Govt to enhance subsidy scheme to help more Malay students pursue local tertiary education

SINGAPORE – More Malay students will soon be able to tap subsidies for tertiary tuition fees given out by community self-help group Mendaki annually.

The Government will raise the income eligibility criteria so that more households will be covered under the Tertiary Tuition Fee Subsidy (TTFS) scheme, Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim said on April 10.

This is the first step towards a broader goal of helping more Malay students attain tertiary qualifications in Singapore – in particular, to have more of them qualify for university, he added.

In the coming years, the focus will be to help Malay students, particularly those from lower-income families, prepare and position themselves well to get in, said Associate Professor Faishal.

From the 2026/2027 academic year, the per capita income threshold for the 100 per cent, 75 per cent and 50 per cent subsidy tiers of the TTFS scheme will be increased by about $200 or $300 to $1,700, $2,000 and $2,200, respectively.

A 25 per cent subsidy tier will be introduced for students from middle-income Malay households with per capita income of up to $2,400.

This is so they can benefit and receive some level of support to defray the cost of tertiary tuition fees, said Prof Faishal, who announced the enhancements at a Minister’s Hari Raya Get-Together event held at Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay, his first such gathering since taking over the Muslim Affairs portfolio in May 2025.

The TTFS provides subsidies for eligible students pursuing their first full-time diploma and degree programmes at local government tertiary institutions. It has supported about 10,000 Malay students annually over the past five years, according to Mendaki.

Tertiary education is one of the strongest enablers of progress over the long term, opening up career pathways and improving employment prospects, noted Prof Faishal, who acknowledged concerns such as education costs and anxiety over disruptions to the economy.

“I hope that our students will take full advantage of these support schemes, and for those who have done well, to give back and lift others up in the process,” he said.

Other Mendaki schemes available include mentorship programmes.

A new Committee for Economic Resilience will also be set up to prepare the community’s workforce and businesses to adapt and thrive in the face of changes to the economy, said Prof Faishal.

Led by labour MP Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah and Mr Saktiandi Supaat, who heads the Government Parliamentary Committee for Finance and Trade and Industry, the new committee will also comprise corporate leaders and industry experts across various segments of the community.

This committee will study recommendations from Singapore’s Economic Strategy Review – which was set up in August 2025 to look into how the Republic can continue to remain competitive amid geopolitical changes.

It will then identify practical ways to better support the community’s workers, professionals, entrepreneurs and young people, said Prof Faishal.

“This could include helping our workers acquire new skills to respond and adapt to changes throughout their careers, supporting Malay/Muslim businesses to capture the transformative powers of AI, and bringing our SMEs overseas to connect with potential partners,” he said.

“In this way, our community can also contribute to the overall resilience of our economy in the midst of global uncertainty,” he added.

Prof Faishal also announced several updates on mosque upgrading and building works at the Hari Raya event, which was attended by about 500 people, including community and interfaith leaders and foreign dignitaries.

Masjid Ar-Raudhah in Bukit Batok will be upgraded over the next two years, with rejuvenation works and improvements to its facilities and accessibility as part of the plans, he said.

Construction will begin in the third quarter of 2026, and the authorities are looking to secure a temporary prayer site, he added.

The design of a new mosque in Tampines North will also be unveiled later in 2026.

While this mosque is being built, a new temporary prayer site will be built near Al-Istighfar Mosque in Pasir Ris following requests for more prayer spaces, said Prof Faishal.

The temporary prayer site will be ready by the fourth quarter of 2026 and will remain until the new mosque in Tampines North opens, he said, adding that it will also accommodate the increasing demand at Friday prayers in Pasir Ris and the Changi industrial area.

He also announced a design competition for a new mosque in Tengah along Forest Drive, and community engagement by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore will start in the coming months.

“I invite members of the community to share ideas on how the mosque can better serve your needs, including ways to preserve the rich heritage of Al-Firdaus Mosque,” he said, referring to decades-old mosque in Choa Chu Kang that is set to close when the new Tengah mosque is ready in the early 2030s.