Ong Seh Hong
Singapore
“The target groups are often the defenceless youth. We have an obligation to protect them and it is important to raise awareness and educate the public on the threat of all these cyber bullying, cyber crimes and cyber sexual hunting. Close cooperation with the parents is another instrument to combat the scourge.”
“And if the book is published, the writer still has to go through book dealers who will take a 50% cut and the books will be put under consignment, ie, payment once every three to five months. The sale of Chinese books has dropped from more than 10,000 to a few thousand, and now to around 1,000.”
“Therefore, I seek an update from MCYS on the nature and the extent of social problems relating to gambling at the casinos following the full-operations of these two casinos in Singapore. What are the control mechanisms in place and how effective have they been so far? Gambling”
“There is, for me, a simple way to tell if the Budget brings real benefits to the people and the country. If the Budget hinders us, if it taxes so severely or gives too generously that we lose our motivation to work, if it makes onerous administrative demands on us and on businesses, then it cannot be a right budget.”
“Sir, I have a few supplementary questions. First, besides denying employees from taking sick leave which is a very clear infringement of the Employment Act, there could be other forms of exploitation of the workers, such as requiring them to work unnecessarily long hours.”
“Sir, I thank the Minister for giving this detailed account of what happened because there were discrepancies in the newspaper reports in the accounts by Mr Goh as well as the Police. However, I would like to ask the Minister how does the Police ascertain whether personal safety is being compromised.”
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“The radish was hard to start with but, after being boiled, it became soft. The egg was easily broken, but after boiling, it became a hard-boiled egg. And the coffee was very special. It had allowed tasteless water to become a fragrant and beautiful drink. My friend, if you are the one, would you choose to be a radish, an egg or a coffee bean? I hope, through this story, it will allow Singaporeans not to be beaten by adversity but to change adversity to success. During the last few years, we have seen many ups and downs. But we have ridden through the crisis because we have a good system, we are efficient, we have a Government that cares for the people and, of course, we have our abundant reserves so that when a crisis appears, we have introduced measures in time to help our people. But water can overturn the boat, or can carry the boat. So we must ensure that in helping our people, we do not allow our people to become overly dependent on the Government. We must have this self-reliance. Let me tell the second story – the deer and the wolf. In the forest, there were many deer and wolves. The wolf in many fables is a big bad wolf and the story is the same. There was a kind-hearted person who wanted to help the deer, so he went to destroy the wolves. Without the wolves’ presence, the deer could live their lives quietly. After they had finished eating, they slept; after sleeping, they ate. They alternated between eating and sleeping and they became fatter and fatter, and more and more sickly. Some of them died and some of them were sick. So the number of deer diminished. This kind-hearted person asked a wise man. The wise man said, "It is very simple. Let the wolves go back." This kind-hearted person released the wolves back to the forest.”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A*.] Mr Speaker, Sir, the Presidential Address described what we need to do to deal with the changes. During the last few days, Members talked about change, change and change. How to deal with change? How to reform and change? Although we say that you are poor, you change, and when you change, you succeed. But we must realise that certain things should not change. What are the things that should not change? And that is the foundation or the core values of nation-building, including our commitment to an honest and effective Government. We want a tolerant, harmonious and gracious society. We want to have diligence, unity, self-reliance and the ability to thrive and strive for excellence. Whatever the adversity, this positive mindset of self-reliance is extremely important. [Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Matthias Yao Chih) in the Chair] Let me tell the first story - radish, egg and coffee bean. A young man liked to complain a lot. Whenever he was unhappy, he went to see a friend and complain. His friend was a cook. This cook did not say anything and brought him to the kitchen. He prepared three pots and boiled water in the three pots. When the water was boiled, the cook put a radish in the first pot, in the second pot, he put an egg; and the third pot, he put some coffee bean which was pounded into powder form. After boiling for about 10 minutes, the cook took out the cooked radish, and the cooked egg and a cup of coffee in front of this young man. "Now, do you understand?", he asked. The young man thought for some time. Suddenly, he jumped up and said, "Now I understand." The hot water or the boiled water is like our adversity. These three objects represent the different reactions in adversity.”
“I would like to ask the Minister, step-down care currently has a very different means-testing regime. This has caused confusion for the public, and sometimes prevented a smooth transfer of patients from the acute hospital into the step-down care facility. Does the Minister foresee that in future, there will be one unified means-testing regime that is applied across the whole healthcare system, and that would minimise all administrative problems as well as confusion to the families?”
“Sir, I am told that there is an increase of between 10%-20% of students needing financial assistance. This is in line with the rising number of people seeking financial assistance during MPS. I am glad that MOE has announced and is responding to this exceptionally difficult time with a bigger budget for needy students. I hope that this increase is not just giving a bigger quantum for the students already on financial aid. Many students are facing financial difficulties when their parents suddenly lost their jobs. MOE needs to be mindful that more students need help and not just boosting the amount of those already receiving help. In this difficult time, families who were doing well before this, because of their commitments, may also be in financial hardship. I expect that many more students will be in such a situation as the economy worsens. I urge MOE to give them more help to tide over this difficult period. I also wonder whether our universities will be cutting or at least freeze the tuition fee, including an automatic cohort-based annual fee increase. Financial Assistance for Needy Students”
“While these students add colour and spice up our society, they have posed a direct challenge to our shared value system that has been forged over 40 years. Our shared common value system may now be diluted with an influx of many new Singaporeans who bring along their own history, culture and belief system. For example, the common Singaporean law abiding characteristics may be alien to some of them. They may find it hard to appreciate why a minor offence like littering has to incur a fine. They may also find our weather too hot and our spicy food even hotter, and thus harder to share common interest with us. They may not understand that our system of reward and promotion is based on meritocracy, and not who you are and whom you know. Coming from a different system, the newcomer may find it hard to appreciate what is kampong spirit. Another example is that – the game of cricket generated intense passion among the south Indians. Even the Pakistanis and Indian new citizens among us take a keen interest in the national rivalry whenever India and Pakistan compete. I wonder how they will respond when and if, for instance, after the bombing in New Delhi, an armed conflict took place between these two neighbouring countries. These children from diverse backgrounds attend our schools together with our children. We need to inculcate in them the Singapore value system. We need to teach them to respect for the rule of law, the value of meritocracy, the appreciation of multi-racial and multi-culturalism and the respect for religious differences. This will forge a more cohesive and stronger society in future. Teaching of Mother Tongue”
“Sir, in 1965, slightly more than 40 years ago, Singapore had a population of about 1.9 million, comprising mainly of migrants from southern China and southern India, in addition to Malays. In our short history of about 40 years, our population size has grown by about two-fold to about four million. Before the 1960s, the majority of the population, as I said, was Malay, Chinese, and Indian migrants, leaving their homeland to come here to earn a living. The thought of heading back to their motherland never left their minds. In our short history of more than 40 years, we, as a young nation, have shared much institutional history and bonded together as a nation. After four decades of nation-building, we have achieved a national cohesion based on multi-culturalism, religious harmony, meritocracy and the rule of law. We share many collective experiences, such as HDB living, national service, food, and so on. In short, we have developed a common identity and have inculcated a common value system as one people, one nation. Today, however, while we welcome new citizens and residents, there is a corresponding change in the population mix. Between 2002 and 2007, our population grew by about 15%, but the racial composition is much more complex than a mere 15%. For instance, it is common now to find students from mainland China in many of our schools. We also noted that it is quite common to find Vietnamese, Indians, Burmese and even some Eastern European students in our fold. For those from China and India, they come from very different parts of China and India, as compared to our forefathers who came mainly from the southern parts of China and India.”
