Republic Polytechnic, Singapore

The newest polytechnic of the island republic, RP’s enrolment has grown rapidly to 13,000 students. Its unique indigeneously developed problem-based learning pedagogy has attracted students from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and China

A prime factor behind the miraculous transformation of the island republic of Singapore from third to first world status is the city state’s focus on development of technical and vocational education. Currently Singapore hosts five modern and well-equipped polytechnics which provide a steady flow of highly productive professionals to the country’s thriving industrial and business sectors.

Established in 2002, Republic Polytechnic (RP) is the newest of five government polytechnics offering vocational and technical diploma and degree programmes in Singapore. RP’s enrolment has grown rapidly from 800 students in 2003 to 13,000 currently, including foreign students from India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia and China. The unique selling point of RP is its indigenously developed problem-based learning (PBL) pedagogy which enables students to learn through the case-study method, working in groups under the supervision of teacher-facilitators.

“PBL is a student-centred pedagogy designed by RP faculty, based on the premise that addressing real-life problems produces excellent learning outcomes. PBL imposes the respons-ibility of learning upon students, with teachers playing the role of facilitators and mentors guiding learning processes. PBL is used by all of RP’s six academic schools and everyday learning happens through critical reflection, self-directed discovery and questioning, with one new problem solved everyday,” says Glen O’Brady,  director, Centre for Educational Development, Republic Polytechnic.

Inevitably, adoption of case-study pedagogies has prompted RP to develop strong links with industry. Comments Seto Lok Yin, deputy principal (industry services), RP: “The curriculum of all diploma programmes is designed and shaped in consultation with industry to meet real workplace requirements. Moreover industry is strongly involved in building the capability of our teachers and students through industry training and work internships. Local industry has also generously co-funded the building of contemporary labs and other facilities on campus.”

Singapore. A globally renowned national development success story, Singapore (pop. 4.9 million) has miraculously outgrown its third world status to emerge as the business and financial nerve centre of South-east Asia. With most of the world’s leading companies and corporates well represented here, this island republic boasts state-of-the-art public transport and telecommunications infrastructure.

The climate is tropical — warm and wet most of the year with December being the coolest month and May the warmest. Normal temperatures range between 22o-33oC. English is the language of administration, business, and technology. Other official languages are Malay, Chinese (Mandarin) and Tamil.

Campus facilities. RP is located on a 20-hectare campus in Woodlands Avenue, the educational, cultural and technological hub of north Singapore. Designed by award-winning Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki and DP Architects, RP’s futuristic campus comprises a central nucleus with 11 identical ‘learning pods’ (eight-nine storeys high) and a shared administrative hub. They are unified by two elliptical decks of common facilities, namely the lawn and Agora, the site of informal and extra-curricular activities.

The awesome RP campus is also home to the Republic Cultural Centre which comprises an auditorium with a seating capacity of 1,200, a fan-shaped theatre with a capacity of 400 seats, a black box theatre with a capacity of 120 seats and a full range of ancillary support facilities such as dance studios, rehearsal areas, prop store, control rooms, and clubrooms etc to accommodate a wide range of cultural performances. RP is the first institution of higher learning in Singapore to have a fully-fledged Adventure Learning Centre which consists of an abseil tower, 18 m. rock wall, 15 team/individual high ropes elements and a maze.

Sports facilities include sports hall, badminton courts, netball court, fitness/aerobics centre, swimming pool and judo/karate room. There are three food courts, one fastfood outlet and five cafes scattered across the campus.

Admission. For admission into RP’s diploma programmes, students must successfully complete class X and/or class XII (students graduating from the pan-India CISCE and CBSE boards are preferred for admission). In addition all Indian students (excluding those with IGCSE and IB qualifications) must submit proof of proficiency in English language (IELTS or TOEFL scores are acceptable). All admission applications must be submitted online at www.rp.sg.

For more information contact Republic Polytechnic, 9 Woodlands Avenue 9, Singapore 738964.  Tel: 6510 3000; Fax: 6415 1310; e-mail: Help-DAEforeign@rp.sg; enquiry_ DAE foreign@rp.sg; website: www.rp.sg.

Accommodation. RP offers on-campus housing to foreign students in its Campus Heights apartments. Situated amidst natural greenery, Campus Heights which comprises fully-furnished three-bedroom apartments, is within walking distance of RP and offers sports facilities such as swimming pool, gymnasium, and tennis courts. Moreover located below the apartment blocks are barbeque pits, parking lots and a convenience store.

For international students who wish to live off campus, RP’s one-stop service centre assists in finding housing.

Degree programmes. RP’s six schools offer 33 full-time diploma courses and a common engineering programme. Each diploma programme takes three years to complete (see box).

Summiya Yasmeen