Singapore marks the bicentennial year of its founding. Since the arrival of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles on the island 200 years ago, the colonial outpost has transformed into a world-class metropolis.
The city state’s only natural resource was its people, and the government from very early on recognised the strategic importance of attracting and developing human capital.
Today, Singapore’s education system is one of the best in the world. Not only does the country consistently rank at the top of the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) where 15-year-olds are tested in maths, reading and science, Singapore students also emerged top in an OECD global survey on collaborative problem-solving abilities.
Similarly, Cambodia acknowledges young people as the Kingdom’s greatest asset. This is why the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) Group set foot into Cambodia a few years ago to establish Singapore (Cambodia) International Academy (SCIA).
SCIA is not only a registered school of Cambridge Assessment International Education but is also recently appointed by Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) as an Overseas Examination Centre to conduct the Singapore International Primary School Examination (iPSLE).
Building on Singapore’s success in equipping its young nation population with the education and skill sets to be future-ready, the academy aims to accomplish the same in Cambodia by providing a holistic education. One of the achievements includes producing innovative and award-winning students.
At the recent 34th China Adolescents Science & Technology Innovation Contest (CASTIC), two SCIA high-school students nominated by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport to represent Cambodia won 3rd place in the International Projects category.
Their science project - “Recirculating Aquatic System of Agriculture (RASA)” is a sustainable aquatic farming system that aims to increase farm productivity while reducing the use of natural resources.
Representing Cambodia to take part in this competition is a testament to the success of SCIA’s STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) curriculum, and also an opportunity for students to gain international exposure.
On top of STEM education, the academy offers subjects like Entrepreneurship and Leadership to build qualities such as grit and resilience. Schools that encourage entrepreneurship and leadership are likely to create thought leaders whose creativity is limitless in an uncertain and rapidly changing world.
“SCIA is here to stay. We are committed to nurturing the future leaders of Cambodia. Together with the community, SCIA strives to raise children with good character and resilience. Ultimately, we want to be the education portal for our students’ lifelong learning journey, preparing them to be future-ready,” explained Anselm Chu, managing director and school director, SCIA.
On top of a well-rounded K-12 curriculum, the academy has also started offering university preparatory courses such as the International Foundation Programme (awarded by University of London) and Management Foundation Programme at the Foundation Studies Centre (FSC). In the near future, SCIA will also be looking into offering higher education and continuing education.
