Uni population: Give total percentage of non-citizens
I APPLAUD the move to cap foreign student enrolment at current levels and add more university places for Singaporean students (“2,000 more uni places for local students”; yesterday).
It was mentioned in the Prime Minister’s National Day Rally speech on Sunday that the proportion of foreign students at universities here is 18 per cent. However, a check with the three public universities’ websites shows it to be 20 per cent.
Despite years of debate and analysis on the issue of university places for foreigners, the obvious question has never been asked or answered: What is the percentage of non-Singaporeans – including permanent residents – in the total student population of the three public universities?
I estimate the percentage of non-Singaporean students to be more than 40 per cent, because 20 per cent of undergraduate admissions were reserved for foreigners, plus perhaps about 10 plus per cent of permanent residents; and I understand that about three-quarters of the postgraduate students are non-Singaporeans.
What percentage of foreign students receive some form of financial aid, like the Education Ministry’s tuition grants, scholarships exclusive to foreigners, and the like?
In sum, how much funding a year is given to non-Singaporeans, and how much direct funding is given to Singaporeans?
Leong Sze Hian
