Three treasures (Dao De Jing)

Dear Dr Su,

I refer to your email of 30 September 2010.

It was a mixed feeling, a myth, and a reality.

Being a graduate of Nantah, we are used to all kinds of insults, be it positive or negative. In the short history of 25 years of Nantah, we were considered as second class and poor English speakers. However, today when we compare ourselves to some current academics and students at our universities, we, as what you stated in your concluding remark, “can hold our heads high” in our command of English language. Perhaps, thanks to the Nantah Spirit.

I rarely want to discuss about association with NTU. I am confused when I receive both alumni magazines, newsletters from NUS and NTU. Who am I? Perhaps, like a pig standing in front of a mirror, not a human being inside or outside of a mirror.
(猪八戒照镜子， 里外不是人) 。- A mixed identity.

I feel so sorry that NTU was treated such a way in our main stream media. Again, to a Nantah ren, this is not a strange thing but expected. I sincerely hope history will not repeat again. However, to face the reality, we cannot pretend or ignore potential students discussing NTU being a less favourable university in Singapore. I think because of this concern, a President of a university like you, has to make strong clarification on this matter.

If you look at the freshmen intake of academic cutoff points, you will realize most students opt for management, law, medicine etc. This is why SMU can attract better A level scorers, even better than NUS in per capita level. NTU’s new medical school may help to attract top students, but on average cut off points, perhaps only marginally improve. As a last resort, you may face the dilemma of enrolling more and more foreign top students.

Another reality is that the THE ranking does place NTU as No. 174 this year. We cannot change their assessment criteria, just like we cannot change the mother tongue’s weighting in our PSLE, but to just try harder to improve the command of the language. Any attempt to do that is telling THE to change the playing ground to suit our advantages. No way, we have to work our way up and improve our weak points as described in your email. You may want to take reference from HKUST, a relatively new university established in 1991 (the same year as NTI moved to NTU). This university ranks respectively high in both QS (40) and THE (41).

The market for graduates in Singapore is business, money, profit, and service jobs. Students are talking about return on investments. We cannot blame them for too pragmatic as they are the products of our education system. (And now we even have a casino environment!). This greatly affects students choosing their first choice local university. The problem is what kind of graduates that NTU wants to produce. A money minded man or a ….. By the same logic, I have doubt SUTD can be as successful as SMU in attracting top Singapore students.

Even we increase our population to 6.5 million, we are still not New York/Chicago in the USA, or London/Paris/Berlin in Europe. These roles are for bigger cities and capitals in Asia, Shanghai, Calcutta or Tokyo. We are perhaps like Amsterdam, Zurich, LA, level 2 or 3 type of supporting cities in Asia.

I was in Munich recently. There is no ticket control in their metro system. You can find both new and old metro cars traveling in different routes. On the third day of AFAT exhibition in Mess Munchen, the transport workers went on strike, causing great inconvenience to visitors to the exhibition. Life is normal and peaceful although there is a strike. A bottle of mineral water may cost euro 0.17, however you have to pay an additional plastic deposit of euro 0.25. When we have dinner at a traditional Munich restaurant, we are surprised that they only accept cash. (When I was in Düsseldorf airport, the car park system is still using ticket system not like our cash card system).

They have less concern of the ranking of their universities, rather they cheer for Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

While when we are discussing promoting Asian value (and Confucianism for Chinese Singaporeans) in Singapore, will we reach the state or level of Munich, an orderly society even there is a strike, people pay their due at metro system, protecting the environment, and quite importantly never claim to be No1 in the world openly.

In conclusion, may I quote Laozi three treasures as an encouragement to NTU?

Chapter 67 of Dao De Jing:

Everyone says the Way is great and beyond comparison.
Because it is great, it cannot be compared.
If it were compared, it already would have seemed small.

I have three treasures to be maintained and cherished:
the first is love;
the second is frugality;
the third is not pushing oneself ahead of others.

From love comes courage;
from frugality comes generosity;
from not pushing oneself ahead of others comes leadership.

Now courage without love, generosity without frugality,
and leadership by pushing oneself ahead of others are fatal.
For love wins all battles and is the strongest defense.
Heaven gives love to save and protect.

(Source: English version by Sanderson Beck)

Yours sincerely,