Chan Soo Sen
Singapore
“In this way, we could generate, nurture and grow the sparks of creativity. But all these ideas will still need to have things like incubators and the various start-up support schemes in order to make them into reality. All these would need funding support.”
“The fact that children give parents some money to have a good time in casino shows how complacent we can be. Mr Chairman, I want to propose that we must be more aggressive in publicising the ills of gambling. Let us take the example of smoking. Real pictures of health hazards are shown on the boxes to deter people.”
“Thank you, Madam. I just want to say that the Minister did not quite answer my question about having a special Chinese language programme or, if necessary, set up a special Chinese language centre for those who are gifted in Chinese. Perhaps I did not make myself quite clear.”
“Hence, I propose that the Ministry of Education consider implementing a Special Chinese Elite programme. If necessary, establish a Special Chinese Language Centre and peg the standard to the highest level.”
“As the public sector is a major employer in Singapore, may I ask whether the public sector as an employer is willing to recognise the medical certificates issued by TCM practitioners and allow medical benefit claims for TCM treatment? If not now, then how about some time in the future when professional standards of TCM further improve?”
“I hope that in the next few years, more emphasis will be given to the care and support for the caregivers – how to offer them emotional support, how to give them counselling support, how to organise programmes to give them some relief from the daily chore of giving care so that at least they may have, say, two or three hours a day t…”
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“We also have brought in technology to help them do the job. For example, to help grassroots leaders, we have developed a customised Microsoft Excel template and programme which requires minimal technical accounting knowledge, and it can do accounting pretty effectively. 3.45 pm We do appreciate the increased workload on the People's Association but let me say that, as far as the workload is concerned, when we take over certain jobs delegated to us, we always insist that with the delegation of jobs, resources must come from the delegating Ministry. So with the resources, we are able to handle the additional task. We also want to say that the People's Association is a volunteers' movement. When there are more tasks, the first reaction should not be how to increase the manpower that we have, because by just increasing the headcount of the permanent staff, it would dilute the share of volunteerism and, therefore, defeat the original objective of the People's Association. Dr Warren Lee also suggested bringing in other talent from other services. This we do. Our Chief Executive Director, Mr Tan Boon Huat, is from the Administrative Service. One of the Directors, as well as two other General Managers of CDCs, are also seconded staff from the Administrative Service. We would really love to have more talent from other services for the reason that Dr Warren Lee mentioned. The only problem is that talent is valued by everybody. Everybody wants to keep their talent and, therefore, we only have a limited amount of secondment that has been done. Miss Penny Low and Mr Steve Chia also mentioned about image building. I want to say that the words "image building" were not used by the People's Association.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, allow me to respond to the few questions related to the People's Association. Dr Warren Lee asked how the CDCs are doing. I would like to say that, by all accounts, the CDCs are doing well. In 2005, the CDCs have organised about 890 programmes and activities and attracted a participation of 930,000 residents, of which 38% are from the minority races. Community development is to bring people together. From this, we have achieved the very important objective of bringing people together. In order to make the programme more effective, the CDCs are organising more targeted and on-going programmes. We also facilitate the formation of interest groups and encourage the CDCs to work with grassroots organisations and civic organisations in order to synergise on each other's strength. The CDCs have also taken on national assistance schemes delegated by MCYS and have disbursed a total of $41.8 million to some 48,500 beneficiaries in 2005. It is not only a matter of taking over the administration of these schemes, but the grassroots leaders and the volunteers who take part personalise the services by visiting the beneficiaries, understanding their needs and tailor-make the assistance schemes to them. The National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre estimated that the national volunteerism rate is currently at about 15.2% and this is better than the 14.9% just two years ago. Dr Warren Lee also mentioned the People's Association staff, characterising them as unsung heroes. On behalf of the staff, we thank Dr Warren Lee for his compliments. Yes, we constantly review their training needs, and terms and conditions of service. We make sure that they are properly equipped and trained to face the task that they have got to undertake.”
“Sir, self-appraisal means self-appraisal. The schools appraise based on the guidelines, and they learn a lesson from it. The Ministry of Education does not micro-manage the kindergartens. They remain private. We feel that it is good to have a very diversified range of kindergartens in the market. The reason is really one of resources. Mr Yeo is trying to, I think, persuade the Ministry of Education to start implementing official programmes before the age of six, maybe playing a much more active role in K1 and K2, or maybe bringing in pre-primary education. But the point is this. Resources are limited. We would rather concentrate on the age beyond the compulsory education requirement, do a good job out of it and put in a good LSP programme to make sure that all the students are up to speed. Because, if were to keep on moving down the age, resources and commitments are going to be greater and, frankly, the issue is also an iterative one. If we were to go down to five-year olds, then the question would be how about the education programme for those who are three or four years old, and so on. So, I think there is no end to it. Our strategy is to concentrate on those years starting from the year that compulsory education becomes compulsory, and do a good job out of it.”
“In fact, if you are talking about the upgrading of the kindergarten teachers, we have achieved good progress. Based on our figures, as of January 2006, 95% of our non-profit, community-based kindergartens have implemented the new curriculum framework. 60% of the principals have obtained the necessary qualifications and 80% of teachers have acquired a certificate or diploma. So we are well on the way to achieve those objectives on time. The best link between the kindergartens as well as the primary schools is the Learning Support Programme (LSP), which my Minister has presented just now on the various enhancement features. With this, I think the linkage should be even smoother.”
“So it is not necessary for the students to carry exceptionally heavy school bags to school. Having said that, if parents notice that their children's school bags are still too heavy, maybe they should go through with them and see whatever is necessary or unnecessary for them to bring to school. In fact, to be able to bring the necessary books and leave the unnecessary stuff at home is also a very good habit of housekeeping.”
