Lee Chiaw Meng
Singapore
“" I think it is an opportune time for the Minister to examine the whole issue of statutory contributions rather than its individual components.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I seek clarification from the First Deputy Prime Minister. This is related to a certain provision in the Companies Act. I believe that section 69N of the Companies Act empowers a company to write to a member of the company to disclose the beneficial ownership of the shares.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I disagree. Is the Minister, therefore, saying that the HDB policy and the PWD policy is this: "We will cross the bridge when we come to it."? With such a policy they will not consider building any road until they have built a housing estate or until a big traffic jam occurs.”
“Sir, I believe the present differential between the Upper Timescale and the Superscale 'H' grades is about 33%. Whilst I appreciate the Minister's contention to retain the distinction between the Timescale officers and the Superscale officers, would not the Minister consider that 33% is too big a gap?”
“I think the best strategy s for us to adopt whatever development that is carried out elsewhere and provide our own innovations to it. The third question the Member asked is how successful we have been in developing Singapore into a brain and service centre, Sir, it is a bit difficult to quantify.”
“To reduce opportunity for cheating, the Bill requires instruments used for trade to be tested by an inspector of Weights and Measures and manufacturers and repairers of weighing instruments to be licensed. Further, shortweight and misrepresentation of goods sold will be regarded as an offence.”
The complete record
Every one of 341 lines we hold for Lee Chiaw Meng, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 1 of 7.
“(11) That the sum to be allocated for Head M be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead ME-02 of the Main Estimates.”
“(10) That the sum to be allocated for Head N be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead NG-01 of the Main Estimates.”
“(7) That the sum to be allocated for Head N be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead NE-04 of the Main Estimates.”
“" I think it is an opportune time for the Minister to examine the whole issue of statutory contributions rather than its individual components. Similarly, I hope the Minister will also examine seriously the question of containing high overhead costs and reviewing the total package of tax incentives for investment and trade development so as to make it more flexible for the manufacturers and exporters to compete in the world market effectively. In the face of a shrinking world market and in order not to lose out, we must adopt a more innovative strategy for the coming year. I am sure the Minister is more than capable of doing that. In the face of world-wide recession, we could not have expected a better budget from the Minister. Although we are not here to shower him with compliments, I would like to join all my colleagues in congratulating him for his masterpiece. 6.50 p.m.”
“Unfortunately, we could not possibly expect the Minister to announce any redeeming measures on the foreign exchange rates. On the other hand, on such issues such as production cost, particularly overhead cost, he can. First, there is rental for land and factory premises. Singapore manufacturers have to pay a higher rental than our competitors in Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea. To fuel the situation further, the Jurong Town Corporation has recently decided to increase most industrial land rentals by the maximum 50% under the five-year revision scheme. The argument is that it is below the market value. I believe the argument is rather ridiculous. The entire Jurong Town is practically owned by the JTC. There is no such thing as market value nor any other base line to work on. Such increase, though legitimate as contained in the lease agreement, is I think unjustifiable at this point of time, especially as JTC has just shown a very hefty increase in revenue. Secondly, we have one of the highest statutory contributions in the world. Total contribution to CPF, SDF and payroll tax amounts to more than 50% of the payroll. With the introduction of the Medisave scheme, it is possible that it will go up even higher. Sir, I do not wish to repeat the arguments so eloquently put forward by my colleagues except to remind the Minister of a statement made by the Finance Minister in 1979. While explaining the rationale for the skills development levy, he said that the levy, together with the increase in employer's CPF contribution, 4% for that year, provided a buffer which "in the event of a deep recession could be removed or lowered to moderate wage cost increases of the employers.”
“I would like to urge the Minister, therefore, to give the necessary encouragement and support to the development of the service sector. There is no reason why, for example, similar tax incentives and support available only to the manufacturing sector cannot be applied to the service sector. Similarly, there is also no reason why they should only be confined to one particular industry, We are equally strong in other disciplines, such as accountancy and the legal services. Sir, we have been talking of developing Singapore as a service centre for years. In the face of recession perhaps we need the impetus from the Government to make it a reality. In his Budget speech, the Minister mentioned that the Government intends to focus on three major areas for further development of Singapore as a financial centre. Unfortunately, the Minister only elaborated on measures to encourage the development of the gold market and the international loan syndication. He has not made known the position nor the intention of the Government with regard to the development of offshore fund mana- gement. Of obvious interest is whether he would now consider granting net earnings from such activities concessionary tax rates as in gold and ACU dealings. Other financial centres such as Hong Kong have a more attractive package than us. We must make it attractive for the financial institutions to use Singapore as an operational base. Sir, the manufacturing sector has borne the major brunt of the world recession. At the same time, our local industries are facing the strangling pincer of high production cost and the effect of a very strong Singapore dollar. We are grateful to the Minister for highlighting the adverse effects of a strong Singapore dollar to our trades.”
