Source : Business Times - 22 Dec 2008
But they expect fewer students next year as expats lose jobs, return home
IF expatriates are leaving Singapore, they appear to be leaving their kids behind - at least, for now.
While expats are losing their jobs and being sent home amid leaner economic times - quite a few, at least, have been fired in the financial industry - international schools here appear to be unaffected.
Virtually all five schools that BT checked with recently reported no unusual change in their student population - or even coming enrolments.
‘There were some departures, there were also some arrivals (recently),’ said Singapore American School communications director Beth Gribbon. ‘But the numbers were the same as they were at the same time last year.’
She said that, so far, the fallout of the global financial crunch has no impact on the school, which has 3,800 students.
‘Our number of students is not dramatically different from before,’ she said.
The same goes for the Australian International School, Swiss School and the ISS International School Singapore.
‘Our repatriation rate has been around 10 per cent annually and so far, the numbers seem to indicate so,’ said Angelia Toh, director for admissions and marketing at ISS.
Only EtonHouse International, popular for pre-school classes, indicated that it lost some Korean students because of the shaky economic situation back in South Korea.
‘These students were in Singapore with their mothers, while their fathers remained in Korea to support their children’s education,’ said Ng Gim Choo, managing director of EtonHouse. ‘The reason cited for the family returning home was the uncertainty in the economic climate in Korea.’
While international schools seem largely unaffected by the current economic conditions, moving firms dealing with expats here reportedly are seeing an increase in demand for their services.
Several saw their businesses getting a boost in recent months. Geometra Worldwide Movers told The Sunday Times that they now anticipate at least 15 expats relocating monthly, up from two to three before September when the global financial crisis was sparked off.
Most of its clients are families heading back to the United States, while others are returning to Europe and Australia.
The number of expats moving back home is likely to rise next year - and this may finally have an impact on international schools.
‘The entire global economy has been affected by the economic downturn,’ Mrs Ng said. ‘Naturally, there is every likelihood that there will be some impact in the education sector as well. We anticipate the effects to be felt next year, though we do not anticipate a significant downturn.’
Expecting ‘a few more withdrawals’ from its school next year, EtonHouse plans to concentrate on consolidation rather expansion in 2009.
Added Ms Toh: ‘At the present moment, things seem to be in status quo with just a handful of our students repatriating. But we anticipate the effect will be more prominent next year.’
Even the Australian International School, which is pushing ahead with its expansion to build a new senior campus, conceded that its student numbers will be hit if the financial situation worsens.
Kim Douglas, the school’s director for marketing and enrolments, said that the Australian International School currently has 2,145 students, with another 320 joining in January. ‘There are around 180 leavers, which is normal for this time of the year,’ she said.
But for the Swiss School, things are still looking up. The number of students registered there for January 2009 ‘is still on the rise’, according to Callie Wong, the school’s administration manager.
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