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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“To be clear, the Government maintains the position that voting in-person at polling stations remains the most transparent and secure method of voting that best ensures that each person wanting to vote can be accurately identified as an eligible voter and only votes once. However, we recognise that it may not be possible, for various reasons, for overseas Singapore Citizens to travel to one of the overseas polling stations or to return to Singapore to vote. With the introduction of postal voting, eligible Singapore citizens living, studying or working overseas will be able to mail in their votes even if there are travel disruptions or restrictions. As set out in clause 28 of the PEA Bill and clause 25 of the PrEA Bill, ELD intends to implement processes supported by technology to provide assurance on the integrity and secrecy of postal voting. Let me elaborate. With your permission, Mr Speaker, Sir, to help Members navigate the postal voting process, may I ask the Clerks to distribute a handout. Members may also access the handout through the MP@SG Parl mobile app.”
“Taking into account the feedback, clause 19 of the PEA Bill and clause 18 of the PrEA Bill empower the Returning Officer to make special polling arrangements in nursing homes, so that it is more convenient for voters who are in-patients or residents of nursing home to cast their votes there. These include setting up a special polling station within the premises of the nursing homes, and deploying mobile polling teams to collect ballot papers from bedbound voters in the nursing homes. The selection of nursing homes for special polling arrangements would consider factors such as the number of voters in the nursing home and the practicality of deploying the mobile polling teams, taking into account the resources required. For a start, ELD plans to pilot the special polling arrangements in nursing homes with more than 50 voters. This will involve 25 to 30 nursing homes and reach out to over 2,000 voters, about two-thirds of registered voters currently residing in nursing homes. The outcome of the pilot will help scope the provision of special polling arrangements at nursing homes for subsequent elections. The list of nursing homes selected for the pilot will be made public on Nomination Day, if the election is contested. Polling agents will be allowed to witness the conduct of polls at the nursing homes, to give candidates assurance on the integrity and secrecy of voting. Next, the Bills provide eligible Singaporeans residing overseas the option to vote by postal ballot. While there were suggestions to introduce postal voting in the past, we have not implemented this given the challenges associated with postal voting which is, after all, a form of remote voting. Members may ask if the Government has changed our position.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the amendments being proposed to the Parliamentary Elections Act. or PEA, and the Presidential Elections Act, or PrEA, are in line with the Elections Department’s, or ELD’s, continuous efforts to enhance our electoral processes and election administration. The amendments can be grouped into five categories. The first category seeks to improve voter access for overseas Singaporeans and Singaporeans residing in nursing homes. The second category updates the election advertising laws to support informed voting. The third category seeks to streamline the administration, as well as enhance accountability and transparency, of the election expenses regime. The fourth category seeks to clarify and improve election processes. The fifth category focuses on the amendments that apply specifically to streamlining administrative processes for Presidential Elections. Mr Speaker, let me begin with the key amendments under the first category, to enhance voter access for overseas Singaporeans and voters residing in nursing homes. General Election 2020, or GE 2020, held during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighted two key issues in our electoral landscape. First, the electorate is ageing rapidly – 21% of voters for GE 2020 were aged 65 and above, compared to 14% in GE 2011. Second, how travel restrictions can make it difficult for some overseas Singaporeans to travel to overseas polling stations or back to Singapore to vote. In May and June last year, ELD sought feedback from various stakeholders, including political parties, nursing home operators and overseas Singaporeans, on special arrangements for voters residing at some nursing homes and postal voting for overseas Singaporeans.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, on behalf of the Prime Minister, I beg to move "That the Bill be read a Second time." As the proposed amendments are largely similar, this Bill is associated with the Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Bill, which is the next Bill on the Order Paper. Sir, may I propose, with your permission, that the substantive debate on both Bills take place now. I welcome Members' comments or questions on both Bills after my speech. This allows the substantive points to be covered in a single debate. We will still have the formal Second Reading of the Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Bill later in adherence to procedural requirements.”
“From 2019 to 2022, on average each year, about 42,400 officers or 50% of eligible officers in the Civil Service took at least one day of parent-care leave. The mean and median number of days of parent-care leave taken were 1.8 days and two days respectively.”
“Let me thank all the superheroes in our schools: our educators, parents, community and industry partners. With your partnership, I fear not, that we cannot. Let our next generation be the superheroes that they want and can be. And one final point, Mr Chair, I understand that Parliament does not allow or encourage the display of any partisan symbols in this House. But I noticed that today, Speaker and one of our Members have probably displayed product placement on your chest. Some like Mr Speaker will certainly say that for our education system, "The Best Is Yet To Be." I say, "The rest also can be". Together, we move towards the "better age" and "forge a better life". But we must always remember to "lead with passion, serve with compassion". And finally, to Deputy Prime Minister and Mr Patrick Tay, especially for you, "Nothing Without Labour". Special thanks to our Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) Chair. Thank you. [Laughter.] [Applause.]”
“Chair, I promised Mr Patrick Tay, his Iron Man. Mr Patrick Tay started with Iron Man. The other day at an environmental event for schools, I was also told that the Minister for Education could be like Captain America, to save or change the world by shaping the next generation. Be it Iron Man or Captain America, we all have great expectations of MOE and perhaps, also for the Minister for Education, to do wonders for the world. And some of you might have arrived at the conclusion that MOE is a very powerful Ministry, as we do move property prices and determine traffic jams at the Causeway. [Laughter.] But on that day, I told the audience that I do not aspire to be Captain America. Or even Captain Singapore, as some drew a parallel to the initials of my name. I say I would rather be a Catalyst Singapore. Why? Why Catalyst Singapore? The difference is this: the future cannot and will not be shaped by the superhuman capabilities of one man or woman. I do not think you can, nor should it be the case. I hope not. Instead, if MOE can catalyse and ignite the power of every Singaporean, we will be more powerful than any superhero. All Singaporeans can be given the opportunity to be superheroes. I hope those who can will also have the gumption to do so. Where everyone defines success not by our achievements but more importantly, by our contributions where we each understand our own strengths and weaknesses, even as superheroes, play as a team, win as a team. Where those with great powers exercise greater responsibilities to help those with less, those who are little and those who are lost. Where we define success, not by how well we do for ourselves in this generation, but more importantly, how we enable the next generation to do even better than us in this generation.”
