Joscelin Yeo
Singapore
“Sir, I agree with Minister Balakrishnan on being open and inclusive. I have indicated that I am for foreign sporting talents (FSTs). However, I have three clarifications for Senior Parliamentary Secretary Teo. He gave us a ratio of FSTs to the overall number of local national athletes.”
“Sir, may I also suggest that there be even greater inclusion where JCs, polytechnics and other local tertiary institutions come together and compete with one another on a regular basis, much like the existing national competitions at the primary and secondary school levels.”
“One indication of the dedication and commitment would be the relative percentage of the budget that is allocated to dealing with this problem. Are we committing enough resources to deal with this? Is the Minister prepared to pour more money into this?”
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“Sir, I agree with Minister Balakrishnan on being open and inclusive. I have indicated that I am for foreign sporting talents (FSTs). However, I have three clarifications for Senior Parliamentary Secretary Teo. He gave us a ratio of FSTs to the overall number of local national athletes. Can he actually give us a ratio of FSTs to local athletes in the sports that engage foreign sporting talents and not an overall number? Secondly, will the Ministry consider putting a cap on the ratio of FSTs to local athletes to force National Sports Associations to be more active and purposeful in raising local talent? Thirdly, can he also clarify the objective of having foreign sporting talents in Singapore?”
“And, thirdly, will the Ministry help athletes mediate with their NSA should they feel that they have not been treated fairly or that the NSA has not kept up their end of the commitment? Singapore soccer”
“With such behaviour, how does one expect parents to want to allow their children to take sports further than just at CCA level when there is such uncertainty of their future path in sports? Sir, to bring up the level of sports in Singapore requires the effort of many: administrators, coaches, and, of course, the athletes themselves. Athletes must be dedicated, committed and show progress. Coaches have to have the adequate abilities and skills to bring their charges up to the next level of excellence. Administrators, even though are the least seen, play one of the biggest roles. Their role is a visionary one, which entails putting in the progressive structures and systems from the developmental stage to the national level, setting and casting the vision for the NSA and facilitating all details involved. Apart from setting the stage, they also need to ensure that coaches and athletes alike are doing their part to make the other pieces of the puzzle gel. They make decisions on the development of the athlete, the amount of exposure the athlete has to high-level competition and the amount of financial support the athlete is to receive. These are key areas that affect how far an athlete can go apart from their own potential. Given that sports administrators play such a huge role in the progress of Singapore sports and its athletes, I would like to ask the Minister what recourse action is there when we see NSAs making decisions that do not sync with the commitment to develop and nurture sporting talent. Secondly, will his Ministry get involved in the decision-making process when a NSA plans to drop national athletes?”
“(3) In each sport that brings in FSTs, can the Minister inform us on what is the ratio of FSTs to local talents on their national teams and if the Minister will consider putting a cap on the ratio of FSTs to local talents on each national team to force NSAs to be more active in raising local talents? (4) In each sport that brings in FSTs, how many local talents have progressed to the national team in the last five years and 10 years? (5) And, lastly, is there a difference between the amount of money a FST and a local national athlete receives? If so, what is the difference? Sports administration Sir, my next cut is on sports administration. Recently, there was a report of 10 national team members who were told to either drop to second tier and become sparring partners or to leave the sport at the national level. There was seemingly no consideration for the lives of the persons involved. Only just one or two years ago, they were invited to give up school and go full time in the sport with an allowance and full support. Now, with just one week’s notice, they were given the option to become a sparring partner or to leave. Why put them up on a pedestal and offer them financial support if only to suddenly drop them down to tier two later and without much warning? What led to this decision? Was money the issue? Were they given fair and ample opportunities to prove and improve themselves? Sports administrators have always complained about how hard it is to get local athletes to consider becoming full-time athletes. Yet, this national sport association (NSA) dropped 10 dedicated youth.”
“What about resources such as high-level coaches, entry into international competitions and full sports science and medicine support? Sir, I would like to highlight a sport that committed to raising local talent as a long-term solution. The Singapore Sailing Federation believed that to produce champions and win medals was not about having a large population but, rather, a large critical mass of participants in the sport. They began to build a structure to systematically garner critical mass, and train and track the progress of sailors at every level. They were transparent about their selection criteria and invested in sending their sailors to competitions to expose and develop them to their fullest potential. They were patient, knowing that this system was not a quick fix to winning medals for Singapore, but that it was going to take about 10 years for them to get there. They brought in foreign talent into their coaching and adminstration staff with the priority of building and developing local talent into medal-winning champions. Slowly but surely, they have been successful in their plan. Sir, I am not against foreign sporting talents. However, I do not believe that we should be relying solely on them for immediate results. I believe that we can have a foreign talent pool but that we need to work even harder and dedicate more time, effort and resources to nurture local talent. I would like to ask the Minister: (1) What is the objective of bringing in Foreign Sporting Talents? (2) Of the resources that are allocated to grooming the elite level athletes in each sport, how much of those resources are going towards developing and supporting the FSTs and how much are going towards developing local talent?”
