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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“Some of the teachers are particularly concerned about the workload and it is not unreasonable to be concerned, given that there are demands on their time. There are concerns with respect to the amount of administrative overheads and MOE is trying to put in place some information technology solutions that should be able to address some of those needs. The concerns of teachers also include the opportunity to have regular ongoing professional development and that is something that we do have a significant amount of work going into ensuring that every teacher has at least 100 hours of professional development every year. Other concerns: one of the striking points in the survey was actually the perception of how they are valued and respected within society, and there was, interestingly, a big group of teachers within the survey who recorded that they felt that the value and respect that they were accorded were decreasing and yet this would not stop them from continuing with the teaching profession as they found this a very meaningful profession. Those were some of the deeper analyses that we found.”
“Madam, I thank the Member for the comment. Indeed, MOE is looking at increasing the number of allied educators for learning and behavioural support, and providing a variety of means to provide skills outside of just the teaching profession to allow the teachers to concentrate on the most important aspects of their profession.”
“The Member is correct. My apologies. Mdm Speaker, I can get those numbers and get back to the Member. My apologies to the House for this delay. [Please refer to "Clarification by Minister of State for Education", Official Report, 7 November 2016, Vol 94, Issue No 26.]”
“Madam, I beg your pardon. The Member had asked about the percentage who had left after the expiration of their bond. There was a slight uptick of 5% immediately after the bond had expired. I think I had addressed that in my initial statement. I am sorry. Was there another particular point that the Member wanted to ask?”
“Mdm Speaker, I thank the Member for that question. The potential teachers coming into NIE have a significant amount of orientation and counselling as to the demands of the job. But the reality is that the person that they are at the point of enrolment is going to be significantly different after perhaps another seven to eight years of their life. They may want to start a family; they may have different aspirations. The reality is that it has to be possible and acceptable for people to change careers as their aspirations change, as the needs of their family change, what they want to do with their life changes. So, to have zero resignations and zero people moving on to a different career would not be tenable or possible. We want to have as good a matching as possible and the key point would be to ensure that people who choose a career in teaching have a good understanding of what it involves, and that we provide them the professional development necessary so that they can cope with the rigours of the job, which are demanding.”
“They can develop their careers by taking up leadership positions in schools and MOE Headquarters, becoming teacher leaders or taking up senior specialist roles. The Ministry also provides strong support for the professional development of teachers. The Academy of Singapore Teachers, professional academies and language centres, put together many programmes and courses that help our teachers develop professionally. We also have various financial and leave provisions to support teachers who wish to deepen their professional mastery. Third, the well-being of our teachers is important to us. MOE is mindful of the high expectations of teachers. To address this, we have put in place measures to support and guide schools in work allocation. Schools also regularly review work areas that can be stopped if they are no longer relevant or meaningful, simplified to reduce duplication and optimise efforts, as well as share good practices to improve work management.”
“Madam, the cost of training a teacher on the 12-month Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) at the National Institute of Education (NIE) is around $23,000. Salaries are also paid to trainee teachers during their NIE training. On average, our teachers have been in service for 11 years. The overall resignation rate for the entire teacher population has remained low at around 2% to 3% a year over the past decade. Over the first five years of service, we see a slightly higher overall resignation rate of around 3% to 4% a year, on average. Typically, there would be an uptick in the resignation rate to about 5% for teachers when their bond ends. The main reasons for resignations range from family considerations, such as childcare, to a desire for a change of job. Workload is not commonly cited as a reason for teachers leaving the service. The Ministry of Education (MOE) recognises that teaching as a profession is demanding and requires significant commitment and deep skills. Many teachers have decided to make teaching their lifetime career and contribute to the development of our next generation. We have consistently paid close attention to our teachers in ensuring that they are fairly remunerated, provided with developmental opportunities to grow in their careers and being taken care of in terms of their well-being. First, teacher remuneration is regularly reviewed to ensure it remains market-competitive. The last two salary reviews were in September 2012 and October 2015, and eligible teachers had a monthly salary increase of 8% in 2012, and 4% to 9% in 2015, respectively. Second, we provide our teachers with many career and professional opportunities.”
“Madam, I thank the Member for the question. The Ministry does review every case. Often, there were no warning signs. So, we need to find out what are the other stressors that perhaps were not picked up by the existing system, and the processes that we have. We are undertaking a further review of our strategies as well as our possible interventions to prevent suicides.”
“I thank the Member for his suggestion. We are always looking for ways to improve and ensure our CCE programmes and Values in Action programmes are relevant. I will take the Member's suggestion on board and I will study it.”
“Ultimately, this cannot just be the effort of IDA. The community has to come in and, as mentioned by Minister of State Janil, that boot camp was an inter-generational effort. Recently, the People’s Association has launched a whole series of courses available at many, many community centres to encourage the elderly to pick up IT skills. We will roll out programmes but we also need partners to work together with IDA to make sure that this becomes a reality.”
“I thank the Member for the question. It is, again, something that is not based on a single strategy. There are a number of things that we have to think about. It comes in right at the beginning of the design stage, whatever the strategy or whatever the platform, whatever the issue to bring in that thinking about making sure that people who either have a physical impairment or do not have the technological literacy to be able to access the programme can do so. The ability for people to pick up these skills is really quite significant. The multigenerational boot camps that I referred to, all the participants − the seniors − this was the first time they were able to go online and stream the videos and check the bank accounts and so on and so forth, and they were being taught by Primary 4 students. I mean, what has become cutting-edge in a couple of years has become very normal and, in that transition, we have to make sure that there are no groups left behind in terms of accessing what has become essential services. There is not one strategy; the idea of this digital inclusion and access is pervasive throughout many of our Smart Nation programmes. Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Madam, if I can add, as mentioned by Minister of State Janil, one of the programmes that IDA rolled out is the Silver Infocomm Junction. It is an event basically to engage our seniors. I hope maybe one day we can invite Mr Zaqy to attend one of these sessions to see how we have been able to enthuse the elderly generation to become comfortable with technology. They have learnt how to use Skype, they have learnt how to use email and they even learned how to do online banking, just from their mobile devices. This is a good start to make sure that no group is left behind.”
