SINGAPORE - Each week, Nanyang Technological University student Seng Yun Xuan works 16 hours tutoring eight primary school pupils, earning about $1,600 per month to offset her tuition fees and living costs.

But she soon hopes to “focus on just being a student”, after receiving the Lim Kim San Memorial Scholarship from SPH Foundation on August 1.

She intends to continue tutoring only two pupils who will be taking their Primary School Leaving Examinations in 2025. This would take up just four hours a week.

She said: “While my peers are studying most of the time, I cannot “waste” that time to revise because I have to upkeep my income to support myself in school. Since I’m a university student, my priority should be being a student.”

Her financial situation has also impacted other aspects of her life. The 23-year-old, whose father is a part-time server in a fast food restaurant and mother a hairdresser, said she would occasionally avoid meeting her friends to save on meals and activities.

Ms Seng was one of 12 recipients of the Lim Kim San Memorial Scholarship in 2024. There were 88 applicants this year.

The annual scholarship is awarded to high-performing students from humble family backgrounds. One criterion to qualify is a monthly household income of $5,000 or less.

The scholarship was established in 2006 at the suggestion of the late Lim Kim San, who was Singapore’s first minister for finance. It has since been awarded to more than 180 recipients.