Masagos Zulkifli B M M
Singapore
“Coordination between Early Intervention (EI) centres, families and preschools is important for the continuity of support for children with developmental needs.”
“The Taxi Subsidy Scheme supports persons with disabilities (PwDs) who are unable to take public transport, by providing means-tested subsidies to offset the cost of taxi travel to school, work and employment-related training supported by SG Enable.”
“The Skills and Salary Guidelines published by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) guides social service agencies (SSAs) to pay their employees fair and competitive remuneration and maintain the sector's attractiveness. The Guidelines are adjusted so that salaries remain competitive with comparable roles in competing markets.”
“Staff turnover rates vary across social service agencies (SSAs). An individual's decision to leave an organisation is influenced by a myriad of factors, of which pay is only one.”
“Beyond the requirement of a structured daily programme, community-based SCFA administrators have the flexibility to offer programmes and additional enrichment activities that meet the needs of their students. MSF does not track staff salaries and turnover of SCCs in general nor those that administer SCFA.”
“Male preschool educators comprised about 1% of the early childhood workforce in each of the last five years. The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) has not issued guidelines pertaining to the rules set by preschool centres specific to the conduct of male preschool educators.”
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“The SFwSS provides information on the sector, the range of jobs and career pathways available, the skills and competencies required for each occupation, and training programmes available to support individuals' skills upgrading and mastery. Individuals who wish to join or progress within the Social Service sector can refer to the SFwSS to assess their career interest, identify relevant training programmes to upgrade their skills and prepare for their desired job roles. Annually, MSF and NCSS publish sector salary guidelines to provide a reference for SSAs to set competitive salaries for their staff. These guidelines take reference from competing markets and keep pace with general wage movements. SSAs are encouraged to adhere to these guidelines to attract and retain quality staff. MSF and NCSS will continue to work with SSAs to attract more individuals to join the sector.”
“Day Activity Centres (DACs) are community-based facilities that provide care and skills training for adult persons with disabilities (PwDs). These centres aim to equip PwDs with community and daily living skills and meaningfully occupy clients with social and recreational activities. DACs are operated by Social Service Agencies (SSAs). SSAs' staff in DACs include Allied Health Professionals such as occupational therapists, programme staff who carry out various care and skills training programmes and social activities, and support staff such as administrators and cleaners. To attract manpower to the social service sector, MSF and the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) support SSAs, including those running DACs, through sector branding exercises to raise awareness and attractiveness of the social service sector. For instance, Social Service Tribe was launched in 2017 to communicate the purpose and values of the sector. It offers a platform for the SSAs in the sector to come together with a common voice to inspire Singaporeans to consider social service as a career of choice. In addition, NCSS offers Social Service Scholarships and Social Service Awards for undergraduates and post-graduates interested in courses such as social work, occupational therapy and psychology. DAC staff are given the opportunity to attend at least 40 hours of training annually for their professional development. SSA staff are eligible for training grants supported by the VWOs-Charities Capability Fund (VCF). MSF and NCSS also support training and development of staff in SSAs through the Skills Framework for Social Service (SFwSS), which was published in 2019.”
“By speaking to the Member personally, I am involving him and I am treating him specially. Because I want this to be a heart-to-heart talk with him and exchange our views, and not open ourselves to speaking in a setting which we may have to constrain or hold ourselves. I will continue with the Member if he wants to. We know where to meet. We can talk and we will continue to talk. But I urge the Member to continue to look at the situation in a very special way because this is about racial harmony, religious harmony and the peace that we have with each other. Do not disturb it by putting up a sensitive topic like this that may spur some part of our community to actions that we may regret later on. 12.45 pm On the issue of why other countries can do it, there are many things that other countries do that we do not do. We are Singaporeans, we do what is good by Singapore. If you want to do something that they like, we must also then, do what we do not like that they do. I do not think we want that either. We do what is good for us, our community, our nation. And I hope as Members of Parliament, we swore to uphold and preserve our Constitution; let us do that.”
“I thank the Member for the question. This, indeed, is one of the difficult areas that MUIS has for the longest time since its formation, uniting our community, uniting asatizah, so that not only will they fulfil their duties and obligations as religious teachers but also understand how that can be done and even when it ought to be done. Therefore, this continued engagement that we have with them, whether through their regulatory bodies like the Asatizah Recognition Board (ARB) or through the associations like Pergas, must be on-going. If there are new developments, we will update them and think about how we can move forward. I think the real question the Member is asking is when will this happen? When will we have a decision? If you have already agreed with someone you are going to marry, you can have a wedding date. A wedding can have a wedding date. But when you are dating, I do not think you have a wedding date or time to decide with your partner, "We better decide this by this time or else we go together or not together". Therefore, when we resolve matters like this, we cannot resolve it with a deadline. Instead, it is one where we engage and prepare the ground; continue to engage and prepare the ground. Why? So, that when the moment comes and we have to make a decision, it brings the least impact to those affected. And hopefully, even, because we have done this groundwork, address their issues and hopefully, they accept it with the generosity and the goodwill that we have as fellow Singaporeans. But that will take time. But that is what you get when you invest time to build relationship, trust with each other. I hope that we can get to the answer, when we can do this, as soon as we find the solutions and the considerations being addressed.”
“We would like to have a cooperating framework for the halal system because this will facilitate the movement of halal goods and so forth. But in Singapore, we also work within the many other laws and regulations to ensure not just the "halal-ness" of our food but also hygiene and pricing issues that will be faced by our consumers and so forth. Therefore, we will work also first to address our interest for our community as well as for Singapore; and then look at how the others can then fall in together with us to make sure that we have a consistent, a cogent halal framework for even ASEAN. But as I mentioned, once I say I am going to look at what I need for Singapore, I am quite sure the other countries will do the same. Therefore, this journey to get to where we want to be will probably be some generalisation. The specific way to address this issue will take some time to come.”
“As my colleague Mr Zaqy Mohamad is making his way to the podium, if you do not mind, Mr Chairman, I will take the second question first.”
“There was a similar Parliamentary Question filed on the deviant teaching, a recent one. I hope the Member can refer to that because we did put the dates and what we were doing in that particular case. On the issue of consulting and talking to Mr Faisal Manap, I think he will recall that immediately after our last exchange, maybe about five years ago, we had a closed door discussion why I had to raise it the way I did it and what the points were and why we should not put this out in the open. We had that closed-door discussion although it was not something that I invited him to, but I used that opportunity to explain to him behind closed doors, why this has to be done. So, it was not that I have never done it with the Member. I have done it. But it continues to be put out in the open – on every occasion that can be done. And like I said, these are issues that we have our approach, which is to do it behind closed doors, with our leaders, who we hope can understand and know how to bring this up to the community. I know the Member continues to have a different approach. But may I also ask Dr Maliki to clarify on the issue of how to approach this so that this is not a closed door issue about how to approach on issues like this which are sensitive and complex?”
