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SINGAPORE : Polytechnics are expecting greater demand for their courses from adult learners as a result of the budget announcement on Thursday that 80 percent of course fees will be subsidised by the government.

The polytechnics are also formulating more new courses for working adults to meet this demand.

Studying for a part-time Advanced Diploma or Specialist Diploma used to cost around $3,000 a year, but with the 80 percent government subsidy, it will cost around $600.

The government's aim is to encourage more adults to engage in lifelong learning.

Many welcome the move saying that cheaper course fees would motivate some to go back to school, especially so those who are older and retired and who may think twice about spending on such courses.

There are currently over 40 diploma programmes for adults offered by the polytechnics, and the topics range from film production to nursing to games development.

Some new courses in the pipeline include Life Sciences eg Haematology and Blood Banking; Biotech, Cervical Cytology, e-Learning, and IT in Business offered at the Singapore Polytechnic.

Republic Polytechnic will be offering three new courses in leisure management, IT and wireless communications.

Another announcement which was welcomed by many is the setting up of the post secondary education account for every Singaporean aged 7 to 20.

This group will receive between $100 and $400 in the coming year.

The money can be spent on tuition fees at the universities, polytechnics, Institute of Technical Education, LaSalle College of the Arts, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, SIM University (UniSIM), and on the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) courses.

However many students hope it can also be extended to enrichment programmes.

The Education Ministry said it is considering this possibility and details on the use of the tertiary education account will be announced at a later date.

President of the National University of Singapore Professor Shih Choon Fong said, "$400, some may think it is a small amount, but I think it is raising our awareness about continuing education. It is also a recognition that one size does not fit all because there are late developers."

His views were shared by President of SIM University, Professor Cheong Hee Kiat who said "Some of our young school-leavers defer their university education. If they work for a few years first, the new fund will incentivise more to come back for upgrading, and allow them to have some of (the) education subsidies they'd missed out because they did not continue their studies right after finishing school."

The National University of Singapore said it will look into summer programmes which it can offer to non-NUS students, to help them take advantage of the post secondary education account. - CNA/fz

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