“I would like to have the assurance from the Minister that a hefty increase in ARF has not already been planned. Perhaps he would care to explain the discrepancy in revenue from these two items. I fear that I may be looking at the show which the Member for Rochore was watching with scrutinizing eyes. Over the years our Government has been trying to develop Singapore as a service and training centre. The taxation policy, however, does not appear to be moving in the same direction. In 1978 the Finance Minister announced a 20% concessionary tax rate on income derived from providing consultancy and technical services overseas. The legislation was enacted in 1979. Unfortunately, it is primarily meant for the construction and building industry and, moreover, it is only applicable to consultancy service performed on approved overseas projects and provided the company has a minimum gross annual revenue of $1 million from such a source. I believe very few, if any at all, local firms can take advantage of the incentives. They only benefit the large multinational concerns using Singapore as an offshore base which will not necessarily result in a transfer of technology. Many find the requirement of obtaining prior approval and a minimum $1 million revenue unrealistic and impracticable. They find it more convenient and less taxing, perhaps I should say no tax, by not repatriating such offshore income back to Singapore. The net result is the loss of revenue and the loss of foreign exchange earnings. The service sector, Sir, is less vulnerable to protectionism than the manufacturing industry. Over the years we have accumulated considerable expertise in many aspects of the service sector. But we have yet to exploit the advantage fully.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, speaking towards the end of a debate has its disadvantage. There is hardly any ground that is left uncovered. On the other hand, the advantage is that I need not go through the rationale in detail as the backdrop has been fully painted by others. I would, therefore, be very specific without making reference to all the statistics and figures. Sir, a welcome development over the last few years is that there have been fewer surprise taxation measures introduced in between Budgets. I hope this tradition will prevail. Although I appreciate that there is no particular reason, other than being logical, why tax changes must be introduced together with the financial policy of the Government during the Budget, we should not introduce too many surprise elements in the financial management of the State. This is especially so if such changes have been conceived as part of the financial package of the Budget. Prior to the recent Budget Statement, there was a fear of a hefty increase in the Additional Registration Fee (ARF) on motor vehicles. Thankfully, this was not the case. However, I find it difficult to reconcile the increases in the estimated revenue to be derived from the ARF with that from road tax. Under Tax on Production and Expenditure, the road tax on motor vehicles is estimated at $297 million, a reasonable 13% increase over the 1982 figure. On the other hand, there is a 60% jump in the revenue from ARF for 1982 of $245 million as against the estimated figure of $390 million for 1983. It implies that either the Government has a plan to increase the ARF sometime during the year or that other measures will be introduced which will increase the revenue from ARF while holding down the road tax at a reasonable level.”
“Under the Takeover Codes, if one holds more than 20% of the shares of a company, one is obliged under the law to make a general offer to all the shares not in one's holding.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I seek clarification from the First Deputy Prime Minister. This is related to a certain provision in the Companies Act. I believe that section 69N of the Companies Act empowers a company to write to a member of the company to disclose the beneficial ownership of the shares. Now, with the present provision, can a bank which acts on behalf of someone, hide under this secrecy act and refuse to disclose the beneficiary owner? If it is so, it appears to be a loophole to circumvent the Takeover Codes of the SES.”
“Sir, I believe the Ministry of Trade and Industry is carrying on a Save Energy Campaign. To go to the estate, although very well served by two roads, involves a detour of about one kilometre each way. Is that not a waste of energy? Secondly -”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I disagree. Is the Minister, therefore, saying that the HDB policy and the PWD policy is this: "We will cross the bridge when we come to it."? With such a policy they will not consider building any road until they have built a housing estate or until a big traffic jam occurs. Alternatively, it suggests that the HDB has actually no forward planning.”
“Sir, would it not be prudent, therefore, for the HDB to make up that stretch of Tanah Merah Kechil Road now and consider it as part of the public scheme under study by the HDB?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, could the Minister give an indication when the scheme as suggested by the Prime Minister would be implemented?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, that brings me back to my original Question: Has the HDB finalized the scheme?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, would the Minister comment whether the Scheme that is operating now has been successful in bringing immediate families to live close to one another?”
“Sir, will the Minister be as generous to the private developers if they give the same undertaking?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, would the Minister enlighten the House why a minimum ceiling height of 3.2 metres has been imposed on private housing and not on HDB flats?”
“Sir, I believe the present differential between the Upper Timescale and the Superscale 'H' grades is about 33%. Whilst I appreciate the Minister's contention to retain the distinction between the Timescale officers and the Superscale officers, would not the Minister consider that 33% is too big a gap?”
