Polytechnics, ITEs to raise school fees for AY 2012
Local polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) will be raising fees for all Singaporean students, new permanent residents (PR) and international students for the upcoming Academic Year (AY) 2012.
PRs and international polytechnic students will see the largest hike compared to Singapore citizen students.
In polytechnics, fees for new students who are PRs will increase by 22 per cent to $4,500 per academic year while international students will have to pay $7,500.
Fees for new citizen students will jump by 2.3 per cent to $2,250 from $2,200.
Fees for existing students who are PRs or international students will also increase, but by smaller amounts while the Polytechnic-Foreign Specialised Institution (Poly-FSI) degree courses will also be affected.
The fees apply to all five polytechnics namely Nanyang Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic.
According to Channel NewsAsia, ITE’s annual school fees for both the Nitec and Higher Nitec courses will be affected.
For new students taking the Nitec courses:
- Singapore citizens: 7 per cent increase from $280 to $300
- PRs: 114 per cent increase from $1,870 to $4,400
- International students: 167 per cent increase from $3,740 to $10,000
For new students taking the Higher Nitec courses:
- Singapore citizens: 3.8 per cent increase from $516 to $536
- PRs: 107 per cent increase from $3,450 to $7,150
- International students: 160 per cent increase from $6,880 to $17,870
For Singaporean students taking the Technical Engineer Diploma course, fees will go up by 2.3 per cent from $2,200 to $2,250 per year.
For the Technical Diploma in Culinary Arts course, fees will go up by 2 per cent from $2,510 to $2,560.
Existing PR and international ITE students admitted before the upcoming AY will also pay higher fees based on the fee structure at the point of their admission.
The polytechnics and ITE said the fee increases are necessary to help them defray the increasing cost of delivering a high quality education.
"The higher fee increases for PR and international students are to more clearly differentiate the privileges enjoyed by citizens over PRs and international students," the polytechnics added in a joint press statement.
Some parents said that they were disappointed to hear about the news.
Josephine Lim, a housewife with a 17-year-old son who recently got his posting result, felt that the increment should be announced earlier before O-level students made their choices.
"I feel a little disappointed that the polytechnics announced this only after the posting results are out. For students who are PRs and international students, this announcement may make a difference to their study options," Lim said.
Nicole Lai, 21, who will be entering one of the polytechnics said,"I think it's unfair for them to suddenly raise prices just like that. My parents are helping to pay for my education but with this hike, I may have to work part-time to lessen the financial burden."
However, another concerned parent felt that it is good that the government is differentiating citizens from PRs and international students.
"The fee hike definitely differentiates citizens from PRs and internationals students," said 47-year-old engineer Sim Leong Chuan.
"With such a steep increase, the international students might reconsider coming to Singapore to study and in turn, we may see more vacanies open up for our own local students," Sim added.
