I AM probably not the first reader to write about this, and I do not think I will be the last either.

I understand that students in the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Singapore Management University (SMU) are issued with an ez-link concession card on entry to the school. However, that is not the case for the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM).

Why am I different because I study in SIM? I am still a student.

I also understand that most, if not all, foreign students studying in the three universities are issued with an ez-link concession cards. As a citizen and a full-time student, am I not entitled to the same privileges as other tertiary students?

I understand SIM is a private institution with many working adults who enrol in part-time courses. But there are also many full-time students. As full-time students, many of us do not have the time to take a part-time job that will pay significantly more than the allowances parents may give their children who study in the three universities.

No doubt there is the new ez-link season pass, or the SBS season pass, but they cost more than a student can afford. Furthermore, students in some private institutions such as Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and LaSalle College of the Arts can apply for ez-link concession cards. So what about full-time students of SIM?

Charles You

This article was first published in The Straits Times.