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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“But actually, that is a skill – a capability – that we will increasingly need, across a variety of organisations, to be able to then improve our carbon footprint and increase our sustainability. So, we will continue to study ideas, such as the one that Ms Hany Soh has suggested.”
“Sir, we do, indeed, have data on the participation rates. But CGS is a movement, and it involves a large number of events across Singapore. The number of events have increased, from 400 in 2023 to 1,200 in 2025, involving over 400,000 participants. The number of stakeholders, non-governmental organisations and community groups has also been increasing. So, we do indeed track participation, but it is not so clear what the correct number to target is for any given event. At each event, you may do it one year, you may not do it the next year, depending on the needs. I think the key thing is that, overall, the awareness of the need for reduce, reuse and recycle, the interest from stakeholders in stepping forward and the participation of the public in these sustainability efforts is what is important – rather than necessarily whether the number of people at any given event increasing every year. In actual fact, the number of people participating in CGS and NEA-related events each year has, indeed, increased. But that is not necessarily the absolute target that we should strive for. How can NEA cultivate further interest and engagement? Indeed, there are a number of funds. The SG Eco Fund is one of several funding mechanisms and there are partnerships that we are developing with schools, educational institutions, NGOs and the private sector. And all of this is towards the idea of increasing interest and engagement in initiatives that can help us to reduce, reuse, recycle, and improve our sustainability. The idea of looking at carbon savings and energy savings around each event is an interesting one. It is worth studying. It sometimes takes quite a lot of effort to be able to do so.”
“So, I thank him for his suggestions and indeed, these are things that we are working towards.”
“Sir, I thank Mr Loh for his questions as well as his considered view on what the SkillsFuture Credit and its interventions should be targeted to achieving. The short answer to all of his questions is yes and we will continue to try to do better and develop more data on these issues. We do already work along this track. Indeed, we have part of the funding focused on developing the culture, and then part of the funding focused on employment opportunity development; in other words, in mid-career to create the opportunity for someone to transition into another career and have fulfilling employment as a result. We work with the sector agencies and with industry partners. We map out manpower needs to identify jobs and skills gaps. And we do want to then curate the training programmes with the training providers to close those gaps. Is the culture of lifelong learning improving? The data would suggest it is, if you look at the number of courses, number of training providers and the demand for that type of effort on the supply side. And there, we do also have to look at some component of utilisation of the SkillsFuture Credit, perhaps as a marker of the take-up of lifelong learning opportunities. I take his point that that is not the only metric that we should focus on. We also look at job posting data. We do research together with the economic agencies to then make sure that we are achieving the kind of outcomes that he articulated. Of course, the provision of training through SkillsFuture is not the only thing that then leads to the economic outcomes that he has focused on, but it is something that we have to contribute towards. We review our policies, we review our programmes to enhance the accessibility, quality and outcomes of our SSG-supported careers.”
“Mr Speaker, I invite the Member to refer to the Ministry of Education's (MOE’s) response to Question Nos 40 and 41, filed by the Member for written answer in the Order Paper for 5 November 2025, where MOE has addressed this issue in detail. But I will provide some further details, specific to the question that Mr Shawn Loh has also filed for today. There are conditions imposed on the types of courses that the SkillsFuture Credit can be used for, to ensure that the courses taken meet our policy intent. For example, the $4,000 SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career) top-up targets mid-careerists aged 40 and above, and can only be used for curated courses with stronger employment objectives. On the other hand, immediate relevance to employment is not the objective of the opening SkillsFuture Credit of $500, which is intended to encourage lifelong learning and skills development across different life stages. Overall, across SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG)-supported training, eight in 10 learners find the course content relevant to their work.”
“I thank Ms Poh for highlighting the Beverage Container Return Scheme which we will introduce next year to encourage the public to return used plastic and metal beverage containers for recycling. Like other initiatives to encourage reduction and reuse, this scheme will require support from the public to deliberately collect and return your beverage containers for recycling. We seek everyone’s support to participate actively and make this scheme a success. Mr Speaker, Sir, the global challenge of tackling plastic pollution requires everyone to pitch in. While the Government has a significant role to play in supporting this journey, sustained change will be dependent on our choices. Choices to cultivate new habits and choices to adopt greener practices. With the right mindset, habits and systems in place, we can build a more sustainable Singapore together.”
“The SG Eco Fund complements other sources of funding provided by NEA, including the Closing the Resource Loop Funding Initiative which promotes research and development on resource recovery solutions, and the 3R Fund which supports organisations in the implementation of projects that reduce waste generation by promoting reuse or recycling systems. I am glad to hear that Ms Poh Li San and her colleagues are actively supporting ground-up commercial solutions that promote reuse, such as refill services for laundry detergent. I would like to highlight that the SG Eco Fund can support projects promoting reuse or BYO initiatives such as refill services. One example is Muuse, which ran a pilot project to provide reusable containers for customers at a hawker centre. If you have more of such innovative sustainability ideas that can benefit the community, I encourage you to apply for the SG Eco Fund. The idea of encouraging BYO is a good one. At a national level, we have seen many like-minded organisations come forward to offer such incentives. This year, we welcomed 99 new partners to NEA’s annual “Say YES to Waste Less” campaign, with several such as NUS and AtTea leading the way in introducing incentives for customers to bring their own reusable tumblers or lunchboxes for takeaway food and drinks. We welcome more to join these efforts, including coffee shops who offer discounts on drinks when patrons bring their own reusables. Food and beverage (F&B) operators who are interested in additional recognition for their sustainable practices can also apply for the Singapore Environment Council’s Eco F&B certification. Small changes in habits can have a big impact when adopted widely.”