“Consequent upon these changes, it is necessary to alter the titles in the Department in accordance with the provisions in Section 3 of the Departmental Titles (Alteration) Ordinance (Chapter 55 of the Revised Edition). The agreement of this House is therefore sought to amend the schedule to the said Ordinance and to substitute the new titles or names of office for the old titles or names of office as indicated in the motion. Sir, I beg to move. Question put, and agreed to. Resolved, That this Parliament pursuant to section 3 of the Departmental Titles (Alteration) Act (Chapter 53), resolves that the Schedule to the said Act be amended by the addition under the headings of 'Old Title or Name of Office' and 'New Title or Name of Office' respectively of the following: Old Title or Name of Office New Title or Name of Office Chief Chemist and Chief Director, Scientific Inspector of Dangerous Service Materials Deputy Chief Chemist and Chief Deputy Director, Scientific Inspector of Dangerous Service Materials Senior Chemist and Senior ( Principal Scientific Inspector of Dangerous ( Officer Materials ( Senior Scientific Officer Chemist and Inspector of ) Dangerous Materials ) Document Examiner ) Scientific Officer Microbiologist ) Chemical Engineer ) Radiation Protection Officer ) Serologist ) ADJOURNMENT Resolved, "That Parliament do now adjourn to a date to be fixed." - [Mr E. W. Barker]. Adjourned accordingly at Twelve minutes past Three o'clock p.m, to a date to be fixed. Appendix - REQUEST FOR CERTIFICATE OF GOOD STANDING FOR MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS/FROM DENTAL SURGEONS (Cols 1001-1002)”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move the motion* standing in my name as it appears on the Order Paper. * The motion reads as follows: That this Parliament pursuant to section 3 of the Departmental Titles (Alteration) Act (Chapter 53), resolves that the Schedule to the said Act be amended by the addition under the headings of 'Old Title or Name of Office' and 'New Title or Name of Office' respectively of the following: Old Title or Name of Office New Title or Name of Office Chief Chemist and Chief Director, Scientific Inspector of Dangerous Service Materials Deputy Chief Chemist and Chief Deputy Director, Scientific Inspector of Dangerous Service Materials Senior Chemist and Senior ( Principal Scientific Inspector of Dangerous ( Officer Materials ( Senior Scientific Officer Chemist and Inspector of ) Dangerous Materials ) Document Examiner ) Scientific Officer Microbiologist ) Chemical Engineer ) Radiation Protection Officer ) Serologist ) Sir, prior to 1972, the Department of Chemistry was primarily concerned with the provision of routine chemical services to Government departments and was staffed entirely with Chemists. In recent years, the scope of its activities has been considerably expanded into other fields such as food technology, radiation protection and chemical engineering. The staff of the Department now includes Microbiologists, Chemical Engineers and Physicists. In order to cater for the wider range of its activities, the Department was re-named the Department of Scientific Services and a scheme of service entitled Scientific Services Scheme was introduced on 1st April, 1976.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir. with regard to the promotion of the metric system, the results so far have been quite satisfactory. Last year we conducted a survey among housewives and found that most of them are aware of the metric system. However, not every housewife is well-versed with the use of the metric system. In view of this, we will strengthen our campaign. For similar reasons we will not compel traders to use the metric system this year. The Member also mentioned about the teaching of metric system in the schools. At present all the textbooks use the metric system. The exceptions are certain geography textbooks which are published in other countries, and we cannot change it. He mentioned about a TV advertisement. I regret to say that I do not watch TV very often; so I missed this publicity. But I think probably the allegation is true. The purpose of the programme is to encourage people to think iii metric, thus two apples weigh about 100 grams. I also agree with the reasoning of the Member for Sembawang and so I will remind the Metrication Board to pay more attention to this, so as not to mislead the people into a wrong understanding of the metric system.”
“I think the best strategy s for us to adopt whatever development that is carried out elsewhere and provide our own innovations to it. The third question the Member asked is how successful we have been in developing Singapore into a brain and service centre, Sir, it is a bit difficult to quantify. Perhaps a good indicator is revealed in a survey in 1974 on engineering manpower where it is revealed that just over 40% of the engineers in the private sector are doing consultancy work outside Singapore. I think this is an indicator of how well they are doing. The Ministry is currently conducting a survey on the consultancy work undertaken by our professional and scientific manpower and we hope to publish a directory of consultancy services available in Singapore to help our professionals sell Singapore's expertise in this area. Finally, on the question of the Science Centre, the building will be ready towards the end of this year and I hope it will be open to, the public sometime in the middle of next year.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Anson has touched on four different areas. The first point concerns the Department of Scientific Services which was formerly known as the Department of Chemistry. Prior to 1 972, the Department was mainly concerned with providing routine analytical chemical services for items such as food, water, alcohol, medicines, drugs, industrial pollution and related services on toxicology and forensic science. These services were mainly provided to Government departments to enable them to administer the various Acts and Regulations. In the last few years, the range of services provided has been considerably expanded to include other branches of science, which now include services in areas such as micro-biology, food technology, radiation protection and chemical engineering. It also provides services to the commercial and industrial sectors as and when required. The Member raised a few related questions on energy. The research at the Mechanical Engineering Department of the University of Singapore on solar energy is still in progress. They have identified a few areas where they would profitably carry out the research and we hope to be able to receive some preliminary reports soon. The Member also inquired about the proposal to use wind as a source of energy. This again is in the preliminary stage of study. I am not quite sure whether we would come out with anything concrete from this particular area. Of course, we are also interested in other sources of energy supply such as the use of animal waste, and recently there has been a proposal to use tidal waves as well. The Member for Anson will appreciate that energy research is an extremely expensive undertaking.”
