Chan Chun Sing
Singapore
“Since 2002, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has worked with the autonomous universities (AUs) to establish arrangements that minimise disruption to National Servicemen (NSmen) who are pursuing full-time studies up to the undergraduate level, while meeting the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF's) operational and training needs.”
“Secondments help to build up the range of competencies and work experiences of public officers to strengthen their longer-term employment relevance and resilience. The Public Service Division's guideline to agencies is to support public officers even while they are on secondment.”
“The priority of our National Servicemen must be their military duties and operational training, to meet the Singapore Armed Forces's (SAF's) operational requirements.”
“In January 2026, I had informed this House that the Government had convened an independent committee to conduct a review of the political salary framework that was laid out in 2012. The Committee has completed the review and submitted its recommendations to the Government in April.”
“All countries seek to develop mutually beneficial partnerships, and the United States-Indonesia Major Defence Cooperation Partnership is one such example.”
“Since the Singapore Armed Forces Volunteer Corps (SAFVC) was established in 2014, over 1,500 men and women have completed training and served as SAFVC Volunteers (SVs). Presently, there are about 1,100 in-service SVs, comprising 52% male and 48% female. About seven in 10 of our in-service SVs are new Citizens or Permanent Residents.”
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“The Health Promotion Board (HPB) partners food establishments to increase the availability and accessibility of healthier options under the Healthier Dining Programme – these are not just for students, but for all consumers. In schools, food and beverages sold in canteens, cafes and vending machines are required to comply with HPB's Healthy Meals in Schools Programme guidelines. As part of the school curriculum, students are also taught the importance of healthy eating, to adopt healthier eating habits and make healthier food choices.”
“The Ministry of Education and schools have measures to ensure the safety and well-being of students and staff during times of hot temperatures, for daily lessons and physical activities, both in and out of classrooms. These measures are calibrated and aligned with whole-of-Government advisories. In the event of a heatwave, additional measures will be implemented. For example, schools will regularly monitor the region-specific Heat Stress Levels and adjust their outdoor activities accordingly. They may reduce the intensity of the activities, reschedule them to cooler parts of the day, incorporate more frequent rest and water breaks or even suspend outdoor physical activities.”
“From 2027, the Ministry of Education (MOE) will introduce structured rotations for officers who have served as senior Key Personnel (KPs) for more than eight years in the same school. This includes Heads of Departments, School Staff Developers, Year Heads and Lead Teachers. Rotations will allow these KPs to gain new experiences and contribute to other schools. Schools can defer rotations for a small number of senior KPs to mitigate disruptions. All senior KPs can apply for a posting to any MOE school with vacancies through MOE's internal posting exercise. MOE and school leaders will also help senior KPs identify suitable postings, where needed.”
“Post-Presidential Election 2023 (PE2023), the Elections Department individually informed 174,466 voters who were in our records as not having voted at the PE2023 (non-voter) to restore his/her name to the Registers of Electors. As of end March 2024, 104,355 non-voters applied to restore their names to the Registers of Electors, of which 1,563 claimed that they had voted at the 2023 Presidential Election. All applications for restoration were successful. The Elections Department will continue to remind non-voters to restore their names to the Registers of Electors through press releases and notifications via Singpass.”
“Prior to the release of the latest Tripartite Guidelines, flexible work arrangements (FWAs) have already been made available to public officers. These arrangements include staggered work hours, part-time work options and telecommuting. Officers and their agencies may agree on the suitable FWAs, taking into account the officers' personal needs and the agencies' operational considerations. The Public Service welcomes greater adoption of FWAs in the Public Service as we strive to help public officers better balance work and personal responsibilities (for example, caregiving duties), while continuing to uphold our duties and service to the public.”
“ServiceSG Centres currently provide over 500 services across over 20 agencies to citizens. ServiceSG adopts a few strategies to address the demand for its services. First, it seeks to pre-empt a spike in demand by taking measures to proactively anticipate and address citizens' needs, working closely with agencies. For instance, during the annual tax filing this year, ServiceSG supported the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore to organise tax filing educational workshops for gig workers, delivery workers, taxi and private hire car drivers. This helps to reduce walk-in demands. Secondly, ServiceSG augments its workforce with volunteers. ServiceSG has initiated a “Community Kaki” programme, where senior volunteers assist with straightforward digital transactions and teach seniors how to transact digitally. Currently, 26 Community Kakis are deployed across our centres, with highly positive feedback from residents. Volunteers from within the Public Service are sometimes also recruited and deployed to assist with peaks in demand. Despite the high demand for its services, ServiceSG consistently achieves high levels of satisfaction from citizens. ServiceSG will continue to work across the Public Service to synchronise efforts and resources to ensure ServiceSG Centres are adequately resourced to serve citizens effectively.”
