United World College To Open 2nd Campus

Source : The Straits Times, Nov 13, 2007

Move to help meet shortage of places for expat kids, which could hit S'pore's competitiveness

THE United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA) is building a second campus to help meet a severe shortage of places for children of expatriates.

The situation has become so bad, with long waiting lists at several schools, that some foreigners are said to be reluctant to move here to work.

UWCSEA announced yesterday that its second campus, on a six-hectare Tampines site (Tampines Street 73), will have room for 2,500 students when ready by 2010.

It will start on temporary premises in Ang Mo Kio next September, taking in 440 pupils up to nine years old, from kindergarten to Grade 4.

Its Dover Road campus already has 2,900 students - the capacity it had expected to hit only in 2010.

Professor Kishore Mahbubani, dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and head of UWCSEA's governing board, said the second campus supports Singapore's growth plans.

The country's growth as a global economic and business centre requires the availability of places in quality international schools, he said.

UWCSEA is the latest among 40 international schools here to announce expansion plans.

The shortage of places is especially bad for pre-schoolers and lower primary children, with waiting lists of as long as six months to a year. One school has a four-month-old baby on its list.

The booming economy has brought more foreigners, with the expatriate population growing from 798,000 in 2005 to 875,500 last year.

UWCSEA head Julian Whiteley, who will oversee both campuses, said his school has a waiting list of 2,000 students, and most hope to start next August.

The school charges fees that average $20,000 a year and runs the British-based International General Certificate of Secondary Education programme and the International Baccalaureate diploma.

Its students come from 68 countries, with Britons and Indians making up the largest groups. It also has 200 Singaporean students.

Mr Whiteley said the school will run a 'one college, two campuses system', delivering the same quality education in both campuses.

American Chamber of Commerce executive director Dom LaVigne said the shortage of school places had been made worse by more foreigners staying on here.

'The turnover is not as high as before, so fewer places open up. But UWC's second campus should help,' he said.

He knew of a few Americans who did not move here because they could not find school places for their children.

And several large companies are expected to bring in 2,000 American employees over the next two years.

'Their first priority is schooling for their children. If not, they choose to go elsewhere,' said Mr LaVigne.