Mdm Naida, 38 years old, is stateless and a single mother to 4 children between the ages of 10-16 years old. Her late mother was a PR citizen and she never knew her father. Even though Mdm Naida was born in Singapore, due to her status, she does not qualify for many of the benefits and government subsidies. Due to the high cost of education, she never completed her studies and currently works hard as a cleaner bringing home a meagre salary of S$1,000 a month.

Mdm Naida’s third child, Puteri, 12 years old, is also stateless like her mother. Even though she was born in Singapore and has lived her whole life in Singapore, she is not a Singaporean citizen. Like any other 12-year-old, Puteri is active in school and gets along well with her classmates. She enjoys school and looks forward to attending classes. However, as Puteri is stateless, education is extremely expensive and Mdm Naida is unable to afford her school fees. Puteri’s school fees is S$650 a month and till date Mdm Naida has incurred an education debt of S$20,783. ROHI has verified the outstanding amount and has seen the document from MOE which shows that Mdm Naida owns school fees of S$20,783. On the 6^th of December 2017, Mdm Naida received a letter from MOE informing her that since she has not settled the outstanding debt, Puteri was no longer allowed to attend school. It was only after the assistance of an MP and the school that Puteri was allowed back. All along, Puteri has been attending class and we are glad to know that Puteri was only away from school for 1 week. ROHI has seen and verified the authenticity of the letter that MOE send to Mdm Naida.

Currently, Puteri’s school has found a sponsor to pay S$50 a month in school fees. However, the remainder of the S$600 will be accumulated into the education debt. By the time Puteri sits for her PSLE Exam, it is estimated that her debt would have amassed to S$27,283. Mdm Naida has HDB and conservancy arrears as well.

It is difficult for anyone in Singapore to survive on a meagre salary of S$1,000. Even though Mdm Naida works hard as a cleaner, the family struggles with living expenses and various arrears across different government agencies.

ROHI would therefore like to raise S$1,000 (S$250 x 4 months) to defray the family’s living expenses. Please help Puteri and Mdm Naida during this difficult period.