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 qualifying examinations to be a registered patent agent are administered by the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS). Candidates are typically sponsored by their employers for these examinations. For the small group of self-sponsoring candidates, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) will allow individuals to use their base tier of SkillsFuture Credit to offset the cost of these qualifying examinations, as they are recognised by IPOS. The base tier comprises the $500 opening credit given to Singaporeans at age 25 and the one-off $500 top-up given to Singaporeans aged 25 and above in 2020. We will continue to work with sector agencies to enhance the SkillsFuture Credit scheme to support Singaporeans in their professional development through industry-relevant training and certifications.”
“The Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) scheme was introduced in 1990 to enhance the quality of Parliamentary debate by bringing in non-partisan and independent voices into Parliament, particularly with expertise and experience from various sectors of society. Safeguards are in place to ensure the non-partisan nature of the NMP scheme. For example, the Special Select Committee on Nominations for Appointment as NMPs, which considers the potential candidates put forth by the public for nomination as NMPs, comprises MPs from both the ruling and opposition parties. The Constitution of the Republic of Singapore also expressly requires an NMP to vacate his seat if he stands as a candidate for any political party in an election. I believe that many Members of this House would agree that our NMPs have, over the years, enriched our debates in Parliament and that they have been non-partisan in their conduct, even as they participate actively in the Parliamentary process. The Government currently has no plan to review the NMP scheme.”
“The Ministry of Education adopts the Civil Service performance management framework for all our officers, which aims to support competency driven growth. Our educators, including Principals, are assessed based on "what" they have done also known as "Key Result Areas"; and "how" they go about doing their work also known as "Competencies". We assess Principals based on their holistic leadership impact, including the achievements in their Key Result Areas, and the demonstration of the Competencies expected of their role. We review the performance management framework for educators regularly in tandem with the rest of the Civil Service.”
“Beyond domain skills, our institutions have also enhanced their programmes to include critical soft skills, such as innovation, communication and collaboration skills; as well as emerging competencies, such as digital and artificial intelligence skills. For polytechnic diploma graduates who have been working for some time, Government agencies have also been working with employers to strengthen the recognition of their skills and competencies, beyond paper credentials, such as work experience, job performance and other modes of skills upgrading. We will continue to work with the institutions and industry partners to monitor the situation and longer-term trends that may affect the employability of polytechnic diploma graduates.”
“The Ministry of Education has replied to Parliamentary Questions raised by various members, including Mr Pritam Singh, on the Autonomous University graduate employment outcomes in our combined response at the Sitting on 7 March 2025. [Please refer to "Analysis of Decreased Employment in Permanent Jobs for Fresh Graduates in Past Two Years and Measures to Monitor and Boost Employment", Official Report, 7 March 2025, Vol 95, Issue 160, Oral Answers to Questions section.] Employment rates are affected by various factors, including labour market conditions, economic cycles and sector-specific trends. Some fluctuations in employment rates year to year are to be expected. Based on the 2024 Graduate Employment Survey conducted by the five polytechnics, arts, design and media, engineering and information and digital technologies graduates face more challenges securing employment six months upon graduation. This might be due to sectoral cyclical changes, such as the slowdown in growth for the tech sector, and may not require curriculum enhancements. In such cases, we encourage graduates to also explore jobs in sectors adjacent to their course of study and to keep an open mind about different roles that could help them reach their long-term career goals. The polytechnics will also continue to ensure that students are equipped with industry-relevant skills. They work closely with industry partners to regularly update their curriculum and provide internship opportunities for all students. Additionally, polytechnic diploma graduates can enrol in Work-Study Post-Diploma Programmes, where they can be placed into jobs that deepen their skills through a structured training programme that includes on-the-job training, while pursuing careers related to their disciplines of study.”
“This Parliamentary Question has been answered as part of Minister for Education's oral reply on 7 March 2025 to Parliamentary Question Nos 1 to 3 raised on the Joint Autonomous Universities Graduate Employment Survey 2024. [Please refer to "Analysis of Decreased Employment in Permanent Jobs for Fresh Graduates in Past Two Years and Measures to Monitor and Boost Employment", Official Report, 7 March 2025, Vol 95, Issue 160, Oral Answers to Questions section.] Member may refer to the transcript for the reply.”
“And more importantly, what are the adjacent skill sets that will allow our people to pivot to new jobs that may be created and may not be even in existence today. And that is how we must work closely with our industry. So, I would just like to register the point that together with yesterday's discussion, it is not about chasing the numbers of graduates. Certainly, it is about equipping our graduates regardless of their age with the relevant skills.”
“Speaker, Sir, I thought it is a very useful discussion today. I would just like to make a few points in response to various Members' comments and suggestions. Because yesterday we hear a suggestion for us that we should just increase the number of graduates so long as they can perhaps meet some benchmarks. And today's discussion actually brings us back to where exactly we want to go. It is not about how many graduates we produce a year that matters most at 18 years old. What matters most, whether is it their graduates from our universities or polytechnics, is that they have the required skills to get good jobs, not just at the starting, with good starting pay, but with good trajectory. And this is the key point. Some countries, they produce over 90% of their cohort as graduates and they have quite poor employment outcomes. Some developed countries in Europe have only 20% going to universities and many of them going to trade schools, and they have very good employment outcomes. The crux of the matter is what are the skill sets that we are equipping them with. That is most important. And it is not just about having everybody go to university, because we all want to go after the paper chase. So, this is my first point. The second point is that indeed we must always monitor the long-term secular trends and the short-term cyclical trends. For us to produce a graduate, whether in polytechnic or university, it takes us three to four years, so we cannot be responding to the short-term trends always. It takes us four years to produce a graduate. So, when we design our courses, we must have a long-term perspective of what are the skill sets that are required by the market, not in the next one to two years, but in the next five to 10 years.”
“Postgraduate programmes at the Autonomous Universities (AUs) are well regarded and consistently attract both local and international postgraduate students. Overall, AUs admit more postgraduate students compared to Private Education Institutions in Singapore. At AUs, these students pursue a range of disciplines, including science and technology, business and finance, and the humanities and social sciences.”
