Hawazi Daipi
Singapore
“Madam, between 2001 and 2014, of the international students at secondary and junior college levels who were granted permanent residence (PR) on their own merit, around one-quarter were on scholarships, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) scholarship, for their studies.”
“Madam, we are aware that these are secondary and pre-university students who are not likely to start working immediately after they have completed their "A" levels. So, we do not require them to work in Singapore. It is separate from the university-level scholarships. Page: 34”
“Madam, as I have said in my reply, we leave it to the schools to decide on whether a student or a staff member is fit or good enough for certain types of overseas trips. Some overseas trips can be very physically challenging, but some may not be.”
“Madam, the Member may be aware that MOE has worked with the Temasek Cares for a programme to assist families to manage the cost of treatment after the insurance coverage cap has been reached.”
“I think, generally, yes, Madam. The travel insurance coverage includes accidents and treatment of injuries as a result of accidents, as well as repatriation.”
“At the ground-breaking event, a number of non-Muslim grassroots leaders asked me how they can also support the construction of this community institution in Woodlands. I am heartened by such a supportive spirit and inter-racial and inter-religious cooperation.”
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“All wins and losses are taken very seriously by teams. I am sure every student wants to do well, but what is important is to be able to win and to lose graciously. If you play in a competition like the semi-finals of FIFA World Cup and lost seven to one, it must Page: 35 be a big blow. Like the Brazilian team, I am sure our schools which want to do well will analyse on how they can do better the next time, which is a good state. I am sure we want to develop this zeal and determination in our students, apart from just winning competitions.”
“Madam, I am not very clear about the third question. Let me try to answer the first two questions. All schools are resourced with the funds to develop CCAs, including sports, so they can choose the sports that they want to develop for their students, whether or not they want to compete at the zonal as well as the national level. All schools are given the funds to develop the students' abilities in sports and other CCAs. I think I have answered the second question that other schools have also done well against the Sports School. I have said earlier that the Sports School contested in 46 championships out of 110 championships in various divisions and won 16 titles, which indicated that other schools have also the ability to do well even against the Sports School. Can I ask Mrs Chiam about the third question?”
“In my reply, I mentioned that we work with schools to ensure that CCA is not burdensome. CCA is part of the holistic development of the student and their education, but we will advise schools as appropriately as possible if they have overdone certain things in certain CCAs. On specific CCA type, for example, table tennis, we leave it to the school to decide on which sports they want to promote or teach the students. We give them a block fund and we leave it to them to decide on the sports, aesthetics or the arts that they want to promote. But if a school needs to have an additional CCA or sport, for example, to promote or open to their students, then they can raise funds on their own so that the students can benefit.”
“It is not just to improve the quality of life of workers, but also to improve the companies and organisations. Because if they are able to attract and retain the workers that they want, I am sure that their productivity will also improve.”
“Thank you very much for this opportunity. I would like to Page: 37 make some clarification on some of the points raised yesterday on the promotion of work-life strategies. Ms Lee Li Lian yesterday said that, "Work-life harmony has been tackled exclusively in the domain of manpower policy. This clearly has not worked." Contrary to her views, I would like to state that, one, it is not purely a manpower matter. We involve different parties and Government agencies which try to promote different aspects of work-life and enhancement of productivity in the tripartite network that I chair. Two, the take-up rate by companies has improved over the years. More companies have offered at least one form of flexibility for their workers. In 2007, for example, only 25% of companies offered at least one form of flexible work arrangement. It has increased to 38% in 2011 and up again to 41% in 2012. Does more need to be done to promote work-life? Yes, indeed. However, all the tripartite partners are working very hard together to promote it not just among companies but also among workers. Madam, I am very pleased to inform Members that the Tripartite Committee on Work-life Strategy will be organising a week-long work-life campaign in November 2014 to raise awareness of all the benefits of work-life strategies and encourage both employers and employees to adopt flexible work arrangements or FWAs. In conjunction with the work-life campaign, the Tripartite Committee will issue a tripartite advisory to set out guidelines on FWA implementation and provide useful resources for organisations looking into implementing FWAs. Essentially, what we want to do is to enlighten employers and employees on the benefits of work-life.”
“[Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Deputy Speaker, clearly, the Suara Musyawarah report also stated that there are views amongst the participants of the discussion that they, as Malay Singaporeans, are very committed towards Singapore, including on the issue of defence and security. However, Mr Faisal has only raised the issue of loyalty that was reported in the Suara Musyawarah report. For me, this is not a balanced question. As I have said earlier, if we look for problems, the problems will come up because any individual who feels that way, will raise this problem. A problem at the personal level can be solved. Problems in terms of work, if they feel that they are not given the opportunity, can be settled at the individual level. If there are any members of the community who feel it, whether students or workers who feel discrimination, there are ways for them to overcome such problems. For the worker – by reporting it to TAFEP and MOM. The same goes, if there are questions on specific issues about the opportunities. What I want to say is the fact that Suara Musyawarah has also raised feelings amongst many Malay/Muslims that they are very committed towards the security and defence of Singapore, but he has chosen not to say that.”
“We should seek to stay gainfully employed to benefit from CPF contributions, and other Government top-ups, especially low-wage Singaporeans. Only by doing so can we achieve the real meaning of inclusive growth to create a better future for ourselves, our families and our children. Mdm Speaker, with this, I support the Motion of thanks to the President.”
“On the contrary, if the race and religious relations in our community is strengthened through cordial and close relationships, the spirit of cooperation, and the spirit of tolerance with one another, our ability to work together and enjoy Singapore's progress together will be much better. If we always find faults about the issue of loyalty, for instance, we will surely find people who feel that their loyalty have been questioned or taken for granted. I believe this is not an issue which cannot be overcome by the community in the context of the work which we have done to date – enhancing race relations at all levels of society, among the leaders, among the children, among the parents; in all our activities, whether in schools, or during exercises like jogging and brisk-walking among residents – all these can enhance friendliness and good relationships, and in that way, that will reduce the suspicion between us. I feel that when we focus on these areas, we will be able to continue to develop better relationships within the community. I am concerned that if we emphasise on the differences and unhappiness, we will surely increase the unhappiness of not only one community but all communities. (In English): Mdm Speaker, there is a diverse range of opportunities available to Singaporeans at the different stages of our lives. The Government will continue to build and strengthen the framework and infrastructure to ensure that no one, especially low-wage Singaporeans, are left behind as we progress. All of us should play our own part to make the most of opportunities available to us at our different milestones in life. I would like to encourage all Singaporeans to tap on the various initiatives in education and training.”
