Search the Community

What a remarkable feat! And kudos to her employer, Ms Manjit Kour. 👍 Most would be struggling with full-time study of law and I cannot imagine the load for her since her full time job is not an easy one to begin with. Wish her all the best. Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/she-completed-her-law-degree-while-working-as-a-domestic-helper-in-singapore SINGAPORE – Ms Jayanthi Gamage was at work in August 2023 when an e-mail from the University of London arrived in her inbox. It included the word “Pass”, which marked the end of her seven-year journey to complete a law degree and a dream come true for the then domestic helper. Describing the 43-year-old Sri Lankan’s journey as a “long” one makes light of it. It spanned two countries thousands of kilometres apart, and saw her juggling her studies over several years while working as a domestic helper in Singapore. A job as a helper here earned her twice as much as her previous job as an audit assistant in Sri Lanka did, Ms Gamage told The Straits Times. So three years after starting her law course, she decided to leave the comforts of home in 2019 to fund her degree. She quashed any qualms of venturing to a foreign country for the first time, as she was determined to make her childhood dream come true. Law is a calling, said Ms Gamage, who failed the entrance exam to Sri Lanka Law College 10 consecutive times from 2000. “It was a very long journey and took a lot of hard work,” Ms Gamage, now a supervisor at a cleaning company, told ST. “My emotions can’t be put into words but now I know when there’s a will, there’s a way.” Ms Gamage burnt the midnight oil aplenty and rarely had time for herself. She spent her weekends attending virtual lessons and pockets of free time were dedicated to poring over study material. “I didn’t buy any lipstick or make-up – none of those things. Every dollar was saved for my degree,” she said. Even during tough times, Ms Gamage always found a silver lining. “I looked at everything as a new learning experience,” she said. “I thought I probably felt things were difficult because I had never faced such situations before.” But the Sri Lankan, who described herself as “someone who doesn’t cry a lot”, had crumbled in moments when she longed to reunite with her parents. Ms Gamage’s father, a driver, and her mother, a housewife, were always supportive despite being “normal people”. “Even though they didn’t have a good education themselves, they knew the value of education.” She was looking forward to reuniting with her family after her first employment contract expired in 2021. But Covid-19 hit, and borders shut, leaving Ms Gamage unable to return home. That was her “lowest point”, she said. “I missed them a lot. I felt stuck, I feared for my parents and their health... I had many of these thoughts.” Ms Gamage was also running a race against time. She had to complete her degree in eight years and had left Sri Lanka with seven modules to finish. She worked for her first employer in Singapore for two years from February 2019, but was able to complete only a single module during the period of her contract as she had to care for an infant. “I was scared that the baby would wake up and cry during the night, so I would be in the living room or his room most of the time. It was very difficult to return to my room and study.” Ms Gamage was desperate for an employer who would understand her plight and allow her to pursue her degree. A person Ms Gamage hailed as an “angel” entered her life late in 2020 – Ms Manjit Kour, a retired public relations professional. Ms Kour was greatly supportive of her employee’s academic pursuits. She would often tell the latter to study once the household chores were completed and check on her progress regularly. “I put a premium on education – I believe that when you have education, you can advance in life,” said Ms Kour, 72. “A woman, especially, needs to stand on her own two feet and achieve something for herself.” She even set reminders in her mobile phone to alert her whenever Ms Gamage’s exam results were released. “I’d always ask her, ‘When are your results coming out?’ I’d put them in my calendar and ask her in the morning,” she said. When Ms Kour went on a month-long holiday to Australia less than two months before Ms Gamage’s final exams, she told her then employee to focus on her studies when she was away. Ms Gamage said Ms Kour was the “miracle” she was praying for. She added: “It’s very rare to find someone who has this level of understanding. She’s like a mother caring for her child’s education. All I can say is I’m blessed.” Ms Kour was one of the first people she shared her final results with. Ms Kour said: “I’m overjoyed for her. It’s a big achievement to come to Singapore, work as a domestic helper and reach this milestone.” She recalled the many times she would spot Ms Gamage revising at the dining table into the wee hours of the morning. “She would be listening to her lectures playing in the background while cooking dinner,” added Ms Kour. “She had so much focus and put in the hard work – all credit goes to her.” Seven years later, with a degree under her belt, Ms Gamage insisted the journey and its takeaways were well worth the sacrifice. But she has less reason to celebrate as her visa application to attend her April 30 graduation ceremony in London was rejected by the British authorities. “Since I can’t make it the first time, I’ll save money and plan for next year,” said Ms Gamage, explaining that her application was rejected as she was deemed to have insufficient finances. “I believe that achievements should be celebrated. I really want to wear the graduation hat and gown.” She has no plans to stop furthering her education and has set her sights on adding a master’s degree from the National University of Singapore to her portfolio. Obtaining her bachelor’s degree has already reaped dividends for Ms Gamage, in terms of a promotion. She had stopped working for Ms Kour in 2023 after the latter moved from a two-storey house to an apartment. She returned home to Sri Lanka for a short break before taking up a job offer as a cleaner with her current firm here. While she was hired initially by her company as a cleaner, once her employer learnt of her qualifications, she was promoted to a different role, and took on administrative and supervisory responsibilities. Looking ahead, she hopes that one day, she will finally be able to fulfil her dream of becoming a lawyer. “Maybe some time in the future, I’ll be able to join a law firm in Singapore and gain more knowledge,” said Ms Gamage, who added that she is interested in learning the in-and-outs of corporate law here. But for now, she just hopes her story can inspire people from all walks of life to pursue a higher level of education, no matter their age or background. “If someone wants to study and puts (her or his) heart into it, age doesn’t matter,” she said. “Even if you are in your 40s or 50s, it’s never too late. We have only one life and we have to achieve something with it.”

