Polytechnic fees rose by $50 each last year and this
year.
And these increases were necessary to meet rising costs and also
allow the polytechnics to continue investing in capability-building
initiatives, says Senior Minister of State for Education, S
Iswaran.
Replying to a question in parliament today, Mr Iswaran said that
even after the increases, the cost of polytechnic education is
still heavily subsidised at about 86 percent.
He noted that school fees went up by about two percent, and most
students should be able to meet the increases.
Mr Iswaran also said that there are a slew of financial assistance
measures available, such as loans and bursaries, to ensure that
those facing difficulties will not be denied an
education.
Currently, one in two students are on some form of financial
assistance.
When asked if the fee increases can be applied to only new cohorts,
Mr Iswaran said this practice would not be fair to past
students.
"I think the answer really is one of what the past practice has
been and maintaining the equity in the treatment. The treatment has
always been that the entire enrollment is affected by the fee
increase. If we now change that policy there will be questions of
inequitable treatment."
-- 938Live