Seet Ai Mee
Singapore
“However, it will not be cost effective to develop a Masters programme at University level in the next 5-10 years. It is unlikely that there will be a demand for such a programme.”
“The Member for Jalan Besar GRC spoke about his Town Council's difficulty in getting low-income families to pay conservancy charges. May I suggest that for those who do qualify for the Rent and Utilities Assistance Scheme, he refers them to the Singapore Council of Social Service and takes advantage of the scheme available.”
“The RUAS is not a scheme to give hand-outs to the indolent and those who do not want to work. In Singapore, an able-bodied person has no difficulty getting a job. He can walk into one any time.”
“We are aware that the Day School Programme will affect the lifestyle of many people - principals, teachers, parents and pupils as well as administrative and support staff in the schools. The Government is ready to support it because people have asked for it and primary school children have a need for it.”
“The SNCF is the body which utilises this fund and will organise the education and training courses. These courses include computer programming, use of word processing and other software, report and minute writing, managing a thrift and loan co-operative, public speaking and presentation skills, etc. The list is long.”
“Sir, may I be permitted to check on the facts? I disagree with the Member for Potong Pasir that we did not get any medal during the Commonwealth Games but I may be wrong. Sir, we do have a sports excellence programme.”
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“We need to create professionalism in order to generate spectator and commercial interests. But, the question we ask is whether the Government should pump resources to develop professionalism. I do not think it is the Government's role to do this. We should leave it to the market to decide. Encik Ibrahim has asked about constituency sports clubs. Constituency sports clubs are meant not to establish excellence in sports, but they are part of our sports-for-all programme at the constituency level. Therefore, constituency sports clubs play very limited roles in developing sports excellence. They just build the base of the pyramid so that as the pyramid gets bigger, we will have a higher apex and therefore larger numbers of young people who are excellent in sports. Finally, he asked about the National Sports Associations and the assistance from Government. I would like to assure him that NSAs get a lot of assistance in the development of sports excellence from the Government and from the Singapore Sports Council. Besides the Singapore Sports Council, other establishments, such as the Singapore National Olympic Council, Ministry of Education, MINDEF, commercial firms and the mass media have a part to play in promoting sports excellence, and we should give them the opportunity to do so.”
“Sir, in answer to Encik Abbas' query about the Sports Excellence Committee, the final report of the Committee has been prepared and is awaiting Mr Chiam's comments before it is confirmed and released. So until Mr Chiam's comments are received, we will not be able to show you a copy of the Report. I would like to take all three questions from Encik Abbas, Mrs Yu-Foo and Encik Ibrahim together. All three have referred to the situation of sports excellence. Let me assure Encik Abbas that there are currently eight schemes in schools with the Sports Council and these schemes for improving sports excellence in schools and among our young are on-going and we are thinking of introducing new schemes wherever possible. Let me also address Mrs Yu-Foo's question on professionalism in sports. Yesterday, the Straits Times highlighted the fame and earnings top footballers can achieve. The choice of whether or not to develop one's potential and excellence fully in sports is clearly a personal one, and I am sure a very difficult one for sports persons. The question is not whether NSAs or SSCs or SNOC would do the job. The question which every young person has to ask is: Where is my future going to be? In sports as a profession or in a normal profession or vocation? My guess is that most Sin-gaporeans would opt for the latter. Allow me to quote Quah Kim Song from yesterday's Straits Times Life Section. He said: 'If you can excel in your studies, then concentrate on them. Academic qualifications are more permanent. You can fall back on them. In football, the most you can last is up to 35 years of age.' This is from one of our top football stars of the last decade. You may argue that it is a chicken and egg problem.”
“Sir, subventions are reflected very clearly in the budget book. If the Member had very clearly looked into them, he would have noted the large increase in subventions for the Homes for the Aged.”
“Sir, the reduction in provision for social transfer from $4.976 million in FY 90 to $3.746 million in FY 91 is mainly because of a lower provision for Public Assistance (PA) allowance. The actual reduction under PA for FY 91 is $1.35 million. Currently, about 900 aged residents staying in voluntary Homes for the Aged are receiving public assistance. The bulk of the allowance goes towards meeting part of the operating costs of the Homes. This allowance will be withdrawn when the voluntary Homes for the Aged receive funding under the new Government financial assistance scheme to avoid double subsidy. Hence, the reduction of overall provision of Public Assistance allowance for FY 91. We have set aside $2.86 million to provide for the care of the 900 destitute aged in the Homes. This is a little more than double the reduction of $1.35 million in the Public Assistance provision. This amount is included in the sum of $8.89 million under Grants and Subventions to Voluntary Organisations for Services to the Aged. What surprises me is that the Member for Brickworks GRC picks out the $1.28 million decrease in social transfers and fails to see the $12.103 million increase in Subventions to local organisations, ie, from an actual expenditure of $16.8 million to the budgeted amount of $28.9 million, an increase of $12.1 million or a 71.9% increase.”