“Mr Chairman, let me answer Dr Wan Rizal's with a more nuanced position. We agree that we want to give more white space to our teachers. But our definition of white space is a bit different. It is not so much for you to just rest, do counselling, do marking and prepare lessons. That, to us is part of the work; it is not really white space. White space to MOE, in the Teachers Growth Model (TGM) means intentionally setting aside time for teachers to develop their skills and competencies. They can go for teachers' work attachment class, gain experience, exposures and networks beyond the school system, so that they can grow personally. I have always said this to all my teachers: when I visit all the schools – I visit one or two schools every week – I do not have to look at the students first. I just need to look at the teachers. If the teachers are tired, the students will be tired. If the teachers have the sparkle in their eyes, the students will have the sparkle in their eyes. That is why I keep saying: as our teachers pour their hearts out to take care of our children, it is our job to make sure that we take care of our teachers. Respect them, give them time and space to grow. And when they grow, our children grow.”
“But, indeed, we want our teachers to share more.”
“Chairman, we thank Mr Patrick Tay for his suggestion. Indeed, that is something that we have considered very seriously in MOE. And I will say a few things in response to that. First, we are all for sharing. In fact, I encourage all my educators to try to share their best practices. I have what I call the "80/20" rule. For 80%, you can share, download the best practices from everywhere. But for every teacher, you must have 20% where you customise to the local needs of the students in your school because the learning profiles of students in the different schools are quite different. So, 80/20. The baseline is 80%; do as much as we can to share, to lighten the workload and for the remaining 20%, you must customise. The second comment that I would say is that: yes, indeed, we appreciate the Member's affirmation of our teachers. When it comes to FSBB for the same subject, the teachers may have to set three different sets of paper because of the three different standards. So, indeed, it is a lot of work. But I must say this: our teachers are not afraid of hard work; they just want the work to be meaningful so that they can help our students to grow and grow well. So, that, we will do. The third thing I would caution in this idea is that, while we try to harmonise the examination papers by region, as the Member said, we are careful not to turn this into a mini-PSLE at different levels, at different regions, because then, you have to coordinate everybody coming to take the paper at roughly the same time. So, we are careful to share. But I do not think the intent, and I do not think that it is your suggestion to turn it into a mini regional PSLE system. So, there will be some differentiation in the test matrix across the different schools, to cater to the different needs.”
“The second very useful thing when we started MK was this: now that we have a better understanding and grasp of the cost drivers for any preschool education, that allows us to determine the subsidies that we should be giving to the various preschools to make sure that the essentials are fulfilled and not frittered away on other things, which are, perhaps optional, perhaps frills. So, that is the second. The third comment by Ms Denise Phua, I will make sure that the Minister-in-charge of Public Service gets the message, and we will continue to do that.”
“Chairman, we thank Ms Denise Phua for offering us her ideas and help, to think through and step through some of those issues about the through-train system that we talked about. I just want to say this, short of doing that today, for a certain segment of our population, we essentially have already reduced the stresses that are associated with school choice when you go to secondary school. And that is through the Direct School Admission (DSA) system, where they can use different abilities to get into different schools that specialises in different areas. This is slightly different from a through-train because it is not one-to-one. It is one based on merit to your specific skills. And FSBB will continue to expand this to reduce the stress, if stress is the concern. But as I mentioned, stress cannot be the only reason for us to think about this. It must be how we can better make use of the time for the holistic development of our children. So that is the first one. Second, Ms Denise Phua asked about the MK lessons. I worked on this with Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat when I was the then-Minister for Social and Family Development and he was the then-Minister for Education, that we started MK for a couple of reasons. First, at that point in time, there was a plethora of pedagogies and practices across all our preschools, and we wanted to make sure that we have a body of knowledge that we can set as our baseline. Setting up MK together with the National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC) has been most instrumental in helping us to determine this baseline, where we can share the best practices with the rest of the other preschool providers.”
“Chairman, the short answer is that this is something that we have already done, during the COVID-19 times. During the COVID-19 times, we did two things, which Members may not be aware of. First, when we distributed the devices to our schools and the students, for those who are unable or have difficulties with the data charges, we provided them with free dongles for them to access the data. Second, for those who have difficulties with their home environment, which may be less than conducive, we continue to open our schools and allow the students to access the school services, even in the depth of the COVID-19 crisis. We will continue to provide such access to all students, regardless of their financial background.”
“It became the best performing school. And lo and behold, every well-endowed family started moving to that school. Today, that school is a very good school in Boston, with a very well-heeled community around them. Have they solved the problem of diversifying the base? With all good intentions, it was defeated by human preferences. If we think that that is far-fetched, I suggest that it also happens in Singapore. [Applause.]”
“Chair, let me explain what I mean by societal considerations, to answer both of the clarifications by Mr Louis Chua. First, when the country was young, community-based groups and alumni, they all played an important part, and they still do in helping to foster a sense of community and spirit. But as society matures, there is always a risk that such groups become closed and exclusive groups. That is why, over time, we must find that balance. That is what I mean by societal circumstances. This happens in Singapore. It happens everywhere across the world. So, if we accept that there is a role, a need for some local community, we also accept that home-school distance is important for the convenience of the students and the parents, and once we accept that there are these two, sometimes competing considerations, then our job is to find the balance. And we must be prepared to adjust the balance according to circumstances and the societal needs. 12.45 pm Will just using home-school distance alone solve this problem? I do not think it will. In fact, if we only use home-school distance alone, then we may have another unintended consequence, which has happened in Singapore and elsewhere. What happens is that, for the so-called perceived popular schools, everybody will want to move near there; and now, instead of competing at two kilometres, it may be one kilometre or 500 metres. So, it does not really solve our problem. Let me narrate this story, it is a true story. Somewhere in Boston, once upon a time, there was one particular school that nobody wanted to go to because it was up and far away from central Boston. So, all the immigrants went there because it was far away. And after many years, the hardworking and talented immigrants all made a name for the school.”
