NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE
21 Lower Kent Ridge,University Hall, UHT #03-02
Tan Chin Tuan Wing, Singapore 119077. Tel: 6775 6666
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First Choice * Aerospace Engineering
Second Choice Environmental Engineering
Third Choice Electrical & Electronic Engineering
Fourth Choice Civil Engineering
Fifth Choice Physics / Applied Physics

I am an engineer. Over the past year, I have been squeezed out of my job by cheaper Chinese, Malaysian and Indian engineers. To them, $2000 is much when they remit back home. To me, I can't even afford a HDB, as frugal as I try to be, because the foreigners keeps driving home prices up on a daily basis. To add insult to injury, more of the foreign graduates replacing me had their university fees paid by our very own Ministry of Education. These graduates were not only given free college education, they were even given a month allowance of few hundred dollars each. While I had to work part time to support my education in NUS, and I still remain in debt to my student loan. (BITTER LAUGH!!!!).

I spent 2.5 years of my precious youth serving the SAF, during which I lost my first girlfriend during training. These foreigners were given PRs and citizenship in less than 2.5 years and they don't even need to serve. If war breaks out, I have to protect 1/3 of the population fuilled with these people?? (Assuming they dun run away at the 1st sign of trouble??!!) SAF even sent me a letter threatening to fine me for going overseas without telling them...to attend a funeral of my uncle...(BITTER LAUGH!!!!). Hey, here's an idea, why don't I migrate to another country before migrating back. That will save me more time!

I am working in odds jobs now 7 days a week. I am now almost 30 already. Inflation exceed my savings rate, and I find a home, marriage, kids and happy future beyond me. A simple illness or a year of unemployment could wipe me out. Yet the government is wondering why there are less marriages and births....(BITTER LAUGH!!!!)

I bear no love to my country now. My country does not need to be attacked, it has already be invaded and taken over. Thanks PAP!

Subsidy of university is one thing, the studying environment is another. My Sister is in NUS now, there students from China and South East Asian Countries make up a pretty high percentage (obviously). She has to do a certain history project with her peers. half her group is from China. Therefore, half of the group doesn't do anything, the reason why? they cannot communicate. The China Scholars do their portion in chinese (they laptops keyboards are chinese characters) and then send it to you. You have a very hard time translating it to english, and in the end, u have to scrape his/her work and do it all by yourself. When you are in NUS, u feel like you're studying overseas in some Beijing or Shanghai university

WHAT was supposed to be a free 15-minute nap on a park bench turned into a costly snooze for one Singaporean.
The New Paper on Tuesday reported that a 62-year-old, who only wanted to be known as Mr Kassim, was fined $200 when he dozed off on a Sun Plaza Park bench while taking shelter from the rain.

The National Parks Board (NParks) fined the private bus driver for having misused the park facility by sleeping on the bench.

The incident happened on Sept 1 at a park in Tampines.

Mr Kassim had dozed off on one of the wooden benches while seeking shelter from a heavy downpour. He woke up about 15 minutes later to see two men, who would later identify themselves as NParks rangers, walking towards him.

They asked for his identity card, told him he had 'abused park facilities by sleeping on the park bench', and issued him a ticket.

Mr Kassim accepted the ticket despite not knowing it was an offence to sleep on a park bench.

Five days later, he received an NParks letter detailing his offence and asking him to pay the $200 fine. When he went to the NParks office to make payment, he claimed he was told by a staff member that he could appeal.

But he decided against it, citing it would be a hassle.

Of eight regular park-goers surveyed by The New Paper, none knew that sleeping on park benches was an offence.

On the NParks website, there is a list of 'Dos' and 'Don'ts' for visiting parks. Sleeping on a park bench was not among the 'Don'ts', but there was a disclaimer which said the list was 'not exhaustive or intended to be a complete list of the prohibitions or regulations governing our parks'.

