Scholarships for foreigners, debts for Singaporeans
February 26, 2012 183 Comments
Image: National University of Singapore
Finally, the foreign scholar issue has hit the papers. I have struggled to comprehend this strange educational policy since I stepped into the National University of Singapore and realised that for my course’s cohort of around 60 pupils, 2 Singaporeans are on the NUS scholarship, 1 Malaysian is on the ASEAN scholarship and 17 Chinese Nationals are on the Undergraduate Scholarship for PRC students (website: National University of Singapore) . While foreigners enjoy the luxury of studying without worrying about monetary issues, my fellow Singaporeans step into society ridden with debt. Some of them work to finance their studies and others take bank loans which leave them with a debt of more than S$24,000 when they step out into society. They have to pay their tuition fees and accomodation, all out of their own pocket.
As Member of Parliament Baey Yam Keng stated, scholarships should be based on merit, not nationality. Is that to say that out of all the Singaporeans in my cohort, only 2 are as good as the 17 Chinese scholars? Are we not as bright as the foreign talent we import? Well, I can tell you confidently that many of my Singaporean peers are as good if not better than these foreign scholars. Speaking from experience with my course mates, they are just as bright and hardworking. Some too are able to achieve what the Ministry of Education calls upper class honours. It is thus surprising that these scholarships are handed out to foreigners while we leave our own young Singaporeans ridden with debt.
I understand that foreign talents are needed to provide vibrancy and differing perspectives in the classroom. Indeed, we also need these foreign talents as drivers of our economy and we need to attract people with the potential, skills and knowledge in order to continue our upward progress. However, what I cannot comprehend is why Singaporeans have to be sacrificed in this venture. Why can’t Singaporeans with the same calibre and potential as these foreign scholars be awarded the same scholarship?
After my A’level results, I could only watch helplessly as one of my friends who scored straight As for the A’levels get rejected, without even an interview, by NUS for an application for an NUS scholarship. My friend had no means of financing his university education and was in desperate need of a scholarship. This touched the heart of the principal from Raffles Junior College. Yet, not even an appeal by the principal of Raffles Junior College could persuade NUS to review the application or at least grant him an interview.
You may say that he wasn’t good enough for the scholarship. Scholarships are only awarded to those who excel in both academic and non-academic arenas. Yet, he was awarded the prestigious bond-free Singapore Australian National University Alumni Scholarship which is only given to 2 Singaporeans a year. He is now studying at ANU, which values him more.
Why couldn’t NUS have at least granted him an interview? Why do foreign scholars appear to obtain these scholarships so easily while Singaporeans are rejected so readily? Why do my friends have to step into society debt-ridden while the foreign scholars enjoy the luxury of being debt-free?
It’s not about how many foreign scholars attain upper class honours. It’s about how many Singaporeans attain upper class honours but were denied scholarships.
This is how our society treats us and our parents who pay taxes. They’d rather give scholarships to others than their own. They’d rather leave us with the burden of debts from pursuing our tertiary education than offer each promising Singaporean a ~$24,000 scholarship. The S$6000 annual living allowance awarded to foreign scholars can nearly fully finance the annual university tuition fees of one Singaporean. That’s all we’re asking for. We’re not asking for an allowance for food and accomodation like the kind of scholarship that is dished out to foreign scholars. We’re just asking for free tertiary education for Singapore students with potential.
B. L.
W.H.
Hammy
Trust me, he’ll probably enjoy ANU more than NUS.
yes he did!
That is one of the many reasons why Singapore is losing local talents to foreign countries and yet the government say, we, the younger generations are ungrateful given the years we have used the education system in Singapore and not contributing back. However the question remains, does Singapore give us enough prospects that are worth living for? Frankly speaking, simply if a place doesn’t value our skill or talents we go to somewhere or someone else who does.
I agree, but only to the extent that we should create create our own opportunities (perhaps by going overseas). If I could refer you to http://thethinkingfishtank.wordpress.com/2011/12/30/my-grandfather-and-resolutions-for-the-year-2012/ , you would understand my POV about the government and more importantly, how we should work hard and achieve success regardless of our government’s policies – which are already very good compared to countries run by despots.
I am Malaysian student and I don’t have any scholarship also. I paid back my 45K loan from NUS recently. And I was top student in my polytechnic in singapore back then. They also never give me any chance of interview.
This article is pretty interesting and seem to imply that only a small fraction of scholarships awarded goes to Singaporeans. It’s intention is to shock, expose the unjust disbursement of scholarship and the lack of audits of scholarship application process. Perhaps someone should write to ST requesting NUS to release the TOTAL number of scholarships given and the percentage of actual amount of funds and the number of scholarships that goes to Singaporeans and whether there is any form of external auditing on the scholarship application process. Transparency is the only way to ensure that the scholarship application is fair and merit based. I am all for diversity in the campus but the influx of PRCs in the academia might have brought in unwanted ethics or values such as ‘guanxi’ which is the direct opposite of a merit based value system. I hope the scholarship application process have not been manipulated to favor PRCs.
So you think your singaporean friend was more talented than Australians students? What about australian parents who pay tax?
You are a hypocrite….
Haha I just thought it was ironic that you raised the example about your RJC friend receiving an ANU scholarship, since he isn’t a local Australian too.
Well, maybe this just means that, in terms of capabilities, PRCs>Singaporeans>Australians. Haha.
Oi! That is not funny, nor is it true.
Thank you SP. We must all realise that everyone is capable in some way, but perhaps their skills/capabilities may not be as highly valued in the current society. However, when society changes and evolves, those skills may be come more highly valued. And capabilities are extremely unlikely to be a function of nationality, although that possibility can be explored with more data.
No it isn’t ironic at all. Because Australia government safeguarded their.citizens first before offering their scholarships to well deserved foreigners whereas in singapore, its on the other extreme end of the spectrum. The irony is here. Right here .
ANU scholarship is given by the Singapore ANU Alumni Association, not by the ANU School itself. So it is in essence a Singapore sponsored scholarship for a Singaporean to study in Australia.
Are the PRCs in NUS sponsored by their fellow countrymen to study in Singapore?
Actually most of them are. They could be on scholarships from their own countries to Singapore.
While I am surprised at the case of the “straight As” Singaporean student who was not granted an interview from NUS, I am also curious as to why he/she did not pursue other scholarships since he has an academic edge over most applicants. Is it because he wanted a bond-free scholarship? I am sure there were other agencies who would be willing to listen to his case.
One point you may note is that the Chinese and Indian nationals receive more advanced education at their A’levels compared to us. They were already taught the things that many locals have to learn from scratch in year one. Hence, it may not be surprising to see that the number of scholarships given to PRCs is higher than that of Singaporeans. What the institution should do, in this case, is to review the selection criteria for awarding scholarships. As some of the applicants may have this edge, it would be an uneven playing field for the others.
The 17 Chinese Nationals are on a scholarship awarded by the Singapore Government
I thought he did mention that it was only awarded to 2 Singaporeans each year. Well at least they restrict the number of students being awarded isn’t it?
Mate, there’s always 2 sides to a tale.
First to clarify, it is a Singapore Alumni scholarship.
My buddy recently graduated from Aussie, but his experience would indicate that this ANU scholarship is a poor example for your point. Read on to the outcome.
It is only open to Singaporeans who took O levels. At first glance this seems logical, but consider his situation: His parents, then middle-class, moved him to an Aussie highschool after Sec 3 for a variety of reasons, including to save him a year of study. Which parent doesn’t wish their child the best?
However, when it was time for Uni, the financial meltdown was at the peak and his dad was greatly affected. To relieve the burden on his parents and siblings, he knew the only way was to get a scholarship or work+study at the same time.
As a Singaporean, he did not qualify for most local scholarships (open to Aussie PRs and citizens only). One of those he tried applying for was this said ANU-Singapore scholarship, but he encountered what your friend experienced with NUS: outright rejection, application not accepted, academic results and special circumstances not considered.
What could the possible reasons be?