“As shown in the MENDAKI SENSE effort, the Malay community recognised the importance of continuing learning and education. MENDAKI SENSE, the training arm of MENDAKI, has helped Malay workers significantly on the employment front by providing CET courses and support to get job opportunities. In 2013, more than 60% of 2,000 jobseekers who sought employment assistance from MENDAKI SENSE have been placed in jobs. Over the weekend, MENDAKI SENSE held its annual Career Fair at Eunos, with a theme of "Bringing Opportunities to Community". Through the initiative called Career Development Programme, supported by the Temasek Cares Foundation, MENDAKI SENSE also helps workers develop their potential to take on Professional, Manager and Executive (PME) roles through skills training and mentoring by industry and community leaders. MENDAKI SENSE has done quite well in helping our Malay employees upgrade themselves and remain employable, and I urge the Malay community to continue supporting efforts to upgrade workers. I would like to touch on Mr Faisal Manap's speech regarding the issue of loyalty. He suggested that a committee should be set up to talk about the issue of loyalty that was questioned by the Malay community, according to him. I would like to ask him whether he Page: 71 really feels that his loyalty has been questioned by anybody in Singapore. The fact is that the issue of race relations is something that requires effort and improvements from time to time. There is no best possible level of race relations that we can want or are able to achieve because each level that we have or enjoy, may not last.”
“It is a school social work programme for the ITE students to benefit from activities such as casework and counselling, mentoring schemes, entrepreneurial thinking programmes and community service projects. Annually, 4PM also presents the Bestari Outstanding Student Award to 45 Malay/Muslim ITE students who have performed exceptionally well academically and in co- Page: 70 curricular activities, even though they used to have problems continuing their studies at the ITE. We must continue to encourage our children who have put in effort and done well in school to continue putting in effort, while providing support for those who have yet to reach their potential. In this way, they can develop their abilities and character – two important elements that can guarantee their success in the future. Another area where our Malay community has made much advancement in ensuring self-reliance is through the network of skills upgrading and employment assistance. We want to help the less skilled and less educated within the community to find better jobs and improve their quality of life. I believe that they have the desire to strengthen their capabilities and to succeed in life, drawing from our values of hard work, responsibility for our own welfare and self-sufficiency for the family. One key initiative that supports this drive to improve ourselves is through the WSQ scheme. The Employability Skills WSQ framework focuses on foundational skills, knowledge and mastery of other skills such as workplace literacy and numeracy. Such basic skills, which are transferable across all industries, helps improve the employability of low-income Singaporeans and also enable them to upgrade themselves more easily.”
“This includes training which were supported by employers, and training which employees undertook on their own. I hope that more Singaporeans will proactively take on the training opportunities available to them, and that employers of low-wage Singaporeans will send their employees for training. Besides helping your employees to upgrade themselves, your businesses will also benefit from the productivity savings with better skilled employees. Mdm Speaker, let me continue my speech in Malay. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Like other Singaporeans, Malays, while benefiting from the economic progress and development of Singapore, also face challenges in others areas similar to other Singaporeans – such as providing their children with good educational opportunities and preparing them for a fulfilling life in adulthood. Within our community, I am proud that the Malay community leadership has for decades made significant efforts in developing self-help efforts to further the achievements in education for our Malay students. As a community, the improvements in our educational performance have been significant. The percentage of Malay students in the Primary 1 cohort admitted to post-secondary institutions, which is, the polytechnics, ITEs and pre-universities, has improved from 76.5% in 2003 to over 85% in 2013. This should encourage and spur the Malay community to support our children to progress further. I would like to encourage our community partners to continue to work hand-in-hand with our schools and parents to help our students to develop holistically. For example, I am heartened to know that the Malay Youth Literary Association (4PM) has developed a programme for all students from the ITE known as BESTARI ITE or bITE.”
“A more recent initiative is the Progressive Wage Model (PWM), where clear wage-skill and career progression pathways enable workers to earn wages that are commensurate with their training and skills, productivity and responsibilities. We will mandate tripartite-negotiated PWMs in specific sectors that suffer from prevalent cheap-sourcing coupled with limited bargaining power on the part of the workers. We have done so for the cleaning sector this year and plan to do the same in the security sector when the PWM for this sector is ready. We have also begun tripartite discussions on a PWM for the landscaping sector. Beyond training, low-wage Singaporeans can also tap on a range of employment facilitation services, such as training or career advisory, at one of WDA's Career Centres, CaliberLink, or NTUC's e2i. In 2013, more than 35,000 people have registered for assistance at one of these centres. Page: 69 These initiatives provide a strong foundation to continually upgrade the Singapore workforce so that they stay employable in the rapidly changing labour market. We are already seeing results from the CET framework to enhance the employability of Singaporeans across industry sectors. Last year, two thirds of Singaporeans who were retrenched or laid off were able to find new employment within 12 months, of which about 70% found jobs in a different industry. We will continue to strengthen the CET framework, starting with the ongoing review of the CET Masterplan announced last year. To achieve our objectives for CET, strong support and participation of both employers and employees are needed. I am encouraged to note that between July 2013, when the WTS was revised, and December 2013, 35,000 Singaporeans benefited from the WTS scheme.”
“There are currently 33 industry specific WSQ frameworks, which cover industries such as retail, F&B and security where many low-wage Singaporeans are employed in. To date, more than one million workers have been trained under the WSQ system. The Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) provides generous subsidies of up to 90% of course fees to ensure all workers can undertake training and keep their skills up to date. The two new national CET campuses will provide training to some 50,000 adults annually, thus greatly enhancing Singaporeans' accessibility to training opportunities. The Devan Nair Institute in Jurong East, operated by NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute (e2i), was launched by Prime Minister earlier this month. The Lifelong Learning Institute in Paya Lebar will also be operational by this year. While the Government continues to build and enhance our infrastructure to facilitate accessible lifelong learning, we are aware that some Singaporean workers, in particular, the low-wage workers, may face barriers in taking up training courses. We, therefore, want to also facilitate participation in training opportunities to enhance their employability and productivity. Therefore, we have established schemes such as the Skills Development Fund (SDF) and Workfare Training Support (WTS). These schemes help lower the financial barriers to training for both the individual who wants to upgrade himself and the employer. WTS also provide generous absentee payroll funding to encourage employers to send their lower-wage workers for training.”