“The Member may refer to the Parliamentary Questions answered on 22 November 2023 and 6 February 2024 pertaining to reviews on benefits for public officers. [Please refer to "Breakdown of Senior Civil Servants on Superscale Grades", Official Report, 22 November 2023, Vol 95, Issue 117, Written Answers to Questions section; and "Schedule for Review of Pensions and Benefits of Retired Public Service Officers", Official Report, 6 February 2024, Vol 95, Issue 121, Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer not Answered by End of Question Time section.] There is no fixed schedule for the review of medical and dental benefits. The Government continually considers the adequacy of our overall compensation and benefits package, taking into account factors, such as the cost of healthcare, fiscal prudence as well as other national policies.”
“All the 12 new schools built in the past 10 years were designed to allow for the sharing of their sports facilities with the community. Eight of these schools are already onboard the Dual-Use Scheme (DUS) administered by SportSG, which allows the community to use the sports facilities. The remaining four schools will be onboard by the end of 2024. Most DUS facilities are available for public use during the weekends, when schools have less need for the facilities. However, schools may open up their DUS facilities for public use after school hours on weekdays, depending on their circumstances and needs.”
“There was no significant trend in students getting heat injuries between November 2023 and April 2024. One heat-related incident was reported during this period. The student has since recovered after four days of medical leave. Schools encourage students to keep themselves hydrated throughout the day but do not mandate schedules for hydration breaks. Students are taught to cultivate good hydration habits and drink regularly to keep hydrated.”
“Under the law, the Prime Minister appoints the Returning Officer (RO). As the RO oversees the conduct of elections, the RO should be a senior public officer with relevant experience, such as having held a senior election appointment in previous elections.”
“The Ministry of Education (MOE) last increased funding for Non-Tamil Indian Language instruction in 2017. MOE reviews our funding regularly to support the provision of quality instruction to meet the learning needs of our students. We last reviewed our funding in 2022 and assessed it to be adequate.”
“Over the past three years, around 7% of each Pre-University 1 student cohort took the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). There are currently no plans to allocate more places to the IBDP, as the GCE "A" Level programme remains relevant as a national curriculum. We will continue to review this regularly.”
“These comprised about 67,000 parents and 22,000 school staff across 127 schools. These are parents who had signed up to manage the DMA functions in their child's personal learning device at home; and school staff who use the DMA to manage students' personal learning devices in schools. MOE sent an email to all of them on the evening of 19 April. In the email, we explained to them what the leaked information could be used for so that they can be more prepared if they encounter phishing or scam attempts. We also lodged a police report on this incident. MOE takes a serious view of this incident. Our IT service providers are contractually obligated to take reasonable measures to protect personal data against loss and unauthorised access. MOE has registered our deep dissatisfaction with MG over this incident. We have asked MG to appoint a forensic investigator to evaluate its systems and processes and provide recommendations to prevent a recurrence. Investigations are ongoing. Appropriate actions will be taken should there be breaches of contractual obligations. To safeguard our IT systems, MOE conducts independent audits and regular cybersecurity testing. We will continue to place emphasis on user education and ongoing vigilance to ensure that our IT systems remain secure.”
