Braema Mathiaparanam
Singapore
“Sir, can I ask the Minister whether he would consider it a preventive measure, especially when foreigners come in to set up student agencies, etc, to do a background check.”
“Sir, I was in particular referring to a specialised kind of rehabilitation programme, because there are quite a number of offenders. Is there a need and, if so, would the Ministry consider bringing in some expertise in that regard? Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: We can consider that.”
“Do we know the number of school children who may not possess a home computer? Is there any study done in this area? Are schools opening up their school laboratories so that, after school hours and on weekends, children who need to do their homework or browse through the Net to do whatever research, they are made available to them?”
“CouldI ask the Minister whether the criterion of having just two children is one of the deterrents? Is there a view on that? Doesthat criterionnot run contrary to the "Baby Bonus" policy where wedo not now put alimit on the number of children? If so, will there be any review?”
“Listening to the Minister's answer just now, I have one question on the role of MICA in such an eventuality where two companies, media giants, are talking about a merger. It has come across from the Minister's answer as quite a stand-offish approach. If that is so, what then is the role of MICA in discussions on possibilities of mergers?”
“I would like to ask the Minister what kind of approval system is there that you have such structures with barbed wires and nails to deter children from playing in the void deck. I accept that they should not be playing on the void deck. What is the approval process or is there one where the Ministry is concerned?”
The complete record
Every one of 296 lines we hold for Braema Mathiaparanam, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 5 of 6.
“Currently, the principals of these schools are not on any policy management studies programme. The teachers are not in the teachers' network, and I think these are great avenues for them to share information.”
“I hope the union stands by the aspirations of these teachers in the same way that the Singapore Teachers Union stands by teachers in national schools. As has been mentioned, upgrading for these teachers is very much dependent on the funds available with VWOs. VWOs, as we already know, do have a problem sometimes in raising sufficient funds. My question to the Ministry, barring historical reasons as to why these teachers do not come under the MOE is: is it possible to review this and bring them on board? After all, the primary objective is being fulfilled - that they are training our children and the training is based on pedagogical principles as directed by the Ministry of Education. This means that training programmes, career development, salaries, upgrading, promotions can all come under one body rather than, right now, be dispersed over many VWOs, which may have different systems.”
“Sir, thank you for allowing me to speak on this topic. I support the views of Dr Khor, Mr Gan and I like what Mrs Fang Ai Lian has said that perhaps it is also time to step back, take a more macro view of the whole area of special education, as we have done for the JC curriculum, and look at it from all aspects to see what more can be done. For today, I would like to raise my concerns where the teachers are concerned and argue for the Ministry of Education to take them on board as their own teachers, rather than le them be managed by the voluntary welfare organisations. Currently, the teachers attend either Certificate in Special Education or Diploma in Special Education courses at the National Institute of Education. The NIE training processes do come under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education through the Nanyang Technological University. The teachers, as already mentioned by Dr Khor, do not get salaries that are apple-for-apple comparisons with those in national schools. Teachers with Second Upper degrees earn about $500 less than those in MOE national schools. Those with 'A' level certificates earn about $300 less. While they may be teaching in smaller classes, the demands placed on these teachers are quite high. And many of these teachers are also burnt out, as has been mentioned, and the attrition rate is one in five. In the year 2002, 400 teachers with special education training were teaching 4,200 pupils, in a 1:10 teacher pupil ratio. In the year 2000, there were 476 teachers for 3,800 pupils, on a better ratio of 1:8 . So we do have a problem here where attrition is concerned, where morale is concerned, and I found it rather interesting that the special education teachers come under the Singapore Mercantile and Manual Workers Union.”
“I am winding up. The academics, both NIE lecturers, have done work on secondary and primary school social inter-relationship. I appeal to the Ministry that if they do not already have this document, to look at the document. I end off by just citing this example. A Malay student says that the form teacher in teaching him Mathematics does the explanation in Chinese. This is anecdotal. But if we have come to this stage, I think it is beyond skin deep and we have to look deeper into it.”
“I would also ask whether it is time to introduce within the National Education Programme a component on multiculturism, bearing in mind that one in four students here is a foreigner and moving overseas will also be part of the entrepreneurship drive. I think it is important for Singaporeans to know that there are other cultural differences beyond our shores. Lest you think that I am exaggerating on this aspect of discontent - to use a milder term perhaps - let me cite the work of two academics which was posted on the IPS website ---”
“Madam, I am concerned, like Dr Gan and Dr Wang, with how students relate to each other in schools. I am aware that the Ministry has got its National Education Programme, civic and moral education programme, social studies, etc, in place to ensure that there is some kind of discussion on this topic. The Ministry has also proactively set up the Committee on Strengthening Racial Harmony and with that, we have initiatives like Racial Harmony Day and International Friendship Day; and research, exhibitions, performances of a high standard. They are all good measures that have been put in place. However, today, I would like to raise this question of whether these measures are adequate enough, the same concern expressed by Mr Gan. How does the Ministry ensure that these are not just cosmetic endeavours and that we are not scrapping the surface, but going deeper into the psyche of the students to ensure that there is some kind of realistic acceptance of each other's cultural differences? Like Mr Gan, I would also like to ask the Ministry how are teachers sensitised to these ethnic differences that we have, and what are the coping strategies that they can employ in dealing with parents or children who display such behaviours. Instilling values takes a long time, and I think principals play the primary role in this aspect. However, I do wonder whether the Ministry's policy of rotating principals every five years runs counter to giving it enough time to instill a good value system, especially in this area. Perhaps, this is something to think about, again, over here.”
