President's Scholar

A President's Scholar is a recipient of the academic scholarship awarded by the Government of Singapore annually, to pursue undergraduate education at a university, usually abroad. The scholarship is considered to be the most prestigious public undergraduate scholarship in Singapore awarded to students of Singaporean nationality.

Not to be confused with Presidential Scholars Program.

All recipients have legal obligation to serve a bond—in the form of a public service career for a certain period of time, usually ranging from 4 to 6 years, after completing his or her studies in the university.

Shortlisted candidates are interviewed by a selection committee chaired by the Chairman of the Public Service Commission (PSC) of Singapore.

The President's Scholarship by itself does not award any money or lead to any particular career in public service. As such, it is generally paired with another scholarship, which could be either of the following:

History

The President's Scholarship has its roots in the Queen's Scholarship, which was founded in 1885. The Queen's Scholarship was initiated by Cecil Clementi Smith, Governor of the Straits Settlements. It was awarded to the best performing student of the year by a special selection board.

The Queen's Scholarship was abolished in 1959 and replaced by the Singapore State Scholarship when Singapore gained self-governance.

In August 1964, the Yang di-Pertuan Negara Scholarship was inaugurated to replace the State Scholarship.

In 1966, after Singapore achieved independence, the Yang di-Pertuan Negara Scholarship was renamed the President's Scholarship.

Recipients

Many recipients of the President's Scholarship went on to serve in top positions in the civil service.

According to statistics collected by the newspaper The Straits Times, the schools in Singapore having the highest number of President's Scholars among their alumni are as follows:

SchoolNumber of President's Scholars
Raffles Institution96
Hwa Chong Institution58
National Junior College45
Notable recipients of the President's Scholarship
NameYear receivedRemarksRef
Politics
Lim Boon Keng1887Member, British Legislative Council
Edmund W. Barker1946Former Cabinet Minister (1964–1988)
Tony Tan19597th President of Singapore (2011–2017)
Lee Yock Suan1966Former Cabinet Minister (1987–2004)
Mah Bow Tan1967Former Cabinet Minister (1991–2011)
Yeo Ning HongFormer Cabinet Minister
Lee Hsien Loong1970Prime Minister of Singapore
Teo Chee Hean1973Senior Minister
George Yeo1973Former Cabinet Minister (1991–2011)
Chan Soo Sen1975Former Member of Parliament (1997–2011)
Lim Hng Kiang1973Former Cabinet Minister
Vivian Balakrishnan1980Minister for Foreign Affairs
Chan Chun Sing1988Minister for Education
Sim Ann1994Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and National Development.
David LimFormer Member of Parliament
Tsao YuanFormer Nominated Member of Parliament
Public Sector
Ahmad Mohamed Ibrahim1936Former Attorney-General of Singapore
Lim Siong Guan1965Group President of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation
Koh Cher Siang1965Chairman, Housing and Development Board
Barry Desker1966Dean, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
Su Guaning1967Former President, Nanyang Technological University (2003–2011)
Kishore Mahbubani1967Former Dean, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
Chan Seng Onn1973Supreme Court Judge
Lee Wei Ling1973Senior Advisor, National Neuroscience Institute
Ivan Png Paak Liang1975Vice-Provost, National University of Singapore (2001–2003)
Ng Chee Khern1984Permanent Secretary (Strategy), Prime Minister's Office
Ng Chee Peng1989Former CEO, Central Provident Fund Board
Hoo Sheau Peng1989Supreme Court Judge
Lim Cheng Yeow Perry1991Former Chief of Defence Force, Singapore Armed Forces[1]
Lim Tuang Liang1991Former Chief of Air Force, Singapore Armed Forces
Lai Chung Han1992Permanent Secretary (Development), Ministry of Education
Chong Tow ChongProvost, Singapore University of Technology and Design
Tan Kai Hoe1985Former Chief of Staff, Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN)
Goh Si Hou1997Former Chief of Army, Singapore Armed Forces
Aaron BengChief of Defence Force[2]
Private Sector
Kwa Geok ChooFormer Lawyer
Mohamed Ismail bin Ibrahim1968First Malay President's Scholar
Ho Ching1972Former CEO, Temasek Holdings
Lee Hsien Yang1976Former CEO of Singapore Telecommunications Limited.
Shaun SeowFormer CEO, MediaCorp
Alan ChanFormer CEO, Singapore Press Holdings Limited
Low Sin LengExecutive chairman, Sembcorp Development
Gan Juay Kiat1976Former CEO, SBS Transit

[3][4]

References
  1. Warren Fernandez (2001). Without Fear Or Favour: 50 Years of Singapore's Public Service Commission. Times Media for the Public Service Commission, Singapore. p. 93. ISBN 978-981-232-348-4.
  2. Hamzah, Aqil (22 February 2023). "Navy chief RADM Aaron Beng to take over as Chief of Defence Force on March 24". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  3. Public Service Commission – Scholarships
  4. "Public Service Commission (PSC)".
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