“This is also why we have a more open Primary 1 registration process, where we balance the building of a school culture and tradition with the egalitarian ethos and culture of being non-exclusive that we so cherish as Singaporeans. This is why we are adopting edtech to customise teaching and learning, so that we can transcend "teaching to the average" and achieve the effective class size of one, overcoming the conventional public education trilemma of achieving quality, scale and affordability at the same time. And I think we can do that because today, with the science of learning, the technology and the data that we have, we have the best chance in the history of the education profession to break this trilemma. So, Chair, we appreciate the Members' concerns for and have our children's interest at heart. And we will continue to review our policies and programmes to better equip our students. And I call on Members of this House to join us in this journey to change our mindsets as we evolve our policies and programmes. I do not believe that we cannot change our mindsets. Read my speech at the MOE x NIE x IPS seminar. Our society's mindset and our culture has evolved. We can do it and we need these two to move in tandem, changing structures and processes with the changing of cultures and mindsets —”
“So, there are things that we need to step through and I thank Members for their support for the Ministry's work. But let me say this. No system is perfect in meeting everyone's desires and needs, but we try our best to provide every child with education options that meets his or her needs. Today, I would like to share a slogan that is close to my heart, and this is called, "For every child, a good school. At every age, a good learner." "For every child, a good school", means that we do not need to go and chase after what other people desire as a popular school, but instead we put our children at the centre of all that we do and consider our children's needs and what is most appropriate for his or her learning needs. That is why to me, "For every child, a good school." "At every age, a good learner", to go beyond just the first 15 years. This is why we have embarked on multiple pathways of success. This is why we have gone on a porous and continuous meritocracy, where everyone can pivot and pursue different options as they progress in life without being defined by the stakes of one high-stake examination. This is why we are reducing examination load with "Learn More, Test Less". This is why we have just announced what we did for the L1R5 to L1R4. This is also why we group students according to their abilities and interest in different domains at different stages of their learning journey, like Full SBB, so that we do not teach to a child's average ability or a class' average abilities. This is why we continue to have social mixing to bring together children from different backgrounds in the same class, so that they learn to work with people from different backgrounds.”
“Would we end up shifting the competition for our preferred secondary school earlier to a preferred primary school through, say, a Primary 1 registration contest or even a preschool leaving examination? And if we continue to see examinations as a competition for preferred schools instead of right-siting our students for the next segment of their learning journey, then will removing PSLE alone solve the problem or will it concentrate the stakes at a even higher level, at the "O" level and "A" level stages? And if we do not post students to schools appropriate for their learning needs, how will we make better use of our finite resources to achieve the best holistic outcomes for different students? And if we remove one major examination but our mindsets do not change, will we gain more time and space for the diverse skill sets that we wish for our children, as I have shared in my story earlier during my speech? On the other hand, if we can truly change our mindsets to respect and pursue diverse strengths, then do we still need to focus narrowly on having or removing a single examination? In fact, today, we have already assured all of our children that regardless of the outcome in any particular examination, the pathways are porous enough for you to pivot into areas that you find your passion in subsequently in life. This goes even beyond our school system. If our society recognises and reward diverse skill sets, will we still pursue a narrow definition of success indicated by a PSLE or "O" level score? As previously mentioned, the operational issues that we need to step through are not trivial. Who gets to go into a through-train programme? Who gets to decide whether a person can stay in a through-train programme? Who gets to go in, who gets to go out?”
“Chair, we thank Ms Denise Phua and various Members for your well-intentioned suggestions. Let me assure Members that MOE is open to considering new ideas. In fact, we constantly challenge ourselves to relook our own assumptions and come up with and consider new ideas, whether they are from our fraternity of educators, Members of this House, members of the public or experiences of other countries. But our approach must first correctly define the problem before we go into solutioning. 5.15 pm The through-train proposal from primary to secondary school idea, as Ms Denise Phua said, is not new. Other countries have variations of it, with varying outcomes depending on their goals. And one can even make the argument that the affiliated schools in Singapore are a variant of this idea. The question is, what goals do we want to achieve in making this change? Is it to reduce stress? Is it to remove high-stakes examinations for young children? Is it to free up space and time for students to pursue other dimensions of growth as Ms Denise Phua mentioned? Is it inclusiveness, so that our students experience the richness of the Singaporean community? Is it to promote more social mixing in our schools? Or is it all the above and more? Then, we should ask ourselves: will a through-train achieve all this and what are the more fundamental issues that we have to grapple with? For example, stress. Are we stressed because we cannot meet the standards we set for ourselves and our children, or are we stressed because we want to keep up with others in a rat race? And will the proposal solve this problem?”
“For Members who are interested, Members may also wish to refer to independent studies by OECD on the various factors that are perhaps more important than class size in determining the quality of our teaching and learning.”
“Most form classes have two form teachers to guide the socio-emotional development of our children, compared to one in the past when we were in school. Students with higher needs have smaller teaching class size. Classes that benefit from students' interaction have bigger class sizes. For classes that we can use technology to scale, we have even "bigger class sizes" in the hundreds and yet achieve mass customisation. So, Chair, indeed, we want to refocus our teachers' energies to not over protect students or over support training. Instead, we want our students to exercise agency in organising activities and take more responsibilities for their learning. And in this way, they learn more for life. Chair, we share the goals for more personalised teaching, more personal attention for every student and more focused work for our teachers. I think we can all agree on that. Indeed, I am one for aspiring to organise our teaching resources to achieve the effective class size of one, where we need but not regardless of need. An effective class size of one, where we need, but not regardless of need. Let us focus the discussion on how we can achieve this through the following ways: (a) the way we focus our teachers' effort in doing what is necessary for our students and not overdoing things; (b) the way we use technology to complement our teachers' capabilities to scale up quality resources at affordable cost; (c) the way we equip our teachers to do their best for our students; (d) the way we teach our students to exercise agency and responsibility in their learning journeys; and (e) the way we partner our teachers to set the right expectations for ourselves and our teachers.”
