有没有人注意这条新闻： MOE doing more to track foreign students

MOE doing more to track foreign students who took grants & defaulted on bonds

SINGAPORE: The Education Ministry has been stepping up efforts to better track foreign students who took tuition grants for their studies in Singapore but have not served their bonds.

It takes action against those who default on service obligations by pursuing liquidated damages against them, Education Minister Heng Swee Keat said in Parliament on Friday.

When liquidated damages cannot be recovered, their status as bond defaulters would be taken into consideration should they apply to work or reside in Singapore.

Mr Heng said eight in 10 international students who received tuition grants from 2010 to 2013 have either found employment in Singapore, or have had deferments for further studies approved.

The rest, he said, may not have necessarily defaulted.

They could either still be looking for work, or have gone overseas for further studies without getting approval for deferment.

Mr Heng said the period of deferment differs from case to case.

For instance, students pursuing a PhD would have a longer deferment period than those taking a master’s degree.