Singapore Immigration focus on Singapore Education: The Times Higher Education recently released its latest World University Rankings. Among Asian universities, the National University of Singapore ranked 25th, second only to the University of Tokyo in Japan. In addition to an excellent higher education environment, Singapore has always been a popular destination for international students due to its geographical advantages and bilingual environment. Singapore has become the number one study-abroad destination in Asia most favored by young Chinese students. As a bilingual country, Singapore possesses high-quality higher education resources.
Internationally Recognized Education
Singapore is a bilingual country where English is the official language and Chinese is used in daily life. Schools primarily teach in English, and students receive a full English-language education, though the vast majority of schools also provide bilingual education. Therefore, choosing to study in Singapore allows students to enjoy high-quality education while avoiding the language barriers associated with studying in Europe or the United States, making it an excellent choice for young Chinese students.
According to reports, Chinese students in Singapore study high-value international curricula and earn international diplomas. These are recognized by countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as regions such as Hong Kong and Taiwan, China. Students can be admitted to some of the world's top universities based on their graduation grades without needing to take the TOEFL or IELTS. Furthermore, Singapore offers a direct-track school system, allowing students to progress from primary school through to the final year of high school with minimal academic pressure, giving children sufficient time to cultivate interests and hobbies outside of their studies. Students typically only attend half-day classes, with academic subjects in the morning and extracurricular activities in the afternoon to develop interests and specialties.
Most primary and secondary schools in Singapore implement small-class teaching, with no more than 15 students per class and a teacher-student ratio of 1:12, allowing teachers to provide higher levels of attention to each student. The faculty configuration in schools is also relatively high-end; most teachers are graduates from relevant majors at top universities in developed Western countries or Singapore itself, hold professional teaching certificates, and possess relatively rich experience in teaching international curricula.
However, what appeals even more to Chinese parents is that Singapore's primary and secondary schools are highly international, with students coming from nearly 70 countries around the world. Some high-end schools specifically provide educational services for the children of foreign diplomats stationed in Singapore and senior executives of Global 500 companies, allowing children to broaden their international perspective from a young age.
Unique Accompanying Parent Policy
As the only country in the world that allows foreign primary and secondary school students aged 6-16 and children aged 3-6 to attend local government schools and kindergartens, the Singaporean government's "Mother Accompanying Study" policy allows mothers of students under 17 to accompany their children, which is quite attractive to families with young students. However, study-abroad experts remind parents that the policy stipulates that only the mother may accompany the student; the father cannot. Grandmothers can only replace the mother in accompanying the student to Singapore under special circumstances. Fathers can only travel to Singapore by applying for a work visa.
The Singaporean government explicitly stipulates that after a student has been enrolled in a government primary or secondary school for one year, the student's mother is permitted to work legally in Singapore, subject to conditions such as educational background, language skills, age, and health status. Since mothers are prohibited from working during the first year, it is recommended that families with young students prepare approximately 100,000 RMB to cover living and study expenses in Singapore for the first year. Mothers may continue to accompany their children until the student enters a Singaporean government polytechnic or university.
If parents wish for their children to become independent earlier, they may also choose to have their children live in student dormitories or board with local families.
