Chan Chun Sing
Singapore
“Since 2002, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has worked with the autonomous universities (AUs) to establish arrangements that minimise disruption to National Servicemen (NSmen) who are pursuing full-time studies up to the undergraduate level, while meeting the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF's) operational and training needs.”
“Secondments help to build up the range of competencies and work experiences of public officers to strengthen their longer-term employment relevance and resilience. The Public Service Division's guideline to agencies is to support public officers even while they are on secondment.”
“The priority of our National Servicemen must be their military duties and operational training, to meet the Singapore Armed Forces's (SAF's) operational requirements.”
“In January 2026, I had informed this House that the Government had convened an independent committee to conduct a review of the political salary framework that was laid out in 2012. The Committee has completed the review and submitted its recommendations to the Government in April.”
“All countries seek to develop mutually beneficial partnerships, and the United States-Indonesia Major Defence Cooperation Partnership is one such example.”
“Since the Singapore Armed Forces Volunteer Corps (SAFVC) was established in 2014, over 1,500 men and women have completed training and served as SAFVC Volunteers (SVs). Presently, there are about 1,100 in-service SVs, comprising 52% male and 48% female. About seven in 10 of our in-service SVs are new Citizens or Permanent Residents.”
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“The well-being of our teaching staff is of paramount importance to MOE. We provide a range of resources to support their well-being, including professional development courses, avenues for peer support, and free counselling services which are available to all staff when needed. The number of teachers in schools seeking support through MOE’s in-house counselling services averaged about 40 per year from 2017 to 2019, before COVID-19. This average number has risen to about 70 in the last two years. As an additional channel of support, the whole-of-Government counselling hotline was rolled out in March 2021, with about 90 MOE staff using the hotline last year across both MOE schools and HQ. MOE recognises the exceptional demands that COVID-19 has placed on the entire education system, and our teachers, in particular, have to shoulder many more duties to keep the school safe while still ensuring learning continues for our students. MOE has, therefore, made adjustments both at system-level and school-level to re-prioritise initiatives and school programmes to pace out work for the teachers to better support them. To enhance the support for the mental well-being of teachers, MOE introduced a new initiative on Wellness Ambassadors in September 2021. Nominated staff receive training to provide basic peer support and encourage their peers to seek help where necessary. Teachers can also access Mindline at Work, an online platform which provides self-care and well-being tips and resources, tailored to meet the needs of individual users. Teachers can also attend sharing sessions and workshops on teachers’ well-being offered by MOE.”
“In line with NUS’ broader plans to enhance interdisciplinary learning, NUS will merge the best elements of Yale-NUS College (YNC) and the NUS’ University Scholars Programme (USP) to form the new NUS College. NUS College will offer an education model that is interdisciplinary, inclusive and accessible. It will have a diverse and vibrant student community, with small-group teaching within a residential living and learning environment. The curriculum of NUS College will draw on the liberal arts tradition, supplemented with data and computational studies which are critical areas of skills and expertise for the future. There will be a flagship Global Pathway Programme, which will give students the opportunity to spend six months to a year overseas, where they will participate in curated activities centred around specific themes, such as technology, entrepreneurship, diplomacy and environmental and climate action. NUS remains fully committed to preserving the education experience for YNC students in the meantime. Students will continue to have access to the full range of majors and minors currently offered by YNC until 2025. There will be no change to class sizes or to YNC’s current practice of small-group teaching and residential learning.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the first answer to Mr Pritam Singh's question is, the attrition is higher in the ICT sector than the general 9.9% that I have mentioned. So, ICT sector is higher. On the second part, it is an important question because in meeting our ICT needs for the Government as a whole, we do apply a multi-pronged approach. One, is, of course, we try to recruit our fair share of talent from the open market. That, we will continue to do. And that, we have to make sure that our projects, our work, they are all meaningful and fulfilling for the people who come in, over and above a competitive pay. So, hiring from outside is one. Second, growing our own timber is another strategy that we adopt. When we say we grow our own timber, we talk about helping our people to upgrade their baseline ICT skills so that more people will be able to take on some of the tasks that are required in the overall public sector. Retraining some of our own people are also possibilities that we are embarking on. So, there is external recruitment, there is also growing our own timber. The third prong that we use to meet our own ICT needs is also to rationalise the way we demand ICT manpower. For example, to the extent that we can aggregate projects of a similar nature, we will be able to do that because it helps us to save cost and reduce the demand on the ICT manpower. Of course, over the longer term, it also helps us to have a much more integrated Public Service ICT system. So, through these various multi-pronged strategies, we hope to have a holistic arrangement to meet the ICT needs of our Public Service going forward.”
