Just arrived in the LFS? Seeing MUN, SIMUN, THIMUN everywhere and have no clue what it means? Then this article is for you!

First of all, MUN actually stands for Model United Nations. In other words, MUN is an academic simulation, a mock of the United Nations. It aims to educate participants about current events, topics in international relations, diplomacy and the United Nations agenda. In MUN, you can be a press corps, a secretary, a chair and a delegate. But, what’s the difference?

Delegates role-play as diplomats representing a nation in a simulated session of a committee of the United Nations such as the Security Council or the General Assembly. Participants research a country, take on roles as diplomats, investigate international issues, debate, deliberate, consult, and then develop solutions to world problems.

Chairs are in charge of guiding the committee through its work. They decide which resolutions goes first, who talks, how many time the committee has to debate on a resolution, encourage you to talk and help you during the merging of your resolution. Their main goal is that everyone enjoys him or herself and has a chance to participate in the debate.

A press corps is the equivalent of being a journalist or a photographer. You are giving subjects to write about, interviews, polls, photos to take, etc. In some MUN conference a newspaper is published (eg: Simun Says), or even a news broadcast posted on Youtube (eg: MY-MUNOFS ).

A secretary passes notes, as during debates the delegates are not allowed to talk with each other, they therefore pass notes, guides the delegates to where they need to go, control the outfits and help the chairs.

One of the many fun things about MUN is the protocol delegates have to follow. Indeed, they need to dress in a certain way. The MUN dress code is very strict. If you are involved in a conference in any capacity, press corps, chairs, delegates, you are expected to be dressed in business attire throughout the day. The wear of jeans, tennis shoes, miniskirts, un-tucked shirts, hats, unless worn as religious purpose or traditional outfit, are forbidden.  However, secretaries will be given a uniform.

You also have to talk in a different way during debate. You, for example, have to refer to yourself in the third person (the delegate of X fears that). The delegates also have to use a very formal language.

For some people MUN is “just a thing you do to skip school”. But most people believe that MUN is much more than this. Some people participate in MUN for the credits as when you take part in a conference, it is always good to put it on your resume, when you apply for universities.

According to students who already have participated in a conference, MUN is “a great way to improve your oral skill and your English”, “something to take part in at least once in your life”, “an unforgettable experience”, “fun, interesting and educative” and “a place where many different cultures are found which therefore enriches you as an individual”.

As in MUN delegates have to represent a country, they have to make research about this country, see the world in their point of view. This therefore opens your mind to different culture, to the world. Furthermore, many countries are represented in MUN and many students from different countries participate. This allows you to be in a place where the ethnic diversity is incredible. Moreover, during debates the delegates have to speak in front of the committee to express their country point of view. This not only improves their oral abilities but also their English, as a formal language must be used.

Nevertheless, many students and some teachers have made a very important point. Although, MUN is a very rich experience it does require a lot of preparation work. Every year, the school organizes SIMUN (stands for Singapore International Model United Nations). To participate as a delegate you should at least be in 3eme. However, if you want to be a secretary you can participate when you are in 4eme.

Another MUN conference that takes place in Singapore is MUNOFS (Model United Nations Overseas Family School). To take part in this conference you must either be in 4eme or 3eme. In any of two conferences you have to speak in the Shakespearean language (English). To sign up, you should look regularly on the boards at the Vie Scolaire, there will be posters on the matter with all the information needed.

To conclude, Model United Nations is a very interesting experience. Although it does require a lot hard work, it is worth it. If you therefore want to improve your oral skill, conquer your fear to talk in front of an audience, make new friends, open your mind to the world or have fun then MUN is for you!

Raphaëlle Petit

At the LFS (lycee francais de Singapour) the main activity outside the school played by LFS students is rugby. During those training sessions we train ourselves for matches, however the team’s main focus is preparation for tournaments. During the year, every rugby junior team of Singapore will play several tournaments organised either by a club or a school. So in this article I will discuss the tournaments that our team participates in and a bit of information about training session.

Some of the tournaments which the teams participate in are even sponsored by banks; the Barclays cup is organized by the Tanglin rugby club which is located at the turf city and is sponsored by the Barclay bank. This tournament is an international tournament for the different Singapore clubs however students of LFS play as a school because the majority of them don’t have a club. This tournament takes place every year between May and June.

One of the most significant tournaments the LFS participate in a tournament at the Singapore polo club which is named “polo club”. This is the biggest tournament of the year and it is also an international tournament between clubs from Singapore and Malaysia. It is a massive tournament because players of all ages play in this tournament. It goes from 4 years old players to 18 years old players.

Another tournament is the 7’s tournament. This takes place at the end of September until the beginning of October and only schools such as UWSEA, Tanglin,  OFS, Australian school, LFS, and SAS participate in it. During this tournament we play as a 7 player team on the pitch and 5 subs so we have a total of 12 players per team.

