Desmond Lee
Singapore
“The Leadership, Enrichment, Achievement, Participation and Service (LEAPS) 2.0 is a framework for recognising student participation and achievement in secondary school co-curricular programmes.”
“The Ministry of Education (MOE) is mindful of the impact that rising temperatures may have on our students, teachers and officials taking part in the National School Games. Matches are scheduled only after students have had the time to train and become progressively more heat acclimatised.”
“As shared in Parliament in March 2026, the proportion of students with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools has remained stable, at around 7% of the overall student population. This stability is observed across both primary and secondary schools.”
“The Ministry recruits and assesses applicants based on merit and suitability for the teaching profession, regardless of gender. We look for individuals with a passion for teaching, a belief in the potential of every child, and who possess the values and character to make a positive difference in students' lives.”
“Over the past five years, an average of 750 teachers resigned from the Education Service annually, representing a resignation rate of around 2%.”
“MOE has also progressively strengthened open access within the Primary 1 Registration Framework through Phase 2C, which is open to students regardless of whether they have prior connections to the school. MOE had increased the number of reserved Phase 2C places from zero to 20 in 2014; and from 20 to 40 in 2022.”
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“And we, certainly, as part of this review, want to see how we can improve the material, make it more accessible to diverse audiences and find better and more effective ways to connect with our parents, not just by sharing information, but by working together for our children's well-being and development.”
“Well, these CCE changes come about as a result of review. We had a comprehensive review of the kinds of character and values that we see as important to develop in our children, and we will continue to review these from time to time. And then they are then delivered through pedagogy, through class activities, through student activity, and so on, as well as adult role modelling. And as I said earlier, we hope to be able to also share that with parents so that they can do some reinforcement at home. Our parents take charge of our children's upbringing and are also, in a way, teachers of values and character, in as much as our teachers in our classrooms. As to how we can measure and evaluate, there are so many factors that go into the behaviours of our children. We, of course, can see some of these manifests themselves in the children's relationship with one another, their attitudes towards the people around them, including their teachers. Some of these can be seen on the ground. But I think it is very hard to scientifically measure for each and every child whether these improvements to CCE have, in the short term or immediate term, resulted in certain factors. So, the causative link is not so easy to establish, but these are reinforced, these are role-modelled, and we hope that this sets them in a good position and trajectory for life. As for the uptake of the tool kits, I do not have the data at this point in time. I have said, in my reply, that these are made available, our schools disseminate some of this information to our parents as well as to parent support groups.”
“I am not aware that there are such penalties for schools or educators if a bullying incident happens in their class or in the school. I cannot believe there is, though I would certainly go back and check. When the Member mentions cover-ups, I think it is best to look at specific cases that we can then examine and investigate, if necessary, because it is a serious allegation.”
“And yet, when you have behaviours and interactions, and as I said, there are 400,000 primary and secondary school children, plus minus, if you add the whole system together, ITE, polytechnics and universities, half a million. And the number of micro interactions is huge. Really, these are people-to-people relationships and you want a certain degree of resilience, being able to just brush it off and say, "Well, this person, I understand, may have had a bad day". But there is a threshold that is not a bright line that is crossed, when that becomes toxic, when that has an impact in a negative way, and when we say we step in, it does not mean we overprotect. It means we step in to prevent further harm, look at what has happened and make sure that those involved learn, including people who are at the receiving end of the bullying behaviour, to also learn how they can better protect themselves and also understand the spirit of forgiveness.”
“I understand where the Member is coming from. I think, sometimes you can never get it perfect because so many children are involved and we have this network of peer support leaders as well, and all our children are encouraged to report if there are issues that they face. They are not feeling good, or they see some other classmate in difficulty or they see some behaviours, they will report, because they look up to the teacher as someone whom they respect, as a figure of authority, someone whom they know and trust, and the teacher will then exercise judgement. I do not think there is a particular policy you can put in place to get children, including primary school children, to calibrate it to the right level. But we are mindful, ultimately, of the demands on our teachers. They are prepared to work hard, but there must be clear purpose and meaning, and helping our children learn the right values and the right behaviours, and building resilience in them is important, comparable to what they are teaching in terms of academic subjects. These lessons in life, these life-skills are, perhaps, even more important. So, our teachers will not shy away and will use these as opportunities to try to turn it into a teachable moment. The Member is right. I do not think we want to give people the impression that we do not want to overprotect our children because we want them to be resilient. It is a careful balance. We want to arm our children, put processes in place so that the school can be and continue to be a safe, conducive environment for learning, not just academic learning but also learning of values, behaviours and team work and so on – all the 21st Century Competencies that we think are important for our children to take away into life.”
“May I just ask the Member, I did not quite catch the first question: over-reporting that overwhelms the teachers? Perhaps the Member can clarify. Sorry, I did not catch that.”
“I thank the Member for his suggestion and again, in the spirit of what I mentioned earlier, we are conducting a review and we certainly take Member Xie Yao Quan's suggestion into serious consideration. If I may share, during our engagements, we also received a similar suggestion. Our teachers are there to teach, but when incidents happen, they want to restore discipline so teaching can continue. But even in dealing with these bad behaviours, as I said, children make mistakes on their academic work, project work and there is corrective and remedial action needed from a pedagogical point of view. But also when it comes to certain behaviours that they manifest in the classroom, in trying to restore classroom discipline, it is also a teachable moment for the students. Having said that, when matters escalate or if it is more serious, key personnel in the school may be involved. School leaders may be involved and sometimes, even beyond the school if a matter is more serious, including the Police or the superintendent, zonal directors or even headquarters itself. There was a suggestion, as part of the review that is ongoing, that we bring in experts with knowledge in restorative practice, or RP, for instance. And, of course, we have to study this carefully, because if we bring these people in, they will have to then integrate well with what is happening in our schools. The teachers on the ground know the children well and also understand the dynamics. If we bring in an external party, they have expertise, but they will then also have to go through a certain get-up in order to understand what is going on and to build the relationship with the school, educators and staff as well as with the parents. So, certainly, we will study it seriously.”
