Liu Zhuo, senior consultant for Singapore at EIC's Beijing branch, explains that students aged 16 or under can be accompanied by their mother or grandmother. The relative is allowed to seek employment in Singapore after the first year.

Liu describes it as a "warm" policy for parents whose children study abroad at a young age, which has helped contribute to the rise in younger Chinese students applying to study in Singapore.

But while this is good news for new arrivals to Singapore, actually getting into a public school in the city-state is far from assured. Only students at grade one can attend primary school without sitting an examination.

According to Singapore's education authority, students aged above seven and in grade two or higher must sit the Admission Exam For International Students.

"The pass rate of AEIS for Chinese students is less than 50 percent," Liu says, explaining that while Chinese students often score high in mathematics, their English can be a letdown, particularly writing and vocabulary.

Students from the Chinese mainland are competing with those from other parts of the region including Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and South Korea.

Education experts suggest parents should be more careful when sending their young children abroad.

"The parents should help their underage children to adapt to the new environment and establish a positive attitude," Liu says. As to the children who struggle with the new environment, it is up to the parents to improve their children's ability to look after themselves and to help them cultivate good study habits.

Jin, 45, has a 14-year-old daughter who went to Singapore last month. "Safety is my biggest concern and Singapore is very safe," Jin says. "Besides, Singapore is not far away from China and the transportation is very convenient."

Her daughter will first study in a training school to prepare for the AEIS, and then she will sit the test in October. "If she can pass the test, then she will study in a public school, which opens in January next year."

"My daughter got the idea of studying in Singapore after she saw her classmates go there."

Although Jin is not planning to move overseas herself, she supports the decision.

"I respect her choice as I believe the teaching quality in Singapore is excellent and her English will improve," she says.

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