WELCOME TO SINGAPORE!
ALL ABOUT SINGAPORE
LOCATION
Singapore is a Southern Asian city-state at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It is located 137 kilometers north of the equator. Singapore consists of 63 islands, separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia’s Riau Islands by the Singapore Strait to its south.
TIME ZONE
Singapore follows time zone GMT +8, it’s one hour ahead from west Indonesian’s time (WIB+1)
GOVERNMENT
Singapore is a parliamentary republic with a Westminster system of unicameral parliamentary government representing constituencies, where the authorities are on the hand of the vice minister. The constitution of Singapore establishes representative democracy as the political system. Singapore’s Prime Minister is Lee Hsien Long, son of Lee Kuan Yew, the last Prime Minister from 1959 to 1990.
SOCIETY
There are 5 millions people in Singapore. The majority of Singapore citizen are 77% Chinese, 14% Malay, 8% Indian, and the other 1% is western. The national language that been used is English and Malay, but Mandarin and Tamil are often been heard in everyday conversation. That’s why Singaporean Government claimed these 4 languages.
TRANSPORTATION
Like any other well-developed country, Singapore has been really good and it offers comfortable transportation, such as bus, MRT, LRT, and taxi. Bus, MRT, LRT can be paid by cash or EZ Link card. EZ Link card is very convenient because it can be refilled at the bus or MRT station.
There are many buses and bus stops in Singapore. That means it is easier to travel in Singapore without having to wait for a long time. MRT is the fastest transportation; there are 7 lines in all over Singapore. MRT cost between S$0.80 and S$1.70. In Singapore, there are over 5000 taxis, which you can stop it on the road or queue at the taxi stops.
Living Cost *
Even though Singapore is one of the countries that has highest standard of living in Asia, living cost in Singapore is not as high as the western countries. The costs that we have to think about are the accommodation, transportation, telecommunication, consumption, and books, medical and health, insurance and personal cost. Student’s living cost usually starts from S$ 1.000 until S$ 2.000 per month, which will depend on student’s lifestyle.
Education *
Elementary school in Singapore usually takes 6 years like in Indonesia; it consists of 4 years of Foundation programs and 2 years of Orientation programs. At the end of year 6, students will be joining PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examination). The curriculum that has been taught is focusing on English lesson, mother tongue lesson such as Chinese, Malay, or Tamil, and also Mathematics, science, music, art and craft, sports, and social education.
After graduating from PSLE examination, students have to continue their study to Secondary School with O level curriculum for 4 years or N level for 5 years, depending on each student’s ability. Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education “Ordinary” (GCE ‘O’ Level) or ‘Normal’ (GCE ‘N’ Level) is the final examination for students. From this curriculum, students are taught to think critically.
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
Schools with foreign curriculum system use their own countries’ curriculum. Those schools have to apply to the Singapore Ministry of Education. The acceptance criteria are different, which will depend on the school itself, student’s nationality and language proficiency.
PRE-UNIVERSITY (JUNIOR COLLEGE)
After finishing the GCE ‘O’ Level examination, to prepare the students to enter the university curriculum, students can choose to apply to the Pre-University (Junior College) or directly go to the ITE (Institutes of Technical Education) or Polytechnic. Pre-University or Junior Colleges provide 2-year program leading up to the A-Level Examination. After Junior College, students will get Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education ‘Advanced’ (GCE ‘A’ Level) and they can continue their study to the first year in Singapore universities.
ITE (Institutes of Technical Education) & Polytechnic
ITE and Polytechnic both provide 3-year diploma courses. They accept students based on their GCE ‘O’ Level or GCE ‘A’ Level (or in the case of ITE, it accepts GCE “N” Level). The difference between ITE and polytechnic is on their requirements to apply. Polytechnic has higher requirements than ITE. Most of Indonesian students prefer to apply to Polytechnic than ITE.
ITE provides workshops and internship program for Secondary School students after they graduated and for workers that want to get additional lessons. This program is the ideal option to improve technical ability and to increase the ability in the industrial sectors.
Polytechnics offer a wide range of courses in various fields, including engineering, business studies, accountancy, tourism and hospitality management, mass communications, digital media and biotechnology. There are also specialized courses such as marine engineering, nautical studies, nursing, and optometry. They provide a more industry-oriented education as an alternative to Junior Colleges for post-secondary studies. About 40% of each Secondary 4 cohort would enroll in Polytechnics.
PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES
Singapore as the tertiary centre of education offers a different study opportunity. In Singapore, there are three national universities that offer Bachelor program, Master program, and PhD program; with a really competitive entry requirement and also scholarship with working contract upon graduation.
The 3 public universities are NUS (National University of Singapore), NTU (Nanyang Technological University) and SMU (Singapore Management University). For the recipients of tuition grant, they have to work in Singapore-based companies for 3 years upon completion of their study.
Private Education Institutions
A side from three public universities that have been explained, there are still a lot of choices of private education institutions and international universities that run their programmes in Singapore. Offering programmes include Certificate, Diploma, Bachelor Degree, and Master Degree. All private education institutions normally partner with foreign universities in United States, Australia, and United Kingdom.
EduTrust *
EduTrust is the national certificate approved by the government to align the quality of a private education institution with world-class business standards. It includes the assessment of the facilities, staffs, and the academic programs.
All Private Education Institutions that intend to enrol international students are required to have an EduTrust certification.
Depending on their rating in key areas of management and provision of educational services, private education institutions may qualify for one of the following EduTrust certification awards:
Student Pass *
If you want to study in Singapore, you must have the Student’s Pass, unless if you have Dependent Pass or Immigration Exemption Order. For international students who don’t have family or relative in Singapore, school or university will normally be the guarantor during his/her study.
The Private Education Institution which enrolls international students needs to be EduTrust certified as one of the prerequisites to qualify for the issue of Student Passes, as stipulated by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).
Accommodation *
There are a lot of accommodation options that foreign students can choose from in Singapore. It is suggested to search for the place to stay in before arriving in Singapore with the help from the school or agent. You can stay in the dorm or on-campus accommodation, rent an apartment or house or HDB flats, and also do the homestay programme.
Why Studying in Singapore ? *
• Good & tasty food. Singapore pampers you with the delicious international and Asian flavors that will tickle your taste buds.
• There are lots of great universities with high standard and quality.
Fun Facts *
• The Guinness book record for the longest human domino chain was set in Singapore on 30th September 2000. Formed by 9,234 students, it measured 4.2km.
• The Merlion, a half-fish, half-lion beast, is a fitting symbol of Singapore. The “Singa” or lion represents the animal that a Sumatran prince saw which resembled a lion, and the fish is a tribute to Singapore’s history as “Temasek”, the ancient sea town.
• Although English is the official working language and the most widely used language in Singapore, the national anthem ‘Majulah Singapura‘ is actually sung in Malay.
• 8 in 10 people in Singapore own cell phones. In fact, telecom companies issue new numbers at the rate of 30,000 to 40,000 per month.
Vacation Destination *
It’s a very popular tourist destination in Singapore, if not one of the most popular. Underwater World is a world class, well-known oceanarium showcasing some 2500 marine lives. Travelers need to visit underwater world to explore the captivating marine life. It provides endless enjoyment for the visitors.
Jurong Bird Park
It is ideal for the bird researchers and people who love bird watching. It has more than 8000 birds of around 600 different species. This park has a beautiful landscape with the tallest man made waterfalls.
Universal Studios
This newly opened theme park is located within Sentosa Island too. It is the second Universal Studios Theme Parks to open in Asia, and the first in Southeast Asia. It is home to the world’s biggest single collection of DreamWorks Animation and is being marketed as “one-of-its-kind theme park in Asia” as they promised that the park will be the only one of its kind in Southeast Asia for the next 30 years.
Night Safari
One of the five night safaris in the World. Night Safari Singapore is the world’s first nocturnal zoo. The birth of a giant flying squirrel, which is the first in Asia, happened in Night Safari Singapore in 2004. Watch the Creatures of the Night Show every night – a 30-minute non-stop action packed show different animals from the binturongs, otters, raccoons, wolves, hyenas and many more.
List of Our Institution *
Auston Institute of Management; Curtin University; Dimensions International College; East Asia Institute of Management (EASB); ERC Institute; Informatics Academy; Insworld School; James Cook University(JCU); Kaplan Singapore; LASALLE College of the Arts; MDIS (Management Development Institute of Singapore); Marketing Institute of Singapore (MIS); PSB Academy; Raffles Design Institute (RDI) Singapore; School of Audio Engineering (SAE) Institute; Shatec Institute; Shelton College International; Singapore Institute of Management (SIM); Sma Institute of Higher Learning; SP Jain Center of Management; SSTC; St. Francis Methodist School; TMC Academy; Tourism Management Institute of Singapore(TMIS); University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), etc.
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