Janil Puthucheary
Singapore
“Sir, I thank Ms Lee for her two supplementary questions, which address what are our targets and what is it that we measure. Indeed, the issue of how we should think about recycling and waste disposal will be at the heart of our review of our Zero Waste Masterplan.”
“Another strategy that we are embarking on is the strengthening of the reuse of waste residue and treated toxic industrial waste before and after they are landfilled.”
“Sir, about half of our recycling material is exported. It is processed overseas. There are business arrangements between businesses here in Singapore and businesses in the region or overseas, to be able to handle the recycling of waste and recycling of material, whether domestic or non-domestic, already today.”
“Sir, I thank Ms Poh for her questions. Indeed, we do have to shift behaviours. The incentives and disincentives around recycling and waste disposal are an important part of it. We will consider her suggestion on looking at the fees.”
“The heat advisory that goes out is clearly defined. In my original answer, I explained what a heat wave was. There are clear definitions that we have been using in Singapore since 2016, if I recall. It was then last revised in 2023.”
“Sir, in the planning of schools, the Ministry of Education ensures that our students can access a primary school near their homes. Except for a small number, 15 of Special Assistance Plan schools, all primary schools offer the three official mother tongue languages.”
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“We will also simplify the process for disbursing these incentives. Today, the $15,000 incentive is paid out to companies as reimbursement upon the completion of specific qualifying activities. Depending on the amount claimed and the activities completed, not all employers access the full $15,000. The new $20,000 incentive will be fully disbursed at several milestones throughout the course duration. This means an employer who sponsors an eligible trainee through the full Work-Study programme will receive the full amount. This will also make it easier for employers to claim these incentives by reducing the administrative processes required to access the funding. We hope that these enhancements will encourage more employers to come forward and build their talent pipelines, by offering meaningful training opportunities for our ITE graduates. We will continue to strengthen our support for companies, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), to identify their skills needs and access appropriate training for their employees. For example, SSG introduced the SkillsFuture Queen Bee programme, where industry-leading companies provide skills advisory to SMEs in their networks, to help them identify and acquire skills needed to transform their operations. Grab is one such SkillsFuture Queen Bee and has provided short masterclasses to SMEs and their employees, on topics, like the Progressive Wage Model framework, and relevant skills training. These initiatives are useful in uplifting the industry. We hope more companies will come forward as SkillsFuture Queen Bees. SSG has also introduced digital workforce planning tools to support enterprises in workforce development.”
“STMicroelectronics has worked closely with ITE to co-develop Work-Study programmes, together with other semiconductor industry partners. The company has been expanding its Work-Study placements across programmes in exciting fields, including microelectronics, electronics and computer engineering and automation engineering. Many graduates have chosen to build their careers with the company after completing their programmes. An example is Nur'Iman, who joined STMicroelectronics as a technician on the Work-Study Diploma programme in 2022. He was able to deepen his technical expertise through the programme, where he shadowed other technicians and engineers to build specialist knowledge. In 2024, he was promoted to Assistant Maintenance Engineer, while also working on his final-year project, an AI computer vision solution for wafer defect detection. He graduated as the top student of his cohort in 2024 and continues to work for STMicroelectronics. We are encouraged by the positive outcomes of the ITE Work-Study Diploma Programme and want to better recognise the efforts and commitment of our employer partners. This is in line with the Economic Strategy Review Committees' recommendations to support more flexible pathways that blend training and work to develop industry-relevant skills. Dr Hamid Razak also asked how we will strengthen the Work-Study Diploma pathway. We will continue to work with employers to provide meaningful training opportunities for ITE students. MOE and SSG will enhance the employer incentives for the ITE Work-Study Diploma for new cohorts from April 2026. This will be done in two ways. We will increase the quantum of the incentive provided to Work-Study Diploma employer partners from $15,000 to $20,000, for each trainee that employers hire and train.”
“Under this model, polytechnic and ITE students spend part of their time in structured learning environments and part of their time gaining hands-on experience in workplaces, earning a salary while they learn. Employers play a crucial role as co-developers of the curriculum, ensuring that the skills taught directly address industry needs. An example is the ITE Work-Study Diploma which we introduced in 2018 and which has become an important upgrading pathway for ITE Nitec and Higher Nitec graduates. The programme has grown significantly from a pioneer cohort of four courses and 100 trainees in 2018 to 45 courses and 1,600 trainees in 2025. More importantly, the programme has achieved good graduate outcomes. Around nine in 10 Work-Study Diploma graduates secured full-time employment upon completion, with the graduates from the 2024 cohort earning a median monthly starting salary of $2,975, comparable to polytechnic diploma graduates, and significantly above their initial median salary of $2,000. This success reflects the efforts of MOE and ITE and the commitment of more than 700 industry partners. They have been instrumental in teaching technical skills and providing tangible work experience for our trainees, allowing them to gain important life skills that they will carry with them throughout their careers. We are glad that these employers see the value of the Work-Study Diploma programme in helping them develop their talent pipelines. Around seven in 10 graduates continued with the employers who hired and trained them during the programme. One such employer that exemplifies this commitment is STMicroelectronics, a semiconductor manufacturing company.”