From September, the professional jobs networking site LinkedIn will pilot a new job-matching platform in Singapore that focuses on candidates’ skill sets, rather than educational qualifications and past job titles. This is to give jobseekers a better shot at gaining access to new employment opportunities. The Skills Path initiative, supported by the National Jobs Council, will allow applicants here to complete skill assessment tests unique to the job roles they are applying for, so as to demonstrate their competencies. They therefore do not need to rely solely on their traditional qualifications to get a foot in the door. Employers may then evaluate candidates based on their skills rather than judge them solely on their degrees, job titles and networks to fill a vacancy, LinkedIn said on Saturday (Aug 14). For a start, the pilot platform will feature one job advertisement each from eight different companies that have already come on board the initiative, with plans to get more companies to join. The employers are: Property developer CapitaLand, OCBC bank, food delivery firm FoodPanda, NTUC Enterprise, pharmaceutical company Zuellig Pharma, and e-commerce sites Carousell, Lazada and Zalora. They will put up job advertisements for six selected job roles, including customer service, data analyst, project manager and sales development, LinkedIn said. Jobseekers who are interested in finding career opportunities via Skills Path may do so by setting their profile status on LinkedIn to #OpenToWork. https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/linkedin-launches-singapore-job-platform-focused-more-applicants-skills-education-past-job-titles Any LinkedIn users here? How many of you actually pay for its premium account?

IDA DEFENDS DECISION TO HIRE FOREIGNER WITH 'FAKE' DEGREE Post date: 15 Apr 2015 - 12:00pm [Pic Credit: ST] Background Story: EXPOSED: IDA HIRED A FOREIGNER WITH A DEGREE FROM A KNOWN DEGREE MILL After it was exposed by netizens that there is a foreigner working in IDA with a degree from a known degree mill, IDA has responded claiming that the MBA degree obtained from the degree mill did not go toward the decision of the HR department to award the job. Facebook user Sam Tan had posted to the IDA facebook page questioning them about their hiring policies and the allegations about one of their staff holding a fake degree. In response, IDA said: We have investigated and would like to share that Nisha Padmanabhan, a Singapore citizen who joined IDA in 2014, has a Bachelor’s degree from a reputable university and was recruited because of this Bachelor degree, extensive past work experience and good track record. Nisha pursued an MBA out of personal interest, and it was not a relevant certificate for her position in IDA though she was open about the fact that she had obtained it. Her MBA from Southern Pacific University was not a factor that contributed to her employment at IDA. In fact, 93.5% of all IDA staff that were hired at the level of Applications Consultant were based on their Bachelor’s degree. We would like to share that Nisha has been a committed team member and contributed in her role as an Applications Consultant for the past year. We would also like to take this chance to share that IDA selects employees based on a holistic set of criteria which includes their educational qualifications, work experience, individual career aspirations and personality traits. Essentially, IDA is claiming that when they hired her in 2014, they did not consider her MBA at all. Instead, they only looked at her een older bachelor's degree. Netizens who read the reply were not too pleased: What do you think of IDA's reply? This is the link to her linkedin. https://sg.linkedin.com/in/nishapkp