“But, in general, to answer Mr Patrick Tay's first question, we are still able to hold up the system by redeploying and cross-deploying officers, as needed, to maintain the current level of service. But we must pay attention to the forward-looking services that we want to put in place to serve Singapore and Singaporeans better in time to come. To Mr Patrick Tay's second question, there is not exactly a new baseline arrangement because the spectrum of Public Service officers' duties vary quite a lot. Quite a lot of the Public Service officers, including those in the Education Service, will not be able to have work-from-home arrangements because they do need to be present to man their stations. But having said that, for the rest of the Public Service who are able to work from home, then we will try to lock in some of these gains, whereby, they have more flexible work arrangements transiting between working from home and working at their respective stations, depending on the demands of the job situation at this point in time, and, of course, depending on the national posture for our plans to fight against COVID-19. So, what the Public Service wants to do is to make sure that we lock in some of the gains that we have been able to achieve through the COVID-19 arrangement and allow greater and more flexible work arrangements for our people to the extent possible. But having said that, we all know that quite a large proportion of the Public Service officers are in jobs that are frontline, public-facing, and it will not be very possible for these jobs to have work-from-home arrangements. So, they will have to take turns, depending on their rotation cycles, to see whether they can enjoy some of these flexibilities that we also hope to give our public officers.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, at this point in time, the general manning level of the Public Service is still healthy. But having said that, there are two areas of concern for me. First, there might be some localised shortages, and we will have to redeploy our officers accordingly to serve the public and to maintain the standards of service we require. Thus far, we have been very fortunate that the Public Service officers have, in general, been able to be cross-deployed and help one another when the need arises. For example in the earlier reply to the Parliamentary Question (PQ), when MOH needed additional manpower to man the hotlines, we were able to mobilise resources from CPF and other volunteers from the Public Service in general, to be redeployed to help them on a temporary basis. So, we will continue to do this, and I would like to thank all the Public Service officers for stepping up to volunteer, to cover some of these gaps at the localised shortages. But there is another area that I am concerned with, which is the longer-term impact, that is, our ability to make sure that we not only deliver the services for today, but we are also able to continue to improve our systems and processes for the future. In this particular area, the specific area of concern will be our ICT talent. Because in a lot of the ICT projects, we do need sufficient quantity and quality personnel in order to make sure that these projects are on track. Given the hot market in the private sector for ICT talent, it is, indeed, a big challenge for us to get our fair share of talent. Of course, we understand that in the Public Service, we do not compete just on the basis of pay, but we also compete on the basis of offering our people exciting and meaningful work. So, we will continue to work on this.”
“We introduced a 24/7 counselling hotline as well as a "mindline at work", a digital platform to help public officers access mental health resources. We have also built up a community of over 900 Wellness Ambassadors from 80 agencies. These are public officers who have volunteered to be trained to provide basic emotional support to fellow colleagues and act as ambassadors for mental well-being. Mr Speaker, Sir, the Public Service will review salaries and benefits of public officers and adjust them where necessary to keep pace with the market. These periodic adjustments help to enable the Public Service to attract and retain its fair share of talent so that we can continue to deliver a high quality of services for Singaporeans. In addition, we have made several moves to enhance the employee value proposition of a career in the Public Service, by expanding job rotations and attachments outside the public sector, to make work more interesting and fulfilling as officers get to experience and learn new things constantly.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Public Service has seen an increase in attrition across the board. The resignation rate for the Management Executive Scheme, the largest generic scheme in the Civil Service, reached a 10-year peak of 9.9% in 2021 and the attrition has clearly picked up momentum in the last six months. Some specific segments, such as Info-communication Technology (ICT), are experiencing elevated competitive pressures in the face of talent shortages and facing resignation rates that are even higher. There are various factors contributing to attrition from the Public Service, including pressures of the job, pay and opportunities for professional development and progression. In particular, over the past two years, public officers have had to face intense pressure, working tirelessly to sustain the fight against COVID-19. At times, they also have to deal with anxious and even demanding members of the public in the course of their COVID-19-related work. The shift to remote work has also blurred the line between work and life. There is a risk of an increase in attrition from the Public Service, as the economy recovers, and job offers from the private sector increase. Amidst the high demands of the work, the Public Service will step up efforts to streamline processes and continue to provide clarity of direction in helping our officers relate their work and contributions to the core purpose of serving Singapore and Singaporeans. At the same time, the Service has also stepped up efforts to support and care for the health and mental well-being of public officers. We are conducting regular webinars on well-being-related topics, such as resilience, mindfulness, nutrition and physical exercise.”
“Nineteen of our 22 SPED schools have programmes to support students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), with the exception of Canossian School, Lighthouse School and Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore School. Of these 19 SPED schools, six focus specifically on supporting students with ASD, while others take in students with ASD as well as those who have other Special Educational Needs (SEN). For instance, MINDS – Fernvale Gardens School supports students with intellectual disability but over half of its students also have ASD. There are sufficient places in our SPED schools for children with ASD. Most applicants have a confirmed place within three months of applying. However, the application processing time can extend to six months if more assessment is required. And some families do choose to be waitlisted at their preferred school. To help parents choose a suitable SPED school, MOE organises a Parent Forum together with KK Women's and Children's Hospital and National University Hospital once a year in October/November for parents of K1 students. SPED schools also conduct open houses. Parents are encouraged to indicate their top three choices on the SPED application form. MOE continually monitors the demand for SPED school places and plans ahead with the Social Service Agencies that run the schools to cater to different SEN profiles, including ASD.”
“Students are encouraged to use school buses or public transport to travel to and from school. This builds independence and inculcates environmentally sustainable habits in our students and also eases traffic flow around school zones. The Government already has measures to help school bus operators keep their operating costs low, which, in turn, help to keep school bus fares low. For example, school buses are exempted from Certificate of Entitlement requirements. Private Hire and Excursion Bus operators who use their buses to provide school bus services are eligible for a 50% road tax rebate by the Land Transport Authority. In addition, MOE provides a transport subsidy for students from lower-income families who take school bus or public transport. In particular, MOE subsidises 60% of the school bus fares for Primary school students receiving financial assistance.”
