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.”
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“The Member for Paya Lebar also raised the question of medical benefits for aided-school teachers on retirement. Again, I am afraid the Member for Paya Lebar thinks that aided-school teachers are the only category of public officers who are not on Government pensionable service. This is not so. There are thousands of such officers employed by the various statutory bodies, such as the Public Utilities Board, the Port of Singapore Authority and the Housing and Development Board. These officers and those in Government service who contribute to the Central Provident Fund are not entitled to medical benefit after their retirement. This ruling is applied to all officers in this category, and not just to school teachers alone. The Member for Paya Lebar can rest assured that retired school teachers, like all the others, are entitled to the excellent medical service available to our citizens. He also raised the question of correspondence between the Education Ministry and the school. He alleged that 95 per cent of the circulars and correspondence between the Education Ministry and the schools are written in English. Again, I am afraid that he has got his facts wrong. Practically all circulars from the Ministry of Education are written in the four official languages. Most of the correspondence are in the appropriate language of the school concerned. The Member for Paya Lebar will agree with me that the school is perhaps the most appropriate place to practise and implement our bilingual policy. I think both principals and teachers must be able to command a second language. Word must now have filtered through that in the recent promotion exercise considerable weight was given even to a teacher's command of a second language.”
“But unfortunately, this system did not work very well because there were lots of allegations against certain Specialist Inspectors who were book-writers themselves. We are now working out a more stringent system for the reviewing of textbooks. The Member can rest assured that the incident which came to light recently will not occur again. The Ministry will welcome any views and suggestions from the teachers on the textbooks which they use. The Member for Paya Lebar raised a number of questions on the retirement of teachers, in particular, the difference in retirement ages of 55 and 60 years. The retirement age for teachers and all other civil servants is governed by the Pensions Ordinance, 1956, under which those officers who were employed before 1st July, 1956 would retire at 55 years of age, and those employed after that date would retire at 60 years of age. This scheme is applicable to the entire public service, and not to the Education service alone. I am afraid we cannot make an exception to the teaching service. However, it is the policy of the Ministry to encourage good and dedicated teachers to remain in the teaching service, and therefore as is the practice in the past, an extension of service is generally given to such teachers. Other teachers whose performance has been found to be satisfactory are usually reemployed. The Member for Jurong will be pleased to note that, with immediate effect, in all new cases of re-employment they will be given their full salary. Those who have been paid four-fifths of their last drawn salary will have their cases reviewed at the end of their re-employment period and, if they are found suitable, they will be paid their full salary.”
“Let me also point out that in the past an average of 30 officers were promoted every year. It is to be expected that in this current promotion exercise, the opportunities for promotion will increase more than ten-fold. Finally, I would like to correct the statement made by the Member for Jurong during the debate last week, and that is, there was a massive resignation of teachers as a result of this promotion exercise. I am afraid that he has got his facts wrong. Only 32 resignations were received after the teachers had been called up for interview. Although this figure is slightly more than that for the corresponding period in 1971 and 1972, which is 28 and 21 respectively, it is relevant to note that more than half of them are still under probation. Therefore, the promotion exercise has nothing to do with their resignation. Mr Speaker, Sir, another popular issue under discussion currently is the review of textbooks. Arising from the recent incident concerning certain history textbooks, which has generated considerable interest, perhaps it is relevant for me to explain how the machinery works. When a publisher wishes to have his textbook accepted by the Ministry of Education for use in the schools, he has to submit a draft to the Ministry for review. The Ministry will then appoint a panel of three reviewers. The reviewers are experienced members of the teaching service, either in the schools or in the institutions of higher learning. We will have to keep their identity secret for fear that they may be unduly influenced. This system of review was introduced in August 1970 after a series of negotiations with the Singapore Educational Publication Council. In the past we had our Specialist Inspectors to do the reviewing.”
