Tuition Assistance at Relevant Ethnic Self-help Group for Mother Tongue Language

4 Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth whether the Ministry will consider allowing students studying a particular Mother Tongue at school to obtain tuition assistance from the ethnic self-help group associated with that Mother Tongue even if the student does not belong to that ethnic group.

The Senior Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth (Ms Sim Ann) (for the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth): The Government does not direct the Self-Help groups (SHGs). Hence, it is not for the Ministry to allow or disallow students from obtaining tuition assistance from a self-help group of a different ethnic group.

I understand that students, regardless of the Mother Tongue they study in school, are eligible to enrol for tuition programmes offered under the Collaborative Tuition Programme, a scheme jointly organised by the SHGs.