Singapore was a poverty stricken country when it gained independence. The first Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew took up the challenge to change the face of Singapore. He played a key role in transforming the poor, corrupt and unclean state into one of the cleanest, least corrupt and highly developed countries in the world. He established top standards of security, health, education, communications and transportation.

But in spite of all that Singapore has achieved today- having the world's best airport, being the busiest port of trade, having the world's fourth largest per capita income and recently played host to the IMF/World Bank annual meeting, it also suffers from some of the third world problems such as unemployment & poverty.

In 2002, there were reports on Singaporeans begging for loans to pay their bills. These people had either lost their jobs or failed in business ventures and cash-strapped parents were keeping their children out of schools. Even though financial assistance schemes were available, due the limited nature of these schemes, some Singaporeans families were unable to cope with their financial difficulties. The ageing Singaporean population also faces financial crunches and is living in poverty.

According to a recent news report, Singapore's elderly population did not have enough money even to buy food and were therefore suffering from malnutrition. Many elderly people in Singapore do not understand the importance of additional nutritional and vitamin supplements. In 2005, the rate of unemployment in Singapore was 3.4%.

Education in Singapore

International schools