“Chair, it has often been suggested that MOE should reduce class sizes and we take this very seriously. This is often a proposed solution, but I thought it is important for us to bear in mind what problems we are trying to solve first. And what class size should we aim for – 30, 20, 10? And, if so, why? Let us examine the issue more closely. Is our problem statement the need to improve teacher-student interaction or is our problem statement to reduce teachers' workload, or is it because we believe that smaller is better, regardless of the subject being taught or the teachers' quality? Chair, I think we all agree. We all want to reduce the workload for our teachers. But with a finite teaching force and a certain number of students, do we mean to ask our teachers to teach smaller classes but more classes? Or do we mean that we should employ more teachers, perhaps doubling our teaching force to halve all class sizes? Is that feasible without affecting quality? Is that the best way to use our teaching resources, even if we assume we can double our recruitment from broadly what is now about 2% of every cohort to 4% of every cohort? Or do we mean for our teachers to teach less? We have benchmarked our curriculum with other developed countries. We are already teaching just similar amounts, or sometimes less, compared to others. And we often hear calls for MOE to include more in our curriculum, including from many Members today in your speeches, to have more life skills, future skills, soft skills, to prepare our students better for life. So, Chair, maybe I should explain. Today, we do not have fixed teaching class sizes in all our schools. We allocate our finite teaching resources according to the needs of our students, complemented by technology.”
“Let us all – Government, educators, parents, employers and industry – refresh our commitment to pay this forward so that every generation of Singaporeans can aspire to a better future and that every generation of Singaporeans will define our success by how we enable the next generation to do even better than ours. [Applause.]”
“First, a stable and consistent Government that enables both policymakers and educators to think long term; second, a society that respects, invests in and inspires its best people to join the ranks of educators for the next generation; third, a teaching force determined to do what is right for our children, nurturing their holistic and lifelong development beyond their immediate grades; fourth, a partnership built on trust, between educators and families, as we instill the right values and shared perspectives with our children; fifth, a robust academic-industry nexus that achieves speed and relevance in our curriculum; sixth, a sense of vigilance to keep watch on global forces, from geostrategic to economic, societal and technology, that impact our survival and success, constantly challenging ourselves to adjust, adapt and stay ahead. Next, an open mindset that embraces those who are different, leveraging on their diverse capabilities to complement our own and to create new value propositions together; a nation that respects, celebrates and affirms the diversity of talents which makes us resilient; an ethos of continuous and compassionate meritocracy that inspires us to surpass ourselves throughout life and excel together as Team Singapore, rather than surpassing one another in internal zero-sum contests; and finally, a true mettle in our people, which propels us to set our sights ever higher and to turn our constraints into our winning edge. 4.15 pm Chair, we are here because the Singaporeans before us gave their all to this generation and it is upon our shoulders to do the same for future generations.”
“MOE and NIE are reviewing the 16-month Postgraduate Diploma in Education programme to ensure that it remains relevant and meets the evolving needs of new hires – both fresh graduates and mid-career individuals. Beyond pedagogical skills, teachers will need to build up their skills to nurture the socio-emotional development of our children and to partner with parents. The review is expected to be completed by the end of this year. The Teacher Work Attachment Plus programme sends teachers on short-term attachments and learning journeys to broaden their perspectives and share the culture of curiosity and lifelong learning with their students. Our schools and IHLs will continue to closely partner industry to tighten the nexus between frontier technology and academia and to create new value propositions; to ensure that our students and workforce are equipped with relevant skills; and to evolve our human resource (HR) practices to respect and reward these skills. Chair, I have laid out the two structural shifts we must pursue in our next bound, for us to truly sustain a system that can realise our people's potential, embracing our diversity of talents and learning for life. While many may share a similar vision, few are able to achieve this because it is not an easy task. We will only realise our aspirations if we have the right ingredients. I will list what has brought us here so far and what will bring us forward.”
“We need the partnership and support of our parents, society and industry. Mr Darryl David, Dr Wan Rizal and Assoc Prof Razwana asked how we are supporting and developing our teachers. Previously, I announced measures that MOE is taking to set boundaries and expectations for teachers. Our teachers have a duty of care as much as the duty to grow for our students. Teachers should not be expected to be everywhere, doing everything, at all times, for everyone. Over-provision, over-structuring and over-protection of our students can paradoxically stunt their growth, even if they perform and excel in the immediate term. Letting students make decisions for themselves, take care of one another, and resolve conflicts amongst themselves are all important lifeskills. We, as adults, parents and educators, should not be too quick to jump in, take over and deprive them of opportunities to learn and grow. MOE has refreshed the Guidelines for School-Home Partnership to provide clearer guidance on how parents and teachers can work together positively and respectfully. We will stand with our teachers to protect them from unreasonable expectations and conduct. We will continue to streamline our teachers' administrative duties with technology. A new feature on Parents Gateway allows parents to electronically submit documents for their child's absence, so that teachers do not need to manually track these. This will be rolled out to all schools by the end of this year. To inspire the best of each generation to teach, we must also develop our educators well, so that, in turn, they are well equipped to bring out the best in future generations.”
“Minister of State Gan Siow Huang will share more on SkillsFuture. To cater to different learners' needs, we established the SUSS as our sixth AU in 2017. SUSS offers programmes that cater to the needs of different learners, including working adults. Many classes are run after working hours. Short courses can be counted towards a qualification or degree. SUSS has enabled more Singaporeans to pursue a subsidised degree, both fresh out of school and at a later stage in life. Since becoming an AU, SUSS has already seen more than 22,000 graduates pass through its doors. Currently, SUSS is spread across multiple rented premises, including its main location at Clementi. This is not an ideal arrangement. It is time for SUSS to have its own, consolidated campus to accommodate its growing enrolment. As the Prime Minister said in his Budget speech, SUSS' permanent campus will be in the city, easily accessible to learners of all ages. It will be built at the site and vicinity of the former Rochor Centre. SUSS' new campus will go beyond being just a building. Its design will enable SUSS' staff and students to create new knowledge and new value propositions with and for industry and society. It will allow SUSS to connect with alumni, industry and community partners, across generations, to bridge diverse perspectives and transcend diversity and differences, and it must contribute to society, befitting SUSS' vision to inspire learning for life and impact lives. SUSS must be a beacon for lifelong learning, continuous, compassionate meritocracy and broader definitions of success. We will start mobilising the ideas and energies of the students, staff and alumni of SUSS to design the campus and bring it into reality by the mid-2030s. Chair, MOE cannot achieve these ambitions alone.”