“Some 60% of the Civil Service is in frontline functions, such as schools or the uniformed service agencies, which are not suited to be performed from home on a sustained basis. However, where operationally feasible, Public Service agencies can exercise flexibility and discuss flexible work arrangements (FWAs) with these officers. These include part-time work arrangements and flexi-hours, which can support officers in balancing their work and personal circumstances.”
“All agencies also have an Agency Chief Information Security Officer and Chief Data Officer who oversee and take charge of cyber and data security matters in agencies. All agencies are also required to engage independent internal or external auditors to conduct audits on ICT systems that are in operation. The Public Service will continue to make adjustments to enable hybrid work and continuously strengthen our systems and processes to ensure sound governance.”
“The Government remains committed to upholding high standards of governance and oversight, regardless of the mode of working. The Public Service has a range of controls and checks to safeguard financial processes and data, which will continue to apply in a hybrid work environment. We have also progressively enhanced our measures to ensure that hybrid work does not lead to higher risks in terms of financial controls. Access controls are put in place to ensure proper governance. For example, public officers who work from home are only able to access central financial systems subject to their compliance with Government data protection and cyber-hygiene requirements. In addition, payment processes in the Public Service have been progressively automated with system controls. This means that invoices are received electronically from suppliers via the electronic invoicing network and this reduces manual handling of paper invoices and the risk of data-entry error by officers. To strengthen governance and oversight, agencies have also adopted network analytics to identify potential conflicts of interest in procurement. Post-disbursement, independent audits and data analytics are also performed to detect any anomalies and verify that funds were channelled appropriately to the intended beneficiaries. As more public officers access systems remotely in a hybrid work environment, the Public Service has also put in place measures to foster a strong culture of cyber and data security. For example, all public officers are required to go through an annual cybersecurity awareness training. GovTech has published a set of best practices on measures that public officers should take to secure their home network and the secure use of video-conferencing tools when working from home.”
“Due to declining enrolment in some schools, MOE has merged schools rather than close them. The schools that are merged are usually located close to each other, and students from both schools would, as a norm, continue their learning in the merged school. However, there have been instances of school transfer requests from some parents whose child is affected by school mergers. MOE will consider these requests, taking into consideration factors, such as the student's living arrangements, the address of the primary caregiver, the transportation challenges, the educational interests of the student, as well as available vacancies in the requested school.”
“Secondly, we would also like to thank all of the volunteers for their efforts to step forward and chip in and, to the extent that we can, both MSF and MOE would like to work with our partners, the volunteers, the caregivers, and we are prepared to try out different ideas, new ideas, to cater to the spectrum of needs that we have discussed in this House. Because we really need a variety of solutions, a variety of know-hows, a variety of resources. Many of these things are very difficult to do because they require staying power, they require us to walk through those dark valleys of life with the person in need and their families. And we really, really give thanks for the many volunteers who have walked this journey. So, I do not want the volunteers to feel that just because an unfortunate incident has happened, that, somehow, they have not done their part or they have not done enough. I think we also want to affirm the volunteers and professionals who have taken care of our children with special needs and their families as well.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, to pull a few of the threads together, maybe I will just make the following concluding points. First, I would like to thank all the professionals, teachers, caregivers and families who have extended help to our children with special needs and their families. I know it is very difficult when such an unfortunate incident happens. We will always ask if we could have all done more together to avoid this tragedy. We know that many of our professionals, families, caregivers and volunteers would want to do more. But deep in our heart, I think we also know that, sometimes, such cases are very hard to prevent altogether. Because it is so hard, I think we are all even more determined to want to do better. So, the first point is, yes, MOE and MSF, we are regularly reviewing the master plan on how we can provide the continuum of care across the entire life cycle stage, for both the special needs children and their caregivers. I know that for many of the special needs families, the part that is most challenging, the part that is most worrying for all the families with special needs children is: "what happens when we are no longer around?", "what is the care arrangement, what are the financial arrangements that we need to put in place to take care of our children with special needs?" And this is where we will double down our efforts to see how we can provide a more seamless continuum, from the school years to the post-school years in terms of care, work arrangements and also financial independence.”
“Every child with special needs is special in their own ways and they do need different levels of support with different learning needs as well. So, that is why, to add on to what Minister Masagos says, because of the spectrum of needs, we also need a spectrum of solutions in order to best cater to the respective needs.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in response to Ms He Ting Ru's questions, I will just make the following points. The tracking is on a continuous basis. Of course, the tracking is not based on the usual academic standards that we use. Very often, for the students with special education needs, if they are following the mainstream curriculum, then we track their progress. But very importantly, in this progress, we are not trying to measure themselves against other people. As I have always said, for us, it is more important to surpass ourselves than to surpass other people. For many of our children with special needs, the goal is really for them to improve over what they have been able to achieve the previous day, the previous year, to give themselves a sense of confidence, a sense of independence. And that is what, if you like, broadly how we measure our success, in a very broad way. The second point I would like to make is that we are always in close contact with the parents and the families, so that we can work hand in hand between the school and the families to help progress our children, each according to their potential. Where necessary, we will bring in the education, the professional psychologist to help equip both our teachers with the necessary skill-sets and also the parents with the necessary skill-sets to cope and to care for the children with special needs. So, it is not the kind of usual tracking that we would use for the usual academic yardsticks or performance yardsticks for typical children, but I think for each of the children with special needs, we have to customise the programme according to their needs. And I would like to make this point that, while we generally use the word "special needs", the special needs community is not homogeneous.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I have Mr Masagos make his reply?”
