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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“Mr Speaker, Sir, when planning the locations of new schools and reviewing the distribution of schools across Singapore, including possible relocations, the Ministry of Education (MOE) takes into account current and projected residential populations to meet educational needs both at the national and at the local levels. In deciding whether or which school to relocate, we are also mindful that each relocation case and its circumstances are unique. In general, all new schools that MOE opens are co-ed, as is the case of schools opening in recent years in Punggol or those slated to be opened in Tengah. This is to ensure that these new schools meet the local demand for school places for both boys and girls, especially since home-school proximity is an important consideration at the primary school level. In the specific case of ACS (Primary) School, ACS Board of Governors had discussed with MOE on a possible move of one of their two primary schools in the Bukit Timah area to the heartlands to serve a different community and to inject more diversity into their student profile. In the course of these discussions, MOE offered a Tengah school site to the ACS Board of Governors (BOG), but explained that it would not be tenable for the school not to take in girls at its Tengah location as that would constrain school options for families in the area. MOE was glad that the ACS Board was open to this request, and subsequently, ACS Board informed MOE that ACS (Primary) School would be the relocating school. MOE does not have a plan to proactively convert existing single-gender schools to co-ed schools, but we have had several such cases over the decades.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I have your permission to take the first three Parliamentary Questions (PQs) together, please?”
“This question has been addressed in my reply to Question 19 as published in the Circular for Written Answers on 6 February 2023. [Please refer to "Breakdown of Grades Received by Officers who Left Education Service in Last Five Years", Official Report, 6 February 2023, Vol 95, Issue 81, Written Answers to Questions section.]”
“Chairman, I think the answer to Ms Sylvia Lim's question had been given previously, but if I may just remind the House. If we look at the rights and responsibilities of all our people, from the age of 16 until 21, there is a gradation of scale. At different ages, they have different rights and different responsibilities; and Ms Lim might want to refer to our previous answer.”
“The Public Service must retain our muscle memory in crisis management and strengthen our forward planning capabilities. 5.45 pm To Mr Patrick Tay’s point, we are upskilling our officers to meet new demands in a post-COVID-19 world. This requires our officers to acquire skills in areas such as scenario planning, risk identification, data analytics and sense-making. These skills are not only useful in crisis, but also in the Public Service’s work in a dynamic and uncertain world. To achieve this, we continue to actively invest in training our officers to build broader and deeper competencies in their respective domains. This is further reinforced with a range of “learning by doing” development opportunities such as structured job rotations, inter-agency gig work and bite-sized attachments. Chairman, I would like to conclude this segment by thanking all our public officers for their contributions over the past three years. Our public officers have not only worked hard, but also applied innovation and worked across agency lines to achieve a common mission – to safeguard lives and livelihoods. "One Public Service" is not a slogan. It is something that we live by, it is something that we believe in, and it is something that we want our officers to have in their DNA. COVID-19 served as a glue to bring all sectors – public, private and people – together for a larger and higher purpose. As we work together to build Singapore towards SG100, I hope that this partnership will be continuously strengthened, so that we can all better serve Singaporeans and Singapore together.”
“The third lesson from COVID-19 is that our organisations and people must be agile. During the pandemic, the Public Service has managed to stand up large inter-agency operations and deploy manpower nimbly at short notice. Under SGUnited, more than 4,000 public officers were redeployed to fight COVID-19. They took on roles such as safe distancing ambassadors, officers handling dormitory operations and call centre agents managing public's queries. All these were not their primary responsibilities. Without formal structures in place, we had to rely on agencies to redeploy manpower at short notice or individual officers to volunteer to cover the manpower gaps. I am heartened that our agencies and officers have actively leaned in, across agency boundaries to support our battle against COVID-19. Many officers have also gained new competencies and forged new connections along the way. Notwithstanding this, the pandemic underscored the importance of having a centralised system to identify and redeploy surge manpower across agencies to quickly support critical crisis functions. As we emerge from the pandemic, the Public Service Division will systematically set up a structure to do this so that we are better prepared for future crises. The fourth lesson from COVID-19 is the importance of building forward planning capabilities while managing current operations. Singapore could react quickly when COVID-19 emerged as we had the benefit of learning from our SARS experience. We strengthened our emergency preparedness following SARS and established key public health institutions, including the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) which was set up in 2009. It developed a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test during COVID-19. There will be other crises in our future.”