“Lifelong learning must continue to be Singapore's competitive advantage and SkillsFuture will be a pillar of our social compact. We recognised this through Forward Singapore by turning SkillsFuture into a key pillar of our social compact. We must partner enterprises and training providers even more closely, to provide learning opportunities and ladders at multiple junctures. And our workers must never be afraid to pivot quickly to seize new opportunities to relearn, un-learn and keep learning. Mid-career workers are a key focus group. For most, it would have been some years since they were last in school. With advances in technology, their skills may need a refresh. Yet, they may face other competing priorities or challenges in taking time off for the training they need. To help them overcome these barriers, last year, we announced the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme for Singaporeans aged 40 and above. This includes the SkillsFuture Mid-Career Training Allowance of up to $3,000 per month to help cover some of the income they may lose out on while attending selected full-time courses. Applications for the Training Allowance for full-time training will open on 10 March, for eligible training from 1 April this year. This year, as the Prime Minister announced in the Budget speech, we are expanding the Training Allowance to cover part-time training as well. Mid-career workers can continue working and drawing their pay when attending part-time training, but they will have learning expenses, such as books and transport. From early next year, we will provide a fixed allowance of $300 per month to defray some of these expenses. This will give workers some flexibility to choose between part-time or full-time training, depending on their specific needs and personal circumstances.”
“Chair, from embracing our diversity of talents, I will now move on to our second structural shift – learning for life. Over the years, we have significantly expanded opportunities for Singaporeans to pursue higher education and prepare themselves for the workforce. For example, ITE students can take up diplomas to build on their foundations, gain work-ready skills and get good jobs. Last year, we announced the ITE Progression Award, to help ITE graduates upskill early and boost their savings to support their long-term goals. Second Minister Maliki will provide an update on this. Most education systems focus on preparing and equipping the young to enter the workforce. But even as we train our younger generation in skills that are in demand today, these skills will ultimately atrophy if they are not used or refreshed throughout life. Skills that are not frequently used or deliberately honed will eventually become obsolete with technology and demand changes. And the older generations, who had fewer opportunities in the past, are at an even higher risk of having outdated skills. This is why we started SkillsFuture in 2015: to invest in and encourage our people to embrace a culture of lifelong learning and enable workers to develop their skills and stay relevant through their careers. We have enhanced accessibility and affordability of training programmes. We have invested resources to understand how adults learn. The mindsets of workers and enterprises have also started to shift. Now, about half a million individuals take up training courses every year – 20% of our Singaporean workforce. Our goal is not just quantity, but more importantly, quality and relevance of the courses.”
“I hope all my students, each and every one of them, will find something that they are passionate in, go forth and learn regardless of whether it is in the syllabus or not, so that they can each realise their own potential and bring their own unique strengths to the table to make for a more resilient Singapore. Hence, I am under no illusion that while we reduce what is counted for JC admission, if our mindsets do not change, we would not go very far. Chair, as the Prime Minister announced last year, facilities in all schools will be progressively enhanced to make better use of technology and support collaboration. For JCs, MOE had previously announced the JC Rejuvenation Programme to enhance teaching and learning to cater for future needs. Under Phase 1, four JC campuses are being redeveloped – Anderson Serangoon, Jurong Pioneer, Temasek and Yishun Innova – to have enhanced facilities, such as seminar rooms and more configurable spaces. This will support more student-centred, experiential and collaborative learning. Staff will also have multi-functional workspaces to promote interactions and professional development. Phase 1 is in progress and all four JCs are expected to operate from their rejuvenated campuses from 2028. MOE is now developing plans for Phase 2, which will cover four other JCs – Anglo-Chinese, Catholic, National and Victoria. These are our next-oldest JC campuses. MOE is working with JCs on their infrastructure plans, including possibly moving them to new locations. As part of the plans, we are also discussing how the JCs can develop new programmes, work with industries and serve the community around them. We will share more details in due course.”
“We must all recognise that academic results, while important, are not the sole definition or determinant of success. I invite parents and schools to work together to help our students to identify their own strengths and talents and to realise their potential. Maybe at this point, Chair, I will just share a short story of an interaction I had with a group of JC students some years back. They told me that they were very stressed. So, I asked them: "Would it help if I cut your syllabus by half?" They all paused and looked at me, wondering if I was pulling their leg. After a long pause, they almost all replied in unison, "Minister, please don't do that. If you cut our syllabus by half, the stress would be even worse." I asked them, "Why?" One brave girl replied, "Sir, if we are only competing for half of the content, we will literally compete until the third decimal point rather than the second decimal point and we will all be more stressed." Since they thought I was pulling their leg, I thought to counter-propose to them: "Perhaps then, I should increase your content by two times." They all did not know whether to laugh or whether the Minister for Education was being serious or not. But that was not the end of the story. After a while, I paused and I asked them, "If you have some free time today, can you tell me something that you will want to learn, that your teacher didn't tell you to and your parents didn't ask you to do so?" They took a long time before they gave me any answer. I was rather sad. I want all my students not to be circumscribed by what is in the syllabus.”
