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Overview of the Singapore Education Structure

2008-02-06T22:37:00.000-08:00

Source: MOE
A typical student in Singapore will undergo at least 10 years of general education. This consists of six years in primary school, and four years in secondary school. In secondary school, students will need either four years (Express course) or five years (Normal course) to prepare for the GCE ‘O’ Level examinations, depending on their ability. Students taking the Normal course would take the GCE ‘N’ Level examinations at the end of the fourth year to prepare them for the GCE ‘O’ Level examinations at the end of the fifth year.

Students have various options upon successful completion of the GCE ‘O’ Levels. These include junior colleges and centralised institutes for a two- or three-year pre-university course respectively. Students can also consider more “hands-on” education at the polytechnics, institutes of technical education and various specialised institutions. Students can subsequently pursue a university education at one of the four local universities.

Click here to view an overview of the Singapore Education Landscape. (Source: MOE)
http://www.home-in-singapore.sg/sgp/cms.www/content.aspx?sid=33&s=1

Ayn Rand Institute 16th Annual Anthem Essay Contest

2007-12-20T16:24:00.000-08:00

ANTHEM For 9th and 10th Graders Entry Deadline: March 20, 2008 FIRST PRIZE: $2,000 5 SECOND PRIZES: $500 10 THIRD PRIZES: $200 45 FINALISTS: $50 Cash Awards 175 SEMIFINALISTS: $30 Cash Awards ANTHEM—TOPICS Select ONE of the following three topics: 1) Aside from very rare exceptions (Equality, the Saint at the Pyre) there is literally no opposition to the leaders in this society. Why is this? What ideas must the average man have accepted to live a life of obedience, drudgery, and fear? 2) For each of the following quotations from Anthem, explain in a single, unified essay the quotation’s meaning in the story and its wider significance. a) “We alone, of the thousands who walk this earth, we alone in this hour are doing a work which has no purpose save that we wish to do it.” (Chapter 1) b) “Are we proud of this thread of metal, or of our hands which made it, or is there a line to divide these two?” (Chapter 5) c) “Only the glass box in our arms is like a living heart that gives us strength.” (Chapter 7) 3) Prometheus writes: “The secrets of this earth are not for all men to see, but only for those who will seek them.” (Chapter 3) Why does he think that the secrets of this earth are not for the all men to see? If he thinks this, why does he decide to show his glass box to the World Council of Scholars? How do these issues relate to the theme of the novel? ANTHEM—JUDGING Essays will be judged on both style and content. Judges will look for writing that is clear, articulate and logically organized. Winning essays must demonstrate an outstanding grasp of the philosophic meaning of Anthem. ANTHEM—RULES Entrant must be in the ninth or tenth grade. To avoid disqualification, a stapled cover sheet MUST include: your name and address; your e-mail address (if available); the name and address of your high school; topic selected (#1, 2 or 3 from list above); your current grade level and (optional) the name of the teacher who assigned the essay, if you are completing it for classroom credit. Essay must be no fewer than 600 and no more than 1,200 words in length, and must be typewritten and double-spaced. One entry per student, please. Essay must be postmarked no later than March 20, 2008.Essay must be solely the work of the entrant. Decisions of the judges are final. Employees of the Ayn Rand Institute, its board of directors and their immediate family members are not eligible for this contest. Past first place winners are not eligible for this contest. All entries become the property of the Ayn Rand Institute and will not be returned. Winners, finalists, semifinalists and all other participants will be notified via e-mail and/or by mail by July 26, 2008. Note: All information necessary to enter the contest is contained on this page. It is not necessary to write for more information. ANTHEM—TO ENTER » Submit your essay online Or mail your essay with stapled cover sheet to: Anthem Essay Contest, Dept. W The Ayn Rand Institute P.O. Box 57044 Irvine, CA 92619-7044 Please do not submit duplicate Essays! If you wish to verify our receipt of your essay, please paperclip a stamped, self-addressed postcard to the essay. If you submit your essay online, we will send you an e-mail reply acknowledging receipt of your entry. If you have not received e-mail notification within 24 hours, please e-mail essay@aynrand.org. Comments or questions about the essay contests are welcome. Please write to essay@aynrand.org.
http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/Detailed/Scholarships/Ayn_Rand_Institute_16th_Annual_Anthem_Essay_Contest_567.php