“To reduce opportunity for cheating, the Bill requires instruments used for trade to be tested by an inspector of Weights and Measures and manufacturers and repairers of weighing instruments to be licensed. Further, shortweight and misrepresentation of goods sold will be regarded as an offence. As a further measure for consumer protection, the Bill requires some goods to be sold by a particular unit of measure, some by approved sizes and pre-packed goods to show clearly the net quantity of their contents. Where insisted upon by customers, the Bill now provides that retailers should sell in metric units. Sir, I beg to move. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill-[Dr Lee Chiaw Meng]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. MEDICINES BILL (As reported from Select Committee) Order for Third Reading read. 7.31 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." In October, 1970, the Government approved the broad policy of metrication. Since then, significant progress had been achieved. Except for certain technical departments, the public sector has completely metricated. Conversions have also taken place in industries. For example, the construction and engineering industries are substantially metric. As for the retail trade, all major supermarkets went metric from 1st July, 1974. Pre-packed goods are now available in standard metric sizes, textiles are sold by the metre and petrol dispensed by the litre. Efforts are now being made to encourage housewives to use metric units in preparation for the day of complete metrication. In addition to our efforts at metrication, the Government has found it increasingly necessary to regulate weighing and measuring instruments used in trade. As a further measure of consumer protection, it has also been found necessary to regulate the manner in which certain goods, especially those pre-packed, are to be sold. In the light of these efforts, it is necessary to amend and re-enact the present Weights and Measures Act. The Bill firstly defines the units of measurements permitted for trade purposes and authorises the use of metric units in place of local and imperial units of weights and measures in areas and places of trade as decided by the Minister in charge. Exceptions are made for transactions in medicinal drugs and precious metals and stones where traditional units may continue to apply. As a measure of consumer protection, the Bill requires weighing and measuring instruments used for trade to be constructed of approved patterns, specifications, material and principles of construction to ensure their accuracy.”
“I propose that for the purpose of routine validation of the College's diplomas and certificates, section 12 of the Act be so amended as to permit the affixing of the common seal in the presence of two officers of the College duly authorised by the Council on its behalf. It is desirable for the Council to submit annual reports on the performance of the College to the Minister in charge for his presentation to Parliament. A new section is therefore proposed to meet this requirement. Finally, I am taking this opportunity to amend the Act to satisfy the financial procedures governing statutory institutions as prescribed by the Ministry of Finance. A new section to the Act to prescribe the financial procedures to be followed by the College is therefore proposed. Sir, I beg to move. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill-[Dr Lee Chiaw Meng]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. TRAVEL AGENTS BILL (As reported from Select Committee) Order for Third Reading read. 3.41 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The Ngee Ann College was established in 1963 with a total enrolment of 447. Apart from applied chemistry and telecommunications engineering, the courses offered by the College were mainly in the liberal arts and business studies. Following its reconstitution in 1967, the College began diversifying its courses with a bias towards technical studies. The present enrolment of the College is 1,652, the majority of whom are in engineering courses leading to a technician diploma. In the next fiscal year, this will exceed 2,500. The courses offered by the College now include mechanical engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, shipbuilding and repair technology, building services and business studies. In view of the diverse nature of the courses it now offers, it is considered necessary to appoint suitable members to the Council of the College to enable its diverse interests to be met. It is therefore proposed to amend section 7(l) (c) and (g) of the Act to provide the Minister in charge with more flexibility to appoint Council members to serve the interest of the College. Currently, the common seal of the College may only be used or affixed on any document in the presence of the Chairman or a member of the Council and the Principal in pursuance of a resolution duly passed at a properly constituted meeting of the Council and duly recorded in the minutes of that meeting. These requirements are unnecessarily onerous when the common seal is used on the College's diplomas and cer- tificates.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as this subject happens to be my area of interest, I have to deprive my Parliamentary Secretary of the pleasure of replying. Jurong Vocational Institute was built on reclaimed land which consists of a very thick layer of peats. The design of the Jurong Vocational Institute is such that the loads are transferred from beams to the columns on to the pile which go to the hard layer below the peats. All the floors are suspended floors so that the loads from the machines and human beings are transferred to the floor beam which in turn go on to the piles. On the other hand, such areas like the apron and passage way which are not of critical importance are not constructed that way. They are built directly on the filled ground. As a result of the consolidation of the peats, settlement takes place and the apron settles in relation to the pile, and therefore we have these cracks. I believe, the PWD had already taken these factors into consideration in their design. Therefore, there is no structural danger in this building. Ad hoc repairs have been made. We are now considering what to do when the final or rather the bulk of the consolidation of the peats has taken place.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am very glad to say that the Minister for Finance has made available half a million dollars to Nanyang University as a revolving fund for that purpose.”