“Industry is another key partner in our efforts and we have a suite of measures to support industry in adopting and scaling up more sustainable practices. To build industry capability, we launched the Packaging Partnership Programme (PPP) in 2021. Under this programme, NEA conducts regular outreach sessions and training, supporting companies in adopting sustainable packaging waste management practices, such as improved design to optimise packaging size and weight. The PPP today has over 570 members and is an important platform for industry collaboration on sustainable packaging. These efforts have paid off. We have seen industry players stepping up in response. In March this year, the Alliance for Action on Packaging Waste Reduction for the E-commerce Sector, which comprises 14 companies across the e-commerce supply chain, published a set of practical guidelines on sustainable e-commerce packaging. The guidelines provide a comprehensive list of practical 3R solutions for e-commerce. This is a much-needed resource given the rapid growth of e-commerce in Singapore. Government efforts alone will not be enough. Reducing plastic waste is a shared mission and this requires the participation of everyone. I am heartened to hear Ms Poh’s two suggestions to incentivise re-use and encourage BYO. We have worked with community members, non-governmental organisations and businesses to implement similar ideas. To encourage more ground-up initiatives, we launched the SG Eco Fund in 2020 to support community projects that aim to advance environmental sustainability, including those that reduce, reuse and recycle waste.”
“While we have been successful in limiting the leakage of plastics into the environment, managing our consumption and disposal of plastics remains a challenge. In 2024, almost 14% of all waste generated was plastics, with a large proportion being packaging and single-use plastics. Recycling of plastics is also low, with only 5% recycled in 2024. This in turn results in carbon emissions when we incinerate plastic waste. However, plastics serve many useful functions and some will continue to be essential to our daily lives. For example, plastic packaging protects goods such as fresh foods from moisture, contamination and damage. In our daily lives, many of us also use plastic bags to dispose of our household waste. This is why our approach has been to reduce the use of disposables, minimise irresponsible consumption and improper disposal, and encourage reuse and recycling as much as possible. In line with this approach, the Government has implemented several initiatives to promote individual behavioural change and help industry become more sustainable. Let me share more about the initiatives and progress we have made, which span across the 3Rs – reduce, reuse and recycle. To encourage sustainable individual consumption patterns, we introduced the Disposable Carrier Bag Charge in 2023, to encourage shoppers to bring their own reusable bags when grocery shopping at supermarkets and hence reduce the use of disposables. A survey by NEA a year after its implementation found that more than 90% of shoppers brought their own reusable bags, with supermarket operators reporting a 70% to 80% reduction in the number of disposable carrier bags issued.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank Ms Poh Li San for her interest, her passion and her hard work on this important issue and for urging us all to reduce our plastic waste. We share her concerns about the impact of waste and plastic waste in particular, and welcome her efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle. She has highlighted areas where we can as a society do more, and she has also made it clear that a key shift is necessary in our behaviour. In my speech I will highlight the efforts that we are already making, as well as programme funding that already supports initiatives to reduce waste. I would urge Members of the House to encourage further participation in these programmes by community stakeholders. Sir, the topic of plastic waste and pollution has been widely debated around the world. Each country has its own unique context and challenges. Let me start by setting the context for Singapore as these directly shape what effective interventions would look like. In Singapore, we have a robust waste management system. All of our plastic waste is collected for disposal or recycling. Any waste that cannot be recycled is treated at our waste-to-energy incineration plants before the ash is sent to Semakau Landfill. This robust waste management system and our strict anti-littering regulations limit the leakage of plastic waste into our environment. One study found that about 97% of plastic waste found on Singapore’s beaches originate from offshore sources. Ms Poh Li San has a concern about the potential health impact of microplastics that leak into our environment. NEA, Public Utilities Board and the Singapore Food Agency regularly monitor the latest scientific developments on this issue. Our agencies are also monitoring the levels of microplastics in our drinking water and our food.”
“So, we are always learning from one another. To answer the second part of his second question, I think, would take me a Committee of Supply speech – to identify all the different components of pedagogy, learning methodology and faculty development. But I would assure Mr Tan and Members of the House that our education fraternity does not assume that we have solved all the problems, all the challenges within the education space, notwithstanding the ranking and grading, and external view, we have to consistently and regularly make sure that what we do in our schools and in our classrooms meets the needs, not just of the system, not just our general population of students, but the individual students that the educators hand-hold through their learning and development journey. That is an ongoing process.”
“Sir, I thank Mr Dennis Tan for the two questions. Indeed, collaboration and inquiry-based learning is integrated into all of the schools. These are core skillsets for our educators. This is something that our professionals as part of their training in the National Institute of Education, whether they are doing it as part of their original practicum or they go on to become specialists in particular areas of education. These are core skillsets for our educators and they integrate them into the curriculum, into the syllabus on a regular basis; and they do so for every school and they give every child the opportunity to do so. What collaborative learning, inquiry-based learning looks like will change, depending on whether it is talking about a mathematics class, a language class, a social studies class, and it will also change depending on the level of confidence and maturity of the students. What happens in the early primary years is going to look quite different from the later primary years. And so, the core skillset to ensure that this type of pedagogy is available, used and integrated into our teaching methodologies, into all our classrooms, is there and is something that is at the heart of the teaching profession. Sir, his second question was about studies of other systems. The short answer is yes, our educators are regularly and consistently looking at other education systems. There is a very robust community of practice amongst the educators within Singapore, and with our region and internationally. They are constantly and consistently comparing notes on a practical level, on a personal level. And there is also a robust community of practice in education research, which our educators and our education researchers participate in, and they are also comparing notes.”
“Mr Speaker, the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) serves as a useful checkpoint on students' mastery of the primary school curriculum. It is designed to assess core concepts and skills in the primary school curriculum, including the ability to think critically and apply concepts in different contexts. PSLE does not emphasise rote learning or test-taking skills. To prepare students for the future, schools also design co-curricular programmes, applied learning programmes, Character and Citizenship Education lessons and leadership opportunities to nurture students' 21st Century Competencies. While not all of these competencies, such as collaboration skills and inventive thinking, can be measured through a single exam, they are developed in the course of learning the curriculum. Our teachers use a range of pedagogies, such as inquiry-based, collaborative and experiential learning, to facilitate students' learning. We are heartened that international benchmarking studies, like the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, have found that our primary school students are adept in reasoning, and applying concepts and skills to navigate non-routine situations and solve more complex problems.”