“This helps caregivers to find the right services and schemes across agencies quickly, easily and from one place. While digitalisation has helped to improve services for most Singaporeans, we acknowledge Mr Yip Hon Weng's point that some citizens, including elderly citizens, may still need physical transactions. Hence, we are also building a network of physical ServiceSG centres that aim to be a one-stop concierge for citizens. Today, we have two ServiceSG Centres at Our Tampines Hub and One Punggol and four smaller satellite centre nodes at Community Clubs (CCs), each offering hundreds of services from over 20 agencies. Officers at these centres can advise citizens on the suite of services that can help them, based on their circumstances and needs. ServiceSG is opening one more satellite centre at Bukit Canberra CC by the middle of this year. This will make integrated Government services even more accessible to more citizens. The second lesson from COVID-19 is the value of partnership with the people and private sectors. Take, for example, how the various sectors rallied together to secure essential supplies for Singaporeans, distribute masks and hand sanitisers and reach out to affected families. Our future challenges will be more complex, requiring whole-of-nation efforts to overcome. The Public Service must build up the mindsets and the skillsets to work with the private and people sectors. This effort is not entirely new. During the past few years, we have set up structures such as SG Healthcare Corps and Alliances for Action (AfAs) to aid us in saving lives and livelihoods. This is also why we want to send more officers to outside the Public Service to gain exposure and build new networks.”
“This three-pronged approach must be refreshed and updated regularly so that we can maintain our hard-won reputation as a society that is corruption-free and with high integrity amongst our public officers and elected personnel. Next, I will address the cuts by Mr Yip Hon Weng, Mr Saktiandi Supaat and Mr Patrick Tay. This month, we stepped down from DORSCON Yellow to Green for the fight against COVID-19. But I would say that the fight is not over yet. The Public Service will lock in the lessons learnt from COVID-19 and apply them in our ongoing Public Sector Transformation efforts. We have reinforced four key lessons for good governance in an uncertain world. First, deliver services centred around citizens. Second, harness the strengths of the people and private sectors. Third, develop agile organisations and people. And fourth, strengthen our forward planning capabilities. Let me elaborate. First, COVID-19 reinforced the importance of officers from different agencies working together to address citizens' issues in a citizen-centric way. We will continue to organise more services around citizens instead of along agency lines. To Mr Saktiandi's point, technology is indeed a key tool in achieving this. As part of the Digital Government Blueprint, we have achieved almost 100% digital service delivery. However, digitalising services alone is not sufficient. We need to integrate and redesign services and processes in a manner that is meaningful and intuitive to citizens. An example is the recently launched "Care Services Recommender" digital service which provides personalised recommendations on areas such as care services and financial support schemes to caregivers based on their needs.”
“Second, how do we encourage every voter to not just think of his or her individual interests, for the here and now; but also for the wider interests of our society and future generations. Next, we thank Ms He Ting Ru for her comments on how we should not be complacent in the management of potential conflicts of interests both in the Public Service and amongst elected Members of Parliament. We adopt a three-pronged approach to safeguard ourselves. First, there are policies and guidelines that help organisations and individuals to avoid and manage situations of potential conflict. We have this in the Public Service. Officers who engage in external activities and may have potential conflicts of interest have to do the necessary declarations. For Members of Parliament from the People's Action Party (PAP), our Prime Minister issues the Rules of Prudence after every general election to remind ourselves of the standards that we should hold ourselves to. I cannot say this for other Members of the House, but I think what is set out by the Prime Minister for PAP Members of Parliament should be applicable to everyone in the House, because as Ms He said, we are all elected officials and we all owe a duty to our society to maintain the high standards that we expect of ourselves. Second, while these policies and guidelines are in place, it is equally important to have people with good character and judgement to make decisions on specific cases or situations. Third, where lapses occur, there must be processes in place to make things right and subsequently update and strengthen our system to prevent recurrence.”