“In particular, I do not think the quality of teachers has gone down. Academic-wise, in the past we used to take in trainees with `0' levels. Now we insist on `A' levels. We are conducting in-service courses throughout the year for serving teachers to upgrade their skills. From the overwhelming response from teachers to attend these in-service courses, I have no doubt whatsoever of the dedication of our teachers who are highly motivated to excel in their work. There may be a few odd birds who join the service because there are no other jobs. But out of an establishment of 20,000 teachers I am quite satisfied that the majority of them are as dedicated as we expect them to be. The Member mentioned about the administrative burden on principals in primary schools. I for one am greatly in favour of relieving the principals of any administrative burden. But unfortunately there is a certain amount of administrative work which he has to do. In fact, the Ministry was quite keen on that and a request was made to the Management Services Department, in the Ministry of Finance to do a study on how best this could be done. We were proposing, for example, to have an Executive Officer attached to a secondary school. Unfortunately, after some detailed study the Management Services Department came out with a negative answer. They said that it did not warrant the posting of an Executive Officer to such a school but they recommended the reduction of the size of the school and that in a school with a large enrolment additional clerks could be posted. Therefore, when the school building programme is completed we should be able to considerably reduce the school size and the administrative work of the principal will be reduced accordingly.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Paya Lebar mentioned that in Chinese schools since mathematics and science are taught in English the school inspector, or advisor as lie is called now, appears to pay more attention to the teacher's pronunciation of English rather than on content. In fact, he drew my attention to this problem a few months ago to two specific cases. I have looked into these two specific cases where the adverse comment is really on the method of teaching - the teacher's approach and technique - rather than the command of the second language. I think in the assessment of a teacher's performance, it is how well lie can impart his knowledge which is of overriding importance. I do not think there is a prevailing occurrence where an inspector of school hammered a mathematics and science teacher because he cannot pronounce the terms properly or the school advisor scolded teachers for not doing well. I agree with the Member that the job of the advisor is to advise and he is not supposed to scold. If the Member is aware of such cases, please let me know and perhaps I could advise the advisor to advise. The Member for Serangoon Gardens referred to the so-called falling standard of pupils' performance. I think this is a world-wide problem. Is it true that the pupils' performance is falling, or is it because the demands of the modern times have increased? I would like to refer the Member to a report published recently in the United Kingdom called the Bullock Report on Reading. It studied whether the standard of English has gone down. Has it actually gone down? No, the demand on the standard of English has gone up. I think we are facing the same problem here. The demands on school leavers have gone up. I do not think the standard of education has gone down.”
“I do not think the Member for Paya Lebar understood what I have said. I said that under the existing regulations, the principal has the discretion to delegate whichever teacher he considers is suitable to mete out corporal punishment. I did not say "only the senior teachers". Therefore, if the principal so decides that all 60 teachers can mete out corporal punishment, so be it.”
“Sir, during the initial stage, the answer is no. Perhaps at a later stage we might consider when we are able to carry out the scheme smoothly.”
“Are we then to change the Teachers' Day again if it happens to coincide with a holiday? It is something very significant and we cannot change it just because it happens to fall within the school holidays for the last few years.”
“Sir, there are only 65 Members of Parliament here and we are supposed to wear white shirts. I do not see the Member for Sembawang wearing white shirt. That answers his problem of uniforms. The Member for Moulmein raised the question of stall development programme. I am pleased to say that we have finalised the curriculum for the advanced Certificate of Education course and invitations will be sent out to interested teachers to apply for such a course. We will also be implementing two other schemes, that is, the Overseas Scholarship Scheme, to send deserving staff with the necessary qualifications to the United Kingdom to do an undergraduate's course in English. There is a great shortage of these teachers. In addition, recently we announced a sponsorship scheme whereby successful teachers would be sent to the local university to pursue an undergraduate course. As for the course in Bachelor of Education, we have yet to finalise the curriculum, and I am afraid it will not be in time for the coming academic year. It will be ready by the next academic year, which will be sometime in 1976. The Member for Jurong raised the question of Teachers' Day. The Teachers' Day was fixed on the 1st September many years ago to honour and remember this very noble profession. If Teachers' Day is to have any meaning at all, it should not be changed or altered just because the school term has been revised. Teachers' Day has been observed all along at a time when it did not fall within the holidays. I am afraid the Member for Jurong got it wrong that the Ministry of Education fixed it so that it coincides with the holidays. With a greater intake in July and the likelihood of introducing two GCE examinations per year, the school term is likely to be further changed.”
