Monday, February 4, 2013
Singapore Best Education Destination
Education has always been a key in
the growth and development of Singapore society, particularly in the years
following 1965 when it became an independent republic. By being in Singapore, you will get a chance
to be plugged into an education system that promotes excellence and be part of
a progressive, cosmopolitan community.
• Hub
for Educational Excellence
• Stable
Economy
• Infrastructure
and Accessibility
• A
Multicultural Nation with a High Quality of Life
• A
Vibrant City Lifestyle
Hub for Educational Excellence - Singapore, a Global Schoolhouse
Over the years, Singapore has
evolved from its traditional British-based education system to one that endeavors
to meet the needs of individuals and seeks to nurture talents.
The strength of Singapore's Education system
lies in its bilingual policy (English with Malay/Mandarin/Tamil) and a
broad-based curriculum where innovation and entrepreneurship command a
premium. Individuals acquire the
relevant skills and abilities to survive in competitive environments, equipped
for a brighter future.
At the tertiary level, on top of the
4 renowned locally grown universities, Singapore has attracted more than 10
world-class institutions with strong industry links to set up centers of
excellence in education and research.
Among them are respected names such as the leading French university -
INSEAD, the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and leading US
business schools such as University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.
Our Achievements
• Both
the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the National University ofSingapore (NUS) have been ranked among the top 60 in the 2011 global ranking of
universities by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a company that provides information
on higher education and career choices. In the Asian ranking, NUS scored
overall third placing with NTU ranked in 18.
• TheNational University of Singapore (NUS) Business School and Nanyang Business
School (NBS) are both among the top 35 Business schools worldwide according to
the 2011 Financial Times (FT) Top 100 Global MBA ranking.
• NationalUniversity of Singapore (NUS) was ranked 18th in Times of London survey of the
200 best universities in the world for 2004. NUS also appeared in the top
league of Engineering and IT universities, placed 9th in faculty ranking
survey, ahead of many renowned universities.
The National University of Singapore (NUS) - ranked among the top 50 in the
world - has partnerships with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and
Duke University at graduate and postgraduate levels.
The Yale-NUS collaboration to set up
a liberal arts college drew objections from Yale faculty over Singapore's human
rights record.
Battle of the knowledge superpowers
Knowledge is power - economic power
- and there's a scramble for that power taking place around the globe. In the
United States, Europe and in rising powers such as China, there is a
growth-hungry drive to invest in hi-tech research and innovation.
EduTrust
certification scheme
• The
EduTrust certification scheme is a voluntary certification scheme administered
by the Council for Private Education for private education institutions in
Singapore.
• While
the EduTrust certification scheme is voluntary, it is one of the prerequisites
which private education institutions that enroll international students must
meet to qualify for the issue of Student Passes, as stipulated by the
Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).
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| Singapore Education System |
Singapore wants creativity not cramming
Singapore's schools have become
global role models, with consistently high results in international tests. But
now they want to move beyond this - towards something that cultivates
creativity and what they term as ''holistic education''.
Outside the classroom
So instead of the traditional images
of high-pressure Asian schools - with rows of heads buried in books - they are
trying different approaches to learning. Armed with iPads and smartphones,
pupils get out of the classroom to learn about science
Public Schools
The local school year (below
tertiary level) consists of four 10-week terms beginning on 2 January each
year. There is a one-week vacation after the first and third terms, a four-week
vacation at mid-year, and a six-week vacation at year-end.
Singapore’s public schools maintain
high standards of teaching and learning. According to IMD World Competitiveness
Yearbook 2011, Singapore was ranked among top 3 in the world for its
educational system. Singapore was also ranked 1st in both Math and Science
across 142 countries in World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report
2011/2012.
International students who wish to
study in a Singapore public school need to apply for a Student’s Pass unless
they hold a Dependent’s Pass or an Immigration Exemption Order.
Foreign-System and
Private Schools
While Singapore’s public school
system is comprehensive and upholds high standards, expatriates can also choose
to send their children to private or foreign-system schools.
