THERE has been a nearly fivefold increase in the number of Singaporean students in international schools here since 2002.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) said 975 Singaporeans are currently enrolled in some of the 40 international schools here, a big jump from the reported figure of 200 five years ago.

Their parents pay as much as $2,000 a month.

This growing number does not include Singaporeans attending the international arm of three local schools - Anglo-Chinese School (International), Hwa Chong International and St Joseph's Institution (SJI) International.

The attraction of the international schools, which cater mainly to children of expatriates, includes smaller class sizes, the broad-based International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum, less emphasis on examinations and wider choice of second-language subjects.

Some parents whose children have special learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, also opt for international schools as they have teachers trained in dealing with special needs children.

However, parents have to seek the MOE's nod to enrol their children in international schools. Approval is given only for exceptional reasons, such as when the child has lived abroad for a long time.

The increase could be due to more Singaporeans working abroad, whose children have studied in international schools there, said the MOE.

Another possibility is that more parents who have children with learning difficulties are prepared to apply for and pay the higher fees charged by foreign system schools, it added.

But the MOE stressed that the Government prefers Singaporeans to attend local schools for the purpose of building a national identity.

'Singaporean children should be educated in an environment that embraces the history and culture of Singapore, in particular, the multi-racial and multi-religious characteristics of Singapore,' said an MOE spokesman, who added that despite the increase, Singaporeans make up only 4 per cent of the total enrolment at international schools.

One parent who made the switch is Mrs Mae Anderson, a Singaporean married to an American. She had enrolled her older daughter, Sarah, now 11, in a top local school but decided to transfer her in the middle of Primary 2 to the Singapore American School (SAS).

Mrs Anderson, who runs a local charity, made the switch because she felt there was an over-emphasis on exam results and a lack of attention to extra-curricular activities and community service in the local school.

'I feel that a holistic education is crucial,' she said.

SAS has about 200 Singaporeans enrolled.

Mrs Poh Bee Davis, who sends her 12-year-old daughter Tara and 14-year-old son Tynan to the United World College of South East Asia in Dover Road, likes the smaller class sizes as children get more individual attention.

Class sizes in international schools range from 15 to 25 students per class, compared to 40 in local schools.

Mrs Christina Ong, an image consultant and trainer who transferred her dyslexic son Gerald from a local school to the International School Singapore when he was in Secondary 3, said local schools do have their strengths.

She said: 'My older son thrived in one. But it was not suited for my dyslexic younger son. He managed till Secondary 3, but it was a real struggle without any special help for him.

'Now he is happier and working harder in his studies, even in maths, which he doesn't like very much.'

sandra@sph.com.sg

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