“Well, I mentioned earlier that there is some material that is put out for parents, for the community and, then, internally for the school community, guidelines and even some case studies on how to identify, deal with cyberbullying incidents involving children in schools. I understand that the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore has legislation that might give them powers to require takedowns. That is, of course, asking the platform to do so if there is a threshold met. But at the school-level, if it is one child posting about another child, then it will involve, at the school-level, asking the children concerned to take it down as part of the resolution process. As for quick-reporting channels, I believe that I mentioned earlier that some schools have online forms, contact arrangements and reporting channels for them to report bullying, including cyberbullying.”
“Peer support leaders do not just deal with bullying and hurtful behaviours, of course, they are there to help students who have difficulty adjusting, new students who have come in, primary one students, help to keep an eye out for other students who might run into difficulties or may feel down and of course, to look out for early signs of bullying and then trained to report to an appropriate adult, including a teacher or a counsellor.”
“First, as I mentioned earlier, there is an MOE framework, the School Bullying Management Guidelines that is issued to schools where they set out some guidelines for schools in order to help them implement their measures effectively in school. There is a community learning network – sometimes, it involves the discipline masters; sometimes, school leaders for different topics, they also have these learning networks for various subjects as well and CCA and CCE, and so on. So, when it comes to managing hurtful behaviour, bullying in schools, there is also such a network among teachers as well as key personnel who are involved in our schools in handling these issues. Second, is that training and help for early identification that would apply across the board in the school, from school leader to educator to counsellor and school welfare officers to our students. A lot of it is enmeshed into our CCE classes that bring across these points in an age-appropriate way. For example, in primary school, lower primary, we teach them about friendship: how to make friends, how to maintain friendships, how to be kind, caring and sensitive to one another. And as you grow a little bit older, it will be a bit more explicit about hurtful and bullying behaviours and then how to be an upstander, how to respond appropriately and how to look out for cyberbullying, and so on. So, that is for the school at large. Then, of course, we have peer support leaders and that was a result of the 2020 major CCE framework review.”
“Whether schools do postmortem, well, it depends on what has happened. But I am confident that the schools do look-backs just as they share best practices with one another, both within the school as well as across various schools and clusters. Second, I think, the Member is asking whether we look at the background of students or have some circumstances based on social work practices where we look out for possible signs and symptoms. In our schools, when things arise, they will look into not just the behaviour, but we principally want to look at what is the underlying cause. So, it is not just consequences and then help them to learn. We need to try to ascertain what are the underlying causes that lead to this. If it is a repeat issue, does the child have special needs that may cause them to react in a certain way, for which, certain course of action is needed to support the child? Is it due to poor role modelling, maybe outside school? Is it social media? Do they come from families, as Member Elysa Chen mentioned, where there might be family violence at home and the children then manifest their behaviour in school in a particular way? I think that is the deeper work that not just our educators but also that of the school counsellors. Sometimes, if it manifests itself in long-term absenteeism, our school welfare officers will also get involved. So, these are the two questions.”
“Sir, for children who are either recipients of hurtful behaviour or the actors of hurtful behaviour or bullying, and if it is identified that they themselves were involved in, say, family violence or some family maltreatment that warranted the attention of the social services, then the schools will work with the social services, like the Family Service Centres (FSCs), or other specialised agencies to follow up. On the second question, the Member is asking for average time, I think, that is very hard to give a clear answer to, because it really depends on the facts of the case, depends on the circumstances and depends on the severity.”
“Sir, when an incident happens, as I said earlier, the first priority is safety. And if a safety plan needs to be put in place, it will be done. That is the first priority. Then, some fact-finding – what happened, who were involved and so on. And in deciding whether and when to contact parents, sometimes, there are one-off incidents in class, where children have an altercation or some hurtful words were said, and the teacher's teaching and the teacher wants to restore discipline, turn it into a learning opportunity and then carry on with the rest of the class. And sometimes, the teachers might then say, it has been addressed between two or three children, one-off, they might then decide they do not really need to get the parents involved. But sometimes the issue is more serious or if it is a repeat issue, the teachers, of course, apart from tackling safety and then doing some quick fact-finding, will then notify the parents. It is a judgement that the key personnel for student well-being, as well as the teachers and the school leaders have to exercise. Of course, when they notify the parents, they would notify all sides who were involved, in order to tell them what has happened so that they also hear from the school and then, of course, on the follow-up action the school will take. And of course, working with the parents to make sure that the learning points are carried across both in the classroom as well as at home.”
“I take Speaker's guidance on short replies. First, close monitoring of the children involved. Well, the schools will do that after consequences are meted out or counselling and other measures are brought into place and depending on the situation, of course, and depending on the impact of the children, the educators, the school counsellors necessary, or sometimes even external agencies like REACH, may be called in and each will have to be customised based on the situation. In terms of the gaps or the possible areas that we are looking at, I have articulated them in my response: strengthening school culture, environment and processes, greater emphasis to values education, more support for schools and educators, deepening their capacity and enhancing school home partnerships. I mentioned that we hope, by the first half of next year, to be able to roll out a suite of recommendations.”