There are more than 30
foreign-system (or international) schools in Singapore. Such schools may offer
an education pathway and curriculum that are similar to those in your home
country. This is especially beneficial if your children have been educated in a
language other than English. Each school has its own admission criteria.
Institutes of Higher
Learning
Singapore currently
has four autonomous universities,
A graduate medical school, Duke-NUS
Graduate Medical School Singapore, was also created through a partnership
between Duke University School of Medicine and NUS to increase Singapore’s
capacity to develop a vibrant biomedical hub.
University of Chicago Booth School
of Business and INSEAD, Tisch School of the Arts, LASALLE College of the Arts
and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) provide specialized education in the
arts, the Digipen Institute of Technology focuses on world-class technology
education.
In addition, polytechnics were also
set up to train middle-level professionals, and the Institute of Technical
Education was established as a post-secondary technical institution of
excellence.
You may also choose to send your
children to one of the over 300 private education institutions in Singapore.
Private schools offer a large variety of courses, including language and
professional programs.
How to Apply
Supplementary Admissions Exercise
for International Students
(1) School Admission for IS without
Dependant's Pass (DP), Immigration Exemption Order (IEO), or with neither
parent who is Singapore Citizen (SC) nor Singapore Permanent Resident (SPR)
From 2012, MOE will hold a
Supplementary Admissions Exercise for International Students (S-AEIS) in
February / March every year. This means that there will be two exercises for
admissions into a particular school calendar year, for example, in September /
October 2011 and February / March 2012 for admissions into Academic Year 2012.
This initiative will provide better facilitation and convenience to
international students (IS) as well as streamline the administrative processes
for our schools.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
How to Prepare for Exams
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| How To Prepare for Exams |
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| How To Prepare for Exams |
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| How To Prepare for Exams - Content |
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| How To Prepare for Exams - Question Paper |
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| How To Prepare for Exams - Start with What You Know |
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| How To Prepare for Exams - Start with What You Know |
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| How To Prepare for Exams - Start With What You Know |
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| How To Prepare for Exams - Start with What you Know |
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| How To Prepare for Exams - Where Do You Stand |
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| How To Prepare for Exams - Time Managment |
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| How To Prepare for Exams - Time Managment |
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| How To Prepare for Exams - Practice |
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| How To Prepare for Exams - Time Management |
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| How To Prepare for Exams - Step 6 - Practice |
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| How To Prepare for Exams - Don't Panic |
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| How To Prepare for Exams -Manage your Food , Very Important to Manage Study |
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| How To Prepare for Exams |
Thursday, November 29, 2012
EDUCATION TOP 20
EDUCATION TOP 20
- Finland
- South
Korea
- Hong
Kong
- Japan
- Singapore
- UK
- Netherlands
- New
Zealand
- Switzerland
- Canada
- Ireland
- Denmark
- Australia
- Poland
- Germany
- Belgium
- USA
- Hungary
- Slovakia
- Russia
UK education sixth in
global ranking
The UK's education system is ranked sixth best
in the developed world, according to a global league table published by
education firm Pearson. The first and second places are taken by Finland and
South Korea.
The rankings combine international test
results and data such as graduation rates between 2006 and 2010.
This composite picture puts the UK in a
stronger position than the influential Pisa tests from the Organization for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) - which is also one of the tests
included in this ranking.
Global competition
The two education superpowers - Finland and
South Korea - are followed by three other high-performing Asian education
systems - Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.
The UK - which is considered as a single
system, rather than four devolved administrations - is then ranked at the head
of an above-average group including the Netherlands, New Zealand, Canada and
Ireland.
These are ahead of a middle-ranking group
including the United States, Germany and France.
Looking at education systems that succeed, the
study concludes that spending is important, but not as much as having a culture
that is supportive of learning.
