APPLICATIONS FOR LOAN OF FREE TEXT-BOOKS AS AT 10.2.61

Inche Mohd. Ali Bin Alwi asked the Minister for Education how many students in each stream of the Government schools applied for the loan of free textbooks as at 10th February, 1961, and how many such applications were granted.

Mr Yong Nyuk Lin: As at 10th February, 1961, 29,591 students in Government schools applied for loan of text-books, and of these 21,869 or 74 per cent were granted such loans. Of this number 6,673 were in respect of the Malay stream and 5,438 or 82 per cent were granted loans.

Not all who applied for the loan of text-books could be given, because they must satisfy the "means test", namely, a family income of $150 per month where there are two or three children at school to support, or below $200 per month where there are four or more children at school to support.

As the students in Government schools represent 49 per cent of the school population and the remaining 51 per cent are in Government aided schools, the figures for Government aided schools can be supplied to the hon. Member for Kampong Kembangan at a later date if he so desires.