“On 12 April, MG received an email that an unauthorised individual had gained access to MG's management portal. This email was considered a phishing email, until MG received a subsequent email on 16 April. In the second email, the individual showed evidence of access to MG's management portal and attempted to solicit money in exchange for keeping silent that the individual had been able to access MG's management portal. MG acted on this second alert and worked to establish the extent of access and customers affected. This included suspending all administrative accounts that could be used to access MG's management portal. MOE was notified by MG on 17 April late night of this incident, as well as the enhanced security measures implemented by MG on its management portal. MOE learned from MG's preliminary investigations that an unauthorised individual had gained access to a support account on MG's management portal. MG's assessment was that the unauthorised individual could have used the compromised account to view the information of customers based in the United States and the Asia Pacific region, including Singapore. The Cyber Security Agency and GovTech supported MOE in the investigation of the incident. MG had assessed that the compromised support account was primarily attributed to poor password management practice and not the result of the unauthorised individual exploiting vulnerabilities in MG's systems. Nevertheless, MOE conducted security checks and found no suspicious activity on MOE's DMA portal nor any indications that MOE's DMA had been compromised. As a proactive measure, MOE decided to communicate with all users whose names and email addresses can be accessed by the MG management portal.”
“This response addresses Parliamentary Questions for Oral Answer Nos 25 to 27 and Questions for Written Answer Nos 28 to 31, filed for 7 May 2024 Parliament Sitting. Members have asked the Ministry of Education (MOE) about the data breach incident caused by unauthorised access to Mobile Guardian's management portal, how MOE has supported affected parties and the steps MOE has taken since the incident. Let me first provide some information on Mobile Guardian (MG). MG, is one of two companies engaged by MOE to provide Device Management Application (DMA) solutions on Personal Learning Devices used by students. The DMA helps schools and parents manage students' device use. For example, parents can use the DMA to set screen time limits on their child's personal learning device. The use of MG's DMA for Chromebooks and iPads was decided through an open tender in 2020. The company holds the ISO27001 certification, an internationally recognised standard for information security management systems and is engaged by over 2,500 schools in over 50 countries worldwide. Let me now talk about MG's management portal, which experienced an incident of unauthorised access. The management portal is used for administrative purposes, such as account licensing and providing technical support. The management portal has access to the following information: name of user; email address; time zone; school name; and the user role – that is, whether the user is a parent or school staff. MG's management portal does not have the ability to change any configuration on students' personal learning devices. It is also not connected to any MOE or Government IT systems. Hence, MOE and Government IT systems have not been compromised.”
“Over the past five years, around 200 students on the GEP were admitted to Secondary 1 via the Direct School Admission Exercise for Secondary Schools (DSA-Sec) each year. This is a small proportion of the total student cohort of 3,800 which are admitted via DSA-Sec every year.”
“In the last five years, more than 95% of students have met the minimum MTL requirement – that is, at least D7 for O-Level Mother Tongue Language (MTL) – for admission to Junior Colleges (JC) or Millennia Institute (MI) with the mid-year sitting. Any grade improvement for those who took the second sitting only changed the post-Secondary posting outcomes for less than 2% of the cohort who took the O-Level MTL examinations. Under Full Subject-based Banding, students have greater flexibility to learn MTL at different subject-levels. They can meet the minimum MTL requirement for entry into JC or MI based on their results in G1 or G2 MTL, beyond just G3 or Higher MTL. Students who do not meet the MTL requirement can continue to be granted provisional admission to JC or MI. With the MTL sitting in September under the SEC examination, schools have given feedback that students will benefit from more curriculum time for MTL learning. Students, in particular, appreciated the spacing out of their examination load with the written papers for MTL and EL scheduled approximately one month ahead of other subjects.”
“Students in all primary and secondary schools learn financial literacy through age-appropriate and relevant concepts and content which are infused into various subjects. For example, primary school students are taught basic concepts, such as differentiating between needs and wants, spending within their means, as well as the value of thrift and accumulating savings, through Character and Citizenship Education lessons. In secondary schools, students learn about simple financial planning and responsible use of credit. To complement the Ministry of Education's financial literacy curriculum, students also take part in programmes and outreach activities organised by MoneySense, our national financial education programme.”
“The Tuition Grant Scheme supports international students to study in Singapore, by defraying part of the cost of the school fees. Tuition Grant recipients nevertheless continue to pay fees which are higher than that for Singaporean students. As students, they contribute to the vibrancy of the learning environment and student life in our Institutes of Higher Learning. In return for the Tuition Grant, recipients are bonded to work in Singapore after graduation for three years to contribute to our economy. A proportion of them go on to contribute to Singapore as Permanent Residents and naturalised Singapore Citizens. For those who eventually leave Singapore, they continue to be part of our valuable global network, through friendships and economic links forged here. The contributions of Tuition Grant recipients to Singapore as well as to our students are both qualitative and quantitative.”
