Reviving my alma mater

During last year's National Day Rally, the Prime Minister announced the formation of the National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC), which will take charge of training teachers for the preschool sector.

Unfortunately for my old school, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Temasek Polytechnic, this means the diploma programme in Early Childhood Studies it currently operates will likely be shut down once the NIEC is up and running.

This will leave it with only two diploma courses, in Psychology Studies and Gerontological Management Studies.

It's going to be difficult to justify having a school with only two diploma courses, so the school's management needs to act quickly to start new programmes if the school is to survive.

I thought it'd be fun to think of some possible diplomas they could introduce, and came up with the list below.

Diploma in Heritage Studies

The school is called Humanities and Social Sciences but there's nothing particularly "humanities" about it. This new diploma, the first of its kind offered by a local polytechnic, will fill that gap, providing a more traditional "arts" option for students who like that sort of thing. It's also industry-relevant as graduates can work in museums, tour agencies, research, and public service. Opportunities for further education are readily available both locally, such as in the National University of Singapore's (NUS) History department, as well as overseas.

Diploma in Social Work

Career prospects for graduates from this course will be fantastic as Singapore is facing and will continue to face a manpower crunch in the field of social work. The only other polytechnic that offers this at the moment is Nanyang Polytechnic so demand from secondary school leavers should be sufficient to fill up the places in the new diploma. Further studies can be done at the NUS Department of Social Work, or at the various private and overseas institutions.

Diploma in Music Studies

The Yong Siew Toh Conservatory at NUS is the natural progression pathway for graduates from this diploma and advanced standing can be arranged between the two institutions. Graduates can also choose to go to the National Institute of Education and train to become music teachers instead. Alternatively, they can enter various jobs such as enrichment providers and media production.

Whatever the new diploma may be, I hope one is launched soon, so that my alma mater won't cease to exist!