“Sir, on the first question, as I mentioned earlier, there are a range of disciplinary measures that are availed to our schools. They apply it based on the circumstances and based on the children concerned. This idea of suspension, the feedback that the Member has given to us is also feedback we have received for some children. Suspension from school, sometimes, is also a safety measure to separate the children and ask the child concerned to not come to class, it can be viewed differently. For some children, they feel that this is a consequence that they learn from. For some others, it might not quite have the intended effect because they see it through a different lens and they would not mind being away from school and being at home, and worse, if there is little or no supervision at home, if parents are busy at work. Therefore, our schools also do what you call in-school suspension, where you are away from the class, but you do your learning or do some other community work or service in the school as a disciplinary measure for the actions. The Member raised two other suggestions. I view them as suggestions and ideas. One, an anti-retaliation clause, another on accessible bundle of channels. I will take it in the spirit, as I mentioned earlier, that the Member's views, as well as those of other Members, will be studied and considered.”
“In terms of educators, we have, as I said, a suite of tools that schools can use as a tiered approach, from reflection and learning for mild cases or careless cases or hurtful comments, to more severe punitive measures, such as suspension, detention. And some discipline masters have also shared with me that they make some adjustments along the way. For example, they may find that it is more effective to make the child perform some community work in the school as opposed to just suspending the child and the child does not learn and the child might not see that really as punishment, in certain circumstances. But all in, when I describe the multi-tiered approach in terms of the severity, if I may use that word loosely, of disciplinary measures, I think we must keep emphasising the fact that these are intended to help the child understand that there are consequences for certain behaviours. Those disciplinary measures must be appropriate to the context and to the children involved, as well as conduce to learn from their mistakes, reflection, restoration of relationships, including mutual apologies or apologies of the appropriate kind and then the children move forward. So, when these are done appropriately, and we leave some judgement to the educators and school leaders, these will help eventually for our children to learn and to grow.”
“I can see where the Member is coming from, both as an educator as well as a parent. Let me address these questions. First on empowering parents, sharing with them best practices, sharing with them the toolkits – I have explained earlier in my response how our schools already do that and how some of these materials are available both online and sometimes in hard copy. But I think we should spend this quality time looking at how we can further enhance and improve our system to address the concerns of children, parents and of the public, while also making sure that we assure our educators and our school staff who are on the frontlines, teaching, not just teaching academic knowledge, but also shaping, teaching and moulding lives, values and perspectives. There were some ideas that were given through the review, including the dialogue that I hosted. A parent shared that in the school that her daughter was in, the school would, at the start of every academic year, have some material circulated to every parent, and this is over and on top of what is already being done across most schools and by MOE. This is what we call the community learning network, where we have our educators from different tracks share their best practices with one another, so that we continue this spirit of positive learning on how to manage various issues on the ground as well as in the community. So, that is first, and we certainly would value ideas from the Member as well as other Members on how better we can support parents, work with our schools and with our teachers to manage these issues, whether the child is a recipient of hurtful behaviour, or is the person who affects others through his or her behaviour.”
“They may make mistakes when they were performing the co-curricular activities (CCAs). They may make mistakes in their project work. And they may make mistakes in their interpersonal relationships with others, both with their teachers as well as other schoolmates. Some of these could be inadvertent or careless behaviour, lack of awareness or sensitivity. Some of it could be deliberate. And some of it could be a function of their conditions – some may have special needs or other issues that they are grappling with. They learn best through calm correction from adults, reflecting on how they should have behaved, make amends for their behaviour, experience disciplinary consequences and being welcomed back to their social circles with continued guidance and support. I thank Members of Parliament (MPs) and the public for the care and concern shown for the well-being of our students and educators. Ultimately, we want to keep improving and enhancing our system, addressing the concerns of parents, the workload on our educators and their sense of mission; and of course, addressing the issues that the public raised. We all want the same outcome: for schools to be safe, caring and enabling environments for all students and our staff. MOE will continue to work with schools, parents, community professionals and members of the public as we collectively role model the right behaviours and create the gracious and respectful society for our children to flourish.”
“Based on the work done so far, we are now conducting external public consultation on four key areas. First, strengthening our school culture, environment and processes. Second, give greater emphasis to values education for our students. Third, providing more resources and support for our schools and educators and deepening their capacity. Fourth, enhancing school-home partnerships, the relationship between our teachers and educators, and parents and families. We are encouraged to have received many constructive suggestions from parents, students, educators, community partners and researchers. These include providing schools with more resources to investigate and deal with cases, involving parents support groups to support parents whose children are involved in bullying, keeping parents informed about the content of CCE lessons so that they can reinforce values education at home and involving peers to educate others on being an upstander – among many other suggestions. We will consider all these suggestions as well as ideas raised by Members seriously, before finalising the recommendations which we aim to release in the first half of 2026. Our shared goal as an education system and as a society must be an empowering one. We have a collective responsibility to help our children, our next generation, learn how to relate to others, be kind and show respect to others. In this, children model behaviours and pick up values from the home environment, their school environment and the community. Some learn quickly. Some repeat mistakes. Others make new ones. We have some 400,000 over children in our primary and secondary schools, and their daily interactions in class, outside class, outside school. And children make mistakes. They make mistakes in their academic studies.”
