Singapore still top of the class

Low tuition fees, safety are major reasons for Chinese children to study in city-state

Singapore has become the most favored destination in Asia for Chinese students aged between 15 and 18 studying overseas, a survey has found.

The Education International Cooperation Group, a domestic education services provider, says from 2007 to May 2014, 2.68 percent of Chinese students who studied overseas went to high school in Singapore. This figure far surpassed Japan (1.19 percent), South Korea (0.17 percent), Hong Kong (0.04 percent) and other places in Asia.

The report also showed that Singapore ranks No 1 among Asian countries in attracting Chinese students to study in university, and accounts for 3.9 percent of the total, followed by Hong Kong (2.18 percent) and South Korea (1.18 percent).

The EIC surveyed more than 2,000 students and their parents from 18 of the country's large and middle-sized cities, in an attempt to research students studying abroad aged 15 to 18.

The number of Chinese students choosing Singapore remains dwarfed, however, by those heading for the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The survey showed that 31.85 percent of Chinese students choose to study in Canadian high schools, making Canada the most popular destination. It was followed by the US (30.58 percent), Australia (22.16 percent), the UK (7.59 percent), and Singapore at 2.68 percent.

"The trend of students studying abroad at earlier ages has become more and more obvious since 2012," says Lou Donghui, chief consultant for the Europe and Asia department of Shinyway Education. "Singapore is no doubt one of the most prominent countries."

Lou says that the number of students asking Shinyway Education, an education and career advisory firm in China, about studying in Singapore is on the rise, especially younger students.

"Many parents of these underage students pay a lot of attention to safety issues," he says. "Singapore is a good choice because it is one of the safest countries in the world with a very low crime rate."

Another important reason is that foreign students can study at government-funded public schools in Singapore, which have high standards of teaching in English. Students graduating from high school in Singapore are more likely to secure a place at a university in Singapore.

"Furthermore, the tuition fee is much lower in Singapore compared with the US and European countries," Lou says. "The fee is about 30,000 yuan ($5,000) per year in public primary schools and about 40,000 yuan per year in public middle schools."

Lou says that parents often regard Singapore's high schools as a springboard to go on to famous universities in the US or Europe.

Singapore also has a policy for overseas students that is aimed at easing the stress of living in another country, especially for younger pupils.

Liu Zhuo, senior consultant for Singapore at EIC's Beijing branch, explains that students aged 16 or under can be accompanied by their mother or grandmother. The relative is allowed to seek employment in Singapore after the first year.

Liu describes it as a "warm" policy for parents whose children study abroad at a young age, which has helped contribute to the rise in younger Chinese students applying to study in Singapore.

But while this is good news for new arrivals to Singapore, actually getting into a public school in the city-state is far from assured. Only students at grade one can attend primary school without sitting an examination.

According to Singapore's education authority, students aged above seven and in grade two or higher must sit the Admission Exam For International Students.

"The pass rate of AEIS for Chinese students is less than 50 percent," Liu says, explaining that while Chinese students often score high in mathematics, their English can be a letdown, particularly writing and vocabulary.

Students from the Chinese mainland are competing with those from other parts of the region including Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and South Korea.

Education experts suggest parents should be more careful when sending their young children abroad.

"The parents should help their underage children to adapt to the new environment and establish a positive attitude," Liu says. As to the children who struggle with the new environment, it is up to the parents to improve their children's ability to look after themselves and to help them cultivate good study habits.

Jin, 45, has a 14-year-old daughter who went to Singapore last month. "Safety is my biggest concern and Singapore is very safe," Jin says. "Besides, Singapore is not far away from China and the transportation is very convenient."

Her daughter will first study in a training school to prepare for the AEIS, and then she will sit the test in October. "If she can pass the test, then she will study in a public school, which opens in January next year."

"My daughter got the idea of studying in Singapore after she saw her classmates go there."

Although Jin is not planning to move overseas herself, she supports the decision.

"I respect her choice as I believe the teaching quality in Singapore is excellent and her English will improve," she says.