“Today, the polytechnics and ITE offer a range of pathways for lifelong learning, to meet the upskilling needs and career aspirations of different learners. This includes regularly reviewing course offerings and vacancies based on industry needs, employment outcomes and student interests. Learners looking for more substantive upskilling or career switches can take up full qualifications, offered in both full-time and part-time modules. The IHLs have admissions pathways which recognise competencies gained in the workplace, instead of focusing narrowly on academic competencies. Learners who are looking for "just-in-time" upskilling can take up shorter modular micro-credentials, which offer bite-sized skills top-ups. These micro-credentials can also be stacked to full qualifications, to allow learners to learn at their own pace. We have also rolled out the ITE Progression Award to support ITE graduates aged 30 and below to upskill to a diploma and to secure more progression prospects in their chosen professions. We also recognise the important role that companies and employers play in skills development and training. Employers are well-placed to know what skills are relevant, and guide workers' upskilling decisions. Both employers and workers can benefit when workers apply their newly acquired skills at the workplace. Over the last decade, we have increased opportunities for employers to play a stronger role in the training of workers. One example is the SkillsFuture Work-Study Programme, which we launched in 2015, along with the broader SkillsFuture movement. The programme moved beyond classroom learning, to a model in which institutions and employers work together to help trainees learn in both the classroom and the workplace.”
“Mr Hoe also suggested that training providers offer "taster" or trial overview lessons and that job shadowing and short learning journeys be introduced under SkillsFuture. Some of our IHLs already provide information sessions for prospective learners to better understand the course content and objectives before signing up. For longer programmes, which require greater commitment, such as diplomas and degrees, learners can consider enrolling in stackable modules. This provides flexibility for learners to take the course without committing to the full programme upfront. There is also the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme where trainees benefit from career advisory and assistance in job searches and may undergo project work with companies, beyond classroom training. Miss Rachel Ong asked how we are enhancing accessibility for persons with disabilities, so that they can better identify and take up courses. SSG and SG Enable will continue to work with community partners to raise training providers' capabilities to deliver inclusive training, including in areas, like AI. They conduct regular workshops on inclusive training methodologies and accommodations and have worked with the Institute for Adult Learning to develop courses for adult educators, so that they can better design and deliver inclusive training. SG Enable also provides a Capability Development Grant to help training providers who customise courses to meet the needs of persons with different disabilities and is working with SSG to explore ways to scale up the delivery of inclusive training by leveraging technology. Ms Hany Soh asked how our polytechnics and ITE can support Singaporeans to pursue different lifelong learning pathways.”
“SSG will revamp the MySkillsFuture portal, with two major improvements. SSG will launch a new course search experience that includes curated recommendations for in-demand skill areas, such as AI, occupation-based course exploration tools and an AI-powered chatbot for personalised guidance. Let me explain these three buckets. One, the curated recommendations for in-demand skills areas – for those who know that they have a certain set of skills but are not entirely sure which occupation or career pathway to progress to. Two, the occupation-based course exploration tools – for those who know what career they are in, what trajectory they want, which in a particular industry, but want to know which skills or certifications to acquire for further progress. Three, for those really not sure of which of these categories they fall in to or what they would like, we have a chatbot to be able to then understand their needs and to provide them with further guidance. SSG will also improve the course enrolment process. Starting with selected training providers, individuals will be able to enrol directly in courses on MySkillsFuture using the pre-filled SingPass information, instead of having to navigate to the training provider's website to submit a separate application. This will make it easier for individuals to apply for courses immediately after having discovered them through the various search functions that I have just described and hence, reduce the administrative burden both on the individuals as potential learners and on training providers. Overall, SSG's enhancements will make it easier for individuals to identify courses that are aligned with their career aspirations and reduce information asymmetry, as raised by Mr David Hoe.”
“Since its launch in May 2024, over 60,000 individuals have used their SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career). The SkillsFuture Mid-Career Training Allowance has benefited over 5,000 individuals since it was first introduced in March 2025. We will further enhance the SFLP to provide learners with more options to reskill and upskill. We will expand the course catalogue to include Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) full qualification courses. As part of a national skills credentialling system, such WSQ-accredited courses impart skills needed to perform various work tasks in line with industry manpower needs. The inclusion of these courses ensures that SFLP learners can choose from a wider range of industry-relevant courses. Around 200 WSQ courses are expected to qualify for the SFLP from 4Q 2026, across a wide range of sectors, such as Healthcare, Information and Communication, Engineering, Media and Early Childhood. One example would be the WSQ Specialist Diploma in Workplace Safety and Health offered by the National Trades Union Congress' LearningHub. This course trains participants in skills, such as safety and risk management and emergency response. Upon completion, participants can apply to become a registered Workplace Safety and Health Officer under the Workplace Safety and Health Act. More details on the eligible WSQs will be released at a later date. As we continue to expand upskilling options, we also want to better support learners in navigating and making informed choices about their options. We will take a key step by enhancing the digital experience for learners, to help them better navigate the various training offerings. Today, many Singaporeans are familiar with the MySkillsFuture portal, which they use to search for training courses.”
“This integration will enable us to connect skills development more closely with employment opportunities and career advancements, in line with the Economic Strategy Review’s recommendation. We will continue to support individual aspirations in upgrading, empower employers to take charge of their training needs, and develop a vibrant continuous education and training (CET) ecosystem. We have empowered all Singaporeans to take charge of their own learning and upskilling journeys. The SkillsFuture Credit was one of our very first initiatives. Every Singaporean aged 25 and above received an initial $500 credit for skills-related training programmes. This supports adults to take that important first step in embracing lifelong learning, to improve their employment prospects or acquire new skills to pursue their interests and aspirations. Over time, we have introduced new programmes to strengthen support. The SkillsFuture Level Up Programme (SFLP) was introduced in 2024 to support mid-career Singaporeans aged 40 and above to meaningfully upgrade their skills. This group faces particular vulnerabilities. Many have been away from formal education for years and face competing priorities that make it challenging to take time off work for training. Without targeted support, they risk being left behind as their skills may become obsolete. 11.45 am The SFLP includes a SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career) top-up of $4,000 usable for about 7,500 courses, and the SkillsFuture Mid-Career Training Allowance that provides up to $3,000 per month for those pursuing full-time training. This year, we have also extended the Training Allowance to part-time training, with trainees receiving a fixed $300 monthly allowance. We are encouraged by the response to the SFLP so far.”