“Sir, I thank Mr Giam for the question. He used the word "techniques", implying that these are things that one just has to follow a checklist. These are skills, and a skill is not quite the same as a technique. So, indeed, the consideration of the development of these skills is a part of the formal curriculum and the syllabus that all students will go through.”
“Sir, I thank Mr Giam for the questions. The higher order questions, the challenging questions, are included partly because there are students who can deal with them and who then need their cognitive abilities, their academic abilities assessed correctly. And if we did not include the higher order questions, the more challenging questions, those students who would be able to cope with these questions would not have their abilities adequately assessed and then, would not be adequately served by PSLE. He asked if the students were taught how to address challenging questions, or whether they were expected to only learn how to address them through the use of private tuition. The answer to the second part of that question is no. There is not an expectation that the only way to deal with challenging questions is through private tuition. Indeed, throughout the approach within our formal education system in the schools, the students are taught repeatedly how to take a concept and apply it to a question that they have not previously encountered. This requires taking a concept that one knows about, addressing it to a novel situation, or addressing it in a way in combination with other concepts. This requires creativity, some imagination and an application of problem-solving skills. These skills – higher order thinking, problem solving, creativity and imagination – are applied repeatedly over the course of the formal education system using the concepts within the curriculum and they are similarly tested a combination of the concepts as well as the higher order thinking within the framework of PSLE. This entirely reflects the curriculum and the syllabus, and not any requirement for private tuition.”
“Mr Speaker, the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) contains questions of varying difficulty levels to allow students with different abilities to demonstrate their understanding. Challenging questions make up approximately 15% of total marks in each subject. All questions, including challenging ones, are based entirely on the primary school syllabus and do not require knowledge beyond the curriculum. However, challenging questions do require students to apply the concepts in novel or authentic contexts. To ensure accessibility, all questions use age-appropriate language and contexts. In addition, challenging questions are often structured with scaffolding to help students attempt them progressively. These measures help to ensure that the PSLE remains accessible to all students, including those without private tuition.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank Dr Hamid Razak for the suggestion. Indeed, we will continue to study the variety of means through which we can help the learners, the employers and also the training providers make the correct choices, in terms of the courses that the learners select to go on, creating opportunities, the opportunities created by employers, and the training providers that need to then develop capacity in order to then provide the training for the learners. So, we do need to make this information available. As I have explained, the outcomes are not so simple because some of them are distant in the future, some of them are stackable on top of each other. But we have to track all of these and think through how we can best provide the information; and how we can then guide the learners and the workers as well as the employers and the training providers, in order to think of the future capacity and the future opportunity. It is not so straightforward. As I have explained, we have to think about wage outcomes and job placements but also job roles. And some of it is also a consideration of then what would have happened, the counterfactual, the worker who was not displaced but stayed in the job role or transited to another domain and potentially took a pay cut, but that was the counterfactual to losing the job entirely. So, we have to think through how we present the data in a way that informs learners, employers and training providers in helping them make decisions about SkillsFuture's future. 1.00 pm”
“SSG also makes available jobs-skills tools and resources under the Jobs-Skills Portal to help companies and training providers focus on building up relevant skills for their workers and trainees.”
“Some programmes also equip learners with horizontal skills, such as data analytics and artificial intelligence-related skills, that can be applied to job roles across multiple sectors. Further, wage and employment outcomes do not tell us the full picture. For example, reskilling could have helped workers, who are at risk of displacement, keep their jobs, or take on new job roles in a growth sector, albeit with an initial pay cut. Some workers might also learn new skills in anticipation of new or upcoming requirements, for example, an automotive mechanic learning how to maintain electric vehicles. In such cases, wage effects may be hard to quantify. Therefore, MOE and SSG take a broader view of the impact of the SkillsFuture movement. To complement the employment outcomes reporting, SSG administers the Training Quality and Outcomes Measure (TRAQOM) survey to learners who take up SSG-funded programmes to rate the programme quality and perceived outcomes. This includes whether the training has helped them to be more effective at their jobs, improve their work performance or allow them to take on enhanced responsibilities at work. The TRAQOM ratings of each course are published on MySkillsFuture portal and guide learners on suitable training programmes. Other than employment outcomes, SSG also studies job posting data to monitor how job roles and skills needs of the labour market are evolving. Such jobs-skills insights are published regularly to inform the training market. For example, SSG's annual Skills Demand for the Future Economy report highlights changes to the in-demand skills in the digital, care and green economies.”
“Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Education (MOE) and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) adopt a variety of quality and outcome metrics to assess the effectiveness of SkillsFuture-funded continuing education and training (CET) programmes. Employment outcomes, including wage changes and placement rates provide a quantitative measure on the impact of learning, including the industry relevance of skills training. Today, we track and report employment outcomes via administrative data, programme-specific surveys and econometric studies. For example, as of December 2024, about 55% of almost 4,300 trainees who were unemployed at the start of the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programmes found new jobs within six months of course completion. Last year, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) published findings from its Work-Study econometric study, showing that Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and polytechnic graduates who upgraded via Work-Study Programmes enjoyed wage premiums of around 6% to 11%, compared to those who transited straight into employment. Every year, the polytechnics and ITE also administer the Work-Study Programme Outcomes Survey to work-study graduates. The findings are generally positive, with more than 90% of trainees employed and enjoying higher median salaries, compared to at the start of the training. We will review the Member's suggestion on how better to report employment outcomes to guide individuals' training decisions. Where the studies are conclusive, such as the MTI's econometric studies, we have published them. A more granular breakdown by sector is not always possible due to sample size limitations.”