“Sir, I have mentioned that we have a certain standard for civil servants, and there are posters to show what is long hair and what is not, e.g, if the hair is allowed to cover the collar and the ears, it is considered long hair, and so on. The Member mentioned the Singapore Polytechnic: we are trying gradually to impose certain rules in respect of Polytechnic students. I am afraid his proposal for uniforms is not enforceable. In fact, I hate to see teachers come to classes in uniforms. I am afraid it is not a practical suggestion and we might get a very sterile service.”
“Sir, the purpose of education is to inculcate a sense of proper social discipline among the students. I cannot agree more that we should not be too indulgent towards our young. I do not think that indisciplined students is the direct result of the withdrawal of the cane from teachers. Even 2,000 years ago we had Judas betraying his mentor. Under the present system the regulation for corporal punishment is flexible enough to enable the principal to exercise considerable discretion to designate any teacher to mete out corporal punishment. I believe the same assurance was given by my predecessor, the present Minister for the Environment, two years ago on the same issue. The Member for Sembawang asked about the Naval Base Secondary School. If I recall correctly, Naval Base Secondary School was originally a primary school and it has since become a secondary school. Therefore, it has only a small canteen. The Ministry is, in fact, looking into the possibility of building a school hall for this school. On the question of long hair, we have certain regulations which are, in fact, widely observed in the civil service. I do not think the problem is really that serious. Sometimes it is actually a question of discretion as to what constitutes long hair, and what is not. It is not something that is easily quantifiable. As long as it is tidy and not too long, I think it should be all right. He quoted a technical secondary school in particular. The technical secondary school follows exactly the same regulations in the civil service.”
“There will be no campaigns. What we intended to do have in fact been done now - that is to produce a series of films explaining the restructured system and also train a large number of education officers to familiarise themselves with this system. The idea is not to conduct a campaign but to get these specially trained officers to go to the individual schools and invite the parents to attend a session so that they can explain the new system and answer any queries. There will be various public forums for this purpose.”
“In fact, we have been urging principals to try to do that as far as possible. The Member for Katong has made a very good point which unfortunately I have missed out in my reply, and the Member for Jalan Kayu has also raised it, that is, we should have an exercise to explain to the general public about the restructured system. In fact, this is being planned. An hon. Member: A campaign.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I cannot promise the Member for Telok Blangah that if he were to raise the same question in three years' time, the number of relief teachers will be cut down to 30. But I can promise him that it will not be of the same magnitude as it is today. If he will recall, in my reply in 1971 I said that it was our intention that eventually relief teachers would be trained teachers, but they would still be relief teachers. The intention is that there will be a pool of trained teachers serving as relief teachers but they will remain as relief teachers. I must apologise to the Member for Serangoon Gardens if I have grouped his queries together with the Member for Potong Pasir. My apologies if I have done so. I understand his sentiments. His point about the multiplying of classes due to the restructured system was well taken. We are aware of this and this is, in fact, being planned for. He asked how the form and standardisation will come about and also whether the second language will affect the question of channelling. As I said just now, this is contained in the very detailed recommendations of principals and teachers' unions in a seminar. It is rather a lengthy report but it will be made public very soon. He has asked for my assurance that relief teachers will not be posted to primary schools, especially from Primary I through to Primary III, if they are untrained relief teachers, I can say that perhaps in a few years' time this will not happen. But even now there are only about 100-odd relief teachers in the primary schools, out of a total of 15,000 teachers in the establishment. I cannot agree with him more about his idea of the same teacher following through from Primary I to Primary III.”
“These donations are collected from foreign students and paid into a fund known as the Education Fund. It is used for the benefit of our students. For example, every year a large sum of money is being drawn from this Fund to subsidize our students to go overseas or to go to the neighbouring countries on educational tours or for whatever activities the students wish to engage in but are short of funds. I am rather surprised that the hon. Member for Anson is so concerned about foreign students. Donations are required from foreign students for a very simple reason. Although they study in private schools we ask for donation from them. Private schools have been able to attract foreign students because of the educational infrastructure built up by this Government at public expense over the years, and it cost millions of dollars. Without Government efforts there would not be this educational infrastructure and the private schools would not be able to flourish and attract that many foreign students. Why should foreign students come to Singapore and not elsewhere? Because of the efforts of the Government to build up this infrastructure, I think it is only fair that if foreign students wish to come here and benefit from our efforts they should make a donation towards the Education Fund to be used for the benefit of our students. Sir, I hope I have answered most of the points raised by hon. Members.”