As a school the LFS aren’t the best team because it only has an hour and a half of training per weeks instead of 3 to 4 hours per weeks, which is the case for the other clubs of Singapore such as centaurs and Tanglin. One of the main problems of the team in my opinion is that the team does not have enough coaches. The team has roughly 30 players and half of the players are new and don’t know how to tackle or even pass the ball properly. This can prove frustrating for more advanced players of the team who would like to excel more and for the less experienced players as the training might go too fast for them to learn. If the team had more coaches then players could be divided into two teams; the first team for the most experienced players and another team for those less experienced. I do believe that this is what most of the players would prefer. However, even if we aren’t the best team, we still have faith.

Enguerrand Desbazeille

This website not surprisingly is an excellent resource for finding the map that best fits your needs, but it also oddly enough has some information about international schools.

There are at least two sections that we found that highlight the international schools in specific locations around world.  We would like to highlight those two sections.

Singapore

Singapore International Schools

“In order to make education easily available to the foreign student the Singapore Government has made sure that there are quite a number of Singapore International Schools.  There are a number of Singapore International Schools and the foreign students need to appear for and clear a formal examination of the Immigration Department…”

There are 15 different international schools listed in Singapore on this website.

Currently, there are 13 international schools listed in Singapore on International School Community.

Saudi Arabia International Schools

“There are numerous international schools in Saudi Arabia. These schools offer educational programs mainly for the foreign nationals residing in this Middle Eastern nation. Most of the schools are generally non-profit seeking bodies and are governed by private bodies.

International Schools of Saudi Arabia can be classified into three broad divisions on the basis of the curriculum that they follow. The three main heads are U.S. model curriculum, U.K. model curriculum and International model. Though the third one has been inspired by the US model, it also consists of language programs in Urdu, Hindi, Arabic and Filipino.

The international schools at Saudi Arabia offer education from kindergarten to high school i.e., grade 10 level. It offers various subjects including science, arts, music, information technology, design technology, mathematics, etc.

Apart from the academic knowledge, Saudi Arabia international schools also emphasize on extra curricular activities such as sports, arts, clubs, etc. Students are encouraged to participate in various social and cultural events so as to bring an overall change in their persona.

Generally, these International Schools in Saudi Arabia are approved and recognized by some higher educational bodies of the respective country to which they belong. Moreover, they have also obtained the license for operation from the Ministry of education of Saudi Arabia. Though these schools are not allowed to admit Muslims but one can still get admission if the Ministry of Foreign Education at Saudi Arabia permits to do so.”

There are 5 different international schools listed in Saudi Arabia on this website.  Each of the 5 schools also has it own information page which is worthwhile to check out.  The 5 information pages can be found here: Asir Academy, Dhahran Campus School, Yanbu International School, Dhahran British Grammar School, and Jubail Academy International School.

Currently, there are 13 international schools listed in Saudi Arabia on International School Community.

It is Singapore-based private education provider Knowledge Universe, which has more than 350,000 students in its institutions worldwide, including 8,500 in its 41 institutions here, which are mostly preschools.

The injection of funds will give Knowledge Universe a majority stake in CIS, the founders of which will continue to manage the school while retaining a significant equity stake, said CIS founder and managing director Thomas Tang.

The new campus can accommodate up to 3,300 students when it reaches full capacity in 10 years.

Spread over 43,000 sq m, it will have state-of-the-art classrooms, sporting complexes, outdoor play facilities, as well as a performing arts and fine arts centre, an auditorium and a media centre.

Estimated to be completed by August next year, the new campus will consolidate the school’s current Toh Tuck, Bukit Tinggi and Kampong Bahru campuses. The school’s East Coast campus in Tanjong Katong will stay put, as it was recently renovated.

The school, which is not funded by the Canadian government, has 1,900 students across its campuses now.

The new campus almost could not materialise, a victim of the global financial crisis. The school ran into difficulties raising funds, and construction stalled in October 2008.

It was supposed to have opened in February last year, and when it became clear this was not going to happen, parents were thrust into uncertainty, unsure about whether they should keep their children there.

Ms Elizabeth Duke, whose sons are in Grades 3 and 5 in the school, said: ‘I know parents who have moved their children out, which affects me because my sons lose their friends.’

CIS head Glenn Odland said the school cast around for potential partners, and picked Knowledge Universe after rigorous evaluation.

‘We decided that Knowledge Universe offered the best fit for our school and our community,’ he said.

Mr Tang said both parties have been thoughtful and prudent in considering how the partnership should be structured to ensure maximum benefits for the students.

The unveiling of Knowledge Universe as the school’s partner comes nine months after CIS said it had secured financing from a partner it did not name.

Dr Odland said: ‘As a school, we recognise that many members of our community have experienced anxiety as a result of the delays in the Jurong project, and we are extremely pleased that we can now move forward.’

Ms Duke said she hoped that parents who were uncertain would now be persuaded to keep their children in CIS.

Referring to the August 2011 opening date, she said it was just one more school year away, which ‘will be tolerable to parents, and we’ll be able to maintain our strong community’.