“We manage to get a few companies to come and be involved in the Tech Skills Accelerator. The programmes below this can be part of it, but the Tech Skills Accelerator will also define new skill sets. I think we need to go out and reach out to the companies. The initial response has been very good. In my response on the Google programme, all of the professionals who undergo the programme have been employed. Therefore, it is a very, very good programme. I agree with the Member that this is something which we should encourage more companies to do and IDA will continue to get more companies on board. Madam, with your permission, if I can just add to Mr Zaqy Mohamad's question on Government communications on translations. Apart from written translation, you and I know that if we have a programme which is a video, for example, PG in Mandarin or in English, to translate that into Malay you cannot do a direct translation. Obviously, the nuances are different, the cultural backgrounds are different and, therefore, you need talent, you need companies that can do that within the cultural context. Currently, there may not be many companies which are able to do so but our staff have been working very hard to be able to roll out the PG Package in different languages. It shows that we can do it with a lot of effort where we built a lot of capability, and we hope we can also energise the private sector to step forward and think about what they can do to help us in the upcoming Government communications of the new policies.”
“I thank Ms Sun Xueling for the question. Indeed, it is an important part of how a start-up has to deal with the brutal realities of both the technological space as well as our small market. Very early on in the development of a technologically based start-up, they do need to consider an internationalisation strategy. And there are some components to this. The mentors that we are bringing in through IIPL and BASH and several other mechanisms, a guide is that enthusiastic young people driving the startups have to think about internationalisation strategies. The young people themselves need to have some opportunity to expose themselves to what happens outside of our own market. That means that the companies that are operating either in the region or internationally need to be located here to provide these opportunities. So, there are multiple things that we need to do. But it comes down to connecting the businesses here with opportunities in the region, connecting the people here with businesses that operate outside of Singapore and educating them as they develop their business, as they develop their startups think about the internationalisation strategy very, very early on in the process. There are a number of things that we need to do at MCI, and its partners are very much focused on this. I thank the Member for the question. Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Madam, on CLT, I agree entirely with the Member that this is a very good initiative. Overlaying the initiatives for the professionals is the Tech Skills Accelerator which we hope, as mentioned in my reply, to work with major employers, to work together with them, so that they can determine what sort of skills sets are needed for the emerging technologies.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I do not have the exact number of the prepaid as opposed to post-paid plans. The overall number is likely to be low. The total number of 2G users is less than 200,000. By some estimates, the number of elderly is probably less than a third of that. But it is actually hard to be sure when the registrant is not always the user. It is small. I would like to reassure the Member that the agency is now working to reach out to these customers, the consumers, the operators to help the migration. The migration from 2G to 3G is necessary because the 2G radio spectrum is to be freed up for many of our ongoing plans for improving connectivity. We do want to find a way to ensure that these elderly stay in touch. This is an important part of the connectivity. My understanding is that if the customer has a 2G service and retains their plan, even if the device comes with a 3G SIM card, their current plan will continue. I need to go and look into this specific question that the Member has brought up and I will do so. Whether a rebate scheme is necessary, my understanding is that their current 2G subscription plans will continue even if the device has to be changed to a 3G device in order for them to access this spectrum. But the intent we all have is the same as what the Member has raised. We do want to ensure that the elderly who are currently using mobile devices will have every opportunity to continue to do so.”
“Mdm Chair, in conclusion, the world faces an uncertain and anxious time ahead, but it is also a time full of surprises, potential and opportunity. Smart Nation is a rallying call to the Government, industry and all our citizens, and all of us need to work hand in hand and seize these possibilities. We will need to take risks and be prepared for change and keep a look out for one another. Smart Nation is not about building technology. It is about us and the relationships we build with one another, as one people.”
“I would like to assure Mr Pritam Singh again, for our Silver Infocomm Programme, our digital inclusion programme, they are available in vernacular languages. I attended a very nice multigenerational boot camp in Punggol East together with Mr Charles Chong and there were 10-year-old Primary 4 students training the people of their grandparents' age on how to access the various programmes on Toggle, how to do their online banking, and they were doing so in a mixture of English, Malay, Mandarin and Hokkien. It was really a very interesting experience. Getting people online is only the start. Serving them online is just as important. Today, Government websites are held to standards by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) for use by people with disabilities. But we are not satisfied to stop here and are looking at how e-Government services can be designed to better serve all Singaporeans, especially the elderly and people with special needs. We also use technology in other ways. For example, the recent Budget 2016 speech had "live" captioning to enable the hearing-impaired and the deaf community to have direct access to the Budget speech. Ms Chia Yong Yong mentioned the Enabling Village. This helps people with disabilities live and work independently using infocomm and assistive technology. This is Nur Madiah Hidayah Lim. [A slide was shown to hon Members.] She is 34 years old and born without limbs. She has benefited from some of the technology-driven programmes and devices we have put in place, and through SG Enable's Programme at Tech Able, she is now working as part of our digital economy. She has benefited from Tech Able and is now an active contributor to our digital economy, having found a job in SingTel as a Call Centre Operator.”
“We want to encourage all the innovators out there to create something useful on top of our data, maximise its value for the public or do something just for the fun of it. This is what the digital platform must do: bring us together as a people, each contributing our knowledge and experience in small and big ways and to be of service to one another. This is also why it is important that we take an inclusive approach as we take on the challenges and opportunities of the digital revolution and help one another adapt to the inevitable change. Some disruptions are easier to manage, such as the cessation of 2G mobile services that Mr Pritam Singh highlighted. This is not expected to affect many people, as 2G subscriptions comprise less than 3% of the total mobile subscriptions in Singapore today. The bulk of them are not senior citizens, but rather foreigners living in Singapore, corporate users and prepaid users. IDA is working with mobile operators to help them migrate smoothly to 3G and 4G networks. I would like to reassure Mr Singh, and I hope he will help me reassure them, that they can continue with their existing 2G subscriptions at current prices on the 3G network, until they choose to change or upgrade their plans. Other issues need more deliberate action, like bridging the digital divide. We must ensure that no segment of the community is excluded from computer and Internet connectivity, especially low-income households, the elderly and people with special needs. We have, to date, connected more than 29,000 low-income households since 2006. Internet usage by our seniors aged 50 and above has also increased significantly from 33% in 2012 to 51% in 2014.”
