12 receive Lim Kim San Memorial Scholarship that supports students from lower-income families

SINGAPORE - Each week, Nanyang Technological University student Seng Yun Xuan works 16 hours tutoring eight primary school pupils, earning about $1,600 a month to offset her tuition fees and living costs.

But she soon hopes to “focus on just being a student”, after receiving the Lim Kim San Memorial Scholarship from SPH Foundation on Aug 1.

The annual scholarship is awarded to high-performing students from humble family backgrounds. One criterion to qualify for it is a monthly household income of $5,000 or less.

Ms Seng, an English literature student, intends to continue tutoring only two pupils who will be sitting their Primary School Leaving Examination in 2025. This will take up just four hours of her time every week.

She said: “While my peers are studying most of the time, I cannot ‘waste’ that time to revise because I have to upkeep my income to support myself in school. Since I’m a university student, my priority should be being a student.”

Her financial situation has also impacted other aspects of her life. The 23-year-old, whose father is a part-time server in a fast-food restaurant and mother a hairdresser, said she would occasionally avoid meeting friends to save on meals and activities.

Ms Seng was one of 12 recipients of the scholarship in 2024, out of 88 applicants.

The scholarship was established in 2006 at the suggestion of the late Mr Lim Kim San, Singapore’s finance minister from 1965 to 1967 and the executive chairman of the now-defunct Singapore Press Holdings from 1988 to 2002. It has since been awarded to more than 180 recipients. 

The bond-free scholarship covers course fees, including tuition and examination fees, for students.

It includes a living and book allowance of $3,000 per year. The allowance has been increased by $700 from previous years to help recipients cope with the rising cost of living.

SPH Foundation facilitates internship opportunities in SPH Media’s newsrooms for scholars if they are keen. Ms Shabana Begum, 27, received the scholarship in 2016 and now works as an environment journalist at The Straits Times.

She said: “As a journalist, I try to educate people about various environmental policies. I’m passionate about the health effects caused by climate change, so I have been doing stories about how heat affects those from a lower-income background.

“Receiving the scholarship really helped my family as my mother did not have to use her savings to pay for my university tuition, so she was able to upskill herself by getting an advanced diploma in midwifery from Nanyang Polytechnic. She’s still holding on to the savings and can help my sister with her education.”

At the award ceremony on Aug 1, SPH Foundation chairman Roland Ng said: “This scholarship has been a beacon of hope and opportunity for some of Singapore’s bright and deserving students who come from modest backgrounds.

“This scholarship is not just a recognition of your past accomplishments, but also an investment in your future potential.”

Although the scholarship is bond-free, the SPH Foundation trusts “in our scholars’ commitment to give back to society in ways that are meaningful to them”, said Mr Ng.

“The Lim Kim San Memorial Scholarship was established not only to honour (the late Mr Lim’s) memory, but also to perpetuate his values by investing in our future leaders,” he added.

After graduating from NTU, Ms Seng wants to teach English in a primary school.

Another scholarship recipient, Mr Joseph Goh Yu Kiat, 21, who is studying economics at the National University of Singapore, aspires to help children in less fortunate countries.