“In fact, after his statement was made, MUIS immediately wrote to JAKIM officially in December 2020 to clarify that statement made but we have not heard from JAKIM on this matter. On Irsyad, Member of Parliament Faisal Manap also raised the issues of governance of Madrasah Irsyad. I thank him for the comments and agreed that good governance of our institutions is key for them to continue thriving. This is the kind of issue to be put up in the open; if there are doubts, responded to, and if there are issues that has to be dealt with the law, we will deal with it to the end. As the Member of Parliament has not sent the queries ahead of time, I am not able to provide a full response at this time to the various queries. However, I invite him to file a Parliamentary Question (PQ) on the matter so that we can address this fully. From what I understand though, Madrasah Irsyad and Irsyad Trust Limited are at present not affiliated, and the latter is an independent entity.”
“Having reviewed the report, I can assure Members that the investigation process was robust and deliberate with opportunity provided to all interested parties to put submissions to MUIS to be reviewed. Interviews were also conducted as deemed necessary to gather further evidence, which has also written to the delisted Foreign Halal Certifying Bodies (FHCBs) to furnish details on the reasonable objective grounds that led to their delistment. Investigation findings were also submitted to MCCY. MUIS has been open and transparent in referring the matter to the CPIB and Police for further investigations even as it found no evidence to support the allegations of improper conduct or abuse of power by its officer in handling the FHCB cases. We want a proper closure so that there are no other doubts raised after this. On the JAKIM issue, the Member of Parliament Faisal Manap raised the issue of this alleged meat cartel in Malaysia which was based on media reports – all from Malaysia though. Non-halal meat was being imported to Malaysia and certified halal. This is a separate issue for an investigation and we have stated this in our media statement, which was issued together with MUIS and Singapore Food Agency (SFA). So I hope our Member does not just read the Malaysian version. Please read our version too. It was also published in Mothership. Based on the Malaysian media report, the meat cartel issue in Malaysia is being investigated by authorities, and then, some actions have been taken with individuals involved. On the quote mentioned by the JAKIM officer that such mislabelling is happening in Singapore, MUIS is unaware of the background of his statement.”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. I thought I should address the three clarifications that Mr Faisal Manap had asked at the presentation of his cuts. Let me start with the complaints on deviant teaching. In response to Mr Faisal Manap's query, MUIS has received 32 complaints on potential deviant teaching, five reports on dubious religious teachings and practices since formation in 1968. MUIS takes a serious view of deviant teachings that can mislead the community. MUIS will assess these complaints and together with the Fatwa Committee, will take appropriate measures to deal with these complaints. These include the inssuance of fatwa counselling and public education. Where necessary, the Fatwa Committee will issue a fatwa and share relevant information with the public to immediately stop the spread of deviant teachings within the community. This has been effective in educating the community and preventing the public from falling prey to the false teachings of Islam. Secondly, I also want to address the issue on halal certification. I would like to assure Members and the public that when it comes to processes for certifying food, MUIS has ensured there are robust processes. MUIS takes a holistic and proactive approach in monitoring compliance with the requirements under the MUIS' halal certification framework. This applies to recognition of foreign bodies certifying food as we need to ensure their credibility and processes. When allegations were raised last year, MUIS responded quickly to investigate into the matter in a very rigorous and thorough manner. Some critics may have said that the investigation process took too long. But the same critics also called on MUIS to interview even more stakeholders.”
“" Our local asatizah also hold this view, that the religion inculcates these values that spur us to find pragmatic solutions in complex situations. Mr Chairman, I began by sharing how proud I am of how the Malay/Muslim community has adjusted quickly to the COVID-19 pandemic. This would not have been possible without the strong leadership of MUIS working with our asatizah, together with strong support of everyone in the community. Recently, when news broke of the detention of the 16-year-old Singaporean who planned to conduct terrorist attacks against Muslims at two mosques, our community showed solidarity and social cohesion. Together with leaders of other faith communities, we condemned the attack and affirmed efforts to ensure peaceful and harmonious relations are always maintained among our diverse communities, even in a crisis such as this pandemic. This is how our community demonstrates citizenry, standing united with everyone in Singapore regardless of race or religion. To Mr Fahmi Aliman's query, our asatizah and MUIS must continue to strengthen efforts to promote interfaith understanding – through religious teachings and guidance, and holding dialogues with other interfaith groups. Mr Chairman, while the past year was full of unprecedented challenges, I am certain that as long as we continue to invest in the three key attributes – Competence, Character and Citizenry, we will emerge stronger from this crisis as a Community of Success, contributing to the success of our nation. [Applause.]”
“On our part, we have made some adjustments in consideration to non-Muslims living near the mosques, such as lowering the volume of the azan and playing it inwards in the mosque. The azan is also played on the Malay radio channel. As Singaporeans, we understand and respect each other's religious beliefs and practices. This is how we have adjusted as a community. But it has not limited our faith, but instead, allowed it to thrive. And new mosques can continue to be built in our heartlands. We recognise that Mr Faisal Manap may not agree with our Government's approach and continues to open up this topic in public discourse. Nevertheless, at the heart of our approach is our desire to protect the precious harmony that we have built over the years with other communities in Singapore, and fulfil our religious needs and always consider to do what is best in the interest of our multi-racial and multi-religious nation. This desire to protect racial and religious harmony is aligned with Islamic teaching. What we want is to strengthen our relationships across communities and work towards the common good. Hence, we must be respectful of the secular nature of our state and maintain our common space even as we look for outcomes that will fulfil the aspirations of our community. I call on our community to reflect how precious this peace and harmony is to us as Muslims. I call on everyone to preserve this. Let us not focus on issues that will be divisive. This issue reminds me of a quote that I would like to share with Members. "The Islamic belief system is built upon pillars of guidance, not compulsion. Moderation, not extremism. Peace, not war. Gentleness, not harshness. Love, not hate. Cooperation, not disassociation. Ease, not hardship. Brotherhood and sisterhood, not enmity.”