“This programme invites experienced Singaporean tech professionals to come into the Government and deliver meaningful digital and data solutions for citizens. In the first three days alone, we received about 100 applications, many of them working in top software firms, an overwhelming response. IDA has also pioneered a Technology Associates Programme to build a pipeline of technology leaders and experts for the Government through training and mentorship. Over 350 applications were received for 15 spots under this programme. Technology Associates have worked on projects such as the Business Grants portal announced by Minister Heng Swee Keat in the Budget and the online Student Learning Space being developed by the Ministry of Education (MOE). I am glad to see Singaporeans responding enthusiastically, not just to the Nerf Guns but also to our call to action to come and build our Smart Nation together. Even if you choose not to join the Government or work at BASH, there is a lot to do. If you like to play with data or programme an app, visit our open data portal. The url link is data.gov.sg. We revamped it last year to make our data clearer and more meaningful. It is also machine-readable and, so, easier for anyone to use it to develop their own ideas and products. Here is a map from data.gov.sg that allows you to make a comparison among the telecom operators by region. [A slide was shown to hon Members.] If you click on the different hexagons or type in the address, you will be able to compare the speeds of the different operators at the places that you are interested in. We want to make data open, accessible and easy to use.”
“The survival rate, under our strategy, has increased significantly from 10% to more than 60%. Most have chosen to be based in Singapore, and, in turn, create jobs for Singaporeans. This achievement would not be possible without a growing number of Singaporeans who are offering their time and expertise to help other aspiring entrepreneurs. One example is Teik Guan. He was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of DS3, a Singapore-based company, before he moved on to Gemalto, a digital security MNC. He decided to make a mid-career change this year and became a full-time mentor at BASH. With his rich experience, he has been an extremely valuable resource for promising young entrepreneurs. He is advising several startups on issues like optimising shareholding, identifying good business channels and improving their business strategies. Thanks to such efforts, the quality of our startups is improving. More and more homegrown startups are developing products that could potentially transform their sectors. I would like to highlight one example. It is a programme called Jaga-Me. A graduate of IIPL's pre-acceleration programme, Jaga-Me is a local startup that connects patients and their families with quality home nursing services on-demand. In doing so, it helps families to manage the stress of caregiving. The success of our Smart Nation will ultimately depend on the choices that we all make. For BASH, their secret is experienced mentors like Teik Guan who wants to nurture the next batch of entrepreneurs. The Government also needs people with the technical skills and the passion to serve. So, IDA has launched the Smart Nation Fellowship Programme last month.”
“I am working together with representatives from the technology sector, such as Mr Caesar Sengupta, who is the Vice President of Google located here in Singapore, together with a group under the Committee on the Future Economy, to examine the impact of disruptive technologies on our economy and to come up with some recommendations for the Government, private enterprises and individual citizens. We will look at how technology presents opportunities to re-engineer our business processes for better outcomes, leveraging on Singapore's competitive advantages, for example, our high level of connectivity, very high rate of literacy, as well as technological literacy and the high level of trust that exists in the Singapore brand name. At the same time, we must anticipate risks from new technologies, such as the threats to traditional businesses and jobs from automation. We must find ways to ease the transition for our people into new jobs and allow them to thrive in future work environments. We have a vibrant startup ecosystem but, to seize the opportunities out there, this ecosystem needs to grow. Last year, Infocomm Investments Pte Ltd (IIPL) set up a startup space called BASH, which stands for Build Amazing Startups Here. And we did. BASH has built 65 amazing start-ups in the one year that it has been operating. Across the whole of Singapore, IIPL has accelerated about 230 startups, including the 65 from BASH. 1.45 pm We have found that our strategies also increase the survival rate of our startups. Lots of startup ideas exist and there is a lot of initial excitement, but a key part of the process is the ability of the startup to get past the initial stage and attract further follow-on funding and investment.”
“This is a collaboration among MCI, the Smart Nation Programme Office (SNPO) and the National Research Foundation (NRF) and will have two strategic imperatives: first, to support the development of digital technology in areas that affect citizens the most, such as transport, health and service productivity; and second, to build capabilities in platform technologies to open up possibilities for innovation in many different fields. Examples are sensor communications, 3D geospatial science and cybersecurity. Globally, digital services were projected to have generated approximately US$1 trillion in revenues last year. We want Singapore business to share in this, to be part of this and to drive this. With these investments and plans, we can make sure that we give our businesses every opportunity to be part of the global action. For example, leveraging on Singapore's access to Asian languages, Dr Li Haizhou from A*STAR's Institute for Infocomm Research is leading an international effort with over 27 countries to develop a multi-lingual speech translation service over the Internet. This will enable 95% of the world's population to communicate with one another. This is an example of our competitive advantage as a result of the people that we have, the place that we occupy in the world, and the opportunities available to individuals, enterprises and academia here in Singapore. The public sector can be the enabler and catalyst, but it is the private sector that needs to lead in innovation, to bring ideas from the research lab to the market, to deal with the disruption and be disruptors themselves.”
“Today, each Government agency collects their own data, deploys their own sensors and develops their own applications. This slows innovation and increases costs. The Smart Nation Platform will provide a shared sensor communication platform for the whole-of-Government to allow collection, sharing and analysis of different types of data to benefit all. The first phase of Smart Nation Platform development and deployment is already under way, covering high traffic areas in the city and Yuhua. The first priorities for using the data will be transport and security. Working with the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA), we will be using the Smart Nation Platform video sensors and analytics to enable incident detection, vehicle count, speed analysis and crowd sensing. We want to use the data to reduce crowdedness, improve bus waiting times and improve comfort. This citizen-centric impact is what we want to achieve, and the Smart Nation Platform is not just a bunch of devices but a way for different agencies to come together, and put citizens at the centre, build and share innovations that will serve people better. This is what GovTech is all about and I am confident that we can achieve this vision, with the support of all agencies. Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked how we intend to develop Singapore's digital innovation capabilities under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2020. Out of the $19-billion fund announced by Prime Minister Lee earlier this year, $400 million will go to support the Services and Digital Economy (SDE) domain to drive research and innovation for our Smart Nation. A new Smart Systems Strategic Research Programme (SS SRP) will be launched this month.”