“It might be difficult for low-income families to put aside contributions but parents should view the CDA savings as providing valuable opportunities for their children. Education serves as a strong foundation to improve the social and income mobility of our children. We, however, recognise that it is often more difficult for children from low-income families to complete their education as a result of the multiple challenges that they face. Parents should try to overcome this as much as possible by tapping on the financial schemes available so that our children can stay in school to equip themselves with knowledge and skills. My second point is on Continuing Education and Training (CET). CET can help improve the lives of low-income Singaporeans. The need to continually upgrade our skills and knowledge remains critical when one completes education and enters the workforce. This is particularly important for low-wage workers who are often in lower skilled jobs. The skills and knowledge that they require to stay relevant in the job market will evolve with external factors such as technology developments and economic restructuring. They need to be able to adapt to such changes in order to remain employable. The CET framework aims to achieve this through providing Singaporeans with a roadmap of training and lifelong learning opportunities. A key cornerstone of the CET framework is the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) programme recognising workplace skills and experience. The WSQ serves as an important alternative pathway for the some 400,000 working adults, or about 20% of our resident labour force, without formal Page: 68 qualifications. WSQ also sets out clear career and skill progression pathways for key industries.”
“However, with the financial resources provided and relevant school programmes, he was given the opportunity to experience a holistic education and to pursue his passion for music. This in turn fuelled his determination to work hard and strive to achieve his best, and with a goal to work towards, Sai Yuan also became more focused academically. In addition to financial support, student care centres have been set up in schools and the community to provide students with a structured and supportive environment, particularly for students who come from homes where both parents are working. Their Page: 67 parents can remain in employment with the assurance that their children are taken care of after school. There are currently 80 school-based student care centres in our primary schools, with more than 6,500 students enrolled in these centres. Over the next two years, the number of school-based student care centres will be increased by 50%, or 40 more centres. Thus, there are different opportunities made available by the Government for every student, regardless of family background and circumstance, to maximise his or her potential. While the Government will build and develop an educational system that brings out the best in every child, we, as parents, must ensure that we encourage our children to take full advantage of the educational opportunities available. For example, since 2001, more than 300,000 CDAs have been opened and which received $1.4 billion in matching contributions from the Government. This is, however, only 64% of the potential $2.2 billion that the Government was prepared to disburse. I would, therefore, like to take this opportunity to urge all parents to maximise the Government's matching of the contributions to CDA.”
“For example, the Kindergarten Fee Assistance Scheme (KiFAS) has made kindergarten education more affordable for lower and middle income families, and helped to ensure a strong start for all our children. Close to 10,000 children benefit from the KiFAS annually. The MOE Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) for Singaporeans receiving primary and secondary education has also been enhanced over the years. This helps to pay for school fees, standard miscellaneous fees and items like textbooks and school uniforms. There are also many bursaries and assistance schemes in place, by the Government and community groups to support students from low-income families to further their education in our polytechnics, ITEs as well as universities. Government bursaries have benefited about 47,000 students in 2013. This is about 2.5 times the number of beneficiaries as compared to five years ago. The Government has also increased the bursary quanta and raised the income eligibility threshold to benefit more students studying in these Institutes of Higher Learning with effect from 2014. Beyond direct financial support to our students, MOE also provides the Opportunity Fund to further subsidise students from lower-income families in schools, polytechnics and ITEs to own personal computers and to participate in developmental or enrichment programmes. Let me cite an example. The Opportunity Fund has given student Lee Sai Yuan from Regent Secondary School valuable learning experiences throughout his secondary school years to develop his music knowledge and leadership skills. Sai Yuan's experiences in the school band helped him discover his talent in music, something that his family background and financial situation would not have been able to support.”
“As individuals, families, organisations and the community, we can make the right choices to maximise the opportunities available to create a better future. As I said earlier, I would like to focus on a topic close to my heart, that of low-income Singaporeans and their families, to highlight the opportunities available to this group of Singaporeans at the two key stages of our lives, namely, education and worklife. First, by providing the necessary support, children from low-income families can have a good start in life through education. We want to enable these children to make the most of their time while receiving education to better prepare them for a productive and fulfilling life. From the very first milestone at birth, the Child Development Account (CDA) enables parents to access various developmental and educational opportunities for their child in the early childhood years, regardless of family circumstances or background. The Government matches parents' contributions to the CDA dollar-to-dollar up to a cap, ranging from $6,000 to $18,000 per child, depending on the order of birth. This is especially helpful for low-income families to provide their children with affordable and quality childcare and Page: 66 kindergarten services. When our children enter school, there are a wide range of schemes to support the needs of Singaporean students. We need to ensure that every child, regardless of family situation, is able to fully develop through education and live a meaningful, purposeful life. By enhancing the financial support at all levels of the education system, we ensure that our education system remains accessible to all Singaporeans.”
“It also involves not just about what the Government can provide, Page: 65 but it is also about what we the people, the individual, the family can do to make sure that we can get out of our problems, we can enhance our own lives and, in the process, make a contribution to further progress of the country. Madam, the President has highlighted the need for Singapore to remain as a nation of opportunities for all, through keeping pathways upwards open to all Singaporeans, regardless of one's background or family circumstances. More opportunities will be created for Singaporeans to fulfil their potential and aspirations and to build a better future for themselves, their families and their children. At the recent May Day Rally, the Prime Minister has also emphasised the importance of creating better workers, better jobs and, therefore, better lives for Singaporeans. Through the Government's strategy for inclusive and quality growth, all Singaporeans have the opportunities to learn and thrive at the different stages of our lives. We have invested much in education and training, to equip Singaporeans with the necessary knowledge and skills. We will continue to focus on education and training to maximise our potential on different pathways. At the same time, we will continue to strengthen our social safety nets to ensure that no one is neglected or left behind and that their quality of life improves alongside Singapore's economic progress. We, however, cannot take these opportunities for granted. We must continue to build our society on the foundation of values, such as hard work, personal responsibility, self-reliance and self-motivation.”
“Mdm Speaker, thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak in the debate to express support to the Motion to thank the President. May I start by giving a brief comment on the speech of Mr Muhamad Faisal bin Abdul Manap. Firstly, Mr Faisal Manap has acknowledged that the Government has a very enhanced social safety net, and I am very pleased to know that he acknowledges that the kueh lapis is generally good. And yes, there are things that need to be improved, but on its own, it is good. Secondly, if he goes through the kueh lapis, he could see that the low-income Singaporeans are getting even more help than what he has proposed to change. Thirdly, is that the Government as a whole is doing more for Singaporeans to enhance the social safety net. Unlike the simplistic way that Mr Faisal Manap has proposed in helping the most vulnerable. It is not about the issue of transfer per se. It is about how do we transfer and how we get people to move up. Fourthly, the real issue is how we make that transfer, as I said earlier, and how do we tax people and who should we taxed. So, it is not just a simple matter of providing more or providing something that seems to be more advanced because it is proposed by an international organisation. We can have our own solution, which we have already established. The kueh lapis in itself is not just about presenting a beautiful kueh that is sweet. If it is too sweet, it is also not good for the health. It is more than just about presenting what we are offering to the people in a better way. It is also trying to tie up the various help together so that the people whom we want to help get the help much better. I want to touch on two major points here which I think are also related to the elements of our social safety nets.”