“Sir, I thank Mr Nair for highlighting the expiry of the $500 SkillsFuture Credit top-up that we have benefited from. I would encourage all Members of this House who I am sure are in the eligible age group, please do use up your expiring credits by the end of the year. Many courses are eligible for that subsidy. But that is not the end of the SkillsFuture Credit, and there is the additional $500 opening Credit and then the $4,000 that is available for the long term which does not expire. We do want to encourage people to take a few courses; and for some of the courses, you do not need to use very much of your SkillsFuture credits. Get into the habit of understanding what does lifelong learning look like and what does it mean to take a course while you are working if you have not done something like this before. In terms of the overall utilisation, we do see a spread of individuals of about 30% in their 40s, 30% in their 50s and 30% in their 60s, which then highlights that actually, this is about giving assurance that at any point during your career, if you should need a reboot, an opportunity to develop a new set of skills, there will be support and opportunity created through the SkillsFuture movement. So, in general, for most of the SkillsFuture Credit, there is no rush, and you can start to sample and set yourself up for the future. But for one particular tranche, I would encourage all Members and also, as you go and visit your constituents, to remind them that this $500 of SkillsFuture Credit is expiring by 31 December 2025. It is worth having your first taste of what it feels like to do lifelong learning and make use of those credits to do a course.”
“Certainly, we do not want people to go and chase after postgraduate qualifications if they are not going to result in outcomes for that individual, which are useful to that individual. So, I think we have started this. We will learn from the lessons as we implement it. And should the need be there, we can always consider it again. But at the moment, as I have explained my original answer, it is not that there are no postgraduate qualifications that are supported. It is specifically the training allowance that is not applied, but the SkillsFuture Credit can be used for Masters programmes at our autonomous universities, and those Master's programmes indeed do support the various niche areas that that Mr Tiong highlighted in his supplementary question.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank Mr Tiong for the two questions. For his first question on the age cut-off and the training participation, I think that we should not take the view that what we must strive for is for everyone to use up their SkillsFuture Credit as soon as possible, and to engage in training as soon as possible. The idea is to make sure that there is an assurance that at any time of your career over the course of your life, you will have the opportunity to reskill should there be a need. And so, if there is no need – you are within a career, you are developing your professional skillsets, there is opportunity ahead of you – then, that may be the right thing for you to do, rather than using your SkillsFuture Credit and going for a course for a certification. We do want you to get into the culture of lifelong learning. And so perhaps, if there is an interest, a small course, please do so. But I think we should not necessarily see the data in a negative light. It may well be that that category of people does not need to utilise the SkillsFuture Credit in quite the same way and may need to do so at a future point in their career – which is its purpose. For the second point in terms of the postgraduate support, as I have explained, we are open to considering if there is a need. The issue is whether today, the supply of people with appropriate qualifications in order to drive the development of those areas is constrained by the type of training that is provided. It does not appear to be a direct indication at this point in time. We would also not want, as we are developing these programmes, to create a paper chase.”
“And there are many other employers that are doing something similar.”
“Sir, I thank Dr Hamid Razak for the question. Indeed, the decision to think of the age cut-off at 40 is informed by data, but not so much on the data that we have on appeals. I do not have the direct data for appeals received or granted. Perhaps the Member can return with a further question, if that is the focus. The data that informs us about the age cut-off is about the risks of a given individual becoming unemployed, and the length of time taken for that individual to then go back into the workforce and find a job. And we can see that those in their 40s have a higher risk of becoming unemployed, potentially because of skills obsolescence, and take longer to then go back into the workforce and to find employment, as compared to people in their 20s and 30s. And so for that reason, we have chosen the cut-off for that particular tier to be at 40. I just want to take the opportunity to emphasise that it does not mean that anybody under the age of 30 does not have assistance. There are the subsidies that are available to all Singaporeans at up to 70%, potentially rising to 90% if it is employer-driven; there is the SkillsFuture Credit that is available to everybody above the age of 25; and the moves that we are making to support lower-wage workers that are above the age of 30 that are coming and have already been announced. I would also point out that there are plenty of training opportunities available to Singaporeans of all ages that are not under SkillsFuture. Many organisations make training opportunities available. The public sector is one, for example, that provides training through the Civil Service College and so public sector officers do not have to use the SkillsFuture Credit in order to develop new opportunities through training.”
“I thank Mr Kwek for the question. It is an important issue, but it is a little bit preliminary, it is a little bit premature. The programme is not very old and some of the types of gains that he is talking about will indeed take years to be realised. You transition into a new industry or even stay within the industry but now with the new set of qualifications. Although you have the qualifications, you now have to apply them to the job, develop your career prospects within this new role in this new task. And it can take some time for these to be realised in a metric that we can measure and present to the House. So, in the short term, some of the things that we have learned are about the need to have better matching and better integration between the curricula, the services of the training providers and the needs of the industry; and to look to see how we can bring the employers and in particular, large employers, those that we think of as SkillsFuture developers or Queen Bees, together with the trade associations, have them either participate in the training or inform the training providers about the curricula, the job roles and the particular skills and tasks that the learners are engaged in. The better we can do that, the more confidence the employers will have in the approach that we are taking and hence, the more confidence that workers and learners will have in dealing with the opportunity cost that is very real for someone undergoing training. So, those are some of the short-term lessons. I think the issues that the Member has highlighted are indeed important, but it is a little bit early to have a definitive comment on that.”
