An alternative destination for quality education
PRESENTING Singapore as a worthy alternative destination for qualitative education, especially higher studies, the City-State's Acting Minister for Education, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, has zeroed in on the opportunities for students from India.
The following are excerpts from his written answers to questions on various aspects of the education scene in Singapore. In addition, he spoke at length, during a direct face-to-face interview to in Singapore, on its competitive "blend of conservatism in the social dimension with dynamism in the intellectual dimensions."
Q: What makes you think that Singapore can be a highly competitive destination for Indian students with regard to higher studies?
A: Singapore presents a strong alternative to the traditionally popular choices of the UK and the US. Some points in its favour:
Diversity of choices: Some of the best brand names from around the world are located here. For example, we have 12 leading foreign universities offering education programmes in Singapore. Our own local brands, such as NUS and NTU, rank among the best in Asia.
Geographical and cultural proximity to India, which translates to quality education at lower cost. With leading foreign education institutions ... and a high representation of international students in private education institutions [being conspicuous in Singapore], international students receive not just a "Singaporean" education, but a truly international education.
Availability of scholarships and bursaries: Fees for tertiary education are very low, as the Government heavily subsidises a substantial portion of the full tuition fees, in the form of a tuition grant, for students studying in our universities and polytechnics. Foreign students who wish to receive the tuition grant are required to sign a Tuition Grant Agreement with the Government.
For these students, the subsidised fees are 10 per cent more than what a Singaporean student would pay. In return for the subsidised education, tuition grant recipients will be bonded to work in Singapore-registered companies for 3 years upon graduation.
Our employment pass and visa schemes facilitate the entry of foreign talent to Singapore. There is a safe and reliable environment.
What is the rationale of an agency such as the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) being involved in promoting the City State as a centre of learning?
Promoting Singapore as an education hub requires both extensive marketing channels as well as brand-building capabilities. As the champion agency for the tourism industry over the past 40 years, the Singapore Tourism Board has a well-established network of offices around the world, particularly in key education target markets in the region. It has also developed particular organisational skills and marketing experience in building consumer awareness internationally.
The appointment of the STB as the promotion agency for a Singapore education enables Singapore to leverage on STB's vast network of offices and its inherent expertise in mass marketing to an international audience.
Please identify the spheres of excellence in Singapore and compare them, if you will, with similar strengths of some major powers with high academic profiles and research facilities, such as the United States.
Our local universities have developed strong capabilities in a number of areas, particularly in the sciences and engineering. Their business schools are also well regarded in the Asia-Pacific region. At the undergraduate level, the universities offer a wide range of rigorous programmes with cross-faculty requirements which give students exposure to other disciplines. This allows the students to enjoy the best of both the British system of specialisation and the American broad-based approach.
There are also many opportunities for overseas exchanges and attachment programmes.
As the universities started out with a largely teaching mission, it was only in the last 5 to 10 years that they have increased their research intensity. While they have made significant strides, they have understandably not reached the standards achieved by the top research universities in the U.S., given the short span of time. Nevertheless, our goal is to build up peaks of excellence. For instance, the NUS set up a Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering in 2002 to spearhead trans-disciplinary graduate education and research in science, engineering and medicine. It draws in the top research faculty from NUS and the A*STAR research institutes, and is very selective in student admission.
The NTU is also exploring the possibility of setting up a similar graduate school.
Research grants are also readily available here, particularly in biomedical sciences. A number of research institutes have been set up in recent years.
For example, the NUS's Office of Life Sciences and A*STAR's Biomedical Research Council (BMRC) recently awarded the Young Investigator Award 2003 to 10 young researchers. The winners will each receive research funding of up to Singapore $550,000 over three years.
In business studies, business schools such as Wharton and UCLA have collaborated with Singapore institutions to offer postgraduate courses tailored for an Asian environment, thereby creating new intellectual property.
In specialised areas of education such as finance and banking, the SMU offers a Master of Science in Wealth Management together with the Swiss Banking School.