“The other group of students that I would like to refer to are the Normal (Technical) students. In my opinion, I feel that some of them, in spite of the very good LSP programme in the primary school, may have fallen through the gap and may have ended up in the Normal (Technical) stream without really good skills in reading and numeracy. Is it possible perhaps for us to focus our attention at Secondary One just to get them on board with numeracy and literacy skills so that they become independent learners with the content as time goes on? I have looked at the Normal (Technical) content for Secondary One and I still think it is a little bit too heavy on content. Lastly, may I also appeal to the Ministry to persuade its principals to refrain from discussing school 'O' level results both on speech days and annual reports as these are results done by our Secondary Four (Express) students. These are results brought in by our Secondary Five (Express) students? After all, the students have sat for the same examinations, same rigour, and this kind of stigmatisation runs counter to the mission of the school.”
“Sir, thank you for allowing me to speak on this topic. Today, I wish to focus on another group of students, the weaker students, the Normal (Academic) students and the Normal (Technical) students in secondary school. Two out of five students today from an annual cohort of 40,000 students end up in the Normal classes. And out of this, each year, 10,000 Normal (Academic) students sit for the Normal (Academic) examinations that take place in October. From that cohort, about 80% or 7,500-8,000 of them go on to sit for the Secondary Five Express 'O' level examination. However, from this group, I am told that a much smaller proportion of them do go on to 'A' levels or to polytechnics, the main reason being that they cannot cope with the rigours of the Secondary Five 'O' level examination primarily because they have to cope with more subjects in some cases. Because they do five subjects at Normal (Academic) and now they want to do more subjects. The other reason is they have to bridge the content gap and be ready for the 'O' level examination. I am asking the Ministry if it is possible to review the curriculum for the Normal (Academic) stream students, starting from Secondary Three to Secondary Five. If 80% of our students go on to sit for the 'O' levels, perhaps, the end point should be the 'O' levels and not the Normal (Academic) examinations at Secondary Four. Therefore, the cramming of content, as well as revising and doing test questions, etc, in a space of nine months is a bit short of a miracle when they are Normal (Academic) students, because the Secondary Three and Four students do it in April when they have finished their revision and they are ready for their 'O' level examinations. I think we are putting an undue demand in a way on our Normal (Academic) students.”
“Having said all that, I think with $345 - I do not know what the calculations can be, if we are serious about these three schemes - if let us, say, we were to keep aside $45, that amounts to $6 million a month to be kept aside for things that can benefit and improve the relationship between the domestic worker and the employer. As such, I would also like to ask the Ministry of Manpower if it is possible to know what exactly is this amount of almost $50 million per month put to. I have looked through the Budget Book, and I grant that it is used to cover operational costs, the investigation processes for certain cases, and to maintain a very efficient Work Permit Department. But it would be good to know where else the money goes to.”
“Sir, thank you, for allowing me to speak on this topic. As employers of domestic workers, they pay about $345 a month to the Ministry of Manpower as levy. There are about 140,000 domestic workers today and this amounts to about $47 million a month in levy. I am here today to ask the Ministry of Manpower to consider whether a portion of this levy could be used for three purposes. Firstly, domestic workers do fall ill. This is apart from the accident insurance policy that employers do take out. A check with doctors in private practice as well as hospitals does show that at least one domestic worker needs hospitalisation and sometimes is whisked away by employers who do not want to pay for the hospitalisation. Is it possible then perhaps that we have a premium with some insurance company to take care of hospitalisation for certain illnesses? 3.15 pm Secondly, another use of the levy that I am asking is whether it is possible to consider a certain portion to be set aside, such that domestic workers can be trained in basic skills. This can be part of the Skills Development Programme. A check shows that some of the courses that domestic workers take on their days off cost about $60-120 for 12 sessions of dress-making, etc, or even using home appliances. Thirdly, can a portion of this levy be set aside in a modified scheme, such that when the domestic workers go home they get some little substantial amount of money over the months accumulated that they can take home and develop their own course of living back in their home countries?”
“Could I ask for clarification, please? We have ratified the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime in 1966. Right now, we have the document for 2000. The question I asked was: how do we harmonise all the different conventions because they sometimes seem to be pulling in different directions?”
“All right. The question I have for the Ministry then is that, since we have signed all these documents, how can the Home Team work with the officials in Indonesia to try and curtail this situation. Is it also time for us to do what the Australians have done to try and bring our citizens a little bit more in line with our own home laws? My second question is: is it time also to review how we look at illegals because the world right now is trying to decriminalise it a little bit, having the understanding that some of them are victims of trafficking? Thirdly, we have signed different Conventions from different Ministries as part of our stand. Do these Conventions harmonise at the end of the day and, if so, what is our stand? Lastly, in conclusion, Sir, we are living in a globalised world which means dealing with global problems. It is my hope that our men do us proud in every sense of the word and, as a Government, we cannot afford to look the other way.”
“This is a new topic. Could I just be given some extra time?”
“Okay. We have signed the Convention on the Elimination on All Forms of Discrimination Against Children whereby Article 6 allows us to suppress all forms of trafficking against women. Could I ask the Chair for a question here, please?”