“Some of it is about decisions in terms of the returns on investment that they will have and some of it is about reducing the frictions for their workers as learners in pursuing lifelong learning.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank Mr Patrick Tay for his question. Indeed, we would ask for employers to do more to support our SkillsFuture movement. Overall, it has not been bad. If you look at the proportion of training places taken up under SkillsFuture, about 43% to 45% are employers-supported, which means that the learner, the worker, is not actually paying out of their SkillsFuture Credit. And overall, if you take a look at the last 10 years, the numbers have indeed increased. We have seen an increase in the number of employers that are involved and an increase in the number of training places supported by employers. But as the overall number of training places has increased, the proportion has remained relatively static. We think there is room for the proportion to increase and for employers to do more. There is also a benefit for the system and our movement, if employers can do more. Because if they are sending their workers for training, it means that they have recognised and are signalling the importance of such skills upgrading for their business and for their industry. It means that their workers and the learners under SkillsFuture have the assurance that these are industry relevant and are going to help them progress in their career. And it helps to, then embed this culture of lifelong learning as part of adult work. Some of it is about the business decisions and the sense of investment in their people. And some of it is also looking at the processes within their companies, in terms of reducing the frictions to allow people to go for training, have the work covered and think about the job transformation that will allow the embedding of lifelong learning as part of the career. So, I think there is room for the employers to do more.”
“The success of the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme ultimately must be measured by how confident mid-career Singaporeans are in using their newly acquired skills to navigate the disruptions in the economy ahead, and cannot just be measured by employment outcomes alone, since training alone cannot guarantee jobs and may not lead to immediate employment gains. To help our people succeed, we need to continue strengthening the whole-of-society partnerships between Government, individuals, unions, industry and training institutions to build a culture of lifelong learning so Singaporeans can stay resilient, employable and competitive.”
“First, on extending the Level-Up Programme to younger Singaporeans. For now, younger Singaporeans in their 30s can continue to benefit from the broad-based training support that I mentioned earlier. This includes subsidies at up to 70% of course fees for all Singaporeans. Additional support will be given to lower-wage workers in their 30s. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Manpower announced the Workfare Skills Support Level-Up Programme to better support these workers in upgrading to full qualifications that can uplift their wages. From early 2026, lower-wage workers in their 30s will receive monthly training allowance when they pursue eligible long-form training, similar to the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme. The second suggestion is to extend the training allowance to postgraduate programmes. Today, the training allowance supports mid-career substantive training up to the undergraduate degree level. Mid-career Singaporeans can use their SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career) of $4,000 to offset the out-of-pocket training fees for postgraduate Masters’ programmes offered by the autonomous universities. We have not extended the training allowance to postgraduate programmes as most jobs in Singapore do not require such qualifications. We are also careful not to inadvertently perpetuate a paper chase at the Masters’ level. Individuals can decide whether it is worthwhile to invest in a Masters’ degree, given its high cost but also potentially high returns on investment, however, this applies to a small number of jobs in Singapore. We will continue to monitor the needs for postgraduate training in emerging sectors and adjust our level of support accordingly. We welcome feedback and will continue to monitor the employment outcomes from the increased training take-up.”
“From the claims data, the number of individuals taking SkillsFuture Career Transition Programmes increased by about six times from around 1,500 to around 8,500, compared to the same period in the preceding year, and those who used the SkillsFuture Credit for full qualifications increased by about 2.5 times from around 3,000 to around 7,000. Within the first three months of implementation, over 3,200 Singapore Citizens have been successful in their training allowance applications for full-time long-form training, with over $30 million in claims committed as at end-July 2025. To build on this momentum, we will expand the Level-Up Programme in the following ways for the immediate term. First, as announced at Budget 2025, we will expand the training allowance to part-time long-form training from early next year, to support mid-career Singaporeans who choose to pursue such training while continuing to work. This is estimated to benefit 10,000 Singaporeans annually. Second, we will continue to refresh and expand the number of IHL full qualifications and stackable micro-credentials, as well as SkillsFuture Career Transition Programmes to meet emerging skills needs. For example, over 100 SkillsFuture Career Transition Programmes were launched this year in high-demand areas such as Artificial Intelligence. Third, we will work with sector agencies and industry partners to include more courses offered by industry leaders and private training providers that are well-recognised by industry and confer credentials that lead to strong employment outcomes. We will continue to monitor the training needs of adult learners over their life stages as we expand the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme. In particular, let me respond to two suggestions that Members have raised.”
“From 1 May 2025, eligible individuals can receive a training allowance, sized at 50% of their average income over the last 12 months, up to a cap of $3,000 per month, for 24 months in their lifetime. Today, the SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career) top-up can be used for over 7,000 courses, of which, about 700 full-time training programmes qualify for training allowance. The SkillsFuture Level-Up courses are carefully curated to support substantive training, with the aim of improving a person's employability. They include full qualifications offered by the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs). These programmes provide good upgrading pathways that continue to enjoy good wage premium, as our studies have shown. Individuals looking to transition into another sector can consider SkillsFuture Career Transition Programmes that provide training for up to 12 months as well as employment facilitation. Between June 2022 when the Programme started and December 2024, about 55% of almost 4,300 SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme trainees who were previously unemployed found new jobs within six months after course completion. As of July 2025, there are about 330 SkillsFuture Career Transition Programmes offered in 21 sectors with good hiring opportunities such as Information and Communications, Professional Services and Food Services. The take-up of the Level-Up Programme has been positive. In the first year of implementation from 1 May 2024 to 30 April 2025, over 36,000 Singapore Citizens used their SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career) with claims amounting to over $24 million.”
“Sir, to help Singaporeans develop to their full potential throughout life, SkillsFuture Singapore provides a range of broad-based training support that is kept affordable and accessible. Industry-relevant training programmes are subsidised at up to 70% of the course fees for all Singaporeans. At age 25, Singaporeans receive $500 in SkillsFuture Credit, which they can use to develop their skills and interests. For Singaporeans who are 40 and above, they can use the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme (SFLP). This programme helps them to pursue a substantive skills reboot and helps them stay competitive in a rapidly changing economy. We are prioritising support for our mid-career Singaporeans, as they may face higher risk of skills obsolescence, having completed their original work-ready qualifications many years ago. At this stage in life, given their heavy family and work responsibilities, they also face higher opportunity costs in pursuing upskilling and reskilling, particularly when they take up substantive courses that require greater time and financial commitment. If they choose to pursue substantive training, the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme helps them lower the opportunity cost in two ways. First, by providing further course fee support in the form of the SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career) top-up of $4,000. Introduced in May 2024, individuals can use the Credit to further offset out-of-pocket training costs. This is over and above course fee subsidies of up to 90%. Second, we provide financial support for those pursuing longer substantive training, such as full qualifications. The SkillsFuture Mid-Career Training Allowance helps to partially offset income loss during full-time training.”
“Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to take Question Nos 1 to 5 on today's Order Paper, please?”
“Indeed, public education will be important, and we will have to think through how we set out the naming, the nomenclature and the details, how a member of the public can choose who to go and get their therapy from and then make available public information. The resources then for further information actually are already available. I mentioned quite a few of them in my speech. The websites, the chatlines,and then later on this year we will have the hotline. So, a member of the public who is concerned about the therapies that they are getting can access any one of these resources or contact MOH directly and we can also provide advice.”
“I thank Ms He for the questions. We are early in the process, so some of these details have not yet been established. But let me try to perhaps explain how we are thinking about this. We do indeed want to protect vulnerable individuals, and she has highlighted how someone who is seeking these sorts of services may well be in a position where they are vulnerable if not dealt with properly or dealt with by someone who is not entirely professional. So, that is the perspective we are coming from. How do we protect individuals seeking these services and at the same time raise the standards and quality of the profession? The categories of psychologists and professionals that we are likely to then want to regulate and license in a particular way are those where their risk is likely to be higher to the clients and the patients that they are treating, that they are seeing. And this, by definition, means that they are involved in issues to do with diagnosis, pathology, interventions – this is the higher risk end of the profession. Then, to her point where there are other professionals who are advertising or purporting to treat these types of problems with these types of interventions, we will have to look and see how we craft the licensing regime and the regulatory regime as to what tools we might then have to then go after such individuals. It is early days, but we are thinking in terms of the risks associated as a result of the professional work that someone does – the diagnosis, the risks and interventions – as well as the vulnerability of the individual that we want to protect.”
“Sir, I thank Mr Keith Chua for that and I do agree that we must do all that we can to prevent each suicide, as well as to study the factors that increase the risk in certain individuals. The ability to track such data in the past was limited. Now that we have this coordinating office as well as the various systems that we are putting in place coming out of the strategy, it should allow us to then better develop the framework to establish that data across a variety of service providers. So, we will be looking at this as part of how we set up and monitor the work of the National Mental Health Office, how to then get the right data and track it over time. But I do not want to overstate it, that this particular data variable that Mr Chua has identified is already in the works. I will have to go and have a look at the kind of data that we can provide on a robust basis year-on-year. And part of the issue, of course, is that the providers that we have within the space are very varied, and this is not necessarily something that is always reported. So, we have got to look to see how we can make sure that we have this data in a robust manner, so that the number that we are reporting and tracking is something that informs what we do with our policy as well as our operations.”
“To do so, we will only extend Government financing schemes, mainly subsidies, MediShield Life and MediSave, to precision medicine use cases that are assessed to be cost and clinically effective. Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked about the potential of regenerative medicine. MOH has been supporting research in this through various schemes under the national Research, Innovation and Enterprise plans. However, we recognise the risks and ethical considerations associated with such nascent investigational therapies. We will continue to evaluate the evidence from both local and overseas studies for clinical efficacy and cost effectiveness. Sir, the changing healthcare landscape presents both challenges and opportunities. Navigating these will require collective effort. We look forward to working closely with healthcare professionals, community partners and citizens to capitalise on these opportunities and effectively implement the initiatives I have covered today.”
“To prevent the public from being misled by services that are not licensed by MOH, the Healthcare Services Act (HCSA) currently prohibits providers of such services from advertising that they are able to "treat" a medical condition. However, certain professions, such as allied health and traditional Chinese medicine, are regulated under their respective professional Acts. Their interventions are low risk, because they manage conditions in accordance with clear standards of practice set by their professional bodies. We will review the HCSA advertising controls to enable these selected professions to advertise their services. Even so, they will still have to ensure the accuracy of their advertisement. We will share more details when ready. To improve the online accessibility of public health care services, we are planning to consolidate the public healthcare clinical apps, Health Hub and the cluster-specific apps – Health Buddy, NHG Cares App and NUHS App – into a unified platform by 2027. Patients who now have to use different apps to access services at PHIs will be able to do so on this unified app in future for an improved, user-friendly experience. We will consider adding Healthy 365 to the unified platform in the future. Ms He Ting Ru asked how we are harnessing the potential of precision medicine. MOH is taking steps to embrace precision medicine in a cautious manner as we identify appropriate precision medicine applications with clear evidence of public benefit for scaling up. One such application is genetic testing for familial hypercholesterolemia, which we will be rolling out nationally in mid-2025. We will also put in appropriate safeguards to mitigate risks, such as increased healthcare costs.”
“All IP insurers allow customers to request for a review of their exclusions or submit a fresh application if their condition has improved and they can provide favourable medical evidence. All insurers, including IP providers, are to adopt sound and objective processes to assess applications received from their customers. For example, insurers should not reject an application solely based on the customer's declaration of a mental health condition. Customers concerned about the underwriting decisions should raise the matter with their insurer for investigation or review. If they are not satisfied with the insurer's response, they can write to MOH or the Monetary Authority of Singapore to follow up and assess the full case details with consent. Sir, we have been working to register psychologists to ensure high standards of professionalism and better protect clients. The increased focus on mental health in recent years has prompted changes in psychological practice, with more psychologists now working beyond traditional clinical settings in the community and private sector. Recognising this shift, we are working towards the registration of psychologists, focusing on psychologists who provide direct patient care, perform higher-risk assessments and interventions, and whose practices may span across various sectors. An inter-agency implementation committee has been set up to look into this. This will raise professional standards, safeguard patient safety and increase public confidence in psychological services. Further details will be announced at a later date.”
