Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, 137 kilometers (85 mi) north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At 710.2 km2 (274.2 sq mi), Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast Asia. It is substantially larger than Monaco and Vatican City, the only other present-day sovereign city-states.
Singapore is an alpha World City. Singapore is unique as it is the only country in Asia which has English as its first language. Singapore also has one of the highest percentages of foreigners in the world. 36% of the population in Singapore is foreigners and foreigners make up 50% of the service sector in Singapore.

Singapore's strategic location on major sea lanes and its industrious population have given the country an economic importance in Southeast Asia disproportionate to its small size. Upon independence in 1965, Singapore was faced with a lack of physical resources and a small domestic market. In response, the Singapore Government adopted a pro-business, pro-foreign investment, export-oriented economic policy framework, combined with state-directed investments in strategic government-owned corporations.

Singapore is effectively an immigrant country made up by people who descend from various parts of the world, predominantly from China, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Europe etc. As such, the culture of Singapore is a blend and mix of cultures brought by various immigrants, such as Chinese, Malay, Indian and European immigrants. It is generally considered to be a blend of Asian and Western culture, with globalization continuously transforming the culture of the country

Singapore has a highly developed market-based economy, which has historically revolved around extended  trade. Along with Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan, Singapore is one of the Four Asian Tigers. The economy depends heavily on exports and refining imported goods, especially in manufacturing. Manufacturing constituted 26% of Singapore's GDP in 2005. The manufacturing industry is well-diversified with significant electronics, petroleum refining, chemicals, mechanical engineering and biomedical sciences manufacturing sectors.

EDUCATION IN SINGAPORE

Why study in Singapore ?

English is the medium of instruction in Singapore schools. All Singaporeans are required at least primary 6 education and must attend government schools as part of National Education.
Many children attend private kindergartens until they start at primary school at the age of six. Singapore's ruling political party, the PAP, is the largest provider of preschool education through its community arm.
English is the language of instruction for mathematics and the natural sciences. For the Chinese community, there are Special Assistance Plan schools which receive extra funding to teach in Mandarin along with English. Some schools also integrate language subjects with mathematics and the sciences, using both English and a second language.
Curricular standards are set by the Ministry of Education with a mix of private schools and public schools. There is no strict public-private dichotomy: the degree of autonomy, regarding curriculum and student admission, government funding received, and tuition burden on the students is further classified into "government-run", "government-aided", "autonomous", "independent", and "privately funded". In addition, international schools cater to expatriate students, and to a few local students given permission by the education ministry.

There are three Autonomous Universities in Singapore; the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and Singapore Management University. A fourth public university, the Singapore University of Technology and Design will open in 2011, as the government looks to provide higher education for 30% of each cohort. There is another category (Private Universities - Comprehensive), SIM University (UniSIM) provides university education to working professionals and adult learners. There are also five polytechnics (Singapore Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic, Nanyang Polytechnic andRepublic Polytechnic). Unlike similarly named institutions in many other countries, polytechnics in Singapore do not award degrees.

AID AND SCHOLARSHIPS

The Singapore Ministry of Education offers tuition grants to International students who opt for the grant have to Sign an agreement to work in Singapore for 3 years. 

Bursaries are grants awarded to students usually given by school for amount of less than S$ 1500 per month

Scholarships are offered by big companies, charities and government. Such as Singapore Airlines (www.singaporeair.com), Association of common wealth Universities (www.acu.ac.uk), Rotary Foundation (www.rotary.org), 
University Scholarship: NUS
Undergraduate Scholarship, Asean Undergraduate Scholarship, NTU Undergraduate Scholarship etc.