Teachers’ parking fees kept by schools, irate Singaporeans question if monetizing was the aim

In a written reply by Education Minister Ong Ye Kung, the estimated revenue from charging teachers for parking was be $8 million to $10 million a year.

Mr Ong responded to a parliamentary question by Workers’ Party Non-Constituency MP Leon Perera, who had asked how much revenue will be collected from teachers’s parking fees in schools.

He also said that the revenue will be retained by the schools.

Amongst the 360 primary schools, secondary schools and junior colleges in Singapore, teachers of schools like Hwa Chong Institution (HCI), that owns the land it sits on, still have to pay for their parking just like everyone else.

Many netizens were shocked and angered to learn that the revenue from teachers’ parking will be kept by the schools.

President of Maruah Leong Sze Hian was one of them, who said, “Singaporeans are unhappy about the latest revelation that the revenue will be kept by the individual schools”.

He added, “when was it decided that the revenue will go to the individual schools – in March or later or only now?”

Mr Leong also questioned, “By the way, as to “All five polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education started charging for parking on their premises in October last year” – have these six institutions been getting the revenues individually from the parking charges?

Like what my friends said – what may make Singaporeans even angrier than the subject “revelation” is that the reply in Parliament may have conveniently ignored the question of MPs paying just $365 a year to park in any HDB car park in Singapore and Parliament.

Isn’t this an affront to “The carpark rates were imposed in line with the Public Service Division’s “clean wage” policy, which stipulates that salaries should be fully accounted for, with no hidden perks and privileges”?”

Many irate netizens responded to the issue, and questioned if the intentions all along were just for parking to be monetized.

The carpark rates were imposed to be in line with the Public Service Division’s “clean wage” policy, which stipulates that salaries should be fully accounted for, with no hidden perks and privileges.

It came after a review in 2015 by the Ministry of Education of free parking in schools.

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