“Today, we are not top of the league for the older age groups because our education system started a bit behind the other more established economies, but we have every aim to make sure that the skills of our adult workers remain at the top of their league in their respective age groups. And this is why our definition of success cannot be the first 15 years of what our children achieve in school, but the next 50 years of what our workers achieve beyond school.”
“And the last appeal that I have, when I speak to all my industry partners, is this: MOE will never be able to produce the perfect student and perfect worker for you with all the requisite skills because it does not exist. As the MOE students join you to become the workers in the industry, it is also the responsibilities of the industry to keep training our students and to keep them up to date. Otherwise, there is no way that we can produce that perfect student that meets all the industries' needs forever. In fact, I did a thought experiment with a group of entrepreneurs whom I met. I said, "Why don't you tell me all the skill sets that you want from our students?" So, they gave me a long list of all the skill sets that they desired. So, I said, "Very good. As the former MTI Minister, why don't I make you a deal? I will produce the students with all these attributes in five years' time, in 10 years' time and you sign me a contract that you will employ them when they graduate." None of them took up my offer. Because they realise that whatever they say today will be outdated by then and in MOE, we are in the lifelong education business. We cannot produce people with skill sets overnight. But it does require a partnership for us to keep ourselves updated in our curriculum so that we are at a faster speed to market, and it does require us to also work with the industry to keep training our workers so that they remain current even after they join the industry. And to Ms Denise Phua's question, today, if you look at the PISA score, at the school level, once they depart school, we are at the top of the league. We want to make sure that we are still top of the league as they grow older.”
“The second thing that I think we can do to help us evolve faster in our mindset is this: we have to invite all the industry leaders to come into our schools to see our students, be it ITE, polytechnics or even secondary schools. Talk to them, inspire them, share with them what kind of skillsets are required and, at the same time, see what our students are capable of. 12.30 pm So, I could give an example. Today, the IT industry is very hot. It is perpetually short of manpower. But today, many of the IT industry firms want to ask for graduate degrees or IT-related graduate degrees. So, we suggested to them, "Why don't you come and look at the polytechnic students and look at even the ITE students?" They can do certain jobs with their skill sets. And, in fact, some other countries can just call their polytechnics "colleges" overnight and award "degrees". Our polytechnic students are not any worse off compared to many of the foreign graduates. So, go beyond the title of a diploma or a degree and look at the actual skill sets. When the industry people come and join us on the boards of the schools or the ITEs and the polytechnics, and whatever they feel that we are not doing adequately, give us the feedback, we adjust the curriculum and we will have a faster speed to market timing to help the industry fulfill their manpower needs and, at the same time, allowing our graduates from our polytechnics, ITE and universities to be much more industry-ready. So, I think we need to work hand-in-hand, but we need to go beyond this mindset and reduce all the abilities of the individual to one matrix.”
“We thank Ms Carrie Tan for her suggestions. We understand the spirit of what she is asking. Whether naturalist pedagogy will be in the mainstream pathways, I will have to leave it to my professional colleagues in NIE to make the judgement. But we are always open to explore all the different pedagogies, whether to adapt and adopt them in part or in full, to benefit our students. Second, technically, I should not be answering this because the Member asked why the industry is not recruiting people based on currency rather than grades? Well, as the former Minister for Trade and Industry, maybe let me hazard a reply. I think all of us are human beings, including HR professionals. People were doing hiring. We sometimes fall into the habit of trying to reduce everything into something that we can manage. So, in the past, maybe we were all very comfortable with reducing the perception of ability to a single unitary dimension, which is called either the GPA or the grades. But having said that, as the former Minister of Trade and Industry, I have seen many progressive companies that have actually gone beyond this, and I have always encouraged my teachers to go and visit some of these companies to understand their HR processes. In fact, last year during MOE's annual workplan, I asked one of my teachers this question: do they know what will be the first question that the potential employer will ask our students? To be fair, not all my teachers will be familiar with this because they are not in the business. So, I encouraged them to talk to the employers. And I also encourage the employers to come and talk to the schools to help our students understand the kind of abilities and capabilities required for the future.”
“Chair, short answer, no worries. All our secondary school students have their own personal learning devices. Any primary school students who require a device because of their family circumstances can approach the school for help.”
“Which then comes to the fifth issue: how do we resource these schools with a complete suite of programmes for the students that we have taken in at P1 with the promise that regardless of their abilities, after they have gone through it for various years, that we will be able to provide them with the full pathways? So, do not get me wrong. We are not ideologically closed to all good ideas. But we have to step through this. I have also spoken with my foreign counterparts. Some of them have some segments of their system with this through-train programme and the experience has not been uniformly positive for the reasons that I mentioned. So, I would say this: we have considered this and we are still considering this. We have to step through the issues, non-trivial issues, systematically. So, I repeat what I mentioned in my speech. Many have said to remove the PSLE. But let us get the reasons right – why do we want to remove or want to consider removing the PSLE? Let us not do it for the wrong reasons and let us not end up with unintended consequences.”