“Sir, the provision of private education to foreign students contributed significantly to our economy. We are on our way to achieving our stated objective of receiving 150,000 foreign students. This belies Singapore's popularity as a hub to foreigners seeking better education prospects. For this reason alone, we are obligated to ensure that the thousand-odd private schools are up to the mark here and not merely a degree mill. A local newspaper survey of all the private schools in Singapore last year showed alarming results. The random survey of 327 CASE-accredited private schools here uncovered over a dozen with shockingly low standards in their courses, teaching staff and facilities. Despite the sub-standard of these schools, they were registered with the MOE. I am glad that MOE is requiring all private schools to apply for a new EduTrust seal of approval from this year. This would certainly go a long way towards ensuring the quality of private schools in Singapore. I would like to ask for an update on the status and work of the EduTrust. Update on EduTrust”
“Sir, I support moving all primary schools to single-session. I agree that such a move has many benefits on the overall educational well-being of our children. There are several areas for improvement which I hope the Ministry would consider. First, many parents are facing frustration in trying to enrol their children in popular schools. But with the proposed change for a smaller class size, this would seriously restrict the intake of students per year. This would be further compounded by the plan to convert all schools into single-session. In this regard, I urge that popular schools be given the resources to maintain their intake. Secondly, the PERI's report found that public feedback on the school's starting hour is mixed. As schools usually start at about 7 am, many children have to get up very early to catch the school bus. Many of them miss breakfast and reach school hungry. This is not healthy. I would hope that after moving to single-session, all schools will start at a later hour. This would allow the parents and their children to have breakfast together and promote bonding. Schools, including special-aided schools, must be given enough resources to build more classrooms and other facilities and to hire extra teachers and staff to meet the demand of single-session schools. Having said that, how would MOE ensure that with all these extra resources, single-session schools would provide a better educational outcome? Single-session Primary Schools”
“Is it possible that we have a through-train not just for "A" levels, skipping "O" levels, but also through-train programme for primary school all the way to "A" levels? Such a focus will allow time for a school-based assessment and feedback system. It will also allow time for longer term projects which will open up greater possibilities. Teachers get more time with the students, with a focus on educating and teaching them over a longer period of time. Assessment can then be done more accurately. And with a through-train process, we can better achieve economies of scale. At the community front, every constituency already has a primary or secondary school, JC or pre-university or an institution. A student could have through-train learning process all the way to pre-university within the same community, and is determined by the location of their residence rather than by their results. It fosters a bond within the community of friends, teachers and parents. Then, we will have primary school and secondary school allocation by distance, not just by results. PSLE has certainly become not just an examination to assess a child's ability. It is now becoming really a placement exercise for secondary schools. My question is, it has achieved its objective in the past, but with this new learning approach, I doubt whether the PSLE examination, at the age of 12, would enhance the learning of a child and even achieve its purpose of assessing a child's ability. Does the Ministry foresee any possibility of not having PSLE in the future?”
“With this new learning environment, I support the plan to have regular assessment for students in Primary One and Primary Two, without any examinations. This would help expand their learning horizons and not restrict them to a desk, "mugging" on books, and commence their journey to becoming an examination-taking machine. Learning should be fun and you want the students to yearn to learn. But how do we sustain their interest for six years of primary school education, and for that matter, throughout their entire student life? To some students, parents and teachers, six years of primary education seems to prepare for one examination - PSLE. We have come far in developing our education in the last few years, with the focus on experimental proactive learning instead of just purely passive studying. These are milestone changes and I think the Ministry has done a great job. Such changes over the years for primary education where they are exposed to technology, group work, project-based assessments and CCAs, certainly help them in their learning and in character development. The open and vast learning excites the child and I applaud this learning method. However, I ask: would PSLE help to enhance this learning environment or not? That a student's examinations still concern not just the students, but the parents as well. Sometimes, the examinations itself drives the behaviour of the schools, parents and children because schools become concerned about taking in students with better results and the parents end up taking the PSLE examinations instead of their children. And the students, of course, are left very stressed.”
“Sir, education is a great social leveller in Singapore. With a good tertiary education, a child from a low-income family can move up to better middle-class living. For this reason, Singapore parents spare no effort in investing in their children's education. It brings on a lifetime of worries and stress to parents. It begins with enrolling the child in the best preschool, or getting admitted to a popular primary school, all the way to their tertiary education. Changes to our educational system usually generate stress and anxiety amongst parents. The proposed changes to our primary school education system are no difference. Sir, I support the PERI Committee recommendations which were made with the best interest of our students. I support the intent to make learning fun and thereby, nurturing a passion in learning in our children from a very young age. However, Singapore parents are practical people. In spite of the good intent of the proposed changes, if the end product of the primary education is examination-based and result-oriented, parents would continue to steer their children towards doing well in the PSLE. I am afraid in the end, all our efforts to improve primary education may go to waste. I therefore urge MOE to take this into consideration to review and reform the PSLE if necessary. Relevance of PSLE The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports and Minister for Transport (Mr Teo Ser Luck): Sir, as a parent of two young children in primary school, I find the PERI's recommendations very refreshing - the focus on well-balanced education and building confidence in children and making the learning very fun. These are the right steps to take for the future as the world changes and new skills are needed.”
