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.

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

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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

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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:[citation needed]

School Number of President's Scholars
Raffles Institution 96
Hwa Chong Institution 58
National Junior College 45
Notable recipients of the President's Scholarship
Name Year received Remarks Ref
Politics
Lim Boon Keng 1887 Member, British Legislative Council
Edmund W. Barker 1946 Former Cabinet Minister (1964–1988)
Tony Tan 1959 7th President of Singapore (2011–2017)
Lee Yock Suan 1966 Former Cabinet Minister (1987–2004)
Mah Bow Tan 1967 Former Cabinet Minister (1991–2011)
Yeo Ning Hong Former Cabinet Minister
Lee Hsien Loong 1970 Senior Minister
Teo Chee Hean 1973 Senior Minister
George Yeo 1973 Former Cabinet Minister (1991–2011)
Chan Soo Sen 1975 Former Member of Parliament (1997–2011)
Lim Hng Kiang 1973 Former Cabinet Minister
Vivian Balakrishnan 1980 Minister for Foreign Affairs
Chan Chun Sing 1988 Minister for Education
Sim Ann 1994 Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and National Development.
David Lim Former Member of Parliament
Tsao Yuan Former Nominated Member of Parliament
Public Sector
Ahmad Mohamed Ibrahim 1936 Former Attorney-General of Singapore
Lim Siong Guan 1965 Group President of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation
Koh Cher Siang 1965 Chairman, Housing and Development Board
Barry Desker 1966 Dean, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
Su Guaning 1967 Former President, Nanyang Technological University (2003–2011)
Kishore Mahbubani 1967 Former Dean, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
Chan Seng Onn 1973 Supreme Court Judge
Lee Wei Ling 1973 Senior Advisor, National Neuroscience Institute
Ivan Png Paak Liang 1975 Vice-Provost, National University of Singapore (2001–2003)
Ng Chee Khern 1984 Permanent Secretary (Strategy), Prime Minister's Office
Ng Chee Peng 1989 Former CEO, Central Provident Fund Board
Hoo Sheau Peng 1989 Supreme Court Judge
Lim Cheng Yeow Perry 1991 Former Chief of Defence Force, Singapore Armed Forces [1]
Lim Tuang Liang 1991 Former Chief of Air Force, Singapore Armed Forces
Lai Chung Han 1992 Permanent Secretary (Development), Ministry of Education
Chong Tow Chong Provost, Singapore University of Technology and Design
Tan Kai Hoe 1985 Former Chief of Staff, Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN)
Goh Si Hou 1997 Former Chief of Army, Singapore Armed Forces
Aaron Beng Chief of Defence Force [2]
Private Sector
Kwa Geok Choo Former Lawyer
Mohamed Ismail bin Ibrahim 1968 First Malay President's Scholar
Ho Ching 1972 Former CEO, Temasek Holdings
Lee Hsien Yang 1976 Former CEO of Singapore Telecommunications Limited.
Shaun Seow Former CEO, MediaCorp
Alan Chan Former CEO, Singapore Press Holdings Limited
Low Sin Leng Executive chairman, Sembcorp Development
Gan Juay Kiat 1976 Former CEO, SBS Transit

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References

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  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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