By S Ramesh | Posted: 26
March 2011 1400 hrs
SINGAPORE: The Singapore Indian Development
Association (SINDA) is providing more help for the lower-income in
the Indian community who use its services.
Finance Minister and Chairman of SINDA Board of Trustees, Tharman
Shanmugaratnam, said the self-help group has put together a package
amounting to an additional S$500,000 from now until the end of the
year.
These cover bursary payments amounting to S$220,000, fee subsidies
for STEP & Teach totalling S$210,000 and family assistance
amounting to S$70,000.
Speaking at the opening of the SINDA Services Centre at Jurong
Point on Saturday, Mr Tharman explained that SINDA wants to
encourage parents to take advantage of its programmes to help their
children, without worrying about the costs.
It will top up the value of its bursaries for 10 months, until the
end of the year.
The monthly bursary for students in primary schools will increase
from the current S$45 to S$65. For secondary students, the amount
will be raised from the current S$80 to S$100 per month. Junior
College and Pre-University students will get S$120 per month,
instead of S$100.
SINDA has about 1,650 bursary recipients.
Mr Tharman said SINDA has also reviewed the criteria for bursary
applications to allow more students to benefit. The new criteria
will be based on "net" income instead of "Gross" income.
For families which have additional financial problems brought
about, for example, by chronic illnesses, single parenthood or
dependants with special needs, the monthly per capita income
criteria for SINDA bursary will be raised from S$450 to
S$600.
SINDA will also provide higher fee relief for students in its
tuition programmes.
In 2010, more than 6,700 Indian students enrolled in its academic
and enrichment programmes, such as the STEP programme and Project
Teach. Their fees are already heavily subsidised by SINDA.
To encourage continued enrolment in these programmes, SINDA will
not collect fees this year for those with a household per capita
income of S$600 and below. For households with a per capita income
of above S$600, SINDA will collect 50 per cent of the fees.
About 3,600 students in STEP & Teach will receive free tuition
this year, while another 900 will pay about S$18 per month.
Mr Tharman said these are well below market rates for
tuition.
-CNA/ac
