Just one or two months ago, while I was still working as a summer intern, I received a surprising piece of news in my inbox – the abolishment of Career Skills as part of SMU’s curriculum – and along with it the obsolescence of related modules as well. In some way it was a big announcement, yet probably only the observant few would have noticed and honestly the change wouldn’t have affected me in any way.

The official notice was made as part of course registration mailer some time during the summer break, when most students would not have been actively scouring their inboxes, much less reading in-depth the attached brochure. So discreet was the release that the registrar found it necessary to highlight the information in a separate email.

When the news broke, I found myself sympathising with the incoming batch of freshmen. They may not know it but they may have just lost a valuable part of their learning experience. Since its establishment, the school has always prided itself on its uniqueness, even till today where the admission exercise tagline called for prospective undergraduates to “Discover a Different U”.

In fact one of the reasons why I ended up here (besides the city campus being a stone’s throw away from home) is the emphasis on the concurrent development of technical knowledge and career skills. But through the years I get this feeling that we’re slowly becoming just another run-of-the mill U, with the focus shifting to academic excellence these days. No longer is the school a game-changer like it used to be, producing articulate, brilliant and capable individuals.

There hasn’t been any official reason given as to why the Career Skills course area was abolished and that has led the speculation of whether it was related to the recent accreditation of the school’s degree programmes. But in my opinion, it’s a huge loss for students in the tradeoff if this had been the case. No doubt there are alternatives (e.g. workshops) that interested students can sign up for but not all will take advantage of these opportunities.

Some may say that such a decision’s for the greater good – to enhance the school’s reputation but I am of the view that student development should be just as important, if not more. The university’s culture has been evolving with times and I fear the school might lose its identity and direction one day. In keeping up with competition, there has been an inevitable paradigm shift on the education landscape, towards one which places an increasing emphasis on the beautification of the trophy cabinet.

Lest it be forgotten, student development should remain the topmost priority of any respectable educational institution. This begs the question: Would Career Skills be reinstated as another course area in the future? I can’t say for sure but in times like this, students will have to take charge and be responsible for their own learning if they wish to make the best of their education.