“Public aggressive pressure on such an issue can only make compromise harder. Any Government concession to religious pressure will cause other groups to take note and adopt a similar aggressive posture. Race and religion will become increasingly polarising and this will harm all of us, especially the minority communities. Hence, after discussing the Government's considerations with the PAP Members of Parliament, we agreed to take the approach of careful, close-door discussions because we understand this complexity and sensitivity. This is as enjoined by Ms Rahayu Mahzam just now. 11.45 am For sensitive issues like the wearing of tudung in the workplace, where uniforms are required, we continue to have discussions and consultations with the community, our community, especially, behind closed doors. We previously engaged unions, religious teachers, and respected members of the community, and they understand why we have adopted our current approach on uniforms in the Public Service. In this regard, let me again state that I empathise that some Muslim women may find it challenging to choose or remain in professions where they personally find it difficult to fulfil both religious and professional duties at the same time at some point in their life. However, workplaces are an important part of the common space that we share with our fellow Singaporeans and we must not withdraw from them. As a community, we have been adept at making adaptations and adjustment while at the same time, been able to practice our religion. Let us take the example of our mosques. With the help of the Government, we have built mosques in housing estates over the years, right next to homes of fellow Singaporeans of different and various races and religions.”
“We emphathise with the views of those who want to don the tudung as part of their uniform in nursing. This is not the first time Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap has raised this, as have other People's Action Party (PAP) Malay/Muslim Members of Parliament previously. Indeed, many Muslim women contribute meaningfully and serve our nation and society through noble jobs such as nursing and their contributions have been tremendous, especially during the pandemic. Our Government's secular stand has been consistently clear when it comes to policy-making. This is our approach when dealing even-handedly with requests from different religious groups, especially when it affects our common spaces. This point was made by Minister K Shanmugam earlier and I note that the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Pritam Singh, agreed to such an approach during MHA's Committee of Supply debate. Save for the practices that we inherited as a legacy from the British government, our uniform policy in the Public Service cannot be tilted towards any religious belief, any particular religious belief. I would like to explain why this can be sensitive and in this case, one of many considerations. In our multi-racial society, in services that play critical roles in our society, the uniform is a visible sign that the service is rendered equally, regardless of race or religion. Allowing tudungs would introduce a very visible religious marker that identify every tudung-wearing female nurse or uniformed officer as a Muslim. This has significant implications. We do not want patients to prefer or not prefer to be served by a Muslim nurse, nor do we want people to think that public security is being enforced by a Muslim or non-Muslim Police officer. This is what makes the decision difficult and sensitive.”
“But for now, I would like to mention that to ensure that we live harmoniously in a diverse and multi-religious society, we have to make adjustments like other communities. This adjustment that our community had to make over the last year to overcome the pandemic was not easy. We stoically went through Ramadan without our prayers at mosques. No annual bazaar. No colourful Hari Raya visits. We could not even visit the graves of our loved ones. Our fellow Singaporeans too celebrated a muted Deepavali, Christmas and Chinese New Year recently. We closed our mosques during the circuit breaker, as did churches and temples. We were also one of the first countries to postpone the Haj pilgrimage last year – a major decision and others followed suit. Come May, we will once again be celebrating Hari Raya – hopefully, with more spirit, but always ready to make adjustments so that we all stay safe. But this has been the story of the Singapore Malay/Muslim community contributing to the nation as a Community of Success, always adapting and always quietly finding unique solutions to our own challenges when they arise. In the 1970s, we established the Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund, tapping on every working Muslim adult to fund and build our mosques so that no foreign money and influence will find its way here. Recently, we established important institutions such as the Asatizah Recognition Scheme so that only our home-grown religious leaders in our Madrasahs can preach here. But our quiet peaceful way to resolve our religious challenges internally has been broken. Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap earlier asked for nurses and those serving in uniformed services during the Budget to be allowed to wear the tudung.”
“The course is now offered online due to the COVID-19 safe management measures, and therefore allowing more couples to participate. MSF will also provide a $70 rebate for couples attending the "Cinta Abadi" marriage preparation course from the second quarter of this year. As we continue to nurture a Community of Success, we must also ensure that any assistance programmes remain accessible to the more vulnerable groups in our community. That is why the M3 initiative is central to the collaborations within the Malay/Muslim community and Minister Maliki Osman will elaborate on the future plans for M3 in his speech. Our community has also contributed to the Singapore Together Emerging Strong Conversations with two "Ciptasama@M3" sessions last January. Through these sessions, we listened to the views and suggestions from the community on both national and community issues that were of greatest concern to them. Earlier this year, I announced that this year is the "Year of Celebrating SG Women". This speech is for all women in commemorating International Women’s Day today. To Ms Nadia's query, several engagements with our Malay/Muslim community on women’s development will be led by Parliamentary Secretary Ms Rahayu Mahzam throughout this year. I hope through these conversations, we will gather ideas to support and celebrate the Malay/Muslim women in Singapore. Through these efforts, I hope that we can help to empower women, as well as build and strengthen a culture of active citenzry within our community and Singapore. Chairman, in English, please. 11.30 am (In English): Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap raised a few issues which I will attempt to answer during the clarification.”
“I am happy to share that our Kadi and Naib Kadi have taken the lead to expand their role in strengthening families, with the support of Minister of State, Dr Faishal Ibrahim. Under the "Bersamamu" programme, Kadi and Naib Kadi’s role is no longer limited to solemnising couples, but will also provide advice and support tailored to the couple prior to their marriage and for the first few years of their marriage. This ensures that the couple can start their marriage on the right footing. Apart from religious support, Kadi and Naib Kadi will also share information on national and community programmes that can benefit couples, such as such as KelasMateMatika@CC that is organised by M3 for pre-school children. Ms Nadia also asked about how "Bersamamu" can expand its online outreach efforts. Last January, the ROMM launched a Facebook page to help "Bersamamu" participants have easy access to information related to marriage, parenting and early childhood development. This will provide couples with a useful resource and an opportunity to tap on the knowledge, experience and advice from fellow couples as well as the Kadi and Naib Kadi. ROMM together with MUIS and MSF have started the Community of Practice Programme for Kadi and Naib Kadi. The new programme provides Kadi and Naib Kadi the opportunity to interact and share experiences, and learn local and overseas best practices as part of Kadi and Naib Kadi's professional development. In addition, MSF is also refreshing the content for the "Cinta Abadi" marriage preparation course, to include the content such as the published fatwa on joint tenancy, so that families are equipped with relevant information.”
“In response to Dr Wan Rizal's query, madrasahs provide a holistic education which includes both secular and religious subjects to develop religious thought leaders for the future who are confident in guiding a highly educated community. As part of the curriculum, madrasahs have introduced skills-based enrichment programmes and collaborated with various agencies to provide experiential learning journeys for students to gain exposure in the religious sector and beyond. For example, Madrasah Al-Arabiah has embarked on a Science Research programme with the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), A*Star and NUS. Their students also participated in the CapitaLand Young Architects Programme. Last year, MUIS announced the Asatizah Workforce Development Plan or AWDP which aims to enhance career pathways and opportunities for our asatizah. MUIS has been working with the mosque and madrasah sectors to implement the AWDP initiatives. As part of AWDP, asatizah can look forward to the Skills Upgrading Programme and Career Competency Framework. These programmes allow asatizah to equip themselves with relevant skills for the religious sector and adjacent sectors that would be beneficial for our community. Mr Chairman, to continue nurturing a Community of Success, we need to strengthen our Malay/Muslim families as a key building block of our community. A key area that requires attention is the changing needs of families. Families are becoming more diverse – we have more inter-racial marriages, remarriages and complex family structures with step-parents and step-siblings. Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin asked for an update on the "Bersamamu" programme.”
