President's Scholar
Encyclopedia
A President's Scholar is a recipient of the most prestigious class of university undergraduate scholarships awarded to Singapore
citizens by the Government of Singapore. In most years, only 2-4 President's Scholarships are awarded. In Singapore's context, these scholarships come with a legal requirement to work for the government for a certain number of years.
To receive a President's Scholarship, a student must demonstrate excellence both academically and in co-curricular activities, a strong ethos of public service, soundness of character and the potential to lead. Shortlisted candidates are interviewed by a selection committee chaired by the Chairman of the Public Service Commission
(PSC) of Singapore.
President's Scholarships are generally awarded concurrently with another PSC Scholarship:
, Governor of the Straits Settlements. It was awarded to the best student of the year by a special selection board. Past Queen’s scholars include E.W. Barker and Kwa Geok Choo
.
The Queen’s Scholarships were abolished in 1959 and replaced by the Singapore State Scholarship when Singapore became self-governing. Past Singapore State scholars include Tony Tan Keng Yam and Yeo Ning Hong
.
In August 1964, the Yang di-Pertuan Negara
Scholarship were inaugurated to replace the State Scholarships.
In 1966, the Yang di-Pertuan Negara Scholarship was renamed The President’s Scholarship following Singapore’s independence
.
, George Yeo
, Teo Chee Hean
, Lim Hng Kiang
, Mah Bow Tan
, and Vivian Balakrishnan
in the Cabinet of Singapore
.
According to statistics collected by The Straits Times
, the three schools having the highest number of President Scholars as their alumni are as follows:
Notable past recipients (and their subsequent positions) include:
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
citizens by the Government of Singapore. In most years, only 2-4 President's Scholarships are awarded. In Singapore's context, these scholarships come with a legal requirement to work for the government for a certain number of years.
To receive a President's Scholarship, a student must demonstrate excellence both academically and in co-curricular activities, a strong ethos of public service, soundness of character and the potential to lead. Shortlisted candidates are interviewed by a selection committee chaired by the Chairman of the Public Service Commission
Public Service Commission (Singapore)
The Public Service Commission , Singapore , is constituted under Part IX of the Constitution of Singapore and its constitutional role is to appoint, confirm, promote, transfer, dismiss and exercise disciplinary control over public officers in Singapore.The PSC also retains two key...
(PSC) of Singapore.
President's Scholarships are generally awarded concurrently with another PSC Scholarship:
- the Singapore Armed Forces Overseas ScholarshipSingapore Armed Forces Overseas ScholarshipThe Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship , is a scholarship by the Public Service Commission .The SAFOS is second in prestige to the President's Scholarship. Singaporean males have to serve two years of National Service upon completion of their GCE A level or International Baccalaureate...
(SAFOS), - the Singapore Police ForceSingapore Police ForceThe Singapore Police Force is the main agency tasked with maintaining law and order in the city-state. Formerly known as the Republic of Singapore Police , it has grown from an 11-man organisation to a 38,587 strong force...
Overseas Scholarship (SPFOS), or - the Overseas Merit Scholarship (OMS)
History of the scholarship
The President’s Scholarships has its roots in the Queen’s Scholarship, founded in 1885. The Queen’s Scholarships was initiated by Sir Cecil Clementi SmithCecil Clementi Smith
Rt Hon Sir Cecil Clementi Smith G.C.M.G. , was a British colonial administrator. He was known for his effective work in quelling Chinese secret societies in the Straits Settlements, such as those in Singapore...
, Governor of the Straits Settlements. It was awarded to the best student of the year by a special selection board. Past Queen’s scholars include E.W. Barker and Kwa Geok Choo
Kwa Geok Choo
Kwa Geok Choo was a Singaporean most widely known as the wife of Singapore's Minister Mentor and former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, and one of the partners in the law firm Lee & Lee. Kwa was also the mother of current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong...
.
The Queen’s Scholarships were abolished in 1959 and replaced by the Singapore State Scholarship when Singapore became self-governing. Past Singapore State scholars include Tony Tan Keng Yam and Yeo Ning Hong
Yeo Ning Hong
Dr Yeo Ning Hong is a former People's Action Party politician from Singapore, who served as a Cabinet Minister and Member of Parliament in the 1980s and 1990s. His ministerial appointments included Minister for Defence and Minister for Communications and Information.A chemist by training, Yeo is...
.
In August 1964, the Yang di-Pertuan Negara
Yang di-Pertuan Negara
Yang di-Pertuan Negara, meaning "Head of State" in Malay, was used as an official title at various times in Sabah, Singapore and Brunei.-Singapore:...
Scholarship were inaugurated to replace the State Scholarships.