“It will be more than enough to surf the web and stream high-definition videos. Also, we will double the number of Wireless@SG hotspots from 10,000 to 20,000 across Singapore by 2018. In doing so, we will focus on public places, such as community clubs, hospitals, polyclinics, Government service centres, Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations, hawker centres, voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs), retail and tourist spaces. This will increase the penetration and pervasiveness of Wireless@SG. Already today, our hotspots-to-population ratio is second only to Tokyo. Our efforts and investments will help Singaporeans stay more connected. We will continue to support this programme for as long as necessary because we need the wireless ecosystem to develop into one that is vibrant and self-sustaining. It is not the connectivity that makes us smart; it is what we do with it. We need businesses to ride on our network to build and deploy new products and services, as alluded to by Assoc Prof Randolph Tan. There are already new players in the market taking advantage of the open access mandate in broadband infrastructure. They provide a new range of products and services, such as real-time surveillance and time-critical financial data. Operators can also use Wireless@SG to offer improved services, such as cashless payment and location-based analytics. All these benefit consumers, businesses, and productivity. We are forming the Government Technology Agency (GovTech) to drive transformation in the Government and to use digital technology to serve citizens better and improve our processes. One of the immediate responsibilities for GovTech is to roll out the Smart Nation Platform.”
“Mdm Chair, digital technology is changing and at the same time driving change at an astounding pace. Many view these developments with anxiety: will a machine take over my work? Will social media divide society? Will I be left behind as technology progresses? Is cyberspace safe? We cannot ignore such concerns. We cannot pretend that as a small, open country, we can shield ourselves from these forces. The only way ahead is to prepare for the threats and opportunities and to try to be the disruptor rather than the disrupted. This is what being a Smart Nation is about: we have a national plan. We will develop, deploy and exploit digital technology. We will secure the future of our jobs and drive the transformation of our quality of life. We will maintain the cohesiveness of our society, and our relevance to the rest of the world. To succeed, everyone needs to come together: citizens, companies and the Government. What can the Government do to enable this vision of a Smart Nation? Three things: first, we must build a first-class infrastructure for pervasive, seamless and high-speed connectivity to benefit citizens and businesses. Second, the Government must lead in the use of technology for our daily business: to serve people, make policy, plan ahead. Finally, we need to nurture research and innovation to build new solutions, create and capture value. First, let me speak on connectivity. I thank Assoc Prof Randolph Tan, Mr Saktiandi Supaat and Mr Zaqy Mohamad for their questions about Wireless@SG. It is already faster than most public wi-fi services around the world. But demand is increasing and so we will increase its speed from the current two megabits per second (Mbps) to five Mbps This is faster than existing 3G speeds.”
“I thank Dr Lim for his question. The rollout will depend on a variety of factors. Local demand is certainly one of those. Space availability is also important. But the key issue for when a centre can develop and how long it will take us to reach a centre in every school is the availability of quality provision for student care centres. We do need to make sure that the providers of the service have the staff with the ability to provide appropriate services and sufficient supervision to make sure that the children are well-looked after. We take into account the suggestion that we should prioritise some areas and I will study it.”
“Speaking to everybody in all the schools − the members of the board, the education and therapy staff, the nurse who mans the medical bay − you get a very pervasive sense of mission, purpose, pride and professionalism. They explain how much they are devoted to this calling that they have, the work that they do and the students that they care for. But from the outside, it does not look so much like just a job or the professional pride in their job; it looks like love. They love their work. They love their cause and their mission. They love the institutions that they have supported and worked for, raised funds for and volunteered for. They love their students. Sometimes, the students are challenging. Some of the staff get injured. There are problems with the physicality of their work, but it does not stop them. They go back to it. They love what they do and they love their Page: 41 students. Voluntary welfare organisations should continue to play a key role in SPED. Over the years, they have built up a deep expertise in catering to specific disability types. Each has created, nurtured and supported a specific community of educators, therapists, families and focused on a particular group of children and their challenges. This is a model of shared responsibility between the Government and the community. MOE will continue to support these groups, schools, children and professionals to do what they do so well. Mdm Chair, let me affirm MOE's commitment to building an inclusive education system in an inclusive society. We will continue to invest the necessary resources to enable all children, regardless of their starting points, to reach their full potential. SkillsFuture and Lifelong Learning”
“In addressing Mr Zainal Sapari's concerns regarding SPED schools, I would like to point out that the majority of SPED schools – 13 out of the 20 schools – charge around $10 to $20 per month. This is comparable to fees at Government schools. The remaining seven SPED schools charge higher fees. This is because they cater to students with multiple disabilities and challenges, who have a greater need for additional educational and therapy support. Nonetheless, their fees are still significantly lower than private SPED schools or international schools. In addition, MOE provides help for needy families through the SPED Financial Assistance Scheme. These schools also offer fee subsidies for eligible students. We will continue to work with SPED schools to improve their affordability. Over the years, we have been upgrading school premises, setting up new schools and expanding existing ones to allow more students to access special education. In the past few years, we have built a new campus for Delta Senior School, expanded Metta School and created additional classrooms for Pathlight School. More than physical capacity, skilled, committed and passionate staff are at the heart of our efforts to support children in SPED schools. Just last year, we made available more funds for SPED schools to increase the salaries of teachers, allied professionals and other staff. This is not only to help schools attract and retain personnel, but also to recognise the crucial and challenging work they do every day. Madam, I have visited a number of SPED schools, including, most recently, AWWA School.”
