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[h=2]Heng Swee Kiat: 15 percent of foreign scholars take up Singapore citizenship within 5 years[/h]Posted by temasektimes on April 10, 2012
About 15 percent of foreign scholars on MOE scholarship will take up Singapore citizenship within 5 years and almost all who have graduated would have taken up Singapore PR, revealed Education Minister Heng Swee Kiat in Parliament on Monady.
Mr Heng was replying to a written question by Non-Constituency MP Yee Jenn Jong who asked for the percentage of foreign scholars who fulfill their bond upon graduation.
In reply, Mr Heng said that on average, more than eight in 10 scholars from ASEAN, India and China fulfil their service obligations to work in Singapore after graduation.
He added most of the rest were granted deferment to pursue further studies and are required to serve their obligations after their studies.
However Mr Heng did not elaborate on the number of foreign scholars who eventually leave Singapore for good after studying here for a number of years on taxpayers’ monies.
Going by the available figures given, it is reasonable to conclude that the majority of foreign scholars did not settle down in Singapore to contribute to the nation eventually.
Singapore’s long-standing policy of giving generous scholarships for foreigners have come under intense public scrutiny of late after a PRC scholar from NUS Sun Xu sparked a massive public outcry with his now infamous remark on there ‘being more dogs than humans’.
About 15 percent of foreign scholars on MOE scholarship will take up Singapore citizenship within 5 years and almost all who have graduated would have taken up Singapore PR, revealed Education Minister Heng Swee Kiat in Parliament on Monady.Mr Heng was replying to a written question by Non-Constituency MP Yee Jenn Jong who asked for the percentage of foreign scholars who fulfill their bond upon graduation.
In reply, Mr Heng said that on average, more than eight in 10 scholars from ASEAN, India and China fulfil their service obligations to work in Singapore after graduation.
He added most of the rest were granted deferment to pursue further studies and are required to serve their obligations after their studies.
However Mr Heng did not elaborate on the number of foreign scholars who eventually leave Singapore for good after studying here for a number of years on taxpayers’ monies.
Going by the available figures given, it is reasonable to conclude that the majority of foreign scholars did not settle down in Singapore to contribute to the nation eventually.
Singapore’s long-standing policy of giving generous scholarships for foreigners have come under intense public scrutiny of late after a PRC scholar from NUS Sun Xu sparked a massive public outcry with his now infamous remark on there ‘being more dogs than humans’.
