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the various schools is not a zero-sum game -- we do not have to cut funding to one school
to give to another. With good economic growth and a healthy fiscal position, the Ministry
of Finance provides sufficient resources to fund every school to meet our educational
objectives. MOE has significantly increased its investment in education across all levels
and schools in the past decade. The per capita spending on educating a primary school student
more than doubled from $3,600 in 2004 to $8,700 in 2013.
Likewise, the per capita cost of secondary education almost doubled
during this period, from $5,700 to $10,800.
Likewise, the per capita cost of secondary education almost doubled during this period, from $5,700 to $10,800.
to continue to ensure that we are prudent in the use of these funds in our schools.
So, schools are resourced on a needs-basis. The actual resources provided to each school depend
on the needs of the students, the programmes offered and the enrolment. The resourcing
for each school varies, even within the same category of schools that Mr Yee has asked
about. Resourcing can vary depending on the programmes
offered by the school as well as enrolment. For example, if a school offers a language
elective programme or a particular niche or a learning support programme, its funding
would reflect the additional resources for the programmes offered. For the same programme,
the resources provided are also dependent on the number of students in the school on
the programme since not all students in the school are on the same programmes. We also
resource schools based on profile of the student body. For example, for schools with
more at-risk students, more resources are provided for counselling support. The overall
school enrolment will also affect the level of funding. On the other hand, comparison
by per capita funding has its limitation as it does not take into account similar overheads
that schools have to bear regardless of the enrolment.
A comparison across different groups of schools based on the averages would not therefore
be meaningful. Resources are part of the story, but the fundamental question is how each school
can best cater to the holistic learning needs of each student and best achieve the desired
outcomes of the programmes.