I was referring to the Annual Report for the accounting year ended on 31 March 2005 and I was totally angered by the university's decision to raise tuition fees.

How can a university with net asset of $2,022,690,000 and operating surplus of $177,191,000 tell us that increasing cost of operation has forced them to call for a fee hike, especially when the operating costs, according to the financial report, recorded a fall in operating costs by almost $100,000,000 (from $818,349,000 in 2003/04 to $737,393,000). Increased cost of operation being a reason to increase our fees is totally unjustifyable, especially with figures like that in the financial report itself.

i Really dun undeRstand why they have to incRease and incRease tuition fees... even if they Really have to, i feel that it would be moRe appRopRiate to impose the fee incRease only foR the new batch who is coming in... not the cuRRent batches... the tuition fees foR the cuRRent batches should have been FIXED upon matRiculation and should REMAIN FIXED till gRaduation.

while i'm stRuggling to save enough to Repay the bank loan by taking up moRe tuition kids than i can cope, the univeRsity is stRiving to incRease tuition fees...

opeRation costs they say.

someone in the foRum actually said to look out foR gold taps in NUS...

i would feel moRe appeased if the incRease in fees pRove to be moRe useful...

some stuff i obseRved...

1. UniveRsity hall.
what the hell is that?? admin office? do they need such luxuRy?! why do they not build a glassy building foR ouR science blocks instead?! haRdly any undeRgRads has been to that building at all!!

2. secuRity officeRs foR the univeRsity hall.
accoRding to RL who has been to the univeRsity hall, the building has lots of secuRity officeRs... gRound flooR... and even the flooR of the office of the pRincipal... what foR? scaRed of being muRdeRed by students who feel unjustified by the fee hike?

3. Road impRovements.
the Road outside LT27 undeRwent some upgRade not too long ago.. and the ONLY diffeRence i saw was a change fRom black taR to Red tiles. why the waste of money?!?! the flooR outside lt25/24 was also Replaced. what foR?! it doesn't make any hell lot diffeRence to us students. we dun caRe! the same goes foR the nice tiles outside centRal libRaRy.

4. Shuttle Bus seRvice.
no diff. bus timing still as iRRegulaR.. buses still as full.. still Refuses to stop.. still shut the dooR in uR face.

5. aiRconditioning.
why won't they just tuRn down the aiRcon to save money? LTs aRe the only winteR place in singapoRe. students aRe fReezing. aiRcons aRe blasting. what a waste of money.

6. lectuReRs' salaRy.
i'm suRe this takes up quite a bulk... but what can i say? lectuReRs coming to lectuRes aRe moRe conceRned bout pRomoting theiR ReseaRch ideas and teach no betteR than talking to one self. like what a fellow school mate said, why dun they cut the salaRies of pRofs instead of incReasing school fees??!!

7. TAs and tutoRs' salaRy
TAs not coming to lab sessions, tutoRs talking to the white boaRd. i've had enough of these.

8. ReseaRch.
I believe we aRe just paying foR the pRofs to do ReseaRch. didn't u know? even module assignments aRe basically fRee labouR foR the lectuReRs cum ReseaRches who exploit students to do the diRty job foR theiR futuRe "nobel pRize awaRd"...

9. Convenience stoRes?
having CheeRs and old chang kee and YIH doesn't give the management a Reason foR incReasing fees. unless u tell me they do not chaRge any Rental fees and do not eaRn any Revenue fRom them..

10. BuRseRies.
if fees could be incRease, why aRen't the quota foR buRseRies incReasing? it's so difficult to apply foR buRseRies... and the amount is so little... they school is setting aside anotheR 3million (i think) to "help students", WHY don't they just spRead the 3million to subsidise each and eveRy student and NOT incRease ouR school fees??!

11. LTs.
since they have so much money afteR incReasing fees, why do i still have to suffeR backaches fRom long lectuRe sessions in Run down LTs? LT26 has even some of its wooden chaiRs bRoken into half.. the chaiRs aRe so haRd and the tables aRe so small and faR away fRom the chaiR. sitting in the LT alone is a toRtuRe. WHY DON'T THEY SPEND THE MONEY CHANGING THE CHAIRS IN THE LT INSTEAD OF CHANGING THE TILES ON THE FLOOR?!?!?! i dun caRe what kind of tiles i'm stepping on, but I AM IRRITATED by pooR seating conditions in LTs... i can't concentRate in such LTs with backache!!

12. Textbooks and notes.
hey look! we pay moRe and moRe to the school, but why aRen't textbooks and notes included?! that's a BIG buRden each semesteR!

the first thing NUS should look at is to cut costs, not raise school fees.