When To Dump That Great Idea

2007-11-03T15:51:00.000-07:00

A while ago, you had an idea for a new company that would change the world. You stayed up all night feverishly sketching your plans for global domination.
Yet there you are, months later, still sitting in your cubicle, that brilliant flash a distant memory.
Wake up: Not every idea--even a great one--turns into a money machine. In fact, it's often just as useful to know when to dump a good idea as it is to pursue one--if only so you can get to work on that next "great" idea.
Here are three ways to know when enough is enough.
Paying Customers Never Show Up
So your friends are high-fiving, investors are salivating and the media is gushing. So what? The difference between having an idea and having a real company is a throng of paying customers.
The classic case of early exuberance later squashed was the Segway--that two-wheel, stand-up "human transporter." When Dean Kamen unveiled the Segway in December 2001, top-tier investors like venture capitalist John Doerr and Amazon.com's (nasdaq: AMZN - news - people ) Jeff Bezos applauded. The media blared that the device would change the way cities were built.
Customers were less enthralled. The Segway sold less than 30,000 units in over six years: not exactly a revolution.

Some ideas are simply ahead of their time. Remember the Apple Newton? One of the first "personal digital assistants," the Newton was a brilliant idea that the market didn't yet appreciate. A few short years later, Palm (nasdaq: PALM - news - people ) re-introduced a similar concept, to huge fan-fare; now PDAs are a fact of life.
At bottom, it doesn't matter how ingenious your product is--if you can't communicate its value, it may as well not exist.
You Can't Sustain a Competitive Advantage
Novelty alone is not a competitive advantage. A new idea is bound to attract competition. (If it doesn't, chances are the idea wasn't as good as you thought.) The key is being able to survive the onslaught.
Launched in 2002, Friendster, the pioneer of social networking Web sites, was a brilliant idea that couldn't sustain a competitive advantage. Ultimately, Friendster's strategy and technology were easy to replicate and extend. That's why News Corp.'s (nyse: NWS - news - people ) Rupert Murdoch was happy to shell out $580 million for rival MySpace in 2005.
Remember: Your idea is what gets you in the game; your competitive advantage is what keeps you there. If you can't figure out how to stay ahead in your market, start looking for a new one.
You're Not Ready To Quit Your Day Job
You can only moonlight so long before your kids start calling you "that weird guy in the garage." At some point, you actually have to trade in the comfort of a two-week paycheck for the uncertainty of starting your own shop. If you can't muster the courage to make the leap, it's time to dump your idea.
Here's why: When you're really, really ready to head out on your own, your day job seems like a millstone. Heck, you're so consumed with your new project that you're probably a liability at your job anyway.
Chances are, if you're going to make that leap, you'll do it sooner rather than later. Commitment to an idea spurs action. Driven entrepreneurs can't wait to hit key milestones--incorporation, building prototypes, drumming up customers. The uncommitted take the "Mr. Rogers" approach: They sit down, take a shoe off, talk a while, slide a sock off, and maybe, someday, they might be ready for action.
If you're not moving fast, it's probably time to move on.
Wil Schroter is the founder and chief executive of the Go BIG Network, a leading community of startup companies.

Source :

www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/entrefinance/2007/07/06/apple-amazon-myspace-ent-manage-cx_ws_0709dump.html

VICTORIA UNIVERSITY AUSTRALIA POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP

2007-10-31T19:54:00.001-07:00

VICTORIA UNIVERSITY AUSTRALIA POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS

The Victoria University Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Scheme is a new initiative to build its research and to support outstanding early career researchers seeking to commence an academic/research career. The Scheme provides ap-pointments of 3 years duration. Up to 10 Research Fellowships will be supported in 2008 under this Scheme at Academic Levels A and B.

Salary scales are provided in the application kit. A minimum start-up grant of $12,000 will be provided to successful applicants. This will be a highly competitive scheme, and applicants are expected to have a strong track record relative to opportunity.

The scheme focuses on outstanding early career researchers who would normally be within 5 years of completing their Doctoral qualification.