“Mr Chair, I thank Member Assoc Prof Jamus Lim for allowing me to elaborate on this. We have no philosophical difficulty considering that. But let us just walk through the process, and we have thought about this. Should we pilot a few schools for through-train? So let me walk through the process and some of the things that we have to step through in order for us to consider this. First, who gets to go to the through-train programme? I think most of us as parents will know, at Primary 1, it is very difficult, if not impossible, for us to know the abilities and interests of our children. If the through-train programme is to a very popular school – and you know which one I am talking about – I am sure there is no shortage of takers for this through-train programme. But what about those who develop a bit later and want the chance to go to some of these schools? Does it mean therefore they do not get the chance to go to these schools? And how does that affect the social mixing that we spoke so much about in this House? So, we have to step through this. Who gets to go through a through-train programme? The second issue: supposing, I, as a parent, I decided that my child will go for the through-train programme. Sometime during primary school, I figured out that my child may not be suitable for this programme. Then, what do I do? The third issue: if we have no checkpoint at P6 or any other years – you can argue whether it is P6 or any other time – if you have no checkpoints at all, then how do we help our students to get into the correct educational setting? This then might consequently mean the fourth issue, which is that in a secondary school, every secondary school which is in the through-train programme must be able to cater to the diversity of learners.”
“We share responsibility in preparing our students for the workforce and inspiring the next generation. Some companies have partnered our schools to broaden students' exposure through the Applied Learning Programmes (ALPs). For example, as part of Dunearn Secondary School's ALP in STEM, food scientists from Fraser & Neave (F&N) Ltd conducted a workshop for interested students to learn about processes behind the creation of new drinks. The F&N food scientists have also been conducting annual Food Science career talks for the graduating students. I hope to see more of such partnerships. It is a win-win situation when companies and unions are directly involved in the training and development of IHL students. All polytechnics, ITE and most AUs have made internships a compulsory component of their courses. Last year, more than 2,300 companies partnered our IHLs to provide internships. The students were able to connect what they had learnt in the classroom to their workplace, while the companies were able to access a new pipeline of talent. Minister Mohamad Maliki Osman will now elaborate on MOE's other policies and I promise to Mr Patrick Tay that I will come back to Iron Man before we conclude.”
“Teachers will learn more about pedagogies that lend themselves better deliver the 21CC gain digital literacy as well as content and skills related to STEM and environmental sustainability. Indeed, educators are the backbone of our education system. Rest assured that we will not tolerate any abuse towards our teachers. We have provided schools with clear guidelines on establishing positive home-school partnerships. I hope to have everyone's support to respect the professionalism of our teachers and not create undue stress for our teachers when they do not fulfil our individual demands. Supporting our educators in focusing on higher value tasks and providing them with opportunities for professional development are some other ways in which MOE supports the well-being of our teachers. Finally, I agree with Mr Shawn Huang and Mr Sharael Taha about the importance of forging partnerships for education. Parent Support Groups (PSGs) have been active partners in enhancing our students' educational experience, such as in the area of Education and Career Guidance. For instance, in Palm View Primary School, the PSG invites parents in diverse occupations to share with the students about their work. Such collaborations help our students better understand their interests and aspirations, as well as the range of careers available. Alumni also play an important role in plugging students and fresh graduates into industry networks. For example, SMU's Alumni Mentoring Programme provides a platform for students and graduates to gain insights into specific industries and discover job opportunities. And I call on companies and unions to work closely with our IHLs and schools to help our people keep up-to-date with the fast-paced industry developments and emerging opportunities.”
“30 am In the next phase, MOE will also introduce AI-enabled systems to better support our educators to teach more effectively. To give an example, the Learning Feedback Assistant for English Language will provide basic and personalised feedback on grammar and spelling to students, allowing our teachers to focus on more complex aspects of language use, such as creative expression and tone. MOE will progressively implement these systems through the SLS from the fourth quarter this year. We will share more about our long-term EdTech plans in the coming months. Today, MOE already takes a two-pronged approach in supporting our students' diverse learning needs. First, we put more resources where the needs are higher. Schools have the flexibility to deploy teachers to teach students with higher needs in smaller pull-out classes. Second, we focus on recruiting and training competent educators to ensure that our students receive high-quality education. In the future, we can add a third prong to capitalise on EdTech to further enable self-directed and adaptive learning, to better support our students with different needs. As EdTech becomes a pivotal part in our strategy to support the diverse learning needs of our students, our teachers must also grow and be conversant with EdTech. I thank Ms Denise Phua and Dr Wan Rizal for their interest in how we empower our teachers. MOE will continue to support our teachers with training and resources to develop their capacity to teach with technology. To help teachers plan for their personal and professional development, MOE is refreshing the Teacher Growth Model.”
“Members may also access these materials through the MP@SGPARL App. The screenshot shows the SLS resource library, where students can learn a range of academic subjects from primary school to pre-university, as well as to explore their non-academic topics, such as financial literacy. Students can access these online resources via SLS anytime, anywhere. Let me share two examples. First, with the MTL Text-to-Speech and Speech Evaluation tools, students can practise their oral communication skills and receive feedback instantly. I am quite sure most parents do not know this. Second, students can use simulations and interactives to visualise concepts which might otherwise be hard to grasp. For example, the movement of individual particles in a wave or the relationship between distance and time illustrated by the movement of a train. With SLS, all our students have effectively been equipped with a "personal tutor"; that is, a wealth of resources and tools to guide their individual learning, no matter their financial resources. The screenshot which we had distributed is meant as a taster for the parents amongst us. I hope that Members will find time tonight to log in with your children to explore its many useful features. And this is a friendly cost-saving tip for all parents; no need to go and buy other school exam papers and try our SLS for free. Imagine the future of learning augmented by EdTech, where our higher-needs students can identify and improve their areas of weaknesses by revisiting lessons and resources at their own pace, and higher-ability students can stretch themselves by progressing to more advanced topics or topics that interest them. This mass customisation uplifts the bottom and stretches the top without overloading our teachers. 11.”
