Businessman donates $500,000 to ST's pocket money fund
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The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund chairman and ST editor Warren Fernandez (left) with Mr Mohamed Abdul Jaleel yesterday. Mr Jaleel has donated a total of $4.5 million to the fund since 2010.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
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The economic downturn wrought by the pandemic has not deterred businessman Mohamed Abdul Jaleel from pledging $500,000 to support students from needy Singaporean families.
Mr Jaleel, founder and chief executive of Mini Environment Service Group, told The Straits Times: "Whether it's a good or bad time, education is an important area. Students' tuck-shop money is equally important, so I think they should not be left out of the privilege regardless what the economic situation is.
"I hope the students realise there are people who have helped them during the bad days and that they will one day in turn contribute back to society."
Mr Jaleel presented The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund (STSPMF) with a $500,000 cheque yesterday, bringing the total amount donated by him since 2010 to $4.5 million.
The fund was started on Children's Day on Oct 1, 2000 and has disbursed more than $80 million since, helping around 180,000 students from families whose per capita gross monthly household income does not exceed $690.
Close to $11 million will be given out this year to about 10,000 beneficiaries - from primary school pupils to students in the Institute of Technical Education, junior colleges and polytechnics.
The amount is higher than usual as this year has seen far larger outlays given the pandemic.
For example, the fund rolled out a special $100 payout in October to help about 10,000 students cope during the downturn.
About 2,000 students have also been selected by schools and social service agencies for a $500 e-grant to buy products from Challenger or Harvey Norman to help them with home-based learning.
STSPMF chairman Warren Fernandez, who is also Straits Times editor and editor-in-chief of Singapore Press Holdings' English/Malay/Tamil Media Group, said: "Given the economic situation and job cuts, we've seen a surge in the numbers of people coming to us.
"We wanted to try our best to help as many people as we possibly could, by even dipping into our reserves. The more we've stepped up to help, the more donors have come forward to contribute. That reassured us that Singaporeans saw what we were doing was important and making a good contribution to those in need."