“The Ministry of Education (MOE) expects our educators to uphold the integrity of the profession and live up to the trust placed in them. MOE will not hesitate to take disciplinary action against those who fail to adhere to our standards, including dismissal from service. Beginning teachers are reminded about MOE's zero tolerance approach to drug-related offences before they start teaching in schools. In the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), staff are briefed about their institutions' Codes of Conduct and regulations, which include respect for the rule of law. Teachers are also regularly reminded that they are expected to comply with MOE's Code of Professional Conduct for Educators, which includes reporting colleagues whom they suspect of abusing drugs. MOE works closely with the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) on outreach efforts to our educators in our public education institutions. In schools and IHLs, staff are appointed as DrugFreeSG Champions to advocate against drug abuse. CNB and MOE have also been engaging school leaders and educators through various Preventive Drug Education platforms to strengthen anti-drug abuse messaging.”
“Tuition fees in our Autonomous Universities (AUs) are differentiated by citizenship, with international students paying higher fees than Singapore Citizen students for the same course. The annual tuition fees can be found on the AUs' websites. Students pay fees to the AUs and the total amount of fees paid is dependent on the student enrolment in an academic year. The Ministry of Education (MOE) does not collect this data. The bulk of MOE's $2.65 billion budget for AUs in FY2024 will go towards supporting the education of Singapore Citizens. International students at the AUs receive lower subsidies than Singapore Citizens. International students also form a small proportion of the total undergraduate student population (about 10%1 ) at our AUs. [Please refer to "Full-fee Paying vs Tuition Grant-receiving Non-Singaporean Students in Government-funded Autonomous Universities", Official Report, 12 September 2022, Vol 95, Issue 67, Written Answers to Questions section.]”
“The Ministry of Education trains and deploys School Counsellors based on our students' counselling needs. Students with milder needs can be supported by teachers and peers. Schools also tap on resources in the community, such as the Response, Early Intervention and Assessment in Community Mental Health (REACH) teams and Family Service Centres.”
“Schools monitor the school environment and student discipline closely; and take educative, preventive and intervention measures to address bullying incidents. To manage bullying, schools emphasise and explicitly teach pro-social behaviours. This includes students learning to be respectful and responsible users of technology; to look out for their peers and to speak up against any form of bullying. Schools also teach and facilitate the reporting of bullying. When bullying is reported, schools will investigate and mete out appropriate disciplinary actions. The process involves helping students to learn from the incident, correct their behaviours and restore relationships. Parents are engaged and students involved are provided with the necessary counselling support.”
“Reducing class sizes across the board would require a significantly larger teaching force and come at the expense of quality. This would not be sustainable given Singapore's local workforce constraints and growing demands in other sectors, such as healthcare. The Ministry of Education adopts a needs-based approach where more teaching resources are deployed for students with greater needs. This allows for smaller class sizes where it is needed. For example, the Learning Support Programme for lower primary students is conducted in pull-out classes of 8 to 10. With Full Subject-based Banding, Secondary school students attend different subject classes of between 20 to 40 students, depending on their learning needs and the number of students taking each subject. This targeted approach ensures we use our limited manpower resources prudently. We are leveraging technology to complement the capacity of our teachers and provide more focused support for students with different needs.”
“This question has been addressed in the response by the Minister for Education on the Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) Lesson on the Israel-Hamas Conflict at MOE's Committee of Supply Debate on 4 March 2024, which can be found on the Ministry of Education's (MOE's) website. The Member may refer to Paragraphs 13 to 21 on MOE's considerations when updating the lesson materials and incorporating sensitive issues in CCE lessons. [Please refer to "Committee of Supply – Head K (Ministry of Education)", Official Report, 4 March 2024, Vol 95, Issue 129, Budget section.]”
“As at 31 December 2023, the breakdown of public officers in the Ministries and Statutory Boards whose ages are (i) below 40 years old; (ii) 40 to 49 years old; (iii) 50 to 59 years old; (iv) 60 years old and above is 47%, 29%, 17% and 7%, respectively. The breakdown is largely similar across both Ministries and Statutory Boards. The proportions of officers on part-time work arrangements and on contracts of less than 1 year are around 1% respectively. There are about 2,300 and 3,400 re-employed officers above 63 years old, respectively, and almost all are working full-time.”
