National University of Singapore NUS should postpone graduation events instead of moving them online
I am disappointed that the National University of Singapore (NUS) has made the call to move an event as significant as graduation online (No in-person graduation events for now at NUS, NTU, May 21).

For most of these students, this will mark an end to their years of formal education and the start of adulthood proper. By moving graduation online, the meaning behind the event will be diminished.

Nothing beats wearing the graduation gown and going up on stage to receive one's certificate. For students who are the first in their families to graduate from university, a graduation ceremony is a special event that their parents may have waited for for a long time.

The full prestige of this ceremony will be diminished if held online. It will feel impersonal, with recorded videos and video conferences, and will not do justice to an important university tradition.

I am sure students are reasonable enough to accept a postponement of the graduation ceremony, assuming the Covid-19 situation improves.

If the situation is still dire by, say, the end of this year, the university could then, as a last resort, shift ceremonies online. There may be some logistical difficulties, but I'm sure that if NUS cares enough for its graduands, doing this is possible.

Nanyang Technological University has opted to postpone its ceremonies instead of shifting them online.

Based on a petition circulating online with at least 780 signatories as at Thursday night, students are asking for the ceremonies to be postponed.

I hope the Ministry of Education and NUS can arrive at a solution that is more satisfying for students.

David Lim Yeow Chuan

Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-nus-should-postpone-graduation-events-instead-of-moving-them-online

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