BUKIT TIMAH CAMPUS (Future use)

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BUKIT TIMAH CAMPUS:

(Future use): 15.

Mr Chandra Mohan K Nair asked the Minister for Education (a) what is the

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future use of the site of the Bukit Timah campus currently under the Singapore Management University; and (b) will the Government allow the National University of Singapore to use this site as one of its campuses and, if so, when.

Mr Chandra Mohan K Nair: Sir, may I declare my interest in the matter. I am a Council Member of the National University of Singapore. I am also the Honorary Secretary of the National University of Singapore Society, the Guild House. I am also an old graduate from the Bukit Timah campus. With that, could I ask this question, Sir?

Mr Chan Soo Sen (for the Minister for Education): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Singapore Management University (SMU) would be moving out of the Bukit Timah campus to its new city campus in January 2006. The URA has rezoned part of the Bukit Timah campus as an extended site for the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

The remaining Bukit Timah campus site, not rezoned for park use, is currently zoned for educational and institution use in the Masterplan 2003. The site can be used by institutions, including education institutions in the medium term. And since this is a very, very good site, the Ministry has now received proposals from both the NUS and NTU to use the Bukit Timah campus when SMU moves to its new city campus. We are now seriously reviewing and evaluating their proposals. We are in serious discussion with them. We hope to arrive at a decision before the end of the year.

Mr Chandra Mohan K Nair: Can I take it, Sir, that it could be allocated to either the NUS or NTU and no other entity?

Mr Chan Soo Sen: Sir, currently we have only received proposals from these two institutions. Assuming we do not receive anything else before a decision is

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made, then that is most likely to be the situation.

Mr Chandra Mohan K Nair: If the decision, Sir, is to be made by the end of this year, is there a closing date for any kind of applicants, besides the two that had come in?

Mr Chan Soo Sen: Actually we did not invite applications and, therefore, there is no closing date as such. But it happened that the two institutions looked at the opportunities. I think both loved the campus, and bearing in mind that it was part of the joint-campus in the past, both came out with this idea. So we are evaluating it and see what is the best way of allocating it.