Scholarships should be based on merit, not nationality: Baey

[friendship]

how many are from neighbouring countries?

[friendship]

not with MOE but with individual school that sponsored the scholars.

[Sun_2010]

Just my 2 cents of a differing prespective

Has anyone wondered why this being done ?

Afterall there had to be some benefits before a policy is implemented. It is definetly not a purely altrustic policy.

One important benefit I see that would be hard to simulate otherwise.
It is a fact that most of these scholars raise the standard of the levels. The competitive environment drives the local students. i have heard the opinion from students in 2 different IP schools that once in Year 3 , the local kids get a face the heat of the competition from these scholars. This really drives them to work harder. It also prepares them to handle a real world than being cocooned.

So personally,
Do i have to pay full school fees ? Yes.
Do i begrudge the scholars their scholarship? - No
Should there be a better criteria/checks for taking in scholars? - Yes

[raysusan]

http://temasektimes.wordpress.com/2012/03/01/easy-for-foreigners-to-enter-singapore-polytechnics-using-forged-certificates-prc-student-in-singapore/


It is very easy for foreigners including PRC college students from mainland China to gain direct admission into Singapore polytechnics using forged certificates, revealed one PRC student currently studying in Singapore on the popular Lion City Forum frequented by mainland Chinese.

In a discussion thread started by a PRC student expressing his unhappiness at the ‘preference’ displayed by local polytechnics towards college students in China, one netizen wrote that it is relatively easy to obtain ‘real’ education certificates in China if one has the right connections and money:

http://temasektimes.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/fakecertpr01.jpg

“Just find some connections from the family and use money to convert the result to a ‘real’ one……it’s not a secret anymore, can say that many ‘DAE-foreign’ are using fake results….”

(“家里找关系或者花钱做个公证..于是成绩就光明正大变真的 因为中国考试系统只能查出应届的成绩 很多人就有了可乘之机 这不算什秘密了 可以说dae-foreign 多数都是假成绩 因为二本以上的话很少有人放弃本科来读专科并且现在无pr 就业也不明朗”)

Another netizen added that it is quite easy to use the same ‘method’ to get admitted to Singapore universities as well.

(听说超过一本线30可以以直接报大学。那这样是不是也是很多人作假？)

One netizen said the problem is worse in the polytechnics:

“Yes, heard the universities also have the same ‘phenomenon’, but the problem is worse in polytechnics. And there are many people I know enter polytechnics in this way (using forged certificates), so I can say that the poly’s ‘DAE’ (Direct Admissions Exercise) is very messy.”

(对 有听说 大学也有这个现象 但是poly比较严重 而且我身边就很多人这么进的 所以我可以负责任的说 poly的DAE非常混乱…)

It was reported lately that enterprising ‘foreign talents’ are selling fake certificates from many private schools in Singapore online. Judging from the shocking posts made by these PRC students, the problem may only be at the tip of the ice-berg and quite a number of foreigners may be studying in Singapore polytechnics and universities right now using forged certificates.