You might think, oh he’s rich enough to attend an Aussie highschool, why should we help him? Firstly, a scholarship as you mentioned, should be MERIT-BASED. Secondly, even if it’s a means-based bursary, he was indeed in great financial need but did possessed excellent results.
You might then say, oh having attended an Aussie highschool, he may be less inclined to return and contributed to Singapore. Actually, he did return and is now working at a Singapore bank.
In the end, he received nominal financial assistance from UNSW and worked at Coles Supermarket for 20hours/week before graduating with an Actuarial Science degree (notoriously difficult).
I came across your post as it’s making its way around the social networks. While I broadly agree with your point, I just found your ANU example really ironic due to my buddy’s contrarian experience. He basically had the same experience as your friend:
Singaporean rejected by fellow Singaporean organisations.
It’s interesting that I’ve read so many comments highlighting the ‘had to work’ to support studying issue. In most parts of the world, both developed and developing, this is the norm. Studying in Australia I had never met one person who did not work from high school age and throughout further studies, in a part time job to help support themselves and their studies.
Whats wrong with working while you study? I think it is over-rated that we should expect our parents or for that matter, the government, to contribute to our education. When will Singaporeans learn that there are NO FREE lunches in Singapore? Where a scholarship goes can be highly subjective because it takes more than just grades, especially for professional degrees like engineering. It takes talent, initiative and above all passion (which can be clearly demonstrated through internship stints in engineering company as opposed to being a salesperson in Marks and Spencer). Singaporeans should stop seeing grades and elite JCs as bench markers to scholarship worthiness. Especially for postgraduate scholarships, I believe research experience should account more to it than how much info you can regurgitate during exams. I’m a Singaporean, but I’ve grown cynical of our government and our education system. We pay taxes and we have worked so hard to make our education system world class. So, why DONT we have the edge as compared to Foreigners? Have we all lost our desire to be the first in everything? That is something, my fellow Singaporeans, that you ought to think about.
PS: Stop it with the “mate” ya? So poser.
Oh well you don’t really raise the issues of bond in your article. As for your statistics, you should also check how many of ‘these’ foreign scholars work in the same finance industry as the local Singaporeans because of their bonds. May be this will make more sense: at the time of graduation a foreign scholar nearly has 176,000 SGD as bond breaking fee, which is quite a lot and prevents them from going into avenues which they really like and instead settle for ‘finance’ companies.
As for the issue of meritocracy you raised, a check here: http://student.brightsparks.com.sg/scholarshipproviderlist.php would make more sense, and please also factor the criteria for the scholarships (taking up of PR after graduation etc etc.)
Doesn’t make sense for you to say that they have 176,000 SGD as bond breaking fee, considering that:
1) You are aware of the obligations at the time of signing the scholarship.
2) There is no cost involved if you do not break the bond (which as a person with integrity, you should not).
3) It is not as though this bond breaking fee only applies to the foreigners. It also applies to a local who takes up the scholarship.
4) A scholarship is not charity, obviously, there are obligations to it (or what you had termed as scholarship criteria).
So why is there a need to bring up the issue of scholarship bonds? It’s not even the issue here. The author is commenting on his dissatisfaction as he perceived a lack of meritocracy in awarding scholarships.
Lastly, it appears that you did not bring up a key point: that foreign scholars are NS-exempted. Will a local get NS exemption if he receives a scholarship? If you want to talk about scholarship criteria, let’s also examine the benefits they are receiving.
Looking at NS-exemption, time is money. 2 years is a long time. That’s 4 semesters and halfway to graduation. That’s a headstart into the workforce, additional $50,000 earned (assuming a 2k+ starting salary) and a faster career progression.
You might have 1 or 2 valid points as you critique the article, but these points are, unfortunately, overshadowed by several blind errors and assumptions.
It must be noted that the scholarship awarded to foreign scholars comes with a bond that requires foreign scholars to work in Singapore or in a Singaporean-based company overseas for a stipulated number of years depending on the value of the scholarship.
The issue here is that Singaporeans are not eligible for such scholarships. Singaporeans should be given a choice and a chance to decide if this bond is worth taking up for an allowance and free tertiary education.
It should be noted that locals who are paying subsidized tuition fees also have to work in Singapore for at least 3 years, whether or not they have a scholarship.
Another point to note is that the SG govt did not impose strong controls to mandate these PRC free loaders serve their bonds to completion. I’ve seen them leaving for other countries without completing their bond and without paying the due penalty. They are pretty smug about it, I would add.
And plus you are stating biased statistics here: http://www.esp.nus.edu.sg/ESP%20Scholarship%20Holders.pdf
How come you are not considering other faculties, arts etc. for statistics, you cannot simply extrapolate your observations from a small sample. I mean how many people actually are ESP students from a proportion of NUS students?
http://www.tremeritus.com/2012/02/18/two-thousand-scholarships-worth-36-million-are-awarded-to-foreign-students-each-year/
Money and school places for FT, no such massive goodies scholarships for singaporeans!
Interesting read, better argued than most. Just curious about a tiny detail here, when you say straight As, well, exactly how many and in which subjects? Not being accepted for the interview really is quite drastic (and appalling).
I got 6 As for my A levels, including 4 As in my 4 H2 subjects, but I didn’t get the chance to be interviewed for the NUS scholarship either. And in the end, I also got a scholarship from another scholarship agency.
But then again, the NUS scholarship is given out by NUS, and not the government. I believe the government gives the NUS a sum of money every year, but it’s up to NUS where and how they want to distribute the money. So this NUS scholarship example actually just highlights how “stringent” NUS is with their scholarship, and how NUS is not helping its own students, and not much on the government.
On 1 April 2006, NUS became autonomous and made the transition from a statutory board to a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. As the Government devolves greater autonomy to the University, NUS is required to observe a framework of accountability to ensure that Government funding is well utilised and directed towards achieving national objectives. The accountability framework comprises a Policy Agreement and a Performance Agreement signed between the University and the Ministry of Education.
So u see, not much is ever debated in Parliament and this is another PAP govt policy that was not carefully thought through and robustly debated to ensure “Singaporeans First” must be the overarching policy.
Mmm, that’s pretty good indeed. I’m very sorry to hear that. It’s turned out for the better though eh?
Strange NUS *shrugs* I didn’t apply so I guess I’ll never know how I’d have fared, heh
As for 4 H2s, 3 H1s, 1 H3 making him one of the top 104 pupils in RJC
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I am currently studying in ANU as well and i would like to meet up with you over coffee perhaps?
Think should look at the complete statistics of all scholarships offered to make a meaningful comparison (Government + Universities + Companies and Major Organisations)
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QUOTE FROM W.H the creator of this blog
“Personally, I feel that whining is okay, as long as we can pick ourselves up and continue fighting the good fight after we’re done whining. What I cannot accept is the fact that many people, including myself, blame external factors for our perceived plights and not try to improve status quo.” – W.H
sWow! Your friend has str8s As for what subjects?
Good article!
I appreciate the fact that you made this article a short one but brought your idea across clearly. Furthermore, I believe unlike many others, you refuse to trash the “non-locals” scholarships holders but are just simply feeling dissatisfied with the Singapore’s way of selecting candidates for scholarship.
“Singapore why you no give chance for your own people for interview?”
Hi !
Wonderful read! Just a question, may I know where I can locate the news article on the foreign scholar issue? It’s rather important, hope to receive your reply soon! thanks!!
Hi,
I’m not sure which articles you are referring to, here are 2 that may interest you
http://www.straitstimes.com/Parliament/Story/STIStory_768111.html
http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120225-0000045/67-of-foreign-scholars-got-at-least-2nd-upper-class-honours
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/scholarships-based-merit-not-nationality-baey-152120978.html
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Its simple why the government gives out scholarship man. We definitely need people here to fuel our workforce seeing that people is our only talent and we are not reproducing enough to replace ourself, ( unless of course the statistics are one big conspiracy theory to scare us)
By giving these foreigners an early start here, many of them will naturally stay in Singapore. If you look at how young most of these people start their education in singapore, many of them start off in secondary school and are more of less integrated into the singapore society by the time they reach tetiary level. This is actually better in a long run as we no longer have to deal with the “foreigners” whom do not understand our culture and irk the locals with accents and “weird” habits.Foreign talent are here to stay whether we like it or not, which is better, bring them in when they are in their 30s and face culture clashes or integrate them from young ?