“Sir, when a friend of mine joined the national team, many on the team were foreign sports talents (FSTs) who had been given Singapore citizenship to allow them to compete for this country. My friend, excited about the opportunity for her to up her game by having better sparring partners and people she could learn and glean from, was instead greeted with hostility and unkind words. She was ostracised by her teammates and was often told to pick up after them. Comments such as, "You think you're so good, you're never going to make it" were an everyday affair. Her desire to go for training began to dwindle, simply because she wanted to avoid the constant verbal abuse and the hostile environment. She began to doubt her abilities and often thought of quitting. She is still growing and needs someone to provide guidance and to simply encourage her on. I have been there before and I understand what she is facing. In sport, you will face many types of challenges that cause you to become more resilient and to grow. This is a journey that she cannot avoid if she wants to succeed. However, what disturbed me was how she was treated by the FSTs and the unpleasant environment that they created for her. I began to question the objective of having FSTs in Singapore. In their efforts to develop young local talent, some NSAs have put in criteria such as those who are selected for the youth team or development teams must be a Singapore citizen. Yet, there is not much translation of these young local talents into the national team. Are we dedicating enough resources to helping them develop? On 22nd February this year, the Singapore Sports Council announced that they were going to increase funding to youth development programmes and teams. But money is only one factor.”
“I have one clarification. This is about the CCA. I am not sure if I was accurately understood. Can the Minister clarify the objective of CCAs and what is the Ministry doing to ensure that this platform is about enriching and not burdening students' lives?”
“As it is, school is a stressful time for most students. CCA should be an opportunity for young people to explore their gifts and talents within the safety of a school system. Students should have the freedom to choose what they desire to do instead of being locked into a CCA they do not like for four years. Even if they opted for something and they realised they do not like it, schools can implement a one-switch policy, meaning you can only switch CCA one time if you find that the CCA you chose was not what you thought it would be within the first two years of their time in that CCA. This teaches them how to persevere through hard times and yet gives them a freedom to choose something else if they really do not enjoy what they had initially picked. The focus of CCA should be on developing people and not school titles. This is where you will find your base of young athletes, artistic talent and musicians who want to go further than just school-level activities. To build Singapore in the sporting arena, the Arts and music scene it wants to be requires not only the measures put in place by MOE but the right software. By "software", I mean the school, the heads of departments and the teachers. That they always have in mind that the nurturing of the youths comes before glory and honour for the school. Parents play a huge part in imparting the right values too, even when it comes to CCAs. With the right focus and objective of what a CCA should be, good decisions can be made to groom our future talents in these areas. Can the Minister clarify the objective of CCAs in schools and, secondly, what is the Ministry doing to monitor that schools are using the CCA system and platform to enrich students' lives and not to burden them? Holistic education”
“Instead, schools are so competitive nowadays that they only allow students who have potential or who are already successful in that sport, to participate in the school team. If they cannot make it, then they just have to choose something else and perhaps, something that also they are not interested in. By doing this, schools are not cultivating a love for sports, exercise and healthy living. They are cultivating a win-only mindset. They are not developing interest and skill, but rather on a one-track mind to garner school honours for school prestige and glory. Some schools put so much pressure on students that they have to get private coaching outside, just to keep up or risk being kicked off the team, and not earning any CCA points at the end of the day. 1.30 pm I refer to an incident that happened with an ACS Independent student Tan Mun Yee in November 2008. He was an athlete who wanted to switch from Track and Field to Drama for his CCA but was denied the switch. His teacher who knew he wanted to switch called his mother and advised her not to allow him to do so. Not only did he dislike his CCA, he felt he was being singled out and punished on the field because he wanted to switch out to a different CCA. He and his parents argued about this, with him eventually committing suicide because he felt he had no way out of the situation. Something like this should never have happened. CCA is a place to develop a love for sports, arts and music. Yes, it is a place to spot talent and to develop talent. Yes, it is a place as a balance to the academic part of your life to produce holistic, well-rounded youths. But let us not throw all the wisdom out of the door and be so single-minded about garnering wins, school honours and school glory.”
