|
══════════════════【立報】═══════════════════ |
| 教 育 專 題 深 入 報 導《2005-01-28》 |
| 本期內容 | |
| ◎ 國際專題：新加坡國立大學海外設分校 | |
| ◎ 台灣立報徵文啟事 | |
| 國際專題：新加坡國立大學海外設分校 | |
| 策劃、編譯■李淑菁 | |
|
兩三年前，賣座電影《小孩不笨》以熱衷於孩子升學的「教育媽媽」暗喻無所不管的新加坡大政府；今日的新加坡面貌慢慢改變，不管政府或民間團體，一股創新挺進的新氣氛，也慢慢影響到新加坡教育政策。 在新加坡本土，私立新加坡管理大學（SMU）的成功，引起兩所知名國立大學的戒慎恐慌，思考改革之道；新加坡將給予大學更多的自主權限，讓他們可以招徠更多海外學生，維持大學經營、運作，並提高國際知名度。新加坡國立大學為救亡圖存，積極在海外佈線，日前宣佈第4個海外分校將在瑞典斯德哥爾摩落腳。 繼美國矽谷、費城、大陸上海之後，新加坡國立大學下一個落腳處就在斯德哥爾摩。設立海外分校是新加坡政府為了培養學生企業家精神以及擁有佈署全球廣闊胸襟計劃的一部份。 新加坡國立大學正在瑞典首都斯德哥爾摩成立第4所海外分校。未來每年大約有30名學生將從新加坡前往頂尖的瑞典大學就讀。他們也將在奇斯達﹙Kista﹚科學園區內的高科技公司工作。該園區就座落在斯德哥爾摩城外。 新加坡國立大學之前成立的3所海外分校每年共招收150名學生。新加坡國立大學海外發展部主任，也是該校副教授Teo Chee Leong說明選擇斯德哥爾摩作為第4所海外分校的原因在於，訓練新加坡年輕學子學習操作歐洲市場的迫切性。他說：「美國與中國大陸市場的發展或許令人興奮，但歐洲是一個我們無法去忽略的重要市場！」 選擇瑞典的原因在於瑞典是一個很成功的國家。瑞典雖然不到9百萬人口，卻是許多跨國企業的母國，包括Volvo、Saab、Electrolux、Ericsson及IKEA等，國家生產毛額在許多國家之上。此外，瑞典也是工業重鎮，因此在大學中可以提供非常多的教學資源。 到瑞典的新加坡學生將在頂尖大學中修習工程、科學或企業相關課程，包括以科學技術見長的皇家科學院、知名的醫學大學卡羅霖斯卡以及藝術工藝暨設計大學學院等。當然這也是個互惠的方案。每年約有30名瑞典學生到新加坡國立大學修習企業課程，也與當地公司有合作方案。 來自皇家科學院的雷拿博士表示，新加坡一直是瑞典交換學生的熱門國家。剛起步的瑞典企業家也感覺新加坡是學習如何在亞洲與中國做生意的一個好地方。 新加坡國立大學已經篩選出前往瑞典研習的學生。其中一位叫強森，是年僅20歲電腦科學系學生，他有雄心壯志想成立一家軟體公司，因此希望能在瑞典學到科技與商業的專門技術。另一位23歲生化工程的學生想學習醫學器材相關的設計知識。 新加坡國立大學也計劃未來在印度成立第5所海外分校。海外發展部主任表示，這分校也將鎖定在不同專業主題，提供不同的計劃與經驗。 新加坡國立大學第一所海外分校在美國矽谷，鎖定在科技及通訊產業企業家人才的培植；美國費城分校重點在生技產業；上海分校鎖定製造服務業商業發展機會的提供；未來印度的重心則在於資訊軟體業。 （資料來源╱新加坡海峽時報） NEXT destination for National University of Singapore students - Stockholm. They are part of the university's plan to nurture entrepreneurial spirit and develop global mindsets in its students. The university is in the process of setting up its fourth overseas college in the Swedish capital, and some 30 students will head there to study in leading Swedish universities every year.They will also get to work in high-technology firms in the Kista Science Park, which is located just outside the city. NUS' first three overseas colleges - in Silicon Valley, Philadelphia and Shanghai - together receive 150 students a year. Associate Professor Teo Chee Leong, who heads NUS' overseas colleges, said the university decided on Europe, and Stockholm in particular, because there was a need to train young Singaporeans who can engage the European market. 'The US and China may be where the excitement is, but Europe is a significant market and we cannot afford to ignore it,' he said. Prof Teo said Sweden was chosen because it is such a successful country. With a population of just under nine million, it is home to more multinational companies - such as Volvo, Saab, Electrolux, Ericsson and Ikea - per capita than almost any other nation. As well as these industrial heavyweights, Sweden has also much to offer in its universities, Prof Teo said. NUS students going there will take up engineering, science or entrepreneurship courses in leading Swedish institutions such as the Royal Institute of Technology, a leading science and technology university; the Karolinska Institute, a renowned medical university; as well as the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design. The arrangement is reciprocal. Every year, about 30 Swedish students will come to study entrepreneurship courses at NUS and do work attachments in companies here. Dr Lena Ramfelt of the Royal Institute of Technology said Singapore has always been a popular destination for Swedish exchange