“Chair, since we launched SkillsFuture in 2015, our mission has been to provide Singaporeans with the opportunity to develop to their full potential throughout life, regardless of background. As a small, open economy, we continually invest in our people and empower them to grow skills, adapt to the changing work environment and seize new career opportunities. The SkillsFuture movement has made significant progress. In 2025, more than 600,000 individuals attended MOE and SSG-supported training, up from 370,000 in 2015. Employers are also taking a more active role in upskilling their workforce. The number of employers who sent their employees for SSG-supported training has nearly doubled, from around 12,000 in 2015 to over 23,000 in 2025. The training sector has matured in both breadth and scale. We now have a range of training providers, from IHLs to specialist providers, offering diverse training across domains, closely guided by industry needs. As we look ahead, SkillsFuture must continue to evolve to better support Singaporeans in pursuing lifelong learning throughout their careers. With accelerating technological change and increasingly complex labour market demands, strengthening support for all Singaporeans has become even more critical. The merger of SSG and WSG into a new Statutory Board, jointly overseen by MOM and MOE, ensures that the SkillsFuture movement remains agile and responsive to our evolving needs. As Minister Desmond Lee has explained, the new agency will build on the strengths of both agencies: SSG's expertise in training and skills development, combined with WSG's employment facilitation ecosystem.”
“But I think the fact that we had such an incident for the first time, a student care operator collapsing in this way, if you like, unable to provide services, and yet across all eight schools, we had a continuity of care and a continuity of service provision – I think it is a testament to the professionalism and capability of our education staff and the entire ecosystem of stakeholders that are involved. And I once again would very much like to thank them for that.”
“Sir, I thank Dr Wan Rizal for his questions. I express my deep appreciation for the teachers who have indeed stepped in to care for the students. We do recognise that this is in addition to their workload and that will be recognised by the schools as well. The operational way in which we relieve that workload will vary from site to site. The principals and the site conditions of, for example, the Little Professor staff who have chosen to stay on, or external staff who have been able to come in – means that it is not exactly the same from site to site. So, exactly what the teachers have to do and the intensity of the workload will vary. So, we have to take an operational approach, but our intent is indeed for the teachers then to focus on their primary duties and where possible for us then, to relieve them of these duties. MOE HQ staff have stepped in to relieve administrative burdens. I have given the example of parent support groups that have volunteered to assist and we have employed the existing former Little Professor staff, as well as external staff to then come in, in the interim, while we are pending the operator to be appointed. To ensure that this does not ever happen again, well, those are the issues that we have talked about in the previous supplementary questions: that we are reviewing the sector and we will look to see whether we have mechanisms that we can detect earlier, respond faster and perhaps, have better resilience across the system.”
“Sir, the situation is still developing and investigations are ongoing. We will find ways to assist the affected families and parents.”
“For most of the operators, we actually have a fairly close relationship, and hence, we have not had an anxiety about whether we were not aware about what was happening within the operator. But I take his point that perhaps, we need a mechanism to give us systemic confidence that we have sight into the finances and operations, such that we would have an early warning, if there was a resilience issue of a given operator. We are studying the sector and we will see if we can find ways to introduce such mechanisms, including, for example, how an operator manages their staff; which I think is something that we have to take very seriously. His third suggestion about the parents' fees, indeed, that is an anxiety that many parents will have about the deposits that they have paid. The double GIRO deductions that were reported were indeed returned. The double GIRO deductions that were reported to MOE before February this year, that happened last year, were indeed returned to the parents. And so, it is the later round of double deductions which required a police report. And then now, for many parents, there is the issue of the deposits that they have paid, which they have not been able to claim back yet. The matter is still under investigation and we will see how best we can assist those parents, and then see what is the appropriate mechanism going forward to restore parents' confidence in the operators in this space.”
“Sir, I thank Dr Hamid Razak for his suggestions. I think they are all good suggestions. We are reviewing, not just this incident, but the sector as a whole and we do want to improve. We want to improve the resilience of the operators within the sector. We want to improve the service provision for our students and we want to improve parents' confidence in the operators and the care that their children are receiving. The Member had made a couple of suggestions. The first, in terms of systemic resilience, looking at some form of whitelist or strategic partnership with an operator or operators. It is something worth considering. And the idea that perhaps, we might develop capability in partnership with an operator so that there is a systemic resilience, not just an operator resilience, should another incident occur, whether we would have the capability then to rely on such an operator to step in, and not only on the MOE staff and the parent support groups, and all the other people who helped. I would like to take this opportunity to once again appreciate very much that we did have so many people who were able and willing to help and did so very effectively, so that there was no interruption in the care that our children had. He suggested another set of ideas about operational and financial monitoring of the operators to pick up in advance, if such a thing occurs. Actually, in general, MOE and the schools work very closely with the operators. We have ongoing discussions, we know the staff very well, we integrate on some programmes and services. There have been issues over the years that we have had to deal with. Some operators, maybe staff are sick or face staff shortage, or perhaps the business issues that we have to think about.”
“There was nothing untoward in the feedback that we have received from Little Professors and nothing different from what we had seen across other operators. We did indeed have a serious incident in February of this year, and as soon as that information was made available to MOE, we started to take action. And we had as our first priority, been stepping in to provide care for the children, and then subsequently, when there were some issues to do with the finances highlighted, we have made a police report and that matter is under investigation.”