“Instead, what I would ask is, why do the majority of students have to take tuition classes? Is the content age-appropriate content? Is the quantity of content too excessive to be taught in the 25 to 30 hours they spend studying in school? Are educators focused on not letting their schools' overall percentage drop or are they focused on developing well-rounded students? The Government has emphasised time and again about the importance of lifelong learning. If the students keep going at this rate, I wonder if they can maintain an interest in this value of learning. I would like to ask the Minister if the Government is going to step in to ensure that the schools are not thwarting every good guideline that has been put in place for good reason, and secondly, what measures does his Ministry take to monitor that the schools are not overloading their students? Co-curricular activities (CCA) My next cut, Sir, is about CCAs in schools. Sir, building Singapore up as a sporting nation has to start with the young in schools. MOE has accurately identified this. In the TODAY paper on the 3rd of March 2011, there was an article written about how MOE recognises that it is in school where a child improves, I quote, "improves on motor skills and goes on to pick up a sport". As part of the sports development framework, MOE has increased their pool of qualified teachers to properly conduct PE lessons to develop talent and promote a vibrant sports culture. On top of that, they have also increased the number of PE hours a week, in primary and secondary schools. However, some schools have taken this competitiveness too far. These days, students are not allowed to participate in the sports they enjoy.”
“Her sister needed to be tutored because the topics that were coming out in her examination papers were not covered in the classroom. The teacher told the students to ask their tuition teachers to help them with the rest of the information. The teacher assumed that all the students had tuition teachers and deflected responsibility of teaching what was necessary in the classroom. Sir, the Ministry recently answered the PQ asked by my fellow NMP, Assoc. Prof. Paulin Tay Straughan, about whether the Ministry had guidelines for operating hours of primary and secondary schools. The guidelines set by MOE for Primary 1 and 2 students are 48 periods of 30 minutes each per week and, for Primary 3 to 6 students, 49 periods of 30 minutes each per week. This works out to five hours a day, including recess time. For secondary schools, the curriculum time guideline stipulates 40 periods of 40 minutes each per week. This works out to six hours a day, including recess time. Sir, the Government has given the recommendations on what is the optimum time for students to be studying. If the curriculum cannot be completed within the guidelines given, then does it not beg the question, are we trying to cram too much information into them at this young age? Are we overloading them? Sir, I agree with Mrs Josephine Teo that education provides social mobility in Singapore. However, if the majority of students are requiring tuition classes to complete the curriculum, is not the content too excessive? Parents will naturally opt to have tuition classes for their kids if they see that their child is not able to keep up with their school work, is failing in class or behind their peers, you cannot blame them for that.”
“The Singapore Government has one of the highest standards of education in the world. A search in the Singapore Education Government website states, and I quote: "Singapore's public schools have a distinctive record of high standards in teaching and learning, illustrated by international comparative studies, such as the Third National Mathematics and Science Study, that showed the majority of students from Singapore schools out-performing the international average in mathematics and science. Our students have also excelled in competitions, such as World Debating Championships in English and International Olympiads in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology, ousting counterparts from other countries to clinch top prizes and distinctions". Sir, the students in our public schools are already achieving these standards, then why do the majority of students have to engage tuition teachers? A Sunday Times Poll in June 2008, found that out of 100 primary, secondary and JC students, 97 were having extra tuition classes. Sir, I am not against tuition, in fact, I had to have tuition myself because I missed a lot of classes when I went away for swimming competitions. However, tuition should be a supplementary class for those who are unable to keep up with what is learnt in the classroom. It should not be a way to add on to what cannot be covered in time in the classroom. I have a friend whose mother is a divorcee. Ever since the divorce, her mum went into depression and stopped working. She ended up having to pay the bills in the house and financially support her mum and her two sisters, one of whom was in primary school. On top of working extra hours to pay the bills, she had to give her younger sister tuition because she could not afford to get a tuition teacher.”
“No one thought they could do it, but buoyed by the passionate home crowd, they rose to the challenge. Sir, sport brings together a society. It is a natural, social cohesive force. In physics, a cohesive is a molecular force within a body acting to unite its parts. Likewise, sport is a force within a society that acts to unite those from different social economic backgrounds, race, language, culture and religion. Sir, there was not much mention of sport in the Budget Statement. The handouts to the people were good and necessary. But it is not a long-term solution or something we can expect from the Government every year. Sport, however, is something that can be a long-term and effective solution. Singaporeans will support their countrymen. However, there is something special about Singaporeans coming together on home ground to cheer on their home team. Therefore, I would like to suggest that the Singapore Government use the opportunity such as the SEA Games, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games to play host. This is to give all Singaporeans the opportunity to stand united for a cause. As our society develops, the socio-economic divide causes division within a nation, as with many nations. We should invest in sports for the purpose of building and strengthening the social fabric of Singapore. With that, Sir, I support the Budget. 12.22 pm”
“Sir, I would first like to commend the Finance Minister on the Budget that was generous, yet prudent. Sir, one of the main highlights of the Budget was about strengthening our society and how social cohesion forces must be deliberate. This is what I would like to talk about. I have been both a participant in and a spectator of sports from young. I remember hurrying to the stadium with my team mates after training to catch the Lions play in the Malaysia Cup matches. We cheered together, booed together and rejoiced together. At the end of every match, whether it was a win, a loss or draw, there was a sense of all of us being united. United in the joy of winning, the frustration of a draw or the dissatisfaction of a loss. It was not about the result. It was about sport bringing together the average man on the street, the affluent and the uneducated together, with the common passion for a common purpose. I still fondly remember being at the match when Singapore won the Malaysia Cup for the last time in 1994. When the final whistle blew, the crowd went crazy! We were high-fiving people we did not know and hugging random strangers out of elation, regardless of the backgrounds we came from. A not so distant memory that evoked the same passion, purpose and unity was the Youth Olympics Games held in Singapore. What I witnessed in the stadium were people who were decked out in the national colours of red and white, with every cheering apparatus you could think of in hand, proudly singing the National Anthem. They were behind the Cubs 110%, regardless of the result. I remember the poolside and the stadium erupting when Singapore won two of our silver medals from Rainer Ng and Isabelle Li.”
