Singaporeans aged 7 to 20 will get $200 top-up this month

Every Singaporean child aged seven to 20 will get $200 in their Edusave account or Post-Secondary Education Account (PSEA) by the end of this month.

The one-off top-up will be credited directly to the recipients' accounts and no action is required from them, said the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Education in a joint statement yesterday.

About 532,500 children will benefit from the top-up, which is part of the Household Support Package announced at Budget 2021 to provide families with additional support for education-related expenses.

This is on top of the annual Edusave contribution that the Government makes, the authorities said.

The funds in the Edusave account and PSEA can be used to pay approved fees and for enrichment programmes.

Eligible recipients will receive letters informing them of the successful top-up next month.

The top-up comes as a relief for those whose parents are facing financial difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

For 14-year-old Aleesya Nadzirah Mohammad Harun and her five siblings, the top-up is a "great" help, especially after their father lost his previous job. He now works as a deliveryman.

To support her family, Aleesya acts part-time with Mediacorp and helps out at weddings.

The Secondary 2 student at Teck Whye Secondary School said: "The top-up has helped my family manage the cost of purchasing personal learning devices (PLDs), especially since four of the six of us in the family are in secondary school."

All secondary and junior college students will undertake home-based learning with PLDs from the third term this year.

Similarly, Sheyenne Toh Rui En, 15, is grateful that the top-up will ease costs.

Her mother, who works in the aviation industry, faces the uncertainty of whether she will keep her job, said the Secondary 3 student at Seng Kang Secondary School.

She added: "I'm also worried about my father who's a taxi driver... He normally talks about his day when he returns home and these days, he doesn't get as many passengers.

"I try to support him by saving in little ways like packing my own food for recess instead of buying it from the school canteen."

Others from big families like Sarah Chew Jing En, 13, who has three brothers and a sister, said the support helps to defray the cost of buying multiple PLDs.

During last year's home-based learning, her family had difficulties finding sufficient PLDs for the children.

She said: "My family has bought two so far because only my older brother, who is 15, and I need it for school, but imagine having to buy five of them."

Ms Nur Fatin Khairunnisa, 20, plans to use the top-up for enrichment programmes at ITE College East.

"After I graduate, two of my brothers - one is in Secondary 1 and the other in Nitec Year 2 - will still be schooling and I hope this can be used for their fees in case there is not enough money," said the Higher Nitec student who is studying biotechnology.