The Centre for Telecommunications and Micro-Electronics (CTME) is interested in supporting a number of high quality applicants with expertise in:

Communications: Multi-input Multi-output (MIMO) Wireless Communications, OFDM systems, Cognitive Radio, Multi-User Detection, Information Theory.
Signal Processing: Estimation and Detection, Array Processing, signal processing for hardware implementation, equalization and optimization methods.
Networking: MAC algorithms, Cross-layer optimization, Routing Protocol for Ad Hoc and Mesh Networks.

Applications will be assessed on quality of the proposed research project and its fit with the host unit, track record (relative to opportunity) of the applicant and the research environment in the host Institute Centre or research group. It is expected that of the majority of Fellowships will be aligned with the University’s areas of research strength, typically Research Centres and Institutes, although outstanding applicants from any discipline in which the University has re-search strengths are encouraged to apply. A complete list of areas of research strength and contacts is included in the application kit. The Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Application kit is available from:

http://www.vu.edu.au/research/

For further information please contact Dr Phillip Conder: Email: Phillip.Conder[ at ]vu.edu.au

http://www.scholarshipnet.info/postdoc/australia-postdoctoral-research-fellowship-in-various-fields-victoria-university

The Price of Knowledge

2007-10-31T19:07:00.000-07:00

MONTREAL—The average employment income of a working student ($4,650) is not even enough to cover the average cost of undergraduate tuition and ancillary fees ($4,970); not surprisingly, many full-time students turn to government student loans for support, borrowing on average $7,500 per year, says new research published today by the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation.

Other key findings of the report, Student Costs and Resources, include:

· Full-time students need, on average, $14,500 to cover annual study-related expenses

· University undergraduates need $16,000 annually, while college students need $11,500

· Tuition accounts for 31% of education-related expenditures, while living expenses such as accommodation and food account for 28%.

“This report shows that the costs of going to university or college can be very high, and it also confirms earlier research that highlighted the importance of student financial aid, including non-repayable need-based aid, in helping students overcome financial barriers to post-secondary education,” said Norman Riddell, the Foundation’s executive director and chief executive officer. “The Foundation continues to measure the effectiveness of programs designed to reduce student debt loads and hopes its research will inform the discussion to determine if, overall, Canada has the right tools in place to help students who are most in need of support.”

source : www.millenniumscholarships.ca/en/newsevents/newsfull.asp?newsid=128

InternationalStudent.com Video Travel Contest

2007-10-30T08:39:00.000-07:00

Award Name:
InternationalStudent.com Video Travel Contest - Closes November 1, 2007
Description:
New Deadline - November 1, 2007! InternationalStudent.com sponsors an annual video competition with a $2,500 grand prize. To enter, you must submit a 4-8 minute video describing the trip you will take if you win. The trip can be to anywhere in the world, from anywhere in the world - it doesnt have to be home! You plan the trip, and tell us all about it, and why you should win, in the video application. View last years winning video and this years announcement at InternationalStudent.com/contest
For study in:
Unrestricted/Worldwide
Field of Study:
Unrestricted/Other
Available to:
Unrestricted/Worldwide
Award Amount:
$2,500
Type of Award:
Grant
Grade Level:
Unrestricted
Submission Deadline:
November 1, 2007

Source :

http://www.internationalscholarships.com/details.php?name=InternationalStudent.com_Video_Travel_Contest_-_Closes_November_1,_2007&id=1255

Asia Pacific Leadership Program (APLP)