“Several issues come to my mind, Sir. Firstly, there is no guarantee that every cohort might continue to enjoy such high score. Secondly, since IP and IB students are the top of their cohort, it is expected of them to do very well. Indeed, a score of nearly 100 percent is within expectation. Anything less than that could be deemed as poor results. The IP was introduced with the stated objectives of the following: to give the students "a broad-based education that develops their capacities for creative and critical thinking and optimises the use of the students' time to provide them with opportunities to develop their leadership, teamwork and communication skills". I support the IP and IB as a step in the right direction. Students of the IP and IB programmes certainly illustrate their academic competency and they are talent that we should not let waste especially since human capital is so vital to us. IP is into its fifth year now, I would like the Minister to give us an update on the evaluation of whether IP has achieved its stated objectives. Secondary One Posting”
“Sir, in a period of economic downturn when many people are losing their jobs, it is heartening to see a recruitment drive of teachers and teaching professionals. The collective recruitment target of 7,500 is applaudable. In an economic downturn, there might be people looking to such recruitment as temporary measure. Education Ministry needs to guard against this. However, there are many more mid-career people who genuinely and sincerely aspire to become teaching professionals and they can bring considerable benefits to the school. Their exposure and experience outside of the teaching profession could add fresh perspectives to teaching. I urge the Ministry to strive to reach out and recruit more of these mid-career teachers and allied teachers. While MOE needs to recruit teachers and teaching professionals of the right attitude and aptitude I do hope that MOE would not make the process too tedious and turn off potential good teachers as a result. Integrated Programmes Sir, the Integrated Programmes (IP) and the International Baccalaureate (IB) were introduced as attempts to improve our secondary and pre-U education. These educational changes excited many parents. If their children are admitted to these programmes, it is indicative of their children's academic capabilities. IP and IB supposedly provide a more holistic education to prepare our children for their tertiary education and future. Since the students entering the IP are chosen from amongst the best, the creme de la creme, parents watched with both elation and anxiety. Sir, Education Ministry had told this House of the near complete success of IP and IB. The first batch of IP had a success rate of 98.2 percent and those who do not make it either re-take as a private candidate or apply to overseas university.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, I read with interest how the Nanyang Technology University (NTU) is organising courses to enhance their graduates' employment opportunities. In addition to the basic skill set, NTU is also organising deportment course and the art of fengshui. Sir, if our graduates can be given help to enhance their potential, I think our students who are less academically inclined should also be given more help to prepare for the future. How then do we prepare our youth for the future, especially a future in the globalised knowledge-based economy? I think our Education Ministry should provide more opportunities to our ITE and Polytechnic students and ensure that they will meet the demand of the future job market. We should prepare our youth for the wide-ranging opportunities in a diversity of industries, such as creative industry, digital media, biotechnology, healthcare, pharmaceutical, just to name a few. As we compete with other countries, we must make sure that our next generation will have a competitive edge over their counterparts elsewhere. Post-secondary Educational Opportunities”
“Therefore, may I urge MICA to consider more arts exchange programmes which would benefit our arts students and budding talents?”
“Thank you, Madam. Notwithstanding our efforts in nurturing budding sporting and artistic talent in Singapore, parents are practical when their children want to pursue a career in these two areas. In this economic downturn, as we grapple with ensuring company survival and savings jobs, let us not forget to continue supporting and nurturing artistic talent. Last year, MICA gave out 60 scholarships to talented youth to pursue a career in the arts. I would like to know how many scholarships in the arts we are giving out this year. Madam, I was impressed to learn of our Singaporeans' involvement in movies like "The Big Hit" and "The Lord of the Rings". Many of the digital and artistic creations were done by a Singaporean. We have invested much in bringing the digital age into Singapore. We should not shy away from investing in human resource development in this area to support the growth of this sector. May I ask MICA what is being done to support student interest in pursuit of higher education in digital media and related fields? Exchange Programmes My second cut is on exchange programmes. Madam, I read with excitement of a two-day arts exchange programme which has benefited 14 Japanese and Singapore children at the Little Arts Academy last year. There is a role for the Government to play here. MICA could take a lead to source sponsors and administer arts exchange programme for our budding creative arts industry. This is something that cannot be left to the private sector to take root. Singapore parents are practical people. Few, if at all, would want their children to take up a career in either sports or the arts. Even fewer parents will spend money or sending their children to arts exchange programmes in other countries.”
“MICA needs to give assurance of the support that the creative arts sector can look forward to, in particular, Singapore designs.”
“Madam, allow me to take this opportunity to congratulate MediaCorp on the successful run of the popular locally produced television serial the "Little Nonya". Locally produced Chinese television serials have come a long way. To be fair to MediaCorp, I think it has been producing Chinese serials of a high standard even before the success of the "Little Nonya". Although Hong Kong has a longer history of producing popular television serials before us, we can and are beginning to give the competitors in the industry a run for their money. I urge MICA not to waver in the support of the production of local television serials, especially the Chinese language ones. Secondly, although Singapore is generally known as a English-speaking society, I wonder why when it comes to local English TV serials, there is a comparative lack of success. Is this because of a lack of funding support? It is sad to see even as Singaporeans' appreciation of the arts grow, the locally produced English television programmes still concentrate on mindless comedies. I look forward to the Ministry's attention to this area of development although we may not be aspiring to be Hollywood. Singapore Designs Madam Chair, in 1995, a lone young aspiring Singapore fashion designer left our shores for the cut-throat fashion industry in London. He had no support from either the local industry or the Government. In spite of the odds, Mr Ashley Isham has made a name not only for himself but put Singapore on the fashion industry map. However, as we dip into our reserves for the first time in many years and created a budget deficit, we should not run away from supporting home-grown talents. We have come a long way since leaving young Mr Ashley Isham on his own.”