“We do not encourage students who have passed their A-Level examination to retake the examination in schools. After passing the A-Level examination, the students would already have a range of options in tertiary education, such as to courses in Autonomous Universities, as well as in Polytechnics, where they can be granted module exemptions. After entering the workforce, they also have opportunities to upskill and reskill through Continuing Education and Training programmes which are heavily subsidised. If a student wishes to retake the A-Level examination as a private candidate and requires financial support, he or she can approach the Social Service Office or other community organisations to explore if assistance can be offered.”
“The safety and well-being of our students and staff are a top priority in the planning and management of overseas trips. Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) and schools undertake risk assessment and consider information like travel advisories and guidance from the Ministry of Education and other Government agencies. IHLs and schools also conduct staff recce trips, where necessary. When there are adverse developments on the ground, IHLs and schools will adjust, postpone or cancel their plans as needed. IHLs and schools also obtain travel insurance, establish contingency and crisis management plans and provide students administrative and pastoral support prior to and during trips, including briefing them on safety precautions. All overseas trips organised by schools, polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education have accompanying staff to oversee the safety and well-being of students. Older students who go on overseas exchange programmes and internships of longer duration can consult on-site staff from the host institutions or companies. All trips are also e-registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), so that participants can receive timely updates on the ground. IHLs and schools work closely with Singaporean embassies and consulates in cases of emergencies.”
“Since the inception of the Capability Development Grant in 2014, eight training providers had used the Grant to make course accommodations for persons with disabilities, of which five are training providers in the disability or social sector. Notwithstanding this Grant take-up, the number of customised courses for persons with disabilities has increased from about 10 in 2014 to about 50 in 2023. SSG and SG Enable have and will continue to enhance course offerings for persons with disabilities. This includes encouraging training providers to apply for the Capability Development Grant to make course modifications or incorporate the use of assistive technology where applicable to suit different learning needs.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, my first response to Mr Leong's first comment is, "Please do not twist our words". I have never accused anyone in this House of being divisive. I said we have different views in our population and our job, as part of the CCE lessons, is to help people understand the differences, manage those differences, respect those differences, do it sensitively and work towards a more united future. That is what I said. On the second issue to Mr Leong's question, MOE is being more than transparent. We are not only prepared to show the parents the material, we are prepared to explain to the parents how the materials are used, rather than to just give a deck of slides which can be taken out of context. So, if anything, we are going out of our way to assure parents how we conduct the lessons, rather than just giving a set of slides, as has been proven in the previous episode where people took the slides out of context or took the slides selectively and made comments on it. So, I think the correct perspective is that MOE has been more than transparent in allowing our students and children not only to see the materials but also to explain to their parents how the lessons are conducted.”
“If there are constructive suggestions on how we can simplify the material to make it simpler, better, we welcome that. But I would caution against thinking that any one of us can come up with a set of materials that will satisfy everybody. And that is not our goal. Our goal is to understand that such differences exist and they have an emotive pull on different segments of our population in different directions. And our goal is to ask ourselves how to help our children navigate through these challenges, come to their conclusions, but, most importantly, not lose the peace and harmony that we have in this land. And it is a work that is in progress, a work that is very much in progress.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, on the first supplementary question, the offer stands. All our schools are prepared to engage parents who are concerned with the material. And so far, some schools have received such requests. Most of them have not received these requests. For those schools that have received these requests, they have engaged the parents. On the second question about consultation, yes, indeed, MOE consult various stakeholders, but I think we have to be clear when we use the word "consult", what do we mean? Do we mean to consult to do or not to do, or do we mean to consult on the content of what to do? And I can be sure, we all in this House can be sure, that in any consultation there will be a diversity of views of to do or not to do. Ultimately, consultation does not take away the leadership responsibility for us to decide what is right and necessary to do for our own society and our children. So, yes, we consult but, ultimately, we need to make that leadership decision. And that is our responsibility. Second, on whether we consult on the content, as I have said, in my parliamentary explanation on 4 March, this is not a history lesson and we welcome suggestions from all Members on how we can make the material more targeted, more suitable. But I will be the first one to admit that I think none of us, none of us, not even historians, will be able to come up with what would be considered a fair representation from everyone's perspective – and that is not our goal. As I have mentioned before, in my media interview, we are not here to adjudicate between the right and wrong of a conflict that has happened for many years, decades, if not centuries. Each and every one of us will judge the material from our own perspective and come to our conclusion to what is fair or not.”