Mar 15, 2010
Money given, not loaned
By Selina lum

Details about Dr Tan's (above) relationship with Stephanie Chee Jok Heng, 51, emerged in court when his lawyer cross-examined the woman on the first day of the hearing into her lawsuit. -- ST PHOTO: STEVEN LEE CT

PROMINENT paraplegic athlete William Tan Kian Meng claimed that a woman who is suing him for some $400,000 had given him the money, not lent it to him, as they had been in an 'intimate relationship'.

Details about Dr Tan's relationship with Stephanie Chee Jok Heng, 51, emerged in court when his lawyer cross-examined the woman on the first day of the hearing into her lawsuit.

They had even gone on trysts to hotels, claimed Dr Tan. But Chee, a divorcee with three daughters, flatly denied allegations that they had been lovers and insisted that the two had merely had a 'Christian platonic kind of relationship'.

In her lawsuit, Chee, a former management consultant, is seeking the return of $259,818.24 that she had extended to Dr Tan between 1999 and 2007. These included payments for his car insurance, road tax, life insurance premiums; expenses on his supplementary credit card; and expenses incurred in their business ventures.

Dr Tan, 53, who is single, does not dispute receiving the money, but he claims that many of the payments were 'love gifts' to him. He also contends that Chee had waived her right to the money when she turned down his previous offers to pay her back.

Chee is seeking another $149,858.19 from Dr Tan, claiming he had promised to indemnify her for losses she had made from the sale of an apartment at the One Tree Lodge condominium.

There are only 2 Medical Schools in NZ; University Of Auckland and Otago University (Dunedin). Medical Degrees from both these Universities are accredited in Singapore but which Singaporean with a NZ PR who obtains a Medical Degree from NZ would want to work in Singapore?

For starters, a huge chunk of his SG pay would get sucked into an abyss of no return known as the CPF.

There is often no bilateral recognition of Medical Degrees with other 1st world countries. The NUS Medical Degree does not get you registration or emigration points for a Singaporean.

A foreign Medical Degree (OZ/NZ) is registrable in Singapore and it also earns emigration points to get work or PR status in OZ/NZ.

Medical Doctors earn higher salaries in OZ/NZ than in Singapore not to mention a lower cost of living with regards to houses/cars (the 2 big ticket items)

Only on selected universities in OZ/NZ not all medical degrees are recognized in Singapore. But if you can stay overseas and enjoy better quality of life, why would you return to sinkieland? Ministar's children perhaps?

Wife of former NKF Chairman sentenced to 22 months' jail

I said JOB WELL DONE. HKG did a good job !!

Anyone knows if she will really physically jail ?? or does HKG have those Home Detention program that will allow her to spend the money outside jail ??

I just dont want to see her spending the money and enjoying life

SINGAPORE: A former management consultant who had cheated several charities was sentenced on Friday to 13 months' imprisonment.

The court also ordered 51-year-old Stephanie Chee Jok Heng to return the money to the charities.

She is appealing against the conviction and sentence.

The court had found Chee guilty on February 10 this year of 10 cheating charges.

Chee had swindled Parkway Healthcare Foundation and Toa Payoh Senior Citizens' Health Care Centre of S$5,761 between March 2003 and April 2004.

She was the General Manager of two facilities managed by the Foundation when she committed her crimes.

They are the Toa Payoh Centre and Geylang Senior Citizens' Health Care Centre.

District Judge Jasvender Kaur had earlier convicted Chee of making false reimbursement claims.

Chee had stated that they were for work done for the charities by other parties, when in fact, they were not.

For one, she had fraudulently used S$3,384 to pay for her daughters' piano lessons and tuition fees.

Chee also made a double claim amounting to S$2,337 from Toa Payoh Centre for plastic surgery for her younger brother.

For each cheating offence, she could have been sentenced to a maximum of seven years' jail and fined.

