Title of article: Should people be off on Friday Date: 31 January 2013 Source: BBC News Salient points: Gambia,

Gambia, a tiny African nation has shortened the work week, making Friday a day of rest Public sector works clock in at 8am and clock out at 6pm from Monday to Thursday Having a 40-hour weak but the luxury of Friday off Some US states such as UTAH and Oregon have experimented with this scheme to cut costs but failed Also popular in Netherlands where one in three man works part time or 40 hours in 4 days The 9 to 5, five day week is still seen as the conventional way to earn a living in the West Working culture is soon turning into 24/7 Steve Shattuck feels that it is important to have Fridays off to recharge, as research days where people can do some independent research or spend time with families. He also believe that this will increase their productivity at work Problem of being understaffed is solved as long as there is more than sufficient workers and workers who are prepared to work during emergencies Supported by many employees, with exceptions such as people with childcare issues Public also questioned the availability of services on Friday The benefits are also not just down to economics, but also environmental and social Not just compressing hours, but substantially reducing them, hence slowing down the pace of life and living more sustainably Anna Coote even advocates a 21-30 hour working week with the minimum wage reassessed Professor Cary Cooper disagrees with compressed or shortened hours, he feels that flexibility of time and place in work is the better solution but is sometimes limited by the nature of work or operating hours of business

Key themes: Working culture and policies Sustainability

Title of article: JC or Poly? An education in options is needed Date: 28 January 13 Source of article: Today Newspaper Salient points: University degrees as markers of achievements and signals to the labor market Post-secondary school education provides a higher return for every year of additional schooling Returns to university growing exponentially with the shift to a more knowledgebased economy in Singapore Share of national income accrues disproportionately to degree-holders, 17% of population took home approximately 1/3 of the income Government is attempting to expand number of university slots, such that 40% of cohort has the opportunity to attend university Landscape of higher education is changing, there is a shift towards polytechnics becoming a route to university More competition between polytechnics, JCs and pre-university schools Parents and students have more choices and decisions They must take best advantage of new opportunities by becoming informed consumers By pushing institutions for answers not readily available, they are more likely to make the best choice for themselves As well as encourage the institutions to excel by ensuring their performance is up to what their potential admits demand

Key themes: Education; higher educations landscape Parents and students as stakeholders