“And I would like to end this off by sharing a vignette from my own sharing with my principals and CCE teachers when I personally, together with Second Minister Maliki, conducted the discussions with them in preparation for this module. One of my senior educators rose and spoke and reflected on this after we had an hour or more of sharing. She asked, "Minister, why is it that whenever something like that happens, you have to come and tell us and share with us? How long will it take us to develop those instincts to react together as one united Singapore, that we will not be pulled apart by different forces, from different directions?" It is poignant moment. I assured her that I did not expect – and I do not expect – all my educators to be experts in foreign policies; and it will take us time, and perhaps generations, for us to reach this stage, whereby we can respond as one united Singapore. But to do that, we have to first understand and appreciate that we are different. We have different backgrounds. We have different perspectives. And while we may be different in our outlook and perspectives, we can all share the same goal to unite and not let others divide us. That while we may not have a common past, we can all share a common future, with a shared sense of ethos of what it means to be Singaporean and not to be torn apart by other competing forces, which as Mr Sharael Taha said, there will be many more to come, perhaps closer to home. For Members who are interested, you may want to read a recent article by Gideon Rachman in the Financial Times. It talks about identity geopolitics, how different identities threaten to pull different communities and societies apart, in support of their respective causes.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank Mr Sharael Taha. Indeed, we share his views that this will not be the only sensitive, emotive issue that our students, and even our population, will come across in the days, weeks and years to come. That is the reason why we feel the importance to conduct the CCE lessons – to help our people understand their emotions, the diversity of perspectives within our society, help our students to learn to verify the information that they come across that is widely available on social media, help them to understand our national priorities, positions and interests. Most importantly, help them to take constructive and positive actions for the sake of our cohesion and harmony. And these are the reasons why we conduct the CCE lesson. So, I fully agree with Mr Sharael Taha. This may not be the one and only sensitive and emotive issue that we would have to deal with in the coming years. In fact, we can fully expect, as Mr Sharael Taha has mentioned, that there will be other equally, if not more challenging circumstances that we will have to deal with and allow our students a safe space to understand their emotions, grapple with the issues, verify the information they come across and to take positive actions. Fundamentally, in this House, we have to consider this: do we agree that this is an emotive and sensitive issue that can fray our social fabric and cohesion? Fundamentally, if we believe that, then do we agree that we have a leadership responsibility to guide our people, especially our young, to not allow this to affect our social cohesion and harmony? If we agree to both of these points, then we welcome constructive suggestions on how we can better support our teachers, principals who have stepped forward to execute this challenging task for our nation.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, all the three supplementary questions are related. And let me just say this. I have made a commitment to this House during my reply, where I said the following: the slides alone do not fully communicate how we teach the subject and we welcome parents with concerns to come and see the teachers, who will explain to them how the lesson is conducted. This is much better than just looking at the deck of slides without explanation. That is our stance. And this is how we intend to make available our teaching materials, including explanations to parents who are concerned.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, if I may continue, Ms Hazel Poa may refer to paragraphs 40 to 41 in the handout, on making the lesson materials public; and paragraph 9 as well as paragraphs 18 to 21, on the response of teachers and how we are supporting our teachers to deliver the lessons. Mr Leong Mun Wai may also refer to paragraphs 13 to 16 on how the lesson materials are customised for different levels of students. Mr Sharael Taha may refer to paragraph 36 on how teachers ensure a safe space for discussion of such issues, and paragraphs 28 to 31 and paragraph 51 on the lesson's intent for students to learn how to maintain our religious and racial harmony.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, these questions have been addressed in my response on the Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) Lesson on the Israel-Hamas Conflict at Ministry of Education's (MOE's) Committee of Supply (COS) Debate on 4 March 2024, which can be found on MOE's website. I understand that Mr Leong was absent during my speech and our subsequent discussion, while Ms Hazel Poa was around. So, with your permission, Mr Speaker, Sir, may I ask the Clerks to distribute the transcript of my response. Members may also access these materials through the MP@SGParl app.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I have your permission to take the next three Parliamentary Questions together, please?”