“(In Mandarin): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A.] Mr Speaker, Sir, I know that our Government is now facing a very extraordinary situation that we have to draw down from the reserves. I know that the Government has surpluses, but yet, they have decided to draw down on the reserves because this package that the Government is introducing is very different from the traditional Budget. It is a once-off means. Of course, if you just want to draw the reserves to buy abalone noodles, then I would not agree. But, if we can keep the rice-bowls of our workers so that they would not have to resort to eating coarse food, I think, we should at least give them one decent meal. *Cols. 1593-1594. 2.54 pm”
“I hope that we do not just depend on the Jobs Credit Scheme alone, we must look at the whole picture of the Budget. This Budget is not just about Jobs Credit, it contains many other measures, eg, helping the SMEs to obtain more financing from the bank, reducing the property tax and corporate tax for the SMEs, etc. There are many other measures to help reduce cost. This is what the whole Budget is all about! So, let us look at the whole picture of the Budget – the comprehensive measures adopted to solve our problems. Sir, my other concern is the use of our reserves. I am a conservative in this respect. In this economic crisis, even Warren Buffet could not escape from the shrinkage of his assets. What I am concerned with is that our reserves have also been seriously affected. Last year, we amended the Constitution to allow us to use the returns from the Net Investment Returns (NIR), so this includes the returns from long-term investments. Now, we are going to use part of the principal amount of the reserves. Will our reserves not be seriously affected? I would like to ask the Minister for Finance: how long and how many more years before our reserves will be restored to its original value? For that, we must give an assurance to our people that we are not slaughtering the goose that lays the golden eggs. Sir, let me finally urge our people and the Government to have an "ox-like" resilience – working hard and helping one another, during this year of the Ox. With one heart, together, we will ride out this crisis. Sir, I support the Budget. *Cols. 1585-1590. 2.52 pm”
“After talking about this philosophy, I would like to address some remarks on the specific measures of the Budget. Although the Jobs Credit Scheme has been announced, we still hear retrenchment by certain companies. We understand why people are beginning to worry as to whether our Jobs Credit Scheme can really protect jobs. I am glad to note that many MPs – especially our labour MPs, our colleagues from the labour movement – have clarified and explained that the meaning of the Jobs Credit, which is really to allow companies to change their thinking and to prevent, or at least reduce retrenchment, and jobs can thereby be saved. Perhaps, our Union leaders and our Government could work harder to give the assurance to Singaporeans, so that they will understand how the Jobs Credit will assist the companies to protect and preserve jobs and, indirectly, protect the rice-bowls of the workers. We should help Singaporeans understand that the companies which are profitable will create more jobs to the benefit of Singaporeans. I would like to urge the companies to actually pass on the benefits to the workers, after receiving the Jobs Credit. Sir, Jobs Credit is different from the reduction of CPF contributions. It will affect the workers' income and their ability to service their housing loans. Nonetheless, I am still of the opinion that this Jobs Credit Scheme, like the reduction of CPF contributions, is a one-size-fits-all rough measure by the Minister for Finance. What we are facing now is not just a loss of competitiveness, but a serious global reduction in demand. Using Jobs Credit is a partial measure which will provide some help to the employers to reduce cost.”
“But, my bigger wish is that the abalone noodle enjoyed by my children and grandchildren will be the result of their own hard work, and not be dependent on my money or the grandfather's money. We know that flowers will not bloom for 100 days. There are always ups and downs in life. So I hope that when days are not so good, they will able to endure hardship. They will know how to eat sweet potatoes and drink tap water, yet continue to live comfortably. Then, when the economy is good, we can survive and do better. During this crisis, let us review our life goals. Have we not over-emphasised materialistic life and forgotten about other aspects of life? Is our spiritual life full and meaningful? This economic crisis originated from the sub-prime crisis in US, but fundamentally, it resulted from the excessive spending of Americans, who are in the habit of spending tomorrow's money for today's consumption – buying houses, buying cars which they cannot really afford. The American society is like that. How about the Singapore society? Let me give some simple statistics. From 2000 to 2008, the population of Singapore increased by 15%, but the number of credit cards issued had doubled to more than five million cards. The roll-over debts of credit cards had increased from $1.7 billion to $3.3 billion. Sir, are we not following the footsteps of Americans and becoming a society with excessive consumption? I hope that we will take this as an alarm bell and let us understand our situation. I am not against improvement in the material life. I am against the blind pursuit of materialistic welfare. We must realise that leading a simple life is a virtue. I hope that Singaporeans will cherish family life, friendship and lead a more meaningful and wholesome life.”
“To put it in simple language, "We are using grandpa's money – public funds." I think we are going through an exceptional period and facing the most severe crisis since Independence, and that is why the Government is adopting these very unusual measures to meet the challenges. I support the Government's measures. But I hope that Singaporeans will, in terms of their mindset and lifestyle, make necessary adjustments to lower their expectations and demands. I read in the Lianhe Zaobao this morning that many workers are receiving training to acquire new skills. But there are still some people who continue to show a lack of a sense of crisis and will to change. For example, there was a worker who had worked in the textile industry for many years. She is receiving training now. But she indicated that she was not willing to be a cleaner. She wanted to have a job in the packaging industry. Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not saying that every retrenched worker must be a cleaner. But I want to reflect that many Singaporeans are biased and are still very choosy, in terms of jobs. Sir, we must maintain our perseverance and the survival spirit. This is the spirit of the Budget this year. The English term "Resilience Package" is good. The real meaning is preseverance and ability to bounce back in difficulty. But, unfortunately Chinese translation calls this a zhenxing or "stimulus" package, losing the meaning of "resilience". Mr Speaker, Sir, like the grandfather, I hope that my children and my grandchildren, in future, and all Singaporeans will continue to afford abalone noodles, and I am sure our days would be better and better.”
“(In Mandarin): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A*.] Mr Speaker, Sir, a few days ago, at a temple dinner, I met an old man who is a leader of the Chinese community, a successful businessman. He told me a personal story. One day, the old man after eating a bowl of fish-ball noodles costing $2.50, his grandson came home. Out of concern, the old man asked, "Grandson, would you like a bowl of fish-ball noodles." The grandson replied, "No. I have gone out with grandmother, and we had abalone noodles. For the three of us, we spent $42." Jokingly, the old man said, "Where do you have money to have such an expensive meal?" The grandson said, "It's grandmother's money." The grandfather said, "Grandmother's money, but she is not working. All her money came from your grandfather who had been working very hard all these years." With deep feelings, the old man told me, "For people of our generation, all we wanted was simply to fill our stomachs. But now the young people are different. What they eat, where they live, for everything they want the best." Then I asked him, "Did you tell your grandchildren the virtues of living a thrifty and simple life?" The grandfather said, "Yes, but then they said, 'Grandpa, those were the days when the policemen wore short pants.' In other words, they are saying my thinking is out of date. It is obsolete." Mr Speaker, Sir, the story reminded me of a debate we had last year on education when I told the House that students nowadays were not willing to eat sweet potatoes and drink tap water, even during special training days. What makes me worried is whether our young people are willing to take hardship. This year, we will be drawing down on our reserves for the Budget.”
“Assuming his asset is to pass on to the next generation of eight grandchildren, and assuming that the asset has grown according to the inflation rate, the next generation would have, in today’s dollar terms, been left with only $0.5 million each. Sir, what I am suggesting is that we should make sure that our reserves also grow in tandem with our population. As such, I propose that besides adjusting the returns according to the rate of inflation, we should also adjust it according to the rate of population growth. For example, our population is about four million now. When it grows to six million, our reserves should grow by another 50% . If our reserves grows by less than 50%, effectively our per capita reserve would have shrunk. In that case, we should not then allow the future government to touch our reserves, no matter what the real returns might be. With these comments, Sir, I support the amendment.”