“Sir, I thank Mr Loh for his questions and for his efforts in his capacity, both in that school that he mentioned, as well as with the unions. On his first question about due diligence, the levels of safeguards associated with the financial standing of the operator – these are assessed at the point of the application, the tender, when the operator submits a tender to have the licence to operate the centre at the schools. We do indeed have a series of items that we look at, including the capitalisation of the company, the financial reserves, the depth of their governance and so forth. He is asking then about whether we have means to do so during the course of the operations. Since January 2025, all the contracts that have been awarded require then a yearly submission of audited financial statements. And so then, we continue to have oversight of this process. It is an evolving series of mechanisms. We await the investigations as to what happened in this incident and we will see whether there are lessons learnt that will inform us about whether we need to put in further mechanisms, going forward. On whistle-blowing, indeed, we do have a variety of channels. As I have explained, the parents can feedback directly to the operator, to the schools and to MOE HQ. We went back and looked at the complaints or feedback – not all of them were complaints – about Little Professors over the last year. And there were a variety of things. Indeed, some of the feedback was about, for example, the quality of food, another child's behaviour to a parent's child, reports on services or the teachers, and we also had a couple of reports from the teachers as employees.”
“After they are appointed, MOE and schools maintain oversight over operators and monitor their performance in terms of how well they are providing the SCC and KCare services. These monitoring processes are reviewed regularly so that we can continue to improve our safeguards. We also value parents’ direct feedback about our SCC and KCare centres so that issues can be addressed in a timely fashion. Today, parents can provide feedback to SCC and KCare staff, to the schools, and directly to MOE. In 2025, MOE directly received a total of 212 emails and phone calls providing feedback on SCCs and KCare centres. We reviewed all of them and followed up with the schools and operators when needed. Before this incident with LPLC, MOE has not had cause to terminate the services of any school-based SCC and KCare operator. Nevertheless, we do recognise that there is room for improvement within the sector to provide better services, to strengthen the resilience of operators and to better monitor the service provision. We are further reviewing our processes for selecting and monitoring SCC and KCare operators.”
“MOE is also concerned about former LPLC staff who have been adversely affected. We are working with the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the Education Services Union, who are supporting affected workers with short-term financial relief, job referrals and career guidance through NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute (e2i). MOE and schools have also been able to employ and pay former LPLC staff in their original centres if they are keen to do so, until a permanent operator is appointed. This will provide some financial stability for these affected staff in the interim, while they continue to care for our students. Affected LPLC staff have also been advised to reach out directly to the Ministry of Manpower, the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management or the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board to file claims for unpaid salaries and CPF contributions. With reference to the unauthorised General Interbank Recurring Order (GIRO) deductions, MOE has filed a police report when these were reported to schools in February. We had at that point also advised affected parents to cancel their GIRO arrangements immediately and to consider filing a claim with the Small Claims Tribunal. As police investigations are ongoing, I am not able to comment further on this issue. Pending the outcomes of police investigations, we will work with relevant agencies to see how we can further support parents. Members have asked about our selection and monitoring mechanisms for SCC and KCare operators. As part of the selection process, operators have to demonstrate adequate financial standing before they are considered.”
“Sir, my answer will also address related oral or written questions filed for subsequent Sittings on the recent issues with Little Professors Learning Centre Pte Ltd (LPLC), a former operator of Student Care Centres (SCCs) and Kindergarten Care (KCare) centres in our schools. Sir, the Ministry of Education (MOE) was first alerted to the issues at LPLC centres in February this year. Our first priority was to minimise the disruption to students and their families, and to ensure that students enrolled in the LPLC-operated SCCs and KCare centres continued to receive care after school. Our schools have stepped in to provide interim after-school support. School staff have been deployed on a rotational basis to bridge the gap since the incident first happened. Over the past three weeks, schools have engaged relief manpower, including retired school staff, flexi-adjunct teachers and external instructors, to fill the staffing needs and to reduce the need for continued deployment of school staff. Parent support groups in some schools have also stepped in to provide additional support. MOE headquarters (HQ) officers have been providing onsite assistance and have helped to relieve the administrative load on schools. All affected schools have been able to continue providing after-school care for students. I would like to express my deep gratitude to all who have stepped in to help. I know that the children and their families are also appreciative of the care and concern. School staff who have put in additional contributions during this interim period will be recognised. MOE has started sourcing for new SCC and KCare operators to provide after-school care for the students in the affected schools. We want the new operators to start as soon as possible.”
“Mr Speaker, my response will address Question No 3 through to Question No 6 on today's Order Paper.”
“Sir, I thank Mr de Souza for his question. Indeed, we are regularly reviewing the courses and the way in which we support both the training providers, the employers and trainees to reskill and upskill. The short answer is yes. We are always looking at how we will review these mechanisms of support. And I would say that the overall intent of what we are trying to do with SkillsFuture as a movement, is very much aligned with what Mr de Souza identified for this particular set of PMETs who have had very specialised skills which have been disrupted. Actually, we want the same type of ability to reboot one's career, to reinvent one's skillset and career opportunities, to be available to all Singaporeans. So, the overall structure of SkillsFuture, the way in which we support and subsidise the training providers, as well as the trainees, the Singaporeans, through the credits and subsidies, is very much along the lines that he described, not just for those with very specialised skills, but for all Singaporeans. And if this means that for some certain situations we have to look at the courses that are available, the training processes that we deliver in partnership with employers, as well as the IHLs and training providers, we are certainly open to reviewing how we do so.”