“Yes, Sir. Dr Tan Cheng Bock also asked for the Ministry's stand on teachers who give their handphone numbers to students and parents. I want to say that respect for teachers is central to education. Our teachers play an important role in nurturing and developing our young. MOE believes in upholding the standing of teachers so that the role is not compromised. In the course of their work, teachers may be required to share their personal contact numbers with their colleagues and supervisors so that they remain contactable. This is especially necessary during times of emergency. Teachers are also encouraged to maintain contact with their students and parents, and many of them do, but they are not compelled to disclose their personal contact numbers to their students or parents if they feel uncomfortable in doing so. Teachers will normally, however, provide their students and parents with either their office or staff room numbers. Schools value good relationship with parents and will work with them in the interest of their children as far as it is possible. The Ministry of Education does not condone harassment of teachers by parents and view any such harassments seriously. In addition, I want to say that anybody found verbally abusing a civil servant could be taken to task in a court of law. Finally, just a brief response to Mr Ang Mong Seng's point about school bags. I want to say that this has nothing to do with Teach Less, Learn More, but it has something to do with our normal kiasu attitude. When I was a student, I also carried all the books to school when it was not necessary to do so. With proper planning, in fact, students only need to bring whatever that is required to school. In school, there are also places and lockers that they can keep their stuff.”
“In the case of Henry Park Primary School, it was built to be slightly larger to provide it with another six classrooms to run the Gifted Education Programme to cater to the additional Primary 4 to 6 students for the programme. This explains why the school campus is slightly larger. Dr Tan expressed concern that the larger campus may be too imposing for the young students. We would like to assure him that Primary 1 students are grouped into smaller class size of 30 each and they are buddied with an older primary student who will look after them and bring them around in the first few weeks of school, so that the new students are comfortable with the new environment. As for the ramp in front of Henry Park Primary, which Dr Tan mentioned, it is a traffic safety feature that is put in place because of the larger enrolment in Henry Park. It helps to ease traffic congestion entering the school by separating the buses that go to the ground level and the cars which will go up to the elevated level. Therefore, having that ramp is necessary for the safety of our students.”
“45 pm Dr Tan Cheng Bock asked whether it might be more cost-effective to refurbish and upgrade school buildings, especially to preserve its sentimental value, rather than just demolish and build new ones elsewhere. Wherever possible, the Ministry of Education does refurbish and upgrade school buildings, instead of demolishing and building new ones. This is for better cost-effectiveness, as well as to preserve the feeling of loyalty from the students to the school. But this is done only when the current site is still suitable, in terms of location, size as well as population catchment. In fact, in many instances, a school building is vacated due to merger or relocation of schools. This usually reflects the falling demand of school places in that vicinity, because the estate has matured. At the same time, new demand is created in new towns as young couples set up homes and younger families move in. Therefore, we will continue to see the Ministry of Education building new schools in newer estates like Punggol in line with population characteristics. We are, however, looking into merging schools in more mature estates, such as Jurong, precisely to avoid having a school with no students and, therefore, wasting land and physical resources. Vacated school sites are returned to the Singapore Land Authority to put to alternative use, or sometimes, it may be used for holding schools for the Ministry of Education's Programme for Rebuilding and Improving Existing Schools (PRIME). Dr Tan also commented that some primary school buildings are too large. He specifically mentioned Henry Park Primary School, which is a very popular school with parents. Since PRIME in 1999, almost all our primary schools are built with standard 42 classrooms.”
“Since then there is a drop in the candidature for the CL 'AO' examination at JC2, not the number of students taking CL. Therefore, I would say that the situation is promising. There is no decline in number nor interest in the learning of Chinese Language in schools. Mr Chay Wai Chuen suggested allowing Singaporean students to learn each other's language, with a focus on conversational skills. MOE encourages our schools to offer such lessons to students. We are very encouraged to note that 60 schools have already initiated programmes for students to pick up conversational skills in either Malay Language or Chinese Language. To facilitate them, MOE provides schools with teaching guides and allows schools to tap on existing resource provisions to conduct these programmes. Non-native students, who are keen and interested to study Malay or Chinese Language to a higher level, can also take these subjects as third languages, which will have a greater emphasis on listening as well as speaking skills. Having said all this, we need to be realistic. Not all students have the ability to cope with a third language. In fact, it is a very big challenge for most of us to master just two languages. Besides Malay and Chinese Languages, MOE also offers French, German and Japanese as third languages. Mr Chay suggested Spanish could be offered to our students. I would like to say that if there is strong student interest and demand for it to be offered Spanish as a third language, we are open to this proposal provided our resources permit. But the important thing is students' interest. 12.”
“The Ministry of Education has organised more than 15 sharing sessions to propagate good practices, and we will continue to do so. Starting from this year, we will introduce an interim examination format at PSLE and at O-levels. Handheld CL-to-CL electronic dictionaries will be allowed in the CL composition component of national examinations from 2007 as an alternative to the print dictionary. A new Literature in Chinese syllabus is being offered to O-level students starting this year. The new syllabus has included more works of eminent local writers and contemporary literature, which we believe are closer to students' interests. In addition, we have set up a fourth Chinese Language Elective Programme Centre in Jurong Junior College and three more Zonal Centres of Excellence to promote best practices in CL learning and teaching to other schools. These additional zonal centres are in Pei Chun Public School, Chung Cheng High School (Main) and CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls' School. Dr Ong Seh Hong asked whether fewer students were taking Chinese Language as a result of the change in university admission criteria in 2004. I would like to say that, in the same year, MOE also relaxed the criteria for students to take Higher Chinese at secondary level. Since the changes, in fact, more students have opted to take Higher Chinese at O-level and A-level. At the AO-level in the junior college, the number of students taking the subject has remained roughly the same, but what has changed is that fewer students have opted to retake the CL 'AO' examination at JC2. Previously, JC students have been retaking their CL 'AO' examinations to better their scores because it is compulsory to count it for university admission.”
“The Ministry of Education is piloting the modular Chinese Language curriculum at Primary 1 and Primary 2 in 25 schools this year. Under this approach, students study a Core Module for 70%-80% of the curriculum. On top of this, they can take a Bridging Module or an Enrichment Module, depending on their ability and interest. If they are relatively weak, they can take the Bridging Module. If they are relatively strong, then they can take the Enrichment Module. This helps ensure a baseline standard without a ceiling effect (�?底�?�?顶), ie, ensure that there is a strong base but we do not impose a ceiling for those who can achieve more. The modular curriculum will be implemented across all primary levels by 2010. Feedback from students, teachers and parents from pilot schools has been positive and encouraging so far. Dr Ong Seh Hong shared that one of his young constituents encountered a teacher who emphasised rote learning. I want to assure him again that this is precisely the type of teaching approach which we hope to change. Many of the Chinese Language teachers, I spoke to, are passionate about teaching the language and, in fact, many of them have come up with very creative ways of helping their students learn. Chinese Language teachers in many schools are embarking on pedagogical experimentation to make learning more engaging for their students. At Ahmad Ibrahim Primary School, Chinese Language teachers use a thematic approach on "Chinese Traditional Herbs" to make CL learning come alive. Other examples include the use of comics in Dunman Secondary School, broadcasting programmes in Xin Min Secondary and blog diary in Tanjong Katong Girls' School.”
