In the pursuit of post-secondary education, less well-off students will not be left behind.
The Government will be raising the annual bursary amounts for students attending post-secondary education institutions, such as the universities, polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat said yesterday.
"The amount of increase will be up to $400 for undergraduate students, up to $350 for diploma students and up to $200 for ITE students," he said.
"For ITE students, existing bursaries already more than cover their course fees."
The bursaries will also be extended to more families, after a revision in the income eligibility criteria.
About 12,000 more Singaporean students are expected to benefit, taking the total number of beneficiaries to 71,000.
In total, bursaries for students at post-secondary education institutions will increase to $150 million a year, up from about $100 million.
More details will be released soon by the Ministry of Education.
Dr Timothy Chan, director of SIM Global Education's academic division, said the change will be welcomed by less well-off families.
"This is in line with the Government's pledge that no deserving Singapore students will be denied post-secondary education in Singapore," he said.
Calvin Yang