“As religious leaders, asatizah bear the huge responsibility of providing guidance on religious matters, contextualised to Singapore's multi-cultural and multi-religious society, that is open and always facing rapid challenges. Such guidance shapes our community’s character, so that we are able to overcome any future challenges and continue to thrive as a Community of Success. Ms Rahayu Mahzam earlier asked what was done to ensure that asatizah are equipped with relevant skills. We should evaluate the career of asatizah such that it is not different from other careers. That is why, we must continue to train generations of asatizah who are ready for the future. Hence, we must build a lifelong learning ecosystem to enable them to continuously upgrade their skills and keep abreast of new developments. In this regard, MUIS successfully commenced the Postgraduate Certificate in Islam in Contemporary Society (PCICS) programme last April. The 1-year PCICS programme is a significant commitment and effort for our aspiring asatizah. It also ensures that the achievements and skills of asatizah attained from various religious institutes of higher learning overseas are relevant and of quality to guide our religious lives that is suited to our multi-racial and multi-religious society and a rapidly changing world. This is important to maintain the standards of education to be recognised as a group of professionals. To Mr Fahmi Aliman's query, under PCICS, students will be equipped with social work and counselling skills, in order to serve the local Malay/Muslim community more comprehensively. This will also enable asatizah to gain employment opportunities beyond the religious sector, as suggested by Mr Abdul Samad.”
“It provided us with the opportunity to find innovative solutions to continue providing spiritual support for our community. Moreover, we understood how our religious practices could adapt to avoid extended risks. Clearly, we can be proud that we were able to adapt quickly and effectively. MUIS made sure that the Malay/Muslim community in Singapore continued to have access to the necessary spiritual support. As Mr Saktiandi highlighted, some of these solutions will become the new normal and continue beyond the pandemic. In the midst of COVID-19, digital adoption has become more prevalent. This includes the online donation portal, OurMasjid.SG, which has helped to provide continued funding support with more than three million dollars collected since it was launched in April 2020. I am pleased to share that there was no reduction in zakat collected last year, despite the pandemic. The streaming of sermons online, via MUIS' SalamSG channel on YouTube and Facebook will also continue. These platforms have contributed to the wealth of high quality Islamic content available online. Mr Saktiandi's also asked about the congregational terawih prayers for the coming month of Ramadan, MUIS will share further details soon. When the COVID-19 vaccine became available, the Office of the Mufti quickly issued an irsyad that vaccines that are scientifically and medically safe and effective, and can be used by Muslims as this would save lives. This clear and timely guidance also helped the community to face COVID-19. At the same time, it is in line with the strong values and principles in Islam, and has helped our community have full confidence to get the COVID-19 vaccine. This proves our asatizah's (religious leaders) capabilities.”
“Second, we need to expand support for families, through which they develop our community's character. And third, encourage active citizenry in our community so that we will always stand shoulder to shoulder with our fellow Singaporeans. Mr Chairman, allow me to elaborate in Malay. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Chairman, last year, we saw how the COVID-19 pandemic transformed the situation in Singapore drastically. Our religious sector was no exception. The religious leadership in MUIS needed to play a critical role. They worked with various parties in guiding the community to adapt to the evolving and challenging environment. I was proud and heartened to see compassion in our community as we helped one another during these challenging times. The religious leadership in MUIS were quick to consult health experts, and took in guidance from doctors, in guiding our community to adapt our socio-religious activities in overcoming the effects of the COVID-19 crisis. Throughout Ramadan last year, MUIS worked with community bodies such as the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Roses of Peace, among others, to launch the SGUnited Buka Puasa (Breaking of Fast) initiative. This initiative ensured continued support for zakat recipients and continued operations for our Malay/Muslim central kitchens, restaurants and delivery services. In addition, a group of Malay/Muslim lawyers, known as Lawyers@M3 came together to advise businesses on the new laws and regulations that were passed, and how this could help those affected by the Circuit Breaker measures, including home-based businesses. The COVID-19 crisis also provided opportunities for our community.”
“Mr Chairman, the past year has been challenging for every Singaporean, due to the disruptions caused by COVID-19. We have come a long way from a year ago. In this regard, I wish to put on record how proud I am to be part of the Malay/Muslim community. We made the necessary adjustments and rallied with our fellow Singaporeans, displaying a strong spirit of togetherness, regardless of race or religion to overcome this pandemic as a nation. The difficult adjustments made by the community in response to COVID-19 was possible because our religious leadership was decisive and united. MUIS played a central role in this by issuing religious guidance early and rallying asatizah and mosque leaders to guide the community to adapt to the changing environment. While MUIS was monitoring developments and decisions of religious authorities around the world, we could not simply copy what others had done, but rather had to find our own solutions. When difficult decisions were made, the community came together and supported these decisions. Everyone played a part to encourage and guide one another – lawyers, doctors, community leaders and ordinary citizens, all rolled up our sleeves. The ability and confidence to chart our own path and make adjustments has allowed the Malay/Muslim community to thrive as a Community of Success, demonstrating the three Cs – Competence, Character and Citizenry. This is why we must continue to invest in our asatizah and our community in these three fronts to strengthen our Community of Success. First, we have to continue equipping our asatizah with the necessary competencies to deal with future challenges and confidently lead the community in a diverse and multi-religious nation like Singapore.”
“How we each decide to act in the face of adversity will shape our values and norms for generations to come. For us at MSF, the crisis presents an opportunity to build more resilient individuals and stronger families, with a more caring and resilient society, characterised by greater inclusivity and opportunities for all. The Government cannot go about this alone. We need everyone, and a whole-of-society approach and effort to bring us closer to that vision of home. I look forward to our continued partnership with fellow Singaporeans and Members of this House to build a better future for ourselves and our children. Together, I am confident that we can emerge stronger. Thank you. [Applause.]”