More recently, the PSB Academy has tied up with the American Bankers Association to offer courses in consumer risk management and SME credit risk management, all of which apply global management concepts tailored to the Asian environment.
The range of graduate programmes has mushroomed in recent years, giving students diverse study options. Some of these include:
* Master of Science in Wealth Management
* Master in Transportation and Logistics
* Ph.D programme at the NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering, encompassing transdisciplinary graduate education and research in science, engineering and related aspects of medicine.
* Master of Science and Ph.D in Bio-engineering.
* Master of Management in Hospitality (to be launched in 2005)
We have also managed to attract top universities from around the world to collaborate with our local universities in spearheading postgraduate education and research. The Ministry of Education is undertaking a major review of university autonomy, governance and funding. One of the objectives is to allow the universities more autonomy and flexibility to enable them to respond effectively to the rapidly changing global environment and competition from all over the world. We are also re-examining how to fund the universities in such as way that they have sufficient incentives and resources to develop higher peaks, even while they raise the general level of education for the bulk of their students.
Do you have any set of "dos' and don'ts" for academic endeavours by foreign students including, in particular, those from India?
We encourage our international students to make the most out of their education opportunity in Singapore by taking their learning beyond the classroom. Singapore is one of the most exciting exchange centres, where people, ideas and talent converge from all over the world. Students would do well to exploit fully the networking opportunities available to them, both in the classroom as well as outside, and form valuable social networks that will help them leapfrog in their careers in later life. In addition, the cultural and intellectual exchanges arising among these students will allow them to gain a better appreciation for other countries - an important perspective in an increasingly globalised world.
Singapore also offers a vibrant, cosmopolitan, contemporary social scene. From the plethora of tantalising eateries to the multitude of cultural and arts offerings, students are encouraged to explore and absorb the cultural diversity that is uniquely Singaporean.
Do you think that Singapore is a particularly India-friendly educational centre in view of the presence of professionals from India and/or professionals of Indian origin in your teaching faculties and other areas of higher learning?
Singapore is an open and cosmopolitan society where peoples from different parts of the world live, interact and work together. Among the many expatriate nationalities in Singapore, we have a large number of Indian nationals, particularly in the info-communications industry.
Beyond this, Singapore has always had a long-standing and close cultural, social and historical linkage with the subcontinent.
Today, Singapore has a thriving Indian community. Indian Singaporeans play an integral role in the social, economic and political fabric of Singapore. Of the four national languages of the country, one is an Indian language, i.e. Tamil. Non-Tamil Indian students [are] allowed to offer one of the following Indian languages as a non-Tamil mother tongue language in schools: Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi or Urdu. Indian students studying in Singapore ... will find a welcoming nation which incorporates many facets of Indian society, from food and culture to religion.
Singapore welcomes the presence of Indian students in our national schools. Indian students typically perform well academically. They add to the competition and diversity of backgrounds and perspectives that we desire to see in our national schools. At the university level, talented Indian students have gone on to be very successful in their chosen fields. Our local students benefit from becoming friends with students from India.
Through their interactions, they will develop a deeper understanding of India - its people, culture and modern history. This will become increasingly relevant as India's global presence and economic role grow. Collaboration with India on the education front is focused at the tertiary level.
Our universities have signed formal Memoranda of Understanding with top Indian institutions such as the Indian Institute of Technology, Bangalore (IIT-B), Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (IISc), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi. These agreements have facilitated the exchange of academic and research personnel and students, as well as joint research collaborations.
What steps is Singapore taking to attract talented teaching professionals and research personnel from India to enhance your country's profile as a centre of higher studies?
Singapore is always interested in attracting the best and brightest global talent. As such, we have taken steps to ensure that our employment pass and visa schemes facilitate the entry of foreign talent to Singapore.
With the expected signing of the Singapore-India CECA (Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement), it will certainly catalyse the inflow of Indian talent to Singapore for the education industry.
P. S. SURYANARAYANA
Singapore: Destination for Education