“A prime example of multi-stakeholder collaboration is the development of the Youth Crisis Facility. Expected to be operational in 2027, this 24/7 facility will provide intervention for youths in crisis, including those struggling with suicidal behaviour or severe self-harm. It will support youths referred from the community or discharged from acute hospitals, offering psychosocial intervention in a safe and non-stigmatising environment to aid community re-integration. The multi-stakeholder project team is currently developing clinical protocols and operational details for this facility, which will be a bridge between acute hospitals and community care. Dr Tan Wu Meng asked about insurers' practices for those with mental health history. Apart from MediShield Life, which covers all Singapore Citizens and PRs, regardless of pre-existing conditions, including mental health conditions, individuals can opt for additional coverage through Integrated Shield Plans (IPs) and other private insurance plans. IP insurers' approach to underwriting persons with mental health conditions mirrors that of other conditions. It is based on reliable information relevant to the risks being insured. Factors considered may include age at the onset of condition, symptom severity, management of the condition and the presence of comorbidities. After the assessments, insurers may choose to accept applications as is, apply higher premiums, exclude specific benefits or reject applications in view of the risks presented, with proper justification to customers. There are cases where IP insurers have offered cover to customers with mental health conditions, either with or without exclusions.”
“For the Singapore Children's Society, for example, in their work, they have found that consistent parental engagement and parental involvement in case planning and family sessions have achieved sustained positive results and supported long-term recovery. We are also introducing "grovve", an integrated wellness centre for youths at *SCAPE at the end of this year. Co-developed by the National Council of Social Service and various stakeholders, including youths, "grovve" will be the first centre to provide integrated intervention services alongside general wellness activities. Its youth-centric location seeks to improve accessibility and normalise mental health care. "grovve" will foster communities where youths can become champions and supporters for mental well-being. Mr Keith Chua asked about continuity of care, especially for those affected by suicide, and the coordinating role of the National Mental Health Office. Suicide prevention and post-incident support requires a whole-of-Government and whole-of-society approach to address the issues holistically. Existing community-based support available includes the Light in the Dark support programme by the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) and the Live On! programme by TOUCH Community Services. Next-of-kin or loved ones affected by suicide may also benefit from suicide bereavement support programmes run by SOS, such as Healing Within and Healing Bridge, as well as Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors. The National Mental Health Office coordinates with Ministries and agencies, including MOE, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) in implementing policies and reviewing data and trends.”
“Dr Wan Rizal asked about workplace mental health support. Government agencies and tripartite partners have implemented comprehensive workplace mental health initiatives like the Well-being Champions Network, which now consists of over 450 organisations representing 230,000 employees. Other initiatives include training employee peer supporters and conducting public education campaigns and workshops to combat workplace stigma, share best practices and facilitate employees' transition back to work. Specialised employment support is available through agencies like Singapore Anglican Community Services, the Institute of Mental Health's Job Club and Singapore Association for Mental Health's MINDSET Learning Hub. These organisations offer customised vocational training and job placement services and have helped more than 6,000 individuals with mental health conditions gain and maintain employment. The Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices upholds employment fairness through merit-based recruitment, restricting unnecessary mental health declarations and providing proper grievance handling processes. These practices will be further strengthened by the Workplace Fairness legislation, which prohibits workplace discrimination based on mental health conditions. Sir, if I may turn to the mental health of our youths. We recognise the crucial role parents play in the minors' well-being. However, the need for parental consent can sometimes deter minors from seeking help. After consulting medical ethics experts and mental health service providers, MOH has decided to take a nuanced approach by convening an expert group to develop guidelines in this area. Parental involvement in their children's care journey is very important for better outcomes.”
“The training equips participants with skillsets to provide basic emotional support, while ensuring that they understand when to refer individuals to professional mental health services. When professional mental health care is required, religious leaders are encouraged to direct individuals to formal mental health services within the community. This is part of our ongoing effort to strengthen community-based mental health support networks. We have exceeded our target, with over 137,000 individuals trained to date, including religious leaders and volunteers. I agree with Mr Ong Hua Han that mental health first aid resources are crucial. I thank him for the suggestion to integrate more of such resources on existing apps and we will explore its feasibility. Meanwhile, we will continue to sustain our frontliner and volunteer training through structured mental health programmes, including e-learning modules developed by AIC and HPB, with psychological first aid training to be rolled out by mid-2025. 5.45 pm For members of the public, mindline.sg and MindSG offer comprehensive mental health resources, including information on supporting others and self-help tools. Mindline.sg also provides clinically validated self-assessment tools for depression and anxiety. To simplify the help-seeking process, we will launch the National Mental Health Helpline and Textline service in mid-2025 as a centralised mental health first-stop touchpoint. This round-the-clock service will feature an easy-to-remember four-digit number and offer chat support through the mindline.sg website. It will be staffed by trained counsellors. This service streamlines access and connects Singaporeans to necessary resources. More details will be shared when the service launches later this year.”
“The performance of CREST and COMIT teams, along with other public healthcare institutions (PHIs), such as our public hospitals and polyclinics, are assessed through key indicators such as access, response time, volume of clients supported, improvement in patients' outcomes and client satisfaction. Patients' mental health outcomes are specifically measured through validated assessment tools, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) Disability Assessment Schedule and the Patient Health Questionnaire for depression, which assesses patients' functional levels and severity of symptoms. The National Mental Health Office works closely with our PHIs and our community service providers to track and analyse aggregated data for the purposes of policy review, service planning and evaluating the effectiveness of our national mental health initiatives. Community mental health services provided by CREST and COMIT are fully funded by the Government with no out-of-pocket cost. Eligible patients can also receive subsidised mental health treatment at polyclinics and participating GP clinics for the management of mental health conditions under the Chronic Disease Management Programme. At last year's debate, I also outlined our goal to train 130,000 frontline personnel and volunteers by 2030, to better equip them to identify individuals with signs of mental distress, provide a listening ear and refer them for support as needed. I share Dr Wan Rizal's view that religious organisations must be part of our mental health ecosystem. Since September 2024, the National Mental Health Office, together with AIC, has partnered with the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth to engage religious organisations and leaders, to provide them with mental health training programmes.”