“Sir, may I also suggest that there be even greater inclusion where JCs, polytechnics and other local tertiary institutions come together and compete with one another on a regular basis, much like the existing national competitions at the primary and secondary school levels. The JCs, polytechnics and other local tertiary institutions make up a big base of athletes who would be at the age where they begin to break through and begin to rise to their peak. Such competitions will foster greater sharpening and development among our pool of national athletes.”
“This provides them the flexibility to schedule their classes around their training schedule so that they are able to continue to excel at both without having to sacrifice one over the other. I recommend that we look into creating greater synergy between these two Ministries and the tertiary institutions so that we do not lose on stream athletes who are, at this stage of life, prime for success in sport. We need to change our mindsets to believe that it is possible to excel in both at the same time, given a favourable environment in the education system. Another suggestion that will assist in creating a favourable environment and in the education system would be to allow a student athlete's contribution in the national sporting arena to contribute to their requirements of their involvement in the school or tertiary institution. This would help to reduce the workload required upon the stream athletes and allow them to better balance both their sports and studies. For example, a stream athlete in the United States is required to take a certain number of modules each semester in order to graduate. And each module is valued at a certain number of credits. The university will often give the student athlete one to two credits per semester for their intense level of involvement in their sport. This number of credits is small. It is not even equal to the number of credits you get for your class. But it does help in the long run in terms of the time required in your university. Sir, I am glad to see that there have been avenues and platforms created for junior colleges (JCs) and polytechnics to come together and compete on common ground.”
“In conclusion of this cut, I would like to urge the Ministry to promote sports as much more than just a healthy lifestyle and to work closely with MOE to make concerted efforts to allow the holistic development of our future generation using sports. I believe that this will result in more discipline, more driven, more determined people, who will be more productive in everything they do because of the lifeskills that they would have honed since young. And should our nation ever face future crises of financial downturns, these young people will be your future thrust of strength who would have had the resolve instilled within them to weather the storm and still find a way to be productive because of the inner strength and lifelong learning that they would already be a part of. Greater synergy to groom local athletes Sir, many local athletes from Singapore go to the United States to train and study once they finish their "O" levels because the university system there allows the athletes the flexibility and the scheduling of classes to accommodate their training schedule. Many world record holders in Olympiad medalists and top athletes in the world go to the universities in the United States because the system that is in place there allows athletes to excel in both studies and sports. Sir, I would like to propose for MCYS and MOE to take greater initiative in working together with local tertiary educational institutions to help talented athletes blossom in the local environment. For example, if an athlete is recognised by the Singapore Sports Council as having attained a certain standard, meaning they are carded athletes, then local tertiary institutions should allow these student athletes to choose or bid for their classes before the rest of their cohort.”
“CCAs help pupils build emotional strength and perseverance in the face of challenges as well as develop optimism, adaptability and resourcefulness. They can also teach pupils more responsibly to evaluate options, identify consequences and make responsible choices anchored in some moral principles." I would like to seek a clarification from the Minister on the next point but since it is not an MOE cut, I can understand I do not get a response. The point is this. If the values of CCA has been identified as key platforms for a youth's holistic development, why is PAL a module that is incorporated under the curriculum for those in Primary 1 and 2? But then, for Primary 3 to 6 pupils, their involvement has to be done outside of formal curriculum time. Are we not sending mixed signals that this is good to do but not important enough to incorporate into our formal curriculum? Sir, I would like to suggest this be made compulsory for our schools to really commit to the holistic development of a child throughout their primary education by implementing the recommendations of the PERI Committee from Primary 1 to 6, and to also consider that the same values and consideration that resulted in their recommendations to develop more holistic youth be extended beyond primary school into secondary and tertiary institutions. To create a sporting culture, I believe that there must be a consistent message set on the value of sports coupled with platforms and opportunities for young people to engage in these areas as part of their curriculum. Through this, we will discover hidden talents, greater sporting talents and breed a generation that carries intrinsic values that participating in sports in parts.”