In 1966, the Yang di-Pertuan Negara Scholarship was renamed The President’s Scholarship following Singapore’s independence
History of the Republic of Singapore
The history of the Republic of Singapore began when Singapore gained its independence and became a republic following an ejection from Malaysia on 9 August 1965. After the separation, the fledgling nation had to become self-sufficient, and faced problems including mass unemployment, housing...
.
Recipients
Many recipients of the President's Scholarship go on to work in top positions in the civil service and government sector, with prominent figures, such as Lee Hsien LoongLee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong is the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore. He is married to Ho Ching, who is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Holdings. He is the eldest son of Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew....
, George Yeo
George Yeo
George Yeo Yong-Boon is a former politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he served in the Cabinet from 1991 to 2011 as the Minister for Information and the Arts , Minister for Health , Minister for Trade and Industry and Minister for Foreign Affairs...
, Teo Chee Hean
Teo Chee Hean
Teo Chee Hean is a politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he is currently the country's Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Home Affairs and Co-ordinating Minister for National Security, and a Member of Parliament for the Pasir Ris-Punggol Group...
, Lim Hng Kiang
Lim Hng Kiang
Lim Hng Kiang is a politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he is currently the country's Minister for Trade and Industry. He previoulsy served as the Minister for National Development , Minister for Health , and as a Minister in the Prime Minister's Office...
, Mah Bow Tan
Mah Bow Tan
Mah Bow Tan is a politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he is currently a Member of Parliament representing the Tampines Group Representation Constituency...
, and Vivian Balakrishnan
Vivian Balakrishnan
Vivian Balakrishnan is a politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he is currently the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources....
in the Cabinet of Singapore
Cabinet of Singapore
The Cabinet of Singapore forms the Government of Singapore together with the President of Singapore. It is led by the Prime Minister of Singapore who is the head of government...
.
According to statistics collected by The Straits Times
The Straits Times
The Straits Times is an English language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore currently owned by Singapore Press Holdings . It is the country's highest-selling paper, with a current daily circulation of nearly 400,000...
, the three schools having the highest number of President Scholars as their alumni are as follows:
| School | No. of President's Scholars |
|---|---|
| Raffles Institution Raffles Institution Raffles Institution , founded in 1823, is the oldest centre for pre-tertiary learning in Singapore. It is an independent school in Singapore providing secondary and pre-university education. RI consists of a boys-only secondary section , and a coeducational pre-university section... |
85 |
| Hwa Chong Institution Hwa Chong Institution Hwa Chong Institution is an independent school in Singapore for students aged 12 to 18 covering both secondary and pre-university levels. A Ministry of Education-designated FutureSchool, it operates under the Special Assistance Plan for bilingualism, and offers the Integrated Programme and also... |
51 |
| National Junior College National Junior College National Junior College is the first junior college established by the Ministry Of Education, located in Bukit Timah, Singapore. It is considered as one of the top five junior colleges in Singapore. NJC offers a two-year course for pre-university students leading up to the GCE 'A' Levels... |
45 |
Notable past recipients (and their subsequent positions) include:
- Lim Siong GuanLim Siong GuanLim Siong Guan is the current Group President of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation .-Biography:Lim was educated at the Anglo-Chinese School, Singapore. He was awarded the President’s Scholarship to study at the University of Adelaide, Australia, where he graduated with First Class...
(1965) - Chairman, Economic Development BoardEconomic Development Board-Overview:The Economic Development Board is a statutory board of the Government of Singapore that plans and executes strategies to sustain Singapore as a leading global hub for business and investment....
and Group Managing Director of the Government of Singapore Investment CorporationGovernment of Singapore Investment CorporationThe Government of Singapore Investment Corporation Private Limited is a sovereign wealth fund established by the Government of Singapore in 1981 to manage Singapore's foreign reserves... - Barry DeskerBarry DeskerAmbassador Barry Desker is the Dean of the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies. Mr Desker is also the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Jurong Port Pte Ltd and Singapore Technologies Marine Ltd. He is a Trustee of Singapore's Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.He was Singapore’s...
(1966) - DeanDean (education)In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
, S. Rajaratnam School of International StudiesS. Rajaratnam School of International StudiesS. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University was established on 1 January 2007. The school came about as an expansion of the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies , which was established in 1996.The school is named after the one of modern Singapore's... - Kishore MahbubaniKishore MahbubaniKishore Mahbubani is a notable academic and is currently Professor in the Practice of Public Policy and the Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. From 1971 to 2004 he served in the Singaporean Foreign Services, ending up as Singapore's Permanent...
(1967) - Dean, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public PolicyLee Kuan Yew School of Public PolicyThe Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy is a school of the National University of Singapore . It was established in 1992 as the Master of Public Policy Programme under the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of National University of Singapore in collaboration with the Kennedy School of Government... - Su GuaningSu GuaningSu Guaning is President Emeritus of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, one of the fastest-growing research-intensive universities in the world....
