2 in 5 SIT students to start classes at new Punggol campus

Some 3,800 students, or almost two-fifths of the student body, at the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) will start the academic year at the university’s new campus in Punggol on Sept 2.

These are students from two academic clusters: Business, Communication and Design, and Infocomm Technology.

The campus will welcome students from the remaining three academic clusters upon completion of works by April or early May 2025, said SIT president Chua Kee Chaing at a launch event on Aug 24.

He added that the unification of SIT’s six satellite campuses at its new integrated home in Punggol signalled the realisation of the university’s “10-year dream” and the beginning of a new chapter for the institute.

SIT currently has more than 10,000 students spread across six campuses in Dover Drive and the polytechnics in Singapore.

As part of launching the new campus, 1,500 students, staff, alumni and guests participated in a symbolic journey from each of SIT’s polytechnic campuses and the Dover campus to Punggol on the morning of Aug 24.

Addressing students and guests, Professor Chua said that the SIT Punggol campus will actively symbolise the university’s close ties with industry and the community.

SIT will be a good neighbour and a knowledge hub in the larger Punggol community, he added, noting that the university can benefit the town through ground-up initiatives to meet community needs and the creation of a vibrant learning ecosystem.

Education Minister Chan Chun Sing reiterated at the launch his three wishes for SIT to “reach in, reach out, and reach beyond”.

Mr Chan said he hoped SIT will continue to reach in to other polytechnics, reach out to JTC Corporation tenants, nearby schools, and the Punggol community, as well as reach beyond the local Punggol community to the rest of Singapore and the world.

SIT is part of the Punggol Digital District, which had its masterplan designed by JTC Corporation.

From September, SIT will be introducing digital competency road maps – structured learning resources in data analytics, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, application development with little coding, immersive learning technologies, and blockchain – to its students.

They can then choose to learn more about these topics beyond the scope of their undergraduate studies.

SIT’s director of the centre for digital enablement Steven Wong said that these digital courses will be displayed on a student’s record of achievements – a document to showcase the student’s co-curricular performance that is typically presented with his academic transcript upon graduation.

And SIT’s Punggol campus is equipped to support students in developing digital skills, with its 27 infocomm technology labs, an autonomous vehicle lab, and a virtual data platform collecting real-world data from the campus.

Additionally, SIT said on Aug 24 that up to 10 full Temasek scholarships will be awarded to polytechnic graduates pursuing science, technology, engineering and mathematics degrees at SIT for the academic year of 2025 and for the next two intakes.

SIT students told The Straits Times that they were excited about the new campus.

Among them is Ms Cheryl Tan, 22, who will be having classes at the new campus from September.

The second-year hospitality business student participated in a community service event held at SIT’s Punggol campus on Aug 17.

She said the campus layout made it enjoyable and convenient for senior residents to take part in games at the multipurpose hall and visit a carnival-themed marketplace.

Hosting the event there helped to encourage more interactions between the students and the elderly, added Ms Tan, while in 2023, students went door to door distributing food packs to Punggol residents – an activity offering less opportunity for interaction, especially with seniors in the area.

She hopes to go running or cycling with her friends on Coney Island, which is located right next to SIT’s Punggol campus.

Third-year engineering student Rifhan Mohamed Salehin, 26, is excited about planning events with students from different faculties – and from different satellite campuses – as there will now be an integrated location that can serve as a convenient meeting point and spot to host events.

Describing the facilities at the new campus as “10 times bigger” than those at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Mr Rifhan is looking forward to using the two-storey gym and music jamming studios.

Fourth-year food technology student Ng Shi Teng, 22, said she used to feel some form of disconnect with students from SIT’s other satellite campuses.

She added that everyone will be able to come together as one at the Punggol campus, and her juniors will be able to see their batchmates all the time.

Miss Ng is also looking forward to being in the first batch to graduate at SIT’s Punggol campus, as former batches had their graduation ceremonies held at the Theatre at Mediacorp.