“I have a printed copy of the "Parenting for Wellness Toolbox" for parents, which is put together by MOE, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) and the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF). There are some chapters here on, for example, cyberbullying: when a child is the victim, what can parents do? How can they work with the schools? How to notice signs and symptoms that the child might have been cyberbullied both in and outside of school, how to engage in conversation with the children and then, of course, when your child is himself or herself involved in causing hurtful behaviour against others. Mr Speaker, some Members have asked about teachers training and support for our schools. As part of teacher preparation courses, all teachers are trained to foster positive class culture, address hurtful behaviours and recognise signs of distress. They are supported by key personnel and school counsellors. Our schools use MOE guidelines and resources on what constitutes bullying and cyberbullying, and how to manage these cases. Some schools also work with social service agencies (SSAs) to conduct bullying and cyberbullying awareness programmes for students and training workshops for school staff. School personnel also regularly review their school-based strategies to manage bullying and share good practices with other schools. Indeed, improving our framework to tackle bullying is a continual work-in-progress. Members have raised useful suggestions that we will consider as we seek to strengthen our current measures. As I shared on 27 August this year at a dialogue with educators, parents and community partners, MOE had been conducting a comprehensive review of bullying since early 2025.”
“This could include separating them from perpetrators, facilitating the removal of hurtful online content and identifying peer support leaders to befriend and look out for them in school. In addition, teachers and school counsellors work with both victims and perpetrators. helping them manage their emotions and work towards mending ties and restoring friendships. Students who continue to experience distress are referred to community resources, such as the Response, Early Intervention and Assessment in Community Mental Health (REACH) teams for more specialised support. I will just pause here to mention that I am using the words "perpetrator" and "victim" in order to shorten the phrases, but I know people might be concerned about the labels that we use – and certainly we are mindful of that – and we continue to see how best we can find the right terms to use both in public discourse as well as in our institutions. So, please bear with us in the meantime. I would also say, Sir, that parent engagement and partnership are vital. When bullying incidents happen, schools engage parents to inform them about the facts of the incident, work with them on the safety plan and focus on the well-being of the students. The time it takes to investigate each case will vary, depending on complexity. Similarly, restoring and mending relationships and improving behaviour, take time and parents are encouraged to work with schools and give this process some time to take effect. Schools share resources with parents and parent support groups on how to form caring relationships and monitor their children's online behaviour, online activities and tips to support the children in cases of bullying and cyberbullying.”
“Students learn how to respond when they encounter unsafe situations. They are taught to stay calm, avoid retaliation, move away from the situation and seek help from a trusted adult, such as their parents, teachers or school leaders. Some Members asked about school processes such as anti-bullying frameworks, reporting channels, investigation, parent engagement timelines and disciplinary measures. Our schools have policies and frameworks that send a clear message to students that hurtful behaviours and bullying are not acceptable. These include school rules and consequences for bullying. There are also various reporting channels for students to report bullying. For example, students can report incidents directly or through their friends, peer support leaders, teachers and school leaders, or through online platforms such as emails or online forms. Discipline talks for students are also conducted regularly by schools to communicate their approach to managing misconduct, including bullying. When an incident is reported, our schools conduct investigations before deciding on the appropriate course of action which includes disciplinary as well as restorative actions. They adopt a tiered approach for disciplinary measures based on the severity of the case. Such measures range from reflection for careless remarks to detention or suspension for more serious cases, and caning for boys in egregious cases. These measures help students learn from their mistakes, reframe their thinking and change their behaviours. For severe bullying that warrants Police attention, a Police report will be made and perpetrators may face legal consequences. When bullying occurs, our priority is the safety of the affected students. Schools implement safety plans for the victims.”
“In the context of that larger review, MOE also looked at the issue of bullying. This led to a number of CCE-related enhancements, which were implemented in 2021. Of these, three were relevant to strengthening schools' capacity to address hurtful behaviours and bullying. First, the CCE curriculum was refreshed to place stronger emphasis on guiding students to be kind and caring, both online as well as offline. Second, schools established a peer support system in every school, where students are taught how to support one another, be an upstander and look out for those who do not have strong support from their friends in school. So, sometimes, when you go around, you see some of the children with a badge that says "Peer Support Leader", or some other variant of the name. Third, our schools have designated staff whose work covers areas such as fostering positive school culture, addressing hurtful behaviours and working with parents and the community to guide and educate our students. I will next elaborate on how these enhancements and other existing measures address bullying and hurtful behaviours in our schools. Let me start with educative efforts, which some Members have asked about. From young, our students learn pro-social behaviours through lessons and adult role-modelling in schools. The CCE curriculum and the school environment emphasise values and respect, and students learn to be kind to their classmates, resolve disagreements respectfully and learn appropriate ways to stand up against bullying. Through cyber wellness lessons, they also learn to extend such pro-social behaviours online. In addition, students learn about healthy mindsets, habits and skills to strengthen their mental health and resilience in the face of challenges.”
“Our approach seeks to provide practical support to help children learn better behaviour, give parents confidence in school responses and enable teachers to maintain caring and enabling learning environments for all students. Let me first outline our approach to managing hurtful behaviours and bullying, before responding to the various questions. First, the Ministry of Education (MOE) takes a firm stance against all forms of hurtful behaviours, from once-off, insensitive comments to persistent intentional acts of bullying and physical violence. Schools have rules against such behaviours and teach students why these behaviours are wrong. Second, we recognise that children learn behaviours from multiple sources – home, school, peers, online. Therefore, upstream preventive work involves these parties, and we all need to play a part. Third, discipline in the context of the school environment is an educative process. Disciplinary measures must help students learn the consequences of their actions. As children have the potential to learn from their mistakes and grow through experience, our disciplinary approach must continue to focus on teaching, guiding and rehabilitating our children, and helping to restore relationships. Finally, parents and families are key partners. We need to work with them, build a relationship with them so that they can work with us to instill kindness and respect for others through positive adult role modelling, and closer monitoring of children's online activities, especially outside school. Our schools also work with the community and partners in addressing hurtful behaviours. Some Members asked about the outcomes of previous reviews. In 2020, MOE conducted a review on the Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) curriculum.”