“Therefore, I would like to call for more support for the Office of the President for him to carry out his functions effectively. Sir, I would like to comment on the benchmark of the real growth that we are using under the new framework of NII. I think one of the inadequacies in this proposal is that it only takes into account the inflation rate. Using inflation as a benchmark only allows our reserves to stay as it is in today’s dollar terms but does not allow it to grow. So, in the scenario when the world and our competitors are all performing well above the inflation rate and we just manage to do better than the inflation rate, our competitive edge is actually weakened. I propose that we should look beyond the inflation adjusted real returns. GIC and MAS hire many top brains from the financial sectors. It is therefore not unreasonable to expect that our reserves should outperform some international benchmarks on a long-term basis. These expected returns should be well above the inflation rate. Sir, I therefore suggest using some suitable external benchmarks to measure the performance of our reserves. The future Government can only use the return if the rate of real return outperforms those benchmarks and in those instances anyway, only half of the out-performance should be used. If our real return is lower than what our reserves rightly deserve, the Government should not be allowed to use any of our returns. Next, I would also like the Minister to consider adding another dimension of benchmarking our reserves by considering the population growth. Let me explain why. If a person leaves behind $4 million to his four children, each one of them would have $1 million.”
“Amongst the more controversial one relates to his regrets on not being able to execute his duty due to a lack of support from the public officers. One example, Sir, was the incident when the late President requested for a list of the State’s assets and his subsequent interpretation of the reply from the Auditor-General that it would take "56 man years" to compile. That episode also highlighted another possible area for contention. The late President felt that to do his job, it was necessary for a compilation of all the State’s assets, including State land. The Attorney-General’s Office advised on the basis of the law that there was no need for the revaluation. This difference in opinion had led to the late President feeling that the public officers were not supporting his Office although it had not stopped him from doing his job to support the Government. Sir, we cannot deny the possibility of a future President who interprets his role differently and chooses to exercise his influence differently from the late President Ong. I shudder to think what kind of problems the future President might present to future governments in the event of a difference in interpretation. Singapore cannot afford political stalemate like that of the United States in year 2000 just because of that. Sir, I agree that our President's Office is a non-executive one. However, we must equip and prepare the Office so that it would be able to carry out its role as the safe-keeper of our second set of keys. This is not because our current Government is not good. But we need to prepare for the unforeseen circumstances in future, when an irresponsible government is voted in and wants to start to squander away our hard earned reserves.”
“On paper and in principle, the difference between the two offices is clear. However, in reality, there might be ground for misunderstanding due to the difference in interpretations. Sir, the incident of the late Mr Ong Teng Cheong’s misunderstanding with the CPF Board over the interpretation on the use of their reserves to fund budget deficit can provide some lessons. Let us briefly go back in time in 1995. Then, the CPF Board submitted a budget consisting of expenditure of $27 million and revenue of $23 million, thereby using their reserves to offset the deficit of $4 million. CPF Board’s reserves were on an "accrual" basis but the late President interpreted it as past reserves because there was an election that year leading to a change of Government. Back then, although the late Mr Ong held a different view from that of the Government, yet he still approved the CPF Board’s budget. Given the late President’s considerable standing in the eye of the community, what kind of storm and repercussion would have been created if Mr Ong had chosen not to approve the CPF Board’s budget then? Sir, I am reminded of the stalemate in the United States’ Presidential Election of 2000, between Mr George Bush and Mr Al Gore, whereby the United States was left for a brief period, without a President pending the legal decision over who had won the Florida State electoral votes. Rubbish piled up and state employees were not paid during that period as a result. Singapore cannot afford to have that scene played out here. Just before he left office, the late President Ong, in a press release, highlighted several pointers on his tenure.”
“It was not too long ago that we shifted from the very prudently held stance of accumulating our reserves without spending much. Because of the efforts and prudence of our past Governments, we were able to accumulate and be in the strong position that we have today. Thus, I applauded Minister Mentor when he strongly objected to Dr Wang Kai Yuen’s "Three Buckets" approach. Since then, we have started using the returns on our reserves. We started with just the interest and dividend, and now with the present amendment, we will also include capital gains. Sir, where do we stop? I understand the current Government’s reasons for the need to tap more funds from the reserves and I believe that our present Government is responsible and will not mis-spend our reserves. What I fear, Sir, is that we may experience greater pressure to further expand the usage of our reserves. Can we ensure that future profligate governments will not attempt to change the Constitution to draw more from our reserves? Sir, to safeguard our reserves against future wasteful and irresponsible government, we have institutionalised checks and balances in the form of the good office of the President, to hold an extra set of keys, for an added set of protection. Sir, in this regard, I would like to know if our President’s Office has the resources and means to check on the Government. In 1996, the then Prime Minister, Mr Goh Chok Tong, in response to the late President Ong Teng Cheong, made a crystal clear view on the role and power of the President and the Prime Minister of Singapore. The President of Singapore is an elected position which does not enjoy executive power. The President is a custodial position. Only the Prime Minister has executive power.”
“Sir, many of us have heard this story. If you put a frog in a pot of hot water, the frog will jump out immediately. If you put a frog in a pot of cold water, it will swim happily. If you then very slowly heat up the water, the frog will continue to swim comfortably on and on, and eventually it will die pain-free. Mr Speaker, Sir, I have spoken in this House about my concern of the Government’s intent to widen the definition of NII (Net Investment Income) to include capital gains. I am afraid the Constitutional amendment before us to further change the shape to allow the Government to use the returns on our investment is another step to perdition. I am most concerned and worried this morning when I read the headline of TODAY – "Pain Free Spending". Sir, has our Government sent out the wrong message? Or is this what Singaporeans have come to expect of our Government’s budgetary positions and policies? Or is it the beginning of what the frog has suffered – a case of "pain-free dying"? Sir, there is no such thing as easy money or pain-free spending. Just look at the two most recent financial crises. The 1997 Asian financial crisis had its root on easy credit on US Dollars, whereby Asian countries were borrowing easy credit on US Dollars to spend in their own currencies. The current sub-prime crisis was also caused by banks lending easy money to those people who could not otherwise afford the mortgage. And, Sir, we know, at the end of the day, we all have to pay for the real cost of these so called "easy money" or in the mouth of TODAY’ s reporter "Pain free spending". I therefore urge the Government to continue with its prudent and conservative approach when using returns from our reserves.”
“In this regard, I think we may be better off providing free treatment to these patients so that we can maintain them well in the communities, so that whether they can work or they cannot work, they have a more meaningful life without having to be re-admitted repeatedly – it is like a revolving-door syndrome. Sir, with these comments, I support the Bill.”