“We have worked closely with SPED schools to provide a quality education and to help prepare the children for life after school. To cite just one example, we have piloted the School-to-Work Page: 40 Transition Programme in five SPED schools with MSF and SGEnable so that more students can be gainfully employed upon graduation. We identify these students' interests and strengths and put in place structured internships and customised training pathways, with support from job coaches in various organisations. Most of the participants from the first cohort are now successfully employed in a wide range of industries. The School-to-Work programme will be made available to more SPED schools. MOE is working with interested schools to put in place new processes to enable them to identify and support their students. As we look to improve the transition from school to work, a consistent challenge is the mindset of employers and co-workers. This will take time to change and I urge all Singaporeans to keep an open mind, to offer these students and the adults they grow into every chance to be part of our society. Ms Denise Phua suggested co-locating SPED schools and mainstream schools to promote inclusivity. To some extent, this is already happening. We need a range of inclusive practices to cater to a range of different needs and allow for meaningful interaction and integration. Our satellite partnership model includes this range of practices. Some SPED schools practise "social integration" with their mainstream partners. Others, like Pathlight School, allow their students to join their mainstream peers in class. Canossian School practises "full inclusion" and its students already join in mainstream classes for all academic and non-academic activities.”
“MOE has also made available the School-based Dyslexia Remediation (SDR) programme, a specialised intervention programme, to all primary schools from this year. This helps students with dyslexia to overcome their core difficulties in reading and spelling. As part of the programme, we have also developed resources to enable parents to help their children at home to overcome the challenge of dyslexia. More students with special educational needs are entering our IHLs. More than 1,400 students have sought assistance at the SEN Support Offices, available in every IHL since their establishment. This is almost triple the number who sought assistance as of February 2015. Rather than be concerned about the average disbursements or a particular target, what is important is that these students have access to resources matched to their needs. The needs are greatly varied. Some students need a very small intervention, such as a ramp or a mechanical keyboard, whereas other students need a very wide series of both physical as well as process interventions. So, the average may not be very meaningful. To give an idea, about 90 students, since 2014, have been assisted by the Special Education Fund for the purchase of assistive technology devices and support services. About a quarter of a million dollars has been disbursed to them. For the smaller group of students with more severe special educational needs, we believe that they are better catered for in Special Education (SPED) schools. These schools are provided substantial funding by MOE – significantly more than the mainstream schools – which goes towards paying specialised staff and providing more intensive support for their students.”
“I would, first, like to assure Dr Intan Mokhtar that the majority of these children, who have relatively mild special educational needs, are already in mainstream schools. We, at MOE, and many of their families believe that these children can cope with the rigours of a mainstream curriculum once they are given a little extra support. Every primary school and 81 secondary schools are now resourced with at least one AED(LBS), as has been pointed out. MOE will continue to recruit more going forward. We do wish to recruit more going forward and extend the availability of this service. But they are doing an important and challenging job. We have to recruit the right people with the right disposition and skills. We have invested heavily in training both teachers and AEDs(LBS). As Ms Chia Yong Yong has pointed out, we give our schools the flexibility to source specific programmes to meet local specific needs. But these school-based programmes merely supplement the structured training already provided at NIE, our key training partner. All teachers, during their pre-service training, are equipped with an awareness of special educational needs. NIE also conducts in-service training, covering disability-specific areas, leading to a Certificate in Special Needs Support. AEDs(LBS) undergo the full-time pre-service Diploma in Special Education. The Advanced Diploma in Special Education is also available to them. We work with the Dyslexia Association of Singapore and the Autism Resource Centre to provide these AEDs(LBS) staff with in-service training. As we are committed to training teachers and the allied educators well, we will continue to review the structured training available to them.”
“They have to take a CCE module during their pre-service training, which also includes opportunities for them to engage in dialogue with experienced CCE teachers. In addition, all teachers have to take on Service Learning Projects to prepare them to conduct VIA programmes in schools. These two modules, these two ideas of a CCE module and Service Learning Project, in the teacher training process informs us on how we map some of our expectations of behaviours and values that we have of our students to the process that the teachers undergo in their training. So, what we expect in terms of values and behaviours for our students inside our curriculum and in our schools are expressed through the expectations we have of our trainee teachers while they are being trained to be teachers. There is a very tight link between the two. To address Mr Png Eng Huat's concerns, these VIA programmes are central to our aim of developing a strong civic consciousness. Students learn to take responsibility for their own spaces in class and at home at the primary school level, before progressing to initiating collective action among their peers to improve the lives of others in school and the community at the secondary school level and beyond. This year, we have reinforced being responsible for the community in a very tangible and physical way. All primary school students play a part in cleaning their schools every day − learning good habits, good values, respecting their school environment and the people who work to keep Page: 39 their schools clean. Mdm Chair, if I could return to the principles I stated at the beginning, our philosophy of developing inclusivity by giving more support where it is needed most is clearest in our efforts for children with special educational needs.”
“Mr Kok Heung Leun will be pleased to know that social and emotional competencies have been included in the school curriculum a decade ago and are also incorporated with the revised CCE curriculum. Students go through the process of acquiring the skills to recognise and manage emotions, develop care and concern for others, make responsible decisions, establish positive relationships and handle challenging situations. I would also like to reassure Mr Kok that teachers do use stories of loss, stories of managing change in family circumstances, from Literature as well as from the media to reinforce these lessons and, particularly, to highlight the need for resilience and to develop the mental and social skills in order for the children to have resilience. These values and socio-emotional competencies are reinforced during CCAs and camps. The CCE curriculum also aims to inculcate other 21st century competencies, such as civic literacy and critical thinking. Many teachers whom I have met feel that this is a central part of their duty. They have a moral obligation to not just be educators but also provide a degree of care and social support for the students they are in charge of looking after. Away from the public eye, there are many circumstances that I have come across in my previous professional life where it was the teacher who demonstrated a very deep understanding of some of the traumas that an underprivileged or vulnerable child may go through and was able to support both the child as well as the family that they were in touch with. 1.30 pm All teachers are equipped with the skills and knowledge to help our students develop character and the kind of competencies that Mr Kok spoke about.”