“Singapore has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child whereby Articles 34 and 35 state that governments shall take all appropriate action to protect children from sexual exploitation. We have not ratified the optional protocol dealing with child prostitution yet under this Convention. The Chairman: Ms Braema, you have to wrap up your speech soon.”
“Many have work permits but there is also still a group among the foreign workers who are illegals, sometimes taking on menial jobs or sometimes working here as prostitutes. Do we know how they landed here? Do we know whether they came willingly or they were duped? Do we know if they are trafficked persons? But the way to finding what are the circumstances that brought them here, we do have a little bit of a hurdle because under the Immigration Act, if they are found to be illegal, they can be either caned or sent to prison or both. However, there is still a recourse that some of them can turn into prosecution witnesses to haul in the traffickers. But what I am saying here is that the obstacle is there that we would perhaps sometimes not even know whether they are trafficked individuals. Lastly, and more importantly, as to why Singapore is involved in this business of trafficking of people around the world, the latest report in the Sunday Times by reporter Arlina Arshad showed that Singapore men have been making a beeline for some time for the Riau Islands for the Indonesian girls. And in her story, she also said that some of them are as young as 12. A Riau Island parliamentarian whom I spoke to also confirmed that many of these girls are from villages, lured and forced to stay in brothels, and in the weekly raids that his Police force is carrying out, it is a fact that some of them have been duped into the brothel service and some of these brothels are also businesses run by Singaporeans in Batam and Bintan. We have all joked, cynically, often, I am sure, about the weekend migration of our men to the islands of Batam and Bintan. But today, I want to be a party-pooper and say that this has to stop.”
“Thank you, Sir, for the opportunity to speak on this issue. There is right now another kind of war that is going on and has been going on for some time, and I think the sad thing about this is not many of us are even aware of it. I am referring to the trafficking of people around the world in this discussion, particularly that of women and children. This form of trafficking is tipped to eclipse the arms and drug trade as the most lucrative aspect of this trafficking phenomenon is that of sexual exploitation of women and children. According to the United Nations' estimates, trafficking of just women and children alone right now involves about four million people a year, bringing in a record profit of US$5-7 million. Of this conservative figure, about 250,000 women and children, according to the latest International Organisation for Migration Report, come from South-east Asia. One may ask: what has all this got to do with Singapore? Plenty, I say, and allow me to express why. Firstly, Singaporeans are a well-travelled group. We travel in the region and beyond. UN's figures for child sex tourism in Cambodia show that it is coming up to 35%, more than 5,000 young girls from Yunnan province are trafficked and serving in the brothels in Bangkok. This is a 1998/1999 figure, so it is outdated, but I could not find the latest figure. Some hotels in Bali, Philippines and Sri Lanka promote sex with children as part of their attraction and today, in each of these respective countries, 60,000-100,000 children are kept in brothels. Please note that I am not saying that Singaporeans visit these countries to partake in these activities. But what I am saying is that we cannot rule out this possibility either. Secondly, we also have many foreign workers amongst us.”
“In the last few years, large inter-ministerial committees involving the contributions of large numbers of Singaporeans have been set up. Are there any plans to monitor the effectiveness of their recommendations? Mdm Deputy Speaker, I would like to conclude with some thoughts on the next step for Singapore in maintaining our competitiveness in the global economy. Much has been said about measures on economic restructuring to ensure that our fundamentals remain sound. However, competition in the global economy is waged on many fronts. It is as much about being a choice destination for people all over the world, as it is about effective governance, having a flexible labour market, competitive cost structure and a safe and secure environment. What is it about Singapore that makes people want to visit us, to work and to play here, or to sink roots here? What is it about Singapore that makes our own citizens want to stay here and to contribute? To this end, I urge the Government to consider more creative ways to shape the vision for Singapore as a choice destination and the best home.”
“The means testing framework that the Government has introduced for step-down care three years ago has benefited patients and their families. I would like to congratulate the Ministry of Health for this effort. However, the Ministry of Health is not the only Government agency that administers subsidies to needy individuals. Other agencies, such as MCDS, MOE, MinLaw and CDCs, also administer subsidy schemes, all with different criteria and requirements. I propose the Government consider streamlining these subsidy schemes and apply a common means testing framework. This will reduce the need for those who need financial help to make frequent and multiple income declarations, and also to reduce duplication of work between Government officials in processing their applications and auditing their declarations. I would also like to applaud the Government for establishing a portable medical benefits scheme to help workers pay for healthcare even when they are in between jobs. This is a welcome addition to our existing social safety nets. I would like to ask for how long is the medical coverage planned to last for each insured person while not employed. Still on the issue of scarce national resources, I have observed constant improvements made by the Government in allocating resources amongst Ministries. We have moved from Budgeting for Results to Managing for Excellence and now Resource Accounting. However, I think it would be beneficial for the House to learn more about the budgeting principles used by Ministries to allocate resources to various projects and programmes. How does each Ministry prioritise amongst different policy areas of concern and measure the effectiveness of each programme?”