“Chairman, on behalf of the Prime Minister, let me first address the cut by Ms Sylvia Lim on voting age. This is not a new suggestion. Both sides of the House have previously raised this suggestion and our previous considerations remain valid. A number of countries have lowered their voting age – some to increase voter turnout, and others, perhaps for perceived political advantage. We do not have the first problem and we certainly should not do it for the second reason. Some of them regretted doing so when the political outcomes were not as they had expected, although they would not say so publicly for political reasons. Others were not clear if this had led to better governance. The opinions of our youths are indeed important. The majority of our youths under the age of 21 are in our post-secondary institutions. We do regularly and proactively engage our youths on national issues and societal issues to take into account their views in our decision-making and policy formulation. The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, National Youth Council, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social and Family Development and other Government agencies do this on a regular basis. An example is the Conversations on Singapore Women's Development in 2021. The views surfaced in these dialogues were considered in the White Paper, which was tabled in Parliament last year. However, if we take a step back, the evergreen challenges for any democracy is how do we deliver good governance and a good government. The key to that lies in two things. First, how do we have good people with the right values and right capabilities to stand forth to serve?”
“Students enrol in Primary 1 (P1) through the annual P1 Registration Exercise, which is administered by the Ministry of Education. Schools do not have the discretion to directly admit P1 students before or during this exercise.”
“The UPLIFT Community Network programme was piloted from 2020 to 2021 and officially started in 2022. About 900 students were enrolled in the programme in 2022, of whom about half were living in public rental housing. From 2018 to 2022, an average of 450 students were enrolled in the Enhanced STEP-UP programme each year. About a third of the students were living in public rental housing.”
“There are currently 22 Special Education (SPED) schools that cater to different profiles. The Ministry of Education (MOE) regularly reviews the demand for SPED school places and works with Social Service Agencies to provide sufficient capacity to cater to the needs of specific student profiles. Most applicants have a confirmed place within three months of submitting an application. However, the processing time can extend to six months if more assessment by professionals is required. Some families choose to waitlist their child at a specific SPED school because of parental choice for certain schools or home-school proximity. To safeguard the educational interest of these children, MOE will engage parents to consider placing their child in other suitable schools in the interim. The number of students with Special Educational Needs is expected to grow over the next few years. To meet projected demand, there are plans to have an additional six schools, i.e. 28 SPED schools by the 2030s. In the South West district, there are currently four SPED schools, and following MOE's recently announced plans, there will be five SPED schools in the district ensuring a good geographical spread of SPED schools.”
“In line with the Tripartite Standard on Unpaid Leave for Unexpected Care Needs, all Ministries and Statutory Boards provide for officers with a child who is born pre-term, or as part of multiple births, or with medical conditions, to apply up to four weeks of unpaid leave per year, before their children turn two. In the past five years, an average of 25 officers in the Civil Service utilised this leave provision each year.”
“Students who require additional support in their learning have access to a range of support structures and programmes both physically and virtually, such as learning support programmes and after-school remedial lessons in smaller groups. In addition, students have access to a rich repository of resources in the Singapore Student Learning Space that they can use for self-directed learning. ChatGPT and similar tools can be a useful tool to complement their learning. For example, students can use ChatGPT to explain concepts, to generate questions for practice, and to identify errors in their work. However, students should not use ChatGPT on its own as a substitute for guidance by their teachers as AI tools like ChatGPT can provide inaccurate or biased output, and they would have to critically assess the accuracy and objectivity of its output. Our educators will continue to provide learning support to all students, through planning for engaging learning experiences, including technology-mediated learning ones where appropriate. The Ministry of Education will continue to guide teachers on the appropriate use of technological tools, and schools will also continue to equip students with digital literacy skills to enable them to harness technology confidently and effectively.”
“In the 2022 P1 Registration Exercise, 33 schools balloted in Phase 2B. Over the past 10 years, the average number of Phase 2B vacancies in each of these schools was around 40 places and the average ratio of registrants to vacancies was 1.2.”