“One fundamental feature of this new restructured scheme is that promotion is no longer awarded to a post but to a grade, so that a teacher can be promoted and still remain a teacher. It also follows that a teacher may be promoted whereas a principal may not. The principle of rewarding an officer according to his own merit and not according to the functions he performs is a rather new concept in the public service. This feature was fully publicised in October 1971 when agreement was finally reached after a year of negotiations between the Ministry of Education and the Singapore Teachers' Unions. At that time no criticism was levelled against either this principle or the new Education service structure. For one and a half years not a single criticism or comment has been received by the Education Ministry, or by the Singapore Teachers' Unions for that matter, on the principle underlying this new structure. It is only now when the teachers are being called up for interview that criticisms have emerged, including the anonymous letters. Sir, in any promotion exercise, it is inevitable that those who are unsuccessful will be disappointed. In this particular promotion exercise, being the first one under the new structure based on the new principle, it is to be expected that even more than the usual number of disgruntled candidates will voice their misgivings. I am not saying that the system is perfect. My Ministry will continue to improve the procedure, and any constructive suggestions for future promotion exercise will be most welcomed. But to those who are disappointed in the current exercise, let me assure them that promotion exercises will be carried out regularly in future as spelt out in the agreement with the Singapore Teachers' Unions.”
“However, every effort has been made to ensure uniformity and objectivity in assessing the merit of candidates by comparing them with their peers. For this purpose, a new confidential report form was devised with the expert assistance of the Public Service Commission, the Management Services Unit of the Ministry of Finance, and the Research Unit of this Ministry. Detailed notes were prepared and issued to all reporting officers, explaining the various qualities expected of a candidate and the system of grading to be used. Both the confidential report form and the notes to the reporting officers were subjected to various tests and amended several times before they were finalised. The Member for Jurong may be pleased to know that the whole process of developing this new confidential report took us more than six months. 3.30 p.m. Sir, another common complaint is that some teachers who were reported on by their principals were shortlisted for the interview whereas the principals themselves were not shortlisted. The argument behind this criticism seems to be that those who are good enough to report on someone else, must themselves be better than the officers they are reporting on, and therefore should be shortlisted. If we pursue this, argument to its logical conclusion, then every teacher, except those at the lowest grade, that is, Education Officers in Group III, would have to be shortlisted. I am afraid this is not the intention. The restructured scheme is aimed to provide greater promotion prospects for everyone in the teaching service. The criticisms clearly indicate that the complainants do not fully understand the basic philosophy underlying the restructured Education service.”
“Thank you, Sir. Mr Speaker, Sir, may I take the question of the promotion exercise first? This was already raised by the Member for Jurong in the debate on the financial policy of this Government, and he is bringing it up again today. This topic has attracted a lot of interest. There is a lot of publicity given by the press and a large number of anonymous letters have been received. I am afraid the most important consideration of a good teacher is his ability to teach, and short-listing has to depend on that. His ECA and community service activities, however, will be taken into consideration in the actual promotion exercise. Sir, one common misconception about the mechanics of the present promotion exercise is that the shortlisting of candidates was done by a computer, the implication being that the assessment of the candidate was left to a machine. This, I am afraid, is being alleged by the Member for Jurong during the debate on the financial policy. This is not so. Assessment in every case was made by a reporting officer and checked by a counter-signing officer who could, if he thought fit, change the grading given by the reporting officer. Apart from the confidential report prepared for the promotion exercise, the confidential reports for the two previous years are also taken into consideration, making three confidential reports in all. The computer part of the exercise was merely to work out the final grading awarded, and to list the candidates in order of merit for the purpose of short-listing. In other words, the computer did not pass judgment on anyone. It merely performed a mechanical task which would have taken a much longer time if it was carried out manually. Sir, admittedly human judgment is not infallible.”
“We are still building the Science Centre. There is not much activity at the moment.”