All these scholarships are just ways and means to hook talents from overseas. yes out of 100 scholars there will be some bad sheeps but definitely more hits and misses. I’m sure these people after settling down here will contribute much more back to our society, financially, birth rate stats and many more.
Please back it up with statistics.
Assumption 1: foreign talents will stay in Singapore.
Assumption 2: they will be integrated by the time they reach tertiary level.
Assumption 3: that a foreign talent in their 30s will be problem integrating.
Assumption 4: built upon assumption 1, that the foreign talents will stay in Singapore, will contribute much more back to our society, financially, birth rates etc.
Too many assumptions, with no evidence, just means speculation.
Its funny how people based their impressions and viewpoints based on their personal experience or emotions.
I have yet to see any statistics either side of the fence and will be really interested to see them. But yet people are arguing and demanding for proof.
Anyone have the numbers showing what percentage of FT stay?
Integration Index (Will be funny if theres such statistics) for FT?
I think without numbers, arguements, either for or against or just baseless.
Bottomline, dont be postive or negative, without proof.
More FT means more manpower means higher GDP means higher GDP linked BONUS for we all know who.
3 millions out of 6 million in sg are PRs.
I am sorry, but I doubt the truthfulness of your assertion that your friend, who, I quote,
“scored straight As for the A’levels get rejected, without even an interview, by NUS for an application for an NUS scholarship”
I find this extremely unlikely. Achieving straight As is by no means a guarantee of a scholarship with NUS. However, from personal experience, it is virtually impossible that your friend was not even granted an interview. Moreover, if he really is unable to afford reading any course in NUS, he should have received financial aid from the university or the Government.
Please provide some evidence of your implausible claims.
I was from RJC. I scored straight As (4 H2s) with a distinction in a H3 subject, was involved in 3 CCAs and served served as an EXCO member in of one of them. I participated in an overseas research programme during those 2 years as well.
I was not granted an interview for the specified scholarship – just FYI.
(I don’t blame them for it and I’m far from bitching about it lol. I know there are many who have proven their ability better)
Not sure about wats the student population, just taking as a whole…
I quote from your article “Are we not as bright as the foreign talent we import?”
No offense, but choosing scholars from a population of 1300.0 million compared to a population of 3.2million (3.2 of the 5.2million residence here are S’poreans) here, in general the odds of having a brighter SG vs China student is not in our favor.
When little information is known, there are very limited methods that we can use to assess a situation/application. Perhaps university admission requirements/procedures should be restructured. But well, that will be a totally different issue.
Regarding your story of having a friend who were not given an interview despite scoring straight As for A’level.
Well, it could be your friend lied to you, or something is not right from what you have posted, lastly there is a chance that everything is true, but i think most people will feel that its either the 1st or the 2nd.
If I tell you I switch on my phone at 12PM and received 12 sms, 12 watsapp msg, 12 voicemail, 12 emails and took me exactly 12mins to address all of them. To what extent will you believe what I said?
Passerby and Mr Shu:
I’m sure the writer did not exaggerate facts in her article – some information might have been withheld to protect her friend’s identity should he choose to keep them confidential. But I understand that without concrete facts it’s hard to fully believe the reliability of this article, so perhaps the writer or the friend in question could clarify matters?
Agreed.
Well personally I believe there are 2-tiers to this article.
First, to what extent can the writer verify that his/her friend’s story is totally true without exaggerations?
Second, IF his/her friend’s story is totally true with no exaggerations, then to what extent is this information being expressed in the above article.
The moment personal emotions are highly involved while writting articles like this, I believe most readers will think twice before accepting the information presented. Personally, this seems to be more of a persuasive article to me.
Anyway, I seriously hope that all students regardless of nationality will be given fair chance of admission/scholarship evaluation, and the incident (assuming its true) mentioned by the writer will not happen again.
Passerby:
Why compare the odds between Singaporeans and China PRCs only? You are neglecting the other smart people from the rest of the world population. If we would to follow your odds, it’s just only prove that Singapore is biased to having China students only.
And no offense, I find your analogy on coincidence very senseless. Lets based our arguments on the pointers from this question and not deviate away from it.
I find that you have not thought through the essence of this article carefully.
actually i was wondering if they are other reasons for issuing scholarships to just PRCs or rather a scholarship specific for PRC???
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*speak English.
Actually, unless Singaporeans find a way of boosting their population by a few folds, foreigners will be here to stay, whether we like it or not. Besides, with the level of education in Singapore, honestly speaking, how many of singaporeans you think would want to work as waiters/ waitresses, dishwashers, or even toilet cleaners?
Within this group of foreigners, there are bound to be a few black sheep or rotten apples here and there, Sun “dog” Xu being one of them for example, so we should not judge the whole lot of them based on the few bad ones.
Comments like this are very sad. Grow up, open your eyes, be less of a bigot and enter the global world. Singapore is a multicultural society and has been for a very, very long time, from India, the Malay peninsula, Europe, Australasia and mostly mainland China – where do you think so much of that great Singaporean food, culture and identity comes from? Everywhere else at one time or another!
While the bright,concerned n responsible scholars are here pondering about validity and statistics… Ah Gong is at home on his rocking chair patting his cats n thinking “不管黑猫，白猫。会抓老鼠就是好猫。。。” (Black cats, or white cats. can catch mice is good cat..)
Logical arguments…. You’re doing it right!
I too, recalled during my years in NUS where my friends who have straight As, maybe a B in there, bright student nonetheless was not even given the chance to apply to NUS because they failed GP.
And yet, many you find many PRC students and “scholars” in engineering and comp science who can’t articulate a sentence in English to even order food.
I don’t mind the competition with these “foreign talents” but let’s play on fair, equal grounds shall we?
Not only do we not have home ground advantage, we are being thrashed left right and centre because of a kayu referee.
Reminds me of S-league…
Those were the days…
Nice…. Sleague!!! Rmb sinchi FC. Lol
Did anyone missed out the section about stiff competition with these foreigners around? Talking about meritocracy, don’t the Government thinks that Singaporeans should be given tertiary education privilege since we are born here, grew up here and will be living the rest of our lives here in “our own culture”? Disappointing as it may be, they still complain about us, the younger generation leaving the country and not enough birth rates to compensate the country’s growth. Is bring these people in compromising the younger generation that important as compared to losing our culture? Frustrated as it may be, but have anyone here considered private university students? We paid way higher school fees and do not receive much recognition as compared to local universities student.
1) Losing population as we do not receive enough credits
2) Bring up meritocracy but inviting more Chinese to compete with us
3) Making Local universities student looks inferior
4) Not justifying the school fees paid by locals, for both local universities and private universities in Singapore
The list can go on. Even I don’t feel welcome enough in my own country. I need to get ready to pay more than $30k worth of study debts before I enter into the work force, burden starts even before you enter the work force, don’t talk about the ridiculous inflation of housing, transportation and food. These spiral inflation which I might consider will end up in a more challenging circumstances for the future generation. Would I say now, this is WHY so many people are leaving.
Some might not agree with me because sentiments are different here. I yearn for the day where we can be more recognised and valued. The more they bring them in, the more “us” will be leaving soon.
By the way, I come from a local uni background and a poor family background that is why I have my stand and frustration. I hope I won’t offend anyone here. Take a look at the increase number of candidates in private universities and compare to local universities foreign talents. Weigh them, what is more import? Opportunity cost.
Cheers.
I m no scholar nor as educated but a working adult for years n seeing how many Singaporeans struggle to get a degree part time, working n studying at the same time. Reason mainly cos they can’t afford to get into the Uni cos of $$, they need to earn a living earlier for the family.
There ain’t any programees that even help these locals are they?
Thank u for this article. I think people should stop asking u to proof stats. U r not a PI nor govt to get stats accurately. Ignore those people. There r bound to be people who dun believe anything. I know ur point u r basing on the happenings n feelings u get from around u n facts r just so hard to ignore when u see them everyday.