Hi there, I bought a Honda Vezel couple of months ago and I am very happy with the car. I'm pretty comfortable with driving but my wife is still getting used to it. We find the parking spot in our building a bit tight and the rear parking camera only helps to a certain extent. Parallel parking especially during rush hour can be quite cumbersome so we thought a front camera would be helpful. For experienced drivers, this might not make sense, but for newer drivers it can add a ton of peace of mind (I think). My accessories dealer suggested a 360-degree surround camera to install in the car. I couldn't find any reputed brands online but wondering if any of you have experience with these? Do they actually work effectively? I've seen ATOTO, FSK, Weivision and CarThree but they seem to have mixed reviews. I know that the camera won't be as nice as a Honda factory installed one, but I am keen to explore. See this Youtube video: Examples Of Cars With 360-Degree Camera Systems Audi: Top view camera system with Virtual 360 View BMW: Surround View With 3D View Chevrolet: Surround Vision Ford: 360-Degree Camera Hyundai: Surround View Monitor Infiniti: Around View Monitor Kia: Surround View Monitor Land Rover: 360-Degree Parking Aid; ClearView Mazda: 360-Degree View Monitor Mercedes-Benz: Surround View System Nissan: Around View Monitor Toyota: Bird's Eye View Camera Volkswagen: Overhead View Camera (Area View) Volvo: 360-Degree Surround View

http://www.asiaone.com/News/Education/Stor...717-155267.html if his students find him, i hope the students will not chong tong

Wahahaha......same same but different? https://mothership.sg/2019/02/malaysia-marzuki-yahya-cambridge-university/

Let's say you're in your late 40s, degree holder, management role, still have 2 schooling kids, sole bread winner for the family. One fine day kanna retrenched. Still need to put food on the table, drive Grab / Taxi to make ends meet. I know that the usual response to the above is that by 40s, he should have set aside a sum of money for such situations and he should also be able to tap on his network of work contacts to secure another role. Let's assume that this person took time to develop a tradesman skill a few years back (cooking, electrician, plumber, hair dressing etc), will it put him in a better situation to start a small business on his own to earn a livelihood? In Singapore, assuming you're a rank and file office goon, once you are asked to leave during your late 40s or 50s, the chances of you getting a similar role back is close to nil anyway.

I agree, i prembaree tree oni....... [laugh] University degree 'not vital for success': Khaw Boon Wan Getting good jobs after leaving school more important: Khaw Published on May 05, 2013 8:44 AM By Toh Yong Chuan Singaporeans do not need to be university graduates to be successful, said National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan yesterday. What is more important is that they get good jobs after leaving school, Mr Khaw told some 160 students and young adults in an Our Singapore Conversation dialogue. "If they cannot find jobs, what is the point? You own a degree, but so what? That you can't eat it. If that cannot give you a good life, a good job, it is meaningless," he added. Mr Khaw was responding to a participant who said the Government should set aside more university places for Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and polytechnic graduates.

Hi All I will be going overseas and the temperature is going to be max 20 and min 10. Anyone went to such countries before can advise if need special thick jacket like those winter wear or can wear those thick wind breaker used in lecture theatres? Thanks!

In the last two years, degree holders here have found themselves the most vulnerable to losing their jobs, among all qualification groups. Since 2011, they have also made up a higher proportion of residents made redundant than among all resident workers. Experts suggested three reasons for this - jobs lost in restructuring tending to be held by graduates, greater demand for non-academic skills, and substitution by skilled foreign labour. "As more graduates become available, it brings about more friction in the job-matching process," said UniSIM economist Randolph Tan. "Many graduates think that getting a degree is the pinnacle of achievement, but what they don't realise is that the workplace demands much more of them." Source: http://mypaper.sg/top-stories/degree-holders-face-greatest-risk-losing-jobs-20140526 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTRA-5Q80Yc

