Ha, ha,.... yea, I'm Mark and you guys are the pappy interneck ninjas! What a joke. More conspiracy theories.. :)

Sometimes, truth is hard to swallow. Instead of writing in anger trying to rebut me, take a seat back and ask why does a former scholar wrote that kind of thing in his blog? Why is the bitterness? Is there a bigger problem within the system, and nobody dare to speak up due to Singapore being too harsh on criticism.

Maybe it’s a time to reflect whether the education policy needs some changes. Or perhaps MOE needs to improve the way expectation is handled with potential scholars. Has MOE made it clear to scholars about the Singapore local universities entry requirement, fees payable after the grant and the 3 year bond applicable? Has MOE spoken and tried closing the loop with the scholars’ parents? Has MOE made clear to scholars on the A-level and its transferability for other universities entry outside Singapore.

Singapore government is trying to pull talent in the country by offering scholarship. By accepting the scholarship, the kind of adjustment the scholars has to make is very big. It’s the responsible of MOE to convey the right expectation of the scholarship, its consequences (pros and cons) and what future holds for scholars in Singapore. If the expectation is not conveyed and handled properly by MOE, I can foresee the kind of bitterness that Mark experienced.

So, you see,… it’s not as simple as “the government doesn’t owe Mark anything for the scholarship”. It’s a both way thing. Both sides are equally guilty.

I think it’s high time for MOE to review its education policy, especially with regards to foreign students.

Similarly, if you say we're rebutting in anger (hence not truthful), having a bitter entry (emotional anyone?) is speaking the truth? Stop contradicting yourself.

Please, Mr. Alan White (whatever, it's anonymity anyway), none of us has ever claimed that Singapore's educational system is "good" or "perfect". None of the countries can. No matter how well engineered a system is, there will always be people who are left out. You can be bitter, by all means. But trying to proclaim that the bitter points are the truth is stretching it.

Every country loves talent. Scholarship could be one of the ways. Human resource is always important in the eyes of every government. I don't see how Mark Eleven could have named this scholarship as a scam when all the terms are stated. Not clearly, perhaps, I wouldn't know since I've never seen such a contract, but can Mark Eleven claim that this is a scam? Isn't that more than a little extreme?

From what I see, Mark Eleven expects that his life will become one of those highflyers he sees in his friends after becoming a scholar. Like a breeze. However, I'd say Mark Eleven requires some kind of self reflection himself. If life has been tough, or he feels he has been going no where, he is the one who should work on it. The scholarship promises opportunity. That's about the gist of all scholarships. It's about making use of such opportunities that makes it worthwhile. I know that I'd love to have been offered a scholarship to go to another University to experience things I never will experience, and make use of such a opportunity to leave the unwanted parts of my life behind.

(But I wasn't. Bah.)

As for the bond, I'd say be grateful. I have friends who took a good half a year to find a job after graduation, or ended up working in a lowly position in a field totally unrelated to what his degree stood for.

Mark Eleven's rant looked like complaining about how there's a hole in a free Toyota. Is patching that hole that tough?

Woot, now we also have ninja monkeys from across the crooked bridge.

It takes two hands to clap. If he had made a bad investment, then it goes to show that he was also responsible for this error of judgement. Sometimes, you have to eat the cake you pick
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刘项原来不读书