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Tag: statutory boards

  • Fair Or Unfair?: Some Public Officers In Civil Service Can Get Extra Day Off In Celebration Of NS50

    Fair Or Unfair?: Some Public Officers In Civil Service Can Get Extra Day Off In Celebration Of NS50

    Some public servants will be receiving an extra day off this year to mark 50 years of National Service (NS50) in the Republic.

    The day off, which has to be taken between Aug 1 and Dec 31 this year, is meant for employees who have served as full-time National Servicemen or uniformed regulars in the Singapore Armed Forces and the Home Team, according to one statutory board.

    Rumours of the extra day off for public servants first surfaced on online forum hardwarezone late last week, with users asking if it was true.

    Checks by TODAY revealed that employees of some statutory boards have received an internal memo or email from their Human Resources department earlier this month.

    But it seems the benefit may not be rolled out to all public officers as employees at some other ministries and statutory boards said they have yet to receive word of the extra day off.

    In an internal memo seen by TODAY, the day off was declared by the staff member’s employer “in support of the Ministry of Defence’s NS50 initiatives”.

    TODAY has written to the Ministry of Defence and the Public Service Division for more information.

    This year, Singapore marks 50 years of National Service, and as part of the celebration, a year-long series of events and initiatives have been rolled out to commemorate the milestone.

    Among the perks given to all past and present national servicemen this year are S$100 worth of NS50 vouchers, which they can use at a wide range of retail and food and beverage outlets. Those currently in service, or have completely their operationally ready NS are also given an additional one-year membership at either Safra or HomeTeamNS.

     

    Source: http://www.todayonline.com

  • Part-time UniSIM Degree Not Recognized

    Photo Credit: The Straits Times
    Photo Credit: The Straits Times

     

    Dear R1C,

    I used to work in the public sector and several years ago I graduated with a UniSIM degree. After an extremely long wait and several email exchanges with the HR department, they finally got back to me with the news.

    Yes, I was not given any upgrade and remained as a junior officer.

    I recall Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in the National Day Rally 2012, announced that Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and SIM University (UniSIM) will become the republic’s 5th and 6th universities. Both institutions will participate in the Government’s plan to increase the number of publicly funded full-time university places.

    As we already know SIM collaborates with foreign universities in some of their degree courses. UniSIM also confer their own degrees and I obtained my degree from there.

    It appears that there is no standardization in the public service. I asked around and found that only certain stat boards and ministries fully recognized UniSIM degrees. Not all stat boards or ministries share the same vision as PM Lee, let alone ready to offer better remuneration package to those who managed to graduate from their part-time degrees.

    For people like me who wanted upgrade themselves and take up part-time degrees from so called recognized universities like UniSIM, it takes a lot of perseverance, sacrifices and determination. I have two young children, the youngest is 7 months old and another one in primary school. Besides juggling work commitments and studying, I have to be a father and husband. Not forgetting, that I have to manage my relationship with my parents who are old and unwell.

    At that time, my wife also wanted to pursue her part-time degree but she had to put that plan on hold until I completed my studies. This is to ensure that the children don’t feel left out or neglected when our other half is busy studying. Alhamdulillah, my wife is currently pursuing her part-time degree in UniSIM.

    Except for several ministries and stat boards, UniSIM graduates working in public service are offered lower starting pay as compared to NUS/NTU/SMU graduates. Some I heard are offered upgrades but no jump in pay or change in career progression.

    I really enjoyed what I did in the public sector. Unfortunately, I cannot find any more good reason to continue this path. I found a job opportunity in private sector which offered me the same pay but better career prospects. As the cost of living is increasing in Singapore, I need to think about my family and our future. No one can make the change except ourselves.

    I do hope that part-time graduates will be treated more fairly especially in the government sector.

    Not just lip service.

     

    Authored by Mohd Syahrizan

     

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