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Nov 13, 2007

United World College to open 2nd campus

Move to help meet shortage of places for expat kids, which could hit
S’pore’s competitiveness

By Sandra Davie

THE United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA) is building a second
campus to help meet a severe shortage of places for children of expatriates.

The situation has become so bad, with long waiting lists at several schools,
that some foreigners are said to be reluctant to move here to work.

UWCSEA announced yesterday that its second campus, on a six-hectare Tampines
site, will have room for 2,500 students when ready by 2010.

It will start on temporary premises in Ang Mo Kio next September, taking in
440 pupils up to nine years old, from kindergarten to Grade 4.

Its Dover Road campus already has 2,900 students – the capacity it had
expected to hit only in 2010.

Professor Kishore Mahbubani, dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public
Policy and head of UWCSEA’s governing board, said the second campus supports
Singapore’s growth plans.

The country’s growth as a global economic and business centre requires the
availability of places in quality international schools, he said.

UWCSEA is the latest among 40 international schools here to announce
expansion plans.

The shortage of places is especially bad for pre-schoolers and lower primary
children, with waiting lists of as long as six months to a year. One school
has a four-month-old baby on its list.

The booming economy has brought more foreigners, with the expatriate
population growing from 798,000 in 2005 to 875,500 last year.

UWCSEA head Julian Whiteley, who will oversee both campuses, said his school
has a waiting list of 2,000 students, and most hope to start next August.

The school charges fees that average $20,000 a year and runs the
British-based International General Certificate of Secondary Education
programme and the International Baccalaureate diploma.

Its students come from 68 countries, with Britons and Indians making up the
largest groups. It also has 200 Singaporean students.

Mr Whiteley said the school will run a ‘one college, two campuses system’,
delivering the same quality education in both campuses.

American Chamber of Commerce executive director Dom LaVigne said the
shortage of school places had been made worse by more foreigners staying on
here.

‘The turnover is not as high as before, so fewer places open up. But UWC’s
second campus should help,’ he said.

He knew of a few Americans who did not move here because they could not find
school places for their children.

And several large companies are expected to bring in 2,000 American
employees over the next two years.

‘Their first priority is schooling for their children. If not, they choose
to go elsewhere,’ said Mr LaVigne.