“The proportion of children successfully registered in Phase 2A (formerly Phase 2A1 and Phase 2A2) increased from about 12% to 16% of the Primary 1 (P1) cohort over the past decade. The increase is attributed to children enrolled in MOE Kindergartens, who are eligible for Phase 2A in the co-located primary school. The proportion of other Phase 2A registrants such as former students and children of staff members were stable. The proportion of children successfully registered in Phase 2B decreased from about 6% to 4% over the same period. This is due to a decrease in the number of parent volunteers, which schools select based on their needs. The proportion of other Phase 2B registrants which are endorsed members of religious groups or clans that had helped established these schools and children of active community leaders were stable.”
“For example, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) set up the TechSkills Accelerator for ITE and polytechnics (TIP) Alliance in 2022 comprising leading global and local companies, to drive the shift in hiring practices in the tech industry from one that is qualification-based to skills-based. Companies in the TIP Alliance commit to delivering structured, end-to-end pathways to support ITE and polytechnic graduates to enter tech roles, acquire training and certification on the job, and progress in their careers in tech. Similarly, the Ministry of Trade and Industry has introduced the Accelerated Pathways for Technicians and Assistant Engineers (Manufacturing), or APT(M), grant to support manufacturing companies in hiring and training ITE graduates for critical Technician and Assistant Engineer roles, and providing them with career, skills progression and competitive salaries. While our institutions continue to prepare our students well for the workforce and provide opportunities for continual upskilling throughout their careers, companies and employers must also play their part. This includes enterprise transformation to raise productivity, and committing to hire, train and reward workers fairly based on skills and competencies, rather than relying purely on their starting qualifications. Consumers must also be prepared to pay more for goods and services, to raise the wages of those who provide them.”
“Based on data from the Graduate Employment Surveys, while starting salaries have risen for all groups of graduates, the difference in median starting salaries between university and polytechnic graduates has increased by $200 between 2016 and 2021. Over the same period, the difference in starting salaries between university and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) graduates increased by $300. Differences in graduates’ salaries can be a result of various factors such as the relative demand and supply of manpower, as well as differences in productivity, between jobs and sectors that different groups of graduates enter into. For example, digitalisation and COVID-19 have accelerated the growth of manpower demand and hence wages in the ICT sector, which has attracted an increasing proportion of degree holders. While some differences are understandable, it is important that we ensure these differences do not widen significantly over individuals’ lifetimes. Singaporeans must feel that there are opportunities to progress over their career regardless of differences in starting points. Strong partnerships across different stakeholders are needed to address this issue. ITE and the polytechnics are working with MOE and other Government agencies, industry associations, leading employers and unions in key sectors to encourage more companies to better recognise the skills and competencies of our non-university graduates, provide them with quality internship training and access to jobs with good starting salaries and career prospects, and invest in their upskilling and career progression.”
“As with any technology, generative AI tools such as ChatGPT present both opportunities and challenges. When used appropriately, these tools can support students in their learning when students have mastered basic concepts and thinking skills. The Ministry of Education (MOE) provides teachers with guidance and resources to effectively harness the use of digital technology to enhance learning, including the use of emerging technologies such as generative AI. Students are taught digital literacy skills and cyber wellness skills to use technology effectively in their learning. Schools have adopted a range of practices to guard against the potential misuse of generative AI in learning. In their daily work, students are taught the importance of integrity and the harmful impact and consequences of plagiarism. In addition, through daily interactions with students and from using multiple modes of assessment, teachers are able to gauge students' proficiency and detect uncharacteristic responses that could be AI-generated. MOE will continue to monitor the impact of these tools on learning and equip students with the skills and values to enable them to harness technology confidently and responsibly. Our approaches will evolve as we adapt to the use of new AI tools.”
“The Government monitors overall wage levels by qualification and age through the Ministry of Manpower’s Comprehensive Labour Force Survey. Beyond this, the Ministry of Education has been working with the Institutes of Higher Learning to pilot tracer surveys that track our graduates’ employment status and wages five years after graduation. This will complement the Graduate Employment Survey that the IHLs conduct six months after graduation and allows us to track key trends on outcomes post-graduation.”