students. She said the budding entrepreneurs among them also feel that Singapore will be a good place to learn about doing business in Asia and China. NUS is already selecting students to go to Sweden.One of them, computer science student Jason Quek, 20, who has ambitions to set up a software company, hopes to learn technical and business know-how from the Swedes.Bioengineering student Tong Jing Yao, 23, wants to learn more about designing and building medical devices. NUS has also plans to set up its fifth overseas college in India. Prof Teo said the five colleges each have a different focus and offer different programmes and experiences. NUS' first overseas college in Silicon Valley aimed to nurture entrepreneurs in the IT and telecommunications industry while its college in Philadelphia, home to most of world's major drug companies, targets students interested in the biotechnology industry. Its Shanghai college concentrates on business opportunities in manufacturing and services, while students going to India in the future will focus on IT. 私校成功引起公立大學恐慌戒慎 日前，新加坡政府一個高層級的委員會提出建言，新加坡兩所國立大學應重新調整為私立大學系統，就像新加坡管理大學一樣。使新加坡管理大學慢慢走出特色的原因，就在它選擇學生的方式以及該校的課程設計，讓學生能夠跨足其他領域的訓練課程，對創造性思考、藝術、政治與生物等學門，有相當程度的了解。 這個13人組成的審查小組研究目前大學的狀況，認為這幾年才崛起的新加坡管理大學可為新加坡兩所知名國立大學──新加坡國立大學、南洋理工學院──作為借鏡及仿傚的對象。該小組指出，新加坡管理大學為私立大學，握有自主的絕對優勢，再加上該校成立不到4年的歷史、美國式的管理，已塑造出大學教育機構一種不同的典範。該學院院長也同意，大學自主性的確是新加坡管理大學能與兩所傳統國立大學一別苗頭，並樹立其風格的首要因素。 使新加坡管理大學慢慢走出特色的原因，就在於它選擇學生的方式。兩所傳統大學篩選學生的依據僅僅在於學生的考試成績，新加坡管理大學則改採用較為廣泛的標準，例如英國大學預科測驗（A-level）、科技學校文憑、證照、美國學業能力測驗，集體面試、反思性小論文，或申請者其他能力證明等。該校招生委員會堅持，該校多元的入學管道就是為了讓新加坡管理大學有自己的特色。 談及教學，新加坡管理大學也採取不同途徑。該校不鍾情於傳統的方式，強調學生應該參與自己的學習活動，例如小型討論會或從事專案工作。5年來，該校特殊的入學方式與教學活動似乎讓它更不同於傳統大學。第一批300名新加坡管理大學畢業生已投入就業市場，並有很好的前景。有1／3的學生進入大型跨國企業公司，例如花旗集團、摩根公司及荷蘭銀行等。 一般民眾對新加坡管理大學的看法是，該校學生有特殊的氣質：明確、自信、成熟。該校訪問學者、同時偶爾也幫時代商業雜誌、海峽時報寫稿的作家，對於該校參與校外事務的純熟度讚不絕口。他將之歸因於該校的課程設計，讓學生能夠跨足其他領域的訓練課程，對創造性思考、藝術、政治與生物等學門，有相當程度的了解。 但新加坡管理大學下一步該怎麼走呢？ 一個有趣的觀察重點是：它接下來如何訂定學費標準？上個月，新加坡國立大學及南洋理工學院紛紛宣佈學費將調漲5％，然而一向同步調漲的新加坡管理大學，這一次可不是調漲5％而已。各種跡象顯示，該校的調漲幅度將更高。由於該校不受10％調漲上限規定限制，因此倘若各校學費持續上漲，新加坡管理大學學費將不受限制地自由調漲。 現在，這個年輕大學正以訂定自己的價碼，來測試自己與兩個傳統大學的差異程度。就如該校校長所言，「這是個考驗，如果學生與家長覺得新加坡管理大學比兩個傳統大學更好，他們就會願意付更多的錢進去這個學校。」「我們自信的認為，我們提供有品質的教育，所以家長與學生將心甘情願地付這個價差。」 （資料來源╱新加坡海峽時報） ON THURSDAY, a high-level government committee recommended that Singapore's two public universities should be remade into privately-run universities, much like the Singapore Management University (SMU). The 13-member review team, which studied how the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) could be propelled to greater heights, held up the fledgling SMU as the model to follow. It noted that SMU has used its autonomy as a privately-run university to its advantage, and in its relatively short four-year history, the American-styled institution has created a different model for university education. SMU's provost Tan Chin Tiong agreed that the single factor most in SMU's favour was the autonomy it was given to break away from the practices set by NUS and NTU. From the start, the university was set up as a not-for-profit corporation, and was allowed to set its own admission criteria, fees, and its own salary scale to woo top academic talent from around the world. With no track record to show, the university chose to charge the same fees as the public universities when it started