“One of them is the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning, which is chaired by me. The Committee is working on five areas, ie, Chinese Language education in pre-schools, reading, writing, engaging the media as well as educational exchange programmes. I want to say that the support from the Chinese community to the review on Chinese Language teaching has been very forthcoming. In fact, the Chinese community has come forward to initiate a Chinese Language and Culture Fund to raise the standard of Chinese in Singapore. It has already raised more than $7 million out of its $10 million target, and the Government has provided a dollar-for-dollar matching grant to bring its total sum to more than $14 million currently. With all these initiatives, support and resources, we hope to create a greater environment in which Chinese is a living language for our students. I am happy to note that more schools and students are showing enthusiasm for learning Chinese. At present, more than one-quarter of our schools have twinning programmes with schools in China. Schools from primary up to tertiary level have organised many immersion programmes to China for students as well as teachers. These exchanges will allow our students to pick up the language more naturally as well as deepen their appreciation of the Chinese culture and society. The second committee, which I think is a more important committee, is the Chinese Language Curriculum and Pedagogy Implementation Steering Committee, which is chaired by Mr Wee Heng Tin, former Director-General of Education. Mr Wee's committee coordinates and oversees the implementation of the recommendations from the Chinese Language review. Let me provide Members with an update on the enhancements made to the teaching of Chinese Language so far.”
“It also opens doors to more economic opportunities. In fact, a recent report commissioned by the British Council proclaimed that those who were monolingual in English "'faced a bleak economic future' as multilingual competitors flood into the workforce from all corners of the globe". Therefore, we must maintain our linguistic edge of being a multilingual society. Sir, in the last two years, the Ministry of Education separately conducted reviews on all of our Mother Tongues, ie, Chinese Language, Malay Language and Tamil Language, in their curriculum as well as pedagogy. The findings and recommendations from the three reviews set the tone and direction for the teaching and learning of the Mother Tongue languages in the next five to 10 years. Specifically, the Committee on Chinese Language has recommended a curriculum to enthuse all Chinese Language students and develop in them an abiding interest in Chinese Language and culture. This will be achieved through a more customised and flexible modular curriculum at the primary level. Furthermore, greater emphasis will be placed on oral fluency and reading for the majority of students. Other key recommendations include making CL learning interesting, relevant and engaging, aligning examinations with the revised curriculum, providing more opportunities to use and learn Chinese Language in schools and greater community support. With this framework, the case mentioned by Dr Ong Seh Hong yesterday should not arise. I would want to recommend to Dr Ong Seh Hong that he propose to his constituent to provide the feedback to the school. I am sure it will be very, very happy to look at what the children have gone through and see how it can rectify it. Since the completion of the CL review, two committees have been set up.”
“To help non-profit kindergartens meet these requirements, MOE provides a recurrent grant to incentivise them to upgrade the quality of their staff and education. Fourthly, we will be working with 10 neighbourhood kindergartens on project SEAL (for Sustained Early Assistance for Learning), which my Minister has just mentioned. Through this project, we hope that children in the kindergartens with learning difficulties can be identified early and given help. Many of these measures will take time to bear fruit. With these measures, MOE aims to raise the overall quality of pre-school education in Singapore over time. Mr Yeo also suggested that the Opportunity Fund be extended to pre-schools. The Opportunity Fund for schools aims to level the opportunities for needy students in terms of enrichment activities. At the pre-school level, MCYS provides the Kindergartens Financial Assistance Scheme to subsidise kindergarten fees for needy students. We feel that this is a more targeted approach to help needy children to have access to pre-school education. Let me thank Mr Chay Wai Chuen, Dr Ong Seh Hong and Mr Ong Ah Heng for their support and interest in the teaching of Mother Tongue languages. I will update Members on the changes made to the learning of Chinese Language. My colleague, Mr Hawazi Daipi, will later elaborate on the implementation of recommendations on the Malay Language and Tamil Language education. Bilingualism in English and Mother Tongue languages is an asset for Singaporeans. Indeed, bilingualism is the cornerstone of our education system. English is likely to remain the lingua franca of the world for the foreseeable future. On the other hand, learning one's own Mother Tongue helps in building cultural identity and knowing one's roots.”
“30 pm Mr Yeo Guat Kwang asked about the quality of the pre-school sector. Pre-school education lays the foundation for learning in subsequent years. As pointed out by Mr Yeo, there is a diverse range of pre-school programmes in the market. The diversity provides parents with a wide range of choices. However, this does not mean that MOE takes a hands-off approach towards kindergartens. In the past few years, MOE has put in place various initiatives at key leverage points to raise the overall quality of pre-school education in Singapore. Firstly, we have defined the desired outcomes of pre-school education in 2000 to provide direction for the sector. These include moral and social outcomes, such as knowing what is right and wrong, being able to relate to others and being curious and able to explore. Secondly, MOE has formulated and disseminated a kindergarten curriculum framework and teachers' resource package to guide pre-schools to design a curriculum best suited to younger children. To enable kindergartens to examine their own practices in identified areas for improvement, MOE has designed an instrument called Pursuing Excellence at Kindergartens (PEAK) and disseminated it to all kindergartens in 2003 to encourage them to conduct yearly self-appraisals. As at December 2005, 80% of the kindergartens have conducted self-appraisals using PEAK. Thirdly, MOE has worked on one of the most important factors affecting pre-school education, ie, the quality of teachers. To upgrade the expertise of pre-school practitioners, we have articulated the professional qualifications that kindergarten principals and teachers must have by January 2006 and January 2008 respectively.”
