Universities should give Singaporeans priority

ON ADMISSION to the local universities, as Singaporeans we would like to know if priority or a certain percentage of places is given to foreigners.

As there is an increase in Singaporean applicants this year, we hope that the policy is one of Singaporeans first.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) should have planned for the larger Dragon Year cohort 12 years ago by setting up a fourth university. In subsequent years, the extra places could be given to foreign scholarship students.

If Mr Tan Tor Seng's son, who scored four As, couldn't get into the course of his choice, what hope is there for the average students? ('Did son just miss the mark or ...?'; ST, June 2).

Also, most of the average students who failed to gain admission locally in the past have performed creditably when they studied and worked overseas and, sadly, are not coming home. Now our ministers are trying to woo them home. Why do we have to come to this situation?

We have been inviting and giving scholarships to foreign students - who are not well versed in English, are not educated in our schools, do not have to serve national service - to shore up our pool of talent when actually we have a pool of our own talent which can and should be developed.

Mr Perry Lim of the MOE ('More places for Dragon Year cohort'; ST, June 2) stated that the number of university places had been increased 'significantly', so why are there so many unsuccessful Singaporean applicants? Some were 'knocked out' after just one interview and offered a course which they are not interested in.

The Government should offer bursaries or financial assistance to these students who have to study in overseas universities or professional colleges.

As Mr Ong Cher San ('Ease CPF-funds rule for overseas study'; ST, June 2) mentioned, banks are not interested to help.

Middle-aged parents who have more than one child entering university need financial assistance all the more.

We do need foreign students and talents, but not at the expense of Singaporeans. As Singapore students are sought after by other countries, it shows that Singaporeans are also talented.

Ong Tong It - Straits Times Forum 9 June 2007

Finally someone speaks of my mind... about the stupid education in singapore... it has been, all these years, that singapore been trying to pump in people from overseas, but haven't realised that there has been a gaping hole in the walls of singapore, leaking out people overseas... and really, like what Ong said, it's not as if these people are the lousy people in singapore, they are good, and if not better than most other people from this country... universities take in people with 4As with S paper distinctions, but do these people really have sufficient life skills to carry on? these might be the textbook kids, who only can study out of the books but not anything else... they are so exam-smart, that they are actually life-dumb... and really, sometimes i wonder whether the ministry knows anything about this; or whether it can see the problem lying ahead now... or has the ministry been actively trying to propaganda to the people on it's thoughts and ideas when it has been barking up the wrong tree itself... i really wonder...