“Sir, at the outset, we recognise the difficulties involved in introducing metrication at the retail trade level. That is why the White Paper presented to Parliament in 1970 recommended that the metrication in the retail trade be allowed to be implemented over a period of time. Notwithstanding this, we have been able to introduce metrication into certain trades, e.g. petroleum, textile, etc. With, regard to the suggestion for the provision of weighing machines by the Government, I understand that a large number of Government markets at the moment do provide weighing machines calibrated in the customary units for the benefit of the customers. As and when the metric system is introduced into the markets and the retail trade, this will be provided for.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Research Grants under this subhead have been provided since 1969 to finance and encourage applied scientific and technological research which are practical and relevant to our industrialisation programme. It is a bit difficult to describe what type of research is being carried out. Perhaps 1 will just quote a few examples: research on telecommunications problems, methods of shielding heat from walls of, high-rise apartments and, design characteristics, of waste disposal, incineration, etc. Each year, project proposals are invited from .the teaching staff and research personnel of our tertiary institutions, for consideration of financial support. Therefore, this is quite different from the Applied Research Corporation which I mentioned just now. The proposals are then evaluated by the Science Council and, upon its recommendations, the Ministry makes the grants. With regard to Patent Search and Miscellaneous, these sums are provided for search as to whether any invention has not been developed and patented elsewhere.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, on the question of making Singapore as a brain centre, there are various developments towards this objective. The Applied Research Corporation at the Ministry of Science and Technology for Services in applied scientific and technological research, the International Development and Engineering Construction Organisation at the Ministry of National Development for engineering and allied services, and the various developments in medical specialities are some of the examples of our efforts to make Singapore a brain centre in this part of the world. With regard to the Member's query on the large number of students going overseas, let me assure him that the institutions of higher learning in Singapore are one of the best equipped and staffed in this region. However, there are various reasons for students going overseas. We can divide them into various categories. Firstly, there are those who are on scholarship awarded by foreign governments and they are required to study in those countries. Secondly, there are those who go overseas for post-graduate research, either on scholarship or on their own. Thirdly, there are those who go overseas for subjects not available in Singapore, such as music and aeronautical engineering. And finally, of course, there is the group of people who are on their fathers' scholarships, and they go overseas because they cannot gain admission into our institutions of higher learning. The number of this category of people amounts to no more, than one-fifth of the number who go overseas.”
“However, steps are being taken to update the Police Cadet Corps Act and the Police Cadet Corps Regulations to bring them in line with the main provisions of the National Cadet Corps Act and Regulations. With the enactment of the National Cadet Corps Bill, the Cadet Corps will be accorded the status befitting the role it is playing in training our youth to become loyal and responsible citizens as part of our effort to build an organised and disciplined society. 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. ORAL ANSWER TO QUESTION (Exemption of Notice) FIRE AT ROBINSON DEPARTMENTAL STORE 3.35 p.m.”
“With increasing numbers of students wishing to join the Cadet Corps, at one time the movement was faced with the difficulty of training sufficient numbers of officers to meet new demands and to replace those leaving the Corps on promotion, transfers, secondment, study leave and resignations. However, the problem is gradually being overcome with the introduction of cadet training at the Teachers Training College. Last June, 36 TTC trainees graduated as qualified teachers as well as trained cadet officers. Currently, there are 99 final year TTC students undergoing cadet training. Steps are being taken to relieve the shortage of officers in the Cadet Corps through the appointments of SAF reservists who are teachers. Attention is paid to Pre-U I students who are given advanced training for appointment as Cadet Lieutenants. The expansion of the Cadet Corps movement necessitated a complete review of the Cadet Corps organisation as a whole. Hence on 1st January, 1969, the National Cadet Corps was formed by the integration of the Army, Sea and Air Cadet Corps to strengthen the administration of the Cadet Corps movement and to raise the level of training of all cadets in schools. This move ensures that the best use is made of manpower, buildings, training areas and facilities and of other logistical requirements, resulting in maximum utilisation of available resources. With this integration, new legislation has to be promulgated to replace the existing Acts and Regulations which govern the Army, Sea and Air Cadet Corps separately. Hence the introduction of the National Cadet Corps Bill. In passing, I would like to mention that the Police Cadet Corps does not form part of the National Cadet Corps. It remains under the control of the Ministry of Home Affairs.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Sir, the Cadet Corps movement in Singapore was founded in 1902 when the first Army Cadet Corps units were formed in Raffles Institution. It was only after the Second World War that the movement gained momentum. In 1947, Army Cadet Corps units were resuscitated; in 1948 the Sea Cadet Corps was formed, followed in 1949 by the formation of the Air Training Corps. Each of these organisations functioned independently of the other. With independence in 1965, the need to inculcate the youth of the Republic with a sense of patriotism and to develop in them ruggedness of mind and body and leadership qualities became imperative. It was considered that an effective way of bringing this about lay in the training provided by the uniformed movement in the schools. An expansion programme of the Cadet Corps movement was therefore embarked upon in 1965. The combined membership of the three Cadet Corps then stood at just over 1,500 with 24 schools participating. Today, the strength of the Cadet Corps has risen to over 14,000 members (9,000 boys and 5,000 girls) with 102 out of 113 secondary schools participating. Next year, the Cadet Corps membership is expected to reach 18,000. Membership in the Cadet Corps extends from Secondary I to Pre-University I students. It is no exaggeration to say that many of our top Singapore Armed Forces personnel once served as cadets when they were in school. I am informed that cadets, on becoming national servicemen, have acquitted themselves well, setting high standards in discipline, bearing, turnout and performances. That the Cadet Corps provides sound pre-national service training is no modest claim.”
