Singapore aspires to become Oxbridge of the East

SINGAPORE (Reuters Life!) - Singapore plans to build residential colleges at its top university to copy the Oxford and Cambridge system, the city-state's premier said on Thursday.

Six residential colleges, which will combine living quarters with tutorial rooms for gifted students and tutors, will be built at the National University of Singapore, together with two postgraduate residences.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said at the groundbreaking ceremony that the university's current dormitories were not suited for residential learning.

"It will include our first residential colleges, offering students a holistic and unique learning experience," Lee said.

He said the colleges will also be used as the Youth Olympics Village if Singapore wins its bid against Moscow to hold the inaugural event in 2010. The winning city will be announced next month.

Singapore has revamped its education sector in recent years by opening new schools that cater to creative industries, in an effort to lure foreign students to the city-state.