According to a report by Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao on the 4th, an increasing number of Singaporean students are choosing to study in China at their own expense, with the subjects of study no longer limited to Chinese language, but expanding to include other disciplines such as law, medicine, and journalism.
Data provided by the Chinese Embassy in Singapore shows a surge in the number of Singaporean students studying in China over the past two years. In 2002, there were only 583 Singaporean students studying in China, and by 2007, this number had increased to 1,480, an increase of nearly a thousand. The number further increased significantly between 2008 and 2009, rising from 2,155 in 2008 to 3,198 in 2009.
The majority of these students are enrolled in short-term (within one year) programs, with 1,516 students participating in short-term studies last year, accounting for about half of the total number of international students; while 801 students were enrolled in undergraduate programs, making up about a quarter of the total. Among them, Singaporean students in short-term studies mainly focus on language courses.
Recently, Zhou Jianping, the education counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Singapore, stated that the main subjects studied by Singaporean students in China are language, history, philosophy, economics, and traditional Chinese medicine, and they are concentrated in more than ten universities in China, including Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fudan University, Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Central China Normal University.
Additionally, there is a new trend where the subjects studied by Singaporean students in China have become more diverse. For example, at Fudan University, the number of Singaporean students admitted in 2005 was 12, all of whom were studying language courses; by 2009, this number had increased to 44. These 44 students are taking courses in law, journalism, medicine, business administration, international politics, and more.
Counselor Zhou believes that the increase in the number of Singaporean students studying in China is closely related to China's economic development. Furthermore, for Singaporean students, Chinese culture is relatively close to their own, making it easier for them to adapt, especially since they already have a certain foundation in the Chinese language, making it easier to pursue studies in China. However, Counselor Zhou believes that compared to the exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in other fields, especially in economic and trade relations, this number still seems too small, and the growth rate is relatively slow.