“No matter how difficult, we must ensure that social mobility remains achievable within the established social structure. Because if we fail, Singapore will go down the path of becoming a fractured and disunited nation. We must also not forget those close to us – our mothers, sisters, wives and daughters. We must ensure that women who need protection are protected, those less fortunate are given help, and those with career aspirations are given the opportunity to achieve it. They deserve our respect and are to be celebrated. I would like to wish all a Happy International Women’s Day which will be celebrated on Monday. We will continue to partner you, help the less fortunate and support the aspirations of all Singaporeans. 7.30 pm (In English): In my previous Ministry, we did everything we can to save our planet. But leaving good children to take care of our planet is as important as leaving a good planet for our children. In Singapore, we have progressively strengthened our social compact over the years and took a pragmatic approach, as our society evolved and our resources enabled us. We are now faced with an immediate problem to renew our social compact as we tackle the uncertainties of a future global economy scarred by the pandemic that can either deplete our resources or enable us even more. The long-term impact of climate change will severely tax our resources, too. Our pioneers set the foundations of Singapore and painted our society with hope amid a crisis. In the background of the uncertainties of separation, we saw hope in building a metropolis together. Similarly, we must ask ourselves: what kind of society do we want to be over the next 50 years? What kind of society do we want to leave our future generations?”
“And my colleague Minister Shanmugam has made a Ministerial Statement to this end. But our partnership with our fellow Singapore women cannot stop there. We will also look into other areas that have been frequently brought up. An example is that of enabling the careers of our women – supporting their career development, even while they build their families and increasing the representation of women on Boards through our Council for Board Diversity, in a manner that is not perceived as tokenism. The on-going Conversations on Singapore Women’s Development aim to explore how we can do better collectively for Singapore women at home, in workplaces, in schools, and in the community on these various issues. Minister of State Sun Xueling will elaborate more in her speech. Mr Chairman, Sir, in Malay please. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] COVID-19 has brought about many challenges to societies around the world, thus becoming one of the most pressing social crises of this modern age. Those who have been facing challenges continue to be hit by problem after problem, as the Malay proverb goes "someone falls, and the ladder falls on him, too". Social divisions are increasingly felt. At the same time, we will face a very different social landscape in the future, bringing with it various new challenges. Previously, before COVID-19, we have more than doubled our social spending in the past 10 years. Our socio-economic strategies have uplifted broad segments of our population. However, the challenge is to ensure that those at the bottom can continue to progress alongside the rest of the society. We must ensure that opportunities are kept available for all Singaporeans.”
“During my earlier speech at MOH’s Committee of Supply, I spoke about strengthening support for care-givers of seniors. At MSF, we will embark on a similar effort to support care-givers of PwDs. NCSS, SG Enable and community partners will form a Singapore Together Alliance for Action for care-givers of PwDs in the coming months. This will complement the Third Enabling Masterplan, which I spoke about earlier. Ms Denise Phua also shared about a similar alliance for the Autism Enabling Masterplan. MSF will review the recommendations and is committed to working with friends from the autism community on this. Chairman, if there is a partnership that we must build, it is between our men and women. All of us know women close to us – our mothers, our wives, our sisters, our daughters. They deserve our respect and to be celebrated. I would like to wish everyone a Happy International Women’s Day in advance. As a whole, we have done well in many areas – enabling our women to access quality education and healthcare services, and higher labour participation. We have provided them with safe and secure neighbourhoods and streets, where women can be out late at night alone without worrying about safety. A luxury that is uncommon in many other cities and communities. Even among this House, women occupy close to 30% of the seats, which is higher than the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s global average of 25.5%. The recent spate of sexual offences and violence against women are abhorrent. They somewhat reveal how some of our boys and men view women. We want to correct this. We must not allow such misplaced attitudes to fester because they have no part in our society. And we can do more to protect our women by reviewing the sentencing framework for hurt and sexual offences.”
“Mr Seah Kian Peng and Mr Xie Yao Quan also asked what MSF is doing to encourage more giving during these challenging times and to harness the power of the community. MSF will continue to renew our social compact in a manner that builds a caring society with a strong sense of mutual help and giving back. Corporates and individuals have been giving regularly to Community Chest’s SHARE. To encourage greater giving, we will be extending the SHARE As One programme to provide dollar-for-dollar matching for another two years till FY2023. As Deputy Prime Minister had earlier announced, Change for Charity is a new initiative to empower giving through everyday consumption habits. From FY2021, Community Chest will work with businesses to enable customers to donate through their transactions on payment platforms. This can be conversion of loyalty points to donations or even direct donations at point of payment. The Government will match 50 cents to every dollar donated through these platforms. We will increase this dollar-for-dollar matching, if businesses also match customers' donations, adding up to three dollars in total. I was very glad to hear Mr Seah Kian Peng putting up his hand for NTUC Enterprise to be the first to come onboard and hope many other companies will join us. Corporates can receive a one-off grant to support the implementation. During the Emerging Stronger Conservations, many Singaporeans expressed their desire to be more involved in efforts to care for those in need. We will continue to strengthen our partnerships with the community, in the spirit of SG Together. We agree with Mr Melvin Yong that care-givers play an important role in our social safety net.”
“Eventually, Kelly found a job as a kitchen crew at a restaurant given her interest in the F&B industry. We will continue to support others like Kelly. Together, these will put us in a good position to actively build resilience in our people and enable them to bounce back from the crisis even stronger. Finally, we want to enable our pre-school and social service sectors to emerge stronger and become more resilient to future challenges. In response to Mr Shawn Huang and Mr Seah Kian Peng, I will share more about how we are doing so in three areas. Digital transformation, building organisational excellence and capability, and strengthening partnerships with the community. Digital transformation. Digitalisation is a core pillar of our transformation journey. To this end, we are developing Industry Digital Plans for both the early childhood and social services sectors. They will provide structured frameworks to help preschools and Social Service Agencies (SSAs) optimise resources and business processes. This will improve efficiency, support professionals in their work and raise the quality of services. Next, we will strengthen support for SSAs to drive organisational excellence. We rolled out the Transformation Support Scheme to co-fund SSAs to hire manpower in areas of transformation. We are setting up the Community Capability Trust (CCT). It is a new fund of up to $480 million, comprising Government funds and community donations. It will be made available next year to provide longer term support for SSAs’ capability- and capacity-building needs. In response to Ms Carrie Tan, the CCT will build on existing capability building efforts and expand them so that SSAs have continued support to transform themselves.”
“It provides temporary financial relief to lower to middle income workers impacted by COVID-19, as they look for new jobs or upskill to prepare for career changes. One example is Mr Lee whose employment contract ended last year and received support under CRG. Since his job loss, he attended three courses to upskill himself. He shared that CRG helped to cover some of his living expenses, including transport expenses for job interviews and training sessions. He also recently secured a part-time job as a packer to supplement his CRG. He is confident that his training will put him in good stead to transit to full-time work soon. We want to enable workers just like Mr Lee to bounce back from their setbacks and do well for themselves. Over 7,500 Singaporeans have benefited from CRG to date. This support is complemented by a national drive by the National Jobs Council to create new jobs to help those who are affected. MSF, too, has supported this job creation initiative. We have worked towards creating around 4,500 jobs and skills opportunities by this year. Singaporeans can look forward to opportunities in the early childhood and social service sectors, as well as within the MSF family. A key thrust is also the creation of opportunities for PwDs through the existing Open Door Programme and new initiatives including the Place-and-Train, Attach-and-Train, and Skills Development programmes. One example is Ms Kelly Ong, a graduate from APSN Delta Senior school who lost her job during the circuit breaker when her employer stopped operations. As part of SG Enable’s Job Placement Job Support Programme, a job coach helped Kelly with the job search process and prepared her for interviews.”