Well done article!
To all University in Singapore & our Govt,
Please give our local Singaporean a chance!!! They are not as bad as those Foreign Talent.
As a fellow Singaporean who is studying in the States, I am so glad that I did not choose to get my college degree in Singapore. There are tons of Singaporeans who are very much capable of attaining a college degree, however, cost of education and living is so expensive. How are Singaporeans supposed to find tuition money to pay for college? Why is it that the government has not come up with a scheme to help potential students pay for college tuition? How is it that in the United States, students who proof that they are in need of financial help get PELL GRANT (money from the government to help pay for tuition). If we already not know, the U.S. government is in debt but still serve to help its citizens benefit from being a U.S citizen. Frankly speaking, what has the government done for us, Singaporeans, to help feel that we are being appreciated and taken care of. This article written is a perfect example of one of the many injustices that we experience as Singaporeans.
Just be grateful that your parents can pay you to study oversea and anywhere madam, The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
I am more than grateful to my parents who have the ability to send me to school. The point isn’t about the grass is greener on the other side cuz it isn’t always greener
I definitely think more can be done to help Singaporeans. But I think that we need to cite examples in context.
I think there are bursaries that are being awarded in grassroots communities as well as in local universities as well. Anyone can share?
And from what I understand (Correct me if I am wrong), most of my American and British friends take study loan for their tertiary education and it is an accepted norm and culture to have to start repaying their loans when they start working. I think in Singapore, its actually lesser because the Asian culture obliges the parents to pay for the tertiary education where in the Western world (at least from my own experience), less people do it.
Just to share another perspective.
Grassroots/local uni bursaries are not easy to qualify for, as your family may as well qualify for commcare handouts if you’re around that income level…
What the average (lower middle class) family is worried about is having to clear off uni debt before the interest rate increases sharply (after 3 years i think). This is compounded by a high cost of living.
In UK for example, the relative cost of living is lower than in SG. UK 1 year undergrad for their locals cost £3,000+/year for 3 years (total about S$18,000) for a local blue-collar family (eg. plumber & admin staff) earning combined income of £40,000/year (about S$80,000)…groceries/household cost is on par with SG even if you convert to S$). Unless the average taxi-driver + office aunty double-income family in SG can earn S$80,000 (assuming NUS/NTU school fees of S$5000/year for 4 years…total S$20,000)…
In short, I don’t think it is easy for the Singaporean family to compare themselves with their overseas counterparts. Part-time jobs in UK for students (eg. waiter) start at their minimum wage of around £7 (S$14)/hour…in SG the equivalent for a part-time waiter is S$5/hour.
That is true, a lot of Americans take on study loans to pay for their college education. However, if you claim yourself as an independent or if your family is not making a lot of money, PELL GRANT is given to anyone who needs the money for college
It isn’t based on race, GPAs, grades, or whatsoever. I feel that is what the government should provide to EVERYONE who wants a college degree. Just saying.
I agree with dennis smith. I think cost of living and education is much cheaper than in the US. The issue is not about the cost of education or the cost of living, but rather, granting scholarships to FT instead of locals who are as bright, or even talented than FT.
Firstly, the government does have grants to help SIngaporean students to pay their school fees.
Secondly, it is a political decision by the Singapore government to not have a welfare system so as not to cripple the economy.
Lastly, how do you even know how a Singaporean student feels when you are educated in the states?
No one said the issue here was the cost of education. It is about granting scholarships to Singaporeans. Indeed grants are given by the government, but only to students who are exceptionally brilliant! How is having a welfare system going to cripple the economy when there are about more than a million people in Singapore who are non-Singaporeans. Also, what is the use of being a Singaporean when our own government doesn’t take care of us? That is why people are constantly migrating out of Singapore. I’m not saying that Singapore isn’t good, it is by far the best city, state, country in the world. Again, what benefits do we have as Singaporeans?? Lastly, I was educated in Singapore until I left for college when I was 18. So don’t come telling me that I don’t know how it feels to be a student in Singapore.
Our government is physically importing people to top up the Singapore population for the undergraduate level. Even if they only need to serve a bond of 3 years for a tuition grant, our government is willing to pay them to here for that three years only. That is how desperate the our government is.
On the economy scale, we dont have enough people for the undergraduate level. IQ is not something we can study for. If we close our door (like the foridden city in the past), Singapore will spiral downwards.
It is not the case that foreigner students are better rarer we are physically importing them into Singapore with money to top up the population.
Agree, my friend!
“On the economy scale, we dont have enough people for the undergraduate level. IQ is not something we can study for.”
I think this is quite a stretch. we are not teaching rocket science here. you don’t need an amazing IQ to be an accountant, engineer or psychologist.
In fact, you just need to be a hard worker and a willing learner to contribute to the economy and be useful to society.
Therefore, I have no idea why you appear to imply that Singapore does not have enough smart people for university education. I’m sure we have read articles on qualified poly students unable to make it into local universities.
All things equal, Singaporeans should be given the priority. No need to elaborate on this, I believe.
Lastly, in terms of topping up the population as a whole, it is debatable as to how many of these foreign students will stay, so no comments. My personal belief is that Singapore itself is an attractive place, low taxes, safe, wealthy, clean etc. We can be selective.
Totally unrelated comment, but this may trigger some rage from your friends:
I had scholarship and bond from Lee foundation (full tuition and +800 SGD given each month) and I’m in second year bond and one more year to go. No offense, during my school, i find all Local-Singaporean-with-Scholarship are more capable doing things alone, super-selfish, aim for the high and forgot the others (something like captain at costa concordia tragedy, they do have high IQ but i’m questioning their EQ). and most of the time they can’t work in group with other nationalities, yes i think the local are so smart but not efficient somehow.
simple case, when we are in the group consist of singaporean, myself, indonesian, and PRC. the one who keep talking smart and asking why this and why that so brilliantly is the singaporean but they rarely do stuff in reality. I don’t want to stereotype, it’s just purely based on my experience knowing each individual is very different but i find 10 of them have similar basic traits.
On the other side of the life: I find the BRIGHTEST singaporean in work, my best friends, my traveling friends, and many of them they studied overseas and at least once or many times they went out the island and see things, meet people from third world country to first world country.
But in my office, the boss is also singaporean and he prefer to hire foreign talents for i don’t know reason, maybe it’s cheaper and more effective?
At the end, the people reflects the government, the students reflects the uni. the root of all these: money matters, and good or bad is relative depends on how you perceive it. i’m sure as long as this brings a lot benefit (that you don’t know) for your UNI they will do it anyway.
just sayin’
Thanks for the foreign perspective. I hope you finally meet some good Singaporeans who will leave you with a positive impression of our island. I think Singaporeans themselves ought to ask if they will even help their fellow Singaporeans (ie. collaborate instead of compete against) rather than rage against foreigners all the time. How many Singaporeans who have beaten the odds to become ‘elite’ can be proud to say that he/she has made a difference to society or has given a chance to an aspiring young Singaporean to succeed? It’s not easy, but while pushing for the Singaporeans first movement, we need to also put our money where our mouths are and make our society a better place we can all live in.
So what if they got a huge amount of bond fee, just look ard which FT scholars will leave their high paying job to go back home after they have complete their bond? If i am not wrong, if you study in SG, sg government is more than willing to hand you a PR.
Or they can choose to leave Singapore and work in another country where they can actually benefit from, without worrying about the increasing cost of living.
Point is, the government would rather try their luck and nurture foreign talents and hope they will continue to contribute to our society in the future because they know that more of us Singaporeans are actually leaving Singapore to work and live in another country.
Blame the inflation, blame the high costs of living.
But obviously, given the current situation in Singapore, who would want to live here?
You can’t even make ends meet with a decent pay nowadays.
They stay until they have kids, and their son reaches 16-17. Then they think, hmm, why should my son do NS? He can finish half a degree in that time!
/revoke Singaporean citizenship/PR for the kid, and off they go to pastures green.