“Madam, let me take the second question first – whether MOM can make the compulsory rest day truly compulsory. It is actually compulsory. Employers are supposed to provide one rest day a week to their domestic worker, if the Work Permit was issued on or after the 1 January 2013. Those who were under the old agreement can continue with whatever arrangement they had agreed to before but come 1 January 2015, all maids will come under the new agreement that will require employers to provide one day off a week. So, it is compulsory. If for some reason, the employer needs the maid to work on her rest day, or the maid says that she wants to work on her rest day, they will have to come to an agreement on how that will work out. So, is there truly an imbalanced relationship between the two? Maybe. But then, there are avenues for them to resolve their differences. The employment agency, because they are a party or the facilitator to the mutual agreement, can continue to be the facilitator. MOM cannot be there all the time in every household we have about 210,000 maids. We would have to work with the agencies to facilitate whatever differences that may happen or may arise between the two parties, but we will still be there if the maid comes to MOM for assistance. I would like to assure the Member that a compulsory rest day is truly compulsory. If for some reason the employer needs the maid to work on the agreed rest day, then they must work out an agreement and the maid must receive either compensation payment or an alternative rest day. Page: 58”
“I would say that there are two buffers. One is the employment agency. The employment agency would be actively involved in the agreement between the two parties, the employer as well as the FDW, on which day the FDW will get the weekly rest. If there is a dispute, the employer and/or the FDW can seek assistance from the employment agency that had overseen the written agreement between the two parties. If there is still a dispute, either party or both can seek assistance from MOM. If there is a change in the agreement on the weekly rest day, the employer as well as the domestic worker are advised to write it down. So, I would say there are two buffers for both employers as well as the domestic workers, the employment agency can help them, and, finally, of course, the MOM. Assoc Prof Tan Kheng Boon Eugene: Mdm Speaker, I would like to ask the Senior Parliamentary Secretary whether an employment agency can be a neutral party, given the fact that the FDW's employer is probably a client of the employment agency. In this regard, I would like to ask the Senior Parliamentary Secretary whether it is possible for the Ministry to be the so-called adjudicator. I agree with Mr de Souza that between the FDWs and their employers, there is an unequal, asymmetric power relationship there. Page: 57 While I am encouraged by the improvement in the figures, would the Senior Parliamentary Secretary agree that at 37% for what is supposed to be a mandatory rest day, that the figure is actually quite low? Are there plans to make the compulsory rest day to be truly a compulsory rest day?”
“Nonetheless, FDWs who do not receive rest days in accordance with the written agreement with their employers, or compensation in-lieu for working on a rest day, can seek assistance from MOM. By 1 January 2015, the rest day requirement would have been in place for two years. This means that all FDWs will be on new employment contracts that Page: 56 will have to abide by the requirement. MOM hopes to see the rest day arrangement work well for employers, their families and the FDWs. A rest day provides FDWs a reprieve from their duties, much like how all of us Singaporeans need a break from our work. Ultimately, this will contribute to more well-adjusted FDWs who can better perform their jobs, benefiting our Singaporean families. The Ministry will continue our efforts to educate and help stakeholders manage the rest day requirement, as well as work with partners to provide avenues for FDWs to spend their rest days productively.”
“Madam, MOM has been monitoring the implementation of the weekly rest day requirement since it took effect for foreign domestic workers (FDWs) with Work Permits issued or renewed on or after 1 January 2013. Specifically, MOM interviewed more than 2,000 FDWs who arrived to work in Singapore for the first time in 2013. It is encouraging to see that 37% of the FDWs interviewed received a weekly rest day. In comparison, a 2010 survey of more than 900 foreign domestic workers showed that only 13% of FDWs received a weekly rest day. We also found that about 61% of those interviewed received at least a monthly rest day, compared to 53% in the 2010 survey. FDWs who forgo their weekly rest days have to be compensated with additional payment, as required under the law. In the lead up to implementation on 1 January 2013, MOM carried out extensive public education campaigns for existing employers and FDWs and employment agencies. This included an information kit and rest day implementation guide, mailed to all FDW employer households. Employment agencies were briefed and given a recommended template for facilitating the written rest day agreement between FDWs and employers before commencement of employment, to allow expectations to be clearly communicated upfront. All first-time employers and FDWs were informed of the weekly rest day provision through the mandatory Employer Orientation Programme and the FDW Settling-In Programme. We understand that FDWs and employers usually attempt to resolve any disputes and secure mutual agreement on the rest day arrangement between themselves, or through their employment agencies. Parties should openly discuss their concerns.”
“Yes, Madam, in my reply, I did say that schools and ITE work with organisations to encourage those who have left school to return. Some of them are given the early foundation – the additional year that ITE gives Page: 32 to the students who are academically weaker. It may be useful to help those who may be in danger of dropping out or those who may drop out later, to return with some foundation that may be useful for them to pursue the courses that they are sent to.”
“Madam, I thank the Member for the supplementary questions. ITE works closely with organisations that may be able to help students. The Enhanced STEP-UP Programme run by MSF, for example, works very closely with voluntary organisations, Family Service Centres and organisations that can help reach out to both the students as well as the parents, if necessary. So, it is working with organisations that have already the ability to reach out to parents that may prove useful. ITE is also working with voluntary organisations to run programmes that can help raise the motivation of the students who are in danger of dropping out. Based on the ITE reports, we are pleased to note that the programmes run by the two organisations are effective. On allied educators, yes, almost all of our schools are supplied with allied educators for various reasons. Some are meant for classroom teaching and some allied educators are counsellors or helping the school with counselling work. We leave it to the school to decide on which type of allied educators they need and want to deploy.”