“If the law fails to safeguard continual treatment and medication of the patient, the patient will be released soon after they show some sign of recovery, staying away from medication and, especially when the money is tight, they would relapse and revolve back, this time probably more serious than the last, to the hospital. In the Community Treatment Order, we must also ensure that there is a clear involvement of social workers and all the community support services. This is because many of our patients with mental illness also face a whole range of social problems when they attempt to reintegrate back into the society. Not only discrimination of jobs, they may also have problems of housing, family relationship and financial difficulties. Therefore, this multi-agency and multi-disciplinary approach is crucial in the long-term care of the patients. Finally, I would like to urge the Ministry to consider free continuous treatments for psychiatric patients. Because a recurring mental patient, is of little economic value to the State. It is of even little significance to his immediate family. In preparation for the play "Off Centre", Mr Alvin Tan of the Necessary Stage, interviewed some recovering mental patients, and reported that all did not want to reveal to him their occupation. They fear that if the truth comes out, they might lose their job. It is a fact that most employers are reluctant to employ people with mental illness. Mental patients would be even more resented by their family members if, in addition to losing their economic value, they are a financial burden to their family and that may prevent the family from wanting to support them for treatment.”
“Early detection and treatment, like Mdm Halimah suggested, will help recovery and prevent illness from developing into a crisis. So I support the Government's efforts to engage a primary health provider for early identification and treatment of mental illness, and nipping it in the bud before it becomes more serious. It would go a long way to help us from engaging a bigger medical bill. One common problem of people with mental illness is that mental illness is a chronic condition. Besides the right dose and right type of medication, the patient needs to be followed up regularly by the psychiatrist and be given support by a network of social workers and many other agencies. However, our experience shows that a significant proportion of the patients defaulted on the treatment for a variety of reasons after they are discharged. And what will happen is that they will relapse and often result in re-admissions. This is what we call a revolving-door syndrome. I think there is one way that we can avoid the revolving- door syndrome by introducing a community treatment order, as proposed by Mdm Halimah. I therefore, also urge the Ministry to ensure that patients get their regular follow-up and continue with their treatment after they are discharged from the hospital, and to provide for a Community Treatment Order to ensure continual treatment after they return back to the community. Both caregiver as well as immediate families have the responsibility to ensure that mental health patients continue with their treatment. The community support services also need to be beefed up as well.”
“Sir, I acknowledge that it would be an uphill task to try and address the social stigmatisation issue but given the terrible cost we would have to bear, we need to deal with them head on. For starters, we could begin with greater public education on the ignorance surrounding mental illness. We need to inform the general public that mental illnesses are treatable. It is estimated that 1% of any given population may suffer from schizophrenia. Just now, Dr Lam also quoted a report in 2004 which estimated that about 5.6% of our population suffers from depression and this will work out to about 240,000 of our population. One of the common problems among people with mental health problems is when it comes to applying for jobs. Usually, there is a column requiring them to declare whether they have any mental health problems. In dealing with my patients in a psychiatric clinic, I see that this is a constant struggle for many of them because I suspect that if they truthfully declare that they have some form of mental health problems, it is very likely that the prospective employers would not even consider shortlisting them for interview. This may mean that a quarter million people may lose their job or become unemployed. And also because of this stigmatisation, many people are not seeking the necessary treatment because if I go and see a doctor and I have been diagnosed as suffering from depression or schizophrenia, the label will stay with me. If I never see a doctor, I never know that I have this illness, I would never have to declare it. So it compounded the problem even more. I think we should educate our people to let them know that delayed treatment is not to our advantage.”
“If you look at those persons who have committed the violent crimes, in fact, many of them are otherwise normal people with no mental illness. But Singaporeans are no different from many people all over the world in thinking that the mentally ill are dangerous people. We generally think that they are dangerous to normal people and, hence, need to be segregated. The myth that mental patients are prone to violence is probably perpetuated by the media. So this results in stigmatisation which is worse than the disease itself. Unfortunately, this Bill does not even attempt to deal with the terrible stigmatisation that mental patients have to bear. Let me give you another survey. In a recent survey in the United Kingdom Parliament, published in July 2008 by the Royal College of Psychiatrist, the survey covered 94 MPs, 100 Lords and 151 parliamentary staff in the UK. It is very telling of the downside of stigmatisation. The report conducted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Mental Health showed that 27% of those surveyed had reported some form of personal experience of mental health problem. However, it is not surprising also to learn that one in three of them feared hostile public reaction which prevented them from being open about their mental health problems. British Members of Parliament stand to lose their seat for life if they are sectioned under the Mental Health Act for six months or more. While there is understandable reason for the British MPs to hide their mental health problems for obvious reasons, I think what is more important is that the social stigmatisation is also stopping them from seeking treatment. This is a big problem, if left unattended and will cost our society even more. So, therefore, we need to have public education.”
“In particular, both England and Scotland allow for the formation of a Mental Health Tribunal as the forum to hear cases to decide on compulsory treatment order. Sir, there is another role of the Mental Health Tribunal. It is important in determining the type of treatment, the rights of the patient as well as when the patient can be taken into a hospital against his will. Let us talk about the treatment. In light of the different possible treatments that a psychiatric patient can be subjected to, for example, electro-convulsive treatment (ECT) or neurosurgery for mental disorder (NMD), it is all the more important for the rights of the patient to be safeguarded. I think the Bill is not clear on this count. These provisions are not new and they are easily available. I rather not second guess the Ministry of Health's intention to deliberately leave this out but look forward to hearing from the Minister in his explanation. I also urge the Minister to consider taking the same approach of having a Mental Health Tribunal. Another major obstacle faced by mental patients is stigmatisation. To quote our distinguished Minister for Health, Mr Khaw Boon Wan, he said that it is as bad as the undesirable label given to ex-convicts. Like ex-convicts, mental patients may recover from their illness. Like any medical illness, they are mostly treatable with medicines or different types of psychotherapy. However, social stigmatisation has no cure. They tend to stem from ignorance, and sadly, there is a lot of ignorance surrounding mental illnesses. The findings of a recent survey support this generally accepted misnomer that mental patients are "dangerous". Sir, this is further from the truth. The mentally ill are no more violent than those who suffer no mental illness.”
“It was told to me that a cheerful young boy working as an office assistant had an acute stress-induced nervous breakdown when he was travelling with his office colleagues to New Zealand. He ran away from his hotel room in the middle of the night, ostensibly waiting for his flight to take him home. While waiting all alone in the airport, he started to display his clothing all over the floor. The police found him, brought him back to the hotel and the next day, he was brought to the psychiatric hospital where he spent the night. The boy related later that when he was in the hospital, he begun to regain his own composure and was calmer after the hospital had given him some medication. He was normal but they insisted on retaining him overnight in the hospital, together with other more seriously-ill mental patients. He went through a terrible time and no one would listen to him that he was well. Sir, not all mental patients are alike and most mental patients are not a threat to society at large. Therefore, there must be a recourse to appeal and communications with the mental patient must always be maintained and established. I recognise that the Bill does attempt to provide some form of external audit. But if someone has been detained on a six-monthly order, waiting for six months is cold comfort to cases like the boy I have just mentioned. It might be too late for the boy. He would have been frightened by the terrible experience of living in a mental hospital and "gone mad" literally. The law must guarantee that immediate appeals and communications are allowed. Both England and Scotland made amendments to their Mental Health Act that, amongst other things, weigh heavily on protecting the rights of mental patients.”
