NTU, NUS to raise tuition fees by 3% from next academic year
By Ng Bao Ying, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 14 February 2006 1830 hrs

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SINGAPORE : Tuition fees at both the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University will go up by S$180 for the next academic year.

This 3 percent increase comes on the heels of a 5 percent hike just last year.

Both universities cite rising costs as the main reason for the rise.

Said Er Meng Hwa, Deputy President of NTU, "The increase will go toward helping the university to recover rising costs. More importantly, the new fees contribute to the host of enhancements that the university has made."

Ang Siau Gek, NUS Registrar, "In 2001 there was a plan to increase fees steadily over a few years because we are meeting with an increase on cost. But because of economic conditions during that period of time, we had to maintain fees. It was only in 2005 that we increased fees by 5 percent. That increase has not been able to meet with costs over this long period of time. So inevitably we have to increase fees now."

Student reactions are mixed.

Said NTU student Loh Man Mi, "I'm not really in favour of it. For a lot of students, most of us are on loans. So we're in debt because of this and its just going to pull us deeper in debt."

Said Jarious Ng Zheng Cong of NUS, "In view of before 2005 and 2006, the past four years there was no fee hike, I believe in a sense that this is justifiable; because the fee hike will go into teaching staff, upgrading the facilities we have, which will also be accessible to the students."

Needy students can still turn to their universities for help.

For example, NUS has set aside S$3 million to beef up its student assistance schemes.

Said Vignash Naidu s/o Balram, an NUS student, "This hike is actually 20 percent of my family's income, but NUS has given me a study loan and bursaries. These schemes actually help fund me daily, and in tuition fees, so in a way it's not really a problem."

While school fees will be revised in the years to come, both universities emphasise that providing affordable quality education for their students is still their priority. - CNA /ct