year round.

Now, a series of initiatives is being introduced to recognise the efforts of the unsung heroes who make these daily journeys possible.

Among the initiatives is a campaign by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) that will use outdoor posters, walkway banners and bus advertisements to encourage people to thank public transport workers.

Commuters can also show their appreciation online by using the hashtag #ThankYouPTWorkers on social media posts.

The campaign will be launched by Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Baey Yam Keng on Oct 21 with an event at Tampines MRT station and bus interchange.



LTA will partner various community organisations and businesses in these efforts, while the four public transport operators - Go-Ahead, SBS Transit, SMRT and Tower Transit - will organise their own initiatives for employees.

This year, the Singapore Kindness Movement has also been conducting activities at schools and student care centres as part of its Friend of Singa and Seed Kindness Fund Junior programmes.

The annual Transport Gold Awards event, which recognises transport workers who have shown "exemplary acts of service", will also be held at the Istana for the first time this year on Nov 1, with President Halimah Yacob in attendance. Awards will be given to 445 transport workers at the ceremony.

In a Facebook post, National Transport Workers' Union (NTWU) executive secretary Melvin Yong noted that NTWU was the first to suggest an appreciation campaign for public transport workers. It launched the inaugural Public Transport Workers' Appreciation Day in November last year. That effort was "very well received" by transport workers, he said.

"Thus, we are really happy that LTA, working with various partners, is launching a series of initiatives at the national level this year to show appreciation to our workers," added Mr Yong, an MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC.

LTA chief executive Ngien Hoon Ping said: "Our public transport workers are the heart of a people-centric public transport system.

"They work behind the scenes, round the clock, to ensure our public transport system is safe, reliable and comfortable for commuters."

Singapore and Indonesia reaffirm strong ties, commit to deepen trade and investment links

Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat 2018: Deals inked to protect investors, defend currencies and cooperate in areas like fintech
By Yasmine Yahya, Senior Political Correspondent In Nusa Dua (Bali), The Straits Times, 12 Oct 2018

Singapore and Indonesia announced several initiatives yesterday to deepen their relationship, including agreements to protect each other's investors and to shore up financial and monetary stability in the region.

At their annual retreat yesterday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and President Joko Widodo noted the mutual trust between the two countries, and said they could do more to benefit their peoples.

Amid volatile financial markets, Mr Joko announced a US$10 billion (S$13.8 billion) local currency swap and US dollar repurchase agreement between the two countries.

This will give both countries access to each other's currency and to US dollars. They can use this to settle trades or defend their currency in times of financial stress.

This reduces the uncertainty and risk that can stem from exchange rate fluctuations, in times of financial market turbulence.

"In the midst of this global economic uncertainty, economic cooperation was our focus," Mr Joko said, welcoming the deal between Bank Indonesia and the Monetary Authority of Singapore.



The leaders also witnessed the signing of a treaty which establishes rules on how each country should treat investments and investors from the other.

Singapore companies in Indonesia will enjoy protection and have access to international arbitration in the event of investment disputes, and vice versa.

Singapore is Indonesia's largest investor, with US$8.4 billion in realised investments last year. Both are among each other's top trading partners and sources of visitors, with two-way trade totalling $59.4 billion last year.

Several other agreements were signed between Singapore and Indonesia yesterday, including on financial technology cooperation and cultural cooperation.

PM Lee also announced a project to develop a new RISING fellowship programme. The term, conceived when both sides marked the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties last year, is an amalgamation of "RI" for the Republic of Indonesia and "SING" for Singapore.

PM Lee said: "We hope every year to welcome more than a dozen leaders and officials, promising young people from Indonesia - not just Jakarta, but also the provinces and other cities - to come and visit us, to make friends, appreciate how we can work further together, what are the things which we can learn from each other."



Both leaders noted tourism cooperation has grown, with three new cruise itineraries expected to bring over 50,000 visitors to Bintan, Surabaya and North Bali by the end of this year. An agreement between Indonesian terminal operator Pelindo III and Genting's Star Cruises will encourage more cruises and facilitate the upgrading of Bali's Celukan Bawang port, and explore the upgrading of other ports like Tanjung Perak port in Surabaya, PM Lee said.

He noted that both countries' defence establishments are also working together on an intelligence-sharing facility.

"Our cooperation will continue during the next few months, and I am sure after the elections they will pick up strength again and will strengthen and grow further every year," PM Lee said, as he wished Mr Joko a smooth election next year.

Singapore tops World Bank Human Capital Index 2018

Singapore No. 1 out of 157 countries in new index on investing in education, health
World Bank rating looks at how economies maximise people's potential
By Linda Yulisman, Indonesia Correspondent In Nusa Dua (Bali), The Straits Times, 12 Oct 2018

A new index, which measures how effectively societies devote resources to develop their people, shows Singapore topping the list.

The Human Capital Index (HCI), launched by the World Bank at its annual meetings in Bali yesterday, also saw three East Asian economies faring well, with South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong ranked second, third and fourth out of 157 economies, respectively.