“Starting by instilling inclusive values and mindsets from as early on in life as possible. This will lay the foundations for a more caring and inclusive society. This will be beneficial for everyone. Studies show that both children with developmental needs and typically developing children can benefit from greater inclusion in pre-schools in areas like developing positive social attitudes and relationships, without compromising their development. Let me repeat. Without compromising their development. Building on existing efforts, we set up the Inclusive Preschool Workgroup to bring us closer to that vision. They have come up with some recommendations to bring us closer to that vision, which Minister of State Sun Xueling will share more in her speech. The second key area that we will focus on is helping individuals bounce back from the setbacks of COVID-19, in a manner that builds resilience. When COVID-19 first hit, the Government mounted a decisive response. We rolled out the Jobs Support Scheme to help businesses retain their workers and launched the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package to keep our workers economically engaged. To cushion the impact on incomes, we rolled out various financial support schemes. Together, more than $440 million were disbursed under the Temporary Relief Fund and COVID-19 Support Grant which provided a much-needed lifeline to many families. While the situation in Singapore has stabilised, we recognise that the economic impact of COVID-19 will continue to be felt by many. Mr Melvin Yong and Mr Seah Kian Peng asked for an update on the COVID-19 Recovery Grant (CRG) and how we are creating more jobs, especially in the social service sector. We launched CRG in January.”
“These will also be progressively implemented alongside the scaling up of ComLink which Minister Desmond Lee will share more on. As strong and resilient families provide our children with a nurturing environment to row, we have put in place a continuum of family services to meet different needs. We will also continue developing the Families for Life, FFL, movement to help all families build strong relationships upstream and foster a community-based ecosystem of support. Minister of State Sun Xueling will elaborate further on these in her speech. 7.15 pm Chairman, during the Emerging Stronger Conversations, many Singaporeans shared with us about their desire for a more inclusive society for PwDs across life stages. Ms Rahayu Mahzam also asked if existing efforts to encourage inclusiveness have been successful and if more can be done. We have stepped up efforts to raise public awareness of disability issues and inclusion through campaigns, such as “See The True Me”, which reported more positive attitudes towards PwDs amongst viewers. At the national level, we have three workgroups looking into key aspects of our journey to foster stronger inclusivity in our society under our Third Enabling Masterplan. They look into areas like employment, independent living and making our pre-schools more inclusive, and we will share their recommendations in April. I would like to share more about what we are doing to make our preschools more inclusive, in response to Mr Don Wee and Ms Ng Ling Ling. Over the years, MSF has worked with the sector to enhance early intervention support for children with developmental needs through our network of pre-schools and early intervention centres. We can do more.”
“No one should feel that they will be at a disadvantage because of their life circumstances. We share the same vision. While we have done well in some regards, we must continue to press on. We will strive to give every child a good start in life, regardless of family background. We will make our society more inclusive for Persons with Disabilities, or PwDs, including children with developmental needs. During my earlier speech at MOH's Committee of Supply, I shared with members about the importance of the early years in building resilience. With this, MOH launched the Child and Maternal Health and Well-being strategy – with a focus on medically sound pathways. But the child's gift to the world can only be realised with a rich environment in which he or she grows up in. Our pre-schools are an important enabler for this and within our broader strategy to support families with young children. We want to give every child a good start. As we enhance the affordability, accessibility and quality of preschools for all families, we recognise that children from lower income families may require more targeted assistance. Hence, we are scaling up KidSTART to provide this additional upstream support. Evidence from local research like GUSTO, and our own practice and experience, tells us that intervening properly as early as we can, will in a big way prevent disadvantages from snowballing later in life. In the early years, our KidSTART practitioners focus on equipping parents with relevant knowledge and skills on child development, parent-child interaction, health and nutrition. When the child is older, about age three onwards, we focus our efforts on facilitating their enrolment into our quality preschool system.”
“At MSF, we will help those faced with transitional difficulties to bounce back and enable those with disabilities to participate, contribute where they can, and benefit from our society of opportunities. We need those who have succeeded to give back for the betterment of society. Many have done well, not only through their own efforts, but from an enabling system that provided the opportunities. We must also resist the natural tendencies for society to stratify, and actively encourage social mixing in our housing, National Service and public spaces that we all treasure together, like our hawker centres. MSF's work contributes to uniting our people, across social classes, backgrounds and groups through their generosity and kindness, to give back, creating a stronger sense of togetherness in our society. For those permanently unable to care for themselves and without other forms of support, we will help care for them. Enabling, uniting and caring – these are at the core of our mission in MSF. I would like to sketch out our plans to build a stronger social compact in three areas: First, ensuring greater inclusivity and opportunities for all; Second, helping individuals bounce back from COVID-19; and third, enabling our preschool and social service sectors to emerge stronger. Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration Desmond Lee, Minister of State Sun Xueling and Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua will subsequently elaborate more on our other initiatives – and they all revolve around enabling, uniting and caring for each other. Chairman, many Singaporeans, including Members of this house, have shared about their wishes for Singapore to be a more inclusive society, which provides opportunities for all.”
“Three, the community plays an active role in helping those with less because we believe in a caring society. Together, they form the foundation of our social compact. Chairman, we will face a very different social landscape over the next 50 years. New challenges, different from what our forefathers faced. Even before COVID-19, we have more than doubled our social spending in the past 10 years. We needed to invest considerable resources into enabling our seniors to age with grace, as our population ages. This will be more challenging to finance, amid a shrinking labour force. While our socio-economic strategies have uplifted broad segments of our population in the past, our current and future challenge would be to ensure that those at the bottom continue to progress upwards alongside the rest of the society on a moving escalator. Today, many of these individuals and families face differing and complex needs. The tried and tested solutions of the past need revisiting. There will always be inequality in any society, in one form or another, sometimes even within a family. But we must keep opportunities alive for all Singaporeans to ensure social mobility. It cannot only be for those who have the resources, but for everyone, regardless of where they start in life and where they are today. We must get this right, no matter how difficult. Because if we fail, Singapore will go down the path of becoming a fractured and disunited nation. In essence, we want everyone in Singapore to be happy because they succeed in our society of opportunities that the Government continues to create.”