“e, the Singapore Association of Shipbuilders and Repairers. For these industries, we provide further education. We organise the courses to provide a uniform training syllabus and curriculum for the workers. We provide the facilities and teaching staff for the further education component and the industries provide on-the-job training. We also provide expert advice on what training should be done in their industries. We also give certain incentives to encourage people to take on apprenticeship training. There are certain financial allowances to be given to any industry which takes on demobbed national servicemen for training in certain critical trades, especially the precision trade. The Member for Katong also raised a very interesting point about appointing an adult educator on the Board. Let me assure him that only the best people who can make a contribution will be appointed to the Board. It is with this purpose in mind that we have made a provision in the Bill to pay an allowance to the Chairman and the other members of the Board. I agree with him entirely that if the Auditor-General is not nominated to audit the accounts of the Board, then we will take the advice of the Auditor-General on who should be the best to carry out that function. 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. NATIONAL CADET CORPS BILL Order for Second Reading read. 3.28 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, to answer the first question raised by the Member for Moulmein, we would like to establish the Industrial Training Board as soon as possible after the Bill becomes an Act. Much depends on the various processes we have to go through. The Member also asked which institutions will come under the jurisdiction of the Board. The institutions which will be transferred to the Board will include mainly those which are involved with industrial training. These are all the vocational institutes, the Singapore Technical Institute, the Hotel and Catering Training School. The Centralised Workshop and the technical schools, as I said earlier, will remain the responsibility of the Ministry. With regard to the staff of the institutions, they will be given the option whether to remain in Government service or to join the Board, and a reasonable period will be given to them to make their options. On the rather interesting query about carrying on of trade or business, I think the Member for Katong has already answered the question partly. In carrying out training, there are certain products which are marketable and certain services which are also marketable. It is therefore necessary for the Board to engage in trade or business so as to dispose of these marketable products and services to bring in revenue. At the same time it serves as a sales promotion of the skills of our graduates. Sir, it is not the practice of a statutory board to have their staff insured. I guess the best way is for the staff - I believe the Member for Moulmein will expect this from me -to take up INCOME policies themselves. The Member for Katong touched on the question of encouraging small industries to participate in group training schemes. We have some measure of success with the SASAR group, i.”
“The Government envisages that the Industrial Training Board will develop a national system of trade testing. This will not only improve the quality of training but also establish uniformity of standards within the work-force. (6) The upgrading of adult skilled workers will be progressively achieved through programmes of off-the-job Industrial Training (OJIT), based on the module system already introduced. (7) To cater for the smaller industries, group training schemes, encompassing both apprenticeship training and OJIT, will be developed for the upgrading of key personnel, and finally, (8) The promotion of apprenticeship training itself will be a primary concern of the Board. It will be apparent, from what I have just outlined, that apprenticeship schemes will feature increasingly in industrial training. The Government is giving consideration to introducing legislation to promote and regulate apprenticeship training at some future date. The Government will look forward to the views and recommendations of the Industrial Training Board, when formed, on the detailed provisions that will be necessary. It is anticipated that the legislation will cover the definition of apprenticeable trades, the forms and conduct of the training to be undertaken, and the responsibilities of both employer and apprentice, including the period of indenture. The Industrial Training Board will then become the chief agency for the implementation of apprenticeship training. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed. 3.08 p.m.”