“Chairman, I have talked about providing customised and porous pathways for continual learning across the life course. Three key enablers undergird this vision: technology, educators and partnership. Technology is altering every aspect of life, and education is no exception. Technology has raised the productivity in our schools. We have, and will, continue to digitise and streamline manual processes with the use of Parents Gateway, a one-stop portal for schools to communicate with parents. This has helped to alleviate teachers' admin workload. But as Mr Darryl David, Mr Lim Biow Chuan and Dr Wan Rizal have observed, the potential of the EdTech Plan goes beyond that. We have seen how technology allowed learning to continue across all schools even through the COVID-19 pandemic. EdTech also allows for mass customisation of teaching and learning, catering to the diverse learning needs of our students. These have been enabled by our national online learning platform – the Singapore Student Learning Space (SLS). With your permission, Chairman, may I ask the Clerks to distribute a screenshot of SLS?”
“These are modular courses which deliver job-related skills in areas, such as Computer Networks and Software Engineering. They can also stack these micro-credentials towards the Applied Computing degree. Alternatively, individuals who prefer a more skills-based upgrading pathway can sign up for the 42-Singapore Programme in Computing, a collaboration between Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and École 42. There are no academic prerequisites, and students will undergo industry-relevant training centred on project-based and peer-to-peer learning. MOE is also studying how to better support mid-career workers by enabling them to upskill ahead of job transitions. In the past year, under the Forward Singapore exercise, we heard from Singaporeans on the barriers to reskilling or upskilling, particularly for those in their 40s and 50s. We are looking at ways to reduce the high opportunity costs of training for this group of workers, to enable them to participate in more substantive training for a skills reboot. For example, we are considering how to provide more support through a SkillsFuture Credit top-up, and training allowances for mid-careerists in transition who go for intensive full-time training. However, to achieve lifelong learning, just shifting individual attitudes and raising the supply of training programmes will not be enough if employers continue to fixate on credentials. We need employers to hire and compensate workers fairly, based on their skills rather than paper qualifications, support workers in their upskilling and provide opportunities for workers to apply new skills at work. This will ensure that after undergoing training, Singaporeans can get a real boost to their employability and wages, and access to better job opportunities.”
“In close consultation with the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and economic agencies, we have decided to increase the "lifetime cohort participation rate" for publicly funded university degrees by 10 percentage points, from 50% currently to 60% by 2025, so that more Singaporeans can obtain a degree from our AUs, not just at the point of 18 years old, but throughout their life. This takes into account the demand for degree-level manpower across the economy in the medium term, arising from our industry transformation efforts. The move to a "lifetime cohort participation rate" concept symbolises the change in mindset that we need to embrace. There is no need to rush to frontload education, as there will be more subsidised places for CET pathways to support upgrading later in life. It is also about ensuring that the format of these CET programmes is suited to the needs of our working adults and to the industries that they work in. The AUs have begun to innovate their offerings to better cater to adult learners' needs as well. Let me illustrate using the ICT sector. Mid-career workers looking to switch into the ICT sector can pursue a degree in Applied Computing at the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) whilst working. The degree programme will be delivered through a mixture of asynchronous and in-person learning to help adult learners manage their busy schedules. Polytechnics' Post-Diplomas will also be recognised for credit exemptions, to provide a more seamless upgrading pathway for Diploma holders. Individuals who are already working in the ICT sector can deepen their skills or pick up new specialisations through SIT's micro-credentials.”
“With lifelong learning, we are now doing more for both our young and young-at-heart, as what we teach and learn in the first 15 years is no longer adequate for the next 50 years, without a significant top-up. I thank Mr Patrick Tay for his suggestions to increase Continuing Education and Training (CET) opportunities. In fact, given the rapid pace of industry transformation, we can expect more dynamic changes in the demand for skills. However, Members have also raised concerns about perpetuating a paper chase. Indeed, this is not our intention. The objective of continual learning must be the purposeful and timely acquisition of relevant knowledge and skills. When a certain defined body of knowledge or skills has been acquired, the qualification then serves to reflect the mastery attained. The stackable pathways that our IHLs have significantly expanded in recent years enable this. Today, there are pathways offering substantive skills upgrading at different levels catering to Nitec, Diploma and Degree holders. Over the past few years, annual enrolment into stackable courses has grown from around 31,000 to around 36,000, from 2018 to 2022. We will ensure that training opportunities continue to be industry-relevant, accessible, affordable and just-in-time, to better meet the needs of our adult learners. Today, we have a 40% lifetime cohort participation rate target for subsidised undergraduate degree places for fresh school leavers, and an additional 10% allowance for adult learners.”
“The removal of the Mid-Year Examinations will take place in phases for different levels in junior colleges and MI starting from 2024. Our efforts to foster stronger 21CC development and ensure future-ready graduates extend to our IHLs as well. Mr Sharael Taha highlighted that companies value industry-relevant skills and competencies over paper qualifications. Our IHLs equip students with life skills competencies, such as critical thinking, innovation, communication, as well as self-awareness and mental resilience. Part of the training in IHLs also includes developing interdisciplinary expertise, which means that students learn to apply knowledge and skills across different fields. For instance, under the new Minor programme launched by Republic Polytechnic this year, students can embark on additional areas of study beyond their diploma, such as in Business, Digitalisation or Sustainability. Let me now turn to lifelong learning, which I am happy to note has caught Members' interest and attention. Ms Denise Phua noted that in the 2016 OECD Survey of Adult Skills, Singaporeans aged 16 to 34 performed well, while those aged 45 to 65 performed lower than the OECD average in literacy and numeracy. This is a reflection of how OECD countries have built up their education systems much earlier than us and their older cohorts have benefitted from this. For Singapore, we should take heart that we have done a tremendous job in bringing our schools and higher education system to high standards within the span of the past few decades. This is why the performance of our younger Singaporeans were comparable with the advanced economies. But we will not stop there.”
