Lily Neo
Singapore
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. May I ask Minister for Health on MOH's capacity in coping with serious cases of COVID-19 in terms of adequacy in respirators and in our ICU beds. Am I correct to say that already half of NCID's ICUs are taken up? What will happen when it reaches its full capacity?”
“But even so, with the right measures of social and medical assistance in place to assist them with their daily living, they can still age gracefully in the comfort of their own homes.”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. Yes, I will keep it short. Minister earlier said that MSF will proactively reach out to families in HDB rental homes to assist them, to possibly buy their own HDB flats. Many of these families lamented that they cannot afford it. How does the Minister plan to do it?”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. May I ask the Minister whether there is a possibility of more widespread community spread of COVID-19? And will MOH be able to cope with this? And whether does our Government have more specific measures in place to cope with this scenario?”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. Earlier in my speech, I asked whether there are assessments by HDB for applicants of Joint Singles Scheme (JSS) to ensure that they are free from mental illnesses and medical conditions before compelling them to stay together.”
“Many of them have lived in rental housing for more than six years and some more than 10 years. Thus, there are signs of entrenchment. What are the schemes in place and the success rate of such schemes, to assist them in looking for better options in their housing needs and to help them get out of their predicaments?”
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“Therefore, while we have the resources, we have to ensure that those most in need do not miss the chance of uplifting themselves. All these years, our Government has invested heavily to provide very affordable education for all our students. Whilst this did enable social mobility in the past, the hope for this happening now seems to be thinning with the increasing widening of the income gap. The struggling households are hard-pressed nurturing their children, let alone providing the human resource we need. According to most economists, it is difficult for the children from a family of four, earning below the subsistence level of $1,700, to have any fighting chance moving up the social ladder in life. How then are we to ensure an inclusive society? Our pledge to have an equal and just society based on meritocracy must be upheld. I am happy that the Finance Minister is going to provide more in child development credits, enhancements to KiFAS and CFAC, support for school and tertiary students. But, more importantly, we have to make sure that disadvantaged children are sent to kindergarten, not dropping out of schools and having a chance to be tertiary students in order to benefit from the assistance laid out for them in education. I agree with the Minister for Finance when he concluded in his Budget Statement that we will find every effective way to help those who start off lower down to discover their aspirations. Prime Minister Lee said in December last year that Singapore's social safety net is working well and the Government will keep finding ways to improve it. The point that I am trying to make is that there is a need to improve the lot of the people at the bottom with a pragmatic approach.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I stand to support the Minister for Finance, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, in his Budget Statement 2011. The second major thrust of this year’s Budget resonated strongly with my sentiments and that is about "strengthening our society". I am encouraged by his Statement that "we will take further measures to ensure an inclusive society". I would like to applaud the Minister for Finance on his approach on focusing to help the low-income group through education, employment and home ownership. Sir, let me relate to you this true story. One new resident has just moved into the HDB interim housing in my constituency. She is in her 40s and has re-married recently. She has five children aged nine to 20 plus years old, and one three-year-old grandson, all from her previous marriage. Her present husband is unemployed and the whole family is living off the $650 per month earnings of the 20-year-old son. All her three older children had dropped out of school at the end of Primary 6; the reasons given were financial difficulties and family violence in her previous marriage. Her two daughters, aged nine and 12, are receiving some educational support but their grades in school are not encouraging. Sir, this resident is struggling to make ends meet and that is the reason why I have become so well-acquainted with her at my Meet-the-People sessions. This family will benefit from measures announced in this Budget to assist them, especially their children. The crux of the matter is, how do we ensure that such families are the recipients of the various schemes intended for them? The Minister for Finance said that social mobility will become more challenging as our society matures.”
“Therefore, through a hands-on guidance by designated social workers tailoring to each family's needs, taking better advantage of available schemes suitable for improving their family status is then possible. 7.02 pm”
“Strategies like assisting them in removing any aggravating factors and those that help them maintain the child in his or her home have to be fully explored. It will be much better if we can identify such families early, assist them early and show them preventive measures in parenthood failure. May I request MCYS to allocate resources and implement measures for this? Sir, I am suggesting that disadvantaged children be given better attention and assistance by our Government. They need a holistic approach in assistance for their well-being, education and upbringing. Therefore, in order to help these children, we often have to help the adults to be better parents to them. Such adults need a hands-on approach in parenting skills, in job opportunity or job upgrading. It will be good if vulnerable families are identified and assigned social workers, in order to identify their needs and follow them through individually. What we need now is to have more permanent constructive programmes and resources, and also the right policies implementing assistance to them. It may be necessary to help the parents provide better and more conducive environments to bring up their children. The dysfunctional families may need help in many areas to ensure stable homes. Some parents of these families may even need medical care or psychiatric/psychological help. Another, and perhaps the best, approach is aiming at preventing dysfunctional homes or potential dysfunctional homes from getting worse. It will be good, while improving their well-being, to help the children get social-levelling opportunities through education. It will also be good for their parents to get out of their poverty traps and not end up as failures, future dysfunctional families.”
