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Teaching, not research, should be universities’ main mission

As an undergraduate years ago, I was most concerned that I had little face time with my lecturers, who seemed engrossed in their symposiums and research. Perhaps some students still share this concern today.

As an undergraduate years ago, I was most concerned that I had little face time with my lecturers, who seemed engrossed in their symposiums and research. Perhaps some students still share this concern today.

But if part of the reward system is based on the number of articles published by lecturers and the number of times they have been cited, then teaching takes a backseat.

Teaching should be universities’ main mission, especially if they are public-funded institutions. The state has a duty to provide this public good to ensure a continuous stream of quality, relevant manpower for Singapore’s long-term development.

It would be a shame if we turn our universities into competitive printing mills out to chase the crowded ranking of best universities yearly (“NUS, NTU claim top two spots in Asian university rankings”; June 21).

Are researchers naturally good teachers? They are no doubt cerebral, but some relate to young charges better than others do. Teaching is a flair.

It takes experience to learn the art of connecting with different audiences through ingenuity in materials and deliveries. Mastery takes time. We should recognise good teachers and reward them accordingly.

There is also a question of lecturers spreading themselves too thin to attend to students. And because they are advanced in their fields, students, especially undergraduates, may find them less than comprehensible.

Theorists have neat explanations for everything, but do they fall short of messy reality? They are thinkers and writers in their own right, but have they done those things first-hand and seen if they work? Perhaps industrial experience should be emphasised for teaching faculty.

Tertiary students are self-propelled, literate, curious and energetic. The “what” and “how” of engaging them should ride on this spontaneity. Let them participate and seek new ways of learning.

There should be space for inquisitive minds to explore disciplines beyond their specialisation. Let them take elective modules in colleges outside their own.

They should be exposed to diversity, with student populations representative of the world. Cross-cultural acumen is imperative in this age of globalisation.

Alumni networks are an invaluable resource, and universities should give former students a reason to drop by the campus for learning and sharing.

Young undergraduates should see university as a plethora of possibilities open to them. And at graduation, they have the discipline to take on the world.

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