Going To School In Singapore A Costly Affair For Foreigners

SINGAPORE: Foreigners and Singapore permanent residents (PR) will have to pay more over the next three years to enrol their children in schools here.

Monthly fees for PRs attending a primary school will increase from the current S$130 (RM405) to S$155 (RM483) next year and S$180 (RM561) in 2019.

For international students, monthly fees will increase by S$50 (RM155.46) each year – from S$600 (RM1,865.57) now to S$750 (RM2,336) in 2020.

Secondary school fees for PRs will nearly double from the current monthly fee of S$200 (RM621.81) to S$380 (RM1,184) in 2020, with an annual increase of S$60 (RM186.58) in monthly fees.

This will be the third consecutive year that school fees have gone up for non-Singaporeans.

A Ministry of Education (MOE) spokesman said it conducted regular reviews of school fees and made adjustments when necessary.

“The fee increase sharpens the differentiation between Singapore citizens, PRs and foreigners to reflect the privileges of citizenship,” said the spokesman.

Read more: The Star Online