2007-10-30T08:29:00.000-07:00

Application deadline:1st December 2007
Asia Pacific Leadership Program
The Asia Pacific Leadership Program (APLP) is the center of excellence for leadership education in Asia Pacific and a signature program of the East-West Center. The program links advanced and interdisciplinary analysis of emergent regional issues with experiential leadership learning.
The APLP empowers future leaders with the knowledge, skills, experiences and supportive community needed to successfully navigate personal and regional change in the 21st century.
Graduates leave the East-West Center with an expanded regional perspective. They are knowledgeable about the societies and issues of the Asia Pacific region and trained to exercise leadership and promote cooperation in a variety of cultural, geographical and institutional environments.
APLP VisionTo create a collaborative and interdisciplinary network of action, focused on building a peaceful, prosperous and just Asia Pacific community. The APLP is proud to be part of a larger team that includes the East-West Center’s researchers, staff, degree fellows, affiliated students and 50,000 alumni.
APLP ValuesThe diversity of classmates, activities and content provide APLP participants with exceptional learning opportunities. Within this diversity the APLP has several core values. As a program we value:
Inclusiveness:an openness to alternative views, extending support to others and appreciating diversity
Honesty:maintaining personal integrity and earning the trust of others
Humility:recognizing one’s own weaknesses and the need to learn
Compassion:valuing others and a concern for creating social good
Innovation:creativity, risk taking and problem solving
Rigor:attention to outcomes and pursuit of excellence
APLP purposeTo create a network of action, focused on building a peaceful, prosperous and just Asia Pacific community.
Participant OutcomesOn completing the program, participants understand key trends which will effect the region in the future, what forms of leadership these trends require and how they fit.
Who participates?The 45 participants selected each year have strong leadership experience or exhibit high leadership potential. All participants have at least a Bachelor’s degree and most have a Master’s degree. APLP participants come from a minimum of 20 countries and a tremendous range of backgrounds (as examples, science, business, development, politics, government, civil society, medicine, religious orders, art, finance, academia or research). The age of participants ranges from early 20s to mid 40s with an average of over 30.
What is the time commitment?The APLP is a nine-month program (mid-August to mid-May) with a minimum five-month residency requirement. During the first five months all participants are based at the East-West Center and live on campus.
What does the program involve?The first five months (August through December) involves coursework and living and working within a diverse community. First semester program content focuses on three areas: interpreting emerging issues facing the Asia Pacific; developing leadership capacity; and professional development. Activities include workshops, discussion seminars, outdoor challenges, lectures, simulations, field experience, independent work and online activities.
After the core experience, participants engage in a range of flexible, customized activities for an additional four months (January to May). These activities include: working in internships; coursework at the University of Hawaii; developing applied leadership projects; carrying out extended field studies; or returning to employment. In all cases there is a continuation of the program through online and/or face-to-face meetings. There is a May re-union conference in Honolulu.
Who are the program staff?There are six core program staff. This allows for a responsive and personalized approach to the program. Joining the program each year are over 50 world-class guests who deliver specific areas of program content and provide mentorship. Peer learning between participants is also a centerpiece of program design.
What does the APLP fellowship cover?Upon entry, all participants receive an APLP fellowship valued at approximately $10,000. This covers program tuition, materials, electronic and print resources, transportation to field study site, excursions and specialized workshops.
What are the program and living costs?Living expenses on campus are approximately $1,000/month. Transportation to and from Hawai‘i is at the participant’s expense and each participant contributes $3,000 towards program fees and $750 towards field study expenses.
What supplemental funding is available?The APLP is fortunate to have developed a wide range of supplemental scholarship opportunities for participants. Please see the Summary of Financial Considerations for details.
OutcomesIn five years the APLP has become a signature program of the East-West Center. Its alumni, who come from over 40 countries, now occupy key positions within the United States and Asia. Alumni stay in very close contact with the program with over 65% reuniting last year with program staff.
The APLP provides the time, tools, contacts and knowledge needed to successfully navigate personal and regional change.
We judge our success on how participants come to envision regional trends in Asia Pacific and their place within these trends; how participants develop leadership capacity, plan for future success and carry out actions needed to achieve this success.
http://www.eastwestcenter.org/education/aplp

source:
http://indonesianscholarship.com/2007/10/28/asia-pacific-leadership-program-fall-2008/

Australian Development Scholarship (ADS)

2007-10-30T08:23:00.000-07:00

Australian Development Scholarship (ADS) are funded by the Government of Australia for postgraduate study at Australian universities. The main goal of ADS is to promote Indonesia's human resource capacity to contribute to:
Improving economic management;
Strengthening democratic institutions and practice;
Increasing the accessibility and quality of basic social services; and
Enhancing security and stability.
Scholarships have played a significant role in Australia's development cooperation program in Indonesia, with around 11,000 scholarships provided over more than 50 years. ADS continues to be a major component of the program with up to 270 scholarships offered in 2007/2008.
Please note that the ADS scholarship program is a different program to the Australian Partnership Scholarship (APS) Program. For full details on APS go to http://www.apsprogram.or.id/