“The Ministry of Education (MOE) currently has 10 vacant school sites. Two are currently being spruced up to be used as interim holding sites, there are plans for another two sites to be used as interim holding sites before schools move to their upgraded or new campuses or as permanent campuses. The remaining six sites are pending reinstatement before the land is returned to the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) for other uses. In addition, there are six former school sites that are still being used or temporarily safeguarded for use for COVID-19 related operations. When they are no longer needed for such operations, these sites will be returned to MOE for use as either interim holding sites or as permanent sites for new schools. MOE regularly reviews our schools infrastructure plans and where there are vacant sites which MOE does not need, the sites will be returned to SLA who will work with the relevant Government agencies to put the buildings out for adaptive reuse if there are no short-term needs for the land. In other cases, the land is converted to other uses.”
“As with any technology, ChatGPT and similar generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools present both opportunities and challenges for teaching and learning. When used judiciously, these tools can help teachers in the planning and delivery of lessons and can support students in their learning. While there is potential for students to misuse these tools, schools and Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) have adopted a range of practices that help to guard against the misuse of AI technology for academic cheating. First, students are reminded that there are clear rules and regulations pertaining to dishonesty and plagiarism in schools and IHLs and that there are consequences for breaching any of the stipulated rules and regulations. In schools, students sit for online examinations in a supervised environment using a secured network environment with features that prevent students from accessing unauthorised materials. In IHLs, students required to take examinations online are supervised remotely to prevent use of other tools. In their daily work, students are taught the importance of integrity and the harmful impact and consequences of plagiarism. In addition, through daily interactions with students and from using multiple modes of assessment, teachers are able to gauge students' proficiency and detect uncharacteristic responses that could be AI-generated. Our schools and IHLs will continue to remind their students of the importance of academic integrity and to equip schools to safeguard the integrity of assessments and assignments. Our approaches will evolve as we adapt to the use of new AI tools.”
“Over the past five years, the profile of teachers who had resigned from the Education Service shows a performance profile that was generally weaker than those who are in-service, with about 8% of them in the D or E performance grades.”
“Principles of Accounts (POA) is an elective subject offered at the upper secondary level. While the POA curriculum covers transferable skills such as analysing accounting and non-accounting information for decision-making, which students can apply in their daily lives to make sound financial decisions, the subject may appeal more to students with a particular interest in accounting topics. It is not necessary to make POA a compulsory subject just to equip students with basic financial literacy. Financial literacy is already infused into subjects such as Character and Citizenship Education (CCE), Social Studies (SS) and Food and Consumer Education (FCE) that are taken by all students. In primary school, students are taught foundational concepts such as the value of thrift and spending within one’s means in CCE lessons. Secondary school students are guided to become responsible and discerning consumers through simple financial planning and responsible use of credit in FCE. In SS, students learn about the need to manage trade-offs and the importance of individual responsibility in meeting the needs of individuals and society. The Ministry of Education (MOE) will continue to review the curriculum and subject offerings in schools to ensure all students are equipped with basic financial literacy.”
“Student welfare officers (SWOs) support students who are absent from school for prolonged periods of time, those with brushes with the law and under probation, or under child protection. Roving SWOs were introduced in 2022 to serve schools without a school-based SWO and with a lower level of such needs. In 2022, there were seven roving SWOs supporting some 100 students across 40 primary and secondary schools.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir. The answer to Dr Lim's question is this: cheating is cheating. Cheating is not tolerated in any of our education institutions. Cheating may take the form of conventional cheating or cheating may take new forms, like that enabled by new technologies. So, this is always an evergreen challenge that we have to overcome. But it requires two parts in the solutioning. The first part is how to detect cheating is our examinations, tests and so forth. And that is, again, a bit like a "cat and mouse" game where if you improve your technologies, the other side may also try to come up with other new and innovation ways. But that is the technical aspect. I think the more important aspect is how we educate our people to understand the fundamental values, hold on to the fundamental values, how we impart them the values such that they understand why they are doing what they are doing. In the learning process, it is not about coming out with an answer to give the answer and submit it to the teachers or to the examination board. What is more important is also the process of trying to get to the answer and how you derive that answer. And if some tools can help you to derive a better answer, so be it. But we expect all our students to declare, truthfully, where their sources of information may come from. And even then, they must be able to go back to the three "D"s that I mentioned: discover, distil and discern. And that, must not change.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir. The answer is yes. Indeed, we have a plan and we are already conducting courses for our educators to help them understand both the potential and the challenges of such AI technologies. We have discussion groups within the professional community on how to harness the potential of such technologies for us to improve the education system. Similarly, we would also like to equip our students with the skillsets to learn how to use this responsibly. Because as I have mentioned, in the new world, it is not just about trying to find a deterministic answer like learning how to use a calculator, where one plus one always equals to two. In the new world, we need to be able to work with a range of possible outcomes and consider them holistically. That is why, I have been emphasising to all my students and teachers that the new skillsets for us in this generation is learning how to discover, to distil and finally, to discern. And if possible, to develop or create something new in the process because our value-add today is not about trying to answer yesterday's problems with yesterday's answer. Our value-add is how to create tomorrow's solutions for tomorrow's challenges ahead of time. These are new skillsets that we must all acquire and help our students to acquire.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, Members have asked how the Ministry of Education (MOE) plans to address the use of ChatGPT and similar Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in schools and Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), and in particular, how MOE will prevent students from misusing ChatGPT.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I have your permission to take the Question Nos 19 to 22 together, please.”