taking students in 2000. But where it veered away from the well-trodden path set by NUS and NTU was the way it selected students. Unlike the two institutions, which then admitted students based solely on their examination results, SMU decided to use a broad range of criteria, including A-level or polytechnic diploma results, Scholastic Assessment Test scores, a panel interview, a reflective essay, and a gauge of the applicant's other qualities and achievements outside class. When it came to teaching, the university again chose to take a different path. Instead of the traditional lectures and tutorials, students were obliged to participate in their own learning, in small seminar groups or project work. Five years on, the different admission criteria and teaching styles seem to have made all the difference to SMU. The pioneer batch of 300 SMU students who have gone out into the job market are enjoying good prospects. One-third of them found jobs with big-name multinational corporations such as Citigroup, JP Morgan and ABN Amro. The public in general has noted that SMU students are a distinct breed, earning a reputation for being articulate, confident and mature. One of their guest lecturers, an occasional columnist for The Business Times and The Straits Times, praised their ability to engage in a range of topics outside of business. He attributed this to SMU's broad curriculum which requires students to go outside of their core disciplines and delve into fields such as creative thinking, art, politics and biology. But what will be more exciting to watch, will be the university's move to set its own fees. Last month, when NUS and NTU announced a 5 per cent tuition fee hike, SMU, which had always charged similar fees, did not follow suit. It will not reveal what its new fees will be, but they are likely to be higher than the two more established universities. As far as future fee increases go, again, SMU is free to go beyond the 10 per cent yearly cap that will be imposed on the two larger universities. Now, the young university is ready to test if the SMU difference is for real by naming its own price. As SMU's provost, Professor Tan, said: 'This will be the test. If students and their parents feel that an SMU education is that much better, then they would be willing to pay a premium for it. 'We are confident that we provide quality education, and parents and students will pay the price difference.' 利用市場化 但不視教育為商品 面對全球化趨勢和知識型經濟體系的發展，各國紛紛進行教育制度的檢討與改革，有77％華人的新加坡亦是如此。但不同的是新加坡政府巧妙地運用市場化的力量進行大學改革，但絕不視教育為商品的態度。 60與80年代的新加坡，政府曾委任內閣成員擔任大學校長職位，近幾年來政府的角色一直在轉變之中。自1996年，新加坡總理吳作棟要求新加坡國立大學與南洋理工學院成為亞太地區首屈一指的高等學府，目的要達到成為世界級一流大學的目標。 過去5年來，新加坡政府進行的大學改革措施包括：檢討大學課程設計及內容、改革大學招生制度、給予大學更大的財政和行政自主權、推動大學制定策略發展計劃、協助兩所國立大學與海外優秀大學成立教研合作聯盟等。 在管理上，新加坡教育部仍繼續扮演大學教育政策制定者的角色，但賦予給大學更大的自主權與更全面系統化的管理機制，例如除了規定各大學要定期進行校內管理評估之外，教育部每3年還要召開校外評審檢討，以確保各大學自行進行的內部評估。 儘管上述看似市場化鬆綁的大學教育政策，事實上新加坡政府只是改變其經營方式，讓政府與大學的關係慢慢轉成一種合約關係，但政府的角色仍要界定大學的服務性質與功能。 教育市場化，引進民間的效率與管理機制，並不意味著教育可以商品化，這點台灣教育當局經常混為一談，以致於制定出有損教育本質的政策。值此，新加坡政府配合市場力量，來實踐大學教育作為一個公營部門發展機制的作法，或許可為台灣當局參考。 |
|
| （回目錄） | |
| 台灣立報徵文啟事 | |
|
本報誠徵閱讀經驗分享，歡迎教師、家長及學生分享經驗，題材包括如何推動學生閱讀、啟發學生閱讀興趣、學生閱讀心得或小書評，文長500～1500字皆可，投至fiveguys@ms19.hinet.net，凡經採用，敬奉薄酬。 |
|
| （回目錄） | |
|
參觀立報： |
http://www.lihpao.com |
|
寫信給小編 e-mail： |
fiveguys@ms19.hinet.net |
|
立報地址： |
台北縣新店市復興路43號一樓 |