“Sir, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) provides significant financial support for all Singaporeans to upskill and reskill. This includes course fee subsidies of up to 70%, as well as an opening SkillsFuture Credit of $500 at the age of 25. These Credits can be used to offset the remaining out-of-pocket costs for a range of training programmes, such as shorter standalone courses, SkillsFuture Career Transition Programmes, as well as full qualifications and stackable micro-credentials delivered by the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs). Additional support is given to mid-career Singaporeans aged 40 and above, as we recognise that they may require a substantive skills reboot, having completed their work-ready qualifications many years ago. Hence, Singaporeans aged 40 and above enjoy the Mid-Career Enhanced Subsidy, which increases the course fee subsidy to up to 90%. They also receive a $4,000 SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career) top-up, which can be used for a curated set of substantive training courses that have better employability outcomes. This $4,000 SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career) is generally sufficient to offset the out-of-pocket course fees for a part-time or post-diploma and most SkillsFuture Career Transition Programmes. A training allowance, computed at 50% of one's average income over the most recent 12 months and capped at $3,000 per month, is also given to partially offset income loss when they undergo long-form training. We will continue to review and if necessary calibrate our support, so that all Singaporeans can upskill and reskill throughout life.”
“Sir, I thank Prof Lim for the question. I do not have the data with me. This Parliamentary Question (PQ) that was filed by Ms Gho was about the DSA exercise. I would suggest that he file a PQ on the issue of the affiliation and non-affiliation data.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank Ms Gho for her suggestion. We will consider it. Perhaps, an opportunity to explain that in deciding whether to publish such details, we would have to consider whether the information would help parents make an informed decision. In other words, does the historical data have low variance and help to predict what will happen next? Or it has a high variance in which case it is not so helpful for the family to make the decision this year. But we will certainly study her suggestion.”
“Since the 2019 Secondary 1 Posting Exercise, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has required affiliated secondary schools to reserve at least 20% of places of their Secondary 1 cohort for non-affiliated students. This requirement is applied to each posting group, so that our schools remain open to students of different backgrounds. Overall, over the past five years, non-affiliated students have comprised about half of the Secondary 1 cohort of affiliated secondary schools. The total number of Secondary 1 places offered in each school is the sum of planned places offered under the Secondary 1 Posting Exercise and the Direct School Admission (DSA) exercise. While the DSA admissions does not reduce the number of Secondary 1 places available in a school, non-affiliated students admitted via the DSA exercise will be considered as taking up reserved places for non-affiliated students. In the past five years, there have been only two instances where an affiliated secondary school filled all the reserved places for non-affiliated students in one posting group via DSA, and no non-affiliated students were posted for that posting group during the Secondary 1 Posting Exercise. However, non-affiliated students in the other two posting groups were still admitted via the Secondary 1 Posting Exercise.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to clarify. Sir, in my reply to Question No 1 through to Question No 5, and in the answer to the supplementary questions, I repeatedly referenced the point that producers of 80% of beverage containers registered under the scheme would see a price increase of three to four cents per container. I understand that on one occasion I said, "an increase of 3% to 4%". [Please refer to "Mitigating Cost Impact on Customers with Beverage Container Return Scheme's Roll-out in April 2026", Official Report, 3 February 2026, Vol 96, Issue 15, Oral Answers to Questions section.] My apologies. This is incorrect. And all instances should state three to four cents per container. Thank you, Sir.”
“Certainly, we work closely with the economic agencies and the industry to understand how individuals who go through training then subsequently are deployed and use their skills. The overall approach is there, but to say that we do so specifically for AI, may be a little bit harder. Because an AI course can be something introductory which someone needs in order to remain in their current job role and increase their productivity and efficiency, all the way through to a transformative course where they are pivoting to a different company, a different job role and a different career path. But we will continue to study this and find ways to make sure that the type of support that we provide, the training that is made available, is best suited to the aspirations of the individual learner but also makes possible opportunities within our landscape.”
“Sir, I thank Mr Ng for his questions. The short answer to all three is that we will continue to review how we signpost, direct and curate courses, and encourage Singaporeans to take up these courses to be able to support their lifelong learning and make every opportunity that they are aspiring to available to them. We are working with the industry to look to see how we develop the list of tasks and map them to the courses – to address his first point. We will continue to do so. We are trying to improve our signposting, both in terms of the websites, the online offerings as well as the counselling that people get, so that there is a sense of where the journey should take them as they develop their AI skills. And we will continue to review how we support Singaporeans through the variety of subsidies and funding arrangements.”
“Mr Speaker, there are around 1,600 artificial intelligence (AI)-related courses supported by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), with 137,000 training places taken up by more than 105,000 individuals last year. AI has been advancing rapidly and has the potential to transform the way we work across industries and jobs. While we do not set targets specifically on the number of workers who go for AI training, we encourage all Singaporeans to pursue upskilling and lifelong learning to stay relevant, including by keeping abreast of AI and other developments. The Government will continue to support Singaporeans in their upskilling journey through substantial course fee subsidies as well as the SkillsFuture Credit to offset out-of-pocket costs.”
“Sir, I anticipate significant competition within the market to be the biggest protection that consumers will have; that there are quite a wide variety of choices available, and 80% of the beverage containers will only be attracting, for the producer, a cost of three to four cents. That availability of choice and the functioning of the market are likely to be the biggest protection. We have indeed engaged with the producers, retailers and a variety of representatives representing all stakeholders, to understand what the dynamics are and what the concerns are. The industry players, of course, are also concerned that they remain competitive within this industry. We will be monitoring the transition and how this process plays out.”
“So, we will monitor. It depends on what is the behaviour. If there is evidence of collusion or profiteering, there are mechanisms for that to be reported and dealt with. We will look to see what are the factors that have led to that.”