“Sir, while I understand that we may have the best intentions in preventing harm or possible harm to some vulnerable children, we must make sure that we are not over zealous and cause more harm than good by taking children away from their own parents. Do we have trained professionals to give each case its due diligence? How do we ensure that when the State takes over the management, the replacement home is indeed in the best interest of these children and their families? Is there any safeguard in place? Are there set criteria to ascertain that removing the child from his or her home is indeed the appropriate solution? In any case, may I ask the Minister if there are avenues for parents to resume care of the child when circumstances or conditions change sufficiently to allow the child to return home? Sir, I would like to quote the General Assembly of the United Nations: "We are convinced that the family, as the fundamental group of society and the natural environment for the growth and well-being of all its members and particularly children, should be afforded the necessary protection and assistance so that it can fully assume its responsibilities within the community." Many a time, contrary to common public perception, the neglect and abuse of children is hardly intentional. Sir, much more often, these families are over-stressed and under-supported. Instead of just prescribing separation of children from these families and thereby preventing them from fulfilling their role in society meaningfully and marginalising them further, can more constructive efforts to help these families raise their children be put in place?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I stand to support the Children and Young Persons (Amendment) Bill. Every child is a gift from God and is precious. Every child needs all the care and love that he or she deserves. All children are dependable on their parents or caregivers as they are helpless and vulnerable especially when they are very young. I believe that all parents love their children because it is a natural human instinct. Thus, parents will give the best care to their own children. It is in this context therefore that I have concerns about section 48A of this Bill legitimising "voluntary care agreements". There is already provision in section 9(1)(a) of this Bill where the Director, protector or police officer may without the warrant and by such assistance and force as is necessary to remove a child or young person to a place of temporary care and protection, and so on. Sir, the question is whether section 48A is really necessary. In England, the government no longer uses a voluntary care arrangement to get a child into care. All such cases must go to the Court. They have stated in their June Act 1989 that the government will provide respite accommodation if the child has no person caring for him, is lost or abandoned or whose caregiver for whatever reasons is unable to continue caring for him, eg, the caregiver is sick, in hospital or incarcerated. In this sense, the "voluntary care arrangement" was removed by the Children Act 1989 and replaced with respite accommodation. The Children Act 1989 prevents voluntary care arrangements being used to remove children from their families.”
“Mr Speaker, the Minister said earlier that any rise in the cost of living will cause the greatest impact on the lower income families and retirees. In fact, some of them may spend as much as 50% of their monthly income on food. May I ask the Minister's response to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation's (FAO) warning on record food prices? What kind of reassurance can I get from the Minister that his Ministry understands the plight of our residents especially those on meagre incomes? Is there any urgent assistance funding available to prevent hardship and hunger for the low-income families?”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister whether it is correct to say that about one in three senior citizens has to pay more for his or her public transport since the introduction of distance fares. Therefore, is this policy not affecting the group that can ill afford the fares hike, some as much as 20% to 30%? Is the Minister aware of the frustrations and anger of many being voiced loudly and clearly on the ground? Therefore, should there not be a review to assist this group?”
“Sir, the Finance Minister said in his Budget Statement that global competition will continue to threaten jobs and press down the wages of the lower-skilled workers in the coming years. Therefore, I am discouraged and concerned that MCYS has ignored my plea to give more assistance to the 20% of the bottom low-income families. May I ask Minister Vivian Balakrishnan whether it is correct to say that many low-income families tread very thinly between requiring better paying jobs and financial assistance due to their many social problems to get out of their misery? Therefore, should such families not be given stronger assistance, especially the children, to get them out of the poverty trap and to ensure that they do not get left further behind in our society?”
“A holistic way in assisting them to acquire the skills, to find the work and to discharge home duties is the way to go. We always consider education a guaranteed road out of poverty. But education in Singapore is getting more competitive and complex. The children of the resource-poor families do not enjoy the same access to help in their education. These children enter school disadvantaged and it is never a level-playing field for them at all. The parents are too resource-poor to give their children a leg-up in their education. As I have said earlier, these parents often are in dire need of some assistance themselves. Hence, wittingly or not, education has lost its effect as the great social leveller as in the past. Could MCYS apply a hand-holding approach to assist the children in these families, as Mr Hawazi Daipi said earlier? To ensure that they are not deprived due to the lack of means and they can get on adequately with their education, we need to do something about this or the children of resource-poor families will continue to be stuck in their rut of unequal opportunities. More community efforts to assist needy”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, may I urge MCYS to act swiftly on a holistic approach to ensure that no one is left behind to struggle just to make ends meet. Regardless of the economic situation our country is in, a segment of our population continues to be mired in an endless struggle despite having tried their best. These are residents many MPs meet in their Meet-the-People Sessions who are caught in the rut of such chronic poverty-states and no permanent solutions are available to help them get out. We need to shift away from jumping immediately to the comfortable defensive policy-line that we cannot breed a crutch-mentality society each time there is a call to help the lower-income group. So we ought to be mindful that, very often, many of these people are in situations which, if left on their own, are unable to help themselves in any way. I concur with my parliamentary colleague Dr Teo Ho Pin on self-reliance assistance. We need to find solution that encompasses a holistic approach which has longer term effects aiming to help these low-income families move up the socio-economic ladders. In these families, the fathers usually require some kind of assistance to improve their lot, in terms of upgrading of their skills or getting better jobs perhaps. The wives need to have jobs to supplement the family's income. Many of such families are held back from working due to unsolvable problems they are facing. These problems range from low education and low-skill, young children and aged parents to care for, as Dr Teo Ho Pin said earlier, low in confidence and esteem, unsure where to apply for assistance and so on. They, therefore, require special attention and help to solve their problems in totality.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, first, I would like to commend Minister Khaw Boon Wan on his good deliverance of the first speech earlier in the House. His speech was compassionate, passionate, interesting and explicit, and he also gave appropriate and good personal anecdotal experiences. Sir, I would like to seek the Minister's clarification on the present acute bed shortages in our hospitals and on the reports that many patients and their family members were unhappy for being put up in the hospital corridors while waiting for their hospital beds. My question to the Minister is whether each of the hospital has put up its best problem-solving practices. For example, should there not be better temporary holding areas rather than hospital corridors while waiting for admissions and whether there should be better customer service in allaying patients' fears and placating patients' family members in such situations? Lastly, the Minister has not replied me on my earlier question on national healthcare expenditure (NHE) – basically, Singaporeans' concern on healthcare costs. How quickly will the NHE rise in such current servicing, how sustainable it is and how would that impact the population since NHE is borne two-third by the people and one-third by the Government, especially on the low-income and middle-income families?”
