A few of NUS grasp’s levels might be totally self-funded: College’s president

SINGAPORE – Some grasp’s levels on the Nationwide College of Singapore (NUS) will quickly be absolutely self-funded, and won’t obtain authorities subsidies, stated its president Tan Eng Chye on Wednesday.

Talking throughout a panel dialogue at an occasion held at NUS’ College City in Kent Ridge, he added that this implies it could have the ability to cost tuition charges akin to these billed by abroad establishments, and this may then be a income supply.

He was responding to a query by Occasions Greater Training’s chief information officer Phil Baty about how universities keep monetary stability and diversify their incomes.

Professor Tan stated: “Capitalising on NUS’ model, in the previous few years, as a substitute of getting the Ministry of Training sponsor our grasp’s programs, we now have truly made all these grasp’s programs right into a self-funding mannequin. So mainly, we aren’t getting any subsidy for grasp’s programmes and we’re doing it on a self-sustaining foundation.”

He was referring to coursework-based programmes, that are designed for college graduates who wish to advance their information in chosen specialisations by way of programs and electives.

In response to queries, an NUS spokesman stated: “The vast majority of grasp’s diploma (coursework) programmes at NUS are at the moment on a self-funded mannequin. The transfer in direction of a self-funded mannequin started in 2020, and might be accomplished by 2024. Chosen programmes will proceed to obtain subsidies.”

The Straits Occasions has contacted NUS for extra particulars on the charge adjustments and whether or not there are subsidy schemes that Singaporean college students can faucet for grasp’s programmes.

Prof Tan added that the Authorities additionally encourages universities to boost funds by way of constructing endowments, just like what prestigious establishments in the US do.

The Authorities gives matching grants to all six autonomous universities, which is an efficient incentive for establishments to make sure they’re financially steady, he stated.

The panel dialogue, which centered on challenges and takeaways from the Covid-19 pandemic, additionally featured Professor Mohd Hamdi Abd Shukor, vice-chancellor of College of Malaya, and Professor Banchong Mahaisavariya, president of Thailand’s Mahidol College.

Chatting with the media on the sidelines of the occasion, Prof Hamdi stated that with the financial downturn introduced on by the pandemic, the federal government in Malaysia needed to channel funding to different areas akin to healthcare and social companies previously three years.

Authorities funding to the College of Malaya was reduce by 15 per cent in 2022 – the very best within the establishment’s historical past, he famous.

“With the challenges, we needed to get extra inventive. All of us must do extra income-generation work, go on the market to boost extra donations and endowments, be extra prudent in spending,” he added.

The 2-day occasion, organised by Occasions Greater Training and hosted by NUS, introduced collectively almost 300 delegates from world wide to debate points akin to innovation within the greater training sector.

On Wednesday, the primary day of the occasion, Prof Tan gave an replace on NUS’ initiatives, together with a scheme to implement blended studying, a hybrid of in-person and on-line studying.