All 5 polytechnics and ITE cancel graduation ceremonies
All polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) have cancelled their graduation ceremonies amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
The cancellation will affect some 32,500 graduating students, said the institutions in a joint press release yesterday.
Instead, arrangements will be made for diplomas, certificates and transcripts to be delivered to the students.
The cancelled ceremonies, originally scheduled to take place in the coming months, are part of the necessary precautions set in place by the institutions to ensure the well-being of their staff and students.
MILESTONE EVENTS
"Graduation ceremonies are milestone events, and it is with a heavy heart that we now had to make a decision that will understandably disappoint our graduands, their families and lecturers," said the institutions yesterday.
Graduating student Toh Qing Mei, 20, was disappointed but not surprised when she received an e-mail from Singapore Polytechnic yesterday informing her about the cancellation.
Speaking to The New Paper yesterday, she said: "My friends and I saw it coming ever since they limited public gatherings."
Miss Toh will be graduating with a diploma in creative writing for television and new media.
"It will be so lonely receiving our diplomas in the mail. However, there are bigger things to worry about now," she added.
Mr Denzel Wong, 19, shares a different sentiment.
"I am not disappointed it got cancelled. Due to the current virus situation, I think it is good that it got cancelled."
Mr Wong, who will be graduating from Higher Nitec in mechanical engineering, said: "We need to protect the students and staff at school."
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