“I am told that a long line of regional pop stars are queuing up for our local singer-songwriter Tanya Chua to write their next hit. Meanwhile, I have also been told by friends returning from visits to major Chinese cities that every other shop seems to be playing the latest hits of A-Do, our latest male pop export. We also possess some of the best equipped and professional music studios in the region, attracting scores of stars to record albums here. What is the secret of these musicians' success? It is not in copying or imitating pop music industry workers in Taiwan and China. In fact, it is precisely their unique Singaporean characteristics that create demand. Singaporeans are prized in the industry for being thoroughly familiar with Western as well as Eastern pop music and being able to interpret the latest global music trends quickly and creatively for a regional audience. In other words, they serve as an effective bridge between cultures and add value while translating trends. This is a direct result of our exposure to the West as well as to the East, in a multi-racial and multi-cultural society. If our musicians can play this role in the region, surely this inspires other professions in the services sector. I urge the Ministerial Committee to highlight and promote other such examples of new engines of growth within our services industry. Now, I would like to touch on the area of use of scarce resources. With the economic uncertainty ahead of us, it is prudent for us to re-examine the uses to which we put our scarce resources and ensure that help goes to those who need it most. In this respect, I support the Government's move to further expand the use of means testing to allocate healthcare subsidies.”
“I urge the Committee to consider targeted measures to help Singaporeans enter the more conventional segments of the services industry, such as becoming nurses, home helpers, hairdressers, retail sales personnel, waiters, entertainers, security guards or hawkers. This is especially relevant to those workers who have been retrenched from the manufacturing sector and are prepared to consider working in the services sector. I also wish to urge the Ministerial Committee to consider how best to attract young talent from all over the world to come to Singapore to provide services in joint ventures with our local youth. For example, in the areas of accounting and management, water treatment, environmental management, early childhood education, preparation for examinations, food, property management, logistics, hotel management, entertainment, music, design, etc, many may have good ideas but lack funding and resources. How do we ensure that the same kind of investment support that is available to manufacturing, the IT industry and the biomedical cluster is available to start-ups in the services industry? Even though the economic outlook is uncertain, I feel confident that Singaporeans will be able to find niche markets in the services sector and do well. For instance, there is a group of Singaporean musician-entrepreneurs who have been making waves in the regional Mandarin pop music industry. I am not only referring to famous pop stars like Kit Chan or Stefanie Sun, but a group of producers and musicians like Li Si Song, Li Wei Song and Xu Huan Liang, who have produced numerous hits and impressed listeners and fans in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and China.”
“I believe it is also important to ensure that those Singaporeans who wish to enter this tier to start small businesses and micro enterprises can do so with minimum costs and minimum red tape. The concept of providing one-stop services to help businesses establish themselves in Singapore is not new. EDB has been employing this strategy to attract big businesses and MNCs to locate in Singapore. The Government's on-going efforts to reduce red tape have also benefited private enterprises. For instance, the one-stop Public Entertainment Licensing Centre helps operators of entertainment outlets obtain all the necessary approvals from multiple licensing agencies at one go. I think the Ministry of Home Affairs has done a good job here. However, more can be done. I urge that this regulatory model and supportive mindset be extended to all forms of businesses and trades. To give an example of red tape, the setting up of the NTUC Foodfare kiosk of about 140 square feet at Jurong East MRT took more than one year, and involved working with as many as seven different Government agencies. Large organisations may have the resources and the patience to wait for administrative details to be sorted out with the relevant authorities. But small businesses or individuals may feel frustrated and discouraged as their livelihood and survival is at stake. Every day spent waiting means another day of lost opportunities. More generally, I also urge the Government to look into promoting all parts of the services sector. The Government has already announced plans to introduce measures to promote the high value-added segments of the services industry, such as financial services and telecommunications. However, not everyone who wants a job in these high-value added segments will be assured of one.”
“I think the entrepreneur, Ms Olivia Lum, is one good example. Mdm Deputy Speaker, I believe there is much merit in taking a closer look at this third tier of small traditional local enterprises, and ensuring that they too benefit from the Government's measures to help businesses. Without them, we would be left with a much duller and bleaker landscape that bores and disappoints residents and visitors. I urge the Government to preserve the existence of such enterprises and trades in suburban areas, such as Tiong Bahru and Little India. As far as possible, we should avoid resettling or relocating such businesses, even if it means the urban landscape becomes a little less tidy and neatly demarcated. I am heartened to note that discussions on the importance of retaining "old-world charm" has become more prominent in public forums, and that the Government has taken the views of the public into consideration. However, not everything about the old world is charming. I support regular maintenance and upgrading of the operating premises of such businesses, and improving public safety and access. In doing so, we should take care to retain the original character of the place, and make sure that operating costs for the enterprises do not rise by too much. The refurbishment of the Maxwell Road Food Centre is a successful example of upgrading. The hygiene, ventilation and lighting have improved, while the original open-air character and original layout have been preserved. Mdm Deputy Speaker, I have discussed some ways of ensuring that this third tier of small local enterprises does not erode away.”
