The recent fee hikes announced by 3 local universities sparked off intense debates by the student community both on print media and the internet. For the uninitiated, school fees of the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) will increase by 3% while fees of the Singapore Management University (SMU) will increase by 15 per cent.

While responses from SMU and NTU students have remained muted, NUS students have been unusually vocal, flooding the press, online forums and blogs with hordes of letters and entries.

Within a week, more than 400 entries on the fee hike were logged on an online forum hosted on the university's IVLE system. The University Administration (NUS) quickly held two dialogues for selected student leaders to try to address concerns and unhappiness.

Common grouses go "The school should explain the fee hike. It is only right to explain to students where their money is going."

Student Chow Nam-Chi said, "I don't like the price hike, but if it's justifiable I'd pay it."

Some students wondered why the university whose mission is to 'provide quality education and engage in high-impact research' needs to own its premises and property. They suggested that university property can be divested to off-set 'rising costs'. Other students want the university to disclose fully how their fees are going to be spent, and how will the increase help fund 'market competitive' remuneration for 'world-class teaching staff'.

Fee hikes aside, students were also unhappy that they had, on more than one occasion over the past years, been informed of fee hikes from the press rather than directly from the university. They felt that they had not been consulted on the hike, and therefore not respected and valued as stakeholders of the university.

On the Funkygrad Forum NUS student Pei lamented, ".. it (that students first heard of the hike from the press) isn't happening for the first time, and I'm sure it won't be the last time…Really a good gauge of how much they (university management) value us, their customers.

Graduating student Hui Chin Fung posted a spirited entry on the IVLE forum, "Although this issue isn't gonna concern me, but it really annoyed me whenever decisions are made in this university without proper consultation... We too are stakeholders of this university, and [if] the fee hike affects us the most, shouldn't our concerns be heard first? The management of the university may have valid reasons for the hike [but] I'm sure there can be more communication with the student body to explain their stand. Also, I believe our NUSSU, being our representative, should be part of the decision making team as well. Many Singaporeans, [including] me for one, are sick and tired of such top-down management. Our rights to decide for our future ought to be respected."

Going by general sentiments, it seems that the discontentment slants towards the way the hike was communicated to them, rather than the decision to increase school fees. On hind sight, it seems like a bad public relations move by the management who initiately hesitated to discuss about the hike with students. It was only when the discontent grew louder that a Circular was issued by NUS President Shih Choon Fong through email to all NUS students.

Even dialogues between the Union and Prof Tan Chorh Chuan (Vice-President) and Prof Shih Choon Fong (President) proved to be less than fruitful as issues like transparency and accountability, financial aid, projections on fee increases and adoption of a more consultative approach with students were not directly addressed.

Said Ong Jun Yun, one of the few students at the dialogues, "You would [have] note[ed] how Prof Shih kept regurgitating [the] same facts to different questions over and over. The Bottom line is, this dialogue is an utter failure. NUSSU failed to even get assurance from Prof Shih on the issues they raised."

There were also fears that needy students might not be able to enjoy financial aid in spite of the additional $3 million set aside.

David Tay Swee Meng has tried to apply for financial assistance twice but failed both times. He said "Their response was simply, your application was unsuccessful, please do not try again. No attempt was made at raising alternatives or trying to find out more about my situation. I guess I just have to work hard to cover my living expenses or at the worse, take up a student loan on top of the tuition fee loan"

One student complained against double standards when applying for a tuition fee loan. Ong Jun Yu had his bursary withdrawn from him when the administration learned that he had won an academic award from his faculty.

"The administration immediately notified me to give the money back to them. I told the officers that bursary was awarded because of my family's financial situation, but the faculty award was given based on merit. They said no. It doesn't matter."

The discussion continues at the Funkygrad Forum

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