“I have come to a place when mediocrity is not in my nature. (4) Being a lifelong student, when I competed every race that I won or lost, did not come without reflecting and feedback so that I could try to improve the next time. When I ran into difficulty mastering a certain skill or technique, I would think outside the box, research and find the way to achieve the same results. Today, I find myself applying these same principles in my life when I do not understand certain topics or how to go about a project. I have the problem solved, I do not give up. Sir, for Singapore to be a sporting nation, to have a sporting culture, sports has to be promoted as more than just a healthy lifestyle. I would like to see the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) and the Ministry of Education (MOE) evaluate their programmes to allow more time for students to engage in sporting activities during school hours and not as an activity after school hours. In other words, do not extend their day or add another day in their week to include co-curricular activities (CCA) time, but include sports within this time. Sir, last year, MOE accepted the Primary Education Review and Interpretation (PERI) Committee's recommendations, one of which is to implement a programme for active learning (PAL) for primary school students. In this, I see progress. The PERI Committee believes, and I quote from their report that "co-curricular activities (CCAs) in particular, play a key role in developing pupils character. These programmes and activities shape our children as team players who are kind, concerned about others and who treat others with respect.”
“And with NSAs established in these different areas, they will have greater opportunity to develop and grow in their area of interest, talent and gifting. As they are engaged and empowered through these platforms, we create an opportunity for them to enjoy a life full of meaning and purpose. Emphasising sporting culture from young Sir, I have participated in high level sports for 17 years. I competed in the national team for the first time at the age of 11 and finally retired at 27. Based on my own personal experience and having observed first-hand many athletes, both locally and abroad, I am convinced that sports is not only about leading a healthy lifestyle but there are many intrinsic values that have only been imparted to me through my involvement in sports. For example, some of these values that shaped who I am today are: (1) Inner strength or resilience. As an athlete, I was pushed beyond my physical limits, time and again. This built up my inner strength within to be able to withstand more than I thought possible. Today, I see myself being able to push to challenges with greater ease than some of my peers. (2) Discipline. Having to wake up at 4.30 am or 5.00 am on six out of seven days a week has made me to learn very quickly to be disciplined in my time management. This has translated into learning how to be disciplined and to manage my time in other areas of my life even to this day. (3) Determination. People often talk about successes in the sporting arena but they do not see the failures that happen prior to that. I have learnt to never give up, to learn from my past mistakes, to pick myself up when I fail and to try again. Today, there is inner resolve within me where I refuse to give up and I put 110% into every project or task that is given to me.”
“Sir, it is my observation that our young people today face a lack of adequate engagement in various platforms in which they can express themselves and who they are. This lack of engagement and causes and which they strongly believe and enjoy, results in frustration and a sense of boredom. By engaging our young people of the various platforms, we are giving them opportunities to express themselves. When we allow them to express themselves, it begins to form a greater understanding of who they are and who they can become. They began to form their identity. Young people, driving at an atmosphere of expression and creativity, and it is through the platforms to do so that they will feel that they are a significant member of our society. Sir, I would like to request that the Minister report on the nature of the various programmes that the Ministry has undertaken to engage our youth and the successful nurse of these programmes. I suggest that the Ministry explore creating a greater variety of platforms in which our young people are able to freely express their gifts and talents that are inside of them, whether it be in the area of arts, sports, business, multimedia, entrepreneurial opportunities or any other area. I would also suggest that we allow for these platforms to provide in-depth and hands-on involvement in these various areas for our youth. As our young people are being exposed to and attracted by many things in this early stage of their life, I find that creating opportunities for them to be involved in a greater capacity will create a deeper sense of ownership, giving them the desire to remain involved and engaged in that platform for a longer period of time.”
“(WOW) Fund, incentives are given to companies to allow greater worklife balance. This is good for parents as it provides them the flexibility to be around for their children as their children develop and mature and when their children need them. However, there seems to be a gap between this incentive fund and the implementation of it. Can the Minister please explain if he has any plans to get greater buy-in from employers on this and if so, what are the plans? Sir, the role of a parent as a caregiver goes beyond putting food on the table. They play a vital and integral role in shaping, maturing and grooming their child to his utmost potential. Parents hold the responsibility of imparting, teaching and sharing with their children about moral and ethical values, not MOE or any other organisations. Sir, I embrace fellow Nominated Member, Mrs Mildred Tan's suggestion to have a tripartite council as I believe the other key influences can play a part in imparting to the youths. But ultimately, Sir, parents hold the responsibility and are in the best position to teach and nurture their children. I believe that the Ministry has begun developing the right incentives but I urge the Ministry to do more to get companies to implement the incentives available for the benefit of all our parents who are ultimately the ones who will groom and nature our future generation into all that they can be. To do that, they will need to be available and also present in their child's life. This will also be to our country's long-term benefit.”
