WE REFER to the letter, 'Is poly making best use of public funds?' (The New Paper, 9 Feb) by Peggy Yeo and thank her for highlighting her concerns.

She pointed out that some of Temasek Polytechnic's staff apartments are currently unoccupied and it might be a 'good move' to rent them out to the public.

Indeed, in the past, the polytechnic had leased some of our staff apartments to the public.

Going forward, Temasek Polytechnic has decided to use the staff apartments for various student programmes, such as housing our own local and international students to better integrate the diverse student body and improve the educational experience of our students.

To do this,we have had to vacate a number of units since July 2008 to prepare for upcoming student programmes.

We would also like to reassure Ms Yeo that all three blocks are maintained daily, and this includes checks to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes.

With regard to the banners on our campus walls, the polytechnic uses them as a communication tool to convey key messages to the public, visitors, staff and students.The design and art work of the banners are all done in-house by polytechnic staff.

BRENDAN WONG
DIRECTOR, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT
TEMASEK POLYTECHNIC

This article was first published in The New Paper.