Win.
some words of advice for future articles.
- Better not to make sweeping statements
- Better not to hypothesize based on a single example. Examples are for illustration purposes
- Think hard about every point you make, you want to be really objective here and not add too much emotional value when arguing for a particular point
- Be very clear and precise about the point you want to make
Easy math: you picked the top 0.4% of PRC, it’s already more than the total population of Singapore. Tell me again if 2 Singaporeans are better than 17 PRC ratio…..
volume does not equate quality. In fact, simply having a much larger population doesn’t point to anything at all. It is not meaningful to compare Singapore with China. Cultural fit should be what we are after.
To put it in a more macro context, we need foreign students (not just PRCs) who are ready to come and be part of Singapore, integrate, stay and contribute.
Nobody needs a foreign student who is only here for a free education and look to run off at the earliest opportunity, even if he is exceptionally brilliant.
My friend, you might appreciate the intangible value of class diversity. Top students from Europe, US or Latam could possess vastly different capabilities than those from Asia; they are often common only in their intellectual abolities, ambition and discipline in driving success. NUS must convince itself and the community that 10 scholars from the same culture is ultimately better for learning culture than 10 scholars from different cultures – be it PRC or Singaporeans.
the same thing happened to me. topped the cohort in a local polytechnic but was denied a place in NUS while streams of foreigners were accepted. can’t believe how pathetic things are.
hi everyone it is a simple logic: As a singaporean enjoying subsidized education, you are already in for the long haul. So the government has a fixed budget, either use that budget to give u a free education at tertiary level, which does not benefit them since you are going to stay regardless (no advantage to gov), or use it to “buy” a foreign talent” to make our workforce larger. For the government its just that simple cost benefit analysis. Its just the injustice of it that makes the people incensed.
You last sentence is most valid. As Empress Wu realized the principle of People are like water, they can float up a ship and yet has the power to sink it. Any perception of injustice by the People will churn any calm water into a storm.
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seeing that the article is about COST, that is a pretty damn insensitive comment. ever thought that these fellas can’t afford to study elsewhere?
Moreover, when you see the big picture, a lot of Singaporean SCHOLARS are subsidized fully to study oversea, the money went there instead. It’s not a representative sample of how much money goes to who if you only talk about the scholarship inside NUS.
another thing i would like to add is that.. their GPA needed for such scholarships is so much lower than Singaporeans getting scholarships…
check with our Singaporean scholars.. what GPA do they need to maintain and what foreigners need to maintain.. Foreigners 3.0… seriously most singaporeans get 3.0…
thank you for writing this. it is honestly the weakened sad voice in many Singaporean students who are not able to get enrolled into local university.
increasing no. of foreigners = increasing economic output =/= increasing no. of singaporeans. it’s clear that many of these foreign students stubbornly refuse to even try to integrate with Singaporean society. There are simply too many of them; they can practically all shift to Tampines or some part of the island and declare themselves a separate state. Why bother trying to assimilate when they have enough people to form their own community?
To be fair, there is an enormous amount of hostility towards them from the locals (not without reason), but I’d blame this on poor management of the relations between the two groups. All we get is the repeated cries of “we need to increase the population/workforce”. I’m not sure if I speak for Singaporeans as a whole, but personally I don’t mind any ‘imported’ foreign talent of any nationality, so long as he/she is willing to make the effort to become Singaporean rather than seeing my country as a cash-cow to be abandoned when sucked dry.
I love your comment! People often stereotype locals as being hostile to foreign talents. However, if they come here wanting a change, adapt to the local culture, and be polite/courteous to us, we would (most probably) welcome them with open arms. However, there are tons of FTs who come to Singapore and disrespect the culture, people, and basically everything. If FTs are constantly complaining about how terrible Singapore is, why in the world are they still here? Seriously curious.
I guess those who disagree is probably a PR or a foreigner or New Citizens.
Hi everyone,
Thank you for reading the article. The information regarding foreign scholarships is not readily available. A search on the internet does not bring up the scholarship given to Chinese nationals listed above in NUS. If anyone does find this data, feel free to post it here for our reference. It will give us a better idea of the situation.
Currently, from my knowledge, the scholarship given to most Chinese nationals in NUS whom I have interacted with is known as the Senior Middle Scholarship. A search on the internet does not bring up much information about this from the government. I do not wish to provide false or dubious information, hence I have decided to show you reliable information I am able to obtain from my course and my daily interactions in school.
As many netizens are interested in knowing more, here is a website that has information about this scholarship. http://www.cneducation.info/sm2-scholarship-after-graduation-to-take-singapore-to-serve-6-years.html. I must however clarify that this source is not from the ministries or government agencies and hence may not be reliable.
Non-constituency MP Yee Jenn Jong did question the MOE regarding the foreign scholar issue in parliament. The MOE’s response is attached. http://www.straitstimes.com/Parliament/Story/STIStory_768111.html
According to the Straits Times article, 1700 non-ASEAN scholars are awarded scholarships in Singapore every year, of which 900 of them are undergraduate scholarships.
Having seen the plight my school mates are in as they face the debt of more than $24000 upon graduation, I do hope that 900 similar scholarships can be awarded to Singaporeans who have potential. My friends will be graduating soon and the debt is a fact of life, but for many younger Singaporeans, this debt need not be something they need to face upon graduation.
To add insult into injury, some of these scholarship holder think of our fellow countrymen as a dog. Without concerning that his fees were supported by these tax paying citizen while their own kids are paying full tuition fees in SIM and SMU.
The moment you were born in an average Singapore family, you are also in debt! Parents in housing debts, and you in education debt n eventually housing debt as well… Think of it, rather sad.
Also read somewhere that many of our ministers’ children are under scholarship studying overseas too.. apparently, it is not meant for the needy..
ANU + NUS = ANUS?
In the pursuit to be a top ranking international university, publishing research papers is not enough. I read from somewhere that there must be a mix of nationalities in a cohort of students. If the % of locals is too high or % of foreign students is too low, the university’s ranking will take a hit. To encourage and boost the number of international students, some give out scholarships to entice students to study in their varsity.
I find the discussions very interesting and objective. I can sympathise with young fellow Singaporeans. I have to send two of my four kids overseas because of their mediocre results, like 2Bs and 2Cs and naturally it is depleting my retirement funds. I can understand the anguish and angst of the younger Singaporeans. Perhaps not getting what you want here forces you to look elsewhere and it may be an opportunity for you to know that there are lots more out there than here.
I would like us to remember that some older Singaporeans benefited from the generosity of the other nations who offered them scholarships and most of them without any bonds.
Actually most countries are restricting the number of scholarships awarded to international students…the requirements for their own citizens are much lower…In my opinion..the reason why an increasing number of Singaporeans are voicing their concerns is because of decreasing opportunities abroad and the perceived unfairness that foreign students do not have to undergo the same qualifying yardsticks (GCE A Levels) before obtaining their scholarships. Perhaps these Singaporeans feel that they would have done comparatively better in the education system of another country?
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Maybe someone handling the scholarship allocation have to meet a KPI (key performance index) of how many percent of this and that , just like Singtel, Starhub, etc have to secure how many new customer even if it means neglecting current customers.
http://www.nus.edu.sg/annualreport/2006/chairmans_statement.htm
On 1 April 2006, NUS became autonomous and made the transition from a statutory board to a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. As the Government devolves greater autonomy to the University, NUS is required to observe a framework of accountability to ensure that Government funding is well utilised and directed towards achieving national objectives. The accountability framework comprises a Policy Agreement and a Performance Agreement signed between the University and the Ministry of Education.
So u see, not much is ever debated in Parliament and this is another PAP govt policy that was not carefully thought through and robustly debated to ensure “Singaporeans First” must be the overarching policy.
I think NUS has a different criteria with which to select scholars as compared to government organisations. I scored 7As at the A levels, including 4 H2 As, and was not given any interview for a scholarship and rejected from my first choice course (an engineering course).
Then again, I have to thank NUS for their decision as I am now studying in a much better university overseas on another scholarship
“This is how our society treats us and our parents who pay taxes.”
