More women should head S’pore universities, organisations: Ex-MP
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The only woman heading an autonomous university here is Singapore Management University president Lily Kong.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
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SINGAPORE - There should be more women leading Singapore’s universities and other organisations, said former MP and academic Intan Azura Mokhtar.
Speaking at a panel discussion titled The New Social Compact And Policy Implications For Work, Dr Intan, an associate professor at the Singapore Institute of Technology, said: “In our six autonomous universities, there is only one female university president...
“What about other female academics we have? They are competent and capable, but why do we not have them in the senior management of our universities?”
The only woman heading an autonomous university in Singapore is Professor Lily Kong of Singapore Management University.
Dr Intan added that men also dominate board seats and senior management and leadership positions in organisations, and this was something that Singapore should look at changing.
The panel discussion was part of the Singapore Perspectives 2023 conference organised by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS). It was moderated by IPS deputy director for research and senior research fellow Gillian Koh.
The other panel speakers were NTUC director Yeo Wan Ling, an MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, and Mr Rajeev Peshawaria, chief executive of consultancy firm Stewardship Asia Centre.
The session was held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre on Monday.
Dr Intan said one way to get disadvantaged groups into leadership positions is to nurture an “inclusive and representative” meritocracy. “Meritocracy is a principle that creates fair opportunities for all, but there is also evidence that it can entrench privilege and inequality,” she said.
She added that rewarding people based on their academic achievements alone can unintentionally reward them for their circumstances, such as their social connections and capital.
A meritocracy that is inclusive and representative should look past previous academic achievement and embrace diversity, as well as look at the circumstances that people have lived through which may have diminished their opportunities, she said.
Replying to a question from the audience about whether government scholarships, such as the prestigious Public Service Commission scholarships, should review their selection processes to be more inclusive, Dr Intan and Ms Yeo said the commission has come a long way and now offers scholarships to candidates from a wider section of academic backgrounds.
