S'pore's top O-Level student this year is M'sian. So was last year's.

Here's one more for the brain drain. No prizes for guessing that she's not going to come back... since she's got a bond-free scholarship and all. She heard about her school from another Malaysian student there... also a top student. And her brother's also in Singapore... also on scholarship.

YES, pour more money into the single race residential schools, matriculation schools, MARA and ITM. That'll show Lee Kuan Yew who's boss.

Top girl not keen on S'pore

THIS year's top O-level student Lai Kai Rou, who is from Selangor in Malaysia, was initially averse to the idea of studying in Singapore.

This was because she was not confident about living away from home.

But she changed her mind after hearing the praises fellow Malaysian students sang of CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls' School (SNGS). One of them was last year's top 0-level student Haw Sue Hern, who also scored 10 A1s.

'My seniors told me about the holistic education in St Nicholas. They said we will be exposed to much more co-curricular activities as compared to schools in Malaysia. I felt it felt it was a good opportunity to be exposed to different things and to learn how to be independent,' said Kai Rou,

She is on a bond-free scholarship from SNGS and stays at the Hwa Chong Insitution (HCI) hostel. She has a younger brother, a secondary two student in HCI, who is also also on scholarship.

St Nicholas turned in a glittering performance at last year's O-levels exams - 14 of the best performers in Singapore, including Kai Rou.