zac's mum\" post_id=\"2132388\" time=\"1712733756\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2132388 time=1712733756 user_id=53606]
Ah pardon me, it seems i had not made my enquiry clear enough.

I was not referring to the 4 IBDP schools ACS Independent, St Joseph’s Institution, School of the Arts & Singapore Sports School. Their school fees are actually similar/on par with other independent schools in Singapore, provided the student is able to meet their academic entry requirements.

I was actually referring to the 3 international schools offering IBDP which locals are permitted to enrol in (MOE has to grant permission I believe): ACS International, SJI International & Hwa Chong International School.

What value add do they offer, for that price?[/quote]

I believe you are mistaken; locals are not permitted to enrol in ACS International, SJI International and Hwa Chong International School unless they have fulfilled the criteria that I have stated above. The rules governing these three schools are no different from applying for, let's say, UWCSEA.

This is where I got the information from:

https://www.uwcsea.edu.sg/admissions/admissions-resources/information-for-singapore-citizens

Which led me to MOE's website:

https://www.moe.gov.sg/returning-singaporeans/other-options

You can clearly see that only Singaporeans that are returning from overseas who have schooled in an overseas system can enrol in an international school. Although MOE suggests these three schools, the list is not exhaustive; the only reason why MOE suggests these three schools is because they still provide, as I said, National Education.

To answer your question though, if a student is a returning Singaporean and meets those requirements, i.e. their schooling was done overseas in an international curriculum and has just returned to Singapore, and your finances allow it, from a pure education point of view I would pay. After teaching the IBDP for 10 years, I absolutely buy into what the IBO wants to achieve through education - holistic development of students and a keen sense of international mindedness so that they will be true global citizens. The impact is for life, not just for university entrance.

doodbug\" post_id=\"2132382\" time=\"1712730406\" user_id=\"13281:

If one can make it to the mainstream IB schools in Singapore, why would anyone pay to go to international schools? Our mainstream IB schools produce spectacular IB results.

You could refer to my explanation above; Singaporeans cannot enrol in international schools by law, and therefore technically speaking, there is no such thing as \"local international school\". There is only such a thing as \"a local school that offers an international curriculum\".

I apologise for what people might consider being overly-technical, but this is my professional expertise after all!

On the other hand with regards to your statement, there could be parents who want their child to study in the IBDP even though they do not reach the entry requirements to ACSI, SJI, SoTA or SSS. Unfortunately for Singaporeans, the only solution is to go overseas, unless you meet very specific requirements which basically revolve around the child, because of them having been schooled overseas, should be allowed to continue in a similar curriculum to minimize the impact on their personal and academic development. Can Google to find the requirements, but seriously for Singaporean students, just forget it lol.

And to be honest, this is why the global average for IBDP examination results is only 30 out of 45. Most students who take the IBDP are, in fact, very average. There are very few other education systems in the world that stratify and divide students as much as Singapore's does, and places such strict requirements on enrolling for the IBDP; outside of Singapore, you can do it as long as you are rich, because the schools that offer the IBDP are generally private schools. No such thing in Singapore because education is centrally managed and determined; all the private schools were brought under MOE purview and are now independent schools. I have students who scored what Singaporeans would call \"poor results\" - less than 35 out of 45 - and are doing fantastically well in decent universities all over the world, mostly in the US, UK and Australia.

zac's mum\" post_id=\"2132378\" time=\"1712725361\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2132378 time=1712725361 user_id=53606]
Genuine qn: are our 3 “local” international schools really worth the price (compared to mainstream schools)? [/quote]

I'll take the liberty to assume you are referring to the schools that are offering the IBDP when students are in year 5 and 6 (or what sgreans call jc 1 and 2; Singapore is the only place in the world that has Junior Colleges, the rest of the world call it \"high school\" or grade 11 and 12). This is because there is no such thing as a local international school in the context of Singaporean students; basically, all Singaporean citizens must go through local education because of the National Education Programme unless they meet very specific requirements, putting international schools in Singapore such as UWCSEA, Dover Court International School and Tanglin Trust School out of reach.

In addition, I believe that there are 4 - ACSI, SJI, SoTA and Singapore Sports School.

In my opinion, the price should not be directly connected to the curriculum offered; the fact is that independent schools in Singapore, regardless of whether they offer the Singapore A Levels or the IBDP, do have much more resources at their disposal, be it comparatively lower student-teacher ratios, sheer number of enriching activities they can provide or the quality and quantity of facilities they have. This is what you are actually paying for.

On the other hand, I can assure you that given Singapore's absolutely sky-high academic expectations, you are likely to get more bang for your buck if you study in the IBDP. I am going to keep it simple first and go direct - teachers are much more likely to give closer, more personalised guidance because of the sheer amount of coursework to do in the IBDP:
- a 2500-word Internal Assessment (a piece of research) for EACH of their SIX subjects (each subject does it differently),
- an 800 - 1000 word TOK essay (a subject where students learn about metacognition and knowledge creation to make it simpler to understand)
- and a 4000-word Extended Essay (basically a research paper, similar to the term/semestral papers done in university for each module)

You have no idea how much goes into supporting students in the SG schools that offer the IBDP, especially ACSI and SJI; it is borderline illegal because there is no way the IBO (International Baccalaureate Organisation) would endorse it. Beyond Singapore, most schools and teachers do not care so much about academic results and probably only do 10-20% of what SG teachers do, which is also the reason why their academic results are excellent - global IB average scores are around 30; ACSI is around 42, SJI is now around 39. Might have been slightly skewed because of COVID (IB was significantly more lenient, and universities all over the world adjusted their admission requirements accordingly).

Therefore, in my opinion, the fee you pay is worth it regardless of what your child would do simply because right off the bat, independent schools were created for the very purpose of having a group of schools that had the capability and resources to spearhead Singapore's innovation in education; simply put, you pay for what you get. On the other hand, while I've explained why the IBDP might make it more \"worth it\", I do not feel it should be the reason why you choose to pay. Whether the A levels or the IBDP is more suitable for your child is what you should consider, if your child already has reached the necessary academic level to qualify for these schools.

I’ve always thought about doing something like this for the past 10 years and have finally gotten down to doing it, especially because many of my friends now have children who are approaching this age and I find myself speaking to them at length about it. Of particular interest to me is explaining the difference between the mainstream Singapore A level curriculum and the IBDP curriculum, among other things.


I have a pretty wide spectrum of educational experiences:
- taught in SG as well as international schools abroad, O/NA/NT, A level, Cambridge international curriculum, IB Diploma Programme
- tutored throughout my working life (I treasure my free time more now so I am a lot more selective and charge a lot more now to filter out students)
- have been HOD, discipline master, head of student leadership, professional development coordinator before

So…Ask Me Anything! I will try my best to answer.