“Mdm Chair, at last year's National Day Rally, Prime Minister Lee announced the setting up of the Volunteer Youth Corps to enable young Singaporeans and Permanent Residents between 15 and 35 years old, including students in ITEs, Polytechnics and Universities and young adults, to do community projects overseas and in Singapore. Page: 13 MCCY and the National Youth Council (NYC) plan to pilot it in early 2014, and I have a few questions for the Minister. One, what is the size of the first intake and how are we going to sustain the interest and the programme? Two, I understand that the selection and assessment process involves essays, situational tests and interviews. Would this process deter youths who do not write and speak well or those who have to work part-time and, therefore, may not be able to spend the time to finetune an essay or prepare for interviews, from applying? Three, the diversity of participants is important as it enhances the learning experience, and their abilities should be relevant to the project they want to work on. How will the Ministry ensure there is diversity among applicants and the selected candidates? Will funds be made available for them to ensure that they can cover transport, meals and other needs during the programme? 11.45 am The programme is a meaningful endeavour and it is full of promise. Among others, it can help reduce the drop in volunteerism among youths as they progress from school to the workforce. What are MCCY's plans to keep the participants engaged upon completion of community service programmes bearing in mind the many competing demands amidst a competitive environment? Community and Youth Engagement”
“Mdm Chair, I agree with the Ministry's proposed plan to set up a new tribunal to deal with feuding neighbours who are not able or not willing to settle their disputes. In cases where the voluntary dispute resolution system does not work, we need a legal recourse. I believe the Tribunal will help reduce the frustration of the aggrieved party and prevent the differences between neighbours from escalating. The community dispute resolution framework could potentially provide a mechanism to contain and end neighbourly disputes in an impartial, systematic Page: 9 and orderly manner, with the force and authority of the law, where necessary. But, Madam, there are two things to note. First, the crucial role of our grassroots leaders, especially our residents' committee members, who work behind the scenes to prevent many disagreements from snowballing into full blown conflicts and for organising programmes to promote good neighbourly ties and inculcate civic-mindedness. Legislation and enforcement should only be taken as a last resort. The tribunal will be important, but the personal outreach of our grassroots leaders (GRLs) may still be able to foster goodwill between disputing neighbours and encourage residents to take ownership of their private disputes. For that to be effective, our GRLs should be trained to deal with the different types of disputes. Second, the value of mediation. Despite the problems that we face, mediation is still very important. The community dispute resolution framework should also be accessible, cheap and fast and its proceedings should be simple and users should not require formal legal representation. May I get the Minister's comments, please? Community Mediation”
“I thank Ms Denise Phua for her suggestion. Yes, what we want to do is to engage parents to get them more involved in the education of their children by working together with other parents and with the schools. Well, we will explore other avenues if it is necessary and useful for us to have an online learning portal for parents to learn about the school, to learn about how to manage certain problems with regard to issues they may face in their relationship with their children. We can explore that. One of the best ways is probably harnessing the parents' collective experience and wisdom, and probably through the PSG network.”
“Mdm Chair, may I address Ms Denise Phua's question first? Page: 27”
“I agree with Ms Phua that effective parent engagement requires schools to have a deep understanding of parents' concerns and this will form the foundation of mutual trust between parents and schools. In order to support and sustain schools in their stakeholder engagement efforts, MOE has produced and disseminated a Facilitation Primer, a publication which is a toolkit Page: 16 on effective facilitation. It is our aim that through better engagement with stakeholders, MOE will be better able to co-create the future education system with our stakeholders. Madam, summing up, parents and the community have a huge role to play, whether in inculcating the right values in our children, teaching our children to embrace diversity in our multicultural, multi-religious Singapore, or helping our children learn beyond the classroom. To bring out the best in every child, we are committed to continue harnessing the energy of parents and the community, to live out MOE's Partnership motto "Building on Trust, Partnership as One". Madam, let me conclude my speech in Malay. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The Government aims to help bring out the best in every child, in every domain of learning, in every school and at every stage of schooling, whatever their social background, to build a better future for every pupil and the country. Parents and society have a very important role in assisting in instilling good values that we want to develop in our children for the sake of our children's future. MOE will continue assisting schools to build their capabilities, work together with parents and the community to ensure that our students can learn in a larger environment beyond their classrooms.”
“Marsiling Community Centre launched Homework Cafe in the beginning of this year to foster to provide a conducive environment for children from disadvantaged families to do their homework. To date, the programme has benefitted 20 children from families receiving public financial assistance. Since the start of the programme, students from Republic Polytechnic (RP) have regularly volunteered to coach and help these children with their homework. Seeing these children eager to come for Homework Cafe, Aqeem, one of the RP students who has been volunteering in the last six weeks, derives a deep sense of satisfaction from having played a part in levelling up his community. Our Singapore Conversation (OSC) in 2013 drove home the importance of listening closely to our stakeholders' needs and aspirations, and factoring these into our policymaking and implementation. MOE will continue to reach out and engage parents, our community partners and stakeholders extensively and meaningfully. Consolidating our experience from OSC, we are developing deeper engagement capacity among the headquarter and school personnel. I thank Ms Denise Phua for sharing her concerns and interest regarding parent engagement at the school level. This is indeed, as I said earlier in my speech, a very important part of the school and community work. I hope that the earlier part of my speech has demonstrated that our schools are forthcoming in engaging parents. This can be seen from the fact that more than 95% of our schools have formalised PSGs. Besides that, our schools have always been communicating regularly with parents through various channels, including emails, meet-the-parents sessions, newsletters and school websites.”
“In collaboration with the community, the students put up Silat performances for the senior citizens at the Beo Crescent neighbourhood. A Malay Language teacher, Miss Elyani Mohamed, commented that through these activities, students were able to gain appreciation of the Malay culture and traditions as well as learn important values to develop their character. Ahmad Ibrahim Primary School partnered the Singapore Chinese Physicians Association and co-created an innovative pedagogy for the learning and teaching of Mother Tongue Languages using Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The upper primary school students who took Chinese Language visited and interviewed Chinese physicians in the neighbourhood on their work and the different types of TCM treatments. The students then carried out further research by referring to the TCM reference books found in the school's TCM room, which was designed like a Chinese physician's clinic and served as an authentic learning centre for their students. They also had the opportunity to tour the Singapore Chung Hwa Medical Institution, which was the school's community partner to see the Chinese physicians in action. This partnership Page: 15 provided the platform for students to hone their Chinese Language through experiential, self-directed learning. Partnership with the community also presents endless opportunities to enhance our Character and Citizenship Education, which involves opening the mind and touching the heart of our children. Beyond the theoretical transmission of values, we must also help our children translate these values into action and make a difference to Singapore and the lives of fellow Singaporeans.”