“Thank you, Sir. My response will also cover related oral and written questions filed both for earlier as well as subsequent Sittings from Mr Yip Hon Weng, Mr Liang Eng Hwa, Dr Charlene Chen, Mr Kenneth Tiong, Mr David Hoe, Mr Xie Yao Quan, Ms Joan Pereira, Ms Hany Soh, Dr Wan Rizal, Ms Jessica Tan, Ms Mariam Jaafar, Ms He Ting Ru, Mr Gerald Giam, Ms Yeo Wan Ling1, Mr Foo Cexiang, Ms Eileen Chong and Ms Elysa Chen. I invite Members to seek clarifications, if needed and thereafter, withdraw their questions for subsequent Sittings. Sir, recent media and online reports of students engaging in hurtful or bullying behaviours towards others have renewed the spotlight on this issue. We place a strong emphasis on providing a safe environment in our schools so that our students can learn, grow and thrive. We know that such incidents affect many people. Children who experience hurtful behaviour may worry about their safety and may find it hard to learn and build friendships. Parents love their children and naturally feel anxious and concerned about the children's well-being, whether they have been affected by bullying or have been themselves involved in hurting others. For our school leaders, teachers and school staff, these incidents require them to manage disruptive behaviours in order to restore discipline. They have to protect those affected, rebuild a safe learning environment and address and correct those involved in wrong behaviours. They seek to help our students learn from their mistakes while engaging with parents who might hold different perspectives on how schools ought to respond.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, my response will address the questions raised by Members on the management of bullying incidents in schools. May I seek your permission to answer oral Question Nos 1 to 12, and written Question Nos 29 on today's Order Paper?”
“The Ministry of Education (MOE) regularly reviews our safety protocols to ensure the safe delivery of school activities, including overseas trips. These protocols are applicable to all MOE schools. Non-MOE schools have autonomy over their policies, operations and governance, including their safety protocols, to take into consideration their specific circumstances and activities.”
“Our Autonomous Universities (AUs) provide a range of Education and Career Guidance (ECG) services to support both existing students and fresh graduates at different stages of their career planning and job search process. These include organising career and education talks, sharing the latest industry and hiring trends, equipping students with job search skills, like resume writing and interview preparation, as well as access to career coaching services to guide students in their career directions or education pathways. The AUs use surveys and student feedback to track the performance of their ECG programmes and services. The Ministry of Education does not collect data from AUs on career coaching sessions conducted. In any case, it is difficult to directly attribute better employment outcomes to any specific ECG programme or intervention.”
“The Ministry of Education will provide a combined reply to this Parliamentary Question (PQ), together with other PQs which have been filed on this topic, at the next available opportunity. [Please refer to "Management of Bullying in Schools", Official Report, 23 September 2025, Vol 96, Issue 3, Oral Answers to Questions section.]”
“MOE and IHLs will continue to monitor employment outcomes of fresh graduates and work closely with industry partners and sector agencies to align curricula with industry needs and provide students with the opportunities to deepen their learning through internships and industry projects.”
“IHLs have also expanded their offerings of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary courses, which allow students to gain exposure and apply their skills to multiple sectors and domains. Second, the IHLs have strengthened industry partnerships for students to keep abreast of the latest industry developments, deepen their learning and gain working experience. Internships or industry attachments are already a graduation requirement for the polytechnics and Institute of Technical Education, and for most undergraduate programmes at the autonomous universities. Students also have the opportunity to work on industry projects as part of their curriculum, including through the Centres of Innovation and Centres of Excellence. Third, the IHLs' curriculum helps students to learn about AI and equips them with baseline digital literacy and AI competencies to navigate an AI-pervasive world. Students also learn how to use AI within their disciplines and industries, and IHLs integrate industry-relevant AI tools into courses and partner with industry to create hands-on AI learning environments where appropriate. Fourth, the IHLs have increased curricular focus on helping students learn beyond AI, by developing key competencies like critical thinking, interpersonal and collaboration skills, as well as the ability to work across cultures. These competencies are critical in equipping graduates with skills that can bring value beyond AI itself, and that they effectively navigate the workplace and be resilient in responding to future trends and changes.”
“The Government closely monitors the employment outcomes of fresh graduates and workers through (a) the Ministry of Education's (MOE) Graduate Employment Survey conducted six months after graduation, and (b) the Ministry of Manpower's Labour Force Survey. The employment rates of fresh graduates six months post-graduation have remained broadly stable over the decade, with some year-to-year fluctuations due to economic cycles and cyclical changes at the sector level. Median salaries for fresh graduates have continued to rise year-on-year, increasing by 3% to 5% in 2024. The long-term unemployment rate of younger workers under 30 years has remained low at between 0.6% to 1.2% between June 2024 and June 2025. Notwithstanding the current global and economic uncertainty, the employment rates of the 2025 graduating cohort as of June 2025 remained comparable to the 2024 graduating cohort at the corresponding time last year. That said, many undergraduates and fresh graduates may be concerned about their job prospects in the current economic climate and their employability, given how rapidly new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) are reshaping industries and jobs. The Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) seek to align their curriculum with evolving industry needs, including through exposing students to industry-focused applications of AI. First, IHLs regularly review their curriculum and course offerings in consultation with sector agencies and industry partners. Where appropriate, IHLs partner industry to design, deliver, assess and certify curriculum. For example, under the Nanyang Polytechnic's Professional Competency Model, two AI-related diploma courses directly involve industry in all four aspects.”