“Like Senior Minister of State, Mr Khaw Boon Wan has said yesterday, we need to work fast and find strength in unity. Both the private and public sectors must find synergy to deal with the challenges. We must identify our strengths and weaknesses and move ahead. We must not be afraid to ride on the economic growth of other countries, such as China, India, Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe, USA and Australia. We already have Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with a number of them. To succeed, we need special ingredients. I am referring to a fighting spirit to overcome the economic challenges. Now, what we must have is the will to win. Domestically, we should also strengthen our economy. As our economy matures, our spending and consumption patterns become more diverse, corresponding to different levels of disposable income. I perceive these as falling into three tiers. At the top tier are high-end enterprises selling high-end luxury goods. In the middle tier are mid-priced brands with a mass-market appeal. At the lowest tier are very basic consumption goods served up in modest surroundings, with minimum packaging and no frills. They are usually associated with traditional small local services-based enterprises, like old-style kopitiams, market stalls or small neighbourhood shops. They serve to build and strengthen the character of local communities, and also help to preserve the arts, crafts and also cuisine that form a part of our cultural heritage. More importantly, these local traditional enterprises all share humble beginnings. Their very existence reminds us daily that as long as one is determined and prepared to work hard, any self-reliant Singaporean can make a decent, honest living. Thus, more importantly, the third tier enterprises also create jobs.”
“I am glad that we are realistic and bold enough to have a deficit budget. Whatever the amount, it is still an effort to deal with the current economic situation. I also strongly support the idea of the Ministerial Committee on Services headed by Deputy Prime Minister Lee, and having Minister of State, Mr Raymond Lim, to take charge of the Government's effort to encourage entrepreneurship in Singapore. I congratulate the Ministry of Manpower for setting up a statutory board for Continuing Education and Training to coordinate training and employment assistance efforts for workers. We are indeed facing challenging and difficult times. We see greater global competition, retrenchments, unemployment and restructuring. It must be one of the most difficult times for us since independence. I am confident that we will pull through this period just as successfully. I say this because in the last 35 years, we have diligently built up our competencies. Singapore itself is a reputable brand. Our competencies reside in our GLCs, our advanced technologies, our local businesses, our SMEs, our educated workforce and our management expertise. I think we should not feel sorry for our strong GLCs and also our strong management expertise. This is our comparative advantage. Our growth has been described as a miracle. 35 years ago, without any resources, we succeeded. Today, we have built up so much experience and expertise, we have no reason not to continue to succeed. To move forward, we must all consolidate our competencies. ERC has not left any stone unturned, and the Government has accepted the ERC's recommendations. So, instead of pointing fingers at each other, we must now find ways to work hard and fast together.”
“In my opinion, there are also other opportunities in other services if we can get enough training funds and trainers, eg, assistant teachers in special education schools, more administrative support for schools, more estate management staff in hospitals. The older and more mature retrenched workers can be trained as para-counsellors too, so that they can help families in crisis. I am concerned that we do not forget the number of workers with inactive CPF accounts. I think Dr Jennifer Lee has also brought this up - the self-employed, the homemakers and some disabled members. For the homemakers and disabled, this will be an even harder time to return to or enter into the workforce for the first time. Some of them may have dependants with them. I think we should not forget that they would be finding it difficult. Also, how do we keep them on the radar screen? The Minister for Finance has also offered rebates to help residents, based on house types. That is well and good. Perhaps, may I also suggest that we go a little bit further and take into account retrenched residents who may have a tough time finding a job, because they may be living in 5-room flats, etc, so that they can enjoy such rebates at least for a while longer. Lastly, much has been said yesterday about a budget deficit. I think we can live with one, as it is more humane to help people get along with their lives, and it is also the right thing to do. The right thing to do here also is to be mindful of the charities scene, as hard-hitting times usually mean less money flowing to beneficiaries. With that, I support the Budget Statement. Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon (Jurong): Mdm Deputy Speaker, I rise in support of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance's Budget for FY 2003.”
“Sometimes, in a far-reaching event like this that we are faced with today, when we have to go through the process of retrenchment, it is also good to relook at the processes within a company, to see whether they have been cost-effective enough from top-down. If not, perhaps it is time to have certain guidelines for public and private institutions that will ensure longer term employability for a good workforce that is keen to keep up with skills training, rather than the bottom-end paying the price for the top-end, or for bad cost-effective structures that were put into place in the company. The other concern I have about job shedding is: how many of our employers have really explored job sharing and flexi-time management schemes before the decision to shed workers was arrived at? Perhaps, such an accountability, that this has not really worked, will help us to understand why quite a number of workers have had to lose their job. This is also perhaps a good time for such companies to be persuaded to pick up such schemes and to put them in place. Many companies have, for a long time, felt they do not want to get into these schemes because they are messy, they complicate administrative processes, especially job sharing and flexi-time. Next, I applaud the initiatives of South West CDC and North East CDC in their joint ventures with various Ministries to retrain retrenched workers into child minders and into caring for the elderly. These are, right now, gaps in our services. To fill up that gap with people who do need jobs, retrain them is an excellent idea.”
“But what is more important is the daily interaction within the office space, eg, how the middle or top management layer or even the immediate line supervisor reacts to the worker in the field, what are the suggestions that are taken on board, because each suggestion is a creative process. But we do tend to fall into this trap of a box. When it is time to think WITS, we wear our creative hats. Outside of WITS, we think of how can we follow the rules. Rules are guidelines to direct an outcome in a consistent manner. Perhaps, sometimes it is good to follow what I heard from a certain CEO: "Just go ahead and do it. If it is wrong, then ask for forgiveness later." So, being bound by rules, the fear of making mistakes has crippled quite a lot of us into not being able to think creatively. I think the Minister of State for Entrepreneurship will have to take this on-board in how to make us less fearful of making mistakes. In my view, this has become one big dampener in trying to create an environment that will help people to think differently and try out new areas. My third point is with regard to job losses and retrenchments. Like Mdm Halimah, I am concerned if enough has already been done internally within an institution first before the decision to shed jobs was arrived at. One example I can think of here is Ikea's philosophy. For a long time, they have always looked at wanting to make their furniture affordable to the income bracket that they are targeting at, ie, the middle income earners. One way that they have gone about doing it is to ensure that even top management staff do travel economy class.”
