Education is fast becoming a selling point in today's world. Being a field focusing on the betterment of the future generation, some countries have the privilege of being known as providers of quality education. Singapore - on many levels - has carved her very own niche in this area. Providing numerous high quality, comprehensive diplomas, degrees, post-graduate degrees, and high standard schooling, for international students, it is gradually becoming a hub for education, not just in the Asia pacific region, but globally too.

Being present at the Singapore Education Awards 2009, held last month at the famous Raffles Hotel, the program line up for the night consisted of the recognition of numerous areas of contribution to the high quality of education in the country. Organised by the Singapore Tourist Board (STB), it also consisted of various presentations of student talents, as well as international students' expressing their opinion of the Singapore education experience.

The ceremony officiated by Mr. Lee Yi Shyan, Minister of State for Trade and Industry, focused on a few objectives such as recognising the exceptional contribution of members of the Singapore education industry, in making it a quality education hub and 'Global Schoolhouse,' as well as establishing benchmarks for service excellence in the various areas of education services provisions.

The Singapore Education Awards 2009, focused on 18 categories, some of them being; Best Host for International Students Studying in Singapore - Hostels, won by Prince George Park's Residencies, National University of Singapore (NUS), Best International Marketing Effort by a Public Educational Institution, won by NUS Business School, and Best Singapore Education Specialist Agency (International), won by RV! Centre International (Vietnam). Being held for the third year, the awards ceremony drew 2000 nominations this year, almost 50% more than in 2008, proving the importance the country gives to education.

The Awards, launched in 2007, strives to champion the values articulated in Singapore Education, a multi-government agency initiative led by the Economic evelopment Board and supported by STB, SPRING Singapore, International Enterprise Singapore and the Ministry of Education. So why would an international student opt for Singapore as his or her education destination? Firstly, having high standards of living for reasonably affordable prices, Singapore also saw the arrival of 97,000 international students from 120 countries, in 2008, becoming an increasingly cosmopolitan society, and so, quite a conducive environment for a foreign student to study in.

Other than the high-class local Universities and Poly-Technics, established international institutions such as DigiPen Institute of Technology in USA, New York University Tisch School of the Arts, University of Las Vegas (UNLV), Technical University of Munich (TUM), establishing themselves in the country being one other reason, the numerous lucrative job opportunities available is yet another.

With a land area of 700 sq km, and a population of 4.6 million, 25% being non-residents, the languages used in Singapore are English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. Some of the key growth industries in the country are Electronics, Biomedical Sciences, Clean Energy, Chemicals, Interactive Digital Media, Tourism and Hospitality, opening up numerous job opportunities for students opting to study in Singapore. Facilities such as Employment Pass Eligibility Certificates which enables individuals graduating from selected institutions to stay in the country for upto one year to seek employment and Employment Pass Online which is an online assessment tool an individual can use to check eligibility for various jobs, are helpful for students looking to break into the job market.

Ranking as Asia's number one country with regards to safety, according to Political and Economic Risk Consultancy 2007, parents who opt to send their children to Singapore for their higher educations, can have peace of mind as well.

With the present global downturn, Singapore is still seeing some pockets of growth in areas such as Digital Media, Bio Medical sectors and Clean Energy, and the onus is shifting from labour intensified to innovation fields. Fast becoming a destination for quality East-West education with an Asian perspective, Singapore offers a platform to a career in global cities. So if you're looking for a high quality educational experience, close to home, Singapore might just be it!

So why would an international student opt for Singapore as his or her education destination? Firstly, having high standards of living for reasonably affordable prices, Singapore also saw the arrival of 97,000 international students from 120 countries, in 2008, becoming an increasingly cosmopolitan society, and so, quite a conducive environment for a foreign student to study in. Other than the high-class local Universities and Poly-Technics, established international institutions such as DigiPen Institute of Technology in USA, New York University Tisch School of the Arts, University of Las Vegas (UNLV), Technical University of Munich (TUM), establishing themselves in the country being one other reason, the numerous lucrative job opportunities available is yet another.

With a land area of 700 sq km, and a population of 4.6 million, 25% being non-residents, the languages used in Singapore are English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. Some of the key growth industries in the country are Electronics, Biomedical Sciences, Clean Energy, Chemicals, Interactive Digital Media, Tourism and Hospitality, opening up numerous job opportunities for students opting to study in Singapore. Facilities such as Employment Pass Eligibility Certificates which enables individuals graduating from selected institutions to stay in the country for upto one year to seek employment and Employment Pass Online which is an online assessment tool an individual can use to check eligibility for various jobs, are helpful for students looking to break into the job market. Ranking as Asia's number one country with regards to safety, according to Political and Economic Risk Consultancy 2007, parents who opt to send their children to Singapore for their higher educations, can have peace of mind as well.
With the present global downturn, Singapore is still seeing some pockets of growth in areas such as Digital Media, Bio Medical sectors and Clean Energy, and the onus is shifting from labour intensified to innovation fields. Fast becoming a destination for quality East-West education with an Asian perspective, Singapore offers a platform to a career in global cities. So if you're looking for a high quality educational experience, close to home, Singapore might just be it!