Applications from International Students for Local Schools

10 Mr Ong Teng Koon asked the Minister for Education (Schools) how many applications from international students for our local schools have been rejected in 2017 and whether the Ministry will consider increasing the percentage of international students in local schools to above 5% to better accommodate the education needs of children of resident workers who actively contribute to our economy.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministers for Education (Ms Low Yen Ling) (for the Minister for Education (Schools)): Mr Speaker, the presence of eligible international students helps to cultivate a global orientation and intercultural skills in our students and enrich the overall educational environment in Singapore schools.

For the 2016 Primary 1 Registration Exercise, around 1,800 applications from international students to enter Primary 1 in 2017 were rejected.

Our public school system is designed to cater to the needs of Singaporeans. While the Ministry of Education (MOE) values the diversity that international students bring to our schools, our priority is to serve the educational needs of Singaporeans. Thus, we only offer a limited number of places to international students each year.

While MOE continues to make available places in our mainstream schools for international students, we will not be able to meet the demand entirely.