“For SPED graduates who do not transit to employment due to higher needs, MOE works with SPED schools and SG Enable to facilitate their transition to post-school options based on their abilities and needs, including for students identified for MSF-funded services. Mr Speaker, all parents plan on providing for our children in every possible way until they reach independence as adults. So, we can all understand when parents discover that their child will need a lot more support for a lot longer, even into adulthood. We can experience their heartache, shock and even fear. This is an unplanned journey and can be a challenging one. Many of us know of such families, amongst our friends, relatives or in the community. Some of us are ourselves family of a special person. I am heartened to hear of families which have drawn strength from circles of support and who have, in turn, given support to others, allowing them to cope with the stress and challenges of journeying alongside their special child. So, let us do our part to serve as a circle of support for these children and their families. We cannot say, "Let the other neighbour help. Let the other relatives help. Let the other company hire him." We need not wait for one another – let us all take the first step. Let us all let them know that we value them and their children. Let us remind them that they are not alone. When the parents need a break, let us step in to play with or accompany their children. When they seek an understanding employer or colleague, let us be that understanding employer or colleague. Let us be a community that reaches out in both words and deeds to demonstrate care and kindness. Let us be an inclusive society that uplifts one another, leaves no Singaporean behind and moves forward as one.”
“With the advice of MOE Educational Psychologists and the school's teachers and Allied Educators, they may conclude that their child is better supported in a SPED School. MOE also provides Post-Diagnosis Educational Guidance to render emotional support and assistance to parents in the journey towards acceptance of their child's special needs. In SPED schools, teachers work closely with parents to exchange information on their children's progress and support the application of skills at home and in the community. Each school has a social worker who can help families with additional emotional or financial needs, if needed. Families can access programmes outside of curriculum hours, such as holiday activities and outings run by the schools or Social Service Agencies (SSAs), in collaboration with external organisations and volunteers. There are also Special Student Care Centres, which provide before-and-after school care services for school-going children with special educational needs. SG Enable as well as SSAs also organise parent and sibling engagement activities, including workshops and camps, where participants provide mutual support by sharing experiences and advice. To help students and families transit from SPED to post-school life, MOE works with the SPED schools to implement school-wide processes of transition planning for students at the Secondary years, where each student has an Individual Transition Plan reflecting his or her post-school interests, strengths and aspirations. MOE also works with MSF, SG Enable and the SPED schools for the School-to-Work Transition Programme, to support work-capable students in transiting from school to work.”
“Those who need additional support in literacy and numeracy join the Learning Support Programmes in English Language and Mathematics in Primary 1 and 2. And those with Dyslexia may join the School-based Dyslexia Remediation programme for Primary 3 and 4. Last year, we announced that we are rolling out the TRANsition Support for InTegration, or TRANSIT programme, for Primary 1 students with social and behavioural needs. Thirty-seven schools have implemented this programme, and more will be coming on board. When children have higher support needs, professionals will recommend a SPED school because these schools have specialised instruction and customised facilities, specially-trained teachers and Allied Professionals. Currently, approximately 7,000 students, or about 20% of all students reported with special educational needs, attend the existing 22 SPED schools. These students have moderate to severe special needs. Across mainstream and SPED schools, the number of students reported with special educational needs has risen by about 5% in the last three years, largely due to growing awareness and early identification. Parents are our key partners as they provide valuable insights into their children's unique needs. This is why schools engage families early to find out their children's needs. Schools then provide details of the support available in school and how the school and parents can work together to support their child. When schools and families communicate, they build relationships and share strategies that can be used both in school and at home. In some cases, parents of children with special educational needs in mainstream schools may find that the mainstream environment does not suit their child.”
“In the preschool, teachers may also flag up children with suspected developmental delays to early intervention professionals, who will work with paediatricians to determine the children's needs. Those children identified to require early intervention, or EI, will be referred to the appropriate EI programmes based on the level of support needed. Depending on the programme, children may receive EI support within their preschools or at EI centres. For the schooling years, to help parents decide how to best support their children's special educational needs, MOE has collaborated with hospitals, EI centres and special education, or SPED, schools to develop common standards to guide professional assessments and align the recommendations we give to parents. Based on these assessments and recommendations, parents decide whether to enrol their children in a mainstream Primary school or a SPED school. MOE also holds an annual Parent Forum, in collaboration with KK Women's and Children's Hospital and National University Hospital (NUH), to help parents better understand how mainstream and SPED schools can support their children's needs. Parents of children with special educational needs are invited as speakers to share their experiences in choosing a school and working with the school to support their children. Mr Speaker, Sir, today, some 27,000 students with mild special educational needs attend mainstream schools, supported by teachers who implement inclusive classroom practices and Allied Educators who specialise in learning and behavioural support. Because of their additional needs, some may need pull-out support during or after curriculum time.”
