Since 1992 Singapore's Ministry of Education has operated a scholarship programme for regional students to study in Singapore universities. Like the scholarship programmes to send Singaporean students overseas Scholars in Singapore the scheme is really a manpower recruitment programme, since the students are required to work in Singapore for 6 years after graduation. (Officially, the students sign a contract with a consortium of government owned companies rather than with the government itself, but this distinction is pretty nominal.)
Initially, the scheme operated by arrangement with a number of top universities in China, with students already admitted to these participating insititutions being selected based on the results of an aptitude test and math/english tests shortly after they start their freshman year. The awarded students then withdraw from the host universities and move to Singapore to undergo a 8-month matriculation programme before being admitted as freshmen to NUS or NTU. Later the scheme was extended to other countries such as India, Indonesia, Vietnam, etc, and also to high school students in selected localities by arrangement with the local governments, with the students undergoing a longer matriculation programme before college admission.
For some time, Singaporean students have been trending away from technological studies towards business, life sciences and arts (they seem to be imitating USA, which has been relying on Asian hightech manpower for several decades), and the regional students have conveniently filled this gap. However, students from China and India have lately also been turning away from technology too, and the gap has been filled for the moment by students from later participating countries like Vietnam. North Korea could very well be a new participant. While these countries may have a social and economic system very different from modern Singapore, their schools can still be doing an adequate job in teaching the fundamental knowledge preparatory for university education, and the main remedial instruction the students require is in English language. The situation has allowed the scholarship programme to fulfil its intended purpose.
Social and political issues related to Singapore and the South East Asia region. A blog which attempts to do so in a non-trivial manner treating opposing views with the respect they deserve. Contributions are welcomed from all regardless of your political persuasion.
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ReplyDeleteGotta hand it to the social engineers — they are using their aboslute powers in creative ways.
ReplyDeleteAs the local lasses are now better educated and fiercely independent compared to their moms and grans, they are in greater numbers (quite rightly so) refusing to be broodmares for the state and nowadays have the freedom to choose lives of their own.
The guys — well Asian society is still predominently male-controlled — they just have more choices, and the society in general is the wealthiest it has been since "merdeka".
In a recent survey, more than half the kids polled wanted to move overseas. That kinda stuffs up Der Führer's Grand Plan for a wonderfully socially engineered society that was to be the envy of the world.
So what to do? How to reverse the brain-drain?
Simple. Hand out the goodies to the regional neighbours, all funded by the S'pore taxpayer of course. And guarantee these young'uns a job in S'pore for 6 years after. Perhaps they'll meet a mate and repopulate the ageing country. Wave the HDB carrot under their noses. A plausible plan.
Everything works "perfectly" when ther is no seperation of State from the realms of human activity. The State controls education, the economy, the required amount of personel to be trained in specific skills, immigration, housing etc etc etc.
...and lest we forget, the state has the monopoly on justice, legislation and the rule of law, or as someone recently noted the rule BY law.
It's such a shame about the once popular idea of "individual liberty", and freedom from state interference.
And now, voila! A brand new bunch of serfs for the social engineers to tinker with.
Oh well, you can't have everything I suppose...
Heil Harry! PAP Über Alles!
The immigrant scholars typically come from autocratic countries, so they are accustomed to living without individual liberties. If they can be enticed to become Singapore citizens, then they can help dilute the voting power of more progressive Singaporeans. Those progressive Singaporeans also tend to be the ones who leave Singapore for the West, hastening the dilution. We can now replace pesky Singaporean scholars (who will demand unnecessary things such as freedom of expression) with Vietnamese communist-educated scholars who will gladly do anything to come to Singapore. It is ironic that mentor Lee once detained people for decades for advocating communism, when his behavior is now so similar to Vietnamese or mainland Chinese dictators.
ReplyDeleteSome of these immigrants are using Singapore as a stepping stone. With their education in Singapore and the exposure given in their six years of work, most of these students will go to States or Europe.
ReplyDeleteSuch cases are most evidently in the nursing community.
The wondeful thing about the state is that is uses force to pitch one "group" against another.
ReplyDeleteOne "group" is given benefits by the forcible confiscation of property from another (disempowered) group.
The "sacrificed" group, of course is the local tax-paying Singaporean, who by his own govt policy is discriminated against for the sake of "nation building" aka social engineering.
They might be unaware of the fact, because it's obscured by all the glitz and hope, but the fact is this: these foreign students and new serfs-in-waiting are simply substituting one type of totalitarianism for another.
Yes, they, generally speaking, hail from basket case Turd Whirled Cuntries and come to a "developed" Global City like Singapore. Can anyone blame them? Of course not!
If I was a kid living in a Turd Whirled Cuntry, I too would jump at the chance to come to Singapore and get educated at someone elses expense. Plus I have a job waiting for me when I graduate.
That sure beats a life of street urchining, prostitution, petty-larcency or indentured servitude.
With due respect, though it is true to some extent that people from communist or autocratic countries are accustomed to lack of freedom here, it does NOT mean that these FT (foreign talents or students) are so law-abiding.
ReplyDeleteOn the contrary, with their first experience of leaving their goddamn countries, they take a 'NO-HOLDS BARRED' approach in Singapore.
We have read, seen or told about:
China Mamasans and Study Mamas
(which other people with children studying here, have the same extent of people going into shady business like prostitution, massage parlours here??)
Now we also sad to hear of China student girls who are students by day and mistresses/prostitues by night---and breaking up our local families; and providing competition for our local wives.
DO THEY GIVE AN IMAGE OF DOCILENESS AND RESPECT FOR OUR LOCAL LAWS?
ON THE CONTRARY, THE ANSWER IS 'NO'.
I think we Singaporeans are more 'law-abiding' than these so-called Foreign talents.
Perhaps as someone suggested that we should allow the China women to be employed as MAIDS, as they claimed that they cannot work in kopi-tiams as the pay is too low.
IS this the attitude of someone who came from a worse-off country ?
Is this a sign of gratitude or greed or a problem of culture ?
Are these people the best talent we can get or is Singapore been sent the worst ones from China ? (eg example of FT: the oldest profession type of FT (eg prostitution) ?
We have heard of reports of these people protesting about the closure of massage parlours; and breaking the law.
Their arrogance and guts to complain that they have NO better job to do and at the same time breaking our laws.
I wonder how the other foreigners survive here?
I wonder whether OTHER foreigners are allowed to become Study Mamas when their children study here ?
Why the favourism shown to a particular group that has brought shame to our country and whose culture is FAR from our culture here.
WHY HAVE NONE OF THEM BEEN ARRESTED ?
(EXCEPT FOR THE FALUNGGONG).
Hey dude, some women flog their vaginas... this has been goin on for thousands of years.
ReplyDeleteIMO, it is good that the viagra-popping seniors have a pool of "cheap imports" to choose from.
Man, the free market is happening — and all markets are demand driven
Those old-fogeys, vigourous players on the demand-side of the market, are gonna get their ends in...and no silly government laws, do-gooder FemiNazis, or Bible thumpin Christian is going to stop that. (now ain't that a bitch?)
In short:
Prohibition, and all attempts to stop the customer from getting what he wants, ALWAYS fails
...it doesn't matter what is "prohibited" — free speech, drugs, prostitution, libel, slander, murder, theft, pornography, rock-n-roll, corruption, loan sharking, smuggling...you name it.