Grading System
34. How will the students be graded?
The grading system for the three levels of study is shown below:
H1 Subjects
H2 Subjects
A
B
C
D
E
S
Ungraded
‘S’ and ‘Ungraded’ are grade points below pass; ‘S’ is used to denote a sub-pass

O Levels Grades
A1: 75% and above
A2: 70% to 74%
B3: 65% to 69%
B4: 60% to 64%
C5: 55% to 59%
C6: 50% to 54%
D7: 45% to 49%
E8: 40% to 44%
F9: Below 40%
Grades D7, E8 and F9 are considered the failing grades. Students taking Mother Tongue Syllabus B may be awarded a Distinction, Merit, Pass, or a Fail grade.
[edit] Junior College Level (GCE A and AO levels)
A: 70% and above
B: 60% to 69%
C: 55% to 59%
D: 50% to 54%
E: 45% to 49% (passing grade)
S: 35% to 44% (denotes standard is at AO level only), grade N in the British A Levels.
U: Below 35%
In addition, students offering Special Papers (offered for the last time in 2006) will be awarded either 1 (Distinction), 2 (Merit), or U (Unclassified). Grades 1 and 2 may only be awarded with a grade E and above in the main A level paper. Grade U will be awarded if a candidate fails to achieve at least a grade E in the main subject paper, and will not be reflected in the A level result cerificate.

For students offering H3 Subjects (introduced for the first time in 2006), they will be awarded either Distinction, Merit, Pass or Fail.

Different JCs have different expectations and thus, the school reserves the discretion to moderate the marks when deemed necessary. For example, some JCs may regard 50% as the passing mark instead of 45% by others.

Note: AO level grades at Junior College level follows the O level system above.

All percentages with their corresponding grades shown here are just approximate guidelines because ultimately at the end of all major examinations (Primary School Leaving Examinations or PSLE in short, GCE N, O and A Levels) the Ministry of Education, Singapore, will moderate the results. Hence, an A grade for instance may no longer be at 70%. It could possibly be 68% or even 73% depending on the performance of the cohort. This is usually done to prevent grade inflation.

In addition, some schools are also offering the International Baccalaureate diploma program.

CANBERRA -- With its beaches, outdoor lifestyle and friendly schools, Australia has been voted the world's best country to bring up children by expatriates parents working there, an HSBC bank survey shows.

Australia provided the best environment for healthy and active children, with more than three quarters of expat kids spending more time outdoors than in their home country, the survey said.

Expat children living Down Under also found it easier to make friends and ease into new school environments, while schools in the United States and Britain were the least child-friendly for foreigners, the study found.


The survey looked at more than 3,100 expatriates from 50 countries, now living and working in expatriate hubs including six major ones: Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States, United Arab Emirates and Australia. Respondents rated their adopted homes on quality of childcare, education, ease of integration, costs of raising children and time spent on outdoor activities.

Australia had the largest proportion of expat parents who reported an improvement in the quality of family life compared with their original homes, while almost half (45 percent) said moving to the UK could have a negative effect.

Singapore ranked second overall behind Australia in the top six, followed by Hong Kong, the U.A.E., the United States and Britain. But Singapore ranked first for safety, while Australia was marked down slightly on childcare quality. Parents saw Britain and the U.S. as generally less healthy places to live, with children in both countries more likely to spend more time watching TV and playing computer games.

STTeam Administrator

Grants for S'poreans studying medicine abroad
Yesterday, 04:46 AM

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RESTRUCTURED hospitals are looking into giving pre-employment grants to Singaporeans studying medicine overseas, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan announced yesterday.
Full Story


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BPLforever

Yesterday, 08:01 AM

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The bond tied to this grant is a definite turnoff.

Better for Singaporeans studying medicine overseas to get a job in a hospital, in the country from where they graduate.


BPLforever
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newwhore

Yesterday, 08:55 AM

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government is realising the country is losing talents to other countries

why the NUS medical faculty cannot be enlarged over the last 30 years ?


newwhore
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oonizuka

Yesterday, 10:14 AM

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sg wanted to make sure only top students are doctors. but then they realize, second rate students can still go australia to get medical degree if they are rich. so, might as well bond them too.


oonizuka
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JustACitizen

Yesterday, 10:37 AM

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Too late for anything, don't you think? Instead of trying to get back those students who are aboard studying Meds,

why don't government change the system here in Singapore for our future Med students?