“I would rather that we do it slowly and solve the problem gradually by training more qualified teachers. I hope it will eventually be solved - not too long but perhaps within a few years. Three hundred relief teachers as compared to 20,000 establishments is not really a large number. On issues relating to the school management, the Member for Anson said that there have been cases where students have been forced to collect donations during vacation. Schools are not supposed to do that. The principals are not supposed to sell lucky draw tickets and solicit donations. In fact, in the past when such cases were discovered by the Ministry, the principals were warned. I should be grateful to the Member for Anson, should he come across such cases, to let me know and we will take appropriate action. The Member for Jurong made some reference to the officers in the uniformed movement. I agree with him that it is wrong to have in-camp training during the school term. I would bring this to the attention of the Commandant to see that in future this training should not be allowed to disrupt the teaching process for the benefit of the uniformed movement. I agree with him that in-camp training should be conducted during vacation. The Member also asked about Intraco's donations as a matter of general interest. I do not have any knowledge of what Intraco has donated to the schools, but I believe that most of the items donated are new. But whether they are suitable or not I cannot vouch for them. I believe that the only item which was not new was the 30 odd re-conditioned buses donated to schools. In addition to that, Intraco donates a large sum of money every now and then to schools for various projects. The Member for Anson raised some questions on donations to the Education Fund.”
“The abolition of post allowance in the restructured education system is the result of very prolonged negotiations between the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance and the teachers' unions over a period of 18 months. The reasons, the rationale and the likely repercussions have been gone through in great detail, and having reached that agreement there is no possibility of going back and reintroduce the post allowance. However, it is not true to say that there is no attraction in being a principal. Let us take the last promotion exercise - not the one I just mentioned but the one carried out two years ago -principals holding basic grades have four times as much chances to be promoted as teachers have in their own grades. Generally speaking, and as to be expected, principals have better chances of being promoted. I now come to the question of relief teachers, which was raised by both the Members for Anson and Telok Blangah. The Member for Telok Blangah reminded me of the answers I gave when I was the Parliamentary Secretary and Minister of State for Education. I am afraid I have to give the same reply today - as long as there is maternity leave, there will be relief teachers. But I agree with both Members that it is not a very satisfactory arrangement. We will try our best to reduce the number of relief teachers. At present there are over 300 relief teachers for pure vacancies as against 800 when I replied to the Member for Telok Blangah in 1969. So there is a reduction of more than 50%. This could, of course, be resolved in various ways. Three hundred relief teachers among 20,000 teachers actually represents 1 1/2%. One convenient way is to do it administratively, that is, to increase the size of the class. But I do not think this is very desirable.”
“The number of teachers promoted will be slightly more than the previous year. The Member for Anson is most probably aware that the procedure for shortlisting this year has somewhat been modified after consultation with the various teachers' unions. As a result, there will be less belly-aching this year. We will continue to improve upon the procedure so that there will be less unhappy teachers. The Member for Telok Blangah asked about the training of teachers to teach Malay and Tamil as second language at the Institute of Education. We are continuing to train them to teach the language as a second language. We are now working on a scheme to take in trainees who do not have the required `A' levels to undergo a more intensive programme of training as first language teachers. The Member for Jurong raised two more questions on the conditions of service of teachers. One is on medical benefits for those teachers who have retired. I believe this question was raised by the Member for Paya Lebar in 1973 and it was again raised by the Member for Jurong in 1974. I am afraid the reply is still the same. The Member for Telok Blangah may quote from Hansard again. Briefly, we have to look at the public service as a whole and not on the teachers as an isolated incidence. They have to be considered in toto. Under the present circumstances, I am afraid the Ministry has been advised that it is not possible to extend free medical benefits to those teachers who have retired. The Member also raised the question of post allowance for principals. I believe he raised the same question last year. The reply is again the same.”
“Let me assure him that no restriction is imposed by the Ministry on teachers who wish to pursue a course of study in his own time provided it does not interfere with his work as a teacher. However, if he wishes to apply for study leave, then the course of study must be relevant to the requirement of the service. If a teacher chooses to study accountancy, for example, there is great doubt whether he will return to enrich the education service. The Member also inquired about the posting of teachers to schools nearest their homes. It is more difficult than posting pupils nearest their homes for the simple reason that most teachers are concentrated in a few housing estates, such as Marine Parade, Thomson and Toa Payoh. There are also many schools in the rural areas where there are no housing estates, and we have to post teachers to man these schools. It is not possible to accede to the request of every teacher for posting to a school nearest his home. About the promotion exercise, I am pleased to say that only this morning I received confirmation from the Public Service Commission that the exercise has been finalised and the results will be announced shortly.”
