Annual Number of Eligible and Successful Applications under Financial Assistance Scheme in Past Three Years

Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Education (a) in the past three years, what is the annual number of (i) eligible students, (ii) successful applications and (iii) unsuccessful applications under the Financial Assistance Scheme; (b) how many Secondary students on the scheme are from Government versus Government-aided schools; (c) how many Secondary school students on the Independent School Bursary scheme are on 100% financial assistance; and (d) when does the Ministry plan to next review the income eligibility criteria in view of inflation.

The number of Singaporean students on the MOE Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) and the number of Singaporean secondary school students benefiting from 100% fee subsidies under the Independent School Bursary (ISB) from 2019 to 2021 are shown in the table below. MOE does not distinguish between students in Government schools and Government-aided schools for the purpose of financial assistance.

The eligibility criteria for MOE FAS and full fee subsidy under ISB are the same. Students need to be Singapore Citizens with a gross household income of up to $2,750 or per capita income of up to $690. All eligible students will have their applications approved. Those who do not meet the criteria can apply for school-based assistance, or, in the case of Independent Schools, they could also qualify for partial fee subsidies under the ISB scheme.

MOE reviews our financial assistance schemes regularly, taking into account changing household incomes and education-related expenses. The schemes were last reviewed and enhanced in 2020.