Why even bother trying to get them back when so many of us here are wanting to be what they want to be?

Stop thinking of a short-term solution, please? This is very very irritating for us, citizens of Singapore, to be

reading this and understanding that the government is looking for a short-term solution.

i won't be cheated by your grants. It is another form of bond that I have to serve, so that I have to come back

and practice in a local hospital upon graduating overseas. How cunning can you be? Shame on all of you to create

this so-called grants. Revamp your school system instead of trying to persuade us to come back.


JustACitizen
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plumkiwi672

Yesterday, 11:32 AM

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The Minister is working towards helping Singaporean. It is better than nothing being done now. For the benefits of our country, we should focus and works towards with the end in mind.


plumkiwi672
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imwellfed

Yesterday, 12:43 PM

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I have to agree with plumki. Given the amount of time and resources needed to increase our medical school intakes, i think this is a good temporary arrangement. One, it will ensure an increased supply of doctors which are
we need now in numbers. With a bond, this supply is perhaps less volatile to market forces internationally.Two, it stems the brain drain of talent from our country, and the government has indeed spent significant resources into educating them frm primary sch all the way up. And three, singaporean doctors (overseas trained nonetheless) I think are a better alternative to foreign doctors, not just because of their ability to relate better, but I think because they already have a strong support network at home.

I think the issue here is how do we give such grants so as to maintain the high standards of the medical profession here. There are so many medical schools around the world, even on the approved list here. Each with different syllabuses and costs, how do we decide?


imwellfed
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goofyxxx1

Yesterday, 12:52 PM

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Even if you give grants, there is nothing worth coming back to Singapore for.

Singapore is for foreigners and PRs and not for local doctors


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JustACitizen

Yesterday, 02:01 PM

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plumkiwi672 & imwellfed:

You guys don't see the picture. Do you know how our university take in med students? Their current system is, you'll go for interview to waste your time. After which, they found that none of your family members are doctors or in the medical line, they'll reject your applications. Only a certain percentage of med students that does not have a family with medical line history will be able to get in the med sch. That is how pathetic our system is right now and obviously, the whole plan back fired at the government because all they want are elites and sad to say, majority of our elites are in overseas practicing medicine.

I agree with you that with this "grants" in placed, we'll have an increased number of doctors to serve our Singaporeans' needs BUT my point is that they still have not tried to change the system. So, what is the point of implementing the grants?


JustACitizen
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BPLforever

Yesterday, 02:27 PM

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Isn't it better for Singaporeans studying medicine overseas, to remain in that country and practice their medicine there.

Serving a 5 year bond?? in a restructured hospital here can be hell.

Further with the flood of cheap foreign doctors here, there is little prospect for local doctors.

Mar 10, 2010
budget debate
Grants for med students abroad
By Rachel Lin

RESTRUCTURED hospitals are looking into giving pre-employment grants to Singaporeans studying medicine overseas, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan announced yesterday.

The grant will cover part of the students' university fees. Recipients have to serve a bond in Singapore after they graduate.

An encounter with a young party activist in his Sembawang branch made him realise the usefulness of the idea, which had first been thrown up by Dr Lily Neo (Jalan Besar GRC), said Mr Khaw.

The activist was leaving to study medicine in New South Wales, Australia. 'Among the 60 international students in her batch, she noted that 40 were Singaporeans!' the minister exclaimed.

Mr Khaw blogged about this on Facebook. In his post, he said that the ministry's aggressive recruitment of foreign medical graduates had worked, but Singapore students should not be neglected.

'I will figure out a way to help them in a meaningful manner and secure their return to Singapore,' he wrote. 'I am sure it can be done, to get our kids back!'

Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.




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Latest comments
Even local nurses are getting out as quickly as they can.

How do you fight a war without doctors and nurses.
Posted by: BPLforever at Thu Mar 11 00:05:23 SGT 2010


On a side note, it does appear that they have realised rather belatedly that we now have an acute shortage of local doctors. I noticed that they were taking in a lot of Malaysians at the expense of Singaporeans. This forced many Singaporeans to study in overseas medical schools and to remain overseas after they graduated.