“To achieve this, we will make changes to how we compute the University Admissions System (UAS). From the Academic Year 2026 admissions, the fourth content-based subject will no longer be counted in the computation of UAS by default and will only be included if it improves UAS. This will also allow our students to better calibrate their learning load, so that more time can be redirected to holistic development. I should emphasise that students will continue to benefit from a broad-based "A" Level curriculum, as they still have to offer four content-based subjects, of which one would be from outside their specialisation. Parents and educators may be concerned that our pre-tertiary students will no longer take their fourth content-based subject or PW seriously. We believe that our students will still apply themselves. Today, it is already optional for students taking H1 Mother Tongue Language (MTL) to include the subject in their UAS computation. Nevertheless, these students continue to put effort towards their MTL studies as they are intrinsically motivated to learn and improve. And this is exactly the positive attitude that we hope to cultivate through our curriculum changes – with students taking ownership of their own learning. Lastly, similar to what has already been done for our primary and secondary schools, we will remove Mid-Year Examinations for all junior colleges and MI. The time saved from preparing for examinations can be channelled towards deeper student engagement and learning through more varied experiences. Teachers will continue to use assessments in a formative and calibrated way to monitor learning progress and support each student.”
“Mr Baey Yam Keng and Mr Darryl David asked if MOE plans to review the "A" Level curriculum, to ensure that it remains relevant in today's education landscape. Over the years, we have gradually reduced curriculum content to free up more time and space for the development of 21st Century Competencies, or 21CC, as we call it. Today, the curriculum content of most of our "A" Level syllabus is already similar or narrower than the international syllabus used as benchmarks, for comparison. It is not possible to reduce curriculum content further without compromising the overall rigour. However, we will be making key changes in other ways. First, Project Work (PW) nurtures 21CC and life skills through working in teams. These are the very skills which Members have said are essential to thrive in the future of work. To encourage students to make the most of the exciting collaborative and interdisciplinary learning experience offered by PW, we will make it a Pass/Fail subject, and exclude it from the computation of the University Admission Score (UAS). Our students have done well in PW over the years. Making PW a Pass/Fail subject now encourages our students to exercise greater agency and creativity in areas of interests, rather than be driven by grades alone. A Pass in PW will still be required for admission to the Autonomous Universities (AUs), to show that students have attained the skills which are critical for future learning and work. We will implement these changes from the Academic Year 2024, the JC1 and Millenia Institute (MI) Year 2 cohort onwards. Second, to nurture the joy of learning, we want our students to follow their passions, instead of only picking subjects that they will score well in.”
“15 am Unlike streaming, Posting Groups will only be used to facilitate admissions and to determine students' initial subject levels for most subjects at the beginning of Secondary 1. Beyond that, Posting Groups will not shape the secondary school experience. Currently, students may choose to take certain subjects at a more demanding level if they are eligible. Under Full Subject-Based Banding (FSBB), this flexibility has been expanded to more subjects. With guidance from their schools, some students have also begun to offer elective subjects at a less demanding level. This gives them room to pursue their interests without adding unduly stress to their overall curriculum load. Finally, at the end of secondary school, students will receive a common certificate – the Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) which reflects their different subject combinations and levels. Starting from 2027, SEC will replace the separate Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education (GCE) "O" and "N" Level examinations. The option of spending a fifth year in secondary school will remain available to students who wish to offer subjects at a more demanding level. This is to allow them to pace their learning and potentially access more post-secondary pathways. To cater to a wider profile of students offering subjects at different subject levels, FSBB changes will be accompanied by expanded admission and progression pathways in our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs). Minister Maliki Osman will share more details. Students should still have strong fundamentals to thrive in the pathways they choose. Hence, we will be retaining the existing junior college admission criteria to ensure students can cope with the A-Level curriculum.”
“Schools offering the Integrated Programme and Specialised Schools will not implement the full features of FSBB because they cater to specific student profiles through a whole-school approach. Homogenising all our schools for the sake of social mixing alone would come at the expense of our ability to offer mass customisation and differentiated experiences for our students. I do not think this is the outcome that Members want from us. Nonetheless, we have sought to enhance diversity in our schools through other means, while moving away from the sole dependence on the national examination as a single metric for placement to secondary schools. This includes our efforts to increase the proportion of students admitted via Direct School Admission (DSA) system and broadening the definition of DSA selection process to recognise a range of talents, potential and achievements. Let me now elaborate on how FSBB will change students' educational journey. The vast majority of students will continue to be admitted to secondary schools based on their PSLE scores. Starting from the 2024 Secondary 1 cohort, MOE will post Primary 6 students to secondary schools through three Posting Groups – Posting Groups 1, 2, and 3 – mapped to the PSLE score ranges for Normal (Technical), Normal (Academic) and Express courses respectively. This ensures that schools continue to admit students with diverse strengths and students continue to have access to a wide range of schools. By admitting students from different Posting Groups, schools can also enable diversity at the class level, with mixed form classes that comprise students offering subjects at different subject levels. 11.”
“An example is regional CCA groupings. Yet, another example is Subject-Based Banding (SBB), which Mr Baey Yam Keng and Mr Darryl David have asked for updates on. Next year will mark a significant milestone with the implementation of Full Subject-Based Banding (FSBB) in our secondary education system. Beyond reducing stigmatisation, the removal of course labels will lead to meaningful changes in our students' educational journey. Students will have greater flexibility to take subjects at a level that is more or less demanding, depending on their strengths, interests and learning needs. There will be more social mixing, with increased opportunities for students to interact with peers of different profiles. However, it is not a straightforward transition for schools to make. Teachers will need to get used to managing classes with diverse student profiles. It is actually more work and harder work for our teachers and schools. Our teachers are willing to do this for the benefit of our students, but we should not think that it does not demand more from our teachers. Students will need to take greater ownership of their learning. Our schools also have to grapple with the practical issues such as timetable scheduling for various subject combinations. MOE will carefully and systematically work through these issues to support our schools in the implementation of FSBB and provide them with the necessary resources. At the same time, if we accept that our children have different abilities and needs, then we should accept that we should not make every school take the same approach to teaching and learning. This is why we have a variegated education landscape today.”