“At postgraduate level, the Autonomous Universities (AUs) decide whether to seek MOE funding for Master's by coursework programmes, based on considerations such as the viability of offering these programmes on a non-subsidised basis. Around 20% of Master's by coursework programmes at the AUs are subsidised by MOE, including those that serve as entry requirements for certain professions such as architecture. There is no target for Master’s by coursework programmes at the AUs to be self-funded.”
“About 1.5% of the 2022 PSLE cohort appealed to review their results for the Mathematics subject. A thorough check of the marking and accuracy of mark entries was conducted by independent senior markers for all students who had appealed for a review of their PSLE grades. One student had a change in grade in PSLE Mathematics. The rest were in order.”
“The annual salary package of Supreme Court Judge consists of six components: gross monthly salary, Annual Variable Component, Non-Pensionable Annual Allowance, Performance Bonus, National Bonus and Judiciary Allowance. The gross monthly salary comprises both fixed and variable components. Except for the Judiciary Allowance and the fixed monthly salary components, the other components may vary depending on economic conditions and individual performance. This structure is the same as civil servants of the equivalent substantive grade. The types of leave and medical benefits, including the retirement and death gratuity rates, are the same as civil servants of the equivalent substantive grade. The remuneration of judges has its own separate benchmark and is not linked to that of political office holders.”
“The 2012 White Paper on Salaries for a Capable and Committed Government had recommended that an independent committee be appointed every five years to review the salary framework for political appointment holders. In 2018, the Government provided its response to the latest review of political salaries by an independent committee. The committee had concluded then that the salary framework remained relevant and sound, and its recommendations included adjusting the salary levels of political appointment holders to match the updated benchmark. The Government decided not to make any changes to political salaries, since the economy was still in transition. The Government indicated then that it would review the matter again after five years, or when it becomes necessary. The next political salaries review is targeted for 2023 and we will share more details in due course.”
“The public sector generally outsources specific services or functions when the private sector is better placed to provide these, due to its deeper expertise or greater efficiency. This approach allows the public sector to tap into the private sector’s capabilities and capacity, while the public sector focuses resources on key public services and functions. Outsourcing by the Public Service does not necessarily result in job loss for any person per se, as the work remains to be done. Impacted public officers may choose to be transferred to the outsourced entities, or be retrained and redeployed within the same agency or across the wider public service. Where functions are corporatised, officers typically continue employment with the corporatised entity on comparable terms. As at 31 December 2021, approximately 0.66% of public officers were employed on contracts of less than a year in duration. They may be employed on contract due to various reasons such as manpower augmentation.”
“Guided by MOE, schools have the flexibility to reduce the teaching or other duties of teacher-counsellors to provide them more time to counsel students with moderate needs. For example, some have reduced classes or committee work. The training and deployment of teacher-counsellors is monitored at both school and Ministry levels to ensure they are adequately supported.”
“The Gifted Education Programme (GEP) is a three-year programme that is offered at the Primary level, for identified Primary 4 to Primary 6 students. At the Secondary level, MOE continues to stretch our high ability students through diverse programmes that cater to different interests and needs. These include the School-based Gifted Education Programme, which replaced the GEP, as well as centrally-organised programmes such as the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Programme and the Science Research Programme. The GEP, like other MOE programmes, is reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that we continue to meet the developmental needs of our students and prepare them well for the future. For example, as part of a recent review, MOE introduced mixed form classes to all primary GEP centres so that GEP students have common educational experiences with other peers in the school.”