“In this regard, it may be helpful for our Government agencies to consider the social issues involved and to provide training and support for home-care providers. Lastly, it is important for our Government to periodically inform our people on the work we have done in preparing for the onslaught of a greying population, so as to allay people's concerns in this area.”
“Many, especially those near or in the silver generation, feel that they may not only be unwanted but, more importantly, that there may be inadequate facilities to help care for their needs. May I ask MOH what are its proactive plans in meeting the new challenges of a ballooning demand for healthcare services due to the increasing life expectancy of people and the ageing population? How is MOH strategising to meet this demand in terms of both infrastructure and medical expertise? How adequate are our present healthcare facilities? Are there any projections done on the imminent need for acute hospital beds, nursing homes, community care homes, dementia homes, etc, in the near future? What is the progress made for seamless step-down care to alleviate the expanding need and dependence on acute hospital beds? Sir, there is a need for improvement in the coordination and implementation of our various healthcare services, especially in integrated discharged hospital services to community-care and nursing homes. How are we doing presently in this area, especially in affordable step-down care beds? Are we on target with expansion of such step-down care services and on our medical staff requirement in general? Is geriatric medicine being prioritised presently? And are there adequate affordable ambulance services? Sir, elderly care is more than just about health promotion and the prevention and treatment of diseases and disability in the elderly. Elderly care is complex and needs a multi-disciplinary approach to ensure adequate care. Dementia and depression are on the increase. Distress arising from having to care for their elderly sick at home with challenging resources is common too.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, Singapore has a world-class healthcare system, and our policies have served us well all these years. However, going forward, we need to continually tweak them so as to cater to the growing needs and expectations of our people. Sir, healthcare affordability has been a major concern for many Singaporeans, and this concern will perpetuate because of expected escalation of healthcare costs in lieu of advances in medical technology and of increasing numbers of aged folk. May I ask the Minister for Health whether Singapore's national healthcare expenditure, at the current level of health care servicing, will escalate quickly, and how will this affect patients in sharing healthcare costs? As our national healthcare expenditure proportion is borne two-thirds by the people (or the private share) and one-third by the Government, will this situation be sustainable in the long run? How will this impact the people, especially the low and middle-income Singaporeans, in view of the continuing escalation of healthcare costs? Our 3M system will need continual review to accommodate the longer lifespan of people in an ageing population. Public education on our 3M system will address the concern of many on the affordability of healthcare. May I ask the Minister whether there is a plan to increase the take-up rate of MediShield and Eldershield further? How adequate is Eldershield in serving its intended purpose in terms of its accessibility, quantum and tenure of payout? Sir, it is understandable that in any ageing population, many more people in our population will worry about their own health.”
“Sir, we know that the economic integration among the ASEAN member states is essential for the group to realise its full potential in economic growth. Its combined market of 550 million people creating a single economic entity can benefit the region in no small way. However, the ASEAN countries have seen a fall in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in recent years, except for Vietnam and Singapore, due to the loss of their traditional sources of FDI to China and India; not a surprising situation, in view of the fact that China is a market of 1.3 billion and India is a market of one billion people. Beyond economic sphere, it is already a struggle to ensure that ASEAN's voice is heard. May I ask the Minister on his assessment on the integration of ASEAN presently? In going forward, what momentum Singapore and the other ASEAN countries should adopt to have that extra impetus? Under Singapore's chairmanship in 2007, one of the key deliverables was for a Charter that will make ASEAN a more effective, modern and rules-based organisation. Could the Minister elaborate on the lastest development in this area? May I also ask the Minister whether MFA collaborates closely with MTI to have an add-value enhancement especially on economic benefits to us with foreign countries, and whether together they could minimise duplication of efforts in order to maximise our resources.”
