SINGAPORE : Education Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam says
university fees increased by an average of 5 percent a year between
1990 and 2005.
The increase is about 8 percent a year in the 1990s, and less than
2 percent since 2000.
Wage increase forms the bulk of the rise.
Mr Tharman explains the rationale for such increases - which will
ensure Singapore undergraduates continue to receive an affordable
yet high-quality university education.
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Mr Tharman says the fee
increase is part of a global phenomenon.
He says university students in Singapore are better-off, compared
to those in Australia, the United States and the United
Kingdom.
In the US, fees have gone up as much as seven times what
Singaporean undergraduates are paying, while students in Australia
have seen double the increase compared to their counterparts
here.
Mr Tharman said: "What we want to do is to provide a high quality
affordable quality - like what the US, UK and Australia are trying
to do - but where we differ from them is substantially higher
government subsidies.
"Over the medium term we want to move towards the government
funding 75 percent of the total cost of undergraduate education.
Currently we are still funding a little more than 75 percent.
"We do not intend to move there immediately but we will move there
gradually. But that is still substantially higher public funding
than any comparable country which is seeking to provide an
affordable top-quality funding, not an affordable low-quality
education."
He says costs have increased as universities have to compete
globally for lecturers and provide high-quality facilities for
students - to deliver a top-notch education for
undergraduates.
But Mr Tharman gives the assurance the universities will continue
to exercise prudence and keep costs in check, while both the
government and the universities will work together to ensure
students get an affordable and top-quality education. - CNA/de
