Singapore... A Scholarship Student State

Sources : http://www.sph.com.sg/pr_images/image/CATS%20Recruit%20Scholarship%20&%20Top%20University%20Fair(1).jpg

    With the vision of human development as the vital key, Singapore has been propelled forward from small poor country status with limited human and natural resources to being a global player that has developed greatly as a nation strong in economics. Most recently, Times Higher Education magazine in 2012-2013 ranked two universities in Singapore among the 100 best universities in the world, marking National University of Singapore in 29th position and Nanyang Technological University in 86th position.    Throughout the decades, Singapore has emphasized educational systemic development to the place where Singapore?s education system has exceptionally upgraded. Singapore also attracts numbers of outstanding students to study from the surrounding region and also from around the world, especially in tertiary education.
   According to the vision of Mr Lee Hsien Loong, the Prime Minister of Singapore, Singapore?s education system will expand and multiply in the future to support increasing target groups. He has been clear to announce that by 2020, the proportion of Singapore youth studying to tertiary level will increase to 40 percent compared to the current 27 percent. This percentage does not include international students studying in Singapore. In addition, Singapore plans to promote the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and Singapore Institute of Management University (UniSIM) as universities. This plan will thus increase the total number of universities in Singapore by two, making a total of six universities in Singapore to support the expansion of education in the future.
   Singapore?s long historic education strategy toward Nation Building that I analyze to be the country?s crucial key in developing prosperity in the last ten years has been the granting of scholarships for study abroad by excellent students. The reason for this is that these students will bring their knowledge back to develop the country. In addition, Singapore grants scholarships to exceptional international students to attract them to Singapore from all around the world, thus creating further resources for nation building.

Colonial era (before 1950)- Singapore was granted scholarships by England for capable students to study abroad
Having been colonized by England, and not separated from Malaysia at that time, Singapore received the privilege of scholarship support from the England Scholarship Granting organization. These scholars were important people and very important for developing Singapore in the future, being namely such former politicians and lawyers as Edmund William Barker, Kwa Geo Choo, the wife of Lee Kuan Yew, and others.

Era of the Declaration of Independence (1950-1979) ? The Singaporean government granted scholarships for excellent students to study abroad at world class universities. At first, Singapore still supported first-rate students to be scholarship recipients from scholarship granting organizations, for their study of many knowledge and science topics important to the country?s development, such recipients namely being former Prime ministers - Goh Chok Tong and Chiang Chie Foo. After declaring independence from Malaysia, the Government of Singapore itself allocated governmental scholarships for outstanding students to study in world class universities, who would then receive these scholarships from scholarship granting organizations. To illustrate, they granted scholarships for excellent students to study in Oxford, Cambridge and other universities in England. After they graduated, they would return to be important leaders of organizations and institutions, both in the government and private sector. Such people played an important part in propelling Singapore to be prosperous in the future, namely Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, and others.

   Development Era (1980-2000)? Singapore?s government granted scholarships for excellent students to study in world class universities around the world
   In this era, the Singaporean government extended its scope to granting scholarships for students to study in universities in Australia, New Zealand, England and the United States.  In addition, the government granted full master degree scholarships to students so that they would become good human resources in developing the country.

   Rapid Development Era (2000 ? present) ? Singapore?s government grants scholarships to excellent students to prepare them to be leaders in different fields
   This is not only for outstanding Singaporean students, but also for intelligent foreign students too. Scholarships are granted on the condition that they must work for three years in Singapore?s institutions and organizations after they have graduated. This is to attract and provide high-quality human resources into Singapore?s institutions and organizations.
 
   Today, Singapore?s institutions and organizations do not lack high-quality and intelligent human resources to take the important positions. These people are the vital mechanism propelling Singapore?s economy into prosperity and simultaneously into a global player that is powerful in economics as well.

   If Thailand will learn from this lesson and adopt this idea, it might be useful, though things must first start with the vision of the country?s chief executive. In addition, despite a change of government, we should also prolong policies that will be useful for the country in the long term.

Kriengsak Chareonwongsak.
Senior Fellow at Harvard University?s Center of Business and Government.
kriengsak@kriengsak.com, http://www.kriengsak.com