Source: Straits Times
Author: By Tessa Wong, Political Correspondent
PRESIDENTIAL hopeful Dr Tony Tan said on Tuesday morning that he favours a 'Singaporeans first' policy in higher education.
He was delivering a lecture on the futures of higher education at the Singapore Management University. Dr Tan used to be the Education Minister in the late 1980s.
Dr Tan said: 'What I understand by this is that Singaporeans can be put first. Whatever initiatives we launch, we must always put the interests of Singaporeans and Singapore first.'
He pointed out that citizens have priority entrance to primary and secondary schools which would lay the 'critical foundation for success in higher education'; and many subsidies and scholarships are available to Singaporeans to pursue higher education.
'But 'Singaporeans first' is different from saying 'Singaporeans only',' he said, adding that Singapore should not make it too difficult for international talent to come here.
He said that while some people believe that the higher education sector should only educate Singaporeans, this would restrict Singaporeans' ability to engage in the kind of collaborative research that 'has put Singaporean universities in the very top ranks of universities in the world.' View full story
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