Polys go all out to create more space

Polys go all out to create more space



By Jane Ng

AS MORE O-level school leavers choose the diploma route to higher education, polytechnics are busy figuring out how to make room for them.

The five polytechnics are looking at everything from converting rooftop space to staggering canteen hours in a bid to ease congestion.

A record 20,640 students will start polytechnic studies this year, 800 more than last year.

The number of students opting for diploma courses has been rising for the last three years. Even those who did well enough to easily gain admission to top junior colleges are opting for a polytechnic education in increasing numbers.

The result: Some schools are bursting at the seams.

Singapore Polytechnic (SP), the oldest of the five, will have to make the most enhancements.

Principal Tan Hang Cheong said the poly had 5,000 students when it first moved into its Dover Road campus in 1977. Now, it has triple the number.

He said SP started to 'feel the congestion' a few years back and made plans to increase its capacity. 'We have very limited green sites to develop and we also want to keep as much of our landscaped areas free of development as possible.'

It has turned courtyards between school buildings into social and study areas.

The open space outside the student hub has been converted to seat 200. The lobby of its convention centre has also been converted into a temporary study area for students, who are preparing for the coming exams.

SP is also planning to convert available rooftop space into teaching facilities.

Three buildings which can bear the weight of an additional floor have been identified so far, and the space will be converted into classrooms, teaching studios or administrative offices.

SP is also studying how to expand the number of stalls at the six foodcourts on campus.

One possibility is to introduce pushcart stalls. It will renovate one of the foodcourts and expand seating capacity by about 50 per cent.

The conversion of courtyards will allow SP to accommodate about 600 more students when the new school term begins in April. The other enhancements will be completed by 2014.

While the other polytechnics are not planning major renovations, they have also made provisions for a rise in enrolment.

Temasek Polytechnic, which opened in 1990 and moved into its Tampines campus in 1995, has converted smaller study rooms into fully fitted teaching classrooms. It now has 15,000 students, up from 5,500 in 1995.

Two years ago, a staff lounge was turned into the Temasek Culinary Academy for students taking the diploma in culinary and catering management course.

At Ngee Ann and Nanyang polytechnics, which have each seen enrolment rise by a few hundred students in the last three years, changes in the teaching schedule have been made to 'optimise the usage of our facilities', said a Ngee Ann Polytechnic spokesman.

Nanyang Polytechnic has started staggering lunch breaks to spread out the crowd.

Even the newest polytechnic, Republic, said it is looking to create more laboratory space as it steps up its collaboration with industry partners to engage students in more research projects.

Despite the space crunch, the polytechnics are not complaining. They say that having to rejuvenate their facilities is a 'happy problem'.

Said SP principal Mr Tan: 'It adds to campus vibrancy and provides us with the opportunity to constantly remake ourselves. More importantly, these new and improved facilities will enhance our students' experience.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times.