Another policy tightening is on the horizon :(

[BillyB]

Why do they have only 3/4 universities here in the 1st place? A city like Bangalore that is almost same size as Singapore has more than a hundred engineering colleges and churns out 10s of 1000s of Engineers every year. Of course the quality of education is not the same but then everyone can afford to get into an engineering college there and there loans in plenty for those who can't.

Singapore being so proactive in most of things has got some very basic stuff completely wrong. One, as Billy pointed out access to education for cheap and 2nd the cost of medical facilities and these two have mainly contributed to the absymal low fertility rates and the need to bring in foreigners.

Can't believe you wrote this.

Bangalore can still draw from the whole of India, more than 1B people. Singapore on the other hand, can only draw from 5M AND is land scarce as well. Campuses take up a lot of space.

Well, If Singapore can build high rise HDB flats in limited space then they can be innovative enough to build universities in limited space. They definitely have enough resources(financial + foreign labour) to build universities. But then casinos and theme parks have higher priority here

Lol - great point!!

[ecureilx]

Well, If Singapore can build high rise HDB flats in limited space then they can be innovative enough to build universities in limited space. They definitely have enough resources(financial + foreign labour) to build universities. But then casinos and theme parks have higher priority here

Not to offend you, but pray, how did they 'insert' SMU In the midst of the city ??

[boffenl]

You guys are on a roll today--pointing out the obvious.

Universities have not been the priority until very, very recently. Remember the meritocracy--only the special can get a degree, so must limit the spots for the special to truly be special. You can see with the explosion that is NUS University Town and the new SIT things are gradually changing. But not soon enough for the parents of students who didn't make the cut at NUS, SMU or NTU.

[thismyvoice]

The reason Singaporeans are upset about university places is because they felt that as citizens, it should be easier and cheaper for them to get into local universities. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Local universities have many foreign students, and some of them are sponsored by the government. Citizens are able to get interest free (interest is charged after they start working) study loans to sponsor their study. They work part time to get pocket money. Foreign scholars, get to study free, get priority in hostel and got allowance to boot. They don't have to work for pocket money.

To make things worse, not all of them perform that well in their studies. Some could be just above average. Did you know that this country actually paid good money (to another country) to bring scholars into Singapore?

From the country's perspective, Singapore need talents that can integrate well with the local workforce. Good students, are brought into the country in their teens for this purpose. After spending so much money in their education, Singapore can't be sending them back to their home country at the last lap, just because they are not outstanding.

Education, healthcare, housing, transport ... things are just getting worse. These are the pillars and foundations of the country. With the recent proliferation of dead bodies appearing everywhere, Singapore cannot even crow too much about safety. Jobs may not seem to be an issue initially, but open your eyes and you will notice old hands cleaning tables and very educated taxi drivers.

The government may have taken it easy for the past decade but they are not stupid. For them, it is now all hands on deck. Change is coming.

[boffenl]

Jobs may not seem to be an issue initially, but open your eyes and you will notice old hands cleaning tables and very educated taxi drivers.

The government may have taken it easy for the past decade but they are not stupid. For them, it is now all hands on deck. Change is coming.

Oh, I hope you are right! For all Singaporeans, I hope you are right!