IN SIX years' time, Singapore can provide university places for 30 per cent of pupils in any Primary One year.

Education Minister Ng Eng Hen gave this assurance on Monday when fears were expressed about the Government's decision to reduce the number of undergraduates in the yet-to-be-named fourth university.

It was announced in May that the university, which is due to open in 2011, will have a student population of 4,000 instead of the initial target of 12,000.

The smaller number worries Mrs Josephine Teo (Bishan-Toa Payoh) who asked whether the target of 30 per cent would still be met.

In his reply, Dr Ng said the gap would be met by the degree tie-ups between the polytechnics here and foreign institutions.

These tie-ups are planned, managed and implemented by the new Singapore Institute of Applied Technology, which the Government will develop with $1.6 billion over the next 10 years.

He also said the smaller student population was prompted by the partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US.

MIT will design rigorous and intensive courses for students which will focus on science, technology, information systems and architecture.

'As such, students need to have the requisite academic standards to benefit from these programmes.

'We expect the admission standard for the new university to be high,' he said.

All eligible Singaporean students who apply will be admitted, he added.

Read the full story in Tuesday's edition of The Straits Times.