The Philippines and Singapore have signed an agreement to create a Singapore-Philippines Nurse Educator Scholarship Scheme, designed to help experienced Filipino nurses gain postgraduate qualifications and then return home to teach. The Implementation Memorandum was signed on 19 October 2026 at the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) in Mandaluyong City, according to a report published on 22 October.
How the scheme works
- It supports experienced Filipino nurses working in Singapore’s public healthcare system to pursue postgraduate nursing qualifications.
- Scholars then return to the Philippines to teach nursing.
- Scholars sign contracts with their Singapore employers for the first phase, and with Philippine employers (or a government body designated by the DMW) for the second phase.
- The number of scholarships and the length of the service commitment were not stated in the report.
The memorandum was signed by DMW Undersecretary Dominique Rubia-Tutay and Singapore Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary for Policy and Development Lai Wei Lin, witnessed by DMW Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac and Singapore Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, among others.
What officials said
Secretary Cacdac called for a partnership that “creates meaningful opportunities for Filipino nurses” and strengthens nursing education institutions. Minister Ong said the two countries share a long friendship with strong healthcare ties, and that investing in people and sharing expertise can strengthen both health systems.
From January 2023 to June 2026, the Philippines recorded 37,026 deployments of Filipino workers in nursing-related professions to Singapore, including 4,500 new hires and 32,526 rehires.
Why nurse educators matter
One of the less visible effects of nurse migration is the loss of nurse educators. Experienced nurses with postgraduate qualifications are exactly the people nursing schools need to teach the next generation, and exactly the people foreign employers want to hire. Without enough educators, countries cannot expand training, even when demand is high. The same bottleneck exists in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe and India.
The Singapore-Philippines scheme is an example of “circulation” rather than one-way migration: the destination country invests in training that returns to the source country. It echoes the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel, which encourages destination countries to support health workforce development in source countries.
For nurses considering further study
- Postgraduate qualifications open doors to teaching, leadership and specialist roles.
- Read bond and return-service conditions carefully before accepting any sponsored scholarship.
- See our guides to master’s and PhD/DNP scholarships for nurses.
Related: Marcos on nurse staffing in the Philippines · Singapore Nursing Board guide · Jamaica’s bonded specialist scholarships
Source: InDiplomacy (22 October 2026), reporting the DMW-MOH signing ceremony.