Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Education what is the breakdown of the Government's total expenditure in FY2022 and FY2023 on permanent resident students and non-resident students respectively in (i) primary schools (ii) secondary schools and (iii) pre-tertiary educational institutes, respectively.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: On a per student basis, the Ministry of Education spends much more on Singapore Citizen students compared to permanent resident and international students. This is reflected in the fees payable by students, with fees for international students being the highest. Overall, total spending on Singapore Citizen students is much higher than for permanent resident students, which is, in turn, higher than for international students.
Ms Hazel Poa asked the Minister for Education in each year since 2019 (a) how many (i) pre-tertiary (ii) polytechnic and (iii) university international students have been granted scholarships by the Singapore Government, respectively; (b) what is the median annual cost for each category of scholarships, respectively; and (c) what is the proportion of undergraduate international students who are (i) on tuition grant only (ii) on a combination of tuition grant and scholarships and (iii) full-fee paying.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: International students on scholarships make up less than 1% of pre-tertiary and tertiary students. The average nominal value of the scholarships depends on their level and course of study. We do not offer scholarships for international students to study at the polytechnics.
About half of undergraduate international students pay fees net of a tuition grant, while a quarter receive both tuition grant and scholarship. The remaining pay full fees as international students. All students who receive the tuition grant are required to work in Singapore for at least three years upon graduation.
