NS e-PREP Scheme

NS e-PREP Scheme

Established because

NS Disadvantages Our NSFs in Universities

Scheme being enhanced & replaced by

SkillsFuture@NS

NS e-PREP Scheme was established because NS puts our NSFs at a great disadvantage when they resume their studies in universities two years later.  
They face, among other issues:
  • greater challenges in recalling pre-learned concepts,
  • adjustment difficulties from military/policing/civil-defense to academic studies which require very different skillsets and mindsets,
  • classmates who are foreign students and girls with no disadvantages caused by the two-year study break.
  • classmates who have put in efforts in preparing themselves academically for university studies
These issues are on top of the challenges faced by undergrads! 
 The consequence to our NSMen (ex-NSFs) is very dire – many of them perform very poorly in the universities!
See, for Examples: What They Say, & Why the Need.

NS e-PREP Scheme 

– Remediation by MinDef and MHA

In 2003, Singapore MinDef introduced the National Service e-PREP Scheme that provides financial subsidies for NSFs (and NSmen) to take up special eprep courses online to help them to better prepare themselves for their university studies. MHA joined the NS e-PREP Scheme later.
As not all NSFs go for further studies, there are also soft-skill courses. Unfortunately, thousands of self-written courses by Tom-Dick-and-Harry that provide little or dubious value have also sneaked into the NS e-PREP Scheme. NSFs are advised to exercise caution in selecting the e-PREP courses so that they can truly benefit from this special effort by the authority to mitigate the issues faced by NSFs, instead of wasting away the NS e-PREP Credits!
Singapore MinDef and MHA (incl. SPF & SCDF) now provide $350 NS e-PREP credits to NSFs and NSMen who can utilize the e-PREP credit to subsidize the e-PREP courses. The qualifying period for using the subsidy available under the NS e-PREP Scheme is from one year before ORD to one year after ORD.
The NS e-PREP Scheme is being enhanced and replaced by SkillsFuture@NS Scheme. The limit of funding is removed and a qualified NSF can sign up for an unlimited number of courses.

NTU’s Support for the NS e-PREP Scheme

Nanyang Technological University (NTU), through its Centre for Professional and Continuing Education (PACE), was the only university that responded to the Singapore MinDef’s NS e-PREP Scheme from the very beginning by engaging dedicated professors to design and conduct special ePrep courses for the NSFs (and NSmen) to better prepare them for their university studies. 
For many years Nanyang Technological University (NTU) was the only university involved in the Singapore NS e-PREP Scheme.  To date, apparently, NTU is still the only university that is providing these specially-designed ePrep courses for university preparation.

MOE’s Support for the NS e-PREP Scheme

MOE also saw the importance of providing special university preparation courses to those Singapore males who serve national service so that they will not be too disadvantaged as a result of the 2-year gap due to NS.
MOE supported the NS e-PREP Scheme by providing funding to NTU PACE for the training of NTU professors to develop the special university e-prep courses and to subsidize the expenses incurred in developing these e-prep courses. 

The Nature of NS e-PREP Courses by NTU

They are specially designed ePrep courses true to the objective of the NS e-PREP scheme – to help those who serve in NS to prepare for their university studies.  
These ePrep courses are therefore pegged at first-year, or even second-year, university-level so as to give the NSFs (and NSmen) head starts in universities, instead of being disadvantaged due to two or more years of study gap.
Over the years, NTU’s NS e-Prep courses have been under constant revision and upgrading. There are now 15 e-Prep courses conducted by NTU, and ten of them listed below are specially developed in collaborations with textbook  publishers who provide excellent learning materials. These textbooks are made available at no additional cost to the students. 
These special e-prep courses are now also available to the general public so that they too can benefit from these special university preparatory courses.
In addition, free personalized academic and related consultation is provided by a retired NTU professor.  The consultation is available not only during the course, but is extended till the student enters a university, and beyond if necessary for the best interests of the students.

Unique NTU e-Prep Courses

Please take a close look at these eprep courses:

Life Science
Biotechnology
Business Finance
Principles of Physics
Business & Engineering Ethics
Statistics for Undergraduate Studies
Engineering Mathematics – Calculus
Mechanics for Scientists and Engineers
Engineering Economy & Corporate Finance
Mathematics for Managerial, Life and Soc Sciences

NSFs and NSMen please compare these courses with courses offered by other vendor such as Udemy

Go to NS e-Prep Home Page

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