“MOE does not conduct studies on the out-of-pocket spending on tuition and enrichment classes for children. The Household Expenditure Survey (HES) conducted by the Department of Statistics once every five years collects information on consumption expenditure by resident households, including that on private tuition and other educational courses.”
“The proportion of international students in our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) has been 10% on average. Their employment outcomes and wages are similar to the local students.”
“The number of private candidates who have registered for the GCE "A" Level examination has declined over the past decade, from about 1,500 private candidates in 2012, to about 1,100 in the past three years. Around 60% of the candidates were 20 years old or below and about 30% were between 21 and 30 years old; 60% of the candidates were male. Most of the private candidates sat for H1 General Paper, H2 Mathematics and H2 Chemistry.”
“The number of private candidates who have registered for the GCE "O" Level examination has declined over the past decade, from about 8,000 private candidates in 2012 to about 3,000 in the past three years. The majority – from 75% to 80% – were 20 years old or below and about 15% were between 21 and 30 years old; 60% of the candidates were female. Most of the private candidates sat for "O" Level English and Mathematics.”
“The Elections Department (ELD) regularly reviews the number, locations and design of polling stations to improve accessibility for voters, especially the elderly and those with mobility issues. The number of polling stations has increased over the past few elections, from 732 at General Election (GE) 2011 to 832 at GE 2015, and 1,097 at GE 2020. ELD plans to further increase the number of polling stations at the next election. The actual number is still to be finalised.”
“Student Welfare Officers (SWOs) only support students who are absent from school for prolonged periods of time, those with brushes with the law and under probation, or under child protection. The needs of the schools vary, and it is not meaningful to look at averages across schools. Taking a needs-based approach, primary and secondary schools with a higher number of such students are resourced with one or two SWOs each. There are 102 school-based SWOs currently. Schools without a school-based SWO have a team of staff comprising teachers and school counsellors to support students who are at risk of not completing school. The Ministry of Education (MOE) also deploys roving SWOs to support these schools. Currently, there are 21 roving SWOs. MOE will continue to periodically review the number of SWOs needed to support our students and work with other partner agencies to help uplift these students.”
“The Ministry of Education (MOE) provides significant subsidies for Singaporean students in the Autonomous Universities (AUs) pursuing their first undergraduate qualification and selected post-graduate courses, for example those that serve as entry requirements for certain professions such as architecture. Beyond this, the universities have autonomy to decide whether to seek MOE funding for Master's by coursework programmes, based on considerations such as the viability of offering these programmes on a non-subsidised basis. The majority of Master's by coursework programmes at the AUs, such as the Master in Business Administration (MBA), are conducted on a non-subsidised basis today. Around 20% of Master's by coursework programmes at the AUs are subsidised by MOE. To defray the out-of-pocket cost of pursuing a Master's by coursework programme, some AUs, such as NUS offer fee rebates to Singaporeans and permanent residents (PRs) as well as alumni. Additional university subsidies, scholarships or study awards are also available to eligible students. Over the years, MOE has also channelled resources to provide Singaporean adult learners with more bite-sized, industry-relevant upgrading opportunities in the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs). Singaporeans can receive up to 90% course fee subsidies for supported modular courses, including those that stack up to postgraduate programmes. They may further offset the out-of-pocket course fees using their SkillsFuture Credit. MOE will continue to work with the IHLs to ensure the availability and accessibility of education upgrading opportunities for Singaporeans.”
“We are also studying ways to provide more targeted support for segments of the workforce who might require more help, such as mid-career workers in their 40s and 50s.”