Source : Straits Times – 16 Mar 2010

		The Stamford American International School has started classes on its temporary Lorong Chuan campus. It takes in children between the ages of two and 18, and offers the International Baccalaureate and American Advanced Placement Diploma programmes. — ST PHOTO: MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN

Mr Brian Rogove, Cognita’s chief executive officer for Asia

The Stamford American International School (SAIS) started classes two weeks ago on its temporary campus in Lorong Chuan – beside the Australian International School Singapore (AISS) – with an enrolment of about 90 students.

By year’s end, it will take in another 90 students.

The school is operated by Cognita – an international education group that runs about 50 schools worldwide, including the AISS.

The group’s chief executive officer for Asia, Mr Brian Rogove, said yesterday that interest in the school has been high.

The number of inquiries on places has grown from about 20 a week at the beginning of the year to about 75 a week now.

He expects demand to remain strong, as many of the inquiries are from parents looking to relocate to Singapore soon.

In fact, he said, about half of the students currently enrolled come from families who moved here this year.

‘We see this as a sign that the economy is growing and more families will be moving here in future,’ he added.

SAIS expects to have 2,500 students by 2016, four years after its permanent campus in Upper Serangoon opens.

The school’s temporary Lorong Chuan premises can accommodate only 600 students.

SAIS takes in children between the ages of two and 18, and offers the International Baccalaureate and American Advanced Placement Diploma programmes.

The demand for places at SAIS is mirrored at other international schools here.

For example, AISS – which currently has an enrolment of 2,258 – has over 100 children on its waiting list for next year.

Over at United World College of South East Asia (UWC), the waiting list is in the thousands, said the school’s director of communications, Ms Joy L. Stevenson.

The strong demand for places has dispelled earlier fears that the global recession would affect enrolment.

Earlier this year – as Singapore and the rest of the world were caught in the throes of the recession – insiders predicted that the rush for international school places would slow to a trickle, as companies cut jobs, forcing many expatriates to leave town and take their families with them.

But such fears proved unfounded.

In fact, UWC’s Ms Stevenson said that, if anything, waiting lists have grown longer. The reason, she said, is that ‘more expatriate families are staying on beyond their one- or two-year contracts, and are making Singapore their permanent homes’.

SAIS’ Mr Rogove agreed.

He said at the school’s opening ceremony yesterday: ‘According to an internal survey, we estimated that about 2,000 expatriate students would leave Singapore this year.

‘But to our surprise, this has not been the case. Not only are families staying on, but we are also seeing new families who just moved to Singapore this year applying for places in the school.’

He added: ‘I think this is due to the resilience of Singapore’s economy and also because of confidence in the quality of education in schools here.’

The American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore said a survey it conducted showed that this year, there will be more people moving here than moving out.

Although they can apply to place their children in mainstream schools here, many expatriate parents prefer international schools.

When interviewed, expats said that while they plan to stay in Singapore for the long term, they want their children in international schools so that they can maintain links to their home countries.

One such parent is Mrs Laura Byers Day, a Canadian who has lived with her family here for 11 years. She has three children enrolled in SAIS.

Said the 40-year-old housewife: ‘We don’t plan to leave any time soon. Singapore is a great place to live in, it’s safe and the education is good.

‘But, at the same time, since we are so far away from home, we want our children to be educated in a system which we are familiar with.

‘And if they choose to go back, they will be able to fit in better.’

Source : Straits Times – 29 August 2009

According to Singapore-based education group Cognita, although earlier surveys had estimated the exodus of some 2,000 international students, improvements in Singapore’s economy have in fact led to an increase in expatriates moving into the country.

The company runs the new Stamford American International School, which opened its temporary campus at Lorong Chuan on Friday. It said some 32,000 students are studying in international schools here and the number is expected to double by 2014.

Kathleen Caoyonan, expatriate from Texas, USA, said: “With the younger kids, there are so few slots. I think people are starting to find a little bit more openings, but there is still a waiting list.”

Cognita has already committed S$250 million for the development of its new campus, which currently has over 80 students. The firm said demand is good, citing up to 70 enquiries on enrolment each week.

Brian Rogave, chief executive officer of Asia Cognita, said: “Every single enquiry we’ve had turned into enrolment. It’s a positive trend, we hope it continues.”

The current campus can take in up to 600 students. The permanent campus, to be located at Upper Serangoon, will offer some 2,500 places when it is ready by 2012.

Access to foreign schools is an important criterion for expatriates coming to work in Singapore, according to a study conducted by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham).

The study also found that more than three-quarters of respondents preferred attending international schools with home-country curriculum.

In August last year, the Singapore government had, for the first time, listed public buildings and vacant plots to be made available for more foreign schools.

Initial plans were for up to four schools to be built, but this was later scaled down to just one due to the economic downturn.

Cognita runs 50 schools worldwide, including the Australian International School here which has reported a waiting list of 114 for next year’s enrolment.

Source : Channel NewsAsia – 28 Aug 2009