“Mr Speaker, we are all deeply saddened to learn of the deaths of 11-year-old twin brothers Ethan Yap and Aston Yap on 21 January. My MOE colleagues and I mourn their passing and we extend our condolences to their families, friends and schoolmates. I believe all Members of this House will agree with us that the pain hits especially hard, because such young lives have been lost. Soon after the twins' deaths were made public, the media reported that the boys had special needs. Today, I will not touch on the specifics of this case as it is before the Court, and I urge members of the public not to speculate on the incident or to prematurely draw conclusions on what should be done. But, today, together with Minister for Social and Family Development Minister Masagos, I will address how the Government and all of us can take a whole-of-community approach to provide targeted support to children with special needs and their caregivers across different life stages. Mr Speaker, Sir, it is our goal for children with special needs to reach their full potential, to be confident in themselves and to be equipped with life skills and values so that they can grow up to lead, as much as possible, as normal, as independent a life as possible. This starts from the early years, where early detection and timely intervention are critical. Parents are encouraged to refer to the developmental milestones in the Health Promotion Board's Child Health Booklet as reference points and take their children for regular childhood developmental screenings at general practitioners' clinics or polyclinics. If any delay in the child's development is detected, the child will be referred to paediatricians for further diagnosis of developmental concerns.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I have your permission to have the next six questions to be taken together by Minister Masagos and myself, please?”
“When youths run away from home, school personnel including teachers, School Counsellors (SCs) or Student Welfare Officers (SWOs) would help to find them and offer support. They would quickly ascertain that the youths are not in any danger and the circumstances that caused the youths to run away. For non-abuse cases, SCs or SWOs would advise the youths to return home. The school would engage the parents and link the family with the relevant community partners (e.g. social workers from Family Service Centres) for support when they return home. The school would also monitor the well-being of the youths and provide counselling support when they return to school, with consent from their parents. Where abuse is suspected, Principals report such cases immediately to the Child Protective Service, and work closely with the Child Protection Officers and/or Approved Welfare Officers to ensure that timely intervention is provided for the youths involved. SCs and SWOs are trained to use the Child Abuse Reporting Guide which was jointly developed by Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and the Ministries with frontline staff working with children (e.g. Education, Health, Police).”
“The PSC will continue to monitor the effectiveness of its strategies to identify and develop a corps of public service leaders and officers from different backgrounds with diverse experiences and a common heart to serve Singapore and Singaporeans.”
“The Public Service Commission (PSC) awards scholarships based on merit and seeks out suitable candidates regardless of background. Over the last 10 years, the PSC has deliberately expanded outreach efforts to diversify the scholarship pipeline. There are now partnerships with self-help community groups as well as with all 28 pre-university institutions (i.e. JCs, Polytechnics, Specialised Schools) to proactively identify and encourage outstanding Singaporean students with the suitable traits to apply for a PSC scholarship. Particular attention is paid to engaging students from more humble backgrounds and institutions which traditionally have fewer PSC scholarship recipients. For students who demonstrate potential at a later stage in life, the PSC has also linked up with local universities to encourage Singaporean undergraduates who are already enrolled to consider a career in the Public Service through a Mid-term or Master’s Scholarship. The PSC scholarship recipients in the last 10 years come from a range of education institutions. In 2012 to 2018, more than 60% of the PSC scholarships were awarded to students from RI/HCI, but this has come down to less than half when we look at the average for the last three years between 2019 and 2021. Over the same 10-year period, the proportion of PSC scholarships awarded to other JCs and IP/Specialised Schools has gone up from a five-year average of 32% between 2012 and 2016 to 37% in the more recent five years (2017 to 2021). More polytechnic students have been awarded, from 1-5% to 6-10% in recent years. The proportion of recipients from other institutions varies from year to year between 2% and 4%. The proportion of PSC scholarship awardees residing in public housing ranges between 39-54% over the last 10 years.”
“The Institute of Technical Education (ITE), in partnership with leading international Vocational and Technical Education providers, offers Technical Diplomas (TDs) to provide students with industry-recognised skills training. ITE currently offers three Technical Diplomas in Machine Technology, Automotive Engineering, and Culinary Arts. Since the first TD was launched in 2008, ITE has trained around 800 TD graduates. Based on the annual Graduate Employment Survey, the median gross monthly starting salaries of TD graduates in full-time permanent employment are comparable to that of polytechnic diploma graduates in the last five years.”
“Primary schools aim to create a rich learning environment for students to learn holistically. Schools strive for diverse form classes, with a good mix of gender, race, nationality and learning ability. Schools also keep these classes together for at least two years. At upper primary levels, because of Subject-Based Banding and students taking different subject combinations, schools may band students in broad teaching groups.”
