S'porean student wants to use crowdfunding to raise S$79,000 for master's degree at LSE

Receives some flak and his story got pulled from Yahoo News Singapore.

Belmont Lay| August 16, 03:34 AM

A 25-year-old part-time student from Singapore has turned to crowdfunding platform Indiegogo to raise money to pursue his master's degree overseas.

The student, (Name removed on request), wrote on his Indiegogo page that he needed the money to further his studies in economics as he has been offered a conditional placement at the London School of Economics (LSE).

To convince potential donors about why he is deserving of financial help, he wrote, in a somewhat unnecessarily convoluted way:

“For a city-state with no resources, limited land and a small population, I aim to be the world’s best and brightest to join its work force with an open-mind, and with a near-zero tolerance for dissent among the masses upon my return. I hope that one day, my work / research would be an asset to the society.”

And to further make his point about why he is a deserving candidate, he wrote that he had graduated from polytechnic and is due to graduate with First Class Honours in August 2014 from the Singapore Institute of Management, University of London International Programme, where he is pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Economics and Finance.

He also mentions that he is from a humble family background, with aged parents who are 74 and 80 years old.

 

Received flak for crowdfunding

However, his fundraising attempt, which was first reported on Vulcan Post, and was subsequently syndicated on Yahoo News Singapore, has apparently not gone down well.

After receiving some flak in Yahoo's comment section, the post, which featured a picture of him, has since mysteriously disappeared, but a Google cached modified version is still available.

Not only were all photos of him removed, an editorial note has been added at the end of the article, which reads:

[Editorial Note: The crowdfunding page has been removed from its source, and photos have been edited to protect the identity of the affected parties.]

In the Indigogo page, Aw has also included a new update, which reads like he is trying to placate his detractors:

I have never expect (sic) to raise the full amount here. As I do not have a target amount, since my study loan and sponsorship applications are not confirm, I indicated the lump sum capital required. But any fund raised will contribute to my textbooks, accommodation and meals in London.

One can browse and close this page without doing anything, but should never discourage a person from pursuing his dream.

He has so far managed to raise S$343, or £165.

 

Not the first fundraising for education

This is not the first time a Singaporean student has turned to the public for money to fund his or her private education.

Kimmie Marie Cumming, a 19-year-old girl, who aspires to be a professional ballet dancer, turned to Indiegogo with an aim to raise S$50,000 to fund her education at the prestigious Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA) in Taiwan.

Her crowdfunding effort, which started on June 16, 2014, and ended a month later, eventually raised close to S$7,000.

 

Related articles:

19-year-old girl from S’pore crowdfunding S$50,000 to study dance at Taipei National University of the Arts

Some S’poreans with hipster aesthetics, an abstract idea want to raise S$19,700 to put bow ties on 650 cars

 

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