College Courses

From East to East
- Angelo G. Garcia, Manila Bulletin

A first-world country with two public universities included in the top 200 world ranking, Singapore is fast becoming a Filipino student’s top choice for global education…

As of September 2008, according to a Department of Education fact sheet, there are more than six million secondary students enrolled in public and private schools.

On the other hand, the Commission on Higher Education’s Directory of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), AY 2006-2007 lists a total of 2,036 schools offering tertiary education.

The lopsided RP school to student ratio: one to about 3,000!

The number of tertiary schools in the country does not necessarily indicate the quality of education. In a country where quality education is limited to a few schools, some even coming with a high price tag, it’s not surprising to see Filipino students opting to go abroad to get their degrees with an assurance that they get their money’s worth.

The USA is still the top education destination for Filipino students but one of the Philippines’ neighboring countries is fast becoming an optimal choice. Boasting of universities that are ranked top among the world’s best, Singapore can easily compete with the big universities of the world.

“Our goal is to make Singapore a global school hub in the global school house, an education destination because Singapore is always known as a center for finance, for life sciences and biotechnology. You cannot have these kinds of industries if you don’t have the talent those industries require,’’ explains Singapore Tourism Board (STB) Education Services director John Conceicao at a recent familiarization tour participated in by Filipino school administrators and journalists.

STB has created a division totally dedicated to promoting Singapore as an education hub, led by the Singapore Economic Development Board and supported by the STB, SPRING Singapore, International Enterprise Singapore and the Ministry of Education.

WESTERN EDUCATION IN AN EASTERN SETTING

Singapore is not new to global students. It has been catering to international students for years now and as of 2007, there are an estimated 86,000 international students of 120 nationalities receiving Singapore education from primary to tertiary levels.

“If you look at the profile of our universities and even our primary and secondary schools, you will see there is a lot of percentage of international students who come to Singapore,” Conceicao says.

He adds that the thrust to promote education is one way of enhancing the only resource Singapore has— people.

“Public education in Singapore is very strong because we have no natural resources at all, we even buy our water from Malaysia. And the only natural resource we have are the people. So the government has given a lot of money into education and to developing education.”

But what Filipino students find attractive is Singapore’s western-style education which are based on the British and American systems, plus its proximity to the Philippines of course.

“Singapore’s unique selling point is its comparable, if not better, western style of education in a Asian environment,” Conceicao says.

Also, Singapore’s unique location and various ethnic groups in its population — large numbers coming from Chinese and Indians — make it an ideal place for international relations. “If you look at where the fastest growing economies are in the world, it’s in Asia. Southeast Asia is developing and you have China and India growing at a very fast rate. We provide access to Asia,” Conceicao says.

FEW SCHOOLS, QUALITY EDUCATION

Education has become one of the top priorities of the Singapore government. With three local autonomous universities, one private comprehensive university, five polytechnics, 16 leading foreign tertiary institutions, 40 international schools offering basic education and a rapidly evolving private education landscape, Singapore education has indeed a lot to offer.

However, capacity has always been an issue for Singapore schools. Universities do not accept all graduating students from high school. In order for a student to be in a university they have to be among the best.

“Twenty percent of the slots is reserved for international students, so that local students will benefit from global education. Thinking and the sharing of ideas among students is very important to us,” he adds.

Most international students prefer to take business-related courses, which is one of the courses that Singapore schools are known for. Other strong programs that Singapore education offers are on engineering, science technology and multimedia design, tourism, life sciences, and biotechnology.

CHOICES

Singapore education provides its foreign students an array of institutions that offer a wide selection of courses, from culinary arts to MBA. Among them:

• The National University of Singapore (NUS), the state university, is ranked 30th in the QS World University Rankings 2008. It benchmarks itself against global standards.

• The SIM University (UniSIM), on the other hand, is the first private university in Singapore offering 50 high quality academic programs under its Global Education Program with partnerships from top international universities from the US, UK, Australia and Switzerland. UniSIM currently has 2,500 international students, a large percent coming from Indonesia. There are 10 Filipino students at UniSIM currently.

• The TMC Educational Group provides training and educational programs in English Language, Arts and Humanities, Business and Management, Communications and Information technology throughout its 25-year history.

• The Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS), the country’s oldest and not-for-profit professional institute for learning, has 38 programs, from certificate to doctorate courses.

• For students who are inclined to the arts, the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) is one of the best options for Filipino students. The school offers a wide range of arts-based courses, from 3D Design to Dance.

• The Tourism Academy @ Sentosa, on the other hand, answers the increasing demand for tourism and hospitality management students. A collaborative effort between Sentosa Leisure Group and Temasek Polytechnic, this government tertiary institution is known for market-oriented and industry relevant education.

• For the aspiring chefs, the At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy boasts a culinary arts tradition that spans from the east and west cultures. It also boasts of its faculty, well-traveled ethnic chefs and 30 visiting professors and chef instructors from partner institution Johnson & Wales University of the USA. At-Sunrice also has partnerships with Singapore’s top hotels like the Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore, Fours Seasons Hotel and Grand Hyatt, just to name a few. It currently has 26 international students and a total of 15 Filipino students.

• The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is one of Singapore’s international schools, and UNLV’s first international campus. It offers Bachelor of Science Degree in Hotel Administration and executive master’s degree in Hospitality Management.

• For post-graduate programs INSEAD “The Business School of the World” is the top choice for Filipino students. INSEAD offers an full-time MBA program, doctoral programs and many executive education programs.

(To know more about Singapore Education visit www.singaporeedu.gov.sg)