Moving from Singapore back to HK??

L

Little Precious

New member
Hi, i'm new here. My son was born in Singapore. and he's coming to be 2 this yr end. being a Hongkonger, i have a wish to go back to hk for good in a few yrs time. in fact, my singaporean hubby wants my son to get education in Singapore or we'll mirgate to somewhere else like Aus. However, he'll compromise this idea if i do wish.

many friends (both in HK or Singapore) strong advise us remain in Singapore.

Do you guys advise me the same? is the local education in HK really that bad esp Eng?
 
This is your decision and yours alone. Here's my two cents worth on what I'd consider important:

  • Pollution: I'd stay in Singapore.
  • Education: I'd say, if you are planning to migrate to an English speaking country and your son will not be attending an international school, Singapore would be your best bet. The standard of English here is simply terrible (at the local schools, even at some DSS)!
 
I am a Singaporean married to a Hong Konger and will be based in HK for the forseeable future. I use to think that basic education can't be that bad in HK and think that it is more important for the parents to invest time on their children in order to nurture them. Unfortunately, after working in HK within the tertiary education sector for the past 2 years, I must say that I was very naive to think that way. There are many aspects of the basic education in Singapore which I had taken for granted. For example even though the Singapore system is regimented, it is not oppressive. There is a certain level of consistency and you will not see a very big difference between the basic competencies of the students if they went to different schools. (while in HK, you can, I have interviewed hundreds of students, and I can tell which ones attended private schools without looking at their paperwork) Even though many parents think that it is great to have so many choices in terms of educations systems (e.g. English based curriculum, putonghua based curriculum etc) but having so many choices also mean that they are not being well regulated. If you are lucky, the school which you send your kids to might have a good curriculum but there are chances that you might not. As expensive fees may not a good indicator of quality education. It seems as if parents are expected to pay a premium for a 'basic' level of education which you can get for free in Singapore.
You will be able to get good education in HK, it is just that you may have to pay a big financial price for it.
The local education works well if you child excels well in school right from the beginning as educators love the (yat tiu long) system. Thus ensuring that you will get into a good secondary school and so forth. But as adults I think we all understand that many children do not really develop real interests in education until they find an area which they are really interested in. And this may happen when the child is in his/her teens but by then, the local system might have already categorised your child as a 'bad' student thus limiting your child's development.
I also wonder if we expose our children to private schools and 'expensive perks' ,will it cause our children to develop a very 'elitist' view of the world?
The children are more likely to develop a strong command of both English and Putonghua in the Singaporean curriculum thus ensuring that your children will have the gift and freedom to pursue their future in any country that they desire.
I am expecting my first child soon, it is unlikely that my spouse will agree to relocating to Singapore, I will be facing the same dilemmas as you in a couple of years...Good luck with your descision!
 
louisouis I would be glad if you could share your experience with me. I am currently enrolling our son for kindergartens in Hong Kong! Which schools can you recommend?
 
Singapore is providing an English speaking environment so there is little dispute you speak better English there. It goes without saying therefore you also speak better authentic English in UK or Aussie, than the Singlish in the island state.
The recent ranking of reading and science skills has put HK ordinary students into 2nd places in the world ( after Russia and Finland) may well say not everything is dead here.
 
Hi Stanley,

I am sorry that I might not be of much help in choosing a kindergarten, but I believe that it is very important for the parents to go and look at the schools and check it out during term time. Don't believe in all the adverts that you hear, most schools like to boast about native english teachers, but it really is of no use if the teacher does not have any interests in the kids and speak with a strong regional accent (not to discriminate against accents, hey i am singaporean, I am born with a strong accent and I know that it is difficult for people to understand strong accents thus defeating the purpose of learning English so that you can communicate with the world.)

But I do have a copy of a schooling supplement which lists all the private kindergartens (and fees and locations) in hk which I can share with you. Maybe you can PM your email address and I will scan it for you.

As for rankings published in the newspaper... I am usually quite cautious with what the media says, as it often could be a convenient platform which helps shed some positive light on an area which is currently suffering. Especially with the recent elections going on, I have noticed that many politicians were talking about the state of public education and trying to justify why they don't send their own kids to the public schools in hk. I am sure there are many outstanding students in HK, but they have to work against an unyielding system in order to shine.
I did come across the news about the reading and science skills, but I will also like to know how big their sample size were, how they derive their results and which agency had conducted this survey, as I understand that there are many studies which are conducted on very small or in fact not justifiable sample groups to warrant the accuracy of the survey. I think in short the most important thing is to judge with your eyes and not with your ears.
 
Thanks for you answer. I will PM you my email adress. I am looking for an all-through School/Kindergarten like Victoria, ESF, Kiangsu, etc..., that is why I am interested already at this stage. Thanks.
 
I'm a qualified teacher from Singapore working in a local school in Hong Kong as a NET teacher. I have to say that in terms of English, the students in Hong Kong may not be as good as Singapore as schools here do not use English as a medium of instruction. It is also interesting to note that politicians do not send their kids to local school and I can understand why. I work in a supposedly band 1 primary school and the students here are meant to have a better grasp of English but as compared to the local neighbourhood school in Singapore that I used to work in, it's still lagging behind. If you look at Singapore, most politicians and almost everyone sends their kids to local schools unlike in HK where they can choose from a variety of schools.