“To be vigilant and proactive is not just the work of our intelligence agencies. Has the SAF been proactive in working with other Singapore agencies to defend against terror threats? Although our defence forces play an equally vital role in the fight against terrorism, each and every of us also see it as our duty and responsibility to contribute to the cause. How is MINDEF ensuring that all citizens are integrated into efforts to defend against terrorism? Restructuring of SAF and contributions to homeland security”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, we have managed our guard against terrorism rather well so far. We have had two major international events, the International Monetary Fund meeting and the APEC meeting, where we hosted many of the world's top leaders without any glitches. More importantly, we have hosted these distinguished guests without them having to worry about security and threats to their lives. Indeed, our security-related agencies deserve high commendations for accomplishing this. And, this year, we will be hosting another major event involving the many young future leaders of the world. Many would become leaders of the sporting world while others would go on to be leaders in other fields, possibly in the political arena. Sir, the threat from terrorism is much like the threat from a computer virus. It is everywhere and not visible. But unlike the computer virus, terrorism strikes with more overwhelming effects and is often extremely damaging. It is not just the damage to computers, it is the loss of lives and limbs, the destruction of properties and possessions as well as the destabilisation of social and economic environment. We need, therefore, to be constantly vigilant against the threat from terrorism. Sir, may I ask what is MINDEF doing to keep Singapore secure against terrorism? The Mumbai bombing, where a young and promising Singaporean lost her life, is about the closest we have come to feeling the effects of terrorism. Whilst that was regrettable and highly unnecessary, we really could not do much about something happening so far from home. It would be very different if that were to happen here. That is why, we need to be vigilant; we need to be proactive and we need to be constantly on our guard.”
“This will augur well for the idea of lifelong employability of workers. May I therefore urge the Minister to step up our effort to dispel the view of ageing with despondent, useless and sickly lives and entrench the view of ageing with purposeful and healthy lives? Let us give the ageing folk new hope. Physical activities for seniors”
“Besides the importance of promoting "active ageing" and encouraging those who have any common illnesses like diabetes and hypertension to pay attention to their treatment so as to mitigate increased healthcare expenditure, there is also a need to promote better financial planning and saving by our people. It is essential to persuade everyone to take up health insurance, such as MediShield and Eldershield to cushion the burden of any hefty unforeseen healthcare expenses. A concerted effort in promoting this area will certainly benefit everyone in the long run. Three, the necessity for a majority of people here to continue employment beyond the current retirement age of 62 is becoming increasingly evident as the life expectancy of Singaporeans is getting increasingly higher than the 77 for men and 81 for women. It is necessary to keep people agile, physically and mentally, in their "later years of life" and to do so, fresh stimulation and re-training for them to continue working is recommended. Financial planners estimate that at least 70% of Singaporeans do not have enough savings to maintain their lifestyles after retirement at 62. With declining birth rates and declining dependent-working ratio, the elderly cannot be sure of depending on their children. This will be an issue for the economy of the country. It is becoming more apparent that many mature workers are very much in their prime in terms of knowledge and creativity. These mature workers thus become an available resource our nation can beneficially tap. We have to debunk the perception and mindset that people become "useless" once they hit a certain age and that their bodies and minds go into such decline that the workplace will benefit from their departure.”
“Mr Chairman, the impact of a double whammy arising from a chronic low birth rate and a rapidly greying population is on us. It is going to hit us like a malignant condition that refuses to go away unless treatment is given early and effectively. Yes, given that the problems that can arise will be troublesome and complex, we need to deal with this double whammy as a matter of urgency. [Mdm Deputy Speaker (Ms Indranee Rajah) in the Chair] 4.52 pm Madam, although many have spoken at length, we have debated in this House and we have even appointed a Cabinet Minister to oversee the issue of caring for an elderly population, our people on the ground continue to feel uncomfortable and anxious about growing old. May I ask the Minister to prioritise on three positive attitudes towards ageing and to promote dignified and graceful ageing in our society? One, preventive healthcare is the way forward. It aims to help those who are healthy to remain well for as long as possible without ill from especially our lifestyle-induced diseases. In other words, we need to encourage "active ageing" as a key element in ensuring our elderly population keep fit and healthy and limit or delay the onset of disabilities. May I ask the Minister whether an "active ageing" drive can be extended islandwide? And will he emphasise the three components in "active ageing" – physically, mentally and socially? Two, many Singaporeans, especially our elderly folk who have no income but have increasingly medical needs, are concerned about rising medical costs. This concern will affect many more people because our population is greying fast.”