“Besides reducing the assessment load and perceived examination stakes, these adjustments free up more time and space in schools to strengthen learning dispositions and holistic development. Some Members, including Assoc Prof Jamus Lim, Ms Hazel Poa and Ms Denise Phua, in previous years, have brought up the related concept of through-train programmes. In fact, we have studied this issue very carefully in MOE but there are various implications to work through. First, if we do away with the PSLE, we lose an important checkpoint in assessing a student's mastery of core concepts as they transit from primary to secondary school. The PSLE is a useful guide for students to take subjects at appropriate levels at the next stage of learning. Without the PSLE, it would be more challenging to place students in a suitable educational setting and not always better for learning outcomes, nor teaching efficacy. Second, many parents and students would like to choose their schools or educational setting. For this group, removing the PSLE entirely would deny them this choice, or simply transfer stress elsewhere, such as to competition for P1 registration. In simple terms, few would hesitate if the through-train programme helps their children get into a popular secondary school. But many would hesitate if it means they do not have a choice to be in a secondary school of their choice through merit. We should also consider if a through-train model would reduce opportunities for students to interact with peers of different backgrounds through their primary and secondary years. There are other ways to support the learning needs of different students flexibly, without completely doing away with national examinations or moving entirely to a through-train system.”
“Moving on to PSLE, there are calls to remove the PSLE, but for different reasons – all well-meaning, but not always without unintended consequences. Some think it is too stressful. But it is neither realistic nor desirable to shield our children from all the stresses they will have to face in life, especially in a more competitive and globalised world. Our job as parents and educators is to help our children pick up the skills and positive attributes and attitudes to manage the demands of school, work and life in general; to grow our capacity to overcome stress and not just to shield ourselves from unnecessary stress. We should not demoralise our children through incessant comparison. Instead, we should help them maximise their potential and do justice to their gifts. This is why MOE introduced changes to the PSLE scoring system in 2021, so that the results are no longer as finely differentiated and reflect students' objective performance, rather than relative to their peers. This encourages students to focus on their own progress instead of comparing themselves with others. This is why in all my Edusave Awards Ceremony, I remind the students that "it is more important to keep surpassing oneself through life than just surpassing someone else in an exam". We have also received feedback that removing the PSLE would allow our children to pursue other dimensions of growth. Indeed, we have been focusing more on important life skills in our curriculum. Hence, all weighted assessments have been removed for Primary 1 and Primary 2 since 2019, and Mid-Year Examinations will be removed for all primary and secondary levels this year.”
“We revised the framework last year and we will continue to update the system as circumstances change and societal needs evolve. More importantly, we need to promote a mindset shift among us parents. Every child is unique in his or her temperament, strengths and aspirations. Every school provides valuable and distinctive programmes. Instead of asking whether a certain school is a good school, the more relevant question to ask is, "Is this a good school for my child?" As parents, we should choose schools based on our children's needs, rather than the perceived prestige or popularity of the school. Members have also discussed the educational merits of school affiliation. It enables a school to preserve its traditions and culture, and build a stronger school spirit. But affiliation, beyond a certain point, is not without its risks. We need to avoid closed and exclusive social circles, which risk fragmenting and stratifying our society, especially as our society matures. This means we must ensure that schools with affiliation remain open, accessible and inclusive for students of diverse backgrounds. This balance to maintain the accessibility of our schools to all, regardless of background, is a dynamic balance that we must be prepared to adjust over time according to our societal circumstances and needs. MOE cannot do this alone without the support of school alumni and parents. The privileged, among us, must believe in sharing their access and networks. We must understand the responsibilities that come with success and not inadvertently form closed social circles. As Spiderman would say, "To those with great powers, come great responsibilities." And I hope that all the alumni from the successful schools understand what I mean.”
“More importantly, we need to work with families to create conducive home environments which can help our children's development so that all these efforts will complement and not undo the good work of our preschools. We know that there is no silver bullet in addressing these complex family and social issues. The Government provides targeted assistance to lower-income families based on their individual circumstances. This includes supporting them in their parenting journey through KidSTART and highly subsidising the cost of preschool. Together with the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA), we welcome more ideas on how preschools, families and the community can work together to better support children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Next, for primary schools, let me deal with three issues: Primary 1 (P1) registration, affiliation and PSLE. Mr Lim Biow Chuan and Mr Louis Chua asked about the P1 Registration Exercise. Parents consider various factors in selecting primary schools for their children. Some parents prefer convenience for a school near their homes. Others would like their children to join their alma mater, so they can benefit from a similar school experience and become part of the same school community. Yet, others place a premium on the types of programmes offered by a school. While MOE can guarantee more than sufficient places for all Singapore Citizen children in our primary schools, no one has yet found a way to satisfy all parental preferences. The P1 Registration Framework has to strike a careful balance among the competing considerations. Each year, about 98% of Singaporean children get into a primary school of their choice, or within two kilometres of their residence.”
“Nonetheless, we will be the first to acknowledge that our system is not perfect. Indeed, I do not believe that there will ever be "perfection" for our system. Adaptability, resilience and relevance to the times are much more important attributes and we certainly will not sit on our laurels. I have covered the larger philosophical and directional issues of our education system at the Institute of Policy Studies' Singapore Perspectives 2023 seminar. Members can read the speech online and I do not intend to repeat them today. Instead, today, let me walk Members through the challenges and aspirations for each stage of our education journey. We start by giving every child a good start in life. There is more scientific evidence and we all agree that the foundational years play a critical role in our children's holistic development. Beyond numeracy and literacy, this is also when they develop important socio-emotional skills and their innate curiosity to learn. Hence, we have taken decisive steps to make affordable and high-quality preschool education accessible to families. Today, there are 50 MOE Kindergartens (MKs) all over Singapore. We are on track to opening another seven by 2025 and a further three by 2027 based on current plans. The 60 MKs will contribute to the Government's commitment to achieve 80% Government-supported preschool places by around 2025. Today, around 95% of all Singaporean children aged five to six years old are enrolled in preschools, even without making it compulsory under the law. So, that is not our biggest challenge. However, among children from the lower-income families, we still see an enrolment gap at ages three to four, and poorer attendance compared to their peers. We need to go beyond enrolment to encourage regular attendance.”