“A board will also be better able to deal with the problems of disseminating the right kind of conceptions about industrial training. When the responsibility for industrial training becomes vested in the Board, technical education in schools will remain the responsibility of the Ministry. The Technical Education Department, with all its functions taken over, will then be dissolved. Mr Speaker, Sir, this Bill is essentially a straightforward Bill. Its main purpose has already been outlined in the Explanatory Statement, and I do not wish to go into the details again. While industrial training is primarily the responsibility of industry, it is imperative to ensure that national interests are served. A major function of the Board will be to encourage industry to play its proper role in the national industrial training effort. It is envisaged that the future pattern of industrial training to be promoted by the Industrial Training Board will be as follows: - (1) The training of operatives and artisans will gradually be transferred back to industry. (2) On the other hand, the further development of the necessary training capacity for the required output of skilled manpower, both institutionally and within industry, will be a major preoccupation of the Board. (3) The Board will increase the supply of persons institutionally trained up to Trade Certificate and Industrial Technician Certificate levels. (4) The further skill-development of the basic-trained worker will be accomplished by the employer with the help of the Board through on-the-job training and, wherever possible, within the framework of an apprenticeship training scheme. (5) The emphasis in industrial training will be placed on the attainment of recognised standards.”
“Admittedly, many former vocational school students were drop-outs from the school system. The vocational institutes, on the other hand, cater for those with a reasonably high level of education who wish to learn a practical skill. Industries show a distinct preference for these graduates. The value of their training has also been recognised by the Public Service Commission. The vocational institute graduates have been trained at heavy public subsidy specially to undertake industrial employment and I am, therefore, naturally perturbed lest doubts about their value should take hold. No effort has been spared to explain to the public, through the mass media and other means, the many developments which have taken place in industrial training since 1968. Any misconceptions and prejudices which still persist, even among a small sector of the population, could be very damaging. The best way to stamp out these unfavourable attitudes and to ensure that training programmes receive the fullest acceptance and recognition is to develop close co-operation between the Government, industry and labour. The growth of such co-operation will become increasingly necessary in the next stage of industrial training, as it is envisaged that the further skill-development of the basic-trained worker can most effectively be undertaken by and within industry. It is for these reasons that an Industrial Training Board is being proposed to centralise, co-ordinate and intensify industrial training. A statutory board will enable industry and labour to participate more fully towards common goals. It will have more flexibility in an area where slowness to respond to changing conditions can result in high training wastage on the one hand and critical skill shortages on the other.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Sir, in 1959 when the Government embarked on transferring Singapore's economy on to an industrial base, we determined that the large proportion of the workforce would in due course be industrially employed. This meant that the development of a skilled industrial workforce would assume growing importance, as Singapore's national income became increasingly dependent on the output and productivity of industry. Industrial training has therefore been recognised as a major instrument of economic policy. Thus, as a matter of national urgency, the National Industrial Training Council was established in April 1968 to deal with the immediate problem of developing and co-ordinating technical education and industrial training to meet this need. Two months later the Technical Education Department was specially formed within the Ministry of Education to execute the targets established by the Council. In the short space of four years, the Technical Education Department has substantially achieved the initial targets set out and laid a firm foundation for the development of a skilled industrial workforce. Sir, I should like, at this juncture, to correct certain mis-impressions about our vocational institute graduates and the value of the training they have received, which would otherwise undermine what has so far been accomplished. Before the new vocational institutes were established, the main supply of workers with any vocational training at all came from the vocational schools. Because of the similar name, vocational institutes have often been confused with vocational schools, which now no longer exist. This confusion is most unfortunate.”
