Despite the push from progressive lawmakers to cancel up to $50,000 of student loans per borrower, President Joe Biden ‘s scaled-back plan to tackle the debt crisis is much more popular.

According to a new poll from Monmouth University, Biden’s pitch to eliminate $10,000 in college debt for anyone with an outstanding federal loan has 61 percent support among U.S. adults. Thirty-seven percent of those surveyed opposed the idea.

When the amount was increased to $50,000 of debt cancelation, public support dropped to 45 percent. A majority of those polled—53 percent—opposed the proposition.

Democrats overwhelmingly supported both measures, although 18 percent more backed Biden’s $10,000 proposal than the progressive pitch for $50,000. More than two-thirds of Republicans opposed both options.

Biden has repeatedly rejected calls from some members of his party to cancel $50,000 of student debt per loan borrower, disputing claims from Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and others that he could do so through executive action.

In his first public event after being sworn into office, Biden was told by an audience member at a CNN town hall in Wisconsin that student debt is “crushing” her family, friends and fellow Americans.

“We need student loan forgiveness beyond the potential $10,000 your administration has proposed,” she said. “We need at least a $50,000 minimum. What will you do to make that happen?”

“I will not make that happen,” Biden responded.

The president added that he understood the impact of debt, but didn’t believe he had the authority to wipe out $50,000 without congressional action. He also stated he doesn’t want to forgive debts of borrowers from elite schools such as Harvard University, and that the federal funds would be better spent on early childhood education.

Progressive lawmakers have kept up the pressure on Biden, despite his statements rejecting the proposal.

Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) told MSNBC last week that Biden “absolutely” had the authority to cancel student debt by way of an executive order, and claimed low-income households would benefit.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) also clashed with the president over the issue, tweeting after his CNN town hall that “the case against student loan forgiveness is looking shakier by the day,” and that arguments against it “just don’t hold water on close inspection.”

In one of his first presidential acts, Biden extended the pause on student loan payments and interest amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Federal student loan borrowers will not have to make payments until October 1 at the earliest.

The Monmouth University poll surveyed 802 adults between February 25 and March 21. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

SINGAPORE: Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Education Ministry Hawazi Daipi said in parliament Monday that Malay students are going further in their educational pursuits and doing better at national examinations.

“Today, close to 88 per cent of the P1 cohort of Malay students are admitted to post-secondary education. This is a significant improvement from the 75 per cent 10 years ago, although this is lower than the national statistics, the gap has narrowed steadily,” he said.

He was saying this in response to MP for Chua Chu Kang GRC Zaqy Mohamad who asked if the performance of Malay students are lagging behind those of other ethnic groups.

Mr Zaqy also asked if the gap in academic performance between Malay students and those of other ethnic groups is a result of factors such as proficiency in English language, its use at home, socio-economic background and cultural differences.

Mr Hawazi responded saying that the factors affecting the performance of students are “complex and multi-dimensional”.

He pointed out that proficiency in English and socio-economic background are contributing factors and are not unique to Singapore, and added that home support and individual motivation also play a part.

Mr Hawazi said the Education Ministry has put in place learning support programmes to help not just the weaker students but also the low-income ones.

“(The improvement) is the result of concerted efforts of the self-help groups, or the SHGs, other community organisations and parents working in partnerships with schools and MOE,” Mr Hawazi said.

SINGAPORE: About half, or 11,800 students, at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) received help with course fees in the form of bursaries in the last academic year.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Manpower Hawazi Daipi cited this figure in Parliament, as he sought to offer assurance that help was available for low-income students to grant them access to the full range of educational opportunities at ITE.

He was responding to a question from Member of Parliament for Bishan-Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency Zainudin Nordin, who wanted to know how many ITE students were receiving financial assistance and what help was in place to keep them in school.

Mr Hawazi said some 1,600 students received help with paying for overseas enrichment activities last year.

SINGAPORE: Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education, Sim Ann, replied to questions in Parliament on Monday about whether questions set in the Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE) favour students in the Gifted Education Programme (GEP).

She said many GEP students do well mostly because they already exhibit strong academic abilities.

But she noted that the GEP is not intended to prepare children for exceptional performance at the PSLE.

Rather, it’s meant to develop their intellectual depth and higher level thinking while nurturing productive creativity.

MP for Mountbatten Lim Biow Chuan asked “whether MOE thinks that P4 or age 10 is the right age to categorise children into gifted or non-gifted? Why not classify them after PSLE, when most of the students are slightly more mature after going through their first major exam?”

Ms Sim Ann said: “The intention is not to classify the students into any particular group.

“And given our commitment to holistic education, and given our commitment to bring our students up to their fullest potential, as Mr Lim well knows, we have many pathways and ladders within the education system for students of all learning profiles and including students who, as Dr Intan has mentioned, peak at different times, during their journey through our school system.”

Separately, fewer than 20 students have been identified to be exceptionally gifted in the last 12 years.

Ms Sim Ann said these students have to meet a set of stringent criteria, which include a psychological report and achievement and aptitude tests.

She added that data from interviews with parents and classroom observations will also be taken into consideration.

To support exceptionally gifted children, Ms Sim said the Education Ministry works with the school and parents to draw up a learning plan for the child.

She was responding to a question by Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Yee Jenn Jong.

Mr Yee asked: “How ready are our tertiary institutions in partnering MOE to help those who are exceptionally gifted as some of these children may be so gifted that they can handle university curriculum even at the upper primary level. So do our tertiary institutions take in young students way before the university age, or are such students, do they have to go overseas for their education if they couldn’t find anything that could be customised to their needs?”

Ms Sim Ann said: “When we’re talking about exceptionally gifted students, we’re really talking about really very small numbers, each of whom may have very unique circumstances.

“So I do not think there is a hard number or an age below which our universities will not consider. This really would depend on many factors.

“It goes beyond, I think, the intellectual ability of the student, but also in terms of his or her social, emotional readiness, and their readiness I think to be in a learning setting – which learning setting would suit the individual best.

“Out of these fewer than 20 students, one is known to have gone overseas to pursue his university education. The rest remain in Singapore, they are at various ages, they are still going through our educational system, they are still in the schools, and as I’ve mentioned, the oldest one is already enrolled in our local university.

SINGAPORE: One of the important roles of a good school is that it should level up students who need additional support, Education Minister Heng Swee Keat said in Parliament on Thursday.

The ministry is significantly increasing its coverage of financial support for needy students.

The income ceiling for its financial assistance scheme will be raised from the current S$1,500 to S$2,500.

A new per-capita income criterion will also be used in parallel, so students from households with a per capita income of S$625 and below will qualify.

This is to benefit students from larger families.

Schools will also be given annual grants of up to S$15,000 for the next three years, to provide additional support for students who may miss the criteria for financial assistance.

Mr Heng said: “Taken together, the whole support package to low and middle income families can be quite substantial and would relieve some burden.

“But let me emphasize, it is not just about money, but an integrated approach, addressing financial, socio-emotional and learning support, in partnership with parents and the broader community.”