“With one fewer subject included, we will also adjust the cap on bonus points from four to three. Bonus points recognise key aspects of our students' holistic development, such as in CCAs and other language programmes. Senior Parliamentary Secretary Shawn Huang will elaborate more on CCAs and our review. I will share more about learning of our mother tongues. Bilingualism is a fundamental part of our national identity and our competitive advantage to build bridges in a fragmented world. As announced previously, MOE will be taking additional steps to encourage the learning of mother tongue languages (MTL). In the preschools, we are focusing on early exposure to MTL. We are piloting this in two MOE Kindergartens (MKs), and will expand this to four more MKs in 2026, and share our approach with other preschool operators. Secondary school students will have more opportunities to offer Higher MTL. These and other MOE moves will help but they are not a panacea. Ultimately, our families and society must come together with our schools to create a conducive environment for the learning and use of mother tongues. If mother tongues are not used in homes and communities, they become second languages rather than mother tongues. What schools do, our families and society need to reinforce. 4.00 pm We have made policy changes over many years to reduce an over-emphasis on academics. But to make a lasting impact, mindsets and culture must change too. Changing our scoring systems or assessment models as suggested or reducing mid-year examinations will not reduce pressure on students if we, as parents and as a society, compete to the last decimal point and pile on what MOE removes and reduces.”
“Hence, we will adjust the admission criteria for JC, starting from the 2028 intake. JC admission scores are currently based on the L1R5. This was introduced in 1989 to specify the subjects counted towards JC admission. Previously, many were not prepared for JC and eventually performed poorly at the "A" levels. Since then, passing rates for the "A" levels have increased significantly from 65% to over 90%, and student readiness for JC is no longer a major concern. Mr Darryl David will be glad to know that we will be revising the JC admission criteria from L1R5 to L1R4, by counting one fewer subject. This means that students will be able to take fewer subjects or take some subjects at a less demanding level, depending on their interests and aptitudes. They will thus be able to devote more time and effort to pursue their interests, deepen their communication and collaboration skills through CCAs, and uncover new strengths through school programmes. Members can be assured that we are not loosening criteria for JC admission. We will retain the requirements for language and three relevant subjects – one in the Humanities, one in Mathematics or Science and the final one in any of these subjects to be included in L1R4. JC-going students will still have the foundation they need for JC. On the other hand, we are also not tightening the criteria. With one fewer subject counted, students will need a gross aggregate score of 16 points, rather than 20 points, to be eligible for JC. This is a natural recalibration given that five subjects will be counted, rather than six. Based on our simulations, we expect that a similar proportion of students will continue to qualify for JCs. We will monitor their academic outcomes to ensure that students are benefiting from their JC programme.”
“Members can refer to the discussions and considerations shared previously in COS 2023 and 2024, and more recently, in my speech at the MOE x NIE x IPS Lecture to appreciate the associated issues, operational challenges and opportunities. At the secondary level, Full Subject-Based Banding (Full SBB) has been implemented for more than a year now. This gives our students the flexibility to customise their learning in each subject and at different stages of their learning journeys – reflecting our open, continuous and compassionate meritocracy. School leaders and teachers have shared with us that their students are taking greater ownership of their learning. Subject classes provide appropriate stretch for each student. Meanwhile, mixed form classes create more opportunities for students from different backgrounds to interact with and learn from one another. These positive outcomes are only possible because of our educators' commitment. It is not an easy task. I would like to thank them for the work that they have put in, to recognise the diversity of our students and maximise their potential. But, Chair, we are not done. We are judiciously embracing technology, such as AI to complement our teaching capabilities and capacities to move towards the effective class size of one, where we can mass personalise teaching and learning for our students. This will also refocus our educators' time and bandwidth on the higher needs students and hone the higher faculties of our students. With Full SBB, we also announced adjustments to the admission criteria for polytechnic, to recognise students with more diverse subject level combinations. For students exploring the pre-university pathway, we want to create more time and space to build on their strengths and develop them holistically.”
“And we must do this not just in the first 15 years of formal education, but also in the next 50 years of life beyond the formal school system. I will elaborate on what we have done and what we plan to do in these two areas. First, we need to embrace our diversity of talents. This reflects our aspiration as a society to recognise every individual's unique strengths and equip every student as best as we can to fulfil their aspirations. In recent years, we have turned our focus to developing our students holistically. We want to nurture our students' resilience, adaptability and motivation to learn for life, and empower them to take ownership of their own education journey. To achieve this, we are gradually reducing an over-emphasis on academic results and moving towards more holistic development of diverse skills and attributes. We want to "Learn More, Test Less". We removed mid-year examinations across all levels. We replaced the PSLE T-score with Achievement Levels to avoid an overly fine differentiation of examination results. Direct School Admission provides students with an alternative pathway to enter their preferred schools. And we will certainly take into account Mr Patrick Tay's suggestions in our current review. Ms Denise Phua and Ms Hazel Poa asked for a through-train from primary to secondary school. Ms Hazel Poa also asked for smaller class sizes. Chair, MOE takes all well-intentioned ideas seriously. However, we should be clear what are the ends we are trying to achieve or which problems we are trying to solve, before we jump into our preferred solutions or ways and we should also be cognisant of the means required, trade-offs and unintended consequences of any well-intentioned ideas.”
“As technology progresses and challenges convention, we need to master the new while integrating the best of the old to create breakthroughs in how we learn, teach and earn our keep. Ms Denise Phua asked how we will provide a future-ready education for all. I will focus on two structural shifts we have embarked on to achieve this. First, we must recognise, respect and embrace a diversity of talents to enable Singaporeans to thrive even amidst the uncertainties and untidiness of the world. We need to shift away from the narrow definitions of success, which may make us proficient in select domains but brittle as a system. We must also avoid "teaching to the average", which does not bring out the best in anyone. Instead, we must do better, by empowering Singaporeans to build on their different strengths, pursue excellence in their respective fields and contribute to society in their own ways. [Mr Speaker in the Chair] Second, we must learn for life beyond schools and to practise continuous meritocracy. Singapore is no longer playing catch up. We are at the frontier. But to stay at the top of our game, we need to create new value propositions for ourselves and the world, by combining the strong foundation we set for our students in formal education, with the rigour and innovation we see in frontier industries. We cannot afford to be the proverbial frog in the well, or to build a cart behind closed doors, or as the Chinese say, "闭门造车". The school cannot be our world. Instead, the world must be our school. We must remain open to different perspectives and work with people from different backgrounds and nationalities to enrich our thinking and solutions.”
