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Should rebates on service and conservancy charges be restricted only to those who need them most?

The rebates could be used towards the upgrading of skills via courses or the buying of books, for example. Learning or improving a skill should translate to a better ability to earn.

Theo De Roza

It seems unfair to give rebates according to the size of flats. It is no longer true to say that those living in three-room flats are poorer than those living in bigger ones.

Peter Tan

Jacking up the service and conservancy rates and then giving rebates creates unnecessary administrative work and is unproductive.

Each town council should set the rate at the cost-recovery level and bill all households a flat rate.

William Choo


A writer suggests linking upgrading courses to companies so workers are assured of a job after completing the course. Do you agree?

This is a good idea, which is practised in Germany.

Richard Tan

I think there will be more courses out there than there are vacancies.

Merlin Koh

Does this mean that if there are only 10 vacancies, there will be 10 course places? And if no company links up, there will be no courses? This means that many will go back to looking for jobs.

Andy Wee

If a company cares for its employees, it will already have in place a training programme and make it mandatory for the staff to complete a minimum number of training courses each year.

But if your boss or HR tells you to go for retraining, then the firm is probably telling you indirectly that you are no longer needed and you better make plans.

Ying Low


Should university professors be made to attend teaching classes?

Definitely. Teaching is a skill. Lecturers need some training in teaching if they do not possess good communication skills, that is, the ability to put across what they intend to, in a digestible manner.

Good teaching comes with the ability to understand the level of the students. Lecturers need to be patient and humble as well.

Grace Chew

I think there is no need to put them through a course to learn simple tricks to make lectures more engaging than say, droning on in a monotonous tone. (Lecturers should) think about how to share their subject matter passionately with students and communicate it in a relatable manner. Passion is contagious.

Gerald Woon

Training a lecturer at the university level turns the university into a high school, where students just want to follow what they are taught.

There is a purpose for letting lecturers at universities use any teaching method that suits their knowledge.

It is students' responsibility to learn from the lecturers by criticising their methods and knowledge, and learn the fundamentals of any subject by studying any source beyond the lecture notes.

Shahrokh Sepehri Rahnama

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 18, 2017, with the headline On Facebook. Subscribe