“Because these students are drawn from a large number of schools, it is more practical to gather them in a few primary schools to provide them with customised learning programmes. However, schools will create more opportunities for GEP students to interact with their non-GEP schoolmates, and develop as well-rounded individuals. The interactions should enrich the learning experience for all students involved. At secondary level, over 90% of GEP students have joined the Integrated Programme in IP schools. With most GEP students in IP schools, we have therefore moved from a centrally-run MOE programme for all GEP students to giving these schools the flexibility to shape their own approaches to gifted education. They will cater to gifted students within the broader context of talent development that the schools have embarked on. This is in line with the mandate of IP schools to develop our top students by providing broader learning opportunities beyond the 'O' level syllabus. As for GEP students who did not join the IP, they will be nurtured through other types of school-based programmes for higher ability students in non-IP schools. These enhancements to the Gifted Education Programme aim to make the programme more effective and customised for our intellectually gifted students. Besides the GEP, MOE is also studying ways to identify and develop talents in specialised areas, as well as in non-academic areas, such as sports and arts. There are students with exceptional abilities in just one or two areas but who are not part of the GEP. By providing diverse opportunities in different areas, we hope that more talents can be groomed and that there will be space and opportunities for every talent to develop to the fullest. 12.”
“Sir, Dr Amy Khor raised a number of questions on the Gifted Education Programme (GEP). Allow me to put the GEP into context. Since 1984, we have established the Gifted Education Programme to cater for the top 1% of our students. The programme provides an enriched curriculum to nurture these intellectually gifted students. It develops their skills in critical and creative thinking, as well as problem solving and allows them to work with specialists through mentorship programmes. Today, our education system is more diversified. It provides different opportunities for all students to discover and develop their talents. We have schools with different specialisation and niches as well as different programmes to suit different needs. But GEP remains relevant in this broader context of talent development. The core focus of the programme will remain, that is, to meet the educational needs of intellectually gifted students. Nevertheless, we will build on the strong foundation we have achieved and enhance it further. Over the years, we have been moving towards greater decentralisation in the shaping of gifted education in schools. The introduction of Integrated Programme (IP) in schools, that are also GEP centres, has allowed these schools to develop their own school-based gifted programmes to stretch their students. The introduction of Specialised Independent Schools also opens up other new branches in gifted education. The NUS High School of Mathematics and Science, for example, offers a whole school approach to developing students with exceptional talents in Mathematics and Science. At the primary level, we will continue to have special classes to cater to the top 1% of the cohort in nine GEP centres.”
“We do not believe this will happen. As I have explained just now, the way divestments would be done, we would do our homework - put in a lot of studies, engage financial analysts - to ensure things are properly done. At the same time, we also have a feedback and consultation mechanism with associations such as ASME. We can consider intervention if things go wrong, but we will first try to ensure that we would not come to that.”
“Sir, I would be very happy to do so if Mr Lawrence Leow's Association wants to organise one. I have already told him, during the ASME installation ceremony about a month ago, that I am always ready to go and listen, bringing along the officials who are responsible for the areas that he is interested in.”
“Such a code is better set by the industry or a consumer body like CASE. The CPFTA is also not designed to have an on-going monitoring mechanism to ensure that the time-share company will continue to abide by a code of governance after a sale. This is better undertaken through an industry, or consumer-led scheme like CaseTrust, where there is an accreditation system to ensure continued compliance. So, in short, I want to assure Mr Yeo again that, through the mechanism of consultation with CASE, we will continue to improve on measures to protect the interests of our consumers.”
“The taskforce has made several useful recommendations, one of which is to extend the scope of CPFTA to cover financial services. So MTI supports this recommendation and is currently working with MAS on the implementation details. Mr Yeo also highlighted the difficulties faced by specific bodies, such as CASE, in dealing with errant retailers. The CPFTA has clearly laid out the circumstances under which specific bodies can file an injunction order. If an errant retailer refuses to cooperate or sign a Voluntary Compliance Agreement (VCA), I would encourage the specified body to follow through with the enforcement procedures and obtain an injunction order against the retailer. I think this may be a little bit troublesome, but it will send a clear and strong signal that the specified body will not hesitate to act against such retailers. So he may look for a good case on which to implement this procedure. Mr Yeo also raised a matter on the so-called "Lemon Law". This was something that the taskforce had also considered. But, given the extensive effect of this law and the recent developments in other countries, the taskforce has recommended that further studies be done. MTI will take into account the taskforce's various recommendations and conduct public consultation for the proposed changes to CPFTA regulations. As far as the regulations on time-share are concerned, complaints against time-share companies have remained high, with 158 complaints lodged with CASE last year. MTI agrees with Prof. Ivan Png's workgroup that there should be proper disclosure of material information by time-share companies so that consumers can make informed choices. But MTI does not believe that the solution lies in incorporating a code of governance for time-share companies within CPFTA.”
“This will help ensure that prices do not escalate unduly due to tightness of supply. In other words, we understand all your concerns. We will proceed carefully so that there will not be undue increase in business costs. Mr Chew Heng Ching asked for a speedier liberalisation of the electricity market so that Town Councils can benefit from choosing their retailers. I believe this call would have resonance in many other sectors too. Since the electricity retail market started progressive liberalisation in year 2001, about 10,000 electricity consumers have become contestable. This includes about 172 electricity accounts that belong to the Town Councils. Town Councils may approach EMA on how to apply for contestability as there are criteria that they have to meet, such as a consumption of at least 10,000 kilowatt-hour per month and other technical requirements. Town Councils with contestable accounts have generally been satisfied with the utility savings achieved. EMA is currently exploring how to leverage on new technology to achieve cost savings in retailing electricity to smaller consumers so that they can also benefit from contestability. EMA will announce the details once they are ready. Hopefully, it will not take too long. Mr Yeo Guat Kwang spoke on the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act (CPFTA). I would like to assure Mr Yeo that anything to do with protecting consumer's interest will be positively taken into consideration by my Ministry. In fact, following Mr Yeo's suggestion in the Committee of Supply last year to review CPFTA, MTI has set up a taskforce to do so. The taskforce is co-chaired by MTI and CASE and it includes representatives from consumer and business bodies as well as public agencies.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, Mr Lawrence Leow asked the Government to ensure that when we divest companies, we do not create dominant market players that would undermine competition in the marketplace. As a general rule, the Government would observe the yellow pages rule and divest out of business where there is active private sector participation and there is no strategic value to the Government owning such businesses. The state of competition in the industry post-divestment would be a key consideration in any decision to divest Government holdings, so we proceed with a lot of caution. In the case of JTC, we have announced on 21st November 2005 that JTC would divest its ready-built industry facilities in certain market segments, including 71 high-rise factory blocks, three business park buildings, one warehouse and 800 units of workshops. Since then, JTC has appointed a financial consultant to formulate a divestment plan, which includes exploring the possible modes of divestment and the implementation timeline. The plan will factor in the need for competitive market forces to work well post-divestment. We expect the divestment plan to be finalised by the middle of this year. The divestment of these JTC properties will enhance market competition in the provision of industrial space over the long term. Companies will have more choices in the supply of industrial space to meet their various needs, especially in the high-rise factory segment where JTC would divest its 25% market share. Private sector industrial developers will be able to operate flexibly to accommodate industry needs and to provide good customer service. We will monitor the supply of industrial space and provide for an orderly release of industrial land sites through the Government Land Sales programme.”