“Ultimately, we all have to work within the finite resources and time budget of our school system, students, teachers and even parents, to best meet the needs of diverse needs of our children. Every idea is well-meaning but it affects different groups of stakeholders differently. To chart our way forward, we have to first understand the complex needs of the future and the diverse needs of our children. A more uncertain world demands resilience. Resilience comes from a diversity of strengths. A more diverse population with diverse aspirations demands mass customisation beyond mass access. We should expect a more variegated system, with more models, but within our means and capabilities and a less structured system to allow adaptation and faster evolution. We are starting from a position of strength. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)'s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) study found that our students from less advantaged backgrounds not only outperformed their international counterparts of similar socioeconomic backgrounds, but they did better than the OECD average in all core domains. These students typically have less access to private tuition and have still managed to do well by international standards. This goes to show that our students are industrious and our education system is doing something right. Instead of attributing our students' achievements to the private tuition industry, we should give credit to our students, schools and teachers where credit is due. In recent years, our efforts to support our students to progress to our post-secondary education institutions have also been paying off. Today, about 97% did so in the year 2021. This is significant by any international standards.”
“Chair, we thank Members for all their suggestions and comments. In particular, the passionate speech by Ms Denise Phua and the vivid imagery of Mr Patrick Tay's Iron Man. To Ms Phua, I would like to share that indeed new wine needs new wineskins, not just one type but many types, to cater to the diversity of needs and aspirations of our people. More importantly, we need new mindsets, which I will come back to, together with Mr Patrick Tay's Iron Man. Like the public, some Members have asked the Ministry of Education (MOE) to do less. They are calling for later start times and earlier end times. They believe in teach less, test less, less stress and hopefully, better results for all. Others have asked MOE to do more. They want smaller class sizes, smaller schools, closer guidance and supervision, better support for students with higher needs and more types of learning opportunities; including Ms Carrie Tan, who suggested incorporating more nature and outdoor experiences into the curriculum. Many Members have given us suggestions on what more we should teach in our schools. I was hoping to also hear more views on what we can remove from our students' and teachers' load. Some have called for more porosity in our education pathways, more social mixing in schools. Others want affiliation priority and alumni privileges to be maintained, to build stronger school networks and uphold their school culture. Some have called for the removal of Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), others to extend PSLE preparations for our students to more overseas schools. 11.00 am Some have called for smaller school sizes, more niche programmes and co-curricular activities (CCA). Others think every school should be able to offer a comprehensive and identical suite of programmes and CCA.”
“About 95% of Singapore Citizen (SC) students at secondary schools have tapped on their Edusave accounts to purchase their personal learning device under the National Digital Literacy Programme.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made progress on the Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 2023/2024 and ask leave to sit again tomorrow.”
“Chairman, may I seek your consent to move that progress be reported now and leave be asked to sit again tomorrow?”
“Yes, so from now to 2039, we have a good 15 to 16 years to go. So, after 2039, the site will be returned to the state. On the other question on whether the ACS board consulted its stakeholders, I think the ACS board did consult the relevant stakeholders but it had to keep it to within a tight circle, given some of the sensitivities with this move, particularly, price sensitivities related to the property market. Mr Gerald Giam has also brought up a very important point. In making any decision, we have to consult not just the current generation of stakeholders but also future stakeholders. And in any democracy, as I mentioned the other day, one of our biggest challenges is that it may not always be possible for you to consult your future stakeholders because they are not there yet. Because the future residents of Tengah have not even gotten their flats yet and they may or may not know whether they will be residents of Tengah. Having said that, there is where leadership comes in, from both MOE and the ACS board. We have to project not just the needs of the current generation, but also the needs of the future generation. Since the announcement has been made, I think our ground feedback has generally been positive, particularly for the people staying in the West to have the added options of the new schools, including ACS in Tengah. Not just ACS in Tengah but also the broader plans of the siting of the various new schools in the Tengah and Hong Kah area.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, on the first question, the answer is that we will look at the demand according to each of the redevelopment plans in the respective new towns. We also have plans to rejuvenate the old towns. So, whether it is a new town or a old town, we will have to look at the current demand and the projected demand in planning for our schools. The second to the third question – what will happen to the site at Winstedt Road after 2039 – I think the answer is that it will be returned to the state. The Member's second question is?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir. I will make two points. First, MOE neither have or not have a preference between single-sex or co-ed school. Many of these schools have a history and that is why they are where they are now. Having said that, there have also been a number of single-gender schools that have turned co-ed, which may or may not involve relocation in recent years. These include Canossa Catholic Primary School, De La Salle School, St Anthony's Primary, Geylang Methodist Primary, Fairfield Methodist Primary. So, each case is unique and we will work with the stakeholders accordingly. The second point I will make is that I would reiterate what I have said just now. For every new town, we need to find and create spaces that provide for the local community needs. So, for example, we will prefer the schools to be co-ed because that would better meet the local community needs. Imagine you have three new schools in a new town. Imagine we have a total of six children – three boys, three girls. If all the three schools are co-ed, the chances are that each of the school will have 50% boys and girls. But if one of the schools is not co-ed and it is a single-sex school, then, mathematically, what it means is that the other two remaining schools, chances are that, will have an imbalance between the boys and the girls.”
“As the circumstances for each case are different, MOE takes a customised approach and discusses with key decision-makers in each school to facilitate the transition and provide the necessary support. Where there are major changes for schools, including relocation and turning co-ed, MOE will give advance notice as far ahead as possible once plans are firmed up, and will work with the schools on transition arrangements to minimise impact and inconvenience for existing students and their families.”