Media Reports on NPS International, Singapore and our Associate Schools

SINGAPORE is set to get another Indian school. NPS International School, a unit of Bangalore's well regarded National Public school, will start enrolling students in January next year, seeking to tap the rising Indian expatriate population in Singapore and neighbouring countries.

A 126,000 sq ft building on a 2.42 ha plot in the east of the island has been identified, although the precise location cannot be mentioned pending fire safety clearance, organisers said. Classes are expected to begin in April.

National Public School, established in 1959, has more than 8000 students in six schools in the southern Indian metropolis of Bangalore and one in Chennai. The International School Bangalore, also run by NPS, has students of 40 nationalities, mainly children of people working in India's technology hub.

"We are targeting an estimated 60,000 Indian families in Singapore," Dr. Bindu Hari, Dean of schools, said from Bangalore, "At about $600 a month our fees will probably be a little higher than other Indian schools, but that is because we are looking to hire the best teachers and provide smaller classes".

Singapore already has two reputed Indian Schools - the Global Indian International School, which is set to open a third campus, and the DPS International School.

But Indian expats are bound to welcome the wider choice of schools offering curriculum closer to that taught in India, said economist P. K. Basu, who is also president of the Indian Club, an Association of Indian expats in Singapore. NPS International sees its connection to Bangalore as a unique selling point. Talent is increasingly flowing back and forth between the cities, whether in IT companies such as IBM, or design and engineering firms such as Singapore's Jurong International.

Said Dr K. P. Gopalkrishna founder-chairman of NPS: "We guarantee admission to any of our students in Singapore whose parents get transferred, to Bangalore".

He said that while the school would have a holistic approach to education, there would be emphasis on academic excellence, and the curriculum will mix Indian and international subjects.

"We want our students to be competent enough to get admission to the best universities in the world. Our curriculum is also tailored to breed entrepreneurship" he said.

While there had been inquiries over the years from countries with large expat Indian populations, NPS had been hesitant to spread its wings overseas.

But Dr. Gopalkrishna said: "Your Education Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam spent several hours with us some months ago while on a visit to Bangalore, and that gave us immense confidence about picking Singapore for our first foray abroad, "We have been thoroughly impressed with the speed and efficiency with which the Education Ministry operated to make us feel welcome."
vallour@sph.com.sg