Singapore Schools

My husband and myself are Indians living in the US for the past 10 years. We are now thinking of relocating to Singapore next year, so we can be closer to home. My daughter will be 6 yrs in Sep09. How are schools there ? What is the educational system ? Is it more academic like in India or do they concentrate more on the over-all development of the child like in the western countries ? Please let me know you thoughts and feedbacks .

Also I believe the school year runs from Aug to June, what do most of the "good" schools offer ?

Sivagami.

Hi Sivagami,


Happy to see this new trend! Usually, People come to S'pore (esp. Indians) as it is a gateway to enter US & Australia. Now it is the other way round, many want to settle down in Singapore as it is closer to India & has the best of both East & West.It is indeed a good sign!


Now answer to your question. Well, there are three different types of School.

1. Local school or public school- Here the fees is very less, infrastructure & the syllabus are good but only drawback (as many parents feel) is the Identity!
Many Indians esp. Recent expat Indian parents they are unable to mingle with the local crowd as they all come from different (social & economic) backgrounds.

Academic here for this school is Jan- Dec.

2. Indian International Schools.

You have global Indian School - CBSE Syllabus
DPS- (Delhi Public School- ICSE Syllabus
NPS (National public school from B'lore)

Fees are quite high compared to Local school. Academic year- just like in India.

3. And the other international Schools over here - American /Canadian/Australian, European are all in plenty. The fees is very high & the syllabus, curriculum, Academic year are all just like in the western countries.


Therefore, the choice is yours! I mean the parents...how & where their children want to study. It is all their decision.

However, remember all schools have pros & cons.


Hope my reply helps you in choosing the right school !

Hello AnuShiv,

Thank you very much for the quick detailed reply.

To be honest, I think Indian curriculums (CBSE/ICSE/...) are too academic - atleast in India , give too much homework, too many tests every year and too much peer pressure on the kids. That is one of the many reasons for us preferring not to return back to India. I assume the Indian international schools in Spore will also be in the same nature. Is that true ?

How are the local public/private schools ? Are they also very academic like indian schools (huge homework, tests every term,...) ?If the curriculum is good and if they can make well-rounded kids, then I am willing to consider the local schools. She already goes to an American school here and we love the diverse social-economic aspect of different cultures ..

Thanks,
Sivagami.

Hi again Sivagami,


1. Regarding Indian International Schools- I cannot comment about the pressure or workload given to Students. However, one thing I can tell you, Children who are studying in Indian schools, They Simply love & enjoy going to the school. Almost 75% of the subjects are taught in CW & only 25% are given as H.W. These schools are suited for those who want to go back to motherland or those parents want their child to study the syllabus which they had studied or who have more inclination towards Indian Educational System!


2. The Local School is quiet good too in all aspects but again only 60% are taught in CW & around 40% are given as H.W. As a result, some parents feel the pressure on them. Their participation is very essential & important in the Local School. The HW does involve lot of projects & other group work activities. The one main feature of this local syllabus is that they follow Cambridge curriculum. A student is tested in all aspects & unlike in Indian syllabus here you can never expect the questions from the prescribed book. The questions in the examination are all of general type. However, remember 6th grade they will have their public exams (PSL- Primary School Leaving Certificate) which is a crucial factor for a child & for parents.


3. Yes! If you are looking out for a cosmopolitan ambience.... The other international schools like UWC, OFS, etc. are all well equipped with modern facilities, the teachers are mostly of white nationals, the stress is comparatively less & coming from US your child can quickly adapt to these schools. The advantage is if you people want to go back to west. It will be a smooth transition. Again, the fee is very very high.
If you spend around $1000 per annum in the local school you need to shell out $20k per annum in these International schools. If you don't mind, paying more on kids studies. This is the best options.


Well, as I mentioned to you earlier, every school has pros & cons. When you come down here-, do a good research. Select few schools, go directly & see how they function- sometimes what you see in the website may be different from the reality.


And don't forget to post us your final choice.