“The Ministry of Education does not track the number of learners with criminal records or criminal antecedents who undertook SkillsFuture courses. Under the national SkillsFuture movement, the Government is committed to providing all Singaporeans with the opportunities to develop to their fullest potential throughout life. To enhance ex-offenders' skills and career development opportunities, SkillsFuture Singapore works closely with Yellow Ribbon Singapore and training providers to provide skills training and employment facilitation for ex-offenders.”
“These questions have been addressed in the Ministry of Education's Committee of Supply debate on the Order Paper for the 4 March 2024 Sitting. [Please refer to "Committee of Supply – Head K (Ministry of Education)", Official Report, 4 March 2024, Vol 95, Issue 129, Budget section.]”
“The Ministry of Education does not track the number of students with criminal records or criminal antecedents admitted to the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs). IHLs assess all applicants based on their demonstrated abilities and/or interests. As part of the admissions process, IHLs ask applicants to declare any criminal antecedents. Such information is handled with strict confidence and is intended to help the IHLs extend pastoral care and support. Education and career counselling will also be provided where there are course-specific restrictions. The IHLs are committed to providing a safe learning environment for all students and staff.”
“These questions have been addressed in the Ministry of Education’s Committee of Supply Debate on 4 March 2024 Sitting. [Please refer to "Committee of Supply – Head K (Ministry of Education)", Official Report, 4 March 2024, Vol 95, Issue 129, Budget section.]”
“Over the last 10 years, about 18,800 or 30% of undergraduates and 2,300 or 3% of diploma students from our publicly-funded institutions tapped on Government loans to finance their tertiary studies each year. These Government loans are interest-free during the course of study, with interest commencing upon the borrower's graduation or leaving the institution. The interest rate for existing loans is pegged to the average prime lending rate of DBS, OCBC and UOB and is currently 4.75% per annum. As at September 2023, about 500 loans – or 2.6% of total number of outstanding loans due for repayment – have arrears of three months or more. Borrowers who face difficulty in servicing their loan repayments can make an appeal to defer their loan repayment. MOE will review the appeals on a case-by-case basis.”
“Secondary schools organised the Time Out Programmes to strengthen sense of belonging to school, improve student attendance, and raise at-risk students' confidence in learning. Disengaged students face various challenges, including challenging family circumstances, negative peer influence and lack of direction. MOE ceased the Time Out Programme in 2019 to rechannel the resources for schools to provide support for a broader spectrum of at-risk students, including those who are disengaged. For example, schools have after-school programmes, which focus on befriending and mentoring, strengthening peer relationships and self-management skills and interest-based activities, to strengthen students' connection to their schools. MOE has also deployed Student Welfare Officers (SWOs) in schools to engage students with irregular school attendance and to work with parents and school staff to reintegrate these students back to school. Beyond school-based support, schools also work with community partners, such as the Social Service Offices or Family Service Centres to address issues that the student may be facing at home.”
“Chair, I would like to make a distinction between sexuality education and CCE lessons. Sexuality education deals with very personal issues and families' beliefs, and so forth. For CCE issues, we are talking about people relating to one another respectfully and sensitively. It is not talking about the conflict. It is talking about if there are diversity of views, there are differences in view, and how we can manage to proceed as one. This is about interpersonal relations, about how we respond as fellow Singaporeans. The conflict itself is a context, but it is not the key part of it. The conflict, just like any other conflicts, may pull our people in different directions because of their different backgrounds and different beliefs. But the central part of the CCE is to go back to the four things that we mentioned. How do we help our students deal with their emotions when they are being bombarded by information all around, how to distinguish news, fake news, misinformation and others? How do we discuss things respectfully, given and notwithstanding our differences? How do we build a cohesive society amidst all these challenges? And I go back to what I said. We are a young nation. Our identity is being formed, and it is never easy because we can always be seen as part of some other larger civilisation forces. And our challenge is not to discard our past and build a new future without a past. Neither is our vision one whereby we all cling on to our past and have no common future. 1.15 pm We want the best of both worlds where we deeply understand our past and yet at the same time have a set of shared values, a set of ethos that can bring us forward together as Singaporeans, united as one.”
