Singapore may have its first foreign private university by 2005. It is also likely to have two or three private secondary schools. The Economic Development Board (EDB), which is spearheading the plan, hopes this variety of private institutions will triple the number of foreign students here from 50,000 to 150,000 by 2012. (Straits Times 8 Sep 2003 1)

  Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has announced that their lecturers can choose whether they want to focus on teaching or research. They will be allowed to spend up to 75 per cent of their time teaching or doing research instead of dividing the time equally between the two. (Straits Times 21 Apr 2003)(H6)

  The 75,000-strong Nanyang Technological University (NTU) alumni's management committee has endorsed the change in the name of the university to Nanyang University. The alumni has set the target year as 2005. (Straits Times 29 Mar 2003)(H3)

  The recently released results of surveys conducted by NUS and NTU showed that only 64 per cent of the arts graduates from the class of 2002 had a job by the end of the year. The employment rate was 67 per cent for science graduates. Employment rates for engineering, accountancy, architecture and building graduates were in the 70 to 80 per cent range despite the recession. The employment rate for BA honours graduates was 82 per cent, while for BSc honours, it was 87.9 per cent. Honours graduates also made about S$5,000 more a year than basic degree holders. (Straits Times 27 Mar 2003)(H3)

  The Government has decided to freeze tuition fees for university and polytechnic students at the 2001 level, said Education Minister TEO Chee Hean yesterday. This academic year, 1,729 out of 32,000 NUS students have asked for bursaries or loans, up from 1,598 in 2000. At NTU, 667 students are seeking aid this academic year, down from 701 students in 2000. (Straits Times 5 Jan 2003) (4)

  About 84,300 people could not find a job last month, bringing the unemployment rate to 4.8 per cent, up from 4.1 per cent in June 2002. This is even higher than the 4.3 per cent experienced in the last Asian crisis in 1997. Employment in the months from July to September 2002 contracted by 15,000, hitting first-time job seekers, including this year's crop of graduates. According to the Manpower Ministry, 4,100 people, mainly in manufacturing, were retrenched in the third quarter, about the same number as the second quarter. (Straits Times 1 Nov 2002) (1)

  The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) is working with the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) on two projects totalling about S$800,000 to create specialised crime-fighting tools for use here. The first project involves the production of DNA kits for detectives to do on-the-spot extraction, analysis and comparison of samples, such as blood or hair, that are found at a crime scene. The second project is to develop portable fingerprinting equipment which uses laser beams to scan for the faintest prints. (Straits Times 19 Sep 2002) (H1)

  The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has picked Dr SU Guaning, 52, to succeed Dr CHAN Tao Soon, 63, who will retire on Jan 1 after 21 years at NTU. Dr CHAM will be appointed professor-at-large and take on various research projects and consultancy work on behalf of NTU. (Straits Times 11 Sep 2002) (4)

  Nanyang Technological University (NTU) students will have to pay extra fees - for copyright fees for the piles of photocopied notes they use in their studies - when school reopens next month. The Straits Times learnt from NTU students that they will pay S$5 a year for the copyright licence fee which is collected by non-profit organisation Copyright Licensing and Administration Society of Singapore (Class), set up in 1999 to collect dues on behalf of its 38 members. Last month, NTU signed an agreement with the society whereby the university was given a licence to make copies of up to 10 per cent of members' works in return for payment. (Straits Times 24 Jun 2002) (H7)

  Defending champions National University of Singapore (NUS) retained the Prime Minister's Challenge Trophy when they beat Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in yesterday's 1,000-m race during the Singapore Dragon Boat Festival 2002. (Straits Times 17 Jun 2002) (H7)

  From 2003, the Scholastic Assessment Test 1 (SAT 1) will make up 25 per cent fo the scores for A-level students seeking admission to the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU). The Singapore Management University (SMU) already requires applicants to take it. The College Board is the American agency that administers the test. This year, up to 20,000 students here will sit for the SAT. (Straits Times 17 Jun 2002) (H10)

  Nanyang Technological University (NTU) will double its student population from 15,000 to 30,000 in ten years and half of them will be graduate students, said NTU president CHAM Tao Soon yesterday. He told The Straits Times that the undergraduate population will be capped at 15,000. (Straits Times 8 May 2002) (H5)

  A second science hub costing S$100 million will be set up at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). The 27,000 sq m facility at NTU's Jurong campus, when completed late next year, will house the latest equipment and laboratories, including several bio-safety "level-3" labs, which can safely handle potentially deadly pathogens, such as the Aids virus. (Straits Times 22 Apr 2002) (1)

  The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is trying to raise S$2 million to set up a professorship and scholarship in honour of the late Cabinet minister and sportsman Eddie Barker. It plans to use the money to sponsor top researchers and athletes in the field of physical education and sports science. Singapore Pools has already given S$1 million to the cause. (Straits Times 10 Apr 2002) (H3)