“The overall employment rate of the Class of 2020 graduates from our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) was comparable to those from the Class of 2019. Based on the Graduate Employment Survey, about nine in 10 Class of 2020 graduates from the Autonomous Universities (AUs) and eight in 10 graduates from the Polytechnics and ITE were employed within six months of graduation. However, full-time permanent employment rates were slightly lower than before the pandemic. Seven in 10 Class of 2020 graduates from the AUs and five in 10 from the Polytechnics and ITE secured full-time permanent employment, compared to eight in 10 from the AUs and six in 10 from the Polytechnics and ITE from the Class of 2019. The employment outcomes of the Class of 2020 were bolstered by the support provided by the Government and IHLs to help them secure jobs and training opportunities during the pandemic. This included the SGUnited Traineeships Programme, which provide fresh graduates with the opportunity to pick up industry-relevant experience. As of end-November 2021, over 11,500 graduates have benefited from these traineeship opportunities. As at end-August 2021, 7,200 trainees have exited or completed their traineeships, of whom about 5,800 (81%) are employed. Graduate employment outcomes for the Class of 2021 will be released later this year. The Government will continue to closely monitor the employment outcomes of each graduating cohort and provide further support where needed.”
“MOE encourages parents and students to carefully consider their school choices for Secondary 1 (S1) Posting and choose a range of schools that are a good fit for the student’s learning needs. They are also advised to use all six choices and consider at least two or three schools where the student’s PSLE score is better than the school’s indicative Cut-Off Point (COP). We understand that some do choose to include schools that are a distance away from home. S1 Posting is based on merit and choice of students. This means a student with a better PSLE score will be posted ahead of another student into their choice school. Students may not always secure their first-choice school as the COPs of some schools fluctuate slightly each year. This is due to that cohort’s PSLE score and their school choices. Even with the change in PSLE scoring system in 2021, the proportion of students posted to a school of choice in the 2021 S1 Posting Exercise was comparable to previous years. More than 80% of students were posted to a school within their top three choices and more than 90% posted to a school in one of their six choices. MOE posts those unsuccessful in all six of their choices to the nearest school with remaining vacancies, based on their PSLE score and registered address. This would generally be within 30 to 45 minutes travelling time by public transport, subject to traffic conditions and waiting time.”
“The provision of mother tongue language (MTL) instruction in a school is dependent on factors such as the availability of MTL teachers and the number of students offering the MTL. Currently, all Secondary school students who are offered Chinese Language or Malay Language can access instruction within their school. Tamil Language (TL) instruction is available in most but not all Secondary schools, due to the very limited supply of TL teachers and the very small TL student enrolment in some schools. Students from Secondary schools that are unable to offer TL instruction can attend lessons at one of 11 regional TL centres, or at the Umar Pulavar TL Centre. This allows us to optimise the deployment of our limited pool of TL teachers to support all TL students. With this approach, every Secondary student can have access to TL instruction regardless of the Secondary school they are in, though it requires some TL students to travel to a nearby centre for TL instruction. MOE will continue to provide the necessary support to schools for TL instruction.”
“The basis of the benchmark for madrasahs remains unchanged under the new PSLE scoring system, which was implemented in 2021. It is pegged to the average PSLE Score of Malay pupils taking four Standard-level subjects in the six lowest-performing national Primary schools. All madrasahs with PSLE candidates met the benchmark in 2021 and may continue admitting Primary 1 students.”
“The SkillsFuture Credit seeks to encourage individuals to take ownership of their skills development and lifelong learning journey. As we encourage Singaporeans to pursue learning throughout life, we have designed the SkillsFuture Credit to be non-transferable between individuals, even after retirement. Many courses are highly subsidised by the Government to ensure that training costs remain affordable. In addition, the SkillsFuture Credit can be used on top of the course fee subsidies. For retirees, they may wish to consider the range of SkillsFuture Credit-eligible courses that are specially curated to suit the skills and learning interests of seniors, such as those offered by the National Silver Academy (NSA) as well as IT courses offered by the Silver Infocomm Junctions.”
“At the Primary school level, the proportion of EAGLES awardees has remained at 9% in 2021, similar to the proportion in 2020 and 2019.”
“The Edusave Awards for Achievement, Good LEadership & Service (EAGLES) was introduced in 2001 to recognise our students' leadership qualities, service to community and schools, excellence in non-academic activities and good conduct. To qualify for the award, students are required to meet a set of selection criteria reflective of the Co-Curriculum of their school. These include Co-Curricular Activities (CCAs), Learning for Life Programme (LLP) and other school-based non-academic programmes. Due to the diversity of school profiles and programmes, schools have full autonomy to nominate any student who meets their selection criteria. In early 2021, key elements of school life resumed with safe management measures (SMMs) in place. For example, the National School Games was convened for selected sports and the Singapore Youth Festival Arts Presentation was completed for Secondary and Pre-University levels. When Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) measures in May 2021 resulted in the suspension of some school activities, all schools took steps to ensure that their students’ learning and development was not unduly compromised. For example, some schools pivoted online by conducting eCCA or modular CCA by classes. In addition, schools continued to provide leadership opportunities and other student development programmes, aligned with prevailing SMM. Schools have made adjustments to their school-based criteria to continue to recognise deserving students with the EAGLES award. For example, students were recognised for their leadership roles and involvement in Values in Action projects. These experiences, including students’ learning dispositions and development as observed by teachers, may be considered in the schools’ award selection process.”