wah don't send kids to uni and don't spend on tuition can save a lot of $$ no need to worry about retirement liao can the MIW lead by example first? Singaporean Carmen Kok regrets that she never made it to university. She’s not letting her daughter make the same mistake, even if she has to send her abroad to get a place. “You can’t rise up in Singapore without a degree,” said Kok, 47, who plans to spend three times what she makes in a year as a hairdresser to send her daughter to college in South Korea. “She may be able to get a job if she doesn’t go to university, but she can get a higher salary if she goes.” Singapore’s Tiger moms are becoming a headache for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is trying to persuade the population that they don’t need to go to university to have a good career. After a clampdown on immigration and a slowdown in the economy, he needs fewer graduates and more workers to fill the shipyards, factory floors and hotel desks that keep the country going. Lee, who graduated from Cambridge University in England with top honors, is leading a campaign that includes speeches and roadshows to persuade more youths to join the workforce under a system modeled on Germany’s apprenticeship system. The “earn and learn” program would place graduates from technical schools into jobs, while giving them the chance to continue part-time education. Intentional Trend Lee is the latest Asian leader with an A-starred education system to try to put the brakes on, as universities turn out more and more graduates who aren’t matched to the jobs available. A few years ago, South Korea said it may close some higher-education institutes amid what then-President Lee Myung Bak called “reckless university enrollment.” “There is a clear international trend in the developed world to make vocational education a true choice for more young people,” said Pasi Sahlberg, a visiting professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Yet, many still see it as a “secondary choice,” especially in Asia, where parents tend to believe that “higher education would be the only key to prosperity and success.” Six out of 10 Singaporeans between 25 and 29 years old completed tertiary education, the highestproportion in the world and just ahead of South Korea, according to the latest World Bank figures from 2010. ‘Work Hard’ In a televised address last August, Singapore’s Lee celebrated two employees at Keppel Corp Ltd., the world’s biggest builder of offshore oil rigs, who had risen through the ranks without a graduate diploma. “They may not have degrees, but they are working hard and trying to improve themselves,” Lee said. “So long as you work hard, you can always hope for a brighter future here in Singapore.” The Straits Times, Singapore’s most widely-read newspaper, has run profiles of Singaporeans who achieved career success after eschewing or postponing college. An October survey by the paper showed readers equally divided over whether it is possible to succeed in the country without a degree. “The success of this campaign is crucial for Singapore going forward, as it reshapes its labor market,” said Vishnu Varathan, a Singapore-based economist at Mizuho Bank Ltd. “It’s a hard sell for Singaporeans who see college as the route to a good salary.” Lifetime earnings for a typical U.S. bachelor’s degree holder is twice that of someone with a high-school diploma, according to a study by the Brookings Institution’s Hamilton Project released in September. In Singapore, the median starting salary for graduates with a four-year electrical engineering degree was S$3,135 ($2,370) in 2013, compared with S$1,750 for those who studied the same subject at a technical institute, according to data from the Ministry of Manpower. Problem Solving The Southeast Asian nation’s education system is regularly ranked among the best in the world. Students aged 15 from Singapore and South Korea topped those in 44 countries in problem solving, according to a report last year by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. South Korea is now encouraging companies to hire young people and is pushing for a job-sharingwage system to reduce youth unemployment. Singapore already has a system that sorts children into different subject-based bands at school after testing starting at age 10. They’re later placed into junior colleges or technical institutes based on exams at 16 or 17. Those going to junior college have a higher chance of entry into a local university. Under Singapore’s earn-and-learn program, technical school leavers would receive on-the-job training while they study for an industry qualification, according to the government’s budget for this fiscal year. Each Singaporean who is placed in the program will receive a S$5,000 bonus. A pilotplan next year will place some graduates from the technical institutes in apprenticeships in sectors including aerospace, logistics and information technology. “We can’t become a Germany, but what we can do is adapt some of the very strong points for certain sectors and certain types of skills,” S. Iswaran, second minister for trade, said in an interview on Feb. 24. German Model Germany’s Dual Vocational Training System allows school-leavers at 18 to apply to a private company for a contract that mixes on-the-job learning with a broader education at a publicly funded vocational school. Persuading Singaporeans to go down the same route will be an uphill task after decades of extolling the importance of education. Singapore households spent S$1.1 billion on tutors outside school in the year ended September 2013, according to the most-recent survey by the statistics department. Every member of the cabinet has a degree, and the civil service continues to offer students full scholarships to top colleges overseas as a form of recruitment. Two of Lee’s sons went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, while his deputies Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Teo Chee Hean have sons who went to Cambridge University in England andBrown University in Rhode Island on government scholarships. Singapore subsidizes the bulk of tuition fees at local universities for its citizens, making the cost about S$7,950 a year for an arts and social sciences degree at National University of Singapore. That compares with about $45,000 a year at Harvard University without financial aid for a full-time student. Many Singaporeans who don’t get into a local college go abroad. Four in 10 graduates in the resident labor force last year got their degrees overseas. “The government shouldn’t tell people not to go to university unless they can promise the same job opportunities as graduates,” said Kenneth Chen, 26, whose parents spent more than S$170,000 on a sports science degree in Brisbane, Australia, after he graduated with a biotechnology diploma in Singapore. “But obviously that’s not going to happen.”