“Two subjects per child, and most have two children, you are looking at a tidy sum of well over $500 to spend. This is a sum of money few families in Singapore can afford whether they belong to the low-income group or the "sandwich" class. The children of the resource-poorer families do not enjoy the same access to assistance for their education. Many of these children enter school disadvantaged and there is no and can never be a level playing field for them. Their parents are too resource-poor to give them a leg-up in their education even from early on. Worse still and frequently, their parents are so poorly off that they themselves seem even more in need of some kind of assistance. Hence, wittingly or not, education has lost its effect as the great social leveller like in the past. Sir, we need to do something about this or the children of resource-poor families will remain stuck in their miserable world of unequal opportunities forever. With that note, Sir, I support the Budget. 3.14 pm”
“Top that with having to care for an elderly sick parent and the situation becomes certainly insurmountable. And, frequently, even if the wife finds the time, she is not able to find the work. Now, if she is able to work and we are able to supplement her income of part-time work with something similar to the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS), I am sure we would have improved her lot somewhat and on a more permanent basis. Sir, transforming an idle workforce of women to an active one will likely enhance our economics all round. Find ways conducive for them to work and their home incomes will improve. Get them to work and our increasing dependence on foreign workers, especially in the service sector, will lessen to help us head-off a labour crunch. Perhaps we may want to, for instance, train our non-working women to work as chambermaids on a part-time basis rather than for our hospitality industry to constantly demand for a foreign worker quota. Education, Sir, is usually the guaranteed road out of poverty. At the very least, this is true in Singapore. However, education here is getting more and more competitive and complex. Our policy to "teach less and learn more" has the unintended effect of a mushrooming tuition industry. More and more parents are now turning to tuition teachers to ensure that their children get the desired grades in school. Parents share information, amongst themselves and on the Internet, comparing notes on the quality of tuition teachers or centres. Too bad, for those parents who are not net-savvy as they get left out of the loop and have to hunt for good tuition teachers jumping from pillar to post. Parents often think nothing of spending $150 to $200 per subject for their children.”
“According to the Department of Statistics' Report on Household Expenditure 2007/08, released on 2nd December last year, this lowest 20% of households had to spend more over the last few years, and their expenditure grew at 1.1% per annum from 2002/2003 to 2007/2008. More startlingly, throughout this period, their incomes could never cover their expenditures. Out of the 218,280 households, 105,965 earned below $1,000 a month. This is a cause for concern, if we take into account that only 26,000 of them received financial assistance from the CDCs and only 3,000 of them from the Public Assistance Scheme currently. The schemes directed at our needy presently are vigorously means-tested and are granted sparingly. But, more importantly, such handouts do not provide any long-term solutions. We should seriously review how the current schemes are reaching out to their target group. Let us not lull ourselves into thinking that we already have the policies to help the needy. Let us be reminded that in this area, policy decisions do not always equate to intended effect on the ground. The policy of MCYS on a "many helping hands" approach is on an ad hoc basis by voluntary organisations and it provides even lesser long-term solutions. Sir, what this group needs are holistic assistance schemes. We need to give them more avenues to enable the bread-winners upgrade to better-paying jobs. These folks need schemes designed to "springboard" the family as a whole towards better self-reliance, through having better education, skills and job prospects. May I urge our Government to "leave no one behind" by providing stronger support for the low-wage workers? It is common for the wife not to work and help supplement the family's income because she has neither the time nor the skills to do so.”
“Today, the Internet and its auxiliary, such as Facebook and Twitter, have changed the way we live, work and organise ourselves. Failure to grapple, familiarise and access the Internet would leave one behind. Although in Singapore, we pride ourselves as being one of the highest plugged-in nations to the digital world, there are still many in our population who are clueless and have little or no access to the computer. Take, for instance, the many who still contend with long queues either at the banks or public agencies to settle their bills, although it is so much easier to do so online. This is certainly so with many of the older folk and the inconvenience for them will show progressively in time. Sir, the point I am trying to make is the need to recognise that the current world situation requires a departure from previous social thinking. We need to shift away from clinging to the comfortable defensive policy-line of not wishing to breed a crutch-mentality society each time there is a call to help the lower-income group. Simply put, many of our people are in situations where they just cannot do anything to help themselves if left on their own. Often times, a family's resources are insufficient because of higher drain on what they have. It is common for a family to have one and the only one meagre income to meet all the many basic expenses. I am referring, of course, to Singaporeans in the bottom 20% of households in terms of income. For the households, in terms of income, roughly 218,280 of them are most vulnerable to the shocks generated by volatile conditions.”
“Sir, week in and week out, at the meet-the-people sessions and block visits, I see such residents. I am sure many of my parliamentary colleagues share the same experience. True, for many of these residents, neither the rising property prices nor the flattering economic growth matters much to them. At best, they may look upon them with indifference and disdain as they struggle on to make ends meet. Worse, we will have the unenviable position of seeing a segment of our folks continually mired in an endless bind, not through their lack of effort, whilst we claim to be a nation that is progressing well following one after another economic crisis. Take, for instance, the single mother; forsaken and left behind with four children by her unfaithful husband; struggling to provide for her family with less than $1,400 per month. Or the single mother who cannot afford the time to find a job because she is struggling to look after her children. What about the two brothers living in a rental flat; the younger one working odd jobs to provide for his older brother stricken with terminal disease and cannot work. Sir, I agree that we do not have permanent solutions for such dire cases. Short-term assistance from ComCare or CDC that the present schemes offer, at best, only tide them through temporarily. I am not suggesting welfarism for them but a more holistic approach to help them. We need solutions which can have longer-term effects with the aim of helping these low-income families move up the socio-economic ladders. What can we do? Sir, firstly, we need to recognise that the world we live in has changed so much in the last 10 years. At the very start of the 21st century we were contending with the Y2K bug which turned out to be but a mere whimper.”