“This is an important issue which unfortunately the Bill does not seem to address. I would like to see the Health Minister present his learned views and then let the House debate on this issue on the sacrosanct rights of a patient. While we are still on this subject, I am concerned, on the other hand, about the lack of security of mental patients' rights and welfare. I echo the call by Mdm Halimah. To protect the rights of the patients, we must adopt a balanced approach between protecting public interest and maintaining the dignity of and respect for the patient. Just as while bacteria are not visible to the naked eye it does not mean that it is not present. Similarly, the absence of abuse of mental patients does not mean that it does not happen either. Given the inability of mental patients when they are unwell to control over their mind, and as an extension, ability to protect themselves, mental patients' right has to be clearly safeguarded. For example, when a patient is involuntarily institutionalised, patients should retain the right to be visited by the family, the right to legal counsel and the right to appeal against involuntary institutionalisation. The recourse to appeal needs to be immediate and not allowed to drag on. Sir, mental illness is unique from other physical illnesses. Hence, if a patient has an acute mental illness, and especially since he is still lucid or during his lucid moment, his appeal against institutionalisation ought to be heard and considered immediately. To this end, the United Kingdom's Mental Health provision for a Tribunal could be exemplary for us. I would like to relate another story, Sir.”
“Unlike the usual patient-doctor relationship – where patient confiden- tiality overrides most other considerations – when it concerns mental patients, we are on a slippery ground. In this Bill, I hope we can be clear where we stand. Do we make a clear stand now and debate in this House, or do we wait until something similar to the Tatiana Tarasoff's case before we act? Allow me to narrate briefly what happened to this Tarasoff's case. This is a case of Tarasoff vs the Regents of the University of California. The family of Tatiana Tarasoff sued the Regents of the University of California for failing to act after Mr Poddar confided to his psychiatrist, Dr Moore, that he intended to kill Ms Tarasoff. Dr Moore diagnosed Mr Poddar as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, then ordered Mr Poddar's detention, but was overruled by his supervisor. Mr Poddar plotted, waited and when the opportunity arose, he ended up killing Ms Tarasoff. The California Supreme Court made the landmark ruling that a professional mental health body has an obligation not only to the patient, but also to the individual whom the patient specifically wanted to harm. The California Supreme Court ruling has not been accepted all over the United States, but has influenced many other judiciaries as well. In our case, since the Bill is being presented in this House, it might be in our favour to deliberate and debate it to reach a consensus. It would not be fair to leave it to our judiciary to second guess our intent. Do we take the majority stand that the communication between patient and therapist must yield to the extent where disclosure could avert essential danger to others? Or do we take the stand that the protection privileges of the patients rule supreme?”
“Another person not being able to sleep without an increasing dosage of medication may also suffer from some form of mental illness. In such instances, medication may worsen the patient's condition when the patient actually needs ultimately to be weaned off the medication to be on the road to recovery. So it is a thin line after that between a medical problem and a psychological problem. Sir, the Bill seeks to protect the mentally ill but fails to be clear about the definition of the area of mental illness to be covered. This point was also brought up by Mdm Halimah. In fact, the onus appears to be lop-sided, weighing on the psychiatrist to set out the parameters of what mental illness is. Therefore, given the many varied types, it would be overly onerous. I hope the Ministry can be clearer in its definition of the type of mental illness that the Bill seeks to address. Moreover, the proposed Bill involves only doctors in the decision-making of applying this detention order or order for involuntary treatment in the hospital. In the UK, Australia and a number of other developed countries, these detention orders are often made jointly by a psychiatrist and a social worker. I urge the Ministry to consider adopting a similar approach. Having such an approach will allow a more rounded and informed decision when an application is made. The social worker will balance the views of the psychiatrist and they will have to ensure that the patient's social and family backgrounds have been investigated and considered before any order can be applied Next, I would like to touch on the problems of patient-therapist relationship. Confidential relationship between patient and therapist or psychiatrist is different when it concerns people with mental illness.”
“Sir, allow me to tell a story from a popular movie from Hong Kong some 20 years ago. The title of the movie was "tian cai yu bai chi ". Literally translated into English, it reads "The Genius and A Fool". The scene that I remember revolved around a mental hospital and the dialogue between a mental patient and one of the main actors. This patient was squatting and holding a fishing rod over a bucket of water. He was asked what he was doing and replied that he was fishing. The protagonist then asked him how many fish he had caught that day. The patient replied, "Are you crazy? This is just a bucket. How to get any fish? I may be mental, but I am not stupid!" Although this episode is fictitious and culled from a movie, it does illustrate the difficult task of defining what mental illness is. It also highlights one thing, ie, all mental patients – or the more politically-correct term is patients suffering from mental illness – are human beings too, like you and me. They have their feelings, wits and ability to think. Although they may be deluded and hearing voices when they become unwell, they can be treated and become rational. Certainly, they are not stupid. Sir, I would like to declare my interest as a practising psychiatrist. Mental illnesses cover a broad area of human ailments. It is a problem that can afflict the young, the old and the not-so-old. A child going to school for the first time might suffer from school refusal, which is considered a form of mental illness. A person hearing imaginary voices is suffering from mental illness. So is an elder person who has degenerative brain diseases presenting behavioural problems and/or deteriorating memories.”
“Yes, I will keep my questions brief. DPM earlier alluded to the point that this lack of action by the guards is due to the lack of commonsense. If it is a lack of commonsense among one or two persons, I can accept it. But it seems that Mas Selamat has tried many times and the previous guards also did not take action. Is it due to a lack of empowerment of the junior officers on the ground that they dared not take action that resulted in the escape? My second question is: how long did it take from the time Mas Selamat escaped to the time that our borders were locked up and sealed? From DPM's Statement, I understand that the 100% search was around 5.30 pm, ie, one-and-a-half hours later. I hope I have heard him correctly. I may have misunderstood him. This is because to get to the Causeway or the Second Link from any point in Singapore would usually take about half an hour. Is DPM satisfied with the response time of one-and-a-half hours to seal the border?”