Dear anu,

we are also planning to relocate to singapore.I got all the details already from abhising.i have some more doubts.Among the indian schools which is the best.
Does NPS has the same quality as in banglore.My dd will be joining in the middle.My dd is jan 2002 born and now she is in 2nd std.will she be able to join straight for 2nd std.what is the procedure there?.

which is good residential area there near the schools.I would like to live in indian community area.So suggest me some areas where more indians live.

Dear Kamala,

Glad to know that you are moving to S'pore. My hearty welcome to you. Regarding Singapore schools, I am just posting out my personal opinion (hope my friends over here will not mind it) well, as of now the latest view among...many expat Indians...NPS is the latest good school. Most of the main subject teachers are all from India, well trained & well experienced tutors. Since Global Indian school has more branches, many feel the quality is slightly diluted & the teachers are often replaced...be'cos of this reason many parents are unhappy over it. DPS is good but the fee is slightly higher than GIS. You need to spend around $6-7K for registration- Primary 2 but it less compared to NPS.

Since your son is born before May 2002. He is eligible to join 2nd std. in the Indian School. However, if you're planning to put in the local school he will be studying only in K2 ( UKG) this year. Only in Jan 2009, he will enter in to Primary 1.

Regarding Housing, I guess Vijee would have given more details to you. Again to my knowledge, Indian population are scattered throughout the island. We cannot find majority Indian community living in one area. Well, here the policy is ....all races should live in all places & there are no restricted places for specific community to live in except for tourist places like china town, little India, geylang etc.

My suggestion, choose the school first & then look out for housing. And incase, if you fail to get a good house near the school....don't worry. The commuting facility is excellent; your child can take the school bus to commute.


Hope I answered your questions in detail.

dear anu,

Thankyou very much for the information.It is not for my son , it is for my daughter(DD-dear daughter).

Originally Posted by vkrithika1

dear anu,

Thankyou very much for the information.It is not for my son , it is for my daughter(DD-dear daughter).

oops! sorry about it. Since my son ( DS) was also born in 2002. I replied to your post... keeping him in my mind.

Originally Posted by Anushiv

Hi again Sivagami,


1. Regarding Indian International Schools- I cannot comment about the pressure or workload given to Students. However, one thing I can tell you, Children who are studying in Indian schools, They Simply love & enjoy going to the school. Almost 75% of the subjects are taught in CW & only 25% are given as H.W. These schools are suited for those who want to go back to motherland or those parents want their child to study the syllabus which they had studied or who have more inclination towards Indian Educational System!


2. The Local School is quiet good too in all aspects but again only 60% are taught in CW & around 40% are given as H.W. As a result, some parents feel the pressure on them. Their participation is very essential & important in the Local School. The HW does involve lot of projects & other group work activities. The one main feature of this local syllabus is that they follow Cambridge curriculum. A student is tested in all aspects & unlike in Indian syllabus here you can never expect the questions from the prescribed book. The questions in the examination are all of general type. However, remember 6th grade they will have their public exams (PSL- Primary School Leaving Certificate) which is a crucial factor for a child & for parents.


3. Yes! If you are looking out for a cosmopolitan ambience.... The other international schools like UWC, OFS, etc. are all well equipped with modern facilities, the teachers are mostly of white nationals, the stress is comparatively less & coming from US your child can quickly adapt to these schools. The advantage is if you people want to go back to west. It will be a smooth transition. Again, the fee is very very high.
If you spend around $1000 per annum in the local school you need to shell out $20k per annum in these International schools. If you don't mind, paying more on kids studies. This is the best options.


Well, as I mentioned to you earlier, every school has pros & cons. When you come down here-, do a good research. Select few schools, go directly & see how they function- sometimes what you see in the website may be different from the reality.


And don't forget to post us your final choice.

Thanks a ton Anushiv for your valuable comments. Will comeback later with more questions..:)-

Sivagami.

hi,
Are the pap schools here good ?
Do they discriminate Indian kids.
I read in singapore moms forum that these schools are quiet good and children improve a lot on their vocabulary .
But most of my Indian friends do not have a good opinion about them..
could someone advise pls