“Mr Speaker, there is much to expect in 2010, an exciting time ahead which looks promising for Singapore. For many, however, regardless of the economic situation our country is in, their lot will continue to be not much more than a constant struggle just to make ends meet. Sir, like several of my parliamentary colleagues before me, I shall also speak on low-wage workers. I support the Minister for Finance's Budget Statement, especially when he spoke about including all Singaporeans in the nation's growth. The emphasis to grow productivity by 2% to 3% over the next decade, if achieved, will see real incomes raised by a third 10 years from now. This is truly commendable. It would be even more commendable if the lowest income group in our midst will also grow in tandem. It would be difficult, however, to see such a rosy outcome unless those in this lowest income group get all the assistance they need and as much as we can give them. The reason is that as the Minister for Finance said in his Budget speech, "Global competition will continue to threaten the jobs and press down the wages of lower-skilled workers in the coming years." Our aim should be not only to raise their productivity but also, hopefully, to help them out of the poverty trap. In contrast to the more-educated who can tap into the various aid-programmes, these people will need the extra helping hand and perhaps even a hand-holding approach to guide them. It will be a sad state, indeed, if due to our lack of proactive effort, this group becomes left further back as the rest of our population progresses. This will widen the socio-economic gap even even further, resulting in a horrendous weakening of our social fabric in the future.”
“Thank you. He said that the majority of the psychiatric cases are not hospitalised, in fact, 90% of the schizophrenic cases. May I ask the Minister, in view of our insufficient care in the community for such patients, is it not better to tweak our policy presently so that these patients in the community are not without insufficient care, which may harm themselves, their family members and the community? Mr Speaker: A short answer, please, Mr Khaw.”
“No more questions, just one clarification on what the Minister said earlier.”
“Can I seek more clarification, Mr Speaker?”
“Standard call for help with medical; psychiatric nurses; psychiatrists come and assess patients.”
“Sir, in the Minister's words earlier, he said that psychiatric community care in Singapore is far from perfect. In my own term, I will say it is inadequate. Therefore, what does the Minister plan to do about it and how soon can he implement and address this anomaly? My second question is: could the Minister make available psychiatric referral in the community for VWOs and grassroots organisations? Because, in general, psychiatric cases in the community do not seek medical assistance by themselves.”
“Sir, may I ask the Minister whether there have been any postulation studies in recent years on hospital beds requirement, especially in our ageing population, and whether there is now a priority in expanding the step-down care facilities in order to ease the demand on expensive acute hospital beds?”
“Sir, may I ask the Minister, is there any recourse for affected students to address their grouses before the introduction of the Private Education Bill, as CASE has not been satisfactory in addressing these grouses?”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, making our workforce more productive is a vital component to our economic recovery. Therefore, equipping our people with better skills is a good objective, but more importantly, it is necessary to equip them with new and relevant skills with which to compete in a global labour marketplace. May I ask the Minister whether there has been a follow-up on the outcome of the many skills upgrading funding and programmes over the years? Was there a KPI set out for such funding? Did the upgrading of skills improve the job prospects and livelihood of the participants over a period? Presently there is a unique window of opportunity to achieve more equitable wealth distribution. Will MOM consider looking into the setting up of a central management system targeted at our low and middle-income groups with a long-term view? The emphasis will be on tailored improved capabilities for individuals that are relevant to market standing and matching them with favoured industries of today and possibly of tomorrow. These would ensure better flexibility and use of human resources. Will MOM focus on educational investments, and promote technological skills qualifications for this group, with or without job placement? Will MOM facilitate hands-on approach in developing each individual with follow-up to achieve effective and sustainable skills? This will better prepare these groups to emerge on a more equitable standing at the next upturn. Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR)”
“This may call for both parents undertaking improvement of knowledge and acquiring of new skills or upgrading of skills. More social workers are required to undertake hands-on approach at individual level to facilitate and to guide these families. Many housewives, especially those that have never worked before, may need extra convincing to overcome their attitude towards venturing out of their homes. Some may be reluctant to leave the comfort of their homes and doubt their ability to cope with the outside world, while others are concerned about the care of their young children. Such children should be matched with childcare and student care centres. Some families may also need assistance in their children's school work, or even in their healthcare needs. These families are followed-up over a period a time to ensure success. The holistic approach in addressing the well-being of a family in totality, can better achieve sustained and long-term benefits. Public Assistance”
“Sir, at crisis time such as this, may I urge MCYS to double its efforts to prevent people from falling through the cracks. The plight of poor Singaporeans has got worse. Those seeking financial help have jumped to 30%. Direct social safety net is most urgently called for now. The bottom 30% of working families have now experienced stagnating real household incomes for about eight years, thus, this group may not have saving to buffer them during crises. Our poorest - numbering some 90,000 to 100,000 households - need special attention presently, as their day-to-day living may be most affected at this time. They need immediate assistance, but it will be better if it is accompanied with a long term-view. I feel that this downturn gives us the opportunity to invest in human capital at the household level, especially for those dysfunctional homes. Could MCYS assist poor Singaporeans with a view to build long-term capabilities? Short-term handouts by themselves are not sustainable and do not do enough to help these individuals and families to become self-reliant. Education and training are central to achieving equitable wealth distribution. Families should be assisted to achieve this by recommending and matching them with suitable upgrading programmes. Incentives for financial assistance may have to be coupled with requirement to improve oneself. The hope is that they will be equipped for better employments at the next upturn. Such approach, if carried out on a sustained basis over the years, may mitigate the growing income gap and, thus, preventing future social and political instability. Could MCYS provide more resources and holistic approaches to assisting families in need in totality?”