“Sir, I do not have the actual figures, but I believe that it is about 100.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Sembawang has asked various questions about the Training Centre. I think the best answer I can give is to ask him to pay a visit to the Hotel and Catering Training Centre so that he can see for himself how the Centre is being run. Among the courses run by the Centre, there is a course for the training of cooks. As regards the qualifications required for the admission of students, this is largely dependent on the type of training course that the student is applying for. There are various kinds of courses available, each requiring a different standard of qualification. As regards school fees, the amount is dependent on the duration of the course and the different levels of training to be provided. For instance, for the training of cooks, the duration of the course is long and the fees will have to cost more.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, we will consider the application in accordance with the policy enunciated by my Minister.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am aware that Loke Yang School has to be resettled. However, as I have said, I have not as yet received any proposals for grants.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in answer to the question raised by the Member for Sembawang, I believe he is aware of the policy on capital grants. This policy has been enunciated by my Minister in answer to a question raised during the debate on the Main Estimates. There is no point for me to dwell on it again. As regards the particular point he has raised, if my memory serves me right, the Ministry has not yet received any proposals, and therefore I am not in a position to answer him one way or another. With regard to the question raised by the Member for Jurong, I am sure he realises that there are sufficient places for primary school entrants in Singapore, except perhaps in those schools which are located out of the way. There are primary schools in certain areas which are not, in fact, fully occupied. Therefore, we cannot consider any request too generously. However, if he has any case which he thinks deserves special consideration, will he please let us know. I think the Member for Sembawang has also asked for the names of schools which have applied for capital grants. I am afraid I do not have the details with me now. If he so wishes, he can give notice of a Question for Oral Answer, and I shall then give him the full details. In answer to the Member for Anson, I am not very familiar with the Tamil school in the Anson constituency. There are playing fields in the other schools in that constituency, and I am sure the students from that Tamil school can use them. Alternatively, they can make use of the community centres in that constituency.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, there are about 12 Government schools in the Queenstown area. We are at the moment engaged in a very interesting experiment of building a "special facilities" room. Perhaps the needs of the Jurong Secondary School can be considered in a similar light.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I do not deny that the Jurong Secondary School has done very good work over the last few years. But the proposed plans for the extension to the school, referred to by the Member for Jurong just now, are, I am afraid, too elaborate. The proposed extension will cost almost as much as building a new school, and therefore we cannot consider any proposal of that magnitude.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I fully agree with the Member for Jurong that there should be sufficient places for students in any given locality. However, in the case of the Jurong Secondary School, I think any extension to the school will take just as long a time to complete, and it will probably cost more than building a new school. The whole point of the question is whether it would be better to build a new secondary school or to spend as much money on extensions to this particular school.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, if my memory serves me right, the present Jurong Secondary School has only eight classrooms. It will, therefore, be extremely uneconomical to spend large sums of money to extend it into a standard type secondary school, especially when we are going to build a 24-classroom secondary school in Jurong. Mr Ho Kah Leong(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Jurong Secondary School is for children living in Jurong Town. According to the Development Plan, Jurong Town will soon have a population of 100,000. The Jurong Secondary School also caters for children living in Chua Chu Kang and The surrounding areas. According to investigations, there are altogether 47 Primary VI classes in this area with a student population of 9,000. In addition to the Jurong Secondary School, there is the Jalan Lama Secondary School. However, these two secondary schools are not big enough to accommodate all the students who would be leaving primary school. There is, therefore, an urgent need to extend the Jurong Secondary School. Even if the number of classes is not extended, there should at least be more facilities so that the students will feel that their own school is comparable with other schools. The students of Jurong Secondary School will, therefore, not be ashamed of their own school because of the lack of laboratory facilities. I would appeal to the Minister of State to consider this question seriously.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, details of the plan for the school building are now being finalised for tendering. If everything proceeds according to schedule, the school should be ready to admit its first batch of students by January 1974.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not able to give the exact details of how many private organisations have taken up the offer, but I can say that plans are being finalised to resite in Toa Payoh housing estate two aided primary schools and three aided full-schools, that is, a primary and a secondary school housed in one building. There are also plans to build three other primary schools as replacements in that area in the future.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in implementing our school building programme as contained in the Development Plan, we do not take into consideration the needs of each constituency but the area as a whole. With respect to the proposed primary school at the junction of Jalan Membina and Jalan Bukit Merah, we hope to commence construction work within this financial year.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as I have said we have only received the conceptual plan. We have not done the physical planning of the Master Plan yet.”
“What kind of work? Mr Ho Kah Leong(In Mandarin): How much time will the Ministry take to consider the Master Plan?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Ministry of Education has already received the 10-year development plan. I believe the Council of Nanyang University has issued a statement and the local press has fully publicised this. As to when we can implement the Master Plan, we have only gone to the stage of conceptual planning and have not drawn out the physical development plan as yet.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I do not think I can elaborate any more than what I have said when I answered the question put by the Member for Delta. It is considered as part and parcel of the Master Plan, and this is being considered by the Ministry.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am afraid we are more ambitious than the Member for Delta. It is precisely because we do not want a half-sized swimming pool but a full-sized swimming pool of Olympic standard that negotiations are still going on. Since the Budget sitting last year, a team of experts has been engaged to draw up the Master Plan for the development of Nanyang University. Regarding the complaint by the Member for Delta against sports activities being held in the rain, I can say that this only enhances the argument of the wisdom of making students do national service before they join the university.”