“The Edusave academic awards recognise and encourage students' hard work, good performance and improvements in their studies. There are different types of Edusave academic awards. The academic criteria for the Edusave Merit Bursary (for Primary 3 to 6), Good Progress Award (for Primary 4 to 6) and Edusave Scholarships (for Primary 5 and 6) are based on students' performance in school-based assessments. In 2021, the year-end examinations were cancelled for Primary 3 and 4 students to provide more time for teaching and learning due to disruptions from COVID-19. Students' eligibility for the Edusave awards was thus determined by their overall performance in school-based assessments that had already been conducted, such as weighted assessments and mid-year examinations. For Primary 5 and 6 students, as their year-end examinations were unaffected, the computation of their eligibility for the Edusave Scholarships, Edusave Merit Bursary and Good Progress Award remained unchanged. For Primary 1 and 2 students, MOE has removed all weighted assessments and examinations since 2019. The selection of students for the P1 and P2 Edusave Merit Bursary and P2 and P3 Good Progress Award is based on good conduct and consistent demonstration of good learning dispositions such as curiosity and resilience.”
“MOE does not track whether students from the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) hold part-time jobs while studying full-time. Students are not required to report this information to their IHLs.”
“MOE’s Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) curriculum has been refreshed and is being progressively implemented from 2021. The refreshed curriculum gives further emphasis on developing in our students healthy self-esteem and positive self-identity. Through the CCE lessons, our students are taught about personal safety and how to recognise and protect themselves from sexual abuse, both online and offline. For example, Primary students are taught online dangers and how they can proactively protect themselves. They are also made aware of the laws that protect them. In Secondary schools, students learn more about online risks, such as cyber flashing, as well as dealing with relationships and differentiating between healthy relationships and sexual grooming. At the Secondary and pre-University levels, students are also taught to evaluate their self-perception, calibrate unhealthy expectations on themselves and develop positive self-worth. In doing so, students recognise the importance of having a sense of healthy self-esteem that is not unduly affected by external influences, such as social media. Students also learn to look out for one another, both online and offline, and to seek help from trusted adults, such as their parents, teachers and school counsellors should they or their friends require support or guidance on well-being issues. This includes issues, such as online harassment and online grooming. Teachers, school counsellors and student welfare officers are trained to look out for signs of distress in students so as to support them where necessary. MOE also trains dedicated key personnel in schools who look after student well-being to strengthen supportive peer network and manage cyber issues.”
“In-person co-curricular activities (CCAs) have resumed since 10 November 2021 for Secondary schools, Junior Colleges and Centralised Institute (Sec/JCCI) with safe management measures (SMM) aligned to the national posture. These include CCAs from all four categories: (a) uniformed groups; (b) physical sports; (c) visual and performing arts; (d) club and societies. With the resumption of CCA training sessions within SMMs, there are plans to resume related events, such as the National School Games (NSG) and the Singapore Youth Festival Arts Presentation (SYF AP) for Sec/JCCI students in 2022. For team sports CCAs, variations will be made to group sizes by modifying the games format for CCA trainings and NSG competitions. For example, hockey can be modified and played as a four-a-side competition instead of the usual eleven-a-side game. The modifications will provide student athletes with good development opportunities and competition experience while ensuring their safety and well-being. As part of a pilot since 10 November 2021, some Sec/JCCIs have resumed team sports CCA training in groups of a maximum of 10 participants, allowing students to start their preparations for the modified games format in NSG competitions. For Primary schools, although in-person CCA can resume from 4 January 2022, MOE will take a more cautious approach when planning to resume NSG and other inter-school events, in view of the students’ vaccination status.”
“Officers should uphold the integrity and reputation of the Public Service at all times and not behave in a way that will bring the Public Service into disrepute or undermine public confidence in the Service. There is no restriction against officers publicly sharing their personal interests and experiences, such as their hobbies, in their personal capacity. In general, officers may also comment on current affairs and issues of general interest on their private social media accounts with their friends and loved ones. There are code of conduct rules that public officers have to abide by when it comes to public communication. Officers should not speak to the media or post on social media in their personal capacity on issues relating to their own agencies or policies that they have been involved in without seeking the permission of their Permanent Secretary. In addition, the rules also prohibit public officers from commenting on party politics or on issues that may affect national defence, internal security, social cohesion and/or foreign policy, unless they are authorised by their Permanent Secretary or heads of agencies. In the last five years, the Public Service Commission has taken disciplinary action against officers who have breached the conduct rules in this area.”
