NUS students paid to educate tourists on etiquette on campus, lead guided tours

SINGAPORE: The National University of Singapore (NUS) will pay 40 students to take on part-time jobs in educating tourists on etiquette on campus and leading guided tours, said the university on Wednesday (Aug 14). 
In an email seen by CNA following a spate of complaints online about badly behaved tourists at the NUS campus, the university told students that it would pilot a two-month initiative, from Aug 5 to Sep 30, involving undergraduates trained as NUS student ambassadors. 
They will be paid under the NUS student work scheme and are on duty during working hours on weekdays at the Stephen Riady Centre, said NUS in the email signed by Associate Professor Daniel Goh, associate provost for undergraduate education.
These student ambassadors will “conduct forays” to befriend smaller groups of tourists or speak to large groups led by independent guides to educate them on visitor guidelines and etiquette, said NUS. 
They will also lead guided tours around University Town, or UTown, a hub in the university that combines residential spaces, teaching facilities and study clusters. These tours can be booked by travel agents who have a Singapore Tourism Board licence. 
“The route is curated to manage tourist movements, reduce congestion and minimise disruptions,” the email read. 
The student ambassadors, dressed in teal T-shirts, have guided more than 25 tour groups and about 500 tourists in the past two weeks, said the university. 
In the past few days, numerous posts on Reddit have called for NUS to restrict tourist access to the school. The posts contain accounts of disruptive tourists who crowd out students on shuttle buses, as well as in the university’s central library and food courts. 
On Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, there are posts promoting paid guided tours to NUS’ UTown campus, central library and museum. 
Nanyang Technological University faced similar issues earlier this year, with students complaining about the influx of curious sightseers. 
The school later imposed an entry fee on tourists. All travel agencies planning tours to the campus must seek approval from the university, and the groups have to pre-register online and schedule visits in advance. 
“We are mindful of ensuring a conducive learning environment for our students and keeping our facilities safe and secure,” said NUS in the email on Wednesday. 
“We remind all students and staff that they are not allowed to use their card access to help visitors gain entry to restricted areas such as student residences, laboratories and classrooms.” 
Any student or staff found doing so will be subject to disciplinary action, the email read. 
Aside from the student ambassadors, NUS also detailed other measures in the email. For example, it plans to ensure that tour buses only pick up and drop off visitors at designated locations and increase the frequency of the internal shuttle buses. 
There will also be staff deployed to the UTown shuttle bus stop to ensure that staff and students are prioritised during peak hours, said NUS in the email. 
At the food courts, staff will be deployed to remind visitors to give priority to NUS staff and students during peak hours. Public access areas will also be cleaned or maintained more frequently. 
According to the university, it also plans to put up signs to inform visitors of areas that off-limits, and where photography and filming are not permitted. There are also plans to step up ground surveillance and security to prevent trespassing.