“Sir, as there are a few amendments on the Order Paper Supplement regarding the development of Nanyang University, I would like to take this opportunity, in answering the first question from the Member for Delta, to make clear the philosophy of the physical development of a university. Universities are not built and developed just for today, for tomorrow, or for the year. They are built to stay for hundreds of years. Therefore, any physical development programme must be considered in the greatest detail. We cannot build a cluster of concrete buildings just because there happened to be some empty space, or because it is the most suitable development to meet the needs for the present. I believe it is in this context that the Member for Jurong last year asked whether a Master Plan was being prepared for the Nanyang University. I believe Members know that a 10-year development programme has been prepared and is under active consideration by the Ministry of Education. The building of students hostels and other forms of development are part and parcel of the total physical development of the Nanyang University, and therefore the matter has to be looked, into very closely.”
“Sir, SEMS involves the production of more programmes not just for the E.T.V, series but also for educational films and other instructional materials, teaching aids, etc.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the sum originally allocated last year was meant for the purchase of studio equipment and other photographic needs. Members may be aware, at the beginning of last year an agreement was reached between UNESCO and Singapore to expand the Educational Television service into a full-fledged educational mass media. A feasibility team was formed, and their report has just been completed. For this reason, only $1,300 has been spent during the last financial year. The Member also enquired into the functions of the new Educational Media Services. This primarily involves the enlargement of the range of the educational media, which may require such services as E.T.V.”
“The Kongsi has already donated 40 acres of its property at Clementi Road to the College, but it is envisaged that if the $11 million development of the College is to proceed as planned, it will involve re-alignment of boundaries and possibly will require a greater land area than the 40 acres already endowed to the College. Sir, development of this educational institution should not be hampered by the provisions of section 20 of the Ngee Ann Kongsi (Incorporation) Ordinance, especially since the College was founded by the Kongsi itself. The proposed amendment to section 17 of the Ngee Ann Technical College Act seeks to remove the need for compliance with the conditions under section 20 of the Ngee Ann Kongsi (Incorporation) Ordinance in so far as the alienation or donation of immovable property by the Kongsi to the Ngee Ann Technical College is concerned. Mr Speaker, 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.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, 1 beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." At present section 17 of the Ngee Ann Technical College Act provides that the income and property of the College shall include, inter alia, such immovable property as the Ngee Ann Kongsi may, subject to the provisions of section 20 of the Ngee Ann Kongsi (Incorporation) Ordinance, alienate or donate to the College. However, under section 20 of the said Ordinance, before the Ngee Ann Kongsi can alienate any of its immovable property, it must first go to a General Meeting to pass a resolution to seek leave from the High Court and subsequently apply for such leave. Under these requirements, the alienation of land and other immovable property by the Kongsi to the College becomes, each time a long and cumbersome process. Indeed, in the past, there have been occasions when the development of the College has been hampered by the need to comply with these time-consuming requirements. Further, while in 1933 when the Ngee Ann Kongsi (Incorporation) Ordinance was enacted, there was perhaps justification for these elaborate safeguarding provisions, this is no longer the case in respect of the Ngee Ann Technical College. The Ngee Ann Technical College Act now already provides for the Kongsi to make contributions to the College's income and property, and an amendment to the Ngee Ann Kongsi (Incorporation) Ordinance itself makes it statutory that 75 per cent of the Kongsi's income be set aside for the College.”
“The decision of the Kongsi to commit 75 per cent of its income for the Ngee Ann Technical College represents the most concrete and enduring way in which any association can apply its revenues for the support of education. I would like to take this opportunity to urge other similar organisations and groups to emulate this example and to take the positive step of pledging permanent endowment to other educational institutions in Singapore, such as the Nanyang University. The Bill now before the House seeks to embody in the Ngee Ann Kongsi (Incorporation) Ordinance, the resolutions passed by the Committee of Management of the Ngee Ann Kongsi with respect to its financial contribution to the Ngee Ann Technical College established by the Kongsi itself in 1963. 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. NGEE ANN TECHNICAL COLLEGE (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 5.02 p.m.”