“Chair, MOE thanks Members for their suggestions, comments and support. Our education system has achieved much, but much is at stake. Much more needs to be done for us to stay relevant, stay ahead and stay together. We have built a system that has uplifted our people amidst the challenges and opportunities through the years, and we have fostered a sense of cohesion and unity amongst Singaporeans, despite our diverse heritage and backgrounds. Our foundations are sound. Our system is functioning well. But we must not be self-congratulatory. We can easily be bypassed if we become irrelevant, overtaken if we become complacent and disrupted if we fail to understand the pivotal forces shaping our world. Our goals remain unchanged: for Singapore to defy the odds of history to survive and thrive; for our people to be the best versions of themselves; and for us to distinguish ourselves by our ideals of excellence, our unity and our unyielding spirit to overcome challenges. But our approach, policies and mindsets must continue to evolve with the times. As the global order fragments and geopolitical tensions worsen, we need to hone our ability to bridge divides, connect diverse perspectives and forge partnerships. As economies become increasingly volatile and protectionist, we need to secure our relevance by adapting to new contexts, creating new value propositions and finding answers to tomorrow's questions ahead of time. As societies fracture amidst rising inequality, heightened insecurities and divisive contestation in the information space, we need to strengthen our identity amidst these divisive forces to stay resilient and united, recognising that the competition is not amongst ourselves, but between Team Singapore and the rest of the world.”
“As mentioned in the Ministry of Education's response to a similar Parliamentary Question posed by Ms Hazel Poa for the Parliament Sitting on 5 February 2025, the school landscape has evolved significantly over the past two decades to better support the educational needs of our students. [Please refer to "Schools Which Conducted Balloting at Phase 2A of 2023's Primary 1 Registration Exercise That Also Had Reduced Intake", Official Report, 5 February 2025, Vol 95, Issue 151, Written Answers to Questions section.] Therefore, to the Member's question, it would not be relevant to compare the intake of primary schools over the past two decades.”
“Postal voting was first introduced in Presidential Election 2023 (PE2023) to enable more overseas Singaporeans to cast their votes. At PE2023, about 60% of the postal ballot papers which reached the Returning Officer (RO) in time, that is, by the 10th day after Polling Day, were accepted for counting. The remaining 40% were rejected mainly due to faint, illegible, missing or late postmarks. Under the law, these postal ballot papers cannot be accepted for counting as RO must be satisfied that the return envelopes were posted before Polling Day. Hence, for the upcoming General Election, the Elections Department (ELD) will be sending more reminders to postal voters to encourage them to mail their return envelopes back to Singapore early, to have the best chance of reaching Singapore by the deadline to be accepted for counting. If the return envelopes are received by RO before Polling Day, they will be accepted for counting even if the postmark is faint, illegible or missing as the return envelope would have certainly been posted before Polling Day. In addition, for postal voters residing in countries where the postal voting pre-paid return envelopes are typically not postmarked, ELD will advise them to affix their own postage stamps to better ensure that the return envelope are postmarked. ELD will send regular reminders to these postal voters during the election period. ELD will also continue to work with Singapore Post to reach out to foreign postal operators to seek their assistance to postmark the return envelopes even if there are no postage stamps affixed.”
“There is currently no plan to abolish the Nominated Member of Parliament scheme.”
“We would like to refer the member to the Ministry of Education's response on bullying in schools at the Parliament Sitting on 14 October 2024. [Please refer to "Review of Measures and Help Provided in Student Bullying Incidents", Official Report, 14 October 2024, Vol 95, Issue 142, Oral Answers to Questions section.] The number of bullying cases and assault cases is low. The number of repeat cases is also low, and no significant trends can be drawn.”
“Chair, I am quite sure EBRC will explain its thinking in due course.”
“If we do this well, if we do not become complacent, I am quite sure this will be a Public Service that we can all be proud of and this will be a Public Service that will partner us to SG100 and beyond.”
“Build our teams with people with the courage and the know-how to pivot and change course when the need arises, to pre-empt problems. So, Chairman, we do not take for granted our strong track record and will naturally enable our success tomorrow. Indeed, we believe, as a Public Service, that we should be continuously vigilant to our fast-changing world order and domestic expectations, and constantly challenge ourselves to evolve faster. It is not just about solving today's problems better. It is about anticipating tomorrow's challenges earlier to find those solutions before the problem arises. Only then, can we be more assured that we are able to overcome tomorrow's challenges, seize new opportunities to benefit all Singaporeans and be a Public Service that can continue to be the pride of Singaporeans. But to be successful, we must maintain a strong, continuous and consistent partnership between the political leadership and the Public Service, that allows our Public Service to execute with consistency and conviction, without fear or favour. This is, perhaps, something that we have taken for granted. In many countries, they, too, have people in their public service that have very strong convictions and good ideas on what they want to achieve, but they do not necessarily have the ability to do this and to do it well. And that is because they do not have the continuity in perspective, that allows them to think long term. This is something that we have, this is something that we cherish and this is a competitive advantage for Singapore. Chair, I have shared how we will deepen our external linkages, deliver integrated services and strengthen our teams.”
“It is a digital-first, but not a digital-only service that we are aiming for. Third, we must strengthen team development for a more complex and challenging operating environment. And this is slightly different from how we have done things in the past. In the Public Service, we have always focused on the development of the individual and this remains valid. Going forward, we need to go beyond developing just the individual. We need to strengthen the way we develop the teams and compose the team with diverse abilities, with people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Our ability to compose teams with diverse abilities to resolve and pre-empt problems is critical as challenges become more complex and interlinked. To this end, our Civil Service College will lean forward to help different agencies to build stronger and more agile leadership teams to bring out the best in our agencies to enable Singapore and Singaporean success. So, three things that we need to do and we will need to focus on them urgently this year. One, for our Public Service to maintain a sense of perspective, to not just be able to understand our own challenges deeply, but to have a view of how the world is evolving, because the rules are changing fast. And unless we are plugged in, we might be overtaken or bypassed by other people making rules beyond our shores. Two, we will continue to focus our efforts to build our services around the citizen. We aim for a more seamless service experience for all Singaporeans. And third, beyond building the individual, we must build our teams to have different perspectives, to be able to see things from different angles, so that we can have more robust solutions.”