  A Straits Times survey asked 319 public listed companies if they preferred university graduates who came through junior colleges or through polytechnics. About half of the employers who responded said they had no preference. But, of the other half, a significant 5 per cent said they preferred graduates who spent three years in polytechnic before going on to university. Only 10 per cent said they would prefer to hire those who went through the two-year junior college route. Every year, out of the 35,000 students who complete their O-levels, 13,000 go to the junior college while another 17,000 enrol in the four polytechnics. Although polytechnic attendance has risen from 41,000 in 1995 to 50,000 students now, there is still some stigma attached to going to a polytechnic, as it is seen as an option for students who fail to qualify for junior college. (Straits Times 8 Apr 2002) (3)

  The College Board, the US agency that administers the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), has announced proposed changes which will include essay writing and more advanced maths problems. If adopted, the new SAT will affect US students entering university from 2006. Singapore students will also have to adjust to this new modified SAT by then. From next year, SAT makes up 25 per cent of scores for A-level students seeking admission to the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University. The test is already a requirement for those seeking entry to the Singapore Management University. (Straits Times 30 Mar 2002) (1)

  About 20,800 Singaporeans with tertiary education were jobless at the end of 2001. In September 2001, it had been 16,500. The 2001 report on the labour market released by the Manpower Ministry (MOM) yesterday said that the current overall unemployment rate of 4.7 per cent is a record high, not seen since 1987. It predicted that the situation is likely to worsen, with the overall unemployment rate possibly reaching 5.5 per cent by the second half of the year. (Straits Times 16 Mar 2002) (H2)

  A supercomputer devoted to life-sciences research will be set up at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). NTU president CHAM Tao Soon said the S$12.4 million investment in the fast-speed computer project will be shared equally between the university and Compaq Computer, its project co-partner. The computer to be set up at NTU can run half a trillion calculations per second, placing it among the top 10 supercomputers devoted to life-sciences research, said a Compaq spokesman. (Straits Times 13 Mar 2002) (H10)

  By the end of 2001, eight out of 10 National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) graduates found work, thanks in large part to aggressive recruiting by the public sector. Still, the two universities' annual graduate employment surveys show that fewer graduates found jobs last year than in 2000. NTU saw a 14-percentage- point drop from 2000, while NUS saw a 12-percentage-drop to 79.4 per cent. Half the NTU class of 2001 found jobs in the public sector, compared to 40 per cent in 2000. Because the civil service pays better starting salaries than the private sector, last year's NUS graduates earned S$30,170 a year, about S$200 more than the previous year's graduates. (Straits Times 6 Mar 2002) (1)

  A man was charged in court yesterday with stealing seven pieces of underwear belonging to a female hostelite staying in a Nanyang Technological University student hostel. LOY Hui Suan, 31, was alleged to have committed the offence lat last year, on Nov 4, at 8am. Between last November and January this year, at least two female residents of Hall 8 at NTU had reported their underwear stolen. During that time, the suspect was caught in the act on camera. An alert, with a video clip of the suspect, was sent out so that everyone could be on the lookout. On Jan 20, a group of male hostelites patrolling the hostel area spotted a suspect resembling the man in the video. They took down the registration number of the car the man was driving and made a police report. (Straits Times 3 Mar 2002) (29)

  A proposal for the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) to set up a second medical school with the soon-to-be-built Jurong General Hospital may not take off. Health Minister LIM Hng Kiang yesterday said, "My ministry doesn't see an immediate need for a second school at NTU, or for the need for Jurong General Hospital to be developed as a teaching hospital. (Straits Times 1 Feb 2002) (H4)

  A high-level review panel, led by Lord Ronald Oxburgh of Cambridge University, has recommended a radical overhaul of the current medical education system after an eight-month study. Among the measures needed: A second medical school at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) to speed up the training of 350 medical graduates a year, up from 230 now. Singapore must also recruit more doctor-scientists and set aside about S$100 million each year to boost research. (Straits Times 28 Jan 2002) (1)

  The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is looking worldwide for a new chief. Founding president CHAM Tao Soon's contract will end in August, after 21 years at the helm of the university. Dr CHAM, 62, told The Straits Times yesterday he plans to retire within the year, but would step down only when his successor had settled in. International executive search firm Heidrick and Struggles has been appointed to look for a suitable replacement. (Straits Times 25 Jan 2002) (4)

  Nanyang Technological University (NTU) plans to set up a satellite campus in Buona Vista, where it can be reached more easily by the thousands of working adults and teachers who take up part-time and in-service courses. University officials say they hope to start construction of the new place this year and complete it by 2005. NTU will run its Masters of Business Administration (MBA) and continuing-education programmes there, as well as its in-service courses for teachers. (Straits Times 19 Jan 2002) (H1)