CLARIFICATION BY MINISTER OF STATE FOR EDUCATION

CLARIFICATION BY MINISTER OF STATE FOR EDUCATION:

The Minister of State for Education (Mr Gan Kim Yong): Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to make a clarification. During the parliamentary sitting on 17th July, in response to Mr Siew Kum Hong's Question on university admission, I said that during this year's admission exercise, a total of 28,000 local students applied to local universities. Out of that, 14,000, or 49%, were offered places. Similarly, about 23,000 foreign students applied to the universities for the same admission year and only 987 were given places, and that is 4.3%. I would like to correct the second part of my reply. The number 987 refers specifically to the number of foreign students holding local GCE 'A' levels or polytechnic qualifications. There are foreign students who were offered university places who hold other qualifications. Out of the 23,000 foreign students who applied to the local universities, a total of 4,218, or 18%, were offered places. The Ministry of Education had issued a clarification to the media on 19th July.