Kathmandu:

Quality education creates the foundation for global citizens of a global world. But there are very few schools that strive towards harnessing academic excellence that prepares the student to step into this world. Speaking about developing countries like ours, the structure and teaching methodology of the schools is still in a dismal state as compared to the international standard.

Moreover, the academic curriculum is strictly rigorous leaving no room for extra curricular activities and no emphasis is laid on personal grooming, personality development and leadership skills. Rather than providing practical knowledge through first hand experience, the focus is more on memorising than enhancing a student’s analytical skills. The state of education can be attributed to poor infrastructure to lack of strategies that could have built a strong academic foundation.

Tay Kim Huat Edward, Founding Principal of the Singapore International School (SIS) in Mumbai, who was on a special visit to Nepal said, “We at SIS have taken up an endeavour to set up a chain of international schools in India, starting with Mumbai.”

The school has been modelled on the lines of the hugely successful Singapore education system, which is considered one of the finest in the world.

But what relevance is it for the students of Nepal when an international school is established in India? “Nepal is India’s neighbour, and it’s an opportunity for parents who have been sending their children to foreign countries to get international standard education,” says Edward.

But more than anything, the wide recognition of the school in the UK and the US would attract hordes of Nepali children to study in the school, he says.

Education system structure:

The Singapore education system has two years of kindergarten followed by primary education, which typically entails a four-year ‘Foundation stage’ starting from Grade I to IV. The primary education is then followed by a two-year ‘Orientation stage’ in Grade V and VI in which the overall aim is to give the students a good grasp over English, Science, Mathematics and Second language. Students are also allowed to participate in co-curricular activities and community involvement programmes. At this stage, the students are also allowed to take a third language, which is either French or Spanish.

The ‘Secondary stage’ (Grade VII to X) leads to the IGCSE ‘O’ level examination, which is equivalent to SLC in Nepal. Students who pass the ‘O’ level examinations are then allowed to take up a two-year course that leads to ‘A’ level examination, which is equivalent to intermediate level in Nepal. After completing the ‘A’ level examinations students are eligible to apply to any of the best universities around the world including Australia, UK and the US.

Meeting standards:

Singapore International School is set up over a sprawling 10-acre land amidst a sylvan, serene environment in suburban Mumbai.The school is supported by an international curriculum and the state-of-the-art infrastructure provides world class pre-primary, primary and secondary education. It runs as a day-boarding school focusing on holistic growth of students, addressing their physical, emotional, social and cultural needs, besides academic excellence. The mission of the school is to impart international quality education that will groom students to become responsible global citizens.

With Carpe diem or Seize the Day as its motto, SIS believes in making the most of each day, having fun while at the same time working hard towards achieving one’s career goals. In other words, it encourages students to live each to the fullest.

Singapore International School has started enrollment for the academic year 2007-8 from KG to grade II. (For further information log in to www.sisindia.net)