It might be worth noting that foreigners in Singapore also pay taxes.
foreigners don’t serve NS
If so many Singaporeans are already serving NS so unwillingly, do you really want foreigners to be in our defense force?
There’s a security reason regarding NS as well. Even if a foreigner wants to, I don’t think the government would let someone from ANOTHER country serve NS either. Singaporeans have duty to their own country (YOU LIVE YOUR WHOLE LIFE THERE), and foreigners (who’s there for like what, 3-5years?) are also helping Singapore in other ways to exchange for the help the government has offered (bonds, remember? Even if just 3 years and they leave, it still helps Singapore). While I do think foreigners should be a lot more grateful to the scholarships given, and the government should treat the local better, NS is an absolutely stupid and irrelevant argument for this scenario.
I always wonder what’s so wrong with the notion of “Singaporeans first”. Isn’t it the same that everywhere you go, the LOCALS come first? I am born and bred in Singapore and am proud to be one, and proud to push for “Singaporeans first”. What I am saddened is that Singaporeans who are doing decent in their studies were not admitted to our own local University, while for most of the time I was in NUS, I encounter scores after scores of non-Singaporeans.
I worked because I was rejected by NUS. I worked for two years, repeating my A levels, just so that I can “qualify” for NUS. After FINALLY going to NUS, I had to use my CPF and my mom’s CPF. And now I need to service the CPF loans every month. I wonder seriously what’s all these for…
Btw the foreigners told me that they were “begged” by MOE to come to Singapore. I did not use that word, but this was their exact word – Beg. And what was the condition of their scholarship? 6 years’ work in Singapore. That’s it. Many told me they would not stay for the full 6 years they will just leave and they bragged that our government would not be able to do anything. I was hurt by such comments but of course I am powerless to do anything about it.
I have met a few of these foreign students too. They are indeed very ungrateful to Singapore government’s generosity. And I do think ‘SIngaporeans first’ should be what the government would concern themselves with. However, comparing Singapore to other countries are not exactly fair you see. Singapore is small and lacking natural resources (yes the cliche), as well as lacking people, so it is also logical that the government should reach out to the foreigners. The degree of treatment between local and foreigners is not something I agree with though, the living standard in Singapore is so high that Singaporeans are burdened with debt. I just hope they find a way to help us. But then again, life ain’t so fair, so we can only try hard to get what we want. Waiting for the government to fix our problems for us, that day is very far away.
Hmm, I’m not sure I agree about the small & lacking natural resources part. This could be alleviated by a focus on skilled resources. Reaching out to foreigners should never be at the expense of citizens, ie. take care of your own backyard first before trying to tend to someone else’s garden. In other words, money that is used to attract the average foreign student should never exceed the money used to improve the quality of education undertaken by the average Singaporean student.
We live in a country which advertises its status as one of the richest in the world and exhorts us to love it/call it a home etc. Citizens have total buy-in and therefore have higher expectations from their government…They assume that if they are to be proud of where they live in then they ought to have priorities as a citizen. This includes a decent (average) standard of living without having to resort to juggling a few jobs or being in debt. I think the situation (of anti-foreigner sentiment and coping with debt) has been like that for many years and it is the recent aggregation of events that has led to many Singaporeans vocalising their concerns.
“We’re just asking for free tertiary education for Singapore students with potential.”
This is a bit extreme. You are only feeling sore because of the presence of many foreign students on scholarships. I have to admit, their presence distorts rational thinking from many Singaporeans.
Note the real issue: You are going to graduate with a degree that allows you to earn significantly more than the other Singaporeans without one, for many years.
Are you asking the parents of those kids who could not make it into a local uni to pay more taxes so that you can enjoy such an opportunity for free? Do you think they have more reasons to complain than you?
That’s how it is in the us. They give mostly to locals first…..
Many Americans take loans and work part-time to finance their university education too.
Let’s also not forget the the uni fees are raised yet again, leaving students with more than 24k debt.
What is it that the SG government want us to do ?
Student debt uncleared followed by housing debt ?
And they also want more babies from us?
To be okay with people who snatch jobs simply because they can accept lower pay?
The logic is seriously flawed.
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This is very sad. its actually happening for a few years now yet our ministers don’t even dare to bring up to parliament.
Some time ago, a friend of mine who worked as a receptionist handed out a job application for to this prc girl who is applying a job. she got a shock when she ask my friend what does the word occupation means in the form. she got a further shock this prc girl graduated from NUS.
Our govt thinks that by giving such scholarship to prcs would give hope that they will become SG citizens but they didn’t know that they use the scholarship to study free and then left our country. catch them? they r back to their country China already, u think our govt have guts to tell the prc govt about this?
That shows Singapore sucks… Garmen has to give large number of fully paid scholarships to many lowly qualified applicants…….to attract them here. Normally in other country,they don’t do it…..
I gotten a first class honors in engineering from NTU. As we all know engineering as a huge portion of foreigner holding scholarship. It means my academic ability is better then most of these foreigner.
guess what? I am ridden with debt because Singapore government doesn’t finance my education!
Exercise your Rights, VOTE AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT THAT CREATED Such a UNFAIR System towards Singaporean Children!
Only a Vote from you can things really change!!!
The Ftrash are sponsored fully with your Taxpayers money!
“While foreigners enjoy the luxury of studying without worrying about monetary issues”. This is absolutely wrong. Except for the scholars who come from well-to-do family, most of us have to work part-time, minimize our spending while study in Singapore. For most of us, after paying our rent every month we are left with minimal amount from the allowance to finance our living. My entire one year allowance is not even enough to cover my one month rent. What make you think that all scholars are living freely while studying in singapore?
normal singaporean students are not even given any assistance or allowance…
thats not true. Singaporeans’ tuition fee is heavily subsidized.
Yes. I think our tertiary education is heavily subsidised. I have 2 children studying overseas and 2 studying here. The fees are vastly different. They are in the similar faculty so it is fair comparison. I guess it would be same for a foreigner who choose to study in a local institution on his own without a scholarship.
And Singaporean students stay with their parents, for free.
Some even get allowances.
And yes, tuition fees are subsidised too.
Locals also have the same monetary issues, just that they also have to worry about feeding their family in a city that has a higher cost of living.
correction: *one year rent
Singaporean taxpayers pay tax to SG gov then use to give foreigner students. Where the hell is justice there?? Singapore hard earn $ spend on non-Singaporean?? Come united when next SG election come and vote the new SG government in power!!
Exercise your Rights, VOTE AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT THAT CREATED Such a UNFAIR System towards Singaporean Children!
Only a Vote from you can things really change!!! They are using our taxpapers money for Ftrash
You put it very succinctly. Pls read my comments here.
http://gintai.wordpress.com/2012/02/28/my-take-on-the-sun-xu-debacle/comment-page-1/#comment-761
my scholarship allowance per year is 5800. That means on average, for a 10 month AY, i have 580 from the allowance. Currently my rent is around 400+. And you can go ask around , the cheapest rent one can get is around 300+ and still rising. After deducting rent, i am left with only around 180 dollars to spend on transport, food, phone, etc…. Do you think that is enough? I dont think so. Assuming that i eat 10 dollars per day, 1 month is alr around 300 dollars. Allowance alone is definitely not enough for us to survive here. Most of us have to take up part-time job and save as much as possible what we can save everyday. Yet after all these, we still have to ask from our parents for money as apparently that amount is not enough. And i know some of our parents wont be able to support us much.
Please dont go around and spread that we scholars are studying in Singapore without worry about financial matters.
I am not complaining that the amount is not enough or asking for more. Actually most of my friends and me are grateful that your government gives us a chance to have a good quality education in Singapore. Without the scholarships, most of us wont be able to come here.
There are alot of foreign students who actually financing their study here by themselves, taking up loans from the banks… Believe me they still have to pay a big amount after taking up the loan not to mention the interested-accumulated debt when they graduate. And the amount that foreigners need to pay is double what singaporeans need to pay.
