The annual education budget of roughly S$13 billion is "overwhelmingly" spent on local students, Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung said in Parliament on Aug. 5.

Ong's reply was in response to a question by Workers' Party NCMP Leon Perera regarding annual government spending on foreign students in Singapore, as well as the breakdown of such spending.

Government spending on foreign students has fallen

Ong clarified that annual government spending on scholarships and tuition grants for foreign students had fallen by about 50 per cent over the past 10 years.

Ong also repeated his answer, first given on July 8, that the government spent S$130 million on foreign student scholarships, which amounted to about 1 per cent of the annual education budget.

Additionally, The Straits Times (ST) also reported that government expenditure on tuition grants for foreign students came up to around S$108 million.

No Singaporean displaced by a foreign student

Ong stressed that no local student has ever been displaced by a foreign student from an Institute of Higher Learning (IHL).

He explained that the number of places at IHLs have been planned with Singaporean students in mind.

Moreover, the IHLs raise the bar a little further and admit a small minority of international students, after all Singaporean students who meet the standards of IHLs have been admitted.

Ong also stressed that financial aid, which comes in the form of assistance and bursaries, were limited to Singaporean students only.

Real cost of international students is below S$130 million

Ong elaborated that the actual cost of international students was below S$130 million.

This is because the figure of S$130 million does not actually reflect the cost to the system as a whole, given that overhead costs such as buildings, laboratories, equipment, management, manpower etc, will need to be incurred anyway.

It is in Singapore's interest to admit foreign students

Ong also highlighted that it was in the interest of Singapore to admit foreign students into IHLs, as it allows local students to build international ties.

Ong said:

"If we send back all our international students, what we will lose are the opportunities for Singaporean students to build bonds and bridges with students from other countries, and expand their network of friends. This is an increasingly important aspect of education because we are working in a globalised, multi-cultural world."

He further noted that foreign students also formed a "catchment" of people who contributed to Singapore, given that those who were awarded scholarships were required to work in Singapore for at least three years after graduation.

Additionally, these students also formed a useful international network for Singapore and Singaporeans to tap on.

Ong said:

"Even if they decide to leave Singapore after fulfilling their obligations, they can be part of our valuable global network of fans and friends, who can speak up for Singapore, and forge collaborations with Singapore."

Every top IHL admits foreign students

Ong further pointed out that the admission and support of foreign students has also been done by top IHLs around the world.

Ong stated:

"The best universities around the world – Oxford, Yale, Ecole Polytechnique, Technical University of Munich, etc. – all have a diverse and international student body, far more than our IHLs in fact."

He said that such a practice also includes Singaporeans who study overseas.

"Because of that, Singaporeans studying overseas also benefit from subsidised fees or scholarships from overseas universities... So we give some and take some, and our IHLs cannot depart from this international practice norm, and has to be part of this global education network."

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Top image from Ong Ye Kung Facebook