S'pore on track to be 'Global Schoolhouse'

It drew 80,000 foreign students last year - past halfway mark of target of 150,000 by 2015


SINGAPORE has already passed the halfway mark in its quest to become a Global Schoolhouse with 150,000 international students by 2015.

Last year, it hosted nearly 80,000 foreign students, said Minister of State (Trade and Industry) S. Iswaran at the inaugural Singapore Education Awards ceremony last night.

The number of foreign students increased 11.6 per cent over the previous year and 46 per cent over 2003.

While these students hail from more than 120 nations, Chinese students - a growing force worldwide - form the majority and have overtaken Malaysians and Indonesians, traditionally the largest foreign student groups here.

Another sign that the Singapore education sales pitch is on course: The industry's contribution to gross domestic product doubled from 1.9 per cent, or $3 billion, in 2002 to 3.8 per cent, or about $8 billion, today.

The aim is to increase this to about 5 per cent by 2015.

The Government launched the 'Singapore as the Global Schoolhouse' road map in 2002, when an economic review committee recommended that the Republic ride on a predicted surge in demand for international higher education.

Singapore could tap on its English-speaking advantage and high educational standards, the panel noted.

Mr Iswaran said the latest figures show that the Government's efforts to woo foreign students have started to 'bear fruit'.

He said: 'Singapore is a choice location for education for many students and parents from overseas.

'They cite our cosmopolitan character, global connectivity, safe and friendly environment, bilingual society and quality education offerings as key factors.'

Apart from Singapore's excellent public education system, the private education sector has grown, with the Economic Development Board inviting marquee names to set up campuses here.

About 20 foreign institutions, from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts to Insead, have since accepted the invitation.

Efforts to spread the name of Singapore education have also intensified, with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) mounting roadshows in more than 30 regional cities in the last two years.

It has also set up Singapore education service centres here and in Jakarta, Indonesia, with plans to open in places like Chennai in India or Ho Chih Minh in Vietnam.

Last night, in a ceremony at the National Museum, the STB gave out awards for the first time to recognise those who have helped promote Singapore education.

For Singapore to continue its steady progress, however, something has to be done about the varying standards of private schools here.

Complaints against them have risen, and the Education Ministry is looking into a licensing system to ensure private schools meet certain standards before they can operate.

It is also exploring the feasibility of an accreditation system to recognise the better private schools, said Mr Iswaran.

Chinese student Janita Li, 19, who is taking language classes at the British Council, hailed such a move.

The Harbin native said: 'I wanted to speak and write English well, but at the first two private schools I went to, I found that the teachers were not even English graduates and were not trained to teach English.'

Mr Seah Seng Choon, executive director of the Consumers Association of Singapore, noted that existing schemes like the CaseTrust mark for private schools have helped protect students' fees, but nothing is in place to ensure academic standards.

'Singapore's reputation has accounted for the improvement in student numbers. But we need to do more if we want the numbers to continue to increase,' he said.