Most Singaporeans don’t even have an allowance, not to mention have to pay full fees (of S$3000+/year.)…In other countries, full paying foreigners can pay 5 times more than what the locals pay and have no allowances whatsoever despite higher costs of living. But thank you for your gratitude to Singapore…and I hope you see things from the average Singaporean’s point of view as well.
Lying piece of shit, don’t try to divert the topic, We are talking about Singapore Government using Taxpayers money to sponsor you Ftrash here.
Our MP already verified that Our government Even used Taxpayers money to pay for the accommodation of Ftrash studies here.
http://www.tremeritus.com/2012/02/18/two-thousand-scholarships-worth-36-million-are-awarded-to-foreign-students-each-year/
We get your sarcasm, yes. but apparently you are venting frustration at the wrong group of people. We apply for the scholarship your government offers, and if we are accepted, do we not take it up? It is indeed true that some singaporeans do deserve the scholarship that FT gets, but it is also unfair to discredit the FTs that works hard for the scholarship. We, at least the majority who got the scholarship, are extremely grateful for singaporeans, and lets just leave it at that. Don’t you singaporeans enjoy going to msia to for petrol as well? Petrol is also heavily subsidized there by the government too.
The problem lies not with the FT taking up the scholarships. The problem lies with your local authorities not managing their relationships with the citizens. Singapore boasts many millionaires, but are the affluence doing their part for their fellow citizens? The inherent problem may well lie in the fact that while many complain and attempt to seek justice for those that cant pay for their education, it is only done verbally and not in action.
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I think you guys are barking up the wrong tree by pinpointing at the PRC scholars. Sure, in the light of the events that have recently unfolded, with one or two PRC calling us sbs, what-nots, you can’t possibly think all of them are planning to make a cuckold of Singaporeans. This kind of mentality would only bring down the cohesiveness of our society, and if this worsens we would not be able to hold the racial integration flag with pride.
But I digress; I don’t think the question “Is NUS undermining our capabilities as locals” apt, but rather the question to be asked is “What is NUS doing as an institution to maintain racial integration and its reputation as a fair organisation to both local and foreign students?”
Please explain to me how this involves racial integration. This isn’t a racial problem. The issue at stake is not the ethnic identity: Chinese. It is shoddy immigration policies among other matters.
Couple of points I’d like to throw into the mix:
1. I too have heard PRC engineering students comment they learnt what was taught in Year 1 when they were in Sec 3. Perhaps they’re really that much more academically inclined, especially in the hard sciences, where logic, memory and drilled academic skills count a lot more. Their school system emphasises rote learning. There’s a reason why there are many in the hard sciences in NUS, but so few in other faculties.
2. We all know it’s easy to game interviews and scholarship interviews, if you know what to do, and have practiced well. There are probably as many dud Singaporean “scholars” as PRC ones. Just because you’re a “scholar” doesn’t mean you’re the bee’s knees. So don’t be surprised if they come across as less than stellar.
3. There’s a diplomatic angle to the scholarship. Treat PRC students well, and they’ll remember Singapore’s hospitality. The ones that bitch and moan about Singapore are the extreme minority. Many are very grateful for the opportunity to study here. Some will become movers and shakers in China, possibly because of the quality education they received here, and that early investment in them may pay Singapore dividends. Who doesn’t want to cosy up to China these days?
4. If you’re accepted into NUS but cannot afford the tuition, there are financial assistance schemes available. You can always work something out with NUS. Tuition fee loans are available. As an earlier poster mentioned, wanting a free ride without work or sacrifice is not sufficient grounds to complain about others sabotaging your opportunity to get one.
5. If you want to reap the benefits of a globalised world, you have to be prepared to face up to external challenges in all fronts. You can’t have your cake and eat it. When you talk about someone being special, being one in a million, well, there are a thousand of them in China. And even those who aren’t the cream of the crop are hungrier for success, hardier and willing to do more for less. If you want to insulate yourself from that challenge, you’ll have to remove yourself from the globalised world. But how can Singapore afford to be an island (metaphorically, of course)?
6. As they say, don’t hate the player, hate the game. The rules are plain to see. Work harder. Be better. It’s as simple as that.
Good points you have there! However, I feel that we’ve brought in too many PRCs in the same courses and instead of mingling with the locals & developing friendships..they tend to stick to their own kind…This has led to isolation which further antagonises them. I believe the original intention of the policy was towards integration and appreciation of diversity…This should have been done gradually, discouraging the formation of enclaves.
I agree with you regarding the foreigners sticking to their own kind too! This is probably why the plan to get them to move to Singapore permanently hasn’t worked so well. They don’t feel any sort of attachment to Singapore whatsoever. While I think the foreigners’ attitude contributes much to the problem, the hostility of Singaporeans toward the foreigners also makes it worse. I mean, you don’t exactly want to live in a country where people are seeing you as someone who steals their meals, no.
Another way of looking at PRC and ASEAN scholarships is that it’s ostensibly an altruistic gesture by the Singapore government. Every year, many developed countries give millions to developing countries, and extend billion dollar loans to them. A scholarship for foreigners is very much in the same vein. We’re a developed country, most of ASEAN and China are not, so why not be a good international citizen and give some of those countries a leg up?
In fact, other countries have similar scholarships for foreigners. One that comes to mind is the British Chevening scholarship administered by the UK Foreign Office, so it’s funded by the British taxpayer. It’s extended to the Commonwealth countries, including Singapore, and does not come with a bond. Same thing with the US’ Fulbright Programme. Paid for by American taxpayers, extended to foreigners, no bond.
I just felt compelled to share my personal experience since I was once an NUS ASEAN scholar.
1. Firstly I agree that the scholarship selection lacks transparency and leaves one to wonder how resources are allocated. The lack of diversity – mostly M’sians in the ASEAN one, an overwhelming number of PRCs overall – dies suggest the scholarship, or scholarship marketing, is targeted.
2. The scholarship can be made more dynamic. In my personal experience there are a good number of Singaporean scholars (mostly government/ agency sponsored) as there are foreign scholars, but there’s a surprisingly large number within the top 5% of my cohort that we self funded students. I personally feel that the university can be more responsive by dishing out new scholarships to the top 1-2% who do well each year. Basing scholarship purely at pre-u achievements is backward looking; speaking from personal experience I know I didn’t work as hard because there werent any requirements to keep the scholarship was just passing.
3. The prestige from a scholarship is more precious than the monetary sums. Having worked a decade, I am certain my association with the scholarships has given me some advantage. Employers immediately place scholars at the top percentile for consideration. For this reason, I feel it is critical to rightly reward those who not only earned good pre-u grades, but those who continuously stay at the top of their game, regardless of nationality.
This article reeks of xenophobia. Unless you actually have evidence that there was a systematic bias against Singaporeans and benefiting Chinese nationals (that despite equal credentials, one was picked over the other because of their nationality), you don’t really have a strong argument here. You speculate based on the A level achievements of one friend (and your personal observation that they’re as good if not better than their Chinese counterparts) that there is some kind of overall unfair advantage towards Chinese students. I’m not convinced.
This comparison would only be possible if the Singaporean & Chinese national were applying based on the same qualifications…ie. GCE A Level…or if they both took the same entrance exam. If this is not possible, then it’s going to be difficult to confirm that the top student in XYZ High School in China is better than the average student of our top JCs.
Singaporean have no priority in singapore. *Disappointed.
What can i say: More foreign, Less Singaporean. (How i wish they are oppsite)
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/1-200-singaporeans-citizenship-yearly-dpm-091548225.html
Exercise your Rights, VOTE AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT THAT CREATED Such a UNFAIR System towards Singaporean Children!
Only a Vote from you can things really change!!!
Another good example that proves Singaporeans are more hard driving and hard striving than foreigners.
The problem, I believe, is this: we are funding international students who are deemed only on par with the average NUS/NTU student and that we have admitted too many students from one particular country, into one particular faculty. Certain UK universities have this problem as well. The (non-EU) international students are only of average quality, and there are financial reasons behind that (the international students pay much higher fees than the UK/EU students). There are arguments that more funding is good funding, and the acceptance of more international students help to maintain the universities’ standing. If you were to accept this point of view, you’d see that it makes almost no sense to offer the average international student a place in your university with funding.