“Hence, with the wide range of efforts, it is not necessary to re-introduce Religious Knowledge as a separate subject. I agree with Assoc Prof Eugene Tan on the need to preserve the character and integrity of mission and faith-affiliated schools. These schools have a well-established heritage that gives them a distinctive identity and contributes to Page: 14 diversity in our educational landscape. Parents who choose to enrol their children in these schools generally appreciate the unique heritage and ethos of the school. In order to preserve the common space where our young can develop a shared Singaporean identity, MOE has set guidelines to ensure that schools conduct religious activities sensitively. Within these guidelines, we want these schools to maintain these traditions and school culture, which is part-and-parcel of embracing our multi-religious Singapore. Parents are important role models for our students to understand, respect and celebrate such diversity. This is an important part of holistic education and goes towards fostering social cohesion in Singapore. Authentic learning opportunities go beyond the four walls of the classroom. The Minister has spoken about how the Applied Learning Programme connects academic knowledge and skills with the real world, so that students can appreciate the relevance and value of what they are learning. Outram Secondary School has been making use of various teaching approaches to sustain students' interest in the learning of Malay Language and culture. For instance, the school conducted Silat lessons, which allowed students to learn more about the traditional Malay martial arts and the different Malay words used in the martial arts.”
“To support partnership with parents on an on-going basis, MOE will provide each school with an annual top up of their PSG Fund of up to $2,500 per year. I hope that this will sustain the momentum of the good programmes we have today, while enabling more parents to play a more active role in their child's education. 11.45 am I am also pleased to share that COMPASS is working closely with a group of PSG leaders from various schools to organise the first ever PSG Conference, which will be held in April this year at the MOE's ExCEL Fest 2014. The conference will allow PSGs to share their best practices with one another and grow together. Dr Lily Neo spoke about bullying. MOE acknowledges her concerns and takes a zero-tolerance approach towards school bullying. The new Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) curriculum empowers students to help themselves and support their peers who are bullied. Teachers are also equipped with customised resources to identify and manage bullying cases. Through our curriculum and programmes, schools impart values to foster appropriate behaviour and inculcate socio-emotional competencies to help students respond in challenging situations. Families, particularly parents, are our best partners in reinforcing these values and competencies at home. Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap spoke about re-introducing Religious Knowledge into our curriculum. Our curriculum today provides our students with a broad-based exposure of major religions in Singapore. Such exposure helps to promote respect between people of different religious backgrounds. Many schools also leverage special occasions, such as Deepavali, Good Friday and Racial Harmony Day, to help students appreciate our multicultural and multi-religious Singapore.”
“Students witnessed their parents' care for the elderly, while learning to be more empathetic towards the old folks. PSGs could also play a role in family bonding. Mr Edwin Cheng, who used to be a part of the PSG of Ai Tong School, feels that the regular family-wide participation in PSG activities has helped his children adjust well to school and develop a sense of belonging. It is encouraging to see more parents coming forth to play a more active role in their child's education. We recognise the value of PSGs and support their meaningful activities. In 2012, we introduced the PSG Fund, which is a seed funding of $2,500 per school to enhance partnership efforts with parents. For example, this fund had supported East Spring Secondary School in achieving a common understanding between parents and the school. As a member of the PSG ExCo, Mrs Esther Sim was involved in strategising with the school on how best to use the PSG Fund. The result was a PSG Handbook to help parents understand the school mission and what they can do as partners in education. This fund also enabled the PSG of Park View Primary School to organise workshops to promote networking and sharing of knowledge amongst parents. So, it is not just a fund that parents use to benefit the children, but they also use this fund to enrich themselves through sharing. One such workshop was on "Celebrating a Pro-Family Mindset", during which parents had the opportunities Page: 13 to reflect, and devise strategies on living and celebrating a family life that they envision. Participants provided feedback that they have acquired new skills and had become more confident in coaching their child.”
“She shared that the event had improved her relationship with her son as both of them walked away with a better understanding of parents and teenagers' mindsets. She also hoped to attend more of such sessions to guide her through the growing process of her teenage son. Parent Support Groups (PSGs) also contribute very directly towards our children's well-roundedness. The PSG members of Jurong Primary School believe strongly that learning is a wonderful adventure which parents can be a part of. For example, they work closely with the school in conducting homeskills programmes to teach students basic cooking and sewing. As Ms Denise Phua pointed out, having these living skills help our children develop independence Page: 12 and become well-adjusted adults in future. Mdm Ivy Seah, who chaired the PSG in Cedar Primary School, believes that the ethnic diversity of the PSG can greatly enrich the National Education curriculum and cultural programmes. Comprising parents of ethnicities and nationalities, Singaporeans and non-Singaporeans, the PSG exposes the students to a range of Asian cultures, through displays and sharing during cultural celebrations, as well as experiential learning programmes. These are parents from India, Nepal, China and some other countries, who come together with Singaporean parents to help the children learn better and to understand diversity and accept it. In Woodgrove Secondary School, the PSG members are actively involved in Values-in-Action (VIA) projects as the parents believe that they should lead by example in contributing to the society. During a visit to the Sunshine Welfare Action Mission (SWAMI), the PSG members performed and played games with the elderly.”
“Mdm Chairperson, the Minister had spoken about our commitment to bring out the best in every child, in every domain of learning, in every school, at every stage of the learning journey, whatever the starting point, to create a better future, together. This can only be achieved through a close partnership of school, home and the community. I will speak about how good efforts enabled by this partnership have benefited our children. Parents, being the first caregivers and teachers, are no doubt a key influence on the holistic development of their child. To thrive in the 21st century, there has been an increased premium placed on softer competencies like attitudes, values and life skills. These softer competencies complement a rigorous academic curriculum to help our students navigate an increasingly ambiguous and fast-changing workplace. Hence, we are heartened to see parents sharing this vision and working hand-in-hand with schools in providing a conducive environment to develop the whole child. Co-chairing the National Advisory Council known as COMmunity and PArents in Support of Schools (COMPASS), I am pleased to share the many platforms that MOE has put in place to engage a wide spectrum of parents deeply and meaningfully. An example is the COMPASS Forum Theatre, an interactive drama to spark off discussions on parenting styles through the role-playing of different parent-child scenarios. I was at the first session and was pleased to see parents, young people as well as educationists in the audience participating actively and co-creating parenting solutions. We found that such an activity helps parents reflect on their role and parenting style. Mdm Helen Su participated in one of these sessions with her son.”
“It is not so much about a system where there is legislation or promotion but it is the how-to, developing their capability and the awareness of managing people, workers who need it and seeing that from among the workers and seeing how the management may be very enlightened in helping the workers.”