“More importantly, she has built up a network, which she can call upon in time to come. As we prepare our officers for an increasingly complex environment, Mr Patrick Tay asked about our efforts to prepare officers for our expanded or lengthened career spans. We have introduced a Public Service Career Coach Network and will be ramping up our CareerFitness programme to empower officers to build career resilience and agility across different life stages. One such officer is Latha Nadarajan. A personal assistant at the Ministry of Social and Family Development, she pursued her passion for social work by obtaining a Singapore University of Social Sciences degree. After attending a CareerFitness workshop in 2023, she is now set for an attachment with Child Protection Services to apply her new skills. To further reap the career longevity dividend, we will continue to tap on the Public Service Retirees Network, which provides job and volunteer opportunities, to harness their wealth of experiences and add resilience to our system. Second, in response to Mr Yip Hon Weng's question on coordinated citizen services, we will continue to integrate our service delivery from a citizen-centric perspective, rather than a silo-Ministry perspective. For example, our ServiceSG omni-channel strategy is not just about bringing different services together. It is about how we rewire our processes to deliver services more efficiently and yet, be more aligned with the way our people expect their service journey to be. As we continue to streamline and digitise our services, we will certainly not leave those less digitally-savvy behind. This requires a mindset shift from Ministry or agency-centricity, to a people-centricity and whole-of-Government perspective.”
“First, we must deepen our perspectives of the world and strengthen linkages with partners beyond our Public Service. Public Service delivery does not happen in a vacuum, nor does it only depend on us looking inwards at our own issues. As Mr Saktiandi Supaat mentioned, for Singapore to remain successful, our Public Service must deeply appreciate the fast-evolving external context which we have to operate in. We must remain engaged with our international counterparts through active participation in international forums, exchange and training programmes, and we must keep in close touch with what is happening in many international agencies because the decisions that they make there can have significant impact on what we can or cannot do, even in our domestic context. 5.15 pm And this is where we will continue to send relevant officers to many of these international organisations for us to touch base with the latest thinking and build those networks that are necessary for our continued survival and success. To this end, we aspire to send more officers beyond the Public Service and beyond Singapore, to understand and build those linkages to further the cause for Singapore and Singaporeans. Just as an example, National Environment Agency officer, Khairunnisa Binte Yahya, has first-hand experience of this. She was attached to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as an Air Pollution Expert. She shares expertise and develops solutions for air pollution with UNDP partners, enhancing Singapore's global partnerships in environmental sustainability and climate resilience. Khairunnisa has gained insights into the UNDP's strategies which informs our efforts to improve Singapore's air quality.”
“As for greater transparency for its recommendations, we discussed this extensively during the debate on the Motion that Ms Poa and Mr Leong Mun Wai tabled in Parliament last August. We do not intend to repeat the debate today. Suffice to say that we should avoid imposing requirements or instructions on EBRC that are too prescriptive, but to give EBRC, which comprises senior civil servants with the relevant professional knowledge and expertise, the space to do their work independently and objectively, without fear or favour. Next, Mr Melvin Yong asked how we would prepare the Public Service workforce to tackle the multifaceted challenges of the future. Our Public Service has achieved much for Singapore and Singaporeans since 1965. Today, we are known for our efficiency, innovation and our ethos, from meritocracy to incorruptibility. For example, Singapore has been ranked within the top five in the World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators on Government Effectiveness since 2014 and topped Oxford University's inaugural Blavatnik Index of Public Administration in 2024. But having said that, we are not complacent and we must not be complacent. Our world is changing rapidly. The once familiar rules-based international security and economic orders are fracturing. Achieving survival and success for Singapore and Singaporeans will require fresh approaches in the way we do things, not just internally but also how we connect with the rest of the world. Our people's aspirations, as Mr Yip Hon Weng says, have also changed. They have gone up, while our manpower resource base remains tight. And we will constantly need to review the way we build our capabilities, execute and deliver. The Public Service will focus on strengthening three areas this year.”
“If she has scientific papers that she feels will benefit our considerations, we welcome her to let us know and we will convey this to the National Research Foundation and our panel of scientific advisors to take a look at this. More important than just building own talent pool and expertise, we must also grow our ecosystem of research institutes, industries and workforce. And when we say this, I do not just mean growing the capabilities in-house or only in this country. Very often, in today's R&D environment, we will need to leverage on the networks that we are able to access in the global environment. No one country, not even the biggest countries of India, China or US, will work alone necessarily in many of these cutting-edge areas and that is what we are committed to do. And in a more fragmented world, we must also ride on the opportunity for us to play the role to bring people from different backgrounds together and that is one area of our competitive advantage. This will then position Singapore strategically to contribute where we can and take advantage of the opportunities, be it in quantum technologies or other areas. Now, let me address Ms Hazel Poa's cut, on behalf of the Prime Minister, on EBRC. Ms Poa will agree that there will be an asymptotical limit to asking EBRC to keep reducing the average size of GRCs and that limit is one, with all electoral divisions being SMCs. The current terms of reference provide some stability in our electoral landscape by having a balance in the proportion of GRCs and SMCs. Having Members of Parliament serving a broadly similar number of electors on average as the last election will enable Members in the coming Parliament to continue to serve and represent their residents effectively. This last point is what matters most.”