“My response will also cover the matters raised in the question by Mr Patrick Tay, which is scheduled for a subsequent Sitting on 25 September 20251. MOE aims to provide a conducive learning environment, through heat-resilient school design. For example, north-south building direction for natural ventilation and shading to minimise direct sunlight, large window openings for passive cooling, supported by ceiling fans We are adopting additional heat mitigation measures to tackle rising temperatures. To reduce ambient temperature, school building exteriors are being coated with cool paint, and more shade and greenery are provided. To enhance cooling, we are adding more and faster fans to all classrooms, while designing new schools with more windows and open spaces. We are also installing mixed-mode air-conditioning in all school halls for large-scale events. In doing so, we seek to achieve a good level of thermal comfort in an energy-efficient manner by setting the air-conditioner at an appropriate temperature and using this together with high volume, low speed fans. We have also reviewed uniform guidelines to allow physical education attire on most days of the week. We will continue to explore further heat adaptation and active cooling measures for classrooms, such as mixed mode air-conditioning, based on scientific understanding of how rising temperature affects student learning, including the United States' research Mr Tiong appears to have cited. However, we should consider local context, including our local climate, school design, student routines and learning approaches. We will continue to look into how we can improve the thermal comfort so that all students can continue to have conducive learning environments regardless of the school they attend.”
“The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) Work-Study Diploma programme is an apprenticeship-based upskilling pathway. Trainees receive classroom training from ITE lecturers, but they are hired by the participating companies as full-time employees and also benefit from on-the-job training by the employers. Since the programme started, the number of trainees admitted into ITE's Work-Study Diploma has increased significantly, from 100 in 2018 to around 1,300 in 2024. Completion rates have remained stable and high at around 80%. The Work-Study Diploma programme's employment outcomes have also been positive. Based on our recent surveys of graduates six months after graduation, full-time employment rates have been consistently high across sectors, with around nine in 10 graduates in full-time employment. Around seven in 10 stayed with the company that hired and trained them. The median monthly salaries of Work-Study Diploma graduates six months post-graduation were comparable to that of full-time Polytechnic diploma graduates, at around $2,900. Taken together, this shows that most Work-Study Diploma graduates stay in the role that they were trained for and enjoy competitive salaries. Around one in 10 progressed directly to our universities' degree and polytechnics' post-diploma programmes. ITE supports learners who do not complete the Work-Study Diploma with career counselling services and support, including the option to take up other educational pathways, such as the Higher Nitec qualification, where applicable. These learners can also re-apply in subsequent Work-Study intakes to continue their learning, with their earlier completed modules recognised for related courses or work first before continuing their upskilling journey subsequently.”
“My response will also cover matters raised in the questions by Ms Hany Soh, which are scheduled for subsequent Sittings. The Graduate Employment Survey (GES) tracks both permanent employment as well as temporary employment. Temporary employment includes casual and fixed-term contracts of less than one year. Contracts of one year or more are included under permanent employment. Over the last five years, an average of nine in 10 employed graduates were in full-time employment. Amongst them around nine in 10 were in permanent roles. The proportion of full-time employed graduates in temporary roles remained low and stable at one in 10. The proportion of such graduates by institution-type varied and was about 5% for autonomous university graduates, about 20% for polytechnic graduates, about 10% for Institute of Technical Education graduates and about 20% for private education institution graduates. Close to half of polytechnic graduates cited further studies as the reason for choosing temporary work.”
“The Ministry of Education will provide an oral reply to this Parliamentary Question, together with other questions which have been filed on this topic, at the next available opportunity.”
“To take it further, we need a whole-of-society effort: (a) individuals taking charge of their learning; (b) employers helping workers build industry-relevant skills; and (c) training providers updating curricula and courses to meet industry needs. A strong education system requires collective effort. We will support our teachers, school administrators and allied educators, to deliver good quality education which brings out the best in our students. Parents are our key partners. We will build on the Guidelines for School-Home Partnerships and the Parenting for Wellness initiative to strengthen how parents and teachers work together to support our children’s mental health and emotional resilience, especially in the digital age. Together with Singaporeans, MOE will equip every citizen with the knowledge and skills to reach their fullest potential.”
“We will do more to support children from families with complex needs. Through additional resources in schools and stronger partnerships with the community, we will provide wraparound support for their learning and well-being, through initiatives like ComLink+. For students with Special Educational Needs (SEN), we have strengthened teacher capacity in both mainstream and Special Education (SPED) schools, and enhanced accessibility, affordability and quality in SPED schools. We will help students with SEN to transition smoothly into employment or community pathways after completing their education. For example, the Institute of Technical Education and SG Enable will work with companies to enhance internship and employment support programmes for students with SEN. AI will transform our economy and society. MOE will equip learners and educators to thrive in this new future. Students in our schools and Institutes of Higher Learning will learn how to use AI responsibly and acquire the competencies needed for an AI-driven workplace. Guidelines have been put in place to ensure that AI enhances, rather than compromises, learning. We will also equip students with critical skills such as problem solving, critical thinking and interpersonal skills, so that they can create value beyond AI. Educators will be trained to use AI meaningfully and guide students effectively. SkillsFuture Singapore will also raise AI literacy broadly, so that those already in the workforce can become confident AI users. MOE will strengthen the quality and industry relevance of training, expand upskilling and re-skilling pathways, and uplift the professional standards of adult educators to support lifelong learning. This year marks the tenth anniversary of SkillsFuture.”