“5 million. With the proposed development plan, the administrative expenditure of the College is expected to rise very substantially from its present level of $2 million per annum. The Committee of Management of Ngee Ann Kongsi at a recent meeting adopted another resolution that the quantum of its contribution to the Ngee Ann Technical College be increased from 50 per cent to 75 per cent of its income. The Committee of Management also decided that these resolutions, that is, to donate 75 per cent of its income to the College, should be embodied in its Ordinance. In this respect, Sir, the term "income" assumes the normal commercial interpretation which is the total receipts less the normal direct operational costs. This move follows from the fact that the Kongsi proposes to develop its land along Orchard Road which, when materialised, holds promise of very substantial future income. The property along Orchard Road was originally a burial ground, but was allowed to be converted for residential and commercial uses by the former Government. I would like to congratulate the Ngee Ann Kongsi for this decision which is in full accord with the spirit of the Prime Minister's remarks made recently over the use of burial grounds in general, to the effect that it is not proper that private and sectional groups should benefit from the gains in value or productivity of land resulting from the public developments taking place around it, but rather that the society, as a whole, should benefit. I would, therefore, like to compliment tile Ngee Ann Kongsi for this bold and progressive approach to educational support by the direct application of property and business income.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The Ngee Ann Kongsi was incorporated by the Ngee Ann Kongsi (Incorporation) Ordinance of 1933 to administer its incomes and properties for various worthy public purposes, including the support of education. The Kongsi established the Ngee Ann College (now Ngee Ann Technical College) in 1963 and initially housed it in the Kongsi's premises at the Teochew Building in Tank Road. In i 967 a new campus for the College was built from public donations on the Kongsi's land in Clementi Road. In 1968, with massive financial support from the Government, the College was reorganised into a technical college offering diploma courses in engineering and commerce. This reorganisational change was incorporated in the Ngee Ann Technical College Act. Section 17 of that Act provides that the income and property of the College shall include such contributions as the Kongsi shall make. The land in Clementi Road on which the campus now stands and the building thereon were given to the College by the Kongsi through a conveyance on 26th March, 1971, in accordance with section 20 of the Ngee Ann Kongsi (Incorporation) Ordinance. The Kongsi currently donates 50 per cent of its net income or $100,000, whichever is the more, to the College for its running expenses. This contribution is made in accordance with a resolution passed by the Committee of Management of the Kongsi at a meeting held on 5th May, 1967. To cover the remaining major part of its annual increasing budget, the College has also been receiving grants from the Government since the Act came into force. Since the reorganisation in 1968, the Kongsi has contributed $400,000 to the College, as against financial assistance from the Government totalling over $2.”
“Sir, no doubt I was brought up on milk also, but when we were young we were always hungry; there was not much choice! The Ministry of Education does not have to carry out an investigation to find out why our young children do not like to drink milk. In fact, research has been carried out by international agencies and it proved that we do not belong to the "milk drinking belt". No doubt there are people who drink milk, but I think this is just a diet-preference. Incidentally, this is skimmed milk which tastes slightly different. Tuan Haji Mohd. Ariff: Sir, my question has not been answered.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I answer the question raised by the Member for Punggol? This Milk Feeding Scheme is run on a nation-wide basis. I think it applies practically to all the primary schools. Unfortunately milk does not agree with the Asian stomach. Whether you add colour, flavour, or sugar, I think the Asian people still do not quite like to drink milk, I believe we do not belong to the zone called the "milk drinking belt", Anyway, we are encouraging the milk-drinking business by adding flavour to the milk for the primary school children to induce them to drink. I think that answers the point on milk drinking.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the sum of $5,200 was based on the expenditure which was incurred over the last financial year. I cannot give off-hand what type of educational exhibitions, etc., were held last year. If the Member could give us notice, we should be able to give further details. He also raised the question why there is a decrease instead of an increase in the vote. We were hoping that, by soliciting participation from the industrial sector, we would be able to carry out more such exhibitions at the same cost as has been done for many of the previous exhibitions.”
“Sir, the unit under the Technical Education Department is only for administrative convenience but it covers work on all aspects. In fact, in each secondary school there are at least two career teachers to organise and co-ordinate career guidance activities, and there are about 200 teachers in this category. The activities cover talks, seminars, exhibitions, excursions to factories, and also include publications of the various literature for the benefit of the students.”
“Sir, the criteria depend on the length of the course, the demands on the teachers' time, and also on the demands of the services.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I believe my Minister has already touched on this matter earlier. As pointed out by him, the courses run last year were mainly to strengthen the teaching of languages and technical subjects. And more of such courses will be run for the next financial year. As regards bonus, I believe the Member asked about the quantum of bonus?”