This has adverse implications with regards to the 'defence' of this island. It has probably resulted in the SAF having a shortage of doctors.

What if we were in a conflict with an 'aggressor'? Would we have sufficient doctors to treat the casualties, given that most of the foreign doctors will run away at the slightest sign of trouble?

This is a problem that they have brought upon themselves because of their addiction to cheap foreign doctors.
Posted by: BPLforever at Thu Mar 11 00:02:57 SGT 2010


After doctor pedigrees, alumni ties matter next.

Raffles and ACS are favoured.
Posted by: pappy at Wed Mar 10 23:10:44 SGT 2010


JustACitizen, if what you say is true, then of course the internal system needs to be changed. I mean I have heard rumors about how the med sch might favour students with doctor pedigrees, but I dont think its the case. Plus theres no evidence to suggest that is the case. If anything, they might know the medical profession better, and as a result naturally stand a better chance gaining admission. I do agree with you though, we need to improve the current system of selecting students, as well as expanding our medical student intake. They need to be more transparent with the selection process rather than just dishing out the criteria for a start.

Also, i agree with BPL, there must be career prospects, good ones for them, or else they have less reason to return. Are overseas graduates now discriminated against local graduates presently? in terms of career opportunities?
Posted by: imwellfed at Wed Mar 10 22:53:13 SGT 2010


Isn't it better for Singaporeans studying medicine overseas, to remain in that country and practice their medicine there.

Serving a 5 year bond?? in a restructured hospital here can be hell.

Further with the flood of cheap foreign doctors here, there is little prospect for local doctors.
Posted by: BPLforever at Wed Mar 10 14:27:16 SGT 2010

University admission criteria needs to be clearer

MY DAUGHTER scored an A in English Literature, B in History and D in Economics for her A-level examinations for her H2 subjects, as well as an A for General Paper and an A for Project Work.

She thought she would not have problems reading English Literature or English Language in the Arts faculty at the National University of Singapore, but was denied admission.

The university attributed the rejection to comparatively stiff competition for places in the faculty this year. An executive at the faculty confirmed that to be eligible, one has to obtain a minimum of three H2 passes and one H1 pass, assuming a C grade for H1 General Paper.


She said my daughter fell below the cut-off point. Although this year's cut-off point has yet to be made public, last year's cut-off of 3H2 and 1H1 was BBC/C* (10th percentile), AAA/A (90th percentile).

Even with intense competition, my daughter's overall grade is unlikely to fall below the 10th percentile. If it does, I will graciously accept the fate that her results are just not good enough.

When I asked the university to confirm that my daughter's grades were below the cut-off point, the reply was that the ranking of results was confidential and that it was not obliged to answer my question. The university added that my daughter did not even qualify for discretionary admission.

If, with the strength as reflected in her A-level results, my daughter failed to gain entry, I am curious to know if all the students admitted thus far have a distinction in English Literature and General Paper.

Traditionally, university entrance has been based on A-level results that rank above the cut-off point. Was my daughter unfairly disadvantaged without proper reason?

Discretion may be an appropriate tool to moderate meritocracy, but when it fails to ensure absolute fairness, it may be time to reset the discretion's perimeter of effectiveness.

Economic fundamentals: 7
Entrepreneurship and innovation: 15
Democratic institutions: 5
Education: 6
Health: 21
Safety & security: 14
Governance: 10
Personal freedom: 4
Social capital: 4
Source: Legatum Institute

Australians might not be as nice as their neighbours across the Tasman Sea, but they still rank as the fourth best country for social capital. The Aussies are also placed in the top five for democratic institutions and personal freedom and in the top 10 for economic fundamentals, education and governance.

SINGAPORE - When a medical student told him that at her university in Australia, 40 of the 60 international students in her batch were Singaporeans, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan had vowed on Facebook to "find a way to 'get our kids back' to Singapore".