“The Ministry of Education (MOE) will continue to enhance our education system so that Singaporeans can flourish at every stage of their lives and reach their fullest potential, regardless of starting point. We will equip and empower Singaporeans to learn for life and thrive in an artificial intelligence (AI)- transformed future. MOE will partner parents to equip our students with future-ready skills and competencies so that they can thrive in school, work and life. We have reduced the over-emphasis on academic results by revising the Primary School Leaving Examination scoring system and the junior college admission criteria. We want our students to embrace learning beyond grades and have more time and opportunities to develop 21st Century Competencies and pursue other interests. We will strengthen support for students’ social-emotional development and well-being, working with parents and stakeholders through Grow Well SG to encourage healthy habits and support mental wellness. To nurture appreciation and respect, we will ensure schools remain open to students from all backgrounds and create more opportunities for interaction. MOE will support students of different strengths and interests, helping them develop to their fullest potential, regardless of background or starting point in life. We have implemented Full Subject-Based Banding in secondary schools, which has allowed students to better customise their learning experiences. We will provide more opportunities to stretch our students at different stages of their education. This includes refreshing our approach to support higher-ability learners with the review of the Gifted Education Programme and enabling more students to pursue Mother Tongue Language at a higher level in secondary school.”
“Housing and Development Board (HDB) resale flat transactions are conducted on a willing-buyer, willing-seller basis and reflect prevailing market conditions. HDB publishes relevant resale data for transparency to minimise information asymmetry and enable the efficient functioning of the resale market. Data on the prices of individual resale transactions is published on the HDB InfoWEB and data.gov.sg. This is meant to assist buyers and sellers to make informed decisions when negotiating resale flat prices. Therefore, resale transactions that do not reflect typical market transactions are not published as they are less relevant in helping buyers and sellers in price negotiations. From 2020 to 2024, about 1,000 to 2,000 transactions a year were not published, out of about 25,000 to 31,000 resale transactions registered annually, or 4% to 6%. These include the 127 transactions involving the resale of Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS) replacement flats mentioned by the Member. These SERS replacement flats have longer remaining leases compared to typical resale flats, making them less relevant as a reference for price negotiations. Other atypical transactions, such as the resale of part-share and resale between related parties, are also not published. The computation of HDB's Resale Price Index uses a hedonic regression methodology that controls for variations in the remaining leases of the flats that were transacted. Therefore, there is no need to exclude the SERS replacement flats that had longer remaining leases compared to typical resale flats.”
“The Urban Redevelopment Authority is reviewing the plans for the retained blocks at Dakota Crescent as part of the Draft Master Plan 2025 and will provide an update when completed.”
“The Joint Singles Scheme Operator-Run (JSS-OR) pilot was launched in December 2021 to improve the experience of single tenants under the Public Rental Scheme. Today, the JSS-OR pilot can provide rental housing for up to 1,000 persons. Currently, each JSS-OR site comprises a mix of 1-room and 2-room flats, with partitions installed to house two or three persons per flat respectively. The operator of the site matches tenants to their flatmates, steps in to mediate disagreements between tenants and connects them to sources of support, where needed. The JSS-OR pilot has generally been well-received by tenants. Feedback from tenants and operators thus far include suggestions to: (a) improve the flat design and fittings to facilitate flat-sharing, such as providing separate lighting for each sleeping area; (b) provide more 1-room flats, as more tenants prefer to share a flat with fewer persons; and (c) provide more communal space for operators to hold mediation sessions and activities for tenants. The Housing and Development Board will continue working with the operators and other stakeholders to improve the JSS-OR pilot for our tenants.”
“The Electronic Parking System (EPS) is implemented in most Housing and Development Board (HDB) car parks. HDB engages service providers to manage the EPS car parks to ensure smooth operations and carries out routine monthly maintenance of the EPS equipment. Common types of systems-related issues include network connectivity issues, barrier malfunctions and power failures. At times, the issues faced by motorists are not EPS-related but because they had insufficient value in their cashcards or faulty In-Vehicle Units. Each service provider has a 24-hour call centre to assist motorists via the intercom system installed at the entrances and exits of the EPS car parks. If the issue cannot be rectified remotely, service providers are required to respond onsite and resolve system issues within 60 minutes under normal traffic and weather conditions. They are to notify HDB if more time is needed for complex cases. HDB conducts regular audits on the service providers and reserves the right to impose liquidated damages for failure to meet contractual requirements. HDB will continue to work closely with the service providers to provide motorists with a smooth parking experience.”
“In 2018, the National Parks Board (NParks) had introduced requirements for Pulau Ubin residents to license their pet dogs and sterilise female pet dogs. These requirements were introduced to promote responsible pet ownership and to manage the dog population on Pulau Ubin, which was growing because pet dogs were allowed to roam freely and breed. These requirements complement the Trap-Neuter-Rehome/Release-Manage (TNRM) programme, under which free-roaming dogs are trapped and sterilised. Majority of the dogs in industrial areas on mainland Singapore are free-roaming and not pet dogs, and are covered under the TNRM programme. Since the introduction of the TNRM programme, an estimated 80% of the free-roaming dog population in Singapore has been sterilised, resulting in more than an 80% reduction in associated public feedback cases. Hence, there are no plans to mandate the sterilisation of pet dogs in the industrial areas. NParks will continue to monitor the free-roaming dog population in industrial areas with Animal Welfare Group (AWG) partners, to maintain the high sterilisation rates. If a member of the public encounters an unsterilised free-roaming dog, they may call NParks' Animal Response Centre hotline or the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' hotline.”
