Singaporeans will face more competition for university places and internships when this country hosts the first batch of Australian students next year.
By itself, the "reverse Colombo Plan" is a positive development as we can continue to have student diversity in our campuses without having to grant scholarships cum living allowance. These Australian students are awarded scholarships by their own government to study and take up internships with companies here.
However, this new source of foreign students adds on to the already heavy foreign presence in our universities, the majority of whom are fully paid for by our government. One can't help but conclude that Singaporeans who want to enroll in our local universities and placed in internships are being constantly squeezed out of the market.
Why don't the Singapore Government scrap the unpopular foreign scholarships regime and use the same funds to set up our own "reverse Colombo Plan"?
Like the thousands of fortunate Australians, similar numbers of Singaporeans can also be awarded scholarships to study abroad and take up internships with companies based overseas. Our students will then be even more exposed to diversity than the aloof foreign scholars' community we have in our campuses now.
Dream on.
David Ching
TRS Contributor