“An employee-demand on programmes cuts through this problem also of encouraging workers to attend training courses and help them to take total ownership over their whole career. Let me also qualify that I make this suggestion in the hope that it can be applied with a greater thrust to the younger workers right now who are more nimble and can ascertain for themselves what they want where their work life processes are concerned. In this aspect, I also endorse what has been raised by Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, especially when it concerns the younger workers, that we do not think about it anymore as an end-point of retirement age at 55 or 62. The earlier we put such practices into reality for younger workers, perhaps it will not be so severe for them in a world that is making more demands day by day. Much has already been said about Mr Sim Wong Hoo's piece entitled "NUTS" and the need to nurture creativity and entrepreneurship. I would just like to add one important point of view here. I feel strongly that more space must be created by middle and top management levels to allow workers to try out new initiatives. What do I mean by "space"? It is important to allow for mistakes to happen. Hopefully, it will not be too costly, but part of that creative process is to make mistakes. In finding new solutions, when it comes to mistakes, that in itself is a creative process. It is easy for institutions and companies to be lulled into a state of complacency when many of their employees are in WITS programmes and other sub-committees. That is fine and well.”
“However, my concern here is: is this information going down to the retrenched worker or any worker, so that he knows what is this buffet of courses that is available, and what each of these courses gives him in terms of a better job prospect or a better skill-based kind of training that will take him further? Therein lies my main concern. The changing dynamics facing a worker today puts more onus on the worker than the employer to know what is out there, to pick up the courses that are relevant to him to make him a better worker and, more importantly, relevant, so that he can feed himself and his family. In this case, it is gender-neutral. I am talking primarily about a change in mindset, in how we administer these training programmes. If ownership is in the hands of the employee, then he or she can attend training courses with the blessings of the company. For this to work, it is important to develop independent industry-focused career development units, rather than company-based human resource development units. This way, the worker can be counselled on his particular industry, beyond the company's needs. To expect employers to work out good strategies for employee development can only go so far, as the employer will, at the end of the day, be more interested in his or her own profits for the company. Though the Ministry of Manpower and the unions have enforced a number of good practices where development/enhancement of workers is concerned, at the end of the day, the sourcing and development of new programmes is not happening fast enough, as it has been dictated by the demands of the employer.”
“Thank you, Mdm Deputy Speaker, for allowing me to join in this debate. I will not belabour on some of the points already raised in this House over the Budget, except to say that I fully support the calls made earlier to make sites more affordable for businesses to thrive, to look deep into what brands Singapore and makes us unique in this area in a globalised world, and to identify what are the key performance indicators. To follow up on what the Senior Minister of State, Mr Khaw Boon Wan's point that we believe truly that we do not confuse us being good with what really makes us great, because that affects our performance and how we aspire. Having said that, I would like to raise three main points. Firstly, on training and retraining programmes. It is commendable that the Government is pumping $500 million into the Lifelong Learning Fund, bringing the total to $1.5 billion. It is equally commendable that the Ministry of Manpower has also pumped more money into the Skills Redevelopment Programme. These are pro-active measures. However, sometimes one has to be a little bit cautious in getting consoled over sheer numbers. The programmes we have are: (a) Skills Redevelopment Programme; (b) NTUC Education and Training Fund that provides union members training; (c) IT Literacy courses to equip workers with IT skills; (d) BEST/WISE programmes; (e) Critical Enabling Skills Programme; (f) Certification courses for those in technical fields; and (g) Workskills Training Programme, etc. The list is quite long, the website is quite interesting.”
“In the Minister's concluding remarks on the Pedra Branca matter, he said that the consequences for both countries would be costly. Could he clarify what exactly is meant by that statement? In terms of our navy and air force around the Pedra Branca area, I think they face continual agitation from the Malaysian forces. Could the Minister enlighten us on what are the instructions given to them in such instances?”
“Does the Ministry consider benchmarking itself against the Ministry of Defence because it is very effective in tracking, in knocking on doors, and getting guys to enlist for National Service?”
“For year 2003, how would improvements be done in the area of locating the pupils?”
“Could the Senior Minister of State please enlighten as to how many home visits were done, whether the officers were accompanied by any other officers to aid them when doors were not opened?”
“In the absence of a good role model where parents are concerned, how can such a child get a form of readmission into a school? Secondly, would the Ministry of Education consider - although it is a very small problem, it is cumulative year by year - whether there could be an interface kind of school, perhaps falling back on the old model of the SAF Boys' School, or an equivalent for girls?”