“We have also kept public healthcare costs affordable, especially for the lower and middle income groups. A quality and comprehensive healthcare has enabled our workforce to be up on their feet much of their lives and enjoy their downtime on holidays and not in hospitals. Even among the advanced economies, we are one of the few where those at the bottom and in the middle have seen large increases of incomes in the past 20 years, even after accounting for rises in the cost of living. This means that families have more resources today than before. We achieved these outcomes without having to go down the paths of other advanced countries, which had to heavily tax their populations to finance their burgeoning social systems, with one generation passing on their debts to the next. In Singapore, we keep our taxes low for a substantial majority of our population. We want workers to take home as much of what they earned, while at the same time achieving effective transfers for social equity. We want to pass down an effective, healthy and debt-free social system, which we have enjoyed and owe this to our children, grand-children and future generations. Today, our social compact continues to be one where: One, the Government creates conditions for economic growth. Access to affordable quality education, housing and healthcare services, regardless of our background, becomes opportunities to flourish. Everyone can live with dignity and be self-reliant to do the best for themselves and their families. Two, families continue to be the core of our society and our first line of support. Strong families in turn support the building of resilient individuals. Because they play a big part in caring and supporting one another through the ups and downs of life.”
“There was a time when Singapore faced a similar crisis as a nation. When we became independent in 1965, we had barely $1 billion in reserves and were still negotiating for it to be in our control. We had no natural resources and hinterland. Our GDP was about $3 billion, a small fraction of what it is today. Unemployment was much higher. Few expected us to survive. Let alone prosper. This did not deter our spirits. We had to find practical solutions to our problems of growth and development in our own context, as Mr Lee Kuan Yew said in 1960, even before our independence. Our pioneers knew that in order for Singapore to succeed, we needed the tightest economic and social discipline. Our focus was on nation-building. With the scarce resources that we had, our priority was to develop a competitive economy, build up a sizeable defence force, and provide basic education, housing and healthcare to all Singaporeans. Social assistance at the time was very basic. Everyone was very much taking care of each other, taking care of themselves and taking care of each other in the family. That was our social compact. We relied on our strong work ethic and that drove economic growth for Singapore – creating employment for the masses. Leading to improvements in living standards for everyone. This approach has largely served us well for the first fifty years of our independence. We uplifted an entire population and in one generation rocketed from third world to first. About nine in 10 Singaporean children would have entered Primary 1 with at least three years in preschool, and 97% of Singaporeans and Permanent Residents' children would go on to post-Secondary education. Around 90% of Singapore resident household own their homes, with the bottom decile at close to 85%.”
“Chairman, I thank Members for their cuts and also partnering MSF through the years, in building a resilient and caring society together. COVID-19 has plunged societies around the world into one of the most urgent social crises in modern times. For some time, fissures were already bubbling across many societies – exacerbated by new technologies, demography changes and consequent shifts in central gravities from traditional economic powers to newer ones. COVID-19 made those fissures even more stark. Demonstrators occupied the streets. Many who already left, felt left behind, lost trust in their social systems. National solidarity was weakened at its core. In Singapore, we are not immune. We must never allow such divisions to take root in our society, especially amid a crisis. It is tough times like these that will test the strength of societies, and the bonds that bind people together. Around the world, how quickly governments and their people worked together, determined whether they could get a reprieve or were overwhelmed. With your permission, Chairman, may I display a slide on the screens?”
“I thank the Member for clarification. We will begin the review this year. Hopefully, by the second half but we do not know yet the scope nor the time that this will complete.”
“MSF is not aware of any studies on whether technology or social media has exacerbated the risk of domestic violence or abuse in Singapore during this pandemic. MSF’s Adult and Child Protective Services saw a 40% increase in the number of enquiries in January to October 2020, compared to the same period in 2019. These enquiries included repeat calls by the same individual, or multiple callers reporting the same incident. Not all enquiries involved incidences of violence or abuse. Rather, the increase in enquiries was likely due to Singaporeans being more aware of the risk of family conflict, especially during the Circuit Breaker, as MSF and our partners had stepped up outreach efforts to tackle family violence. Comparing the same periods of January to October in 2019 and 2020, the number of new cases investigated by MSF’s Adult and Child Protective Services remained stable at about 120 cases per month.”
“Indeed, when the legal experts and the experts on estates met, there were many issues that needed to be studied and resolved. Even laws may need to be changed to ensure that moving forward, the WMS will prevent such disputes from arising in the first place. And also, for existing wakafs, what can we do with them? This is another area that we need to study, outside what the recommendations are for the WMS. I would also note that the last wakaf that we received from our community was in 1978. That is a long time ago! This culture of endowing properties that are given to the community by those who have passed away, is a very good culture that our forefathers started and have benefited the community today. We would like our community today who has now gained more wealth and prospered, to do the same and benefit our community and then, hopefully, the community at large.”
“Mr Speaker, the Singapore Community Wakaf, also known as “Wakaf Masyarakat Singapura” or WMS, was announced in June 2020 to support the long-term needs of the Muslim community. This endowment project is intended to create a sustainable income to support our religious institutions, asatizah development and community programmes. Since then, an Advisory Panel chaired by Mr Abu Bakar Mohd Nor, a MUIS Council Member and also Deputy President of the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, or SMCCI, has been set up to recommend how to galvanise community involvement and operationalise the WMS. The panel is supported by the Expert Advisory Panel and Community Advisory Panel, comprising professionals and leaders from the investment, legal, property and religious sectors. The advisory panel has conducted a series of targeted engagements with key stakeholders to better understand the community’s sentiments and identify the critical factors for WMS to succeed. Following the engagement sessions, the panel has submitted a report on the proposed key thrusts and workstreams for the development of WMS. I am reviewing the panel’s recommendations and details will be shared in the next few months. I would like to thank the members of the Expert and Community Advisory Panels for their effort and recommendations.”
“Employees with disabilities within SG Enable and MSF also provide first-hand perspectives and insights on how we can improve support for persons with disabilities. We will continue our partnership approach, by seeking the disability community's views on challenges and opportunities, and inviting the community to co-create and co-design solutions, to build a more inclusive Singapore, together.”
