Funding Given to Schools
Ministry of EducationSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the funding ranges for Primary, Secondary, and Independent schools from 2013 to 2015 as raised by Mr Png Eng Huat. Acting Minister for Education (Schools) Ng Chee Meng stated that MOE resources schools based on student needs, programmes, and enrolment to ensure adequate development for all. He noted that per capita funding rose for Primary students to $9,700 and Secondary students to $13,400 by 2015, reflecting increased government investment. Independent school funding reached $14,700 per capita in 2015, while specialised schools like NorthLight received the highest average support at $25,900 per student. These allocations allow schools to provide specialized support and programs tailored to the specific requirements of their respective student populations.
Transcript
17 Mr Png Eng Huat asked the Acting Minister for Education (Schools) for each of the years from 2013 to 2015, what is the lowest and highest amount of funding given to schools, broken down by Primary, Secondary and Independent schools.
Mr Ng Chee Meng: MOE resources schools, based on the needs of their students, the programmes that they offer and their enrolment, so that each school has adequate resources to develop the students under its charge. As such, resourcing can vary, both across different groups of schools, as well as between schools within each group. It would not be meaningful to make comparisons based on the amount of funding given to each school.
At the broader level, the Government remains committed to invest in all schools to develop our students fully and holistically. The Government's investment in education, as reflected in the funding for the operating expenses per student, or per capita funding per student, increased from 2013 to 2015.
The per capita funding of Primary education was $8,500 in FY2013 and $9,700 in FY2015. For a Secondary student, the funding was $11,400 in FY2013 and $13,400 in FY2015. For Independent schools4, the per capita funding was $14,100 in FY2013 and $14,700 in FY2015. Within the group of Independent schools, the Specialised Schools like NorthLight School, Assumption Pathway School, Crest Secondary School and Spectra Secondary School received the highest per capita funding support from MOE. On average, in FY2015, these four Specialised Schools received funding at $25,900 per capita, enabling them to provide the specialised support and programmes to meet the needs of their students.