“These can be developed separately, to be integrated for use by both teachers and students. Miss Cheng Li Hui will be pleased to note that we also guide our students to be responsible and safe online. All our schools teach cyber wellness and also appoint students as "Cyber Wellness Student Ambassadors" to help guide their fellow students. Our ITE, polytechnics and autonomous universities also teach cyber wellness in a number of ways, including guidelines, compulsory modules, orientation camps and online platforms. During and after school hours, we aim to provide a supportive environment for all children, especially those from less-privileged backgrounds. The four Self-Help Groups have come together to form a joint venture which operates six school-based Student Care Centres and will open up another four Student Care Centres in schools by this year. MOE has supported the establishment of these school-based Student Care Centres (SCCs) that provide after-school care, supervision and development. The number of SCCs has risen from less than 50 four years ago to 130 today, now benefiting 15,000 students. To continue to cater for more students, we will increase the number of school-based SCCs to 140 by the end of this year, with all primary schools having SCCs by 2020. Page: 38 Promoting health is another way we can provide support for our students. I would like to assure Mr Chen Show Mao that our school canteen stalls comply with HPB guidelines that stipulate the need for healthier ingredients in food preparation and also stipulate a cap on sugar content in beverages. Equipping children with social and emotional competencies help to increase their mental well-being, reduce risky behaviours and improve academic outcomes.”
“This programme is especially important if you come from a background or a family that does not have English as a common language at home. English literacy becomes a foundation for studying a wide variety of other subjects – Science and Mathematics, for example, for assessing knowledge on your own in a library and for achieving the sort of self-directed learning that you need to access knowledge on the Internet. So, the FLAiR programme is available as an additional support for all children who need it. We want to replicate and extend FLAiR's success by increasing the number of anchor operator-run preschool centres offering FLAiR, and it has now been made available to not-for-profit centres. Over 50 such centres are offering FLAiR this year, benefiting about 450 children. We intend to reach out to even more children by doubling the number of not-for-profit centres offering FLAiR over the next few years. I agree with Ms Denise Phua about the need to level the playing field for all children, regardless of their backgrounds. We ensure that education is heavily subsidised for all students at all levels, and we provide additional financial assistance for needy students. The provision of technology can also be a social leveller. We give all our schools the resources to provide their students, including the underprivileged ones, with access to computing devices for learning. The online learning space that Ms Denise Phua spoke about, we will take this a step further by giving all students access to self-paced learning anytime and anywhere. This also allows teachers to design lessons and upload them and share work among students. This will also make possible the provision of third-party applications and education ware, including open-source applications.”
“We have and will continue to invest substantial resources in improving preschool education. Our 15 MKs currently enrol about 1,700 children. The first batch of MK children is now in Primary 1, and parents have shared that their children have the confidence and social skills to adapt well to primary school. MOE will continue to engage partners and stakeholders in the early childhood education sector to see how we can best use the lessons learned from the MK programme to help all children. Since 2014, we have been sharing good teaching and learning practices at various platforms, including the annual MOE Mother Tongue Language Symposium and the annual Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) Early Childhood conference. From this year, we will be sharing teaching and learning resources we call "Big Books". They are quite large books, for English and Mother Tongue languages, large in font and format, not necessarily very thick. These "Big Books" have been piloted at our MKs. The teachers can use these "Big Books" as a structured approach towards language-learning. This will help more preschool Page: 37 children to speak and read in English and their Mother Tongues with confidence. In line with our belief that we need to do more for those who need it, additional help is given to those with weak foundations in language and literacy. We have done this through a programme called Focused Language Assistance in Reading (FLAiR) for K2 children in about 360 preschool centres run by anchor operators and MKs. FLAiR has benefited around 17,400 children since 2007, helping them to build a strong foundation in English and narrow the reading gap with their peers.”
“Mdm Chair, an inclusive education system is one where every child is challenged to their full potential and given every opportunity to develop their talents and abilities. To make this a reality, some children need more help. We cannot treat every child in exactly the same manner. Some children have special needs, some have learning difficulties and others come from less-privileged backgrounds. To achieve equality of opportunity and bring out the best in all of them, we need to treat each child differently. More needs to be done for certain groups of students who need our attention the most. This will appear as an unequal distribution of time, effort and resources. An inclusive education system has to start in the child's early years. This is when children develop literacy, numeracy, socio-emotional skills and a sense of curiosity and wonder. These are important foundations for all. But we need to recognise that we should not be over-preparing our children for primary school. Dr Intan Mokhtar has pointed out that we have already achieved almost universal access to preschool. We recognise that having some parental choice and involvement in the type of experience a child has at preschool is important. Our current system allows for this, and compulsory education for preschool may not be the best way forward. Nevertheless, the Government will continue to explore ways to provide every child the opportunity to benefit from a structured preschool experience. For instance, a new pilot programme, KidSTART, will be established to encourage preschool participation at younger ages for children in vulnerable families. MSF will provide more details. Dr Lim Wee Kiak and Mr Zainal Sapari asked about early childhood education.”
“Mdm Speaker, the re-appointment of Education Service Officers is primarily to replace attrition, which is fairly low, at about 3%. The current approach is effective at attracting teachers and maintaining capabilities. There are subject areas of greater need, specifically, Art, Music, Humanities, Physical Education and Tamil. I am not so sure whether I could address the Member's question in terms of a policy to welcome ex-teachers. I mean, the applications are certainly welcomed and the skills are certainly valued. The ability for these officers to apply for those jobs is certainly well known. But I welcome any suggestions you might have about how we might do that better. In terms of a framework to recognise the skills of the officers, the work experience, the personal qualities, the content mastery, the track records of these officers when in service are all taken into account. So, there is a process by which their relevant skills and work experience are recognised and valued as they come back into the Education Service.”
“Mdm Speaker, I thank the Member for the clarification. There are a number of factors that are taken into account in terms of where to locate a merged school and how the pairs should be chosen, and of the pairs, where the final location should be. Transport and convenience, we have talked about; the ability of the facilities to be upgraded, disruption to the school, and so forth. The school will be relocated to Damai Secondary School and the final merged school will have significantly better and newer facilities than are available at Bedok North Secondary.”
“Mdm Speaker, I thank the Member for the question. I am not sure I said that there was an advantage to the merged school being at Bedok North Secondary. I do not quite understand – is the Member suggesting that the upgrading should not happen at Damai Secondary?”
