Students Attending International Schools

Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) (a) what is the current number of students studying in international schools in Singapore; (b) how many of them are foreigners; and (c) whether the Government is promoting the private education industry as one of the key engines of economic growth, and if so, whether there are plans to increase the number of international schools and the student numbers.

Mdm Speaker, international schools form an important part of the infrastructure that supports Singapore's attractiveness as a place for international companies to invest and do business. They cater primarily to the children of international executives based in Singapore. The Economic Development Board (EDB) annually reviews the current and projected demand for international school places to ensure sufficient capacity to meet the needs of international families.

As of January 2016, there were around 46,500 students enrolled in international schools. Of these, 36,900 or 79% were foreigners, with the remainder comprising permanent residents or 16%, and Singapore Citizens or 5%.

Besides international schools, other commercial players also offer private education to Singaporeans and foreigners. The private education landscape is diverse, with varying quality in courses and providers. The private education industry is subject to the market forces of demand and supply and has been consolidating since the raising of minimum standards and higher quality.

For private education companies that are keen to internationalise, IE Singapore has been facilitating their efforts to expand into overseas markets, for example, for Crestar and EtonHouse.

I would like to follow up with a question on whether the Ministry will consider developing a Singaporean Core among the private education institutions for the academic and the non-academic staff, so that other than being a facility that will cater to mostly foreign students, we will also develop our Singaporean worker working in this industry.

Mdm Speaker, I thank the Member Mr Ang for the supplementary question. I want to take this opportunity to assure Members in the House that the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) is mindful of the role that international schools play in supporting our ecosystem to strengthen Singapore's attractiveness as a business and investment destination, thereby creating good jobs for Singaporeans. The original Parliamentary Question was about international schools, as an engine of economic growth, with respect to how they support the international companies and their families.

So, if Members would like to delve deeper into the private education sector or the development of the faculty of these institutions, and so on, can I invite the Member to file a separate Parliamentary Question directed at the Ministry of Education (MOE), so that we can respond comprehensively and accordingly?