SAF Overseas Scholarship

SMRT Buses SG

Channel NewsAsia - Saturday, August 18

SAF Overseas Scholarship awarded to six officer cadets

SINGAPORE: There were six recipients for this year's Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship.

Officer cadets from the Army swept four of the six awards.

The other two went to cadets from the Navy.

The scholars have excelled in their academic studies and co-curricular activities in schools.

They are also high-achievers in the officer cadet course.

The scholars will pursue their tertiary education in the US or the UK.

They received their scholarships from Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean, who was a former SAF Overseas Scholar himself.

Before the latest batch, there were over 250 SAF Overseas Scholars, including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo and Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang.

The SAF Overseas Scholarship was introduced in 1971.

It aims to recruit top students from each 'A' level cohort to serve in the Defence Ministry and the Singapore Armed Forces. - CNA/ir

BillGates SG

Scholars.... Mad

SpecOps87 SG

Originally posted by SMRT Buses:
Channel NewsAsia - Saturday, August 18

[b]SAF Overseas Scholarship awarded to six officer cadets

SINGAPORE: There were six recipients for this year's Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship.

Officer cadets from the Army swept four of the six awards.

The other two went to cadets from the Navy.

The scholars have excelled in their academic studies and co-curricular activities in schools.

They are also high-achievers in the officer cadet course.

The scholars will pursue their tertiary education in the US or the UK.

They received their scholarships from Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean, who was a former SAF Overseas Scholar himself.

Before the latest batch, there were over 250 SAF Overseas Scholars, including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo and Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang.

The SAF Overseas Scholarship was introduced in 1971.

It aims to recruit top students from each 'A' level cohort to serve in the Defence Ministry and the Singapore Armed Forces. - CNA/ir[/b]

I don't understand why A'level nia...knn

Obersturmfuhrer SG

Because, our brand of meritocracy breeds elitism and according to the current elites' mentality, the future "elites" are those who go thru Air-Levels.

Poly grads are more or less destined to be farmers.

DarkMatter SG

y nv award me. sian 1/2 Crying or Very sad

VSE SG

The system never believes in the underdog excelling in later years. Somehow, those blithering idiots think that a good leader is someone who only excels since birth. That is just preposterous.

On the other hand, I do think that maybe 1 out of the 200 scholars is sincere about his/her quest for knowledge. Someone whom we can count on for guidance. The rest are just along for the ride.

SpecOps87 SG

We should conduct a test...take a scholar colonel and a farmer colonel, each have a battalion of troops w/o support and wargame against each other. My money is on the farmer colonel anytime.

And come on man...Poly students are taught to think on their feet...Go-Getters. A'level students are largely Academics...not that i'm saying one is better than the other. But its simply that one is Apple the other is Orange. You don't compare them the same...So where's the merit in giving the scholarship if its strictly for A'lvl?

kensongs SG

yeah i agree, poly grads should be given an equal opportunity to apply for the SAF overseas scholarship too.

aloof_guy SG

A levelers are the cream… the best of the best.

tetsumi SG

a farmer wont even reach COL Laughing

simple_man SG

actualy my last dollar would be on the scholar.... for those who have worked for safos scholars or have been lead by scholars, u can know the diffeence. The scholar is organised, focus and excel in what he does.

The farmer just want to wayang, protect backside and arrow out work. Nothing productive ever gets done under a farmer.

Trust me, we need the safos scholars.

club18 SG

even then is only 6 out of the entire a level cohort..

SpecOps87 SG

Ask them to micro-manage..see if they do a good job.

sir sickolot II SG

SpecOps87, trust a guy who has been in green a.k.a me ... i'm sure the safos dude can micro manage Wink

I've no large bias against a farmer soldier and one who has attained the SAFOS. In terms of battle field scenario... each could possibly be a winner depending on the person himself. Doesn't mean because he's SAFOS so he's got all the brains and the analytical skill set to win a war game. And doesn't mean a farmer has the perfect ability to micro-manage and use tons of field experience to pwn the safos dude.

it really depends, and in SAF there are stories to attest to the ability of each grp of officers, both scholars and farmers. In my short time in conscription, i've met both kinds... and i feel strongly there should not be such inherent bias... both have their good and (very) bad points.

however, i agree SAF should level the playing field and let poly students have a more decent chance to get SAFOS. I'm sure dip graduates have a certain skill set and mental framework that could serve SAF in good stead for the long haul

Cheers

LazerLordz SG

I wouldn't think the outcome will be that simple.

We need motivated, focused and humble individuals, whether farmer or scholar.

Both bring something different to the table.

Some are good at firefight execution, some are good at strategic battle analysis.

charleslee SG

actually there are still many other lower scholarship in SAF tt did not required a lot , jus attempt 3 a lvl subs or get a diploma with merit and above

sir sickolot II SG

while it is a fact there are many other scholarship/study award the SAF dishes out... with prerhaps the exception of the LSA (Local Study Award), one will need pretty decent grades to get the more coveted award. And by decent I would mean a very good COM for dip holders and at least scoring 4As for A levels. Having S papers ( old system) was even a bench mark in the giving out of these awards as there are many people vying for the scholarship.