“I thank the Member for the question. Rest assured we are watching what other countries are doing in this regard. We do want to help both the employees as well as the employers manage this because, ultimately, it would benefit both the employees and the employers. Page: 112 It is not that easy to just decide on legislating work-life balance because we do not know how the take-up will be. UK has been practising the "right to ask" among workers. We are watching the progress. We are also studying the practices and the experiences of other countries, like Australia, Japan and many states or many cities in the US and we will see what fits us well. In the UK, you have 22 companies championing work-life balance; in Singapore, we have more than a hundred companies doing this, CEOs reaching out to fellow CEOs to advocate work-life balance. We recognise that. While in many companies, the CEOs may be enlightened, the rank and file, the line managers may not be equipped enough with the knowledge on how to practise work-life, how to manage workers who want to work from home, apart from finding the resources to buy the equipment which we have been supporting. We are studying this. What we thought we would like to continue to do is to use the promotional educational approach. The work of the employer alliance led by Ms Claire Chiang has been very good because CEOs reached out to the CEOs and now another approach is to help the line managers, the HR practitioners in the companies to have the knowledge to manage work-life strategies.”
“Thank you, Mdm Chair. Mrs Chiam says we have been giving her the same answer. I remember her asking the same question. The issue remains the same: that it is not very easy to detect a potential FDW with psychological problems. We may be able to detect the worst cases. In any case, there is already the six-monthly health-screening that every FDW has to go through and the doctor may be able to detect if the FDW has some psychological problems. On the cases that Mrs Chiam had referred to, especially the two recent cases, they are still under investigation by the Police, and I do not think we should comment on them. 4.00 pm”
“MOM will press on to work with stakeholders and partners to aid improvements to the lives of Singaporeans through appropriate and sustainable manpower policies. Madam, with your permission, may I ask the Clerk to distribute MOM's COS brief?”
“Employers have found that it leads to manifold tangible benefits, as I have said earlier – improved attraction and retention of talent, gains in Page: 108 productivity and reduced costs arising from less medical leave and absenteeism. In this tight labour market and amidst stricter foreign manpower hiring policies, good employment practices such as flexible work arrangements will play a crucial role in incentivising Singaporeans who are economically inactive, for example, mothers, to return to work. Mdm Chair, all the measures Acting Minister Tan Chuan-Jin, Senior Minister of State Amy Khor and I have spoken about ultimately have one simple common objective – to create a vibrant, resilient economy and workforce, good jobs and incomes, so that, ultimately, Singaporeans enjoy improvements to their lives. The Government plays a fundamental role alongside the individual, society and the community in realising this objective. MOM will work hard to establish the necessary conditions and opportunities that will enable individual Singaporeans to secure better jobs and higher incomes for themselves and their families, and enjoy financial security in their retirement. For those particularly vulnerable to being left behind, we will step in with targeted help and stronger support. Learning, re-learning, up-skilling to ensure that we remain relevant in the fast-evolving global economy is crucial; not just for blue collar workers, but even for highly skilled white collar ones. Madam, our task is not easy, particularly in this time of economic restructuring. Acting Minister and Members of the House have articulated the complexities of manpower issues.”
“We need to give businesses some time to adjust and adapt, not just to these leave requirements but also the broader effects of the economic restructuring and foreign manpower tightening. MOH will elaborate on some of their plans to step up support for caregivers. Ms Foo Mee Har has also suggested that we consider measures, such as legislation, to accelerate the adoption of flexible work arrangements in Singapore. I know she has been talking about this for many years. We appreciate it and we will seek her views on how we can move forward in our future initiatives. We fully agree that there is a need to foster the adoption of flexible work arrangements. But as with anti-discrimination, the fundamental issue we need to address is mindsets and attitudes. It is important to encourage mindset shifts and positive behaviour through education and promotion. The tripartite advisory is one step forward in the right direction. That is what creates the necessary conditions for sustainable and successful work-life strategies. We agree with Ms Mary Liew that a concerted effort by the tripartite partners is necessary to change mindsets of employers and employees to address many of these issues. We encourage employers to offer their employees the necessary benefits and flexibilities which will enable them to fulfil their familial commitments. And we believe that, in the process, the employees will be more engaged, and may even be more loyal, and will stay long in the organisation. We want to see work-life practices become a norm at the workplace. Good work-life harmony practices yield many benefits to both employees and employers.”
“Epigram and Epigram Books decided to implement staggered hours, part-time work and telecommuting to improve employee engagement and productivity, as well as support their employees in improving their work-life fit. When rolling out flexible work options, the two companies had to overcome management and staff's mindset that employees on flexible work were less effective. At the same time, they had to learn to accommodate staff's differing work schedules and reporting times. So, we recognise that it is not very easy for individual companies to implement Work-Life, but if they sit down and find out how it can benefit them as well as the workers, both the employees and the employers will benefit from this. The advisory is purposed to help employers deal with such challenges, by setting out the expectations and responsibilities of employers and employees. We aim to issue it in the second half of 2014. Together with the Government's funding and enhancements to the national IT infrastructure to provide high-speed connectivity, we hope that this effort will result in greater buy-in and Page: 107 adoption of flexible work arrangements. Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef, Ms Ellen Lee and Ms Lee Li Lian have also called for pro-family workplace practices, specifically paid parent and eldercare leave, to be legislated. The PAP Women's Wing has suggested the same. The Government will review the issue of legislated parent or eldercare leave, as part of the broader efforts to address the challenges of an ageing society. We are mindful that we have just implemented a series of enhanced and new leave schemes last year, as part of the Marriage and Parenthood package.”
“Each qualifying firm can receive up to $160,000 over three years when they introduce new flexible work arrangements and encourage utilisation amongst their employees. I think it is something that may interest Ms Lee Li Lian and Ms Mary Liew. Ms Lee suggested that the Government encourage investments in Infocomm Technology (ICT) to facilitate flexible or remote working. In fact, firms can already tap on this funding to support ICT investments that enable Page: 106 employees to work more flexibly. We have been closely monitoring the response since the grant was set up less than a year ago. As of December 2013, 84 companies and over 8,000 employees in these organisations have benefited from the Work-Life Grant. We have also started to review how we can further improve the grant, and are in the process of seeking tripartite partners' feedback. I would like to thank Ms Mary Liew for her various suggestions to enhance the Work-Life Grant, which MOM will carefully consider as part of our on-going review. We expect to complete the review and implement the enhancements by mid-2014. Besides funding, we have also received feedback that it would be useful to provide guidance to employers on implementing flexible work arrangements as well as to employees on utilising them. The Tripartite Committee on Work-Life Strategy, made up of MOM and its tripartite partners, has therefore begun work on a "Tripartite Advisory on Flexible Work Arrangements", intended to guide employers and employees on how to implement and utilise flexible work arrangements effectively. I think this is useful, especially for smaller companies. I often hear about challenges that employers face when introducing flexible work arrangements. Allow me to cite an example.”
