Education Minister Heng Swee Keat told Parliament on Thursday his ministry is increasing financial support for needy students. Income ceiling for its assistance scheme will be raised from current S$1,500 to S$2,500. A new per-capita income criterion will also be used in parallel, so students from households with a per capita income of S$625 and below will qualify. Schools will also be given additional grants of up to S$15,000 for the next 3 years, to provide additional support for students who may miss the criteria for financial help.
In real money terms, the MOE bursary handout for a Singaporean studying in a tertiary education institute is in the order of $800 to $2,150 per year (equiv $66 to $179 per month), tenable for 1 year only. Conditions apply - monthly gross household per capita (average) income must not exceed $1,700 or $1,200 per month respectively.
On the other hand, in addition to free tuition and books (estimated at $12,000 a year) provided generously by MOE, PRC scholars (such as the Sun Xu (孙旭) rumoured to be scion of well heeled Communist Party official) also enjoy:
Accommodation expenses to the tune of about $300 per month;
Monthly allowance of around $400 per month.
To get more out of the system, Singaporeans in dire need of funding can suck up to the PRC scholars by playing nurse-maid, i.e. waiting on them hand and foot like filipina domestic helps. NUS is offering its students a single room in the hostel inclusive of free meals if they are prepared to "be-friend" 17-year-old PRC scholars and serve as "mentors" to 6 of them for 1 or 2 semesters. NUS promises to reimburse all financial outlays relating to family hosting and outing duties. Which means you can finally afford to bring grandma to Universal Studios-Sentosa and charge it to MOE. The briefing is on today, 9 March 2012, at the Faculty of Science.
Heng said the support package for low and middle income families would relieve some burden, "But let me emphasize, it is not just about money, but an integrated approach, addressing financial, socio-emotional and learning support, in partnership with parents and the broader community." So that "socio-emotional and learning support" was all about bending over backwards for the foreigners.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
So this is the idea of Mr Heng's 'buddy system"? Theses foreign cohorts are so welcoming to the point that MOE has to "pay & bribe" their way out to ensure local and foreign students can co-exist. Pretty damn pathetic isn't it. Are they even suppose to cook curry for them too? Soon enough the trickle down effect will start from kindergartens. Our little ones will be expected to bend backwards and forwards to the whims and likes of those little emperors.
ReplyDeleteAfter 50years of PAP rulings, singaporeans still can't raise their heads up high on their own island. Really great job !
Woahza - From 陪读 妈妈 to 陪读 伴友, and we think we have mollycoddled our children. Look at the emperors from mainland!
ReplyDeleteThat would qualify a 'good character award' don't you think?! The poor student giving the rich foreign kid on scholar a leg up.
ReplyDeleteSingapore Satire/Joke
ReplyDelete------------------------
In Singapore;
The "Poor Always Pay",
Because we have "Pro Alien Politicians".
And the rich is protected by the "Plutocrats Action Party".
The chinese name is called 哈巴狗.
ReplyDeleteCan't understand this logic - to spend so much money on foreign scholars whom can be richer than us, while our own students have lesser subsidies in education.
ReplyDeleteWhat Kind Of Government Is This, Why People Still Like Them?
//..a tertiary education institute is in the order of $800 to $2,150 per year..tenable for 1 year only//
ReplyDeleteSunxu has been here in SG for last 9yrs - since high school, jc through university! What govt pays and support them for 9yrs and 1 yr for our locals. Not to mention he will have a "job" handed to him on a silver plate. This kind of saikang deal, only an MOE meathead will think of.
Well his family was from suzhou isn't it? We started the suzhou park eons ago isn't it? And they migrated here isn't it? Some of these links and connections must go way back to those years if people search hard enough...
DeleteMore money from MCYS - huat ah!
ReplyDeleteMore populist policies from Pappies, huat ah!
Bye bye Opposition parties, 2016. huat ah!
Bye bye by-election , huat ah!
If the objective is to build good relationship with students of foreign countries, a simpler method is exchange program. Singaporean scholars sent to PRC universities in exchange for PRC scholars sent to local uni. That way, the respective government fund their own scholars and no dispute on why tax payers money are spent on foreigners
ReplyDeleteWhen the ministers start sending their kids to the neighborhood schools then I'll believe them.
ReplyDeleteHeng Swee Keat, like his predecessors generously provide abalones for foreigners and leave the bread crumbs to our needy local students. Those who are not so "needy" but still need help are left with nothing.
ReplyDeleteOn top of that, they ask you to sacrifice two years NS!!!!!
What sort of free meals will they be providing, hawker, food court or restaurant type? And why the special treatment to them ?
ReplyDeleteSee their irony of these hypocrites, some expenses for our elderly destitute so taboo while for others,they can spend so willingly just like paying their own salaries ?
I think they should open this program to all the Indian foreign scholars community. They love cooking curries and the mainland chinese 'love' curries. Great lessons in harmony building.
ReplyDeleteSubsidy mentality is widespread in the Pro Alien Party.
ReplyDeleteAlso got $1.1 billion subsidy to bus companies.
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/101east/2011/10/2011101185019403701.html
ReplyDeleteAt the rate singapore is going, we will have 5 in 10 who has mental illness in another 5 years. Currently, there are many who are undetected.
OMG! Do update us all about the NUS Hostel Briefing...It's money NOT put to good use..I believe hostelites ALREADY have activities which cater to students of ALL nationalities to encourage bonding & hall spirit etc...I think the money could be better spent to educate foreign students to integrate into local culture, ie. 2-week camp/crash course introducing them to uni life in Singapore & making it more desirable to stay in hostels (get hostel residents to help run the camps) so the foreign students can feel at home in Singapore when they settle into hostel. I think great emphasis should also be on the foreign students to learn to contribute to their uni community as well (volunteer work etc)...If not, by throwing money at local students to host foreign students...this will only fuel the 'little emperor' mentality (sense of entitlement) and aggravate the current anti-foreigner sentiment among the locals. Why not set up a fund for hostels to organise overall bonding activities specially for integration of these scholars?
ReplyDeletewow, thanks for the heads up. i'll never make any donations to my alma mater again!
ReplyDeletesuch a disgrace! if nus has the funds to babysit "talented" foreign scholars, why the hell should i be donating to help local students.
I am Bhabanishankar Pradhan a poor student in Mechanical Engineering in Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India. I need financial help to complete my education. Can I got it.
ReplyDeleteu can access free notes by clicking the following link :
ReplyDeletehttp://www.viplavkambli.com/notes