“We have also begun pairing Healthier SG clinics with Community Intervention Teams (COMIT) who provide psychosocial interventions for mental health needs in the community. These pairings enable smoother referrals. Sir, many Members asked for updates on our community mental health support and programmes. They asked about costs, public awareness of programmes, like the Community Outreach Teams (CREST), and how effectiveness and progress in mental health programmes and care will be tracked. Last year, during the Parliamentary Motion Debate on Advancing Mental Health, I shared our plan to have 90 CREST and 50 COMIT teams by 2030, including 15 youth-oriented teams each. We are on track to achieve our targets. As of December 2024, there were 86 CREST and 32 COMIT teams, including the youth teams, in operation. As one of the key first-stop touchpoints for in-person mental health services, CREST has strengthened local service linkages and networks across health and social care providers in the community, including GPs, polyclinics and hospitals. To build greater awareness of CREST in the community, CREST teams conduct outreach to share information about their services. The Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) also promotes CREST through advertisements on social media, bus stops and HDB lift lobbies. To further promote CREST, AIC has developed a Community Mental Health Wayfinding Tool, available on various platforms, including realspace.sg, mindline.sg and MindSG, to help users find the right mental health services, such as CREST.”
“We recognise that times and expectations have changed and our practices must evolve accordingly. However, our public hospitals see many patients every day, with many requiring urgent, time-sensitive care. Shorter working hours mean more frequent handovers between doctors, requiring careful management and changes to work processes to prevent risks to patient care and longer waiting times. We have taken a measured approach to grow the healthcare workforce, including doctors, to meet the needs of our ageing population. We have already increased our annual intakes significantly. But we are mindful that, today, already one in 12 Singaporean students joins a healthcare programme and any significant expansion will require foreign healthcare professionals. We must take care not to deprive other important sectors. And this raises a critical question: how do we balance our growing healthcare manpower needs against the many concerns raised in this House about foreign manpower dependency? As we grow the workforce, we have progressively made improvements, such as limiting junior doctors to 24 hours of continuous work periods and establishing rest day guidelines. Nearly half of the clinical departments with junior doctors in public hospitals have adopted this and the rest will follow suit gradually. I agree with Ms Mariam Jaafar, we must close the gaps in the treatment for physical health and mental health. This is why Healthier SG will include care for our residents' mental health. Healthier SG Care Protocols for major depressive disorder and general anxiety disorder are being developed and will be rolled out next year. These care protocols will ensure consistent and quality care are being delivered across primary care providers.”
“For example, eligible patients requiring Evolocumab for very high cholesterol levels, or Familial Hypercholesterolemia, despite being on other cholesterol-lowering medications, could see their monthly out-of-pocket expenses reduced from over $230 to about $30-$60, depending on their means test status. We will continue to review the expansion of the range of medications which are subsidised under the Healthier SG Chronic Tier. To respond to Dr Tan Wu Meng, today, polyclinics provide multiple appointment booking options, including online booking with staff guidance, phone bookings and walk-in services. Designated caregivers can also manage their dependant's appointment from their own HealthHub or cluster app account. Urgent cases and patients who are frail or who have mobility issues will continue to be prioritised, even if they do not have a polyclinic appointment. Non-urgent cases may be scheduled for a later appointment or advised to seek treatment at a nearby CHAS GP clinic. Subsidies for GP visits are also already available through CHAS, with enhanced benefits for Pioneer and Merdeka Generation seniors. Under Healthier SG, enrolled patients can access chronic medications at GP clinics at prices similar to polyclinics. MediSave can be used at both CHAS GP clinics and polyclinics. Building on Minister Ong's earlier comments, let me elaborate our ongoing efforts to support our healthcare workforce. Generations of doctors have indeed built our healthcare system through dedication and hard work under quite demanding schedules. But they are not alone. This applies to all of our professional colleagues – the allied health professionals; the nurses; the many, many staff members, who work together to make sure that our healthcare system functions for our patients.”
“Sir, Family Physicians have been and are central to the provision of primary, community and preventive medical services. The role they play will only grow as the care needs of our ageing population become more complex. They are critical to the Healthier SG initiative. Today, family medicine is not listed as a recognised medical specialty in Singapore. The healthcare profession recognises the complexity of the work, the importance of our colleagues in primary care and that specialised training and experience is needed to perform this role well. Hence, the Specialists Accreditation Board has approved for Family Medicine to be recognised as a specialty, on par with other specialties. Together with the family medicine fraternity, we are now working out the accreditation and training pathways to recognise Family Physicians with advanced Family Medicine training and relevant experience as specialists. With their broad skillsets and long-term relationships with patients, Family Medicine specialists will enable more patients with complex care needs to receive comprehensive care in the community. Further details on the entry criteria to become a Family Medicine specialist, training requirements and the implementation timeline will be shared later this year. In advancing our primary care system, we will also ensure Singaporeans can access affordable care, including medications for chronic conditions. Today, the Healthier SG Chronic Tier offers enhanced subsidies for selected chronic medications at enrolled Healthier SG GP clinics. By mid-2025, we will expand the range of medications under the Healthier SG Chronic Tier, to include three Medication Assistance Fund (MAF) drug products for specific medication indications.”
“Sir, I thank Mr Sharael Taha for his question. Essentially, whether or not the push for green data centres will affect our global competitiveness and drive up costs, indeed, we have to balance the compliance costs with the requirements. But there is plenty of interest in the market and if we can get this right, then this is a value-add and a potential source of competitiveness that we can be a place where the technology providers, the cloud service providers can set up greener facilities, and their customers are looking for this type of solutions. So, while we do have to make sure that we get the balance correct between the costs of compliance and the push for greening, it is something that we have to do because of our larger issues around our carbon envelope. But if we can do it right, it becomes a source of competitiveness for us.”