“Sir, two supplementary questions, please. As regards those who have been helped with the $50 through the CCC's visits, could we know the number of people who have been helped, because they could not even afford the $50? The other question that I have is on the almost 10,000 people - the 1-roomers, 2-roomers and residents of welfare homes. The Deputy Prime Minister spoke about arrangements. What exactly are these arrangements? And if they do not have $50, is it possible to help them in other ways?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I just have two questions in relation to this revised package. There was a story in the papers about the VWOs and how GST is imposed on the funds raised. I would like to know how, since 1999, the Government grant has stopped to offset such GST hikes on the donations raised by the VWOs. In this current climate when I think the charity dollar is stretched even more, how can the VWOs be helped where GST is concerned? Secondly, is it possible, perhaps in the year 2004, to consider splitting the GST into taxes on essentials and non-essentials, similar to what is practised in Britain? I am also looking at the offset package grant to CCCs - $15 million spread over five years, which means about $3 million - for quite a number of people. There is already a lot of generosity, but I still wonder whether in the current climate it is perhaps still not too sufficient.”
“With that, I would say that sometimes our obsession with saving face and not wanting to make mistakes, as a cultural norm too, can thwart the progress of such a proposal.”
“On this issue of the teachers and students, those who are already in the classrooms right now, how are they going to be trained where the training hours are concerned, because we have just got our first group of 'A' level students who are sitting for their 'A' level examination under the revised syllabus? And the teachers have just adjusted to the revised syllabus. I am concerned about who is monitoring this and how will teachers cope with trying to vacillate between two systems, the revised syllabus for the 'A' levels at present as well as the 2006 curriculum that is coming. I would like to hear some kind of a plan or programme in this aspect. It is wonderful to have specialised tools to cater to students who want to excel in sports, the arts, etc. But I also wonder, if by this proposal, we are very keen in opening the window and letting students come up with a path that suits them best, why are we not opening the sports school to students from the Normal (Academic) stream or the Normal (Technical) stream? Such students will learn much from the discipline of sports to excel also in the academic curriculum with much help from such a school. So it is a little bit beyond me to understand. On one hand, in summary, there is this proposal, a very good exciting one, and yet there are these few things around this proposal that can run the risk of subverting these good intentions. Lastly, such a proposal, to be successful - and I personally hope that it will succeed - cannot act in isolation. Society too needs to embrace this proposal, understand what it means for them as individuals - parents, students or teachers - and, with that understanding, force themselves not to be over-eager, not to be so kiasu, as we normally call it, and to give this a chance to breathe.”
“Likewise, the university admission criteria will have to be readjusted. Next, the Centralised Institutes. There are 1,063 students who attend the Centralised Institutes. They have a good record of being able to send quite a number of their students to university. My fear here is, under the present 2006 curriculum that is supposed to come, can our students from these Centralised Institutes cope with such high demands? It might be a better idea to take the lower end of the junior college intake, perhaps the 19 pointers and the 20 pointers, fill them with the students from the Centralised Institutes and put them under a college programme whereby these efforts are intensified, and they have a better chance of surviving the 'A' levels which we all know is going to get a bit more stressful, and make it to university. Because, by 2006, in my opinion, it can be quite out of sync for them. I have a few concerns where implementation is concerned. One of them is the revised curriculum that is to be written. I have some questions. Who would be the planners? What is their expertise? What are their specialist areas? And what kind of training? On the training of teachers, much has been said - Dr Amy Khor has spoken on it and I am echoing that - quite a number of the teacher trainees, who now go through the National Institute of Education, are students who have come through this programme of being quite examination-smart. How are we going to retrain them within the next four years such that we can open up their minds to start thinking more creatively and critically? Could we have some assurance on both the numbers as well as the quality where teacher training is concerned?”
“90% is a good, big average that we have looked after, as what was said, and that a lot of our students now are well equipped to converse in English. This is laudable. I do feel that while it is a good place to arrive at when we are in a global world with demands that are becoming greater, we also have to relook at the quality and think about, besides the numbers appearing at 'O' levels and the numbers who are passing through the language courses, the quality of our students. One trend that I personally find disturbing is the number of students who are now ending in the Normal (Academic) stream, not to say that that is a wrong stream. But when we first started with small numbers, I think, today, it is three out of every eight students. And it begs the question that, while we review and do better for the top, offering choices, etc, should we not go further back and try and see what are the trends where quality is concerned? So I am hoping that the review will cover that because, like what was said before, fixing the top is well and good and needs to be done. But the group that is feeding the top too needs to be given better vitamins, etc. On this whole issue on the importance of the mother tongue, again, back at JC curriculum level, a lot of our students have become, through 10 years of education, quite well emplaced in their proficiency where mother tongue is concerned. May I suggest that perhaps it is a better idea that we offer a second language, with not the high rigours of a mother tongue at the JC level, that makes them become a global citizen, whether it be something for the region, or something across, and that should give them more language-based skills as well as not to overload them with the mother tongue emphasis.”
“If we do not change the appraisal scheme, making it perhaps even an open appraisal scheme whereby teachers and principals negotiate what they mean by teaching a student to be creative, what they mean by teaching a student to be critical, these are intangibles in a lot of ways, how are we going to measure that and give due credit to teachers so that they do not get demoralised for the efforts that they put in but can continue and buy in into what this recommendation is all about? In conclusion, for this aspect of what I am talking about, I feel that I would have been most comforted if there is an assurance that these three areas are going to be in sync, in tandem or aligned with what this report sets out to do. Like the others, Dr Amy Khor, Mr Iswaran and Dr Jennifer Lee, I too feel that, while tackling the top, I have got no quarrels with making the system better for the top 25%. I feel that it is equally important to handle the lower primary. I wish that, in the same nine months, this same Committee, or another, could look into reviewing the curriculum, etc, for pupils from Primary 1 to Primary 3. They are the years that really give the child the fundamentals in language skills and in Arithmetic. There are good programmes like LSP and ENABLE. But still, where language skills are concerned, for the demands that are coming up, can we equip our children well enough? So this has to be in tandem too, that we try and fix the lower primary classes as well as the upper end. So I am hoping that that too is on the cards and will surface perhaps quite soon. I heard the Minister of State, Dr Ng Eng Hen, and also Minister Teo Chee Hean, on how we have come very far and how we have helped our students to come along.”
