Tough life for study mamas

by Mavis Toh

The China Embassy estimates that there are about 5,000 peidu mamas in Singapore.

These are Chinese women who come here on long-term visit passes because their children are studying here.

There are about 36,000 Chinese students here, up from 32,000 in 2006.

Struggle from day one for divorced mum and daughter

When Madam Zhang Jin Mei found out in 2002 that her husband was cheating on her, she divorced him and left China with their only child.

She paid an agent $500 to arrange for the girl, then 15, to be enrolled in a government school in Singapore.

Then with $4,000 borrowed from friends and family, the mother and daughter left Shandong province in eastern China to start a new life.

Call me an entrepreneur

Madam Yan Hong (with her son) may be in Singapore because her son studies here, but she takes umbrage if you call her a peidu mama.

She is quick to remind you that she holds an EntrePass for entrepreneurs, not the long-term visit pass that most study mamas have.

The 39-year-old from Xian, the capital of Shaanxi province in north-central China, adds that she does not attend gatherings organised by study mamas here.

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