“Sir, I am glad to hear the Minister proclaim his pro-elderly stand and that the Government is aware of the need for active ageing. I have argued in this House before, and still stand in firm belief that the chronological age is no indication of a person's psychological, physiological and mental well-being. A person at 62 could still be very healthy in all aspects, and he can expect to live longer if he is actually working. Back then, admittedly, my arguments were not supported by facts and statistics, as they are now with the Prime Minister's National Day Rally Speech. I have challenged the Ministry that the prescription of retirement age at 62 acts as a ceiling to a working person's continual active ageing. Now, I would like to revisit this topic and urge the Ministry to once again consider removing totally, the concept of a prescribed retirement age and allow a person to work as long as he is fit and capable to perform the job duties, regardless of his age. As a psychiatrist, I have often noticed the rapid physical, psychological and mental deterioration the moment a person retires from his work and remains inactive in both physical and social life. Sir, if a person continues working past the prescribed retirement age, at the very least, his savings would last longer. He would be happier, as he still keeps in touch with his colleagues everyday he goes to work. He would also be healthier because of the physical activities he does and the challenges he faces day to day. Minister Mentor has said that, if having reached the age of 62, we decide to stop working and enjoy life, we would be making the biggest mistake of our life. Why then should MOM force our citizens to make the biggest mistake of their life by setting an artificial retirement age?”
“Two is that, if you look at the improvements we have made to the primary, secondary and post-secondary education, whether it is JC or polytechnics, I think our students are well equipped to benefit from a university education. And so, by progressing gradually, carefully and judiciously, we will make sure that our universities produce graduates who will be very employable and contribute back both economically as well as socially.”
“So we monitor this quite carefully to make sure that, for those students who really require a full loan - whether because they do not qualify for bursaries or do not want to depend on their parents - that, yes, they go and take a loan but it is an affordable rate of payment. For the fourth university, the Member is absolutely right in the sense that we must do so carefully to make sure that we keep standards high, because the impact is not just for the students from the fourth university. If we erode the quality of the university sector in Singapore, I think all the graduates will suffer to one extent or another. We have seen examples in other countries, eg, in the United Kingdom, and Taiwan, as mentioned by the Member. But they have expanded the university sector very quickly. They have converted polytechnics into universities, all trying to raise significantly the participation rate in a degree education, and it really has impacted the graduates coming out from the universities because they find it difficult to get employment. They would have been better off going for a polytechnic education, which is very hands-on, very applied, with the right skills, coming out into industry and manufacturing. In that sense, they have eroded that aspect of their education without gaining the benefits that a university education ought to give to an undergraduate. So, we have to be mindful of that. We are doing so gradually, raising from 20% to 25% over the past decade up to 2010, and then doing so from 25% to 30% by 2015. And we are confident that we can do so for a few reasons. One is that the economy is strong. There is a demand for graduates.”
“Sir, I would like to move to university education. I have two clarifications - one affecting current undergraduates and those who have graduated, and the other on future undergraduate students. For current undergraduates and those who have just graduated, I would like to find out from the Minister how many of them graduated with a debt burden because of study loans, eg, how much, on average, is the financial burden per graduating student? For the fourth university, my question for MOS Lui is: with the increase to 30% in the number of students targeted from the current 25%, how would he ensure that the standard of a university education is not eroded? I have read from some news reports last year that, in Taiwan, because they have so many universities, some of the students, even if they fail English, could still get into university. RAdm [NS] Lui Tuck Yew: Sir, let me take the questions one at a time. As to the number of students who are in debt when they leave university as a result of tuition fee loans and study loans, I do not have the data with me. What we do know is that, when we work out the figures, if they take the maximum amount that is required to pay for fees as well as living expenses, because it is interest-free for the duration when they are in university and if they take the maximum duration of 20 years thereafter to pay for the loan that they have taken, it would be 10% of their starting salary when they first graduate. Obviously, over time, as the salary increases, they can pay back faster and it becomes a slightly smaller percentage.”
“As a result, the centre with more children from lower-income families could then maintain charging a lower fee while maintaining a high standard of pre-school education.”
“Sir, pre-school education is getting its due recognition and emphasis world wide. It is crucial to the laying of foundation for a child's education. Many countries see it as investment for the future. I am glad that, in Singapore, we are no different. About 97% of children here receive pre-school education. The Education Ministry has, over the last few years, put in concerted efforts to improve the quality and the participation rate in pre-school education. This is especially true among students from low-income families attending pre-school. Sir, we should continue to strive to improve on the quality of pre-school. We should ensure that not only each and every child attend pre-school but also our pre-school education is of high standard. This requires more resources from the Government. Currently, the subvention given to eligible pre-school centre is dependent on the number of trained pre-school teachers each centre has. This system, although it has helped to raise the quality of eligible pre-school education centres, does not take into consideration the number of students each centre has. It is also in deference to the students' families' socio-economic status. I urge the Education Ministry to relook this issue and work out a more equitable system of allocating subsidies for pre-school education centres, and favour those with more children from lower-income families. Of course, MOE should still set standards for centres to be eligible for MOE's subsidies. The criteria should include minimum educational requirement of the teachers, the teacher-student ratio and the classroom resources required, etc. Once eligible, the centre should then be subsidised based on the number of pupils, and with higher funding given to those pupils from lower-income families.”
“So the consequences of the lack of proper accreditation and regulations of private school have been illustrated by the recent newspaper report. This unfortunately is tarnishing our Singapore brand name. Sir, we should ensure that, in addition to good education, these foreign students should return home with fond memories of Singapore. They will then become our ambassadors. Sir, I have in this House asked for the setting up of an accreditation system to benchmark private schools in terms of providing quality education. And this year, I would like to urge the MOE to reconsider my call. We need to ensure that private operators are not degree mills and just out to take advantage of innocent overseas students. Accreditation would mean that it would also directly protect Singapore image as a place where education excellence is assured. Quality Private Education”
“Sir, our stated objective to have a thriving education hub of 150,000 students by year 2015 is on the way. In addition, the private educational sector is growing rapidly in meeting rising demands. We have about 1,000 private education centres operating in Singapore offering various types of courses and conferring degrees of a multitude of importance. Globally, it is estimated that there are about three million students going overseas for studies annually. The top three sources of foreign students in Singapore are from China, India and Vietnam. It is a growing market of economic importance. We have about 80,000 foreign students of whom about half are studying in a private education sector. A student doing a degree course is estimated to spend about $20,000 a year in fee and living expense. Over four years, they are expected to spent a total of about $80,000. The money they bring into our economy suggests this is no small sector. In choosing where to go, it is a complex and confusing picture to potential students aspiring to come to Singapore. The Singapore brand name certainly is one of the deciding factors for them because foreign students believe that all our private education institutions are of a high standard because of our excellent private education system. However, the reality is that the only accreditation system of private education centres is CaseTrust. CaseTrust does not accredit a private school's core competency in the academic standard. Rather, its main concern is on the school's refund and compensation ability and system. This has been alluded to by my fellow Members, Mr Lim Biow Chuan and Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, just now.”