The results, the global lender said, show that Singapore's efforts to invest in the education and health of its people will lead to children born in the Republic today being able to fulfil 88 per cent of their potential to be productive when they turn 18, should they get a full education and enjoy good health.

"All of Singapore's secondary school students are prepared for a post-secondary education and the world of work," it said in a report.

The HCI is part of the Washington-based lender's Human Capital Project to get countries to improve their investment in people, and was launched at the start of the International Monetary Fund-World Bank annual meetings.

"Investing in health and education has not gotten the attention it deserves. This index creates a direct line between improving outcomes in health and education, productivity and economic growth," said World Bank Group president Jim Yong Kim. "I hope it drives countries to take urgent action and invest more - and more effectively - in their people."



The HCI measures how countries are developing their human capital based on five indicators - the probability of survival to age five, a child's expected years of schooling, test scores, the adult survival rate and the proportion of children under five who suffer from stunted growth.

The index found that about 56 per cent of all children born around the world today will lose more than half of their potential lifetime earnings if governments do not take appropriate steps to prepare for healthy and educated populations.

Human capital refers to the knowledge, skills and health, among other things, that people accumulate over their lives.

The World Bank said investments in it have been a key factor behind the sustained economic growth and poverty reduction rates of many countries in the 20th century, especially in East Asia.

"Policies to build human capital are some of the smartest investments that countries can make to boost long-term, inclusive economic growth," Dr Kim said, pointing out that a quarter of children are likely to fail to meet their full potential because of malnutrition and diseases that cause stunting.

"If a country's children grow up unable to meet the needs of the future workplace, that country will find itself incapable of employing its people, unable to increase its output and utterly unprepared to compete economically," he added.



He cited the success of Vietnam, among the best performers in South-east Asia, as a country that managed to improve educational outcomes through increased spending - following the paths taken by other Asian peers such as China.

Vietnam ranked 48th on the index, with members of its population set to achieve 67 per cent of their future economic potential. Indonesia, however, ranked only 87th, and will see its population realise 53 per cent of their potential.

Dr Kim said Indonesia was one of the "early adopters" of the World Bank's advice to move up the index, pointing out that 20 per cent of spending in the national budget was set aside for education. However, it still needed to work on some issues, such as reducing stunting, he said.

The evidence shows progress is possible, the bank said, citing education reforms in Poland and a reduction in stunting in Malawi.

Singapore refutes Oxfam report on performance in tackling inequality

By Yasmine Yahya, Senior Political Correspondent, The Straits Times, 10 Oct 2018

Singapore may not spend as much as other countries on healthcare and education, but the outcomes it achieves in these areas are significant, and better than most.

Social and Family Development Minister Desmond Lee made this point yesterday when he refuted a report which criticised Singapore for being "one of the worst-performing countries in the world at tackling inequality".

The Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index 2018, compiled by non-profit organisations Oxfam and Development Finance International, ranked Singapore 149th out of 157 countries - below Ethiopia and Afghanistan, and above Bhutan and Haiti.

The index measured each country's commitment to reducing inequality by looking at its social spending, tax policies and labour rights.

The report said Singapore's tax system was the worst in the world at tackling inequality because it "undertaxes wealthy individuals and corporations". The personal income tax rate for top earners here is 22 per cent, while corporate tax is 17 per cent, both of which are too low, the report argued.

Mr Lee responded: "Yes, the income tax burden on Singaporeans is low. And almost half the population do not pay any income tax.

"Yet, they benefit more than proportionately from the high quality of infrastructure and social support that the state provides."

He argued that while the report assumes high taxation and high public expenditure reflect commitment to combating inequality, it is more important to look at the outcomes achieved.

"We set out to achieve real outcomes for our people - good health, education, jobs and housing - rather than satisfy a collection of ideologically driven indicators."

For example, 90 per cent of Singaporeans own their homes, and even among the poorest 10 per cent of households, 84 per cent own their homes, he said. "No other country comes close," he added.

The Oxfam report criticised Singapore for spending "well below countries such as South Korea and Thailand" on healthcare, education and social protection.

Responding, Mr Lee noted that despite the low amount, the Economist Intelligence Unit ranks Singapore second in the world for healthcare outcomes, and the World Health Organisation ranks the Republic's healthcare system sixth in the world.

Similarly, in education, Mr Lee noted that Singapore's students consistently outperform others in international rankings.

While Singapore does not have a minimum wage - another point of criticism - Mr Lee said it does have income support for low-income workers, generous schemes for worker training and a progressive wage model for certain low-wage jobs.

Both lower-income and median households here have experienced faster income growth over the last decade than those in most countries, he added.

"That we achieved all of this with lower taxes and lower spending than most countries is to Singapore's credit rather than discredit."

The report also criticised what it called Singapore's "harmful tax practices", such as tax incentives for companies that develop intellectual property, or firms that make investments in the maritime or finance sectors. It said such incentives help corporations evade taxes.

CIMB Private Bank economist Song Seng Wun, however, pointed out that these incentives help draw substantial economic activity and investments into Singapore.

"These tax policies are meant to promote economic development and promote Singapore as a hub in areas such as finance and logistics, which in turn creates jobs," he said.