He believes in the Great Asian Dream. And provides that crucial push through programmes in public policy. Kishore Mahbubani, Dean, Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy talks to Shraddha Kamdar.

A student of philosophy and history, Kishore Mahbubani has enjoyed a career in government and in writing and publishing. He’s worked with the Singapore Foreign Service and has had postings in Cambodia, Malaysia and Washington, and served two stints as Singapore’s Ambassador to the UN. He has also served as president of the UN Security Council. Mahbubani was awarded the President’s Scholarship in 1967. He graduated with a first class Honours Degree in Philosophy from the University of Singapore in 1971. From Dalhousie University, Canada, he received a Master’s degree in Philosophy in 1976 and an honorary doctorate in 1995. He also served as a fellow at the Centre for International Affairs at Harvard University from 1991 to 1992.

It is a new responsibility for him,as the dean of Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore. He believes that, in the 21st century, Asia will be be a global business place,with India playing an important part. He feels that many governments may find it hard to keep up with the pace of growth.So,an institution to build the public sector would be very helpful. Excerpts from an interview:

What are the attractive features of the school?

The school is set up on the lines of the Kennedy School of Public Policy at Harvard. In fact, we partner with the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia.Though the school was set up in 2004,the National University of Singapore (NUS) was running the public policy programme since 1991. Our school is the first-of-its-kind in Asia. We believe we are training the future generation of decision -makers in Asia.

Our curriculum too runs parallel to the Kennedy School of Public Policy. One of the greatest advantages is the opportunity to network with students from other parts of the world, especially Asia. In a world where economies are increasingly growing and integrating, imagine a situation where Indian policy makers shake hands with Chinese policy makers!

Which programmes are offered?

There are three master’s courses: - The two-year Master’s in Public Policy is a pre-career course - The one-year Master’s in Public Administration is a mid-career course - The one-year Master’s in Public Management is for seniors in the field - Besides, there are also several Executive and Senior Management programmes that we run.

What is the student mix like?

First I’d like to state that in August 2004, the school saw an enrollment of 50 students.Last year,the number went up to 106 students from 19 countries. In the current year, we expect the figure to reach 200.

Majority of the students come from China and India. At the school, we have a student from the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) doing her Master’s in Public Management. We also have students who have worked with the Central bank of India and the Indian Railways.

Do you offer any scholarships?

We have several merit-based scholarships. Log on to www.spp.nus.edu.sg for details.