Too bad for u 
Polys like Unis are classified as tiertiary
institutes, as compared to JCs, which are pre-university (e.g.
glorified extension of secondary school.) Difference in pricing is
due to this. Keep in mind that Poly students usually take courses
and modules that amount to 3 years, whereas the 'A' Level course in
JC is 2 years. This means that the net age in a Poly is greater
(you don't even need to inude the 20-30 yr olds.) Thusly, LTA finds
it more convenient to price both JC and Poly students seperately
rather than charge each individual according to age. Like many
other things in Singapore, it isn't fair, but then again neither is
life.
Actually thinking about it it's quite an accurate reflection of the
differences in education at both JC and Poly. Poly students like
Uni students pay adult fees because the way in which they are
taught is more 'mature', in the sense that they themselves must act
like adults and take responsibilty for their own learning. They
have the freedom to decide whether or not to attend lectures, etc.
JC students being more coddled are charged student's fees since
they are more or less still in a highly regimented school
environment, with all the horrors of such (e.g. uniforms)
Poly students who complain that JC students get 'special treatment'
shouldn't have gone to Poly at all. If you choose Poly because you
want more freedom in learning, you should know well enough what
advantages or disadvantages there are between the two. Poly
students should accept the fact that they will have less chance of
entering Uni compared to a JC student unless they are prepared to
work damn hard to enter the top 5% in their respective Polys. JC
students do not always get advantages. An 'A' Level holder is less
likely to be employed than a Diploma holder, everyone knows that.
The difference is that the Singapore education system is designed
to give the 'A' Level holder a better chance of entering
university, whereas the Poly grad is given more hands-on experience
in order to survive entering the work force at an earlier
age.
Whining about this fact of life is frankly rather pointless, and
gives a bad impression of Poly students. My brother was from SP,
and he doesn't bemoan the fact that he got a worse deal. (In fact,
according to him, Poly students enjoy many more benefits- bigger
campus, better facilities, better food, and more chio bus.) It may
be too late for this years current batch of JAE inductees, but my
advice to the next gen is 'san si er xing'- look before you
leap.