“Sir, I have been much enlightened on the detailed answers and explanation on the various MOE's policies. I would therefore like to thank Minister Ng Eng Hen, Senior Ministers of State RAdm Lui Tuck Yew and Grace Fu, and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Mr Masagos Zulkifli and, of course, all their MOE staff behind the scene. On that note, Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $8,014,660,000 for Head K ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $686,555,900 for Head K ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head I - Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. Could I seek clarification on the topic of character development and civic education? Many parents have lamented that MOE does not pay enough emphasis on moral education and it shows up in the ranking schools. Could I have MOE's reply on that one? What is our present status on moral education? Is it the responsibility of civic education teachers? Could MOE tweak the present policy to emphasise the importance of moral education, and the responsibility of all educators to inculcate good moral values in class? And lastly, could MOE equip all educators to recognise and to maximise teachable moments at every opportune time in class to impart and to share values with students?”
“There must be some standardisation of student agents to ensure reliability and credibility in schools, placing, visa scanning and accommodation. In view of the increasing number of foreign students, it would be useful to consider some of their social needs and, at the same time, provide them with opportunities to integrate with locals. In our efforts to being a gracious host, our attention to details in this regard may persuade some of them to settle down in Singapore after graduation. In the very least, this will go a long way in leaving them with good impression for them to serve as our goodwill ambassadors back home. Private Education Sector”
“Sir, Singapore has a hard-earned reputation as a provider of quality education. It is a vital that we maintain this reputation. Singapore is presently on target to achieve 150,000 foreign students by 2015. This is opposed to the education sector's GDP contribution to about 5%. There are about 1,100 private schools catering to about 420,000 local students and 72,000 foreign students. Ensuring reliability and sustainability of private education institutions are important. On average, it would cost each foreign student about $80,000 to $100,000, spread out over four years, to obtain a degree from one of the many private education institutions here. Some private education organisations have abused the MOE's certified tag to oversell their credibility. According to MOE, registration with MOE is not tantamount to accreditation or endorsement of the quality of private schools or their teaching staff. I have raised the issue on the quality of private schools since 2006 and was told that it was under study. May I ask for the timeframe for implementation of the accreditation of private schools? The credibility of student agents is also a great concern. The number of student agents has increased from about 15 a few years ago to more than 100 agencies, including numerous freelance operators. There are estimates that the student agency industry is worth about $17 million to $100 million based on the present number of foreign students here. Student agents charge between $2,000 and $8,000 per foreign student. Presently, anyone can be a student agent without even belonging to a registered company. There is a need for an accreditation scheme for student agents in order to safeguard foreign students' interest, especially from broke agencies.”
“Many of these students would need a holistic assistance in terms of their family, education and health and psychological support. They also need long-term follow-up to prevent early drop-out from schools.”
“Sir, single-session schools are welcomed by many parents. Many hope that this would mean that their children will not be sleep-deprived anymore from morning session primary schools. It would be better too for the children's well-being. Medical research has shown that adults and children who get enough sleep tend to think faster, absorb more and make better decisions. We are in the process of shifting our focus to bring up an innovative, well-rounded and adaptable next generation. Single-session schools give us an opportune time to do this. The extension in school hours should be used on non-academic programmes to contribute to children's holistic education. We need to emphasis that it should not be used for more academic subjects or using it for children's academic remedial and worse still, if it is used to get better achievements for the purposes of ranking. Currently, homework is a chore instead of developing an interest. Children should be given the space for playtime for themselves and quality time to spend with their parents. Even computer games is not all bad albeit with supervision from parents. Some empirical evidence exist that games can be effective tools for enhancing learning and understanding of complex subject matters. Games also help in the development of technical or motor skills. Children from dysfunctional homes are at a disadvantage compared to their peers because they usually have lack of home and parental support. Those schools that have children from dysfunctional homes should start after-school care to give these children the chance to catch up. I hope that MOE can actively seek out these children and give them the assistance they need. Many would need a hands-on approach by social workers.”