“Sir, in my work as a Youth Executive, I have had the opportunity to interact with many youths of varying backgrounds. I have observed the marked difference among youths who have had the opportunity to develop close communication and relationships with their parents versus those who have not. I find that this is not necessarily the result of a lack of desire among our parents to communicate with their children. It is possible that this can stem from a lack of knowledge in how-to. However, it also occurs after a long day at work, and it is natural for a parent to be tired and finds it challenging to devote the attention required to communicate and relate with his or her child. Young persons' development, especially when they are at the Upper Primary and Secondary School age, requires a great deal of parental involvement. This period of the youth's life can be a turbulent one due to the large amount of change that they are experiencing on many different levels such as physical, social and emotional. Changes in social settings can be hard on the younger ones especially if they have a tendency to be more introverted. Peer pressure is a very real issue that they battle with at this age, because it involves their identity being challenged. It is during this time where they start to discover their identity – who they are, what they believe in, what they stand for, what they like or dislike, etc. With this, comes a whole range of emotions that they need to deal with; not including the emotions that they are managing due to their physical and hormonal changes that come with puberty. Sir, it is precisely at this time that children need a parent to guide them, to talk to them, to assure them and to help them. Under the Work-Life Works!”
“Madam, in closing, I would like to draw this parallel from the concerns some raised last week with regard to the fear that the drive for increased productivity means driving people to work harder and longer. It is not about working harder but for companies to work smarter. To raise the productivity of our students, it is not to increase their workload but rather to get more innovative in the way we educate our young and they will, in turn, enjoy the work, achieve mastery over these subjects and, along the way, catch this culture of lifelong learning. Smaller class size in schools Assoc. Prof. Paulin Tay Straughan: A credible aspect of the ESC Report highlights the importance of cultivating creativity. I believe schools play a critical role in this mission as they train our youth during their formative years. Would the Minister consider reducing class size, especially in secondary schools from 40 to about 20? A better teacher-student ratio will allow teachers to spend more time with each student and facilitate problem-based learning that teases the intellect and challenge the young mind to think out-of-the-box. As teachers play a key role in nurturing our youth, they too need to be well equipped so that they can be effective facilitators. In this regard, will there be more opportunities for on-the-job training for teachers? Finally, to empower our teachers to do the best for each student, will the Minister consider regular study leave for young teachers in the early stages of their career to allow them time to reflect and recharge? Letting teachers teach”
“Apart from just teaching our young people a greater amount of information, can I suggest that we help them and teach them to value learning by finding innovative ways to make the subjects and topics more engaging? When the subject matter is found to be engaging, young people have a higher desire to attain mastery of the subject. The value imparted during the process of learning is more valuable to them in the long run than piling on information and more work as the quest for greater knowledge and, therefore, increase productivity. When they catch this love for learning, we will have a new generation that is hungry to grow and excel in whatever area of work they set their mind to. This translates into increased productivity in many sectors of our economy in the future. I was excited to read in the Straits Times last week that Crescent Girls' School has developed interactive materials that incorporate multimedia features to pique their students' interest in learning. Quoting a Secondary 1 student from the article, she said, "When I read normal textbooks, my eyelids will just droop and I cannot continue reading but with the digital textbooks there are so much colour and action, especially in the videos. They make learning fun. I am encouraged to learn on my own." I would also like to suggest that another aspect of making the learning process more enjoyable is to place greater emphasis on the six-year IP programmes, allowing greater enjoyment and learning and breathing space for the holistic development of the youth as opposed to a four-year programme where they have to gear up for a major examination and then again two years later. Therefore, I would like to suggest to the Minister to have an incentive scheme to nudge schools to move in this direction.”
“Madam, Deputy Prime Minister Teo mentioned briefly the other day that his new Council would be seeking to instil a lifelong learning culture in adult Singaporeans. I would like to propose that this same culture be instilled in our young as well. Deputy Prime Minister Teo defined productivity as a measure of how much output we can get from our input. However, in relation to our young people, I view productivity as them learning a subject matter that will equip them to be effective and excellent at what they do in the future, lending value to our society. Madam, the amount of information that a youth must learn today has significantly increased in both quantity and complexity from the time that we, those sitting here, were in school. Yet, if this has not made any of us less capable, why should we attempt to cram so much more information into them this day and age? I am aware that society and standards have changed with time but the reason our Government is as effective as it is today is not because we had a mountain of information poured into us but rather all of us here have learnt and grown better through time, opportunity and desire. It is this same desire that we must create in our youths today. I have also observed that many of the youths I have interacted with, for the most part the increase of information does not translate into greater productivity, as the youth are likely to forget the information they have just studied so hard to learn as soon as they walk out of the examination hall. Madam, I find this a disturbing trend in the different generations of youths that I have encountered, both in my workplace as a youth executive and previously as a national swimmer. I acknowledge that there are many schools of thought on how to best educate our young people.”
