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More S'poreans turn to private schools to get degrees

Demand for university places is going sky-high in Singapore, with more than 100,000 students pursuing degrees and diplomas at private schools.

By contrast, the three local universities accept 12,000 Singaporean undergraduates each year, reported The Straits Times.

Currently, there are 45,000 Singaporeans pursuing undergraduate degrees at the three universities – National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore Management University (SMU) – and Singapore Institute of Technology, an establishment meant for polytechnic upgraders seeking a degree.

The Council of Private Education, which tracks student numbers in private schools, released figures showing the total enrolment to be 146,000 by the middle of this year. Of that number, 33,000 are foreigners while the remaining 113,000 are Singaporeans.

According to the data, most Singaporeans seeking private degrees are below 30, and tend to be polytechnic graduates hoping to get their degrees within two years.

Leading private education institution, the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM), has the majority of these Singaporeans, numbering close to 30,000. About 17,000 of these students are with the institute’s global education arm and about 12,000 Singaporeans are with its other arm, the SIM University (UniSIM) for working adults.

Established private schools such as PSB Academy, Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS), James Cook University Singapore and East Asia Institute of Management are also popular choices for Singaporeans.

Another rising trend is that more Singaporeans in private schools are opting to study full-time instead of  juggling work and studies.

At SIM, about 12,000 students – two-thirds of the 17,000 locals enrolled – are studying full-time.

Five years ago, only half of the 9,300 students then enrolled at SIM were full-time. It is also estimated that only 70,000 Singaporeans were in private schools at that time.

Minister of State for Education Lawrence Wong said  two weeks ago that a committee is evaluating whether the private school alternative for Singaporeans is a viable one.

He added that the panel is considering whether the Government should subsidise tuition fees for private students.

Janette Yeo, 24, plans to study psychology at James Cook University Singapore after she failed repeatedly to get into the local universities.

“I was initially skeptical that I would get a proper university education at a private school, but am glad to find out that they offer quite a few student activities and interesting research opportunities,” she said.

With local university applications exceeding 50,000 a year – with half of applicants being Singaporean --  since five years ago, Singaporeans are turning to private schools based in Singapore.

For these schools, fees range between S$20,000 and S$40,000 in total compared to the S$70,000 to S$100,000 price tag of studying abroad.