“MOE will need to work closely and facilitate schools in going single session. Character development should also be our core in education. We should nurture a generation with great morality and this should start in early education. Incorporation of values in schools can be further enhanced. We want a generation of people who are caring and responsible, who have integrity and are respectful of themselves and others. This calls for a review in our civic education. Is it getting the right response from students presently or is it being treated as a trivial subject. I feel that there is a need to make this subject interesting and engaging. All educators, and not just civic education teachers, should maximise "teachable" moments to inculcate values that can be most impacting. This is the time when a student requires a correction in deeds or thoughts. It will be worthwhile even if the class has to deviate from the subject of the day to learn and share values. During this financial downturn, inadvertently, some children may be affected by their parents' loss of employment. May I ask MOE to ensure that these children are not affected in their education and be assisted accordingly, and what are the support schemes available? Post-secondary Education”
“Admission should not just be based on academic achievement but more importantly in looking out for compassion, commitment and passion for teaching. Teachers' training should be made relevant to effect new changes. Their training must prepare them to execute the policy of the day, eg, learning new pedagogies and new assessment methods. This is the key in determining whether we can achieve the change for the better. Many recommendations by PERI will require the commitment of teachers and principals for effective implementation. Therefore, our educators' agreement on the new targeted outcome is vital. The speed on this alone will set the pace for the change. Therefore, there is an urgency to prioritise this area. Primary education cannot be less prioritised than secondary or tertiary education. Young minds are most impressionable. Only competent teachers that are confident in their own subjects should be made to impart knowledge and instil the love of the subjects. Presently, primary school teachers are expected to teach all subjects – language, mathematics and science irrespective of their qualified subjects of their training. The target to have all single-session schools by 2016 will require expansion of present schools or building of new schools. This will require a postulation study on our demographic trend to ensure that the estimated investment of about $2.4 billion on infrastructure will be well-spent. Locality of schools to match the local demographic pattern is one consideration. There are already schools that have dwindling number of students over the years, whereas there are many others where demand exceeds availability. There is a need for a good evaluation on the priority of schools to be expanded in order to maximise the outcome.”
“This will inspire a love for learning. Rote learning should be replaced by learning by inquiry and questioning. There is a need to have this shift in the field of learning from a traditional, didactic model of instruction to a learner-centred model that emphasises a more learner role. This represents a shift away from the learning by listening model of instruction to one which student learn by doing. Other good learning pedagogies are learning by interacting with others, hands-on approach, exposure to real subjects and learning through applications. Our aim is to help our young to develop thinking skills and to learn life skills from an early age. It will be contradictory if our school reward systems remain focused on only academic excellence without acknowledging the achievement of other skills. Presently, our examinations are more geared testing content mastery. In view of the shift of intended development outcome, we need to modify our assessment of students. Modular tests should be conducted regularly without giving pressure to students and parents. These tests are mainly to ensure that the students have made progress and to give timely feedback to parents. There are also other modes of assessment such as the Rubrics, which assesses the child's development in the areas of confidence, curiosity and cooperation. Quality teachers are required to give quality teaching. MOE is stepping up recruitment of teachers targeting at 3,700 new entrants. This is an opportune time to select the best-suited individuals who have the aptitude for teaching. This is especially so for those who want to make teaching their careers. Selection process on suitability to teaching careers should start at National Institute of Education.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the total sum to be allocated for Head K of the Estimates be reduced by $100. Sir, we are in the process of reviewing our primary education presently. I want to declare that I sat in the PERI (Primary Education Review and Implementation) Committee. The Committee had made many good recommendations that will better prepare our next generation. I hope these recommendations will be adopted and implemented soonest. The main crux is on preparing students to be adaptable, innovative and well-rounded in a holistic primary education. This is necessary in our fast changing world. This forward-looking planning with a long-term objective is essential for maintaining Singapore's future prosperity and we need to start from primary education. I hope MOE will spare no effort in getting the support and collaboration of the stakeholders, the educators and the parents. A society organised for learning has the crucial ingredient to cope with a fast changing world of today and tomorrow. There is the need to shift how we view learning, from being able to recall information to being able to find and use information. Lifelong learning in a learning society is the way to go. We have to be prepared to bring up the next generation of people that most likely will have to switch occupations and their specialties in their mid-careers or even earlier. This calls for a review in their educational agility. Our students should be equipped with the passion for learning from young in order to prepare them to be nimble, to cope and to change with circumstances as they progress in lives. Learning must be made interesting especially at early education to achieve this. Primary schools should make the starting learning journey for inquisitive young children to be fun.”
“Sir, I just want to clarify that I did not use the word "dumping" in my speech. I agree with the Minister that the consideration is best care for the patients. The words he used were "best care for the patients" which should be the consideration, and I agree with him totally. My only point was best of care in the community for psychiatric patients without sufficient family or community support, or best of care in having regular follow-up with psychiatric nurses and psychiatric doctors, even if it means institutional care.”
“Mr Chairman, I would like to seek clarifications from the Minister. He earlier said that the Ministry of Health will invest more on the treatment of psychiatric cases and many of them do not have enough family support. He also said that, for many years, MOH has followed the policy on encouraging psychiatric cases to stay in the community as much as possible. May I ask the Minister, in view of a small densely populated state, is there a necessity to tweak such policy of discharging patients to stay in the community as much as possible. Is it to the best interest of the patients if he or she does not have enough family support or community support? Are such patients causing dysfunction to their own families and to the community they live in? And, lastly, the Minister earlier said that many people deny their psychiatric problems. So may I ask him how many psychiatric cases are undiagnosed and untreated but are living in our present community?”
“The reason is that breast cancer is one of the easiest cancers to beat, if detected early. Primary Healthcare: Making Consultation at GPs More Attractive”