Financial assistance for families with non-resident children

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Ms Mariam Jaafar, Sebawang GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education (a) what is the current number of students in government-aided schools who are permanent residents or international students (IS); (b) what proportion of these students have at least one Singaporean parent; and (c) what proportion of those with at least one Singaporean parent receive some form of subsidy this year.

Response

1. Out of the total enrolment in our government and government-aided schools, around 9% are permanent residents and 4% are international students.

2. A very small minority of these students have at least one Singaporean parent. While these students, being non-citizens, do not have access to the MOE Financial Assistance Scheme, they can approach their schools for assistance if needed. MOE will assess their situation and extend support on a case-by-case basis. There are currently about 400 such students being provided with such support.