"Learn for Fun, Learn for Life" at the National Silver Academy

JOINT MOH-MOE PRESS RELEASE

1.     Starting today, seniors aged 50 and above can explore and sign up for more than 500 courses via the National Silver Academy (NSA) website at www.nsa.org.sg. The courses are offered by NSA partner institutions, such as ITE, Polytechnics, publicly-funded universities, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), LASALLE College of the Arts, and community-based organisations (Annex A). The NSA offers a wealth of courses in areas such as IT, media, health and wellness, business and the arts. More than 10,000 course places are available this year. Seniors will be able to use their SkillsFuture Credit to pay the out-of-pocket course fees for most courses under the NSA. The courses will be delivered at the respective premises of partner institutions, and classes will start from June.

2.    An initiative under the Action Plan for Successful Ageing, the NSA was developed in response to feedback from seniors that they would like to “learn for learning’s sake”. Learning keeps their minds active and allows them to stay engaged with their family, friends, community and society.  

NEW LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES UNDER THE NATIONAL SILVER ACADEMY

3.     The NSA will offer three types of learning opportunities for seniors:

i. Subsidised short courses

A wide range of subsidised short courses, ranging from 3 hours to 45 hours, will be made available to seniors under the NSA (Annex B). These courses provide opportunities for skills upgrading for the workplace; and equip seniors with life skills such as home maintenance, financial planning for retirement and general knowledge on how to age well.  

Eligible seniors will receive subsidies of up to 50% of course fees for short courses offered by the post-secondary education institutions (PSEIs). Course fees post-subsidy range from around $200 to $300 per course on average. In addition, community-based organisations, with Government support, have developed short courses with affordable course fees at $50 to $150 on average, post-subsidy.

 ii. “Exam-free” modules

ITE, polytechnics and publicly-funded universities will open up selected modules from certificate, diploma, post-diploma and full degree programmes to seniors, without the need for formal assessment, at a token fee. Seniors can attend these classes together with regular, younger students attending the same modules.  At ITE and polytechnics, the token fee is typically under $100. At the publicly-funded universities, the token fee is typically between $100 and $250.

iii. Other learning opportunities

The NSA will also offer the Intergenerational Learning Programme (ILP) and other ad-hoc learning opportunities such as talks and seminars organised by the community-based organisations. Led by the Council for Third Age and facilitated by the community-based organisations, the ILP aims to promote inter-generational bonding by pairing students with seniors to learn about topics such as public speaking, social media and music.

PUBLIC ENQUIRIES

4.     Besides visiting the NSA website, seniors who need assistance can approach any of the course providers. Alternatively, they can also drop by the NSA community helpdesks every Tuesday and Saturday, 12pm – 5pm from 14 May – 6 August 2016 at the following libraries:

• Ang Mo Kio Public Library

• Bedok Public Library

• Bukit Merah Public Library

• Jurong Regional Library

• Tampines Regional Library

• Toa Payoh Public Library

• Woodlands Regional Library

5.     Seniors can also call the NSA hotline managed by the Council for Third Age at 6478 5029 to find out more. The hotline is open from Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm, excluding public holidays.

ANNEX A

List of Course Providers under the National Silver Academy

There are currently 17 course providers under the National Silver Academy:

Post-Secondary Education Institutions (PSEIs)

• Institute of Technical Education

• LASALLE College of the Arts

• Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA)

• Nanyang Polytechnic

• Nanyang Technological University

• National University of Singapore

• Ngee Ann Polytechnic

• Republic Polytechnic

• SIM University (UniSIM)

• Singapore Management University

• Singapore Polytechnic

• Temasek Polytechnic 

Community-based organisations

• Family Central

• RSVP Singapore -The Organisation of Senior Volunteers

• Singapore Association for Continuing Education (SACE)

• Society for WINGS

• YAH!

ANNEX B

Examples of National Silver Academy Courses in 2016