On the White Paper on Population, SMU Associate Dean of the SMU School of Economics and Professor of Economics Hoon Hian Teck commented that out of the projected population of 6.9 million, over 2 million are foreigners; this figure already includes buffer and might not be the ultimate benchmark. Some of these foreigners are tertiary students studying in Singapore. They play an important role in the economic development of Singapore. Prof Hoon added that the projected figure of 6.9 million is a long-term estimate, not one that is expected to be attained in the short term. While the paper did mention how a multi-prong approach would be taken to address issues arising from the population growth, the overall message might not have been conveyed clearly as there were too many details.