Factsheet - ITE Temasek Foundation Financial Assistance for needy ITE students

To help students from lower-income families cope with the rising cost of living in 2023, Temasek Foundation is committing $3,762,500 to three financial assistance schemes for ITE students in need. This is on top of a $3,200,000 grant in 2022 to support ITE students who were affected by the pandemic.

The grants will provide financial assistance to meet daily expenses and sudden family crisis; and laptops to needy ITE students to meet learning needs. Eligible ITE students would have access to the following financial assistance schemes:

i) Monthly Financial Assistance Scheme (MFAS) – $150 monthly for 1 semester (6 months) to help defray daily school expenses such as meals and transport

From 2023, MFAS beneficiaries with household PCI < $200 are eligible to receive an extra $50 monthly in the second semester of the school year for 6 months.

ii) Special Student Assistance Scheme (SSAS) – one-off $200 to $500 financial aid to tide through sudden crisis in the family, such as accident, loss of income and medical crisis

iii) Student Laptop Purchase Assistance Scheme (SLPAS) – Loan-to-own laptop to support students’ online and home-based learning needs

Please refer to the tables below for a break-down of the two grants under each scheme.

Support for Needy ITE Students Affected by the Pandemic – 2022 to 2023

Support to Help Needy ITE Students Cope with Rising Costs of Living – 2023 - 2024

ACADEMIC YEAR 2022 STUDENT BENEFICIARIES

Name: Al-fian Al-lamin Al-habib Sheih Haji Ismail Al Mahberoh

Course: Higher Nitec in Sports Management 

College: ITE College West

Grants: Temasek Foundation SSAS and MFAS (Oct 22 to Mar 23) 

Al-fian is the youngest of five; his eldest half-sister, who is a Malaysian, is unemployed while his three other siblings are currently studying or waiting to serve National Service. Both his parents are not working. His mother, formerly a cleaner, was retrenched from her job and is now caring for his wheelchair-bound father who lost the use of his left leg, full time. The family has no income and is largely dependent on

ComCare and financial assistance from other organisations for their living expenses. To help with his educational expenses, Al-fian received financial assistance throughout his Nitec years and continues to be supported under the various study grants and bursaries funded by Temasek Foundation, and other organisations. 

A professional football player in the Singapore Premier League for football clubs Tampines Rover (2017), Warriors FC (2018 to 2019) and Tanjong Pagar United

(2020), Al-fian’s decision to pursue sports-related studies came naturally. Besides football, he had to juggle between school and family as he had to help to care for his dad and accompany him for medical appointments. Embarking on internship at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak has taught Al-fian to be open and adaptable as he had to adjust to changes in job roles and expectations in his roles as a fitness trainer and then a bicycle shop retail assistant. 

It was also during this challenging time that he sustained a sports injury which put him off football for a while. Taking a number of factors into consideration like sports career life span, competitive performance pressures and others, Al-fian decided to go into full-time sports coaching to develop and nurture other young talents, instead of pursuing football as a competitive sport. He is currently a qualified football coach and has started coaching children aged 5 to 16 years recruited under Chong Pang Football Club (FC), which he formed back in 2018. 

A progression student from Nitec in Fitness Training to Higher Nitec in Sports Management, Al-fian wishes to continue his studies and pursue a Diploma in Sports Science in Republic Polytechnic to further develop his skills and educational portfolio in sports.
 

Name: De Kretser Philip Andrew

Course: Nitec in Aerospace Avionics 

College: ITE College Central 

Grants: Temasek Foundation SSAS and MFAS (Jul to Dec 22) 

The oldest of triplets, Phillip has two other brothers studying in ITE College Central, one pursuing Nitec in Interior & Exhibition Design and the other, Nitec in Visual Communication. 

Unlike his brothers, Phillip prefers hand-on work and therefore enrolled in Nitec in Aerospace Avionics course which would require him to perform physical tasks to troubleshoot and carry out general aircraft maintenance. He intends to further his studies in a polytechnic before embarking on a career in the aviation industry. 

Diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2021, Phillip’s father switched from full-time to parttime work in the hopes that his medical condition would improve, however, he had to undergo a knee surgery which put him out of work for two months. He is now working part-time as a service crew at MacDonald’s. Phillip’s mother, who is working full time for an F&B establishment, contributes largely to the family income but the father’s employment status has left the family’s financial situation unfavourable. 

Phillip started working as a barrister at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaves since June 2022 holidays and is now doing part-time work on Saturdays to earn some pocket money for himself. He enjoys interacting with people and feels that working part-time allows him to experience how working life might be, and is a good stepping stone for young people like himself. After school, he unwinds as bass guitarist for College Central Music Club.