“One indication of the dedication and commitment would be the relative percentage of the budget that is allocated to dealing with this problem. Are we committing enough resources to deal with this? Is the Minister prepared to pour more money into this? If he is, I am very confident that this problem with loansharks here in Singapore, or as my colleague would call it, the cockroaches in Singapore, can be overcome. With that Sir, I support the Bill.”
“If we could improve on our framework for repatriation of criminals while deepening further the extraterritorial reach of our legislation by making it an offence to operate money lending business here from overseas, it would be a major milestone indeed in our efforts to combat this problem. Finally, I think more efforts can be put in by the Government through its public education and counselling programmes. At the moment, illegal moneylending operates very much on the fringe of society. People who are involved in money lending, whether as borrowers or runners, almost to a person, I am confident to say, have personal problems that require help. For the young runners, it may be that they are forced to such activities by circumstance. For many, they resort to borrowing from loansharks out of ignorance about how to manage their money or where to turn to for help. In all these instances, I believe that a Government funded dedicated helpline will make a great difference and would in many cases help to avert a potentially disastrous outcome. Of course it may be argued that there are general counselling helplines out there that the desperate can turn to for help. While I would agree that such services are available, I would argue that a separate and dedicated helpline manned by trained staff who specialise in financial counselling and debt management will give it a very different signature and profile than is presently the case. We all agree that loansharking is a very serious social problem that must be dealt with in all urgency. Can we effectively deal with the problem? I believe we can, provided we are prepared to demonstrate the firm resolve and determination. In fighting this scourge, there can never be half measures.”
“The idea presumably is to ensure that these people do not unduly take advantage of those who are vulnerable. Unfortunately, we do not appear to have such a restriction in our legislation. Perhaps this is something that we should consider in this House. Thirdly, one big difference that this Bill makes is its attempt to extend its reach beyond our borders. One of the biggest challenges, as I see it, in combating illegal moneylending is dealing with loansharks outside Singapore. Unless these financiers are caught, prosecuting those who show up at the door steps of the borrowers will not stop others from stepping into their shoes. These financiers must be stopped. Currently in the present provisions of the Bill, the authorities are given the powers to freeze bank assets. This would include those who are indirectly involved as well. This ability is welcomed as it will hopefully dry up the source of funds that support such illegal activity. While the principle of freezing assets is to be supported, the current legislation appears to apply only after the illegal operator is caught. I wonder whether the scope should be expanded to allow the Minister the powers to mandate banks to track a certain profile of accounts and fund movement based on intelligence gathered from investigations. This would strengthen the initiative of the authorities and make it harder for these crooks to operate here. Fourthly, since loansharks are increasingly operating outside our jurisdiction, we should strengthen our efforts and resolve to work more closely with our counterparts overseas to smash these syndicates. At the moment, I believe there is extensive sharing of police information and intelligence.”
“In the circumstances, they should not be criminalised. While many may be sympathetic to the reason, that alone should not be sufficient to mitigate the act of encouraging loansharks in business. We should only make borrowing a criminal offence but leave it to the AG's office to determine prosecution policy in such cases, just as we do not necessarily make all killings murder. Secondly, together with the proposed criminalising of borrowing from loansharks, the Government should put in place a programme to vastly expand the number of licensed moneylenders in Singapore, which I note from the Senior Minister of State's speech, the Government has been doing. The problem that feeds the business of loansharks is that people who need money for the short term, and these are not necessarily people who cannot pay, do not often qualify for bank borrowings. Also the credit cooperatives that exist are often linked to labour unions and not everyone is a member of a labour union. Reforming and reorganising credit cooperatives to make credit facilities widely accessible to members of the public will give people a wider option of places they can turn to if they are in need of cash in the short term and not just the loansharks alone. I am pleased to note that the Government has recently increased the number of the licensed moneylenders. I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State, whether he is satisfied as a consequence, credit would now be made easier to the people, who needs it without having to resort to loansharks. One question which has arisen is whether our Government should put a cap on the amount of interest that providers of consumer credit may charge for the borrowing. In many countries, the law puts a cap on the amount that may be charged on consumer credit.”