Having said all these, there are good schools in HK but it takes a lot to find one. If I have a kid in HK, I would hesitate to send my child to a local school, well, some of my colleagues don't even send their kids to the local schools. I would take the international school route but not Singapore International though.
 
Hey fellow Singaporeans! I'll new here and will be moving to Hong Kong very soon for work too. In fact, I'll be moving next month Jan.

My wife has been sourcing for a kindergarten for my 3yr old son. The feedbacks we saw from other websites had not been encouraging. Parents in Hong Kong have to deal with school rankings (as well as branding), interviews (!???) for their toddlers, curriculum, paths to branded schools etc...

I'll be working in Kowloon and I've heard Kowloon Tong is where most of the International schools are located. Any recommendations? Straits Times has reported several times that international schools over there are pretty much full. What other alternatives do we have?

Btw, are there any Singapore schools in Hong Kong??
 
Singaporeans are NOT allowed to enrol in international schools in Singapore

Dear Sunniefaith,

FYI, Singaporeans are NOT allowed to study in international schools in Singapore. MOE only gives permission if:

1) The students are returning Singaporeans who have studied in international schools overseas as they have lived abroad for some time; and

2) The children have special learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, as international schools have teachers trained in dealing with special needs children.


Therefore, politicians in Singapore do not send their kids to international schools. In Hong Kong, anyone can attend any school he likes.
 
papaof2 said:
Hey fellow Singaporeans! I'll new here and will be moving to Hong Kong very soon for work too. In fact, I'll be moving next month Jan.

My wife has been sourcing for a kindergarten for my 3yr old son. The feedbacks we saw from other websites had not been encouraging. Parents in Hong Kong have to deal with school rankings (as well as branding), interviews (!???) for their toddlers, curriculum, paths to branded schools etc...

I'll be working in Kowloon and I've heard Kowloon Tong is where most of the International schools are located. Any recommendations? Straits Times has reported several times that international schools over there are pretty much full. What other alternatives do we have?

Btw, are there any Singapore schools in Hong Kong??
Click to expand...

Hi! The Singapore International School is located at Aberdeen. We've not sent our son there cos it's very far from where we live and I feel that contrary to belief held in Singapore, the education there is not the best. Btw, I used to be a teacher in a top school. ;)

International schools in HK require the kids to go through an interview. Sometimes, the parents are also interviewed. But nothing scary lah...they just want to test the kid on his oral communication and social skills. Also, some international kindergartens here require debentures which are interest free.

My advice is to get a kindergarten that has a feeder primary and secondary school so you can save the trouble of hunting for one later.

And welcome to HK!
 
Helena, if one parent is a foreigner, you can send your kid to an international school in Singapore.
One politician has exercised this option, Mr. Mah Bow Tan.
While living in Singapore, I tutored a child who's father is not Singaporean and he attended the UWC.

There are better education systems than the Singapore option. My personal two cents of the matter would be to go for a real international experience, choose the AIS, GSIS, HLYIS etc. ... even Yew Cheung IS This is based on my teaching experience in Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia. There's still a great deal of rigidity in the Singapore way.

There are good EMI schools in Hong Kong. St. Margaret's has a good reputation and St. Paul's has an excellent reputation!
 
Thanks for your advice, Helena! I agree too that Singapore does not have the best education. It has a good education system on the whole as compared to many other countries.

It's been a nightmare for my wife and I to get our boy into an International kindergarten. Everyone we called is full! Those with feeder into primary and up are even worse with a lengthy waiting list. And childcare doesn't seem as popular in Hong Kong. Not many provide full day care.

Are there any good International kindergartens that provide full day care?? Where else can we go?
 
papaof2 said:
Thanks for your advice, Helena! I agree too that Singapore does not have the best education. It has a good education system on the whole as compared to many other countries.

It's been a nightmare for my wife and I to get our boy into an International kindergarten. Everyone we called is full! Those with feeder into primary and up are even worse with a lengthy waiting list. And childcare doesn't seem as popular in Hong Kong. Not many provide full day care.

Are there any good International kindergartens that provide full day care?? Where else can we go?
Click to expand...


HI!
I know what you mean. My husband and I were kiasu cos we virtually went around all the supposedly good kindergartens. Guess everything here in HK runs on capitalism, things is based on demand and supply. Education included.

If I'm not wrong, Think has classes up to 6.30pm. It has a few branches. Also has a feeder primary school. Check out www.think.edu.hk

Maybe you can leave your email for me to send you a file.
 
Thanks Helena! My email is [email protected]. I will check out Think Kindergarten :)

Btw, I have one last question - term start in Aug/Sept in Hong Kong. How do they calculate the age of children? My boy is born in Jan 05 and when we ask around, some told us he should be in nursery and some told us he can be in K1. I personally would like him to be in K1 as he will be 3 yrs old in Jan. I understand K1 is for children age 2 yrs 8 mths, then why are some schools suggesting nursery?
 
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