The success of Asian countries in these
rankings reflects the high value attached to education and the expectations of
parents. This can continue to be a factor when families migrate to other
countries, says the report accompanying the rankings.
Looking at the two top countries - Finland and
South Korea - the report says that there are many big differences, but the
common factor is a shared social belief in the importance of education and its
"underlying moral purpose".
Teacher quality
The report also emphasizes the importance of
high-quality teachers and the need to find ways to recruit the best staff. This
might be about status and professional respect as well as levels of pay.
The ranking for levels of school choice shows
that Finland and South Korea have among the lowest levels of school choice. But
Singapore, another high performer, has the highest level. The UK is among the
upper levels in terms of school choice.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Migration to Canada
Migration
to Canada
Canada is a popular migration destination for UAE expats. Why do
people opt for Canada? What are the challenges?
Every year around 250,000 people migrate to Canada. The UAE
seems to be a popular place of departure to the Far West [and Far North] for
the expatriate population in this country. For many, life here is a stopover,
and Canada has turned out time and again the number one final destination.
However, the window of opportunity may be closing fast for
hopefuls as rules are becoming more limiting and open categories are getting
filled up speedily.
“At the moment applying for the skilled work permit is not
advisory for most people,” says Kim Krisko, a Canadian lawyer and immigration
consultant at Krisko & Associates. “The Canadian government has seriously
limited these options. If a person qualifies, the only option might be to apply
for a business visa.”
But the ‘Land of Snow’ is still a big draw – and with reason.
According to Kim, Canada is a country that people generally do not want to
leave. “With the exception of people with a wanderlust, the inhabitants of
Canada generally never think about migration, because they are happy where they
are.”
It therefore more makes sense that a large migration flow comes
from the UAE, Kim believes. “People come to the UAE for work and the duration
of their stay here totally depends on this their career path. People normally
do not consider it as their final destination.
“Once they have experienced the modern lifestyle that the UAE
offers, they find it difficult to move back to their country of origin because
such way of life does not exist there. They want to permanently live in a
society with the modern infrastructure and Canada becomes a very suitable
option.”
Throughout the UAE there are dozens of migration consultants and
companies that assist the process from application to settlement. A real
necessity, believes Felix Roy Tom, migration consultant at Vision for Canada.
“The process is a very complicated one. Often people make minor mistakes in
their paper-work, which eventually leads to denial of a visa. We advise and
monitor, in order to guarantee that people have the best chance to make it
there.”
Many consultants would say that Canada offers plenty of
opportunity for immigration. The total area consists of 9.9 million square
kilometers and it is thereby the second-largest country in the world. However,
it only inhabits 33 million people and the indigenous population is on decline
due to a negative birthrate. “Canada basically need immigrants to sustain
the population and for the economy to keep on running,”says Kim.
Immigration Laws
However, Canadian visa regulations are very changeable, says
Kim. Although Canada is generally considered to adopt a more lenient
immigration policy than any other country, this policy is subject to heavy
fluctuation. At the moment there are a few challenges.
“According to most recent changes, skilled work visa are limited
by the number of labour categories open for selection, and each category has a
limited number of available applications. Last year, this limit was reached in
some categories within weeks after opening,” tells Kim.
At the moment there are 29 eligible occupations for which
skilled worker permits can be obtained, of which 12 have already reached the
limit of 500 applications. Plenty of applications are available for less
popular jobs, such as plumber, machine operators and jobs in the oil, gas and
mining field. However, job categories in the field of science, catering,
business, healthcare or architecture were quickly filled. Categories will be
reopened on June 1st.
According to Felix, it is important applicants are aware of
their chances of obtaining a visa before they decide to go through the whole
process of applying.
Education & Work Experience
Important factors for migration to Canada are education and work
experience. “These weigh very heavily in the assessment, because these are
criteria that determine a successful application,” says Felix.
One year of work experience in any field is required, and more
than four years preferable. For the education standard chances decrease when a
university diploma cannot be presented, and a doctorate is highly preferable. A
successful IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score is
required in any case.