“Under the Third Enabling Masterplan, we launched three thematic cross-sectoral Workgroups in 2019 on the topics of employment, independent living, and inclusive preschools, which are key areas relevant to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Workgroups consulted extensively with persons with disabilities, care-givers and staff from disability social service agencies to develop and review their recommendations. Close to 300 participants took part in 15 engagement sessions over 2019 and 2020. The Workgroups will be issuing their recommendations by April 2021. To monitor Singapore's progress on the UN Convention, MSF leads an Inter-Ministry Committee that focuses on the implementation of the Convention. The respective agencies, overseeing policy areas under the Convention, engage persons with disabilities and disability SSAs when developing policies in specific domains. For example, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) oversees the accessibility of the built environment (under the Convention's Article 9 on Accessibility). BCA's Code on Accessibility ("Code"), which sets out mandatory requirements and design guidelines for making the built environment accessible, is periodically reviewed by a tripartite Code Review Committee. The Committee includes representatives from several disability SSAs, who work together with other Committee members from public agencies and trade associations and chambers to review and draft the Code. This collaborative process resulted in the latest Code on Accessibility, launched in July 2019. SG Enable, the single touchpoint for disability services, is governed by a Board of Directors that includes persons with disabilities.”
“Disability social service agencies (SSAs) are independent, non-profit organisations, each with its own mission and Constitution. They determine the composition of their leadership teams based on their organisational objectives. We do not track the proportion of persons with disabilities on the Boards or management of these SSAs. SSAs are encouraged to diversify their boards to strengthen decision-making, governance and accountability. Disability SSAs interested in diversifying their Boards, including with candidates with disabilities, can tap on the Board Match Programme by the Centre for Non-Profit Leadership (a part of the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre), which identifies and matches best-fit candidates to serve on their Boards and committees. SSAs in Singapore's disability sector work closely with various stakeholders to support persons with disabilities and be a voice for their needs. They draw attention to gaps, and partner with agencies to propose, test-bed and implement solutions. They provide a range of support for persons with disabilities and their families – early intervention, education and care services, employment support, recommendations for and training on use of assistive technology, and raising awareness on disability – all of which enable persons with disabilities to achieve their potential, and live a life of dignity and meaning. The cross-sectoral Committees that developed the Enabling Masterplans have included persons with disabilities, care-givers, and stakeholders from disability SSAs in the formulation, review and implementation of the Masterplans.”
“ECDA has been working to change these misperceptions. For instance, since 2018, ECDA has embarked on a national campaign for the early childhood sector to create greater awareness of the sector and career opportunities, and to foster greater respect and recognition of the profession. It is a journey to change misperceptions, and we will continue to work towards a better balance of male and female preschool educators over time, as we collectively debunk stereotypes and encourage mindset shifts.”
“The Government has been investing in the early childhood sector to provide families with access to affordable and quality preschool. At present, there are over 22,000 preschool educators in the sector, of which, over 160 are males. To support the expansion of the preschool sector, we will continue to put in place measures to attract more people, both men and women, to join the sector. For instance, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) offers Training Awards to encourage post-Secondary students to pursue Early Childhood courses at the National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC). To attract more mid-career entrants, we have also rolled out the Professional Conversion Programme (PCP) for Preschool Teachers and the Place-and-Train Programme (PnT) for Educarers to encourage people who are looking to switch careers or re-enter the workforce to join the preschool sector. We believe that male educators can also play a valuable role in preschools, and that they bring different strengths and perspectives to the sector. They can offer male role models for children and emphasise the role men can play in supporting the development of children in their early years. As the preschool sector continues to expand, there are growing areas of specialisation such as Mother Tongue Language, Outdoor Learning, and socio-emotional development, where male educators can contribute meaningfully to our children’s learning. Nevertheless, there are challenges faced in recruiting male preschool educators. While early childhood educators are professionals who play a critical role in the holistic development of our children, there are misperceptions that the early childhood sector is associated with caregiving and is more suited for women.”
“Parents may register interest in a preschool via the Preschool Search Portal (PSP), an online self-help search portal that was launched by ECDA in 2019. Some may also directly contact their chosen preschools. While we strongly encourage all parents to use the PSP, registration of interest via the PSP is still voluntary for parents. Hence the PSP cannot provide parents with their queue position within a preschool's overall waitlist. Communicating an exact queue position to all parents could also pose significant administrative strain for preschools since the queue position could change frequently, possibly even on a daily basis. Instead, parents can see the estimated time (e.g. immediate, within six months, within one year) by which a vacancy in a chosen preschool may be available on the PSP. This can help to give parents a sense of the preschools with shorter or longer waitlists. ECDA does not track the number of queries received on parents' waitlist position. When approached, ECDA advises parents to check directly with the relevant preschool, as preschools are allowed some discretion to determine their own enrolment policies that best meet their parents' needs. For example, some preschools may offer priority placement for siblings of enrolled children. ECDA encourages all preschools to be transparent regarding enrolment policies in their communications with parents.”
“To cater to the needs of working parents, childcare centres are required to operate full-day services from 7 am to 7 pm on weekdays, and from 7 am to 2 pm on Saturdays. Childcare centres have the discretion to extend their services beyond the standard operating hours, taking into consideration demand and resources. Currently, over 40 childcare centres (or about 3% of centres) operate beyond 7 pm on weekdays. The current arrangement meets the needs of most parents. For those working shifts or on weekends, many of them arrange for other caregivers, such as grandparents and relatives, to help out. Nevertheless, we understand that some families may face difficulties in making such caregiving arrangements. As part of the Community Link (ComLink) pilot1 to provide greater support to families with children living in rental housing, we engaged some 650 families to understand their needs and circumstances, including caregiving arrangements. Engagements with some community partners indicated that night-time childcare services could be useful to some low-income families. We are studying the possibility of piloting night-time childcare at a ComLink site to better assess demand for and sustainability of such services.”
“MSF encourages Singaporeans to plan ahead by making a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA). It can give peace of mind to the one making the LPA as they put in place preferred care arrangements. It also helps families as there is clarity of who would be appointed to make decisions should their loved ones lose their mental capacity. Further, it avoids the need to apply to the Court for a Deputy to be appointed to act for the person without mental capacity. About 98% of Singaporeans use the LPA Form 1. This is the standard form to grant general powers to manage personal welfare and property and affairs matters. The remainder use LPA Form 2 which gives more specific and complex instructions relating to the powers, for example, detailed instructions on future living arrangements or management of assets. The waiver of the application fee for LPA Form 1 since 1 September 2014 is meant to encourage Singaporeans to put in place their LPAs. MSF is finalising its review on whether to extend the fee waiver beyond 31 March 2021, and will inform the public in due course.”
“Day Activity Centres (DACs) are community-based facilities that provide care and skills training for adult persons with disabilities (PwDs). These centres aim to equip PwDs with community and daily living skills and meaningfully occupy clients with social and recreational activities. The Government provides means-tested subsidies of up to 80% of norm cost for Singapore Citizens from lower-income households to alleviate the costs of enrolment. Where possible, DACs may provide further financial support to help families who are unable to afford the enrolment cost. MSF works with DAC service providers to ensure the affordability of services, and reviews the cost of DAC enrolment from time to time. We are in the midst of our latest review, which we expect to complete within the year.”