Its all about votes.. they want to get future votes from these prospective future citizens.
Why can’t the government waive tuition fees for citizens, at least in NUS? The NUS web site shows that most courses cost around $7,500 for citizens. The annual intake is around 25,000 students. Even if only 50% of them are citizens, the waiver would lead to a loss of only about $94 million, which is peanuts for Singapore.
this is a ridiculous suggestions. how about NTU, SMU, SUTD and SIM?
And even if your calculation is correct, the actual cost for NUS along is 94Million x 4 = 376million, remembering university education with honours lasts 4 years…….
http://www.tremeritus.com/2012/02/18/two-thousand-scholarships-worth-36-million-are-awarded-to-foreign-students-each-year/
In my opinion, there are a few pointers you should take note.
1. Many government scholarships are given to foreign students in the hope of getting them to work and ultimately live the whole life in Singapore. It is to solve all those age-old problems (low birth rate – not enough young people to support the older generation, unbalanced workforce etc.) so OBVIOUSLY foreigners will be given a higher advantage for such scholarships (to attract more of them you see).
2. On the other hand, I also do not think Singaporeans are treated too unfairly by the government either. Take a look at NUS website, there are loads of scholarships/aids strictly for Singaporeans. Furthermore, I do think there are fewer Singaporeans competing for these scholarships compared to foreigners competing for non-Singaporean scholarships. So in fact, Singaporeans are also given special privileges.
3. Colleges, ultimately, is still some sort of a business. So unless you have something to offer (for foreigners’ case, an addition to the local workforce), they would probably give you nothing. So what is the thing so special that Singaporeans have to give to these colleges (NUS, NTU, etc.)? You tell me.
4. Diplomacy, have you considered that? Countries also offer scholarships to other countries to strengthen their relationship. Also, there are many students who study in Singapore are supported by their OWN government scholarships.
5. Another factor you may consider is the sort of degrees the scholarship applicants are pursuing (‘may’ because I have not come across any statistical evidence). If foreigners pursue degrees that are less popular among Singaporeans, they probably have higher chance to be admitted and get a scholarship (diversify the economy, ever heard of that?).
6. The $6,000 living allowance that is given to foreigners, do you think it’s there for nothing? Unlike you, most of them do not have a home to stay in Singapore. If you consider accommodation and food alone, I do not think $6,000 is even close to enough. Many of the foreigners I know have to work hard to support themselves as well. As a student who studied abroad myself, it is very tough to live by yourself, far from your family.
To end this, I think you should know that not only you are suffering. People may not show it, but they probably are facing problems as well. No one has it easy, unless you’re really rich (and even rich people have a whole set of different problems too). EVERYONE has to strive hard to have a good future. So instead of being spiteful, why don’t we just focus on our own business and work hard?
If what you say is true, why is NUS classes overflowing with PRCs ????
I think this is a big assumption. There are indeed many PRC students in NUS, but to the point of ‘overflowing’ number in classes, I don’t think so. Unless you have solid statistical evidence. Moreover, there are courses that most PRC students prefer so there might be a high concentration of them there compared to other courses. Hence the illusion of ‘overflowing with PRCs’
Hey Paps – you are either for us or againt us. If you are for-foreigners, you are against Singaporeans!!!!!
This “they / us” divide is ludicrous. The “they” you refer to is NUS. NUS is the keymaster handing out and witholding scholarships.
The other “they” you allude to are the government – and it’s hard to imagine government getting involved in trifles like how many PRCs get scholarships, and how many locals don’t. Morever, this “they” are “us”, and we are they. We elected to keep them in power. They are human too, and for better or for worse – we made our choice. We are all in this together – the only way to move forwards is to close ranks.
The enemy are not the PRCs coming in to “steal” our scholarships – we know they’re just carving out a future for themselves, even if they grate on our nerves from time to time – nor is it the uni admin for wilfully denying deserving candidates their dues, when we know that they are just bloody disorganized and probably quite stupid. (well, these last are debatable….)
The true enemy is complacency: telling ourselves we are as good, and as driven as other people, and that it’s none of it our fault, we were hard done by someone else — when we could be telling ourselves ok, so they think we aren’t good enough? we’ll show them! — and pulling ahead regardless of the odds, real or imagined. This is why we are lagging behind the major players in SEA – we are our own worst enemy.
I agree with you! Good to see someone who shares the same view! We can’t wait for the government to take care of us, and when they don’t, putting all the blame on them.
Your views puts the debate into perspective. In fact the whole premise of the original blog posting is why a straight-A’s Singaporean didn’t get an interview or scholarship. This has no proven correlation with the number of PRC scholars, who in the first instance do not sit for A levels. I’ve no stats, but is it feasible for NUS to interview all straight A students who apply? The academic landscape has, unfortunate for students, become extremely competitive, but also the world has become increasingly globalised. Don’t be complacent, search and research every opportunity, and why be bitter over NUS when ANU beckons? When I was offered an ivy league place but no scholarship from Singapore, I search every avenue wrote over a hundred letters to seek sponsorship. I didn’t get any as I went to uni during the Asian crisis. Oddly I was bitter then even though I got an NUS scholarship, but 14 years on I can see this different paths would not have set me back as much as long as I persisted in what I wanted to achieve.
“Your life isn’t defined by what happens to you; you define your life by how you choose to respond to the things life throws at you. That is the POWER OF CHOICE!”
It is true – i have met a China PRC girl who is studying on scholarship – I asked her how she got it, she said she never even applied – Spore Govt people came to her village, did a road show and GAVE the scholarships out to those who want.
She is studying her – gets her PR – she dont have to spend a single cent – she is using this as a stepping stone to US after she graduates.
No wonder PRC scholars looks at Singaporeans as “DOGS”
Singaporeans suffer – pay taxes – live simply in sky high so called govt housing that costs a bomb …
Feed foreigners – squeeze the locals
Bottom line, the Spore Govt doesn’t give a rats ass about its own citizens. Consider how much they compensate the parents of NS men killed or severely injured in the line of duty.
Exercise your Rights, VOTE AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT THAT CREATED Such a UNFAIR System towards Singaporean Children!
Only a Vote from you can things really change!!!
VOTE AGAINST THE FTrash loving PAP!
Very well said indeed! Bravo for the honesty and for bringing out how ludicrous our educational system has become!
Children of Elites are first class people, FTs are 2nd class, Other Singaporeans are 3rd class in Singapore.
Male Singaporeans who need to serve NS, like Mr Sun of NUS said are really “Dogs” maybe
Exercise your Rights, VOTE AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT THAT CREATED Such a UNFAIR System towards Singaporean Children!
Only a Vote from you can things really change!!!
Truth is: we don’t want meritocracy, we want singaporeans to be placed before foreigners. Perfectly reasonable, I must concur.
Yeah, all that money spent to bring foreign nationals right to your door step for you to network, broaden your horizons and explore opportunities for your future career…not only did you fail to recognize the value of that…you want to kick them out! No wonder you didn’t get any scholarship!! LOL
By the way…there are 25000 undergrads in NUS…not sure how many are foreigners…but there are also 10000 Master’s and PhD students in NUS…more than half are foreigners…wanna guess how they are funded?
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As an NUS undergrad, possibly even from the same course, I can’t help but feel a powerful sense of empathy. Still, I do wish there was some focus on us “small folk” as well. It seems easy to be ignored by the administration the moment one scores less than a CAP of 4.0. I don’t know if we’d feel as strongly about this if your friend had scored any worse than he did (congratulations by the way, I hope he’s enjoying ANU) and I’m afraid that our sympathy and outrage is fully contingent on performance.
Which it should not be. I’ve had the doors slam shut on me in NUS so many times due to a single mistake. And I think that even we average students or below-average students shold be included.
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Do you know the word ” brain drain ” ? Whereas many other countries are very unhappy because their ” brain ” is OUT , Singaporians should celebrate because your government can make ” brain ” IN .
enough said.. without foreigners, singapore is just a fishing port.
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