I refer to the article “How much more the 2014-15 university intake will pay” (Today, Mar 21).

University fees up as much as 7.9%?

It states that “(university) Fee increases will range between 2.6 per cent and 7.9 per cent.”

Spending per university student?

According to the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) Education Digest 2013 – Government recurrent expenditure on education per university student in 2012/2013 was $20,978.

According to the Department of Statistics’ (DOS) Singapore 2005 Statistical Highlights – the above was $13,420 in 1985.

Spending declined by 7% last 27 years?

So, it has increased by about 56% or about 1.7% per annum, in the last 27 years or so. However, inflation increased by about 63% from 1985 (CPI 69.3) to 2012 (CPI 113.1).

Does this mean that in real terms, it declined by about 7% over the last 27 years or so?

Tuition fees increased 300%?

In contrast, I understand that tuition fees have increased by more than 300%, or more than 5% per annum, during the same period.

In this connection, GDP growth was about 457% from 1985 ($54.8 billion) to 2012 ($305.2 billion), or about 6.6% per annum.

Spending was 464% less than GDP growth?

Does this mean that relative to GDP growth, real education spending per university student was about 464% less than GDP growth?

In other words, GDP growth was 6.6% per annum and real education spending growth was about minus 0.25%, against tuition fee growth of about 5 plus % per annum.

In this connection, I understand that most countries historically, would spend more on education growth, relative to GDP growth.

Are there any countries in the world that has such a dismal record of education spending relative to GDP growth?

Leong Sze Hian