“I must also explain that in making such decisions, we do not just rely on our own expertise. Because in many of these emerging fields, we may not have all the expertise. And this is the reason why the National Research Foundation and our research institutes make sure that they have extensive global networks with different panels of advisors that can give us their different perspectives for us to make a considered decision. And we have different councils, comprising both local and foreign experts in different fields to give us those advice that we need. Quantum research is an example of where we are doubling down after seeing initial promise. Ms He asked about the possible technical approaches, including our current areas of focus as well as industry development efforts to build our quantum capabilities. Indeed, this domain is nascent and dynamic. We will continue to adjust when needed and make judgements, taking into account the evolving landscape, our capabilities, what we have achieved and what others have achieved. Also, we keep a keen eye on where others are investing in, so that we can focus on the areas that we will have a competitive advantage. I would also like to assure Members that the key Government agencies and research offices are keeping a close watch on all of these, internal and external developments, in consultation with both our local and international scientific panels, and we are not wedded to any particular focal area or approaches. But what we must do, carefully, is to build up the capabilities to allow us to have the suite of optionalities to pivot or double down as the circumstances evolve. And for Ms He's suggestions, we will be happy to take into account her suggestions.”
“Chair, we thank Members for their various questions and suggestions on how our Public Service can do better. Let me first address the cut by Ms He Ting Ru. She asked how we support exploratory scientific research and about our approach to quantum research. Chair, R&D is a long-cycle endeavour and any payoffs will be more appropriately assessed over the long-term, rather than the short-term, as Ms He has suggested. In any research, particularly initial research, there will be many competing ideas. For instance, the mRNA vaccines that were crucial to fighting COVID-19 are a good example. The vaccines were enabled by decades of work in mRNA therapeutics, which many initially regarded as unpromising. No one knew then the role it would eventually play in a global pandemic. This is the nature of R&D. In R&D, success requires carefully balancing continuity in commitment and investment, with the ability to pivot decisively when the need arises. Our National Research Foundation takes a portfolio approach, supporting R&D across fields and at different levels of maturity and applying relevant programme management approaches. Let me just explain that. There is no one method in managing the complexity of different fields of research, different levels of research, different maturities or readiness-to-market levels of research. So, it is not a one method or a one-size-fits all. Different research areas with different time horizons, different challenges, require different management methods. We review our programmes regularly, pivot them when necessary, or double down on efforts that show strong promise when circumstances evolve. We can only have such optionalities if we have built up our capabilities and talent intentionally.”
“The National Institute of Early Childhood Development's (NIEC's) training programmes are aligned with the Skills Framework for Early Childhood, which was developed by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA). The Skills Framework requires NIEC's programmes to include content on understanding children with developmental needs, inclusive practices and designing an inclusive learning environment. All NIEC's pre-service courses include mandatory modules to equip trainees with foundational skills required to identify and support children with developmental needs. For example, as part of the Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education – Teaching, trainees learn about inclusive practices and the role of early childhood educators in designing individualised learning plans. In addition, NIEC offers programmes for in-service educators to deepen their knowledge and skills in supporting children with developmental needs. These include the Certificate in Inclusive Practice, ECDA-endorsed Continuing Professional Development courses as well as Specialist Diploma programmes for preschool educators who are keen on taking on specialist roles as Learning Support Educators and Early Intervention Educators. NIEC will continue to work closely with ECDA, preschool operators and Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children centres to ensure that its courses are up-to-date in supporting children with developmental needs.”
“The number of individuals who successfully applied for the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) Work-Study Diploma (WSDip) has grown from around 100 in 2018 to around 1,300 in 2024. Under the programme, trainees are hired by the participating companies as full-time employees and receive classroom training from ITE lecturers and on-the-job training delivered by the employers. The proportion of WSDip trainees who are terminated by their employers has remained low, averaging around 5% of each intake cohort. Reasons for termination include misconduct or poor performance. WSDip trainees who feel that they have been dismissed without just or sufficient cause can file a wrongful dismissal claim at the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management. Before termination, ITE will mediate between the WSDip employer and trainee, encouraging the employer to provide feedback and opportunities for the trainee to improve. Should the company decide to proceed with termination, ITE will assist the trainee to seek employment with another participating company to continue their training. Among those who have been terminated by their employers, around three in 10 were able to find employment with another participating company. Those who are unable to find alternative employment will have to withdraw from the programme.”
“The Circle of Friends (CoF) is an evidence-based intervention which involves peers supporting a classmate with Special Educational Needs (SEN) who has social and behavioural challenges, guided by the school's SEN Officer. Since 2021, all schools have personnel who are trained to implement CoF. However, not all schools have implemented CoF, depending on the needs of the individual students. In 2023, the Ministry of Education's evaluation of CoF in a small number of primary and secondary schools showed social and behavioural improvement in students with SEN requiring such support, as well as an increased sense of responsibility, empathy and acceptance among peers who participated in CoF. However, the evaluation did not look into comparisons across SEN profiles.”
“Beyond school, the Malay Language Learning and Promotion Committee collaborates with community partners to organise interesting programmes for our schools to appreciate Malay language and culture.”
“Presently, out of 351 schools, about 90 schools offer Malay Dance as a co-curricular activity (CCA). In the last five years, about 40 schools have discontinued Malay Dance as a CCA. This trend is not unique to Malay Dance but has also been observed across all the ethnic dance CCAs likely due to a change in student preferences and declining student cohort numbers. A number of schools that discontinued ethnic dance CCAs have offered Cultural Dance or International Dance CCAs instead. Overall, about 50 schools started new CCA dance groups in the last five years. Malay dance continues to be an important art form which the Ministry of Education (MOE) supports. It is one of the dance categories in the Singapore Youth Festival Arts Presentation. MOE also engages professional arts groups and practitioners to provide workshops for Malay Dance CCA students and teachers to deepen their appreciation for the art. Under the National Arts Council’s Arts Education Programmes, students get to experience Malay dance and other cultural arts performances in their own schools. Some schools also have Learning for Life Programmes with an emphasis on dance, which exposes their students to a broad repertoire of dance forms including Malay dance. MOE also nurtures all students’ appreciation for Malay culture through other art forms. For example, the art curriculum exposes all students to works by Singapore Malay artists. The music curriculum exposes all students to Malay community songs and students who take upper secondary Music learn traditional Malay music and instruments. The Malay Language curriculum also seeks to enhance students’ cultural knowledge and appreciation through immersive programmes like the Mother Tongue Language Fortnight and Language and Cultural Camp.”