“Sir, I thank Mr Tiong for his questions. On his first point, he quotes it as a projection. The 25 to 60 cents was a media report from a handful of producers. Our assessment is that 80% of the market will have a 3% to 4% increase. [Please refer to "Clarification by Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment", Official Report, 3 February 2026, Vol 96, Issue 15, Clarification section.] Indeed, there will be smaller producers who, because of their supply chain or the size of their operations, will have higher challenges and we are prepared to be flexible and supportive, as explained. The grant that we sized already covers about one-quarter of the producers and especially those that have put to market of less than 50,000 units. For the refund methodology, we have explained that EZ-Link SimplyGo is available as a refund methodology and there will be further refund methodologies. We are not, at this point, planning for cash or cash voucher as forms of refund. We are hoping to use digital means and BCRS Ltd will be announcing the other means for refund in the future. We have indeed engaged with a variety of importers, including some of the smallest importers. I think the smallest producer that we have directly engaged has a put to market of 1,000 units. We are trying to understand their challenges, and we are trying to find ways to help them participate in this scheme while remaining viable as a business. Was there a fourth question?”
“Sir, if I may clarify with Ms Valerie Lee, the deposit value she is referring to is the total amount or the 10 cents? Okay. So, whether the 10-cent deposit amount may be subsequently reviewed. Indeed, we will review the scheme as we go along. The quantum of the deposit in the 50 jurisdictions that we have studied does vary and some are significantly more than what we have here in Singapore. It is something we will review as we go along, to ensure that the scheme is effective. As for the recycling rate, we are hoping that we can get a good recycling rate of beverage containers. Some of the best schemes in the world have recycling rates of over 90%. Most of them that we have studied, that we are trying to emulate, are closer to the 70% to 80% range. That is the sort of recycling rate that we would be hoping to achieve through this process.”
“Speaker, I am sorry. I think Ms Pereira had a second question that I have not yet answered, about waiving the deposit mark after the transition. It is a reasonable question. However, not all beverage containers will be covered by the scheme and a consumer will need to know that the beverage container that they have in their hand is ineligible for the deposit. So, the deposit mark will be necessary for some time as the scheme does not cover 100% of beverage containers, and we want to make sure that consumers know which ones will attract the deposit and hence, be eligible for use at the RVMs for refunds. I would like to make the point that for containers that do not bear the deposit mark, we would like to encourage consumers to recycle them through the existing blue bins.”
“Sir, I thank Ms Joan Pereira for her two questions. We are currently providing a grant of $2,500. That grant is given to all registered producers. But it is sized to especially address the needs of the smaller producers. For a smaller producer, which we define as less than 50,000 beverage containers put to market per year, and that represents about one quarter of the producers in our estimate, the $2,500 is more than sufficient to cover both the product registration cost as well as the producer fees for the first year, which is about $2,000 in total. So, that is how we have sized the grant. We are prepared to exercise flexibility and look at further support, but we also have to recognise that the purpose of this scheme is to shift some of the responsibility to the producer. Today, if we purchase a beverage container, the entire responsibility for recycling that beverage container rests with the consumer. What we want is to shift some of that responsibility to the producer, so that they think about their supply chains, about the materials that are used and about how they commissioned their product and put it to market. So, we will consider these factors, but in general, we are prepared to be flexible and supportive in order to make sure that this scheme includes as much material as possible that we can successfully recycle.”
“In other words, you only have 10% of your time for cleaning, clearing the beverage containers and doing repairs. For the rest of the time, it needs to be available. This is a metric that we will be watching very closely, and BCRS Ltd will be watching in terms of their contractual arrangements with the return point network operators.”
“Sir, I thank Mr Foo Cexiang for his questions. We are deploying 1,000 RVMs in the first instance. The way in which we are doing it, this phased approach, is indeed to then learn about how best to deploy, where best to deploy and how best to then have ambassadors come and assist people. So, we are deploying 1,000 machines together with operations to have people stand by the machines at certain times of the day to assist seniors particularly, but also anybody who is asking for help. We will learn from that experience to decide how we should deploy the next 1,000 machines and where we should deploy them. Again, we are learning from the experience of jurisdictions overseas. We are also learning from the experience here in Singapore, where we had about 50 RVMs operate through a pilot programme over four years. We collected about 16 million containers through that process. The operators of that pilot are also one of our return point network operators and on the board of BCRS Ltd. So, we are taking those lessons in and through all of that, we have assessed that we do not need 15,000 RVMs. There is a certain minimum volume collection per day that makes the logistical arrangements cost-effective, and we think that number is much closer to the 1,000 to 2,000 RVMs we are planning to have. Nevertheless, we are going to look at the data very closely and make sure that we make the RVMs accessible to Singaporeans so that they can return their beverage containers. Addressing malfunctions and making logistical arrangements are part of licensing requirements for BCRS Ltd, and contractual arrangements that they have with their return point network operators and vendors of their machines. There is a contractual requirement for these machines to maintain 90% up-time.”
“For 80% of the beverage containers that are put to market, the producers of these 80% of the containers have told us that their cost for doing so is about three to four cents. They have been quite engaging and open about this. There is a long tail of smaller producers that will face some challenges, and as I have explained, we will be flexible and supportive to assist these businesses in dealing with the transition and will try to help them come on board. The protection for the consumers is that our consumers are quite discriminatory and they will adjust purchasing behaviour if there is indeed some attempt to extract excessive profits through this process. Nevertheless, NEA will be watching the beverage prices after we introduce this scheme and through the transition, very closely.”