“The Direct School Admission for Secondary Schools (DSA-Sec) provides an avenue, besides the PSLE, for students to gain direct entry to Secondary schools. Students are admitted via DSA-Sec based on achievements, interest and passion for their talent area, as well as their potential and personal qualities. It is part of MOE’s efforts to broaden the definition of merit, give more emphasis to holistic education and to develop diverse strengths and potential of our students. DSA-Sec has grown in popularity as MOE has made moves over the years to make it more accessible to students. Applications rose significantly between 2018 and 2019 with the introduction of the centralised DSA portal, from 18,000 applications in 2018 to about 29,000 in 2019. This increase in applications has been sustained, with 30,500 applications in 2020 and 31,400 in 2021. Correspondingly, the number of unique applicants also rose from 9,000 in 2018 to 12,100 in 2021. More students have been admitted via DSA-Sec, from about 7% or 3,000 students of the 2019 Secondary 1 cohort to close to 10% or 3,700 students of the 2022 Secondary 1 cohort.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would really appreciate if Mr Leong Mun Wai could give me the information on which teacher in which school has practised what VDS measures so that we can take the feedback seriously and then, look into the necessary follow-up, if possible. Mr Speaker, Sir, if I may just repeat my answer in case Mr Leong Mun Wai was not around when I answered this just now. My specific answer was that, at this point in time, we have no plans on applying any VDS in our schools and that is because of the reasons that I have mentioned. We want, as far as possible, for our students to be able to participate in the core curriculum, in the school activities. For certain selected activities that may be deemed of higher risk, we may consider applying specific measures for them. And I have raised two very specific examples. One, for example, of students participating in the playing of wind instruments or the choir; and two, students participating in sports activities that may require physical contact or close physical contact. I also caveated my explanation by saying that, of course, we will have to look at the overall national posture and how the virus will continue to evolve for us to adjust our policies accordingly.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, can I seek a clarification from Mr Leong Mun Wai and further information on which schools and what VDS measures have which teachers been practising, please?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, if I may, let me explain our thinking at this point in time. Of course, I caveat that by saying that whatever our considerations current at this point in time will, subsequently, have to take into account the prevailing national posture and also the development of the virus and its mutation. At this point in time, we would very much like to have all our children be able to attend school and participate in as many of the core activities as much as possible. Having said that, of course, there are also activities beyond the core curriculum that may pose a higher risk to our students. And for those higher-risk activities, we will then have to consider if differentiated measures will be required. For example, at this point in time, we have already put in place some additional measures for some of these activities that the students are participating in, and these apply to our secondary, Junior College (JC) and Millenia Institute (MI) students. Just to give an example. Today, if they do team sports under the pilot, only the fully vaccinated students who have taken an onsite ART will be allowed to participate in team sports in groups of up to 10. For some other students who are participating in the band or the choir, they would also have to take some other additional measures to safeguard themselves and their fellow participants. So, this is how we will go about considering the participation of our students in some of these particularly higher-risk activities in the sense that they have a higher-risk of transmission. But as far as possible, we would like to have our students participate in the core curriculum all together because this adds to their overall social emotional development beyond their academic development.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, there are, currently, no plans to make COVID-19 vaccination a requirement for physical attendance in our preschools or primary schools. The focus at this point in time is to ensure our students are well-protected against COVID-19 as we begin vaccination for those aged five to 11. We have seen an encouraging start to the vaccination exercise for our children. We will continue to work with our parents to achieve a high vaccination rate so that it would be possible to resume as many school activities as possible in the coming months. The pace, extent and approach towards resuming these school activities would depend on various factors, including vaccination rates as well as the overall national posture. Students whose vaccination appointments are during school hours, as well as those feeling unwell from vaccination, will be excused from school. Schools will help students catch up on missed lessons and work. We strongly encourage parents to get their child vaccinated as early as possible to keep our children, families and the wider community safe and resilient against COVID-19.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I have your permission to take Question Nos 16, 17 and 18 together, please?”
“Our schools monitor the well-being of students affected by bereavement of a parent closely and provide support for those in need. When the school is informed of the bereavement, teachers will check in with and support the student as appropriate. MOE does not track the number of students who suffered bereavement of a parent. For students who have difficulty coping with grief and loss or exhibit emotional distress or social and behavioral changes, or when the next of kin requests for counselling support, teacher counsellors or school counsellors provide individual counselling to the students. They may also make referrals to community agencies such as Family Service Centres and Self-Help Groups to provide wraparound support to the students and their family. Students who require financial support can apply for the MOE Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS), which covers school and standard miscellaneous fees, free textbooks and school uniforms, and transport and school meal subsidies. School-based financial assistance is also available to those who need additional support.”
“Most incidences of bullying can be resolved through an educational and restorative approach. For students involved, their teachers help them learn from the incident, mend relationships and prevent further bullying. The goal is to address the underlying cause of the behaviour, and to change it. A range of corrective disciplinary actions is applied based on the age of offender and seriousness of offence to help students understand that their actions carry consequences. The incidence of serious bullying incidences in school in 2019 and 2020 remained low, and those that result in student transfers or expulsions were even fewer. MOE does not centrally track the reason for transfers or expulsions. All students are taught safe channels for reporting bullying. Students may report them directly to their Principals. Every case will be investigated and followed up.”
“MOE is closely monitoring the disruptions to schooling caused by COVID-19 and has taken steps to ensure that students’ learning and well-being are not unduly compromised. School leaders and teachers are mindful of the need for students to have a balanced life even during the pandemic, with adequate time for family bonding, personal interests and rest. They are therefore mindful of the need to keep homework load manageable. Every school has an established homework policy that addresses such needs, with school-based measures to manage and coordinate the amount of homework. Beyond homework, there are also other sources of stress in students’ lives during the pandemic. By keeping schools open as far as possible, and ensuring that learning can still continue under Home-Based Learning (HBL) conditions, we provided students with a sense of normalcy and sustained social connections, which have been helpful to easing their anxieties. When students return to school from extended HBL, the emphasis in schools is on checking on their well-being and curriculum recovery, and not on rushing to complete the syllabus or prepare for assessment. That is why we have cancelled the Primary 3 and Primary 4 year-end examinations and removed the Common Last Topics from national examinations. These decisions have also been helpful to safeguard students’ development and well-being. Through these efforts, we seek to help our students cope with the stress and anxieties exacerbated by COVID-19 disruptions.”