8,500 students from Indian community get SINDA vouchers to help with school supplies

SINGAPORE – A total of 8,500 students from the Indian community here received vouchers worth $200 each to support them in the next school year.

The assistance – which amounted to $1.7 million – was disbursed by the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA), which held its Back To School festival on Nov 22 for the 18th consecutive year.

The beneficiaries are primary school pupils and secondary school students who can use the vouchers to buy textbooks, stationery, school shoes and other essential items needed for the new school year, SINDA said in a statement.

The festival was held at the Mandai Wildlife Reserve and was attended by SINDA president Indranee Rajah.

Ms Indranee, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Finance and National Development, said Singapore’s national priorities include a focus on holistic development and allowing children to flourish.

This places a strong emphasis on supporting families, early intervention and mental wellness, she added.

Ms Indranee said the number of voucher recipients at the Back To School Festival has doubled in the last five years, reflecting the collaboration between partners like schools, family service centres and self-help groups.

“That’s very important, because when you work with partners, you can outreach more and more students benefit,” she said.

A total of 3,688 students received SINDA vouchers for the first time this year, and Ms Indranee said it was a clear sign that the self-help group’s outreach has expanded to support students who need it.

SINDA’s chief executive Anbarasu Rajendran said that for this group of first-timers, financial assistance is just the beginning, as entering SINDA’s fold allows them to access a range of programmes.

“We have seen a lot of good benefits – some of the children who previously joined us for this initiative are youth leaders now,” he said.

Another reason for the increased number of beneficiaries is SINDA’s move in 2024 to increase the per capita income criterion – which is derived from the monthly net household income divided by the number of household members – from $1,000 to $1,600.

Mr Anbarasu said there was a significant number of people who fell just outside the income cut-off, and the association should provide assistance to them too.

However, most beneficiaries of the vouchers come from the lower-income families, with two out of three from families with a per capita income below $750.

Mr Anbarasu said SINDA found that some students start off the school year on “losing ground”, without having the means to purchase new school essentials, and that the vouchers help with this.

“For some, it may seem that it’s not a big deal, but for a child from a low-income family, it means a lot because he or she goes into a brand new year with brand new stuff.

“And when they are motivated in these small ways, they’re very encouraged,” he said.

Ms Marthiana Sarip, a 41-year-old pre-school principal, has three children who received the vouchers.

Her two daughters attend Junyuan Primary School in Tampines. They will be starting Primary 4 and 5, while their brother will be joining them next year as a Primary 1 pupil at the same school.

The items they will be buying using the vouchers include stationery and assessment books for maths and science.

Ms Marthiana said that as both she and her taxi-driver husband are working, they have limited time to help the children with their education.

She said: “We teach our children to do self-learning, self-study. So once they actually complete at least two to three pages a day for their assessment books, then we can run through with them, and this really helps them in their learning journey.”