COST OF EDUCATION (Particulars)

Mr Liew Kok Pun asked the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education (a) what was the cost of education over the last five years for each student (i) at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels; (ii) by field of study at tertiary level; and (iii) the percentage increase against 1959 and adjusted for inflation; and (b) how much subsidy in 1983 was given to the education of each student at these levels so that parents can have a better idea of the amount of investment spent on the education of our children.

Dr Tay Eng Soon (for the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education): Mr Speaker, Sir, the answers to the hon. Member's question would require several tables. I would be happy to provide them to him later. I will instead highlight a few of the points raised by his question.

Over the past five years, the recurrent cost of education at all levels has doubled. The main increase has been due to salary adjustments.

In 1983, the cost for educating a child in primary school was $1,255. At secondary and junior college levels, the costs were $2,067 and $2,974 respectively. Since school fees are very low, school education is highly subsidized by the state. .

At the VITB and Polytechnics, the average costs to train a student are $4,400 and $5,800 per annum respectively. At the university, the average cost is $14,200 per annum. This varies widely, ranging from $8,000 for Accountancy and Business Administration students to $43,300 for the Medical students. Again, as the fees charged by the institutions are fairly low, the cost is highly subsidized.

In 1959, it cost $125 per annum to provide a place for a child in primary school and $4,600 per annum to educate a student at the then University of Malaya. These costs have, of course, gone up over the years with inflation.