“I did not know the Member wanted to ask specifically about the Zhang Wei's case. We can check on it. But our understanding is that the scholarship could not have come from the Ministry of Education. As I have said, the Ministry of Education's role in this scholarship is a supportive one. For example, we work with the Ministry of Education in the PRC to effect the agreement. Our education secretary in our embassy in Beijing liaises with the universities and the Ministries to link up the selection panel from the GLCs as well as the institutions.”
“The scholarships are probably offered by one of our Government-linked companies (GLCs). We do have some Government-linked companies that offer scholarships to PRC students.”
“From the way I answered the question, it would be quite clear that if you apply for sabbatical, the university would then consider it. You may receive some friendly advice from your colleagues or from the human resource department that it is good that you go for sabbatical. But if you really feel very secure that you are already making very good contribution and the sabbatical is not necessary, I am sure they will listen to your perspective and excuse you from sabbatical. PRIVACY OF PERSONAL INFORMATION (Safeguards to protect) 3. Prof. Ivan Png Paak Liang asked the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts whether his Ministry will introduce legislation to safeguard privacy of personal information and, if so, when.”
“I suppose if you have not gone on any sabbatical at all, or let us say if you have applied for sabbatical and never got it, there would probably be some fundamental questions asked why this should happen. And bearing in mind that if everybody else has got an opportunity to be exposed overseas through sabbatical, and let us say if I am the only one who did not have, obviously my exposure is not as wide. Perhaps, that can affect my promotion prospect. That is one possibility.”
“Is it still cost effective to send a staff overseas? I would also like to ask the Minister of State whether he is aware that a staff who goes for sabbatical leave overseas is receiving double salary, a salary from his own university as well as a salary from the other hosting university. Mr Chan Soo Sen: I am not so sure about the salary part. Obviously, some of them are receiving more. But I just want to answer the question by rephrasing the Member's question. If we say that because of IT and many other means of interaction, does it mean that the House here should meet less often because there is no need for face-to-face interaction and that we can get all the information that we need? It does not really follow. An opportunity to meet will enable us to have a feel of a different culture - maybe it is a different language culture, a different work culture or a different academic culture - a feel of other people's thinking, their background, their exposure. I am sure if she were to go for sabbatical leave, she will find that very, very beneficial too. Yes, obviously, there will be certain workload distribution. But nowadays, we may want to get away from this thing called "tunnel vision", that we will just teach the same thing year after year, and hope that our institution is still top class. It is not going to be like that anymore. Assoc. Prof. Ong Soh Khim: Sir, I would just like to ask the Minister of State for his views on whether sabbatical leave should be an optional or a compulsory item because some staff in the university have been told that they must go for sabbatical leave in order to qualify for promotion and tenure.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in universities around the world, sabbatical leave is a well-accepted practice for the professional development of senior or tenured academic staff. Sabbatical leave enables staff to spend a meaningful period of time, which could range from several months to a year, away from their teaching and administrative duties at their home universities in order to deepen their scholarship and to work closely with other researchers and academics in their field of expertise. It is generally recognised that the regular face-to-face interaction with fellow academics in the course of a sabbatical provides advantages in research that are not always obtained through shorter exchanges or communication through IT. Both the occasional sabbaticals and shorter academic exchanges have their place. Sabbatical leave also benefits the wider academic community in the universities. The collaboration and close networking that it enables can strengthen links between our universities and reputable foreign institutions and achieving a win-win situation. A well-chosen plan of sabbaticals can help enhance the international standing of our universities. NUS, NTU and SMU have guidelines and processes to evaluate proposals from eligible academic staff who intend to take sabbatical leave to embark on study or research programmes, and to ensure that these programmes are aligned with the interests of the university. Assoc. Prof. Ong Soh Khim: Sir, the Minister of State mentioned that face-to-face interaction is better than short travelling, short attachment and video conferencing. I would like to ask the Minister of State whether it is worthwhile that such long attachments overseas would typically cause workload to be distributed to the rest of the staff and many other inconveniences.”
“As I have said, we do try to look for outstanding local citizens who are PhDs for appointment as academic staff. But I also want to say that it does not follow that if an academic staff is a local, he would stay with the university for life. Because, now for many, many subjects, even academic staff would want to go to the industry to be exposed, and it may not therefore follow that if we recruit a Singaporean PhD, he would stay in the university for 20 years. He may go to the industry after five years, even go overseas and then come back again maybe years later. We do have similar experience with local staff too. SABBATICAL LEAVE IN THE UNIVERSITIES (Rationale) 2. Assoc. Prof. Ong Soh Khim asked the Minister for Education in light of the globalised university concept with shorter exchanges and overseas stays and pervasive borderless learning through information technology, what is the purpose of having sabbatical leave in the universities.”
“I have to say that this number is not quite related to the Question that the Member has asked. Unfortunately, I do not have the number with me. Maybe I just want to ask the hon. Member what is the motivation or thinking behind this particular question? Assoc. Prof. Ong Soh Khim: Sir, am I allowed to reply to him?”