“Such a resource library of information for parents to choose and for students to choose what they would like to pursue will be a clear signal that we are giving to society as to what we are putting emphasis on. Another side effect of the ranking scheme, at present, is that a lot of polytechnic students end up having remedial classes in additional Mathematics because they have been encouraged to drop it, or it was not offered. So the breadth is important if we want things to happen according to this Review Committee's proposals. And ranking, in my opinion, is a stumbling block and can also subvert what the Ministry is trying to do. So it becomes quite ironical. Next, university admission criteria. Changes are already happening and it is heartening. However, like Mdm Ho Geok Choo, I too wonder whether the project work could have a higher weightage, and the 'A' levels themselves, instead of 75%, should come down a bit lower. The interviews at universities should play an important role so that we can assess whether the student is capable of whatever the outcome that we are trying to measure the student for. Next, teachers' appraisals. It is common knowledge that teachers are appraised on the kind of results that they bring back where their students are concerned. It is quite a major criterion, talking to teachers and principals. They do tell you that it plays a part and, in some cases, a big part. Appraisal of teachers is then linked to performance bonuses and teachers themselves are drawn into this scheme.”
“These have to be in tandem and aligned with the outcomes of this new review where the curriculum is concerned. If we are expecting our students to perform according to these indicators, whatever the outcomes be, then likewise we should be following that through with an appraisal scheme, whether it is appraised in schools, whether it means admitting students into university or appraising teachers in tandem. Let me just go back to an old issue that has come up in Parliament many, many times, in the media and, I am sure, in many feedback sessions - the great ranking scheme. It has always been based on pure academics, whether it is the value-added side, or whether it is just the schools or JCs, they are ranked according to the academic achievements of the students. Perhaps this has led to, at the ground level, a lot of us sacrificing what is the learning process and going just for the score. Let me just give an example. As a former teacher trying to persuade students or coming to that kind of conflict, whether I should persuade a student to drop Literature because the grades are not there, or whether I should let the student continue, it is a tough scheme to be up against the system that does not encourage the breadth that we are right now seeking when we are interested only in the scores. So I am heartened by this recommendation. But I also wish the ranking scheme can be reviewed as part of that recommendation. What I would like to see, and this has been suggested before, is the schools and junior colleges listed in alphabetical order with perhaps five stars for particular strengths, be they in Sciences, Moral Education or whatever, and three stars for internship programmes.”
“Thank you, Speaker, Sir, for letting me join in the debate. I rise in support of the motion and also to raise a few concerns. I found the Education Review Committee's report on the Upper Secondary/Junior College curriculum well-placed in wanting to give students a breadth in knowledge as well as depth in subjects that they hold dear. I was particularly excited by the subject 'Knowledge and Inquiry', seeing it as an opportunity to introduce modules, such as certain aspects of university 101 courses, such as anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, management skills, or perhaps best practices, and mass communication skills. I am keen on this widening of the curriculum as long as long as it holds true to what I see as a key operational phrase in the report - giving students the "space to pursue". I think it is pivotal that we give them the space and the time to learn, to redefine, to review, and the whole process repeats itself again. That is part of the initiative to which I think individuals can pick up those skills to become confident in coming up with new ideas. On a larger scale, I see this initiative as something that is very important to our society because it is giving a clear signal that perhaps from maybe 2006, or from now on, we are placing a larger emphasis on the value of learning, the process of learning, rather than just the facts. So I commend and congratulate the Committee for coming up with such a proposal. It is going to take some time for people to shift their gears into understanding what it all means at the ground level. Coming now to the concerns, primarily, I would have been most comforted if the report had also engaged itself on the ranking scheme, the university admission criteria and the appraisal scheme for teachers.”
“Sir, I have to go back to it. I still see a disparity between being single, wanting to work and getting a maid just to look after an elderly person or sibling. Why can the single person not enjoy tax relief for employing a maid for that very purpose? Sir, I am sorry but I have to get back to it. Mr Lim Hng Kiang: Sir, obviously, we are not communicating. If you are single and you want to work, there is no problem. Go and work. If you are married and you want to work and you have responsibilities with the family - whether looking after the house or looking after children - this is where the maid relief comes in. If you say that you need a maid to look after handicapped parents or handicapped siblings, as I said, there are reliefs too. If you are single and want to work, nobody is stopping you from working.”
“The question is about singles. A single person could be a case where he or she cannot go to work unless he or she has a maid to look after an elderly parent. Should this not be equally applied irregardless of status?”
“Sir, can I ask the Minister whether there is a disparity if a married person is looking after an elderly person, employs a maid and gets tax relief versus a single person? It seems there is a disparity. Would the Minister like to comment, please?”
“Sir, certain households have two maids. Can I ask the Minister of State, in his review, to perhaps consider a higher levy for the second maid?”