“Around 660,000 individuals benefited from Continuing Education and Training (CET) programmes supported by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) in 2021, compared to 540,000 in 2020. SSG will release the 2022 figures next month. Fees for CET programmes vary depending on the type of courses, subject area, course duration and combination of modules that the students take up. After Government subsidies, the fee range for Singapore Citizens (SCs) pursuing full-qualification CET programmes at the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) are as follows: (a) For a part-time Nitec and Higher Nitec at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), the subsidised fee is around $200. (b) For a part-time Diploma at the polytechnics, the subsidised fee is about $2,400, while that of a post-Diploma programme could range from $700 to $2,100. (c) For a part-time undergraduate degree at the Autonomous Universities (AUs), the subsidised fee varies between $14,000 and $25,000 depending on the type of course. (d) The fees cited are for the full-course duration of the full-qualification programme. The IHLs also offer a diverse range of modular courses for just in time skills upgrading. SSG provides course fee subsidies of up to 70% for these courses. The median fee for modular courses is around $150 for polytechnics and ITEs (POLITE), and $600 for AUs respectively. Under the SkillsFuture Mid-Career Enhanced Subsidy (MCES), SCs aged 40 and above also receive higher subsidies of up to 90% of course fees. The Government will continue to invest significantly in CET to ensure that Singaporeans can access reskilling and upskilling opportunities throughout their working lives.”
“Schools also provide opportunities for unstructured play by making sports facilities and equipment available to students during recess and after school. All primary schools have outdoor facilities, such as school fields and outdoor play courts. We have progressively upgraded our primary schools with fitness playgrounds, and outdoor experiential learning areas such as an eco-garden. We have built roof top gardens in recently built primary school campuses that can double up as additional outdoor learning areas. Outdoor learning is a critical part of our education. MOE will continue to review our curriculum and ensure that our physical premises support outdoor learning.”
“Preschools are required by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) to incorporate outdoor activities in their curriculum. Preschools providing full-day services must incorporate at least 30 minutes of outdoor activities daily or 45 minutes thrice weekly, while those providing half-day services are required to incorporate at least 30 minutes of gross motor activities thrice weekly, with at least one session outdoors. Preschools have the flexibility and are encouraged to go beyond these minimum requirements. Preschools are also required to provide children with safe access to an outdoor play space. ECDA works with Government agencies and operators to plan preschools with easy access to the outdoors so that outdoor activities can be conducted. Every Ministry of Education (MOE) Kindergarten has its own outdoor playground and may also use the outdoor facilities of the primary schools they are located within. In primary schools, weekly Physical Education (PE) curriculum time per week are two hours for Primary 1 and 2, and 2.5 hours for Primary 3 to 6. Weather permitting, a significant proportion of this time is spent outdoors. As part of Outdoor Education in PE, students are equipped with outdoor competencies to explore the natural and urban environments safely and responsibly. This culminates in a three-day cohort camp in Primary 5 which also allows students to develop values and social-emotional competencies. The primary science curriculum and the Programme for Active learning (PAL) excite students through outdoor learning experiences and nurture a sense of wonder about nature and the environment. Additionally, a large proportion of our students are in outdoor-centric Co-Curricular Activities like sports and uniformed groups.”
“Our national examinations do not grade to a bell curve, but are what assessment experts describe as standards-referenced. The grades awarded reflect a candidate's level of mastery in a subject based on an absolute set of standards. They are not affected by the performance of others. Statistically, test scores of a large population of students in any subject tend to fall into a normal distribution – a bell curve – due to natural variation in the level of mastery among the students. The Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) ensures that examination standards are comparable year on year. This means that each examination is aligned with the syllabus objectives and learning outcomes, and consists of a balanced proportion of basic, average and challenging questions to cater to students of different abilities. This proportion is kept stable year-on-year. SEAB neither "force fits" the exam scores of students into a bell curve nor uses pre-determined proportions for grades. If there are more candidates demonstrating better quality work in an examination year, a higher percentage of them will be awarded better grades.”
“Students with dyslexia have difficulties matching language sounds to print. However, dyslexia is not a visual problem that can be addressed by special fonts. There is limited research evidence that "dyslexia-friendly" fonts improve reading speed or accuracy, although some students may express a preference for them. MOE will continue to support students with dyslexia in their reading and spelling using methods that are evidence-based, such as the teaching of phonics, and strategies for spelling, oral reading fluency and reading comprehension. To aid legibility of texts for all students, including those with dyslexia, MOE and schools use fonts, such as sans serif fonts, that cater to all students and avoid fonts that are cursive or decorative.”