“He also asked why the three established Tamil centres - Bartley, Beatty and Gan Eng Seng - were closed down. With the exception of Beatty, both Bartley and Gan Eng Seng, I believe, were closed more than eight years ago. It is not the result of a change in policy on bilingualism or of the recent changes. Beatty Secondary School was changed this year. The reason is this: as it stands, Beatty Secondary School does not have enough classrooms to cater for its own pupils. In attending these classes those TL2 pupils had to float from one classroom to another. This was rather unsatisfactory, and as a result we moved the centre to a school where sufficient classrooms for TL2 are available for this purpose. 4.15 pm. The Member for Anson asked a few questions about the Institute of Education. He wants me to give a very simple answer to the question on who wants to be a teacher? May I assure him that in our present day context teaching is still a very noble profession. There are many bright young men and women who aspire to be teachers when they finish their schooling. During the last admission exercise carried out a couple of months ago by the Institute of Education there were about 550 applicants for the Certificate in Education course. Due to the staffing position, we have only been able to take in about 60. The ratio is about 1 : 10. Similarly, for the Diploma in Education course for graduates, there were about 450 applicants for 90 places. The ratio is 1 : 5. Despite what has been said, the teaching profession still has its attractions. The Member mentioned that there are some restrictions on teachers who wish to pursue a course of study, for example, academic teachers studying for a non-academic course.”
“Of the remaining 5%, most of them were posted to schools within three kilometres from their homes. The Member for Telok Blangah raised a few questions regarding the teaching of second language. With 40% of the curriculum time being devoted to second languages, it will be extremely difficult to put students taking different second languages in the same class. It is not just a question of administrative convenience by putting them in the same class. In fact, it is educationally unwise to have students with different second languages in the same class because 60% of their time spent in one language will create one lot of classmates and 40% of their time will have a different lot of classmates. Moreover, the mingling-integration does not begin really in the classrooms. Students arc not supposed to fool and mingle around in the classrooms. They are supposed to mingle in the field or in activities where they can socialise together. Therefore, we should really consider progress in the school as a whole rather than by classes. Principals have been advised to integrate children taking different second languages as far as possible in activities such as extra-curricular activities, so as to achieve the objective which the Member mentioned. The Member also asked what happened to the second languages, especial- ly Tamil as a second language in mission schools. Unfortunately the number of students taking Tamil as a second language is small. Therefore, it is not possible to have a second language Tamil (TL2) class in every mission school. However, we have a centre for Tamil as a second language. Students from mission schools are sent to this centre to learn Tamil as a second language.”
“The reason why we do not make it an examination subject is that, as of now, our education system is already too examination-orientated. By adding another subject, we could make matters worse. They might learn it by heart without really wanting to know why certain things ought to be done. The Member for Anson raised a series of questions. Why do we not extend the `A' level Commerce examination to private candidates as well? The GCE `A' level examination in Commerce was introduced in 1970 as a pilot project. Over the last five years we have been able to monitor its development, and we are fairly satisfied that we can run it quite competently. It will be open to the private candidates in the near future; unfortunately not this year but most probably next year. He also mentioned something about private schools doing better than Government or Government-aided schools. I am afraid I have to dispute that statement. For example, if you look at the results last year, 57% of the `A' level candidates from Government and Government-aided schools obtained 2 `A's, 2 `0's plus the General Paper, whereas only 14% from the private colleges obtained the same grades. Out of this 14%, only 1% managed to get into the University. In other words, although they get the same grade, they are of a lower quality. The Member also enquired about the posting of students nearest their homes. It is the intention of the Ministry to post students to schools as near to their homes as possible. But we have also to recognise that parents want to send their children to schools of their own choice. Over the last few years, about 95% of the Primary I students have been able to find places in the schools of their own choice.”
“I cannot say also if this is an island-wide phenomenon, as this survey was conducted only on two typical schools. The Member for Paya Lebar suggested that we should not make public the GCE "O" and "A" levels results in the press. He has a good point there -- that it would produce a certain stigma on parents whose children did not pass. I promise that I will look into this matter to see whether we should really scrap the publication of these results in the press. The Member also raised the point of admission to Pre-U classes and the different systems adopted for the English and non-English streams. The position is this. Schools in the English stream usually have their "O" level results known sometime at the end of March, while those in the non-English stream have their results known by the end of January. In the past we had a preliminary admission exercise for the English stream but not for the non-English stream. This year I am afraid it was a freak year - there was a delay in the non-English stream and for some strange reason the English stream results were advanced by two weeks so that the results for both streams were announced simultaneously. We are looking into the possibility of having a preliminary admission exercise for all streams when all the Pre-U classes are confined to the junior colleges. When this is done, I think it would be possible for us to adopt a similar system for all the streams. The Member for Thomson raised the question about the teaching of civics and moral education. I could not agree with him more. That is a very important aspect of education. This is not only being taught in the subject of "Education for Living" or "Civics", but we try to incorporate it in other subjects as well.”