Debated in Parliament on 12 Aug 2013.
Mr Yeo Guat Kwang asked the Minister for Education (a) how his Ministry ensures that all Singaporeans who qualify can afford to study in a public University or Polytechnic; and (b) whether the Ministry will increase fee subsidies and provide more scholarships and bursaries to local students.
Education is a key enabler for Singaporeans to progress, and the Government has been and remains committed to maximising opportunities for Singaporeans through education. It is an important tenet of this Government's approach that no student who qualifies for admission to our local Autonomous Universities (AUs) and Polytechnics will be prevented from pursuing his studies because he cannot afford it. The Government assists all Singaporeans who qualify for such tertiary education in the following ways:
(a) by subsidising a substantial portion of the tuition fee by way of a tuition grant. This is given to all Singaporeans who study in our publicly-funded Institutes of Higher Learning;
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(b) by providing a variety of financial assistance schemes to assist those who are unable to afford the remaining amount payable by the student after the provision of the tuition grant. This is given depending on need and individual circumstances.
All Singaporeans who are admitted to the AUs and Polytechnics receive a tuition grant that covers about 75% and 85% respectively of their tuition fees.
To ensure that no deserving student is denied a place in the Universities or Polytechnics due to financial difficulties, there is a range of financial assistance schemes – bursaries, loans and scholarships – to cover not only the remaining tuition fees payable but also to help students defray their costs of living.
These include the CDC/CCC5 Bursary, MOE Bursary, Tuition Fee Loan Scheme and Study Loan Scheme offered by the Government. In addition, there are other scholarship and bursary schemes offered by the Universities, community organisations and Government agencies, as well as private and professional organisations. The Universities' admission offices and Polytechnic student services centres help their students in accessing these schemes.
The Ministry has, since 2011, increased the bursary quanta and also broadened the coverage of the CDC/CCC Bursary and the MOE Bursary to benefit Singapore Citizens up to the 66th percentile of household incomes.
The Government has also partnered industries to offer Singaporeans more scholarships. The Singapore-Industry Scholarship (SgIS), for instance, was launched in 2012. This is a Government-supported, multi-industry initiative to identify and develop a strong Singapore Core across key economic and people sectors. Last year, 90 Singaporean students from diverse backgrounds received the scholarship.
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