“Sir, I thank Ms Poh for the questions. On the first matter, the RVMs are operated by the return point network operators. They have entered into contractual arrangements with companies to then do the reverse logistics – to empty out the RVMs at least once per day, and more if there is a high return rate at that particular machine. They also maintain the cleanliness and operations of the machines. The reverse logistics operators are companies and entities that are already well known to us. They are actually part of our public waste collection and Town Council operations. They are they are not new companies being set up just for this purpose. I do not have a specific answer in terms of the number of man hours. This is something that will be adjusted over time, depending on which RVMs require frequent clearance and which ones only require clearance once per day. But we will be watching this closely and we are working with the companies to make sure that their operations can be done smoothly. We have to make sure that the machines maintain their up-time as a service to the residents, so that the ability to return these beverage containers is always there. To her second question about protection for consumers, there are several reasons to have some degree of confidence in what is going to happen moving forward. The first is the experience in other jurisdictions where the introduction of such schemes has not led to an increase in price of beverage containers. More than 50 jurisdictions around the world have introduced similar schemes. So, in designing our scheme, we took reference from those lessons around the world and started with our BCRS, which is industry-led. Secondly, the competition in this industry is quite significant.”
“A key focus for us in the coming weeks is to work closely with all stakeholders to build understanding and support for the scheme. We will be reaching out to grassroots organisations, schools, youth groups, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and corporate partners to share how the scheme works and why it matters. Many are already champions of our sustainability initiatives and I hope will continue to advocate for how BCRS is a very important step in our journey to look after our land, our resources and our environment. We are also in discussions with other key stakeholders, including coffeeshops and smaller retailers, to help them understand the scheme and explain it to consumers. This includes posters and collaterals to assist in distinguishing new beverage containers bearing the deposit mark, from older or non-regulated beverages that are not subject to the deposit. The beverage container return scheme is a significant step forward in Singapore’s recycling journey. It will take time for all of us to adjust. We will not get everything right from the start. We ask for feedback, suggestions and understanding as we transit to this new way of recycling. As we gather more data, we will refine and improve the scheme. We need everyone’s support to make this scheme a success. We want to thank the producers who have helped to bring the scheme to where it is today and call upon those who have yet to register for the scheme to come forward and do their part for the environment. The scheme cannot succeed without the support of our residents. I encourage Members of the House to rally their communities to participate actively, and extend a helping hand to those who may need assistance in returning their containers, as we all do our part for Singapore’s sustainability journey.”
“This has been the experience in some jurisdictions that have implemented this, where studies found that the introduction of deposit return schemes did not have a significant direct impact on beverage prices or beverage sales. Members have also asked about the accessibility of our return point network. At launch in April, the public can return their empty plastic and metal beverage containers bearing the deposit mark at over 1,000 Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs) located across Singapore to obtain a 10-cent refund. These RVMs will be located at larger supermarkets and other publicly accessible locations with high footfall, such as void decks of HDB blocks and some hawker centres. Sir, 90% of residents in HDB housing estates will live within a five-minute walk to one of these return points. BCRS Ltd will provide more details on the RVM locations in the coming weeks. We aim to double the number of return points to 2,000 RVMs within the first year of implementation. While the scheme officially starts in April, containers bearing the deposit mark will gradually enter the market during the transition period, with widespread availability expected by August and September. During this initial period, we will closely monitor return patterns and gather community feedback to determine the optimal location for these additional return points. We want to create a scheme that works for all of us. At launch, we will deploy ambassadors on the ground to guide the public on how to use the RVMs. We recognise that some seniors and vulnerable members of the community may require additional assistance to adapt to the scheme. NEA and BCRS Ltd, together with our community partners, are committed to providing additional support to better address their needs.”
“Some producers may need to, or may choose to, place a sticker on their containers, instead of changing the design of the container, in order to comply with the scheme. The cost of stickering will vary, depending on the quantity of containers put to market and how their supply chains are organised. Some can do so for about three cents per container, if done at source overseas and at scale. For small quantities done locally, the cost to the producer would be higher. We appreciate that some producers may find the transition more challenging. NEA and the scheme operator BCRS Ltd have been engaging both large and small producers regularly and providing practical support to help them come on board. Responding to feedback from producers that they needed more time to comply with the scheme requirements, we have extended the transition period from three months, to six months. We also introduced a transition grant of $2,500 to help smaller businesses. We will continue to be flexible and supportive to producers who reach out to BCRS Ltd to help address their concerns. Over time, we expect producers to work with BCRS Ltd to optimise their processes and find cost effective ways to meet their responsibility to the environment. The consumer pricing of beverages is a complex and commercial decision. Consumer demand patterns and marketing strategies will also affect the price. We have designed the scheme to be run as efficiently as possible, with a low cost to producers. Any cost pass-through to consumers will likely be further moderated by price competition among industry players, as consumers have a wide variety of choices.”
“We have adopted a similar approach in Singapore, because the industry stakeholders are best placed to determine the most effective way to recover used beverage containers. They are also incentivised to operate the scheme efficiently and effectively to ensure that the cost impact on producers is manageable. The scheme operator, BCRS Ltd, was formed by the industry and is governed by a Board that has both large and small producer representatives, comprising Coca-Cola Singapore Beverages, F&N Foods, Pokka, Wanin Industries and Chia Khim Lee Food Industries. Licensed by the National Environment Agency (NEA), they are required to report the amount of 10-cent deposits collected from the producers and refunded to the consumers in their annual report for public accountability. Several Members asked questions about the cost of the scheme and the effect on beverage prices. All regulated beverage containers supplied in Singapore will attract a 10-cent deposit, which is fully refundable. Such containers will bear a deposit mark for easy identification. Consumers will pay this 10 cents at the point of purchase and obtain their refund when they return the containers for recycling. All producers will also need to pay a producer fee of three to four cents per container to the scheme operator, BCRS Ltd. This fee covers the logistics to collect and recycle the containers and is comparable to fees in other jurisdictions. From our engagements with stakeholders, producers of about 80% of beverage containers can incorporate the deposit mark and barcode requirements directly on their containers. Beyond the once-off implementation cost, these producers should see costs per container close to the producer fee of three to four cents, which should keep compliance costs low for most drinks sold.”