“Quite obviously, the frequency with which we are amending the Act suggests that the Government is paying much attention to the problem of illegal moneylending. The question is, will the amendments this time round go far enough to fix the rising menace of loansharking? Indeed the current round of amendment seeks to comprehensively tackle the problem, including among others, making it an offence for anyone to participate even indirectly in the activity, giving the authorities the wide ranging powers to freeze bank assets, and making it an offence to get a minor involved. While I am happy to see determined efforts by the Ministry to deal with this scourge, I am not sure if the Government could have gone further in the current revision. In this regard, I have some comments and observations to make. First, as with any business, stamping out the demand side of the equation will have a severe impact on the viability of the undertaking. Loansharks feed on the demand of the people for credit. If a way can be found to substantially curtail the demand for such loans, there will be less incentive for loansharks to stay in business. The anticipation before the introduction of the present Bill was that the Government was going to make borrowing from loansharks an illegal and criminal act. The belief is that criminalising such acts will deter and discourage many from approaching loansharks as a convenient source of credit. Unfortunately, when the Bill was finally presented, this provision, to the surprise of many, was not included. I note the explanation of Senior Minister of State in not wanting to introduce such a provision at this time. Principally, the Government accepts that many people turn to loansharks out of genuine financial hardships.”
“We must also recognise that youths between the age of 16 and 20 carry natural influence in the lives of those under the age of 16 due to the closeness in age and frequent interactions in various youth social settings. Therefore, measures must also be taken to adequately deter these young people from influencing their younger counterparts from becoming involved in loansharking activities. May I ask if the Senior Minister of State has plans to strengthen the deterrents to prevent such negative influences from taking place? I feel that all of these steps are necessary to protect and preserve the future generation of Singapore. The seriousness of these acts demand the adequate severity of the penalties that must be imposed. They must be brought to a place where they are prepared to sacrifice their own future before sacrificing the future of our next generation. With these comments, I support the Bill. Mr Sin Boon Ann (Tampines): Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the Bill. Loansharks are a scourge to our society and a bane of our existence. They intimidate innocent and helpless people and damage properties almost with impunity. For many of us here in this House, almost not a single week passes by without hearing stories of some families with paint thrown at their door steps or walls defaced with some profanities or calls for debts to be paid. For many, this form of harassment causes great stress and mental anguish. The harassment affects not only the families of the borrowers, but increasingly also their neighbours as well; as harassment is carried out on the premise that neighbours will help to put pressure on the family concerned. We have amended the Moneylenders Act several times in recent years.”
“Sir, I am glad to see that these proposed amendments address the seriousness of these illegal activities by increasing the penalties mete out to these offenders and by empowering the Minister to cripple the perpetuation of these activities by freezing the related assets. On top of this, given the rise in the number of youths caught in loansharking activities, it is good that adults who involve youths under the age of 16 be subject to severe consequences to give them pause for thought before influencing our youths in such a negative manner and way of life. Those adults who influence our youths to be involved in their illegal activities are endangering and potentially destroying the lives of our future generation. The youths at this age are at a pivotal stage of life where they are extremely susceptible to the appeal of the sense of acceptance and trust the loansharks provide through the empowerment to carry out certain tasks and responsibilities. As such, I find resonance with clause 8 which seeks to insert new sections, in particular, section 28B, which carries the liability of a jail term as well as a fine for those who cause or procure a minor to commit an offence by participating in their illegal activities. I believe that such steps are important in protecting our future generation from the negative influences of loansharks. We must ensure adequate protection is in place for our young people at every stage of their life, whether below the age of 16 or below 21. May I ask if the Senior Minister of State has plans to increase the penalty for adults involved in influencing youths between the age of 16 and 20 to participate in loansharking activity?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for this opportunity to speak on this Bill. It is true that this scourge is not unique to Singapore and it is of great comfort that steps are being taken to address the illegal and menacing acts of loansharks in Singapore. It is disturbing to hear the number of incidents that occur every year. I have personally witnessed the disturbing and damaging effect that such activities have on the members of our society. Two friends of mine who have been working for about two years since graduating from university are about to get married and have recently purchased their new flat. This is a time that should be a joyous occasion for them as they are preparing to embark on the next phase of their lives together. However, it is disconcerting to see how people can spend large sums of their hard-earned savings to purchase a flat and even before their wedding date and any opportunity to enjoy their new flat, it has been vandalised on at least two occasions by loansharks who were, in fact, attempting to harass and intimidate the previous owners. Clause 7 seeks to amend section 28 which increases the penalty for the harassment and intimidation of any borrower or surety, any family member of a borrower or surety, or other person. Clause 4 seeks to increase the penalties for the offence of unlicensed moneylending and to introduce new penalties for individuals who operate in like manner including imprisonment terms and even caning at the discretion of the court, while clause 5 seeks to insert a new Part to provide for the freezing of proceeds of unlicensed moneylending to prevent these from being used for unlicensed moneylending.”