WTF22 2 March "qqL/4 Public Disclosure Authorized Innovations in Higher Education Singapore at the Competitive Edge Viswanathan Selvaratnam EEDS CIVIL ENWNE -- r M"DITIEZ DUNTRYSUDI Tm1DEVELI EVEL PM ENT THEamCP n0 ON AND TI Public Disclosure Authorized ICOMEKENER -- NVIRONMI M.ANAGEMENT MICE-I PRICEVA PLlI wO TMENTX 311E ESO )EVELO - AN Public Disclosure Authorized GRIND :EELARC: ICC lEE~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ E tou "II RICU ~GRK4~EVELOPMERP 'IN~GRA RIAN EF BI Public Disclosure Authorized ~~~~ RI ~~~~~~~TINSTITUO - WJJ'IA~~~~FNURW NGST RECENT WORLD BANK TECHNICAL PAPERS No. 155 Belot and Weigel, Programlsin IndustrialCounltries to PromoteForeign Direct Investmentin Developing Countries No. 156 De Geyndt, ManaginigHealth Expendituires under National Health Insurance: The Caseof Korea No. 157 Critchley, Reij, and Seznec, WaterHarvestingfor Plant Production,vol. ll: CaseStudies and ConclusionsforSub-Saharan Africa No. 158 Hay and Paul, Regulationand Taxationof CommercialBanks during the InternationalDebt Crisis No. 159 Liese, Sachdeva, and Cochrane, Organizinigand ManaginigTropical Disease Control Programs: Lessonsof Success No. 160 Boner and Krueger, The Basicsof AntitrutstPolicy: A Reviewof Ten Nationsand thleEuropean Communities No. 161 Riverson and Carapetis, IntermediateMeans of Transportin Sub-SaharaniAfrica: Its Potential for Improving Rural Traveland Transport No. 162 Replogle, Non-MotorizedVehicles in Asian Cities No. 163 Shilling, editor, BeyondSyndicated Loans: Sources of CreditforDeveloping Countries No. 164 Schwartz and Kampen, AgriculturalExtension in East Africa No. 165 Kellaghan and Greaney, Using Exanminlationsto Improve Education: A Study in FourteenAfrican Countries No. 166 Ahmad and Kutcher, IrrigationPlanning with EnvironmentalConsiderations: A CaseStudy of Pakistan'sIndus Basin No. 167 Liese, Sachdeva, and Cochrane, Organizingand AMfanagingTropical Disease Control Programs: Case Studies No. 168 Barlow, McNelis, and Derrick, SolarPumping: An Introductionand Updateon the Technology, Performance,Costs and Economics No. 169 Westoff, Age at Marriage,Age at FirstBirthl, and Fertilityin Africa No. 170 Sung and Troia, Developmentsin DebtConversion Programs and ConversionActivities No. 171 Brown and Nooter, SuccessfulSmall-Scale Irrigation in the Sahel No. 172 Thomas and Shaw, Issuesin the Developmentof MultigradeSchools No. 173 Byrnes, WaterUsers Association in World Bank-AssistedIrrigation Projects in Pakistan No. 174 Constant and Sheldrick, WorldNitrogen Survey No. 175 Le Moigne and others, editors, CounltryExperiences with WaterResources Management: Economic, Institutional,Teclhnological and EnvironmentalIssues No. 176 The World Bank/FAO/UNIDO/Industry Fertilizer Working Group, Worldand RegionalSupply and DemandBalancesfor Nitrogen, Phosphate, and Potash,1990/91-1996/97 No. 177 Adams, ThzeWorld Bank's Treatmentof Employmentand LaborMarket Issues No. 178 Le Moigne, Barghouti, and Garbus, editors, Developingand ImprovingIrrigation and Drainage Systems: SelectedPapersfrom World Bank Seminars No. 179 Speirs and Olsen, IndigenousIntegrated Farming Systems in theSahtel No. 180 Barghouti, Garbus, and Umali, editors, Trendsin AgriculturalDiversification: Regional Perspectives No. 181 Mining Unit, Industry and Energy Division, Strategyfor AfricanMining No. 182 Land Resources Unit, Asia Technical Department, StrategyforForest Sector Development in Asia No. 183 Najera, Liese, and Hammer, Malaria: New Patternsand Perspectives No. 184 Crosson and Anderson, Resourcesand GlobalFood Prospects: Supply and DemandforCereals to 2030 No. 185 Frederiksen, DroughitPlanning anid Water Efficiency Implications in WaterResources Managemenit No. 186 Guislain, Divestitureof State Enterprises:An Overviewof the LegalFramework No. 187 De Geyndt, Zhao, and Liu, FromBarefoot Doctor to VillageDoctor in Rural China (List continues on the inside back cover) WORLDBANK TECHNICALPAPER NUMBER 222 ASIATECHNICAL DEPARTMENT SERIES Innovations in Higher Education Singapore at the Competitive Edge Viswanathan Selvaratnam The World Bank Washington, D.C. Copyright ©)1994 The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/THE WORLD BANK 1818 H Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20433,U.S.A. All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America First printing March 1994 Technical Papers are published to communicate the results of the Bank's work to the development community with the least possible delay. The typescript of this paper therefore has not been prepared in accordance with the procedures appropriate to formal printed texts, and the World Bank accepts no responsibility for errors. Some sources cited in this paper may be informal documents that are not readily available. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the author(s) and should not be attributed in any manner to the World Bank, to its affiliated organizations, or to members of its Board of Executive Directors or the countries they represent. 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The complete backlist of publications from the World Bank is shown in the annual Index of Publications, which contains an alphabetical title list (with full ordering information) and indexes of subjects, authors, and countries and regions. The latest edition is available free of charge from the Distribution Unit, Office of the Publisher, The World Bank, 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433,U.S.A., or from Publications, The World Bank, 66, avenue d'I6na, 75116Paris, France. ISSN: 0253-7494 Viswanathan Selvaratnam is an education specialist in the Education and Social Policy Department at the World Bank. Libraryof Congress Cataloging-in-PublicationData Selvaratnam, V. Innovations in higher education : Singapore at the competitive edge / Viswanathan Selvaratnam. p. cm. - (World Bank technical paper ; no. 222. Asia Technical Department series) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-8213-2618-X 1. Education, Higher-Singapore. 2. Higher education and state- Singapore. 3. Education, Higher-Economic aspects-Singapore. I. Title. II. Series: World Bank technical paper ; no. 222. III. Series: World Bank technical paper. Asia Technical Department series. LA1239.5.S44 1994 378.5957-dc2O 93-23359 CIP Contents ExecutiveSummary 1 1. Overview .11 A Success Story .11 Geographyand Demography .12 Goverment .12 Economy and Employment.13 Objectives.13 Structure of this Study .14 2. Human Resource DevelopmentAfter Independence.15 The Rationale.15 A Demand-DrivenSystem .19 3. The Structure and Developmentof Higher Education .23 The Structure and InstitutionalDiversification .25 The First Tier-Universities .25 The SecondTier-Polytechnics .29 The Third Tier-Other Centers of Public and Private Training .29 Enrollment.31 AdmissionPolicy .36 Foreign Students.42 Conclusion.43 4. Overseas Education .44 Sponsored Students .45 Self-FinancingStudents .47 5. Relevance and Quality .49 Structure and Content of AcademicPrograms .49 Staff .52 Teaching and Leaming .56 Quality Control.57 '1 Innovaons In Higher Fducation: Singapore at die CompWe Edge 6. Research and the University-IndustryNexus ............................. 59 Research .............................. 59 Postgraduate Studies .............................. 62 University-IndustryLink ............ ................... 65 Staff-GovernmentLink .......... ..................... 68 7. Government-InstitutionRelations . .............................. 69 Governanceand Management............................... 69 Autonomy ................................................ 71 8. Finance ............................... 75 Public Subsidy .............................. 75 Fees, User Charges, and Endowments............................... 80 Student Loans ............................... 82 Scholarshipand Bursaries . ............................... 84 9. The Future of Higher Education in Singapore ............................ 85 10. Implicationsof the SingaporeExperience for DevelopmentPolicy .87 Lessons to be Learned .87 EmergingIssues .90 11. Conclusion.94 References .96 Appendix: Higher Education in Pre-IndependenceSingapore .102 Annexes.105 Iv Foreword The World Bank has long recognizedgood quality human resources in developingcountries as one of the key ingredientsof economicgrowth and higher levels of living. To achievethis, the Bank since 1963, has assisted developingcountries throughout the world to expand and improve educational provisions includinghigher education. Singaporetoo, in the early 1970s, was a recipient of the Bank's assistancefor the initialdevelopment of the NationalUniversity of Singapore. Sincethen, Singapore'shigher educationhas