“Mdm Speaker, I thank the Member for his questions. If I can take the first and the last ones together? The transport accessibility and convenience are factors, but they are not the only factors, as I have explained in the first response. I do appreciate the difference in the walking time from the two schools to the MRT station, but it is still fairly comfortable. There are a number of considerations and distance to the MRT station is not the only one. Convenience is a factor and there are a number of components other than convenience. With respect to the URA masterplan, MOE will have a look at site and make an assessment about the need within MOE for the site in terms of MOE initiatives and plans going forward. If MOE has no particular use for the site, the site will be returned to the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) who will then make an assessment of what happens downstream.”
“And then, if I can come back, the professionals, teachers and educators are also told that, if they are aware of misconduct by another teacher, it is their duty and their responsibility to make sure that it is reported. Page: 20”
“Madam, I do not have the data for other countries. I can certainly look to see if it is available. The issue of sexual misconduct and how it is dealt with in the school system, we can look at it from the point of view of the professionals, educators and we can look at it from the point of view of the students. The teachers or the educators have a high degree of trust placed on them and they are in a privileged position as adults in a position of responsibility and authority over their charges. The expectation of behaviour is codified in a code of conduct and this framework serves as a way that the Ministry, as well as the professional development agencies through NIE, trains the teachers. It is made clear at the point of recruitment and there are specific training sessions within the training at the time of induction into the service and then as part of professional development after service has begun. Such training is not left ambiguous. It is explicitly stated what are expected behaviours and what are behaviours that should be refrained from and avoided. Case scenarios are used, examples are used. From the point of view of students, appropriate behaviour from adults dealing with issues of sexual misconduct, predatory relationships, grooming – these discussions are started in Primary 1 and carried on throughout the whole of the schooling years. There are specific modules for this. These are conducted by specially-trained teachers who have an affinity and the rapport and are able to communicate the key issues. Students are told to look out for each other.”
“Events that highlighted an important principle that the founding generation took to heart, and used to write our pledge and build Singapore. The idea that in our country, there would be no second-class citizens. We would all be equal. No child in Singapore should grow up believing that they are a second-class citizen. And that will take work to ensure that we get it right now and prevent it from ever happening. There must be no second-class citizens. Whatever the future, we must hold to that idea. After a short 50 years, we are one of the most religiously diverse countries in the world, and our racial harmony and integration are celebrated and something to be rightly proud of. Returning to my story, it began as a warm fuzzy tale about National Day and the Anthem and some very enthusiastic boys. Then, it became an example of the extent of our racial integration. I spoke only a few more words and it became a platform for some difficult and contentious questions. But I hope we can return to that first chapter, the initial frame that with the right circumstances, with the right drive and passion, we can roar "Majulah Singapura" and that we must do so as one united people. If we are to build a Singapore with a unity of purpose, a nation that sees our diversity as strength, then it is our deeds and our words, spoken and held back that will matter most. There is still much to be done and many challenges ahead, but we are a forward-facing purposeful people. We are a people who want unity and harmony and are prepared to put in the hard work to make this happen. We are a people who understand that our diversity is our strength. Together, and only together, we will prevail. Madam, I support the Motion. [Applause.] 5.54 pm”
“We will always have differences among us and between us. I will not suggest we can pretend otherwise, nor should we. Often, these things that I describe are facts that determine our personality, determine our world views. We need to embrace this, we need to work through this together. Over the next 50 years, what will be the new fault lines? How will the old divisions of race, language and religion be interpreted? And potentially, how will these basic differences be exploited by those seeking to sow strife and divide us? How we deal with fault lines of division, depends less on the Constitution or our pledge and more on our deeds, our actions and our words – words that are said, words that are held back. For sometimes, the things that are not said have a deep impact. To create a division, to create a proverbial line in the sand, is very easy, all it takes are a few words – them and us. It is easy to separate people, all it takes are a few words and that line in the sand is drawn. Sometimes accidentally, sometimes deliberately. And every line in the sand is a problem, every line in the sand can become a gulf too large to cross if given enough words, enough malice. A wall is created and before, there was just space. All it takes are a few more words and then there is no going back. It becomes impossible or difficult to forget and forgive. But every line in the sand, every potential division, is also an opportunity and a chance – a chance to reach across and offer the hand of friendship and to face another across the line and speak words of unity. Every difference amongst us is an opportunity to show the world and each other that our diversity is our strength. Fifty years ago, our nation was founded in troubled circumstances.”
“The little boy will be in his 50s, maybe thinking about his second career. Between them, they will build the next 50 years of our country. They are Singaporeans. Listening, you embrace them as Singaporeans through and through. We sing the same songs, we eat the same foods, wear the same uniforms, believe in the same values that drive our country. We, together, will stand shoulder to the shoulder, face the future and all that the unknown may bring, regardless of race, language or religion. And listening to my story, you understand this, you believe this, you embrace this. But what if one of those boys is a new citizen? What if one of them is gay or an atheist? Or maybe he is someone who takes his religion very, very seriously? Maybe he embraces a different set of political views or is very conservative? Does the story change? Is he less Singaporean? Listening to my story, are you still convinced that he will stand beside you as a comrade and as a brother? Will you stand beside him as a fellow citizen? What does it mean "Regardless of race, language or religion"? In those few words, six words, are captured thousands of years – race, language or religion. Thousands of years of history, hundreds of wars, conflicts of blood shed between our races, of fights between other countries and religions, places we are not a part of. In those few words are described hundreds of millions of people outside our borders with whom we share history, heritage, ties of ethnicity and culture. We do not ignore all of this, we do not pretend it does not exist. But we look through, we look ahead and imagine a future where we have unity regardless of our history. If we can do this for race, language and religion, why not for other fault lines, other divisions amongst us?”