Anyone posted this topic yet ? All of you pretend pretend only si bo si bo

2) As above ... anyone willing to share more. Some can ridiculously asking for 5K to do a programming job. And 8-10K to do a DBA role in banking industries.... they think BANKERs are Robert head. I asked my HR how to counter check and she mention very difficult to verify their degree and she ever email to their respective college but never reply... perhaps need to pay a little sum to verify their cert. I even know some FT asking me to bluff to know certain skill in order to get into the job then learn from there. If this case, seem like many people doing this..... What can i do to protect against them. This is too much for us to take it. Whereby most of the time they will work for couple of years and the savings are enough to build a two storey Bungalow with a little nice garden. And as for me after couple of years, i still couldn't a five foot way in singapore. I am believed there are still thousands of uncaught fake FT degree out in singapore and MOM just unlucky to get hold of them. It just like smuggle cig from JB. Every day thousand s are doing it and many just go past uncaught. 2) Also in chennai, they are claiming they can get almost similar salary range... is it true.

Hi Forumers, I am thinking of signing up for a 1 year degree course in HRM with Financial Mgt. Is it recognised?

Looks like I can't visit UAE liao...... http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp...1226685/1/.html

Hello Degree holders, How many are not there yet after working so many years? How many quit your high paying job due to work stress? Just curious la....

[WIKILEAKS] MOE does not encourage more students to get a higher education. Cheryl Chan, Assistant Director of the Planning Division at the Ministry of Education (MOE) wrote: the government does not plan to encourage more students to get a higher education. The university enrollment rate will continue to be maintained at 20-25 percent because the Singaporean labor market does not need everyone to get a four-year degree http://wikileaks.org/cable/2007/02/07SINGAPORE394.html

Wah, if 2 degree holders marry, straight away disqualify from HDB

saw this ad. http://singapore.gumtree.sg/c-Jobs-bar-wai...QAdIdZ252640479. wonder wad kitchen it is leh.

But Tin Tin have Lee Hsien Loong's Private Personal Secretary (PPS) as her husband. Does Nicole have a PPS boyfriend?

Hey, any one here thought of upgrading urself? Share with me about ur experience!!!!

Pls vote

Hi fellows forumer, Just wondering anyone has done a degree in logistics mgmt. Which schools would be a good recommendation. I have a external diploma in Logistics Mgmt and wonder where can I proceed from here? Thanks for your valuable feedback.

So many fake degree holder from Singapore. What a shame. http://www.spokesmanreview.com/data/diplom...=&s=country&o=a Oh, Patrick Boon Sai Singapore MA Ng, Kwee Huat Singapore BBA Ngok, Yew Choon Singapore Meng, Tee Wee Singapore PhD Patrick, Oh Boon Sai Singapore MA Ramachandran, Appaswamy Singapore MBA Ramasamy, Ra Arjunan Singapore PhD St. Regis University Poh, Andrew Tan Thian Singapore BBA Northwest United University Philemon, L P Ravi ChandranPlilemon, Catherine Singapore Samuel, David Nelson Singapore BA Samuel, Iris Regina Singapore BA Wong, Janice W Singapore BBA Northwest United University Wende, Clarence Du Singapore DBA Seng, Lee Boon Singapore MAH Thiam, Yeo Chin Singapore PhDH Tan, Jonathan Singapore PhDH Sunny, Tew Singapore Wai, Kwok Yau Singapore MBA David, Tan Leng Huat Singapore BBA Duquesne, St

Thought of studying part time business degree but had no idea abt the uni. basically shortlisted RMIT and UWS. Which is good? thks