“The Ministry of Education will not embark on the programme if we are not confident about the availability of resources, including the teachers. In fact, one point that we may have to consider seriously, speaking as an experienced person, is for the parents perhaps to encourage the students to learn the Malay language under MSP. Because these are students who are already learning English as well as the Mother Tongue, some of them Higher Mother Tongue, in addition to MSP. To learn two languages is already quite difficult. To learn three is really a very major challenge. So, in fact, I would consider this to be a more serious challenge than our ability to make available teaching resources in these various centres. POLYTECHNIC GRADUATES TAKING UP DEGREE PROGRAMMES 6. Assoc. Prof. Ong Soh Khim asked the Minister for Education (a) what are the percentages of polytechnic graduates taking up degree programmes in local and overseas universities respectively; (b) with respect to these percentages, are polytechnics becoming another category of junior colleges; and (c) what is the original intention of polytechnic education and has the original intention been largely fulfilled.”
“If I were the parent of the foreign student, I would say the system is not being fair to me. My child has finished Primary 6 PSLE . You have forced me to study Primary 3. Where is the justice? But they have accepted it because they have got certain objectives to fulfil. Our parents also have certain objectives to fulfil with regard to the educational objective of our children. Let us look at whether our expectation with respect to the educational objectives of our children is being fulfilled, instead of just comparing apples with oranges, and we will always be unhappy. EMPLOYMENT ACT (Role of employers in eldercare support) 3. Assoc Prof Ong Soh Khim asked the Minister for Manpower if his Ministry will consider prescribing the role of employers in eldercare support through amendment of the current Employment Act so as to entitle employees, who are caregivers, up to five days of paid eldercare leave per year for the purpose of bringing elderly parents above the age of 70 to clinics or hospitals for routine checks.”
“I want to say that our students are doing equally well. The foreign students may do a little bit better. But that is because they are in smaller numbers. They choose to come here for their own reasons. So not surprisingly, they do a little bit better. Even in our top schools, the percentage of foreign students is also well within 5% or thereabout. The hon. Member mentioned about dispelling the fear. I do not really see where is the fear to dispel. My son studies in RI. This is one of the top schools, and he told me that there were foreign students. He said that it was a good thing. They are very good in Mathematics and Chinese. We must beat them in order to be Rafflesians. I said that is very good. It stimulates competition and, as a result, the academic standards of our schools go up. It shakes us out of this cocoon of complacency. So I would like to assure the hon. Member as well as our parents that having some foreign students, who are of good quality, are in fact a good thing for all of us. Assoc. Prof. Ong Soh Khim: Sir, I have a supplementary question and I would like to relate my own personal experience as opposed to his own personal experience. My niece studies in Woodlands Primary School and she comes back and tells me, "My classmates are foreign students. But the competition is not fair because the foreign student was originally from Primary 6 in Hong Kong and when she came to Singapore, she was in Primary 3 [the same as my niece]." To my niece, this foreign student already studied Mathematics, English and everything ---”
“I wonder what is the purpose for doing so. Assoc. Prof. Ong Soh Khim: Among the parents, there is a fear that the students are not doing as well. So I feel that if we give more information to the parents, they will feel more assured. It is just like giving the data for the top 5% and 10% of the cohort, how many are foreign students. It will give an assurance to the parents that their children are doing equally well in the schools.”
“Sir, what I was saying was that in the past, only the top 30% within the PSLE cohort could offer MSP. But we have relaxed the criteria so that any student, so long as they are interested and have the inclination, will be able to do so. This is to allow more students to learn Malay as a third language, in addition to English as well as their Mother Tongue. GOVERNMENT ELECTRONIC BUSINESS (GEBIZ) 22. Prof. Ivan Png Paak Liang asked the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance whether his Ministry will require all Public-Private Partnership providers, Government-owned corporatised entities, and Temasek-linked companies to use GeBIZ in their procurement, so as to enhance Singapore's reputation for business transparency and maximise opportunities for our small and medium enterprises to market their goods and services.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, under the Malay (Special Programme) (or MSP), Malay is currently available as a third language to non-Malay students who are within the top 30% of the PSLE cohort, if they also do well in Mother Tongue and English. Over 640 students currently offer MSP at the MOE Language Centre in Bishan. To encourage more non-Malay students to offer MSP, the Ministry of Education has decided and announced that we are lifting the current criteria so that students may offer Malay as a third language so long as they have the interest and inclination. Students will be able to do so at the MOE Language Centre from 2007 onwards. Schools that have the resources can also offer MSP within their schools this year. The Ministry of Education is also increasing its teacher resources to allow MSP to be provided in more schools and centres, where there is a critical mass of interested students. Many of our schools are also offering conversational Malay lessons to their students. MOE is encouraging more schools to do so, and is looking into how they can be supported.”
“The North West CDC has also worked with the grassroots and community-based organisations to form 95 Briskwalking Clubs with a membership of 22,600. I am sure a lot of them have achieved good health in the process. CDCs, of course, administer many social and job assistance programmes. But, in addition to doing whatever MCYS requires them to do, it also adds in a lot of people's element, for example, involving grassroots leaders and residents in social assistance programmes. The South East CDC, for example, while doing job placements, does not just place people on paper, but actually bring the people seeking jobs to the employer and try to overcome their fear and resistance towards taking on a new job. Sir, I would like to say that, over the years, CDCs, with the help of grassroots Advisors, like Members and their grassroots leaders, were able to deliver social assistance effectively and efficiently, and will continue to do so.”
“Thank you, Sir, for allowing me to respond briefly to the comment on the Community Development Councils raised by Mdm Cynthia Phua yesterday. Yesterday, Mdm Cynthia Phua asked about the roles of the CDCs and she gave certain comments on CDCs as local administrators for MCYS programmes. We would like to say that while CDCs administer a lot of programmes locally, being a local administrator, it is not the primary role of the CDCs. CDC is about community bonding. It is about reaching out to people, bringing people together and achieving cohesion amongst the people. Therefore, it is definitely true that we cannot adopt a broad-brush approach, as Mdm Cynthia Phua said. I just want to give some examples about CDCs reaching out to the people. Last year, the CDCs organised some 560 community projects reaching out to about 1.3 million residents. The Central Singapore CDC, for example, collaborated with the ethnic clubs in the district to organise soccer clinics and training for the young residents involving their parents. The Central Singapore CDC also has a community life arts programme that allows community-based arts groups and residents to get together to appreciate arts. The South East CDC, on the other hand, has initiated the Racial Harmony Youth Ambassadors programme to promote inter-racial understanding using young people as ambassadors. Besides engaging residents of all age groups through their sports, cultural and community events, the CDCs also play the role of enabling the grassroots organisations in their community bonding efforts. For example, the South West CDC supported the Pioneer CCC in its Community Day Carnival that brought together 12,000 residents for interaction through performances, games as well as healthy lifestyle activities.”