“To help such companies, TAFEP will operate as a one-stop centre to promote the adoption of fair and progressive employment practices, and raise employers' awareness of their statutory obligations. As Mr Zainudin Nordin pointed out, it is important that employees know their employment rights. MOM's WorkRight campaign is precisely aimed at educating employees in this area, and we will continue with our efforts on this front. Singaporeans, including older citizens and disabled persons, are still concerned about discriminatory employment practices. Mr Zaqy Mohamad and Mr Hri Kumar also highlighted perceptions of racial discrimination at workplaces. The expanded TAFEP will therefore retain its original purpose of promoting fair employment practices, even as it takes on this expanded role. TAFEP will progressively scale up its operations to cover progressive employment practices over the next 12 months. Madam, let me now speak more on a particular progressive employment practice – flexible work arrangements. Singaporeans have increasingly indicated a stronger desire to have a more fulfilling pace of life; more space to pursue other goals and priorities outside of work. Many have called for greater support for flexible work arrangements and more pro-family practices. We are seeing more Singapore firms offer their employees flexible work arrangements. In 2012, 41% of firms offered their employees at least one form of flexible work arrangements. In 2007, this figure was only 25%. We will continue to encourage employers to adopt more work-life friendly arrangements. The Work-Life Grant, under WorkPro, was set up in April 2013 precisely to encourage the adoption of flexible work arrangements by firms.”
“45 pm For now, we will continue with the promotional approach through TAFEP. To bring about change in mindsets and persuade companies to implement fair and merit-based employment practices, Mr Hri Kumar suggested a Labour Tribunal for resolving employment disputes quickly and at low cost. As Acting Minister Tan mentioned in his earlier speech, MOM is exploring an expeditious and affordable avenue for dispute resolution related to breaches of individual contract of employment. TAFEP's example has shown that promotion and education is an effective tool in influencing change in the workplace. The number of employers who have committed to implementing fair employment practices has risen steadily over the years, from only around 200 pledge signers in 2006 to over 2,600 last year. Mr Heng Chee How, Mr Zainudin Nordin and Mr Zaqy Mohamad asked whether MOM has plans to enhance TAFEP's work. We do. The tripartite partners have agreed that it is timely to build upon TAFEP's progress and expand its mandate beyond fair employment to include progressive employment practices. Using TAFEP's model of education and promotion, we will pay more attention to progressive workplace practices such as work-life harmony and age management. Page: 105 We believe that good and more progressive workplace practices will not only mean better jobs and quality of life for Singaporeans, but also help companies attract and retain more local employees, which is important amidst foreign manpower tightening. Some companies, especially SMEs, may face challenges in adopting more progressive employment practices even if they are aware of its benefits and want to.”
“It exists mainly to: screen for infectious diseases that are of public health concern, and, give a broad indication of the FDW's general fitness for work, including her mental state at the point of examination. It is impractical to mandate a wide-ranging set of medical tests for all employers. Individual employers with specific concerns should send their FDWs for other suitable medical tests. Let us come back to the issue of building better workplaces. Mr Hri Kumar asked if MOM will enact laws to prevent discriminatory workplace practices. This is a point that was also raised by Mr Zaqy Mohamad. The fundamental Page: 104 issue we are trying to address here is mindsets and attitudes. To deal with this today, we rely on TAFEP, the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices. TAFEP was set up in 2006 to promote fair employment practices – to educate and persuade employers to recruit employees based on merit, treat them fairly, and reward them based on ability, performance, contributions and experience. An anti-discrimination legislation is one possible way to address workplace discrimination. We do not reject the idea entirely. But having legislation is not a silver bullet that will solve all discrimination problems. It could address the form but not necessarily the underlying substance of discrimination – that is, mindsets and attitudes. The experiences of other countries with legislation have shown that it remains difficult for victims to prove discrimination and that they have suffered as a result. Legislation might also introduce labour market rigidity due to protracted disputes between employers and employees. These are complex issues that we need to address before we consider enacting legislation. 3.”
“Its goal is to take safety to BeyondZero® by preventing even one accident from happening, and putting the personal health and safety of their employees first – wherever they are. In 2012, Jacobs successfully achieved over 82 million of safe hours worked. Its BeyondZero® programme has helped the company to win industry-wide admiration and many accolades, in Singapore and its global operations. We hope to inspire more companies to adopt this Vision Zero mindset and translate it into concrete actions to reduce work injuries and ill health. As my Ministry charts the way forward for the next phase of our WSH journey, we will continue to provide support and assistance to deserving companies, especially SMEs. We have programmes to provide cost support to SMEs and enable them to build up WSH capabilities. These include the WSH Assist and CultureSAFE programmes, and Safety Compliance Assistance Visits. Over the years, the WSH Council has also built up an online library of resources with videos, guidelines and checklists that are customised to the different industries, including hospitality, logistics and transport. Finally, I would like to assure Mr Yeo Guat Kwang that my Ministry will work with NTUC on its U-SAFE initiatives to get the unions WSH-ready. We will share best practices, provide expertise where necessary or resources where appropriate. Next, let me address the issue of mandating psychological health tests for new foreign domestic workers (FDWs) raised by Mrs Lina Chiam. A medical examination framework for FDWs, which includes six-monthly medical examinations, is already in place.”
“Third, over the next five years, my Ministry and the WSH Council will collaborate with MOH and the Health Promotion Board (HPB) to integrate workplace safety and health and well-being for all employees, including older workers. This is an area that Mr Heng Chee How spoke about. An integrated approach is needed because poor safety can impact the health and well-being of workers. Conversely, ill health can also impact safety. We call this holistic approach Total Workplace Safety and Health, in short, Total WSH. It means that while at work, the employee's safety, occupational health and well-being are holistically managed through comprehensive risk reduction by their employers. WSH Council will work with HPB and industry partners to develop practical assistance tools for companies on Total WSH. Outreach initiatives will begin in certain industries, including those with older workers. We will give more details later this year. The fourth area we will focus on is bringing about a paradigm shift in mindsets, which must happen if we are to raise our WSH standards to the next level. The WSH Council will lead this effort to nurture a WSH culture and a "Vision Zero mindset". What is "Vision Zero"? It is a safety culture and a mindset that "all work injuries and ill health are preventable". The concept of Vision Zero Page: 103 is not new. Companies which have adopted and applied its principles have been able to achieve and sustain good safety records. One such company is Jacobs. It is one of the world's largest and most diverse providers of technical, professional and construction services, with revenue of nearly $12 billion in 2013.”