“Sir, the response to these questions also addresses related Parliamentary Questions on the Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS) filed by Members of Parliament Mr Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik and Ms Lee Hui Ying1, 2, 3 for Sittings on or after 4 February 2026. Sir, I thank Members for their interest in the upcoming BCRS, which will commence on 1 April this year. This scheme was debated three years ago during the Second Reading of the Resource Sustainability (Amendment) Bill and Members had expressed support for the scheme. Engagements and discussions with industry and the public had started even earlier. The scheme was first proposed by a Recycle Right Citizens’ Workgroup in 2019 to increase household recycling rates and reduce contamination in the recycling bins. These intentions remain relevant today. The amount of packaging waste generated in Singapore forms one third of our domestic waste generated and our overall recycling rate remains low. The BCRS aims to increase the recycling of beverage containers using an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) concept. And this is the second such scheme to be introduced in Singapore, building on our experience with the e-waste recycling programme. The scheme features a deposit paid at the point of purchase to incentivise consumers to return their containers. By nudging consumers to make a small change in their lifestyle, we hope to increase recycling of beverage containers and spark a change in our recycling habits. In designing the scheme, we studied the experiences of other jurisdictions. Schemes in Norway, Denmark and Lithuania have achieved high collection rates, and one common factor was having an industry-led, not-for-profit entity run the scheme.”
“Sir, I thank Ms Gho for her questions. Indeed, we will consider and review how to best provide the correct supervision, regulatory framework and enforcement. We need to have a balance between the protection of the public health and allowing necessary work to proceed. And indeed, we do have an averaging of five minutes, but we also have some of the framework where it is averaging over 12 hours. So, there is a balance that we need to strike for different types of sound: persistent recurrent, repeated sharp bursts, as Ms Gho has pointed out. The current framework requires an average sound level over five minutes and she has asked us about Lmax, which means, not taking into account the time span for a person to be exposed to that sound, but the absolute level for the sound exposure. It is indeed something that we can study and we will study together with taking reference from the WHO guidelines that I explained earlier, which is the basis on which we have developed our framework. And this is also something that is under study internationally.”
“Sir, I thank Dr Charlene Chen for her questions. When it comes to psycho-acoustic factors, we take reference from the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, which currently do not include psycho-acoustic factors, but this is a part of the science that is under review. We will continue to review our stance as well as take reference from the WHO with respect to what are the factors of sound that we take into account when enforcing the framework. Dr Chen also asked about the penalties. There are different ways in which we do this. The requirement for monitoring itself is a burden placed on the site operator, potentially requiring closed circuit television (CCTV), continuous real time monitoring. But if they transgress, then we will take further action against them. And if they fail to comply with the regulations, they will be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $40,000. In cases of continuing offences, further fines not exceeding $1,000 a day, or part thereof, during which the offence continues after conviction. Thereafter, there are composition sums, depending on the circumstances of the case and the court findings.”
“Sir, I thank Dr Charlene Chen for the questions. There are a number of reporting mechanisms. Not all of them are online and digital, and we do engage directly with training providers to make sure that they also are looking for feedback, as well as the institutions that are curating the courses. So, the feedback can be about the service provider as a whole – the faculty, for example, or the course. We have several lines of communication to make sure that we do receive feedback. The recourse will depend very much on what the nature of the complaint is. It is not always possible to get a refund, if that is what Dr Chen is asking about. But indeed we want to get the feedback so that we can take remedial action to make sure that the course, the subject, the approach and the assessment techniques, for example, are fit for purpose and serve learners as a whole. And indeed, we do conduct audits so that we have various methods of assessing the quality and to verify that the training that is stated is actually being delivered.”
“My apologies, Mr Speaker. Yes, please, if you do not mind, I would like to address oral Question Nos 16 and 17 together.”
“Nevertheless, SSG has taken action to address public feedback to avoid such undesirable practices from proliferating, which could bring the training sector into disrepute and harm the interests of learners. Publishing performance data of training providers is another safeguard for learners. SSG requires learners taking SSG-funded programmes to give feedback on course quality and how well the training supports their career growth. The ratings of each course are published on the MySkillsFuture Portal to help learners make informed training decisions. Safeguarding public trust and confidence in our lifelong learning system is a key priority for SSG. We will continue to monitor training providers' marketing behaviour, adjust our guidelines and take fair and proportionate enforcement actions where necessary. We remind our training providers to abide strictly by the marketing guidelines. We also seek continued support from the public, to be vigilant and to provide feedback on non-compliant marketing practices.”
“Mr Speaker, under SkillsFuture Singapore's (SSG's) Terms for Training Providers, there are strict marketing guidelines which prohibit training providers from making exaggerated claims, offering monetary incentives in exchange for course sign-ups, or engaging in aggressive marketing tactics. For example, SSG has reminded training providers to focus on promoting the merits of the courses, and not use the expiry of the SkillsFuture Credits to hard-sell their courses to individuals. Given the large number of training providers, SSG supplements its own monitoring of their marketing behaviour by relying on feedback and whistle-blowing by the general public and learners. When SSG guidelines are flouted, SSG takes enforcement actions. These include suspension or termination of a training provider's registration with SSG. SSG publishes the list of training providers who have flouted the terms and were subject to enforcement actions. From 1 December 2025, SSG will disallow registered training providers from engaging, requesting or procuring any third party to market courses directly to learners. This is necessary given an increase in public feedback on undesirable marketing practices involving third parties over the past year. This new prohibition will reduce the risk of the public being subject to misrepresentation, over-promising or undue influence when third parties are involved in the marketing of training programmes. It can also avoid the compromise of personal data when third parties ask for such data to facilitate course sign-ups. The majority of our training providers comply with SSG's marketing guidelines, and the practice of engaging third parties for direct marketing is not widespread.”