“Sir, I do not know why Mr Iswaran is so sceptical about our intention. I did say in the reply that we consider co-location to be a good move. So if it is possible to co-locate, we will do so. The co-location of all the three schools took place because of well-intended direction. If you look at Canossian School, it has got its own programme of catering for the hearing impaired, using technology, carrying hearing aid, and so on, and it has been well-integrated. When I visited the Pathlight School, the neighbouring school Chong Boon, found that the arrangement was actually very good. You will find that the students really go out of their way to help the students from Pathlight School. So definitely, if we can, we will plan for more.”
“If you are talking about early intervention, then presumably you are talking about children of pre-school age. Those children are not included in compulsory education because compulsory education only starts at Primary 1. If you are talking about children who are already in national schools, then why legislate? They are already in there. To me, the most important issue is not whether the legislation includes them but whether we are able to make sure that all of them have the opportunity for appropriate education. There will be some, because of special circumstances, whose parents may decide not to enrol them, let them stay at home, educate them at home, and so on. We probably would have to respect that, rather than force the issue through legislation. If it is legislated, and if the parents do not send the kid to school, they have committed an offence. But if, on the other hand, the voluntary welfare organisations are able to get to these children who are at home and offer them help, and maybe the Community Development Councils also join in and assist, that may be the best arrangement for the family. So let us look at the effect of all these combined efforts, rather than looking at the legislation alone.”
“Sir, we will certainly look into this proposal. But I want to mention one thing. Teaching is a calling. It is a vocation. There are teachers who just want to go all the way, whatever review we have done. And they always will have a heavy workload. Sir, the ironical thing is that good teachers always have heavy workload. It is just like good MPs always have heavy workload. There was a question to Mr Hawazi on why some parents prefer to go and see the MP, rather than the school. Maybe, it is because the MP is very popular. So we will have to see the workload in context. I agree with Mr Gan that there is a lot of intangible in a teacher's work and therefore no amount of survey can really give us a good feel of what it actually is. But providing additional administrative support by recruiting more teachers while we can, will be the things that we will continue to do.”
“We hope to see more of such relationships between mainstream schools and other special schools. As far as possible, we will also facilitate such co-location for the new purpose-built schools. For children with mild disabilities that can enter into mainstream schools, we will try to cater for them in our schools. There are currently about 2,500 children with mild disabilities that are studying in mainstream schools. These include children with mild physical disabilities, visual and hearing impairment, autism and dyslexia. The Ministry of Education dedicates resources to provide support and to facilitate their integration in the schools. For example, for children with sensory impairment, resource teachers are provided at six designated secondary schools to help their learning in schools. There are 59 mainstream schools that have been retrofitted to facilitate access for children with physical disabilities. Children with sensory and physical disabilities are also provided with assistive devices to aid their learning. Children with dyslexia or autism in mainstream schools also receive additional support from the Ministry of Education and the voluntary welfare organisations. As I mentioned earlier, we are recruiting additional staff to help them. Last, but not least, with effect from year 2006, the Ministry of Education will strengthen the support for children with learning disabilities by deploying Special Needs Officers to 20 designated primary schools and 30 secondary schools. Going forward, the Ministry of Education will continue to make improvements on how we support children with special needs.”
“So we have made progress. The Ministry of Education has also increased its support for development costs of SPED school buildings from 90% to 95% of the project cost approved after September 2004. To further enhance the support for SPED schools, the Prime Minister announced last year that we will be committing a total of $55 million a year till year 2008 for special needs in SPED and mainstream schools. The enhanced funding will really speed up the upgrading and redevelopment of SPED schools, so that more of them will be able to enjoy better facilities. Other than physical infrastructure, the additional funding will also go towards improving the quality of professional resources in SPED schools, eg, recruitment of better qualified teachers, providing better professional development for the staff as well as improving the curriculum design. We agree with Mr Iswaran on the benefits of co-locating special and mainstream schools so that the children can each study in their own school but they have the opportunity to meet with each other. It provides good opportunity for students to see and learn from each other and help to instill in them the care and concern for others that we want to promote in a wider society. Therefore, it meets our educational objectives. 5.45 pm Currently, there are three SPED schools that are located adjacent to mainstream schools. These are the Spastic Children's Association which is next to Meridian JC, Canossian School for the Hearing Impaired - it is sharing the same compound as Canossian Convent - and Pathlight School, the holding school was next to Chong Boon Secondary School and the new building is next to Townsville Primary. So co-location is already taking place.”
“SPED schools cater to children with more severe disabilities. Those with mild disabilities and are able to cope and possible to be integrated, we will allow them to attend national schools. This approach acknowledges that different children have different needs, and it is better that we do something that is sensible for each of them. So some will go to SPED schools and some will go to our schools. Ms Olsen asked why not make it compulsory. There are some children who are really medically unfit to attend school. This number, however, is pretty small. We currently have 10 from the 2003 Primary 1 cohort and 12 from the 2004 Primary 1 cohort who have difficulty attending school because of their condition. If you look at the history of compulsory education, we actually introduced compulsory education pretty carefully. We legislated compulsory education when we had more or less achieved universal enrolment. In the case of special education, we are also not in a hurry. As we improve on the number of children with special needs attending the school, as we achieve near 100% enrolment, then perhaps we will consider her proposal. But at the moment, it is more important for us to work towards enrolling as many of them as possible instead of considering legislative changes. The Ministry of Education currently provides support to 20 special education schools that cater to about 4,500 children with different disabilities. Together with the National Council of Social Services, recurrent funding of up to four times the level of funding per primary student in mainstream schools is provided to SPED schools. Some may argue - why do we not give more? I just want to say that when I first joined the Ministry of Education, it was then only one time. Now, it is four times.”
