Fee hike forces parents to rethink schooling in Singapore

PETALING JAYA: The Singapore education ministry’s decision to hike up school fees for foreign students as well as permanent residents is forcing families in Johor to reconsider enrolling their children in the island republic.

The Today newspaper reported yesterday that the announcement by the ministry last month of the fee increment for non-citizens meant that the cost of schooling in Singapore might become on a par with that of international schools in Johor.

It said the fees would increase each year from by S$25 (RM78) to S$60 (RM186) per month for permanent resident students until 2020, and by S$25 to S$150 (RM465) per month for international students.

The report cited the case of a Secondary 3 student from Johor whose mother lamented that it was becoming financially hard to keep up with the rise in fees.

The report said the fee amount would hit S$400 (RM1,241) to S$460 (RM1,427) by the time the student enters pre-university.

It cited the mother as saying that she and her husband would likely enrol their son in an international school near their home in Permas Jaya, Johor Bahru.

It said the fees at private schools such as Austin Heights, Seri Omega and Tenby ranged from RM1,550 to RM1,750 a month.

The Today report also quoted housewife Zaira Nazeem as saying that she had placed her oldest daughter at an international preschool in Johor with the intention of enrolling her in a primary school in Singapore this year.

However, her family found they could not afford the monthly fee of S$390 (RM1,210) applicable for students from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), and the daughter was now attending national school in Johor Bahru. -FMT