“Divorcees who choose to take over their ex-spouse's share of the flat can do so through in two ways: (a) a change in flat ownership not through a sale, commonly referred to as a "transfer of flat"; and (b) resale of part-share in the flat. Resales of part-share are done for many reasons. While some are due to unfortunate circumstances, such as divorce, there are also transactions done for commercial reasons. For example, when one of the co-owners under the Joint Singles Scheme sells his or her share of the flat to an unrelated third-party. As such, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) treats all resale of part-share no differently from a typical resale transaction. This includes subjecting the remaining owners and any incoming owners to a fresh Minimum Occupation Period (MOP), which starts from the day the transaction is legally completed. However, HDB waives the need to serve a fresh MOP for majority of resale of part-share cases due to divorce. From 2020 to 2024, on a case-by-case basis, HDB approved MOP waivers for about 30 such cases. HDB does not track the total number of such appeals received.”
“Otters are native to Singapore and human-otter conflicts arise from time to time. To manage such conflicts, the National Parks Board (NParks) works closely with community partners, like the Otter Working Group. This Group includes Government agencies, academic experts and members of the nature community. We have jointly developed measures, such as cordoning off areas where adult otters may display protective behaviour in the presence of young otters, and using olfactory irritants to guide otters away from residential areas. To safeguard public safety, NParks may also trap and relocate otters away from areas of intensified human-otter conflict. NParks also carries out public engagement and outreach, including school assembly talks and public webinars, to raise awareness on wildlife management. NParks will continue to conduct house visits and town hall sessions with residents affected by otter-related disamenities and share advisories for the community on how to guard against otter intrusion. For instance, in areas where otters are prevalent, homeowners who keep ornamental fish are advised to install wire mesh and other barriers to prevent otters from entering their homes. NParks will continue to monitor the otter population in Singapore closely and review the current suite of measures to manage the otter population.”
“The Government is committed to keeping public housing affordable and accessible for Singaporeans. Eligible first-timers (FTs) can receive an Enhanced CPF (Central Provident Fund) Housing Grant (EHG) of up to $120,000 when they buy a new or resale flat. To help young couples who want to settle down earlier, the Deferred Income Assessment (DIA) scheme allows eligible couples to apply for a new flat first and defer their income assessment for EHG and the Housing and Development Board (HDB) housing loan nearer to key collection, when their incomes are more stable and likely higher. In 2024, fewer than 200 FT households, where at least one party was aged 30 and below, did not qualify for both (a) EHG as they did not meet the continuous employment condition, and (b) the DIA, but HDB does not track the reasons for disqualification as requested by the Member. They formed fewer than 2% of all FT couples in this age group. We expect the number of young households who do not qualify for these schemes to decrease. From the July 2025 sales exercise, we will expand the DIA scheme to require only one party of a couple to be a full-time student or National Serviceman, or have recently been one, instead of both of them. We understand that each young couple's life journey is unique and we will continue to review our policies to support their housing aspirations.”
“At the development stage, the Housing and Development Board determines the number of lifts to be provided in a residential block based on several factors, such as the number and type of dwelling units, the block layout and the number of storeys. The objective is to ensure that there are sufficient lifts to meet residents' needs in terms of lift access and reasonable waiting times, while balancing cost effectiveness and efficient use of space. The lift provision also needs to comply with other regulatory requirements, such as fire safety.”
“The projected ultimate number of dwelling units in the Housing and Development Board's (HDB's) Annual Report is an estimate of the dwelling units that HDB towns can accommodate when fully developed. This figure is only a planning parameter and not a target to be reached. It is regularly updated as it is affected by several variables which can change over time. For example, in recent years, we have observed trends, such as strong household formation rates and smaller household sizes, contributing to strong broad-based housing demand. This has resulted in an increase in the estimated number of households in the Singapore population which are eligible to purchase public housing flats. Consequently, we have set aside more residential land within existing towns and new areas, such as Bayshore under Bedok town and Ulu Pandan under Queenstown. As a result, since the 2019/2020 Annual Report, town boundaries were expanded and the estimated number of ultimate residential dwelling units has increased. In response to these housing demand trends, HDB has adjusted its housing mix and built more flats. This is unlike the proposal from the Workers' Party in 2019 that recommended HDB to cut back its building programme from around 16,000 to 17,000 dwelling units to around 9,000 dwelling units every year. Had we followed the recommendation, we would have faced a serious shortage of housing supply, longer waiting times and much higher prices for resale flats.”
“Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats are meant for long-term owner-occupation and selling one's HDB home is a significant decision. Flat owners are urged to plan responsibly and not rush into selling their flat without a firm plan for their next housing arrangement. Today, prospective flat sellers need to register an Intent to Sell with HDB and wait out seven days before they may grant an Option to Purchase to prospective flat buyers. The Intent to Sell has various features to encourage them to plan for their next housing before they commit to selling their flat. These include: (a) requiring them to state their next housing arrangement after the sale of their flat; (b) advising them on important policies and procedures to take note of before committing to sell their flat; and (c) supporting them in planning for their next flat purchase by reminding them to apply for an HDB Flat Eligibility letter and use HDB's financial calculators to estimate the net proceeds from the sale of their flat and their budget available for the next flat purchase. HDB does not have data on flat owners selling their flats to pay off personal debts. For applicants who apply for a second HDB housing loan to buy another flat or apply for public rental flats, HDB takes into account the proceeds that they have received from the sale of their previous property in determining the eligible loan amount or their need for a rental flat. Flat owners are urged to consider carefully before committing to sell their flat. Those who face difficulties in keeping up with their mortgage instalment payments may approach their HDB Branch for a holistic assessment of their situation and work out the required assistance. Those in other types of debt can ask for assistance from Credit Counselling Singapore.”