(1967) - President, Nanyang Technological UniversityNanyang Technological UniversityNanyang Technological University is one of the two largest public universities in Singapore with the biggest campus in Singapore and the world's largest engineering college. Its lush 200-hectare Yunnan Garden campus was the Youth Olympic Village of the world's first 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in... - Lee Hsien LoongLee Hsien LoongLee Hsien Loong is the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore. He is married to Ho Ching, who is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Holdings. He is the eldest son of Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew....
(1970) - Prime Minister of SingaporePrime Minister of SingaporeThe Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of the government of the Republic of Singapore. The President of Singapore appoints as Prime Minister a Member of Parliament who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs.The office of Prime Minister... - Ho ChingHo ChingHo Ching is the Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Holdings and the wife of the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong...
(1972) - Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Temasek HoldingsTemasek HoldingsTemasek Holdings is an investment company owned by the government of Singapore. With an international staff of 380 people, it manages a portfolio of about S$193 billion at end of March 2011, focused primarily in Asia... - George Yeo Yong Boon (1973) - Former MinisterMinister for Foreign Affairs (Singapore)The Minister for Foreign Affairs is head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a member of the Cabinet of Singapore....
, Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Teo Chee HeanTeo Chee HeanTeo Chee Hean is a politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he is currently the country's Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Home Affairs and Co-ordinating Minister for National Security, and a Member of Parliament for the Pasir Ris-Punggol Group...
(1973) - Deputy Prime Minister - Chan Soo SenChan Soo SenChan Soo Sen was a Singaporean Member of Parliament who represented Joo Chiat Single Member Constituency until 2011.In the 2006 general elections, Chan, representing PAP, defeated Tan Bing Seng of the Workers' Party of Singapore with 65.01% of the votes in the SMC.In the 2001 general elections, he...
(1975) - Former Member of Parliament - Lee Hsien YangLee Hsien YangLee Hsien Yang is the second son of Singapore's first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew. He is currently the Non-Executive Director and Chairman of Fraser and Neave Limited and chairman of Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore ....
(1976) - Chairman of Board of Directors, Fraser and NeaveFraser and NeaveFraser & Neave Limited is a food and beverage, brewing, property and publishing & printing industries conglomerate in Singapore.Listed in Singapore, the group’s subsidiaries and associated companies include Frasers Centrepoint, Asia Pacific Breweries and Times Publishing...
, Attorney-General's ChambersAttorney-General of SingaporeThe Attorney-General of Singapore is the legal adviser to the government of the Republic of Singapore and its public prosecutor.The office was founded in 1867 as the chief legal officer of the British crown colony of the Straits Settlements. The current requirements for appointment as... - Vivian BalakrishnanVivian BalakrishnanVivian Balakrishnan is a politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he is currently the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources....
(1980) - Minister, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, - Ng Chee KhernNg Chee KhernMajor General Ng Chee Khern 黄志勤 is currently the Director of Singapore's Security and Intelligence Division. He was formerly the Chief of the Republic of Singapore Air Force ....
(1984) - Former Chief of Air ForceRepublic of Singapore Air ForceThe Republic of Singapore Air Force is the air arm of the Singapore Armed Forces. It was first established in 1968 as the Singapore Air Defence Command... - Chan Chun SingChan Chun SingChan Chun Sing is a politician from Singapore. A member of the country's governing People's Action Party , he is currently the Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, and a Minister of State at the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts...
(1988) - Former Chief of Singapore ArmySingapore ArmyThe Singapore Army is the branch of the Singapore Armed Forces responsible for land operations. It is the largest of the three armed services and heavily reliant on a conscript army, comprising the majority of Singapore's Operationally Ready National Servicemen .-Capabilities:The mission of the... - Ng Chee Peng (1989) - Chief of Singapore NavyRepublic of Singapore NavyThe Republic of Singapore Navy is the naval component of the Singapore Armed Forces , responsible for the defence of Singapore against sea-borne threats and protection of its sea lines of communications. Operating within the crowded littoral waters of the Singapore Strait, the RSN is regarded as...
- Sim AnnSim AnnSim Ann is currently the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Law. She is a Member of Parliament for the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.- Education and early career :...
(1994) - Senior Parliamentary Secretary for EducationMinistry of Education (Singapore)The Ministry Of Education is a ministry of the Government of Singapore that directs the formulation and implementation of policies related to education in Singapore.-Statutory boards:...
and LawMinistry of Law (Singapore)The Ministry of Law is a ministry of the Government of Singapore responsible for ensuring that Singapore's legal infrastructure is clear, efficacious and transparent...
, Singapore