Benefits
Beside these challenges there are quite a lot of advantages in
choosing for Canada as a country to settle down. “After 3 years and one week of
uninterrupted residence in Canada any migrant is eligible for Canadian
citizenship,” explains Felix. And obtaining citizenship has many advantages.
“Up to the university level education is free, which many migrants find a
relief when starting a family in Canada,” he adds.
“Canada has a high per capita GPD, a politically stable
environment, a lot of space, fresh air and is a relatively safe country to live
in,” adds Kim, who came to Dubai to reach out to potential customers.
“Accommodation may be a little expensive in the big cities in Canada, but is
very affordable in the smaller cities and villages. You could easily trade in
your two-bedroom road-facing apartment in the Springs for a three-bedroom villa
and a couple of cars in Canada. Your dollar goes a long way there.”
Because the application for a visa to Canada could easily take
about one-and-a-half years, people are advised to anticipate on migrating to
Canada and take all challenges and restrictions in consideration. “We never ask
people to start their application before we know they have a chance. It is
people’s future we are dealing with, and it takes a lot of efforts to prepare
for such a move,” says Felix.
According to Kim, people should not be tempted to apply for a
work permit at the moment regardless of the promises and advertising of
immigration agencies. “The chance of getting a work permit is just very small
at the moment, and a person needs to do their due diligence on a consultant
promising such work permit,” he says.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Spain offers Resident Permit
Spain offers residency to anyone buying a home worth
more than £130,000 in bid to save its housing market
Spain has more than 700,000 unsold houses
after real estate market collapse
New policy would see foreigners given
residency permits if they buy houses worth more than 160,000 euros -
approximately £128,500
Spain
plans to offer foreigners residency permits if they buy houses worth more than
160,000 euros - approximately £128,500 - to try and reduce the country's
bloated stock of unsold homes.
Spain
currently has more than 700,000 unsold houses following the collapse of its
real estate market in 2008.
Trade
Ministry secretary Jaime Garcia-Legaz said the plan, expected to be approved in
the coming weeks, would be aimed principally at the Chinese and Russian markets
as the domestic demand was stagnant and showed no sign of improving
The country's economy is still struggling and is
currently in recession with 25 per cent unemployment.
Thousands
of houses have been repossessed by banks and their owners evicted because they
cannot pay their mortgages.
The
government last week approved a decree under which evictions would be suspended
for two years in specific cases of extreme need.
The
country's offer beats others in bailed-out countries such as Ireland and
Portugal, where residency papers are offered to foreigners buying houses worth
more than 400,000 euros - around £322,000) and 500,000 euros - approximately
£402,000 respectively. It was not immediately clear if the residency would only
refer to Spain, and not the European Union.
The
stricken state of the country's real estate market was highlighted Monday by
figures from the Bank of Spain which showed that the level of bad debt in the
country's banks had risen to a record 10.7 per cent of their loan total in
September.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Australian new migration policies target skilled workforce
Australian new migration policies target
skilled workforce
Riding on an ambitious plan to tap Asian
region, Australia is all set to woo highly skilled population from Asia, in a
bid to create an educated, productive work force to boost its economy.
According to Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Chris Bowen, the government in its 'Asian Century White Paper' released on Sunday, has highlighted the opportunities for the nation's growth by building deeper and stronger links with Asian region.
"Even with the government's unprecedented investment in tertiary education and upgrading Australians' skills, we need migrants who bring their specialist skills to Australia," he said.
According to Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Chris Bowen, the government in its 'Asian Century White Paper' released on Sunday, has highlighted the opportunities for the nation's growth by building deeper and stronger links with Asian region.
"Even with the government's unprecedented investment in tertiary education and upgrading Australians' skills, we need migrants who bring their specialist skills to Australia," he said.
Seven of the top 10 source countries in Australia's
2011-12 migration programme are in the Asian region: India, China, the
Philippines, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, South Korea and Vietnam.
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