Expats Want The Right School, Too

Source : TODAY, Friday, August 31, 2007

ONE high-flying expatriate gave up a lucrative fund-house position — because he could not find his son a place at an international school here.

Some multinational companies are even thinking twice about deploying staff with school-going children to Singapore because of this lack of places, says the chief of an American business grouping here.

As the doors here open to foreign talent and expatriate numbers rise, from 798,000 to 875,500 last year, international schools are facing a growing crunch.

With waiting lists swelling, TODAY understands the backlog numbers are as high as 600 and the wait as long as two years.

A check with some of the 40 international schools here revealed they are all at capacity. The Singapore American School, which expanded in 2004 to accommodate 800 more students, is already full, said spokesperson Beth Gribbon.

This is also the case at the United World College where there is a waiting list at every grade, with the highest demand at preschool level.

Demand has been so strong at the Global Indian International School (GIIS) that it is looking to expand — for the second time since it opened five years ago.

“We are announcing a third campus soon because we are reaching saturation point (in the existing two schools),” said Ms Neetu Mehta, head of communications and overseas admissions.

The expansion will make GIIS the largest international school here, and increase capacity by 1,500.

Originally started for overseas Indian children, it is now so popular with other expatriates that its 3,900-strong cohort is a mosaic of 24 nationalities.

The lack of places at international schools here is becoming a “fairly acute” problem, especially in recent months — and is a major concern of American businesses here, said Mr Dom LaVigne, executive director of The American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore (AmCham).

According to him, increasing expatriate numbers and lower turnover at schools — due to expatriates staying longer or taking up Permanent Residency — are two big factors contributing to the crunch.

It is believed that several schools are working with the Economic Development Board to look at expansion options and cater for growing expatriate numbers.

And none too soon.

“Our members are finding Singapore to be a very attractive place to do business, so over the next few years, we’re probably going to see several thousand employees coming in from a number of leading companies,” Mr La-Vigne said.

In May, AmCham set up an international school task force to provide more information to the authorities. According to Mr LaVigne, they are working with American companies and schools here to get a better understanding of the projected demand for and availability of school places.

Meanwhile, the problem has caused some foreigners to turn down job offers, while others have put off relocating here until they find a school.

But an Irish expatriate in his 30s opined that the problem would not be so big if parents were not so picky.

“It’s a personal decision they make … to want their kids to be in a school with a big expat community,” he said.

Following yesterday’s end of Phase 3 of the Primary 1 registration process, there were still 4,420 places available in 80 local schools.

This, after priority had already been given to Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents.

Indeed, some foreigners here prefer to look to local schools instead as a more accessible — and affordable — option for younger children. More American expatriates, particularly those on local packages without the education allowance, are doing so. Mr LaVigne, who knows of at least two such families, said: “They have been very pleased.”

Foreigners on employment or professional visit passes can apply to local schools through the Ministry of Education and their children are allocated places under Phase 3. But some find the system confusing.

At Tanjong Katong Primary, which is popular with expatriates, some parents felt let down when they learnt there was only one vacancy left.

Malaysian Andy Cheng, 37, said: “We saw on the website that there were still 10 seats available, so we came here to queue … We still don’t quite understand how the procedure works — perhaps there could be more transparency in that.”

A CONTEST THAT TURNED FRIENDLY
It could have turned ugly – a long queue of strangers vying for one coveted Primary One vacancy at Tanjong Katong Primary School.

Instead, it became a heartwarming lesson in sportsmanship, as two expatriate parents gave up their rights to the prize for someone else.

For four days, eager parents, maids and other stand-ins had queued up for what they thought were 10 first-come-first-served vacancies at the popular neighbourhood school. This was under Phase 3 of the registration process, in which foreigners without Singapore Permanent Residency are eligible.

The camped out in the rain, with tents and sleeping bags – only to be told that just one place was up for grabs. It turned out that more places had been filled by Singaporeans after manual posting in Phase 2C.

But the Korean mother whose son will now fill that coveted spot was third – not first – in line.

The two parents before her, also Korean, had decided to go to an international school, and gave up their places to her, said the woman, who declined to be named.

As she spoke to TODAY, she was in tears. “I feel very sorry for the rest of the parents who have been queuing for so many nights. Right now, I don’t feel the joy at all, I’m just really sad,” she said.

That sense of bonding permeated the line, which began forming as early as 4pm on Monday. When told on Tuesday that only one place was left, many contenders at the back of the queue stayed on – some to top the waiting list, others to show their support.

Said Indonesian housewife Yustina Tan, 42: “We knew we didn’t have a chance, but we were all in the same boat, so it’s only right that we stuck together till the end.”

Tanjong Katong Primary was the only school with such a queue because of the reputation it has developed among the expatriate community. The school caters to students of 39 nationalities, including some 100 Koreans.

The large foreign intake came about because when the school opened seven years ago, local parents gave it a miss – creating many vacancies that were filled by foreign students.