“Maybe it would have been natural to ask this question 50 years ago in Singapore, maybe 10 years ago, maybe five years ago. I began to look out for the story, telling the story deliberately waiting to see if someone was going to ask me, watching and waiting. I was never asked this question. In the Singapore of today, and in the six months I have been telling the story and boring my grassroots leaders with it, I have never even once been asked about the race of these boys – the soldiers and the little boy. I have never been asked what race they were. What does that say about the Singapore of today, that when I tell a story like this, it does not occur to anyone to ask, because it does not change the story – the story is about Singapore and Singaporeans, regardless of race, language or religion. We have a unity of purpose to build the Singapore we imagine. Our country is not a utopia and I am under no illusions about the reality of race relations in our society. I am under no illusions. There are difficulties, there are frictions, there are tensions and there are troubles. There remains much work to be done, but we all recognise the need to do the work together. We all want the same thing and we will deal with the problems together. This started as a simple but important story about our National Anthem, but by highlighting a question that was not asked, everything has changed. The words left unspoken have had a profound effect. You can listen to the story, imagine these young men singing the "Majulah Singapura", imagine their pride at being part of the NDP, imagine the excitement of the little boy on the stage. They will be alive at SG100, the soldiers will be approaching 70, maybe thinking about the next generation.”
“So, as the first verse finished with "Berjaya Singapura", there is that pause into the short silence between the verses, you could hear this young voice with all his energy and gusto trying to sing, and trying loudly to sing but you could not really hear the words he was singing – completely out of time. And his parents from the front row of the seats facing me, they began to have a worried look on their faces, looking like they wanted to do something or fix something. I smiled at them and shrugged, it was okay, he was trying his best, he was doing his best, and everything was okay, a little child trying his best to sing our Majulah Singapura. We all smiled, we all sang and throughout this song, we heard his little voice trying harder and harder to get it right. Maybe he thought that if he sang a little bit louder, all the Aunties and Uncles would follow him. We also sang louder and louder. When we finished, we all laughed, we high-fived, we hugged. On my way back home, I was thinking about the two versions of the song: one in perfect time, synchronicity; one completely out of time, chaotic. But all sung with passion and pride, celebrating our National Day. I have told the story many times, to family, to friends, to my students, to my residents. And after a while, I began to think about how people would respond to the story, how they were responding to my story, as I watched them. Their expressions, their emotions, what they said and, in particular, I wondered about what questions might be asked when someone heard my story. And there was one question that occurred to me. One particular question that would be very natural in many parts of the world, if you heard the story.”
“When the last notes faded away, we all fell silent. We looked around, smiled, acknowledged with the combination of joy and awkwardness that you get when you share a public experience with strangers. But we all agreed that we had felt something special that afternoon. When I left the Padang later that evening, I had an extra spring in my step and a song in my heart. I was rushing back to my constituency to join the Punggol-Damai Residents' Committee for an SG50 celebration. They had worked very hard for many weeks, decorating their estate, building a little kampong, putting up flags everywhere, some big, some small. It was a great event, a huge event, with several hundred families having a great time. As the night came to an end, we were in the multi-purpose hall in the HDB estate singing. I found myself standing on the floor in front of the stage. It was the last event, and the stage was filled with kids. The last song, of course, was going to be "Majulah Singapura". So, as the Committee was getting ready to play the music, I turned around and found a small boy, just on the stage behind me, with his head just behind my ear. I said, "We're going to sing Majulah Singapura. Are you going to sing?" I asked him. He said, "Yes, uncle! Yes, uncle." "Do you know the words?" I said. "Yes, yes, uncle, I know all the words!" he replied, full of excitement and energy. We began to sing. He did not know the words, not at all. You could vaguely make out the tune, but that was about it. Even worse, he did not know the timing.”
“The first few bars of "Majulah Singapura", we all turned to face the flag that we could not see. Ahead and above, and around us were the stands full of people who could not see us. We began to sing. We began to sing as we had done many times before. But something was different on that afternoon. Maybe it was the excitement of the dress rehearsal, or maybe it was just the sense of whimsy or foolishness on the part of one of those soldiers, but these three young soldiers on my left started to sing as loud as they could, pouring all their energy – not shouting – but putting every ounce of effort into singing, using every fibre of their being. You could hear all the passion and pride that they could muster. Maybe they were egging each other on. Maybe they thought they would try and drown out the thousands of spectators that they could not see. Whatever the reason, the aunties and uncles around me – I will include myself in that – would not be left behind. We also raised our voices louder and louder and louder. Although I could not turn around to check, in my mind's eye, the Enciks behind us were also singing louder, louder and louder. If you have ever sung in a choir, there is a special feel in the air when everyone gets it right, and the timing is just perfect with everybody in step. It is the same feeling you get if you are rowing a boat, paddling for a dragon boat and, suddenly, all strokes fall into perfect time and the boat surges forward. The choir lifts their voices a little bit more, not because of any effort, but because everybody had fallen into step perfectly. The moment does not last long, but it feels special, almost magical. So, louder and louder we sang, until it was a roar – a roar full of pride and full of passion, unseen and, perhaps, unheard.”
“Mdm Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to join this Debate. I would like to tell you about the events I experienced one Saturday in July 2015, six months ago. I was at the Padang as I had the privilege to be the reserve commander for the PCF Marching Contingent of the National Day Parade (NDP). On that particular day, Ms Ellen Lee, the contingent commander, was on the parade square. The parade had already started. It was one of our dress rehearsals and I was at the reserve form-up point with the other reserve commanders. The reserve form-up point was at the entrance to a tunnel through the stands. Above us were the seats with thousands of Singaporeans. Behind us were rows of portable toilets. Around me were the medical teams, stretcher bearers, and other members from the community contingent – what was called by one observer – the "Aunty-Uncle" contingent. A little bit further behind was a group of warrant officers, the Enciks who had trained the various groups out marching on parade. They were relaxed. This was something they had done many times before. Many of us were engrossed with our mobile phones. Just in front of me, to my left, were three young men – soldiers, also on reserve duty, ready to go out on the parade square, if needed. Their uniforms were white and starched, their boots shined to a mirror finish – the brass all buffed and polished. I was reminded of my three sons, especially as those three in front of me were engaged in a very familiar mix of bravado, aggression and camaraderie that seems to strike any group of young men when they are away from the influence of their mothers, girlfriends and wives. They were joking and poking, pushing and shoving and enjoying each other's company. Then, the music started.”