“But what is happening online is that this is then taken out of context to say that this is the MOE slide for everyone, including the junior college students. This is why I say we need to have confidence and trust in our teachers. Our teachers know their students, and they must be able to have some ability to communicate things with their students in the way that is best for them. I really appreciate the Member raising this issue because it is never MOE's intention to trivialise anything. The issue is already complicated enough. We do not need to add more complications to the issue.”
“And even if we do not conduct the lesson, the questions, as the Member said, are being asked by our students and our teachers must know how to respond, how to guide them to respond sensitively and respectfully. Fourth point: I will deal with the backlash from some of the public who make threats to our teachers. And as I have said in my statement just now, they have MOE's full support and we will also make sure that they have the full support of the law. But I truly, truly appreciate the support of Members of this House, because without your support, others might be emboldened to think that they can take advantage of our teachers, even if they do not agree with what we say, because the respect for our teachers is most important. They are doing a very challenging job. They are trying their best. They could have decided not to do this and we are no better off as a society. But the fact that they stepped forward, they do this for us, do this with us, let us do it with them, let us support them. A last point on the Samuel and Arun slide, there was this slide circulating in the deck that says that MOE trivialised the issue because we equated it with a football match. This was not in MOE's original deck. For those of you who are very good at detecting scams, you will know that the background of the slide is also different from the rest of the deck. But upon investigation, we found out that this particular slide was inserted in one particular school because there is a particular context for the teacher to take the initiative to help their students of this age group to relate to something that is more relatable to them. I do not fault the teachers for that. I think they tried their best.”
“Chair, let me respond to the five points. First point, indeed, I shared this with my principals personally, when we had our large group sharing in January. I said when we conduct this lesson, it is not to assign teachers just based on appointment. In fact, we need teachers who are able and willing, and are able to do this professionally. This is why, before they conducted the lessons, the principals and the school leaders had their own internal sessions with the teachers so that they can gauge who is able to do what and then, they can form the composite teams to do this effectively. Of course, as they do more, they will gather experience. In fact, one of the principals, during the large group sharing told us this, "We are so inexperienced in this aspect and we need to build our experience to facilitate sensitive conversations respectfully. We need to do this, but if we do not start, we will never be there." So, indeed, we want to make sure that the teachers do not impose their views and we do this as a session ourselves before we even do it with the students. On the second point, well noted. Yes, indeed, I have said in my reply that our record on the Palestine issues will be as part of the materials, but we are careful not to inundate the younger students with all the history. But for the older students who require these materials, these will be made available to them. Third, we are now in the process of updating the slides and also conducting further training with our teachers as we go along and this is our promise to everyone, that we will continue to do this as we go along. It is not possible for us to stop everything, because things are evolving.”
“Chair, I understand that Ms Hazel Poa was not in the Chamber when I gave my answer last Friday. Perhaps, it was a bit late. Maybe Ms Hazel Poa would like to go through what I have said and consider it. As I have said, every idea is not without merits. But every idea also has implications that we need to step through and those questions that I have raised and shared with this House remain. That is why MOE is carefully considering all these before we make such an important decision with serious implications for the students that will have to undergo this system. It is not about not giving choices to the parents. It is about how we support our students for the next 10 years, given their diverse abilities, given their diverse needs. Can we do all of these in one school? We already have challenges doing this in one system. So, the challenges are not trivial. And indeed, over time, we have expanded the Direct School Admissions (DSA) system to allow more dimensions of abilities beyond academic success. Ultimately, exams are but a means for us to help our students find the most appropriate environment to learn for the next stage. It is not a competition with others. It is always to surpass ourselves more than to surpass others.”
“For parents or the public who have concerns about this, we would rather meet them face-to-face and explain to them how the slides are used. Because we have tested this and no matter how we try to make the slides public or available, if it is done selectively without interpretation, we will still come back to the same issue. Every teacher must know their own students to customise their teaching accordingly. So, it is not a one-size-fits-all. But, yet, at the same time, we must protect our teachers to not have them be subjected to the pressures from all different sources to change the material according to their versions of the event. So, we find a balance between these two. I will encourage interested parties to contact us and let us go through with you how a lesson is conducted beyond just what is said in the slides.”