Claim that ex-DPM Tony Tan was elitist in how he viewed ITE recirculates online

SINGAPORE: An allegation that former Singapore politician and the country’s seventh President Tony Tan was reluctant to fund Singapore’s technical education sector is recirculating online despite being rubbished 10 years ago.

The claim was made by famed architect Tay Kheng Soon at a Singapore Democratic Party forum in 2016. Mr Tay is one of Singapore’s most influential architects and urban thinkers, renowned for championing tropical architecture and sustainable urban planning long before such ideas became mainstream.

He had been speaking about his late brother, Dr Tay Eng Soon, at the 2016 forum. Dr Tay Eng Soon is widely regarded as one of the key architects of Singapore’s technical and vocational education system, and his influence laid much of the foundation for what eventually became the Institute of Technical Education (ITE).

As Minister of State and later Senior Minister of State for Education during the 1980s and early 1990s, Dr Tay championed the idea that vocational education should be valued on par with academic pathways.

At a time when technical training was often viewed as a second-choice option, he pushed for significant investments in technical institutes, improved curricula, stronger industry partnerships, and better facilities. He believed Singapore’s economic success depended on producing a highly skilled workforce equipped with practical, industry-relevant skills.

One of his most enduring contributions was overseeing the strengthening and modernisation of the Vocational and Industrial Training Board (VITB), which was responsible for vocational education before ITE was established. His reforms improved the quality and reputation of vocational training, setting the stage for the creation of the Institute of Technical Education in 1992.

Although ITE was formally established shortly before he died in 1993, many of its guiding principles, including close collaboration with industry, hands-on training and a focus on employability, were shaped by the policies he had championed.

In recognition of his contributions, the auditorium at ITE College East is named the Dr Tay Eng Soon Convention Centre, honouring his role in elevating technical education and helping transform it into a respected pathway that has benefited generations of Singaporeans.

However, Mr Tay says his brother’s work was not easy. Sharing that his brother had spent about a decade fighting within the Cabinet for greater funding for vocational colleges, Mr Tay said in 2016 that his brother’s widow told him after Dr Tay’s death that then-Education Minister Tony Tan had repeatedly asked Dr Tay, “Why do you want to throw good money after bad rubbish?” in reference to spending on vocational education.

Arguing that this reflected an elitist attitude towards ITE and polytechnic students, Mr Tay asserted, “I cannot stand this. This is the inherent elitism. You have to break that.”

Although Mr Tay’s claim was made a decade ago, it began recirculating online this month after SDP chief Chee Soon Juan reshared it on Facebook. The claim is once again spreading on online forums and messaging groups, with one Facebook account that reposted the claim garnering over 800 likes.

The claim, however, remains unsubstantiated and Dr Tan has categorically rejected the allegation.

Speaking to reporters back in August 2016, he said: “I did not make any such remarks. The claim is very hurtful because when I was a Cabinet Minister, the education of children was very close to my heart.”

He added that during his tenure as Education Minister, he had increased support for all students, with a particular focus on those in polytechnics and ITEs, or what was then the VITB.

The Ministry of Education also defended Dr Tan’s record, pointing out that during his time as Education Minister, Singapore established Temasek Polytechnic and Nanyang Polytechnic, while the VITB was upgraded into the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) in 1992.

The ministry further noted that between 1986 and 1992, recurrent government expenditure per student increased by 48 per cent in the polytechnics and 58 per cent in technical education, alongside significant growth in enrolment.

Two senior ministers who served with Dr Tan also publicly backed him. Former Senior Minister S. Jayakumar described Tay Kheng Soon’s allegation as “absurd”, saying he had never heard Dr Tan make disparaging remarks about VITB or polytechnic students and instead recalled him consistently arguing for government support.

Former Education Minister Lee Yock Suan similarly said Dr Tan had initiated the establishment of Nanyang Polytechnic and the upgrading of VITB into ITE, adding that he knew Tony Tan believed strongly in giving vocational students every opportunity to succeed.