"And I will," he reaffirmed yesterday, sharing with Parliament how he might go about doing so.

Singaporeans who want to study medicine overseas, a highly expensive undertaking, could one day be able to tap a Government grant.

"The restructured hospitals are studying an idea of offering a pre-employment grant to these medical students, to help them with their cost overseas, in return for a bond to serve after they graduate," said Mr Khaw.

According to the Ministry of Health (MOH), about 150 Singaporeans head overseas to study medicine every year. But from 2005 to 2009, only 110 returned after graduation, while another 130 returned after their housemanship or working a few years.

In the case of the young medical student that Mr Khaw cited, she had applied - unsuccessfully - to the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. Determined as she was to be a doctor, and despite the strain of the more-than-$40,000 tuition fee per year, her parents supported her move to Sydney.

While Singapore will continue its "aggressive recruitment" of foreign medical graduates, Mr Khaw wrote in his Feb 9 post, locals like her who struggle financially are also on his mind for some "meaningful" help.

The proposal of a grant comes six months after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong signalled that Singapore would continue to look at ways to expand the core pool of local doctors, even after raising the annual intake at medical schools here to 350 new doctors a year. This number would still not be enough to cope with a growing and ageing population, Mr Lee had noted.

Ms Melanie Tan, 18, now scouting for schools abroad, believes a grant would ease the financial burden of studying overseas, and even sway her mind about possibly not returning to Singapore after graduation.

But how long should the bond be? That could depend on the size of the grant offered.

Singapore Medical Association president Chong Yeh Woei, who welcomed the idea of the financial leg up, noted that five years of medical school in the United Kingdom could cost at least $500,000. Hospitals would have to work out how sizeable a grant they can afford, said chief executive of Changi General Hospital T K Udairam.

MP Lily Neo (Jalan Besar GRC) - whom Mr Khaw credited with coming up with the idea of the grant several years back - suggested the Government could take its cue from the current system where local medical students are bonded for five years after graduation. After Government subsidy, they pay roughly $80,000 in tuition fees for five years, said Dr Neo and Dr Chong.

Mr Udairam feels most students would view the bond positively in terms of an assured job after they graduate. Medical student Joel Tan, 21, agreed: "It has become increasingly hard to find internship places overseas especially in Australia, where ... priority is given to citizens and permanent residents."

Meanwhile, giving a mid-course update on MOH's $1.5-billion effort to recruit 7,700 more healthcare professionals over five years, Mr Khaw reported that since 2007, headcounts have increased by 44 per cent, There are now eight doctors instead of six per 10 beds, and 26 nurses instead of just 20 per 10 beds.

Young doctors can also look forward to better training opportunities, with $120 million to be spent on strengthening specialist training programmes over the next five years.


talkback 1 - 3 of 9 responses to "A grant to lure them home?" John PotusUpdated 11:50 PM March 10, 2010Not a good idea to come home.

It will be a nightmarish time serving your 5 year bond? in the restructured hospitals.

And you will always play 2nd fiddle to those cheap foreign doctors.Report AbuseAnne LiuUpdated 09:10 PM March 10, 2010They take in a lot of PR... PAY FULL Med course fee for them, They become DOCTORS... PRs favourite PRs, Med sch in NUS have n?! % of PR's kid... so... Singaporean pay big bucks send their kid oversea to do Med, OUR excellent local kids become PR of others, contribute to others???!!! now they said short of DOCTORS??? Doctors works long hours!! Where are all those heavy funded scholars/PR? selling food in NUS?? Become chef? Merchant? PAP cannot be WRONG!!!Report AbusehogwashUpdated 05:53 PM March 10, 2010The minister is always behind the curve, reacting only when things get blown up. It has always been known that there is a doctor shortage, and now the beds crunch. Why do we pay civil servants so much to do so little?
When is the MOH and the minister going to address the long hours put in by the doctors.
Overseas students should do a proper assessment of working conditions before they return. Many will not be able to tolerate the 30+ hours oncall.