“I am also pleased to announce that the Ministry of Education will be providing greater administrative flexibility for primary and secondary schools. This is part of our continuing efforts to give more resources to the schools. We are going to do this by freeing up 10-15% of the physical capacity in schools through adjustments to the planned enrolment. Each school will have the autonomy to decide how best to make use of the physical space thus created and freed up for their educational programmes. In general, the planned enrolment will be reduced at the Primary 1 level in all Government primary schools from 2006, if possible. Government-aided schools will be given an option to adjust their enrolment, as reduction in enrolment will affect their respective communities, just in case they feel obliged to take in more students from their respective communities that they are serving. Prof. Ivan Png asked why is there a need to build bigger classrooms if the class size has been reduced. I just want to say that the class size was reduced only for Primary 1 and Primary 2. The Primary 1 class this year was reduced from 40 to 30. The class size from Primary 3 onwards has not been reduced and therefore it is justifiable to build bigger classrooms as part of the PRIME requirement. Mr Gan Kim Yong, Mr Iswaran, Mdm Ho Geok Choo and Ms Olsen spoke about special education, and some of the speeches were really passionate. First, I want to outline the framework for special education. In general, we have the Special Education (SPED) schools run by the voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs), because we believe that VWOs have got much greater passion in serving their respective case clients. What the Government does is to work hand in hand with them and give them support.”
“Schools with large student enrolment, good programmes and a large network of stakeholders will conceivably need a VP (Admin) more in order to ensure that resources are well-utilised. The first few VP (Admin) will be assigned based on these general guidelines. VP (Admin) will be selected from our current pool of Executive and Administrative Staff as well as mid-career entrants. They will be appointed probably in June this year. The appointment will be part of the overall grooming process for talented individuals in MOE. To note, the VP (Admin) need not be an Education Officer, because his or her job is basically resource management. Mr Zainudin Nordin said that the classroom has not changed since 1895. I will invite him to visit some of our schools. It appeared that whatever he saw in the classroom when he was in primary school had stayed in his mind. In fact, the school designs have changed quite a lot, and we have incorporated building specifications to ensure that new demands and requirements are built in. In fact, it is because of the need to incorporate these new demands that we initiated this programme called PRIME - Programme for Rebuilding and Improving Existing Schools. This is a $4.5 billion programme that was launched in 1999 to upgrade our schools. For example, Pasir Ris Primary had innovatively created resource corners in classrooms by constructing “L-shape�? classrooms during PRIME. With this layout, it is possible to split a class into small groups to engage in different activities - you may even be able to run a small opera in the classroom. It is not like the old days where everybody sat in the middle, in rows or in circles, listening to the teacher.”
“In order to provide more specialised support for students with learning disabilities in our schools, the Ministry of Education will also recruit, over the next five years, about 230 Special Needs Officers. These officers will focus on helping students with problems like dyslexia and autistic spectrum disorder in designated mainstream schools. This should help in further integration of the children. Over the last few years, we have increased the administrative capabilities of the schools by introducing positions like Administration Managers and Operations Managers. They handle administrative and support functions at the school level. Currently, each school has about nine to 22 administrative posts, depending on their enrolment size. To coordinate the overall administrative support to schools, I am happy to announce that we will be introducing a new post called Vice Principal (Administration) or VP (Admin) position in schools. The VP (Admin) will be positioned to help the principal manage resources strategically to drive excellence in administration as well as innovation at the school level. As we provide more resources and autonomy to schools, as schools design various niche programmes for their pupils, as schools take active part in planning upgrading, we need to build up the planning capacity and capability of our schools. This will be one of the key challenges for the new VP (Admin). In addition, the VP (Admin) will also oversee all non-curriculum areas ranging from, eg, human resource management to estate management, quite a big job - literally, pau sua, pau hai. The VP (Admin) positions will be created based on justifiable demand. It is not that every school will automatically get a VP (Admin), because different schools have different needs.”
“The Prime Minister, during last year's National Day Rally, said that over the next five years, the Ministry of Education will be providing about 3,000 more teachers to the schools. This is a 15% net increase from the current teaching force which, as I mentioned earlier, has been expanded by 17% since year 2000. By 2010, there will be a net increase of 1,000 primary school teachers, 1,400 secondary school teachers and 550 JC/CI teachers. This translates to an increase of roughly 10 teachers in every school. In addition, the Ministry of Education also plans to deploy at least one school counsellor to every secondary school by 2006 and at least one school counsellor to every primary school and JC by 2008. We will also train more teachers as teacher counsellors in schools. We hope that with this additional manpower in schools, there will be better spreading of the load. But we can achieve more than this. With greater capacity in schools, the teachers will have more time to plan and experiment with teaching approaches that will deliver the best education outcomes for their students as well as to respond to their needs. We have also looked at other sources to recruit teachers. For example, we have introduced a new adjunct teacher scheme since October 2004 to attract former trained teachers, eg, those who have retired or who have left service, to rejoin the teaching profession. We feel that this scheme will not only support our teachers but also provide an avenue for the Ministry of Education to retain the expertise and institutional knowledge of experienced teachers. Special education was also mentioned.”
“In 2004, for example, 132 teachers were granted study leave to pursue their undergraduate studies. 102 were granted PDL to pursue their post-graduate studies. We have awarded post-graduate scholarships to 39 teachers. The TWA, which was introduced in 2003, also received very good response. So far, we have about 640 teachers who have taken up local and overseas attachments with schools as well as public and private organisations. Some interesting examples include attachments with the National University of Laos and the CitiGroup Overseas offices, as well as local institutions such as SingHealth Group and the Singapore Business Federation. So, we do have a good programme to expose our teachers. Of course, Mr Gan Kim Yong mentioned about teachers' workload and, I think, Mdm Ho Geok Choo earlier on also mentioned the same point. To reduce the teachers' workload we would be doing a few things. First, we would be providing more resources to our schools so that they have the autonomy to decide how best to use them to supplement their manpower needs. For example, they could engage additional temporary or permanent manpower to support the teachers. In 2005, we have set aside an additional $12 million to increase the manpower grant for the schools. The grant to a primary school would be increased from the current $60,000 to $100,000 a year. For the secondary schools, junior colleges and CIs, it would be increased from $100,000 to about $130,000-$140,000. This is a significant increase in allocation, and the schools will be able to engage two or three more relief teachers above their teacher quota or buy services, like teaching assistants and so on, to handle specific administrative tasks. 5.30 pm The second thing that we are going to do is to recruit more teachers.”