SINGAPORE: Teachers in primary and secondary schools as well as junior colleges will need to pay for parking from August.
Season outdoor parking will cost S$75 (RM223) a month during school terms, and S$15 (RM45) per month during the school holidays in June, November and December, The Straits Times has learnt.
For sheltered lots, they will have to pay S$100 (RM298) monthly during school terms and S$20 (RM60) monthly during the holidays.
Motorcyclists will be charged S$13 (RM38) per month for uncovered lots, and S$2 (RM6) during the holidays. For sheltered parking their fees will be S$14 (RM42) and S$3 (RM9) during school term and holidays respectively.
Teachers were briefed by their school leaders on Monday (March 26) on the car park rates, which are slightly cheaper than HDB parking. There are about 360 primary and secondary schools and junior colleges in Singapore.
Besides school teachers and staff, others who might need to pay for season parking include canteen stall operators, coaches and instructors who go to schools regularly. Parking fees will not apply to ad hoc visitors such as parents or volunteers.
The move comes after a review of free parking in schools started in 2015 by the Ministry of Education.
An Auditor-General's Office report had in the same year faulted some educational institutions for allowing their staff to park for free, or at fees below the market rate.
Such practices "are tantamount to providing hidden subsidies for vehicle parking", it had said in an annual report of financial lapses in public sector bodies.
All five polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education have started charging for parking on its premises since October last year.
Staff in those institutions are paying season parking rates of S$80 (RM238) and S$110 (RM327) per month for surface and sheltered car parks respectively. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