“However, it will not be cost effective to develop a Masters programme at University level in the next 5-10 years. It is unlikely that there will be a demand for such a programme. It may be not only more cost effective, but also a mind broadening and life enriching experience to send persons who are interested in tertiary level training to do so in reputable institutions overseas. I shall, nevertheless, bear in mind the views of the Member for Yuhua in the planning for higher level training for child care personnel and bring it up at the Committee I shall be chairing under the Ministry of Education to look into the provision of training for pre-school teachers and care givers. I made mention of this to the House in answer to Dr Beng's question at the debate on the Ministry of Education's budget.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, it would have been better if the Member for Yuhua had raised her questions in the debate on the Education budget as IE, the polytechnics and university are all under Education. I would like to assure the Member for Yuhua that Government has not left the training of child care personnel to private organisations. Since the Government embarked on the development programme for child care centres in 1985, the Institute of Education has been providing for the training of child care centre personnel. 1.00 pm In 1985, the IE, together with our Ministry, developed and implemented a three-tier child care training programme and, since then, the IE has been conducting child care courses regularly. Between 1985 and 1990, 79% of the trainees received their training at the Institute of Education, ie, 1,906 trainees, 275 or 11.4% were trained by Kinderland and the remaining 229 or 9.6% were trained by NTUC. Those private organisations which are providing training have to assure the Ministry of acceptable standards of training and the Ministry has an Accreditation Committee which makes recommendations to the Ministry on the applications made by various organisations for accreditation as training agencies. However, I do agree with the Member for Yuhua that we should look beyond IE and the private training organisations for child care training. In the longer term, when large numbers of children are in child care centres and there is greater need for child care teachers, and most child care teachers are trained at basic, intermediate and ad vanced levels, we will need to provide higher level training at diploma level for child care teachers who want to upgrade themselves. This will provide for career development opportunities.”
“The Member for Jalan Besar GRC spoke about his Town Council's difficulty in getting low-income families to pay conservancy charges. May I suggest that for those who do qualify for the Rent and Utilities Assistance Scheme, he refers them to the Singapore Council of Social Service and takes advantage of the scheme available. But I would also like to make a point here that in these cases of Town Council arrears, there are many who are not in hardship. There are very few genuinely hardship cases, most can pay. From our experience in the Ministry, we have discovered that a high percentage will not pay and just hold on until they are chased to pay.”
“The RUAS is not a scheme to give hand-outs to the indolent and those who do not want to work. In Singapore, an able-bodied person has no difficulty getting a job. He can walk into one any time. The Rent and Utilities Assistance Scheme is intended as temporary assistance to allow our voluntary welfare organisations to work with those temporary needy families to help them to again stand on their own feet.”
“Each case is then means-tested. The VWOs then follow up on the families. They assist, counsel and help them get back on their feet. They help the families to build up the inner strength to cope with social difficulties. The Rent and Utilities Assistance Scheme is different from the Public Assistance (PA) scheme administered by Government. Very strict criteria are used to determine eligibility for Public Assistance. Under the PA scheme, Government provides financial handouts to destitutes and destitute families with no resources of their own, or no support and assistance from family and friends. The majority of PA recipients are single persons. The Rent and Utilities Assistance Scheme, however, is meant to help lower-income families who, although having an income, are unable, through special circumstances as an illness, or disability, to keep up with their rent and utilities payments. The scheme is meant to help them temporarily until such time as they can get back on their feet. The financial assistance is given for a period of three to six months, in the first instance, and is then reviewed. Financial assistance to pay rent and utilities is only one aspect of the help that they need. They also require much counselling and guidance. Our Ministry obtained funding from the 25th Anniversary Charity Fund to operate the RUAS scheme. An initial sum of $1 million has been given and the Singapore Council of Social Service implemented the scheme in October last year. As at 1st March this year, 144 families were referred by HDB. 68 were approved for assistance, 32 were rejected as they had the means to pay. Eight families declined assistance, as they preferred to seek assistance on their own or from relatives. The applications of the remaining 36 families are being processed.”
“There is a well-known saying which goes: "We can bring a horse to water, but we cannot make it drink." Although we must be realistic and practical, we are also cautiously optimistic. We will give the Skills Training Scheme another try. We will set up a centralised training centre to provide motivational counselling and an orientation programme on job training to potential trainees who come from low-income families. We are working with the Counselling and Care Centre, a voluntary welfare organisation, to conduct the first motivational counselling class. We would also like to encourage corporations, voluntary welfare organisations and others in coming to help in providing opportunities to help the poor help themselves. Mr Chairman, Sir, Encik Abdullah, Mr Chay and Mr Peh have raised the issue of the Rent and Utilities Assistance Scheme (RUAS). The RUAS is another example of the national shared value of Regard and Community Support for the Individual. There are groups and individuals in the community who want to help others in hardship. The Government will encourage and help them to do so. There are many community and voluntary organisations in Singapore set up with the objective of helping families in hardship. My Ministry felt that it would be advantageous to involve them from the very start in the Rent and Utilities Assistance Scheme. We met with the HDB and the Singapore Council of Social Service (SCSS), which is the umbrella body for many voluntary welfare organisations in Singapore, and we worked out the implementation of the Scheme. SCSS obtained the support of 15 of their member organisations to operate the Scheme under their guidance. SCSS receives referrals from the HDB and, with the help of the VWOs, investigates each case to determine the assistance needed.”
“These trainees were carefully selected by our officers through personal interviews. The rest were the company's employees. The company placed the seven MCD trainees on its payroll and agreed to pay $420 per month as starting pay, with increments after completion of training. Transport was also provided from pick-up points. All the seven MCD trainees failed to turn up for training on the second day. Our officers made follow-up home visits to their homes and managed to persuade one of them to resume training. The rest of the trainees gave various excuses such as low pay and distance from training site as reasons for dropping out. The trainee who resumed training, a 17-year old girl, had to be constantly coaxed and counselled to remain in the programme. At one stage, she refused to continue as her mother was not keen on her getting gainful employment, although the mother herself was unemployed. Our officers had to counsel the mother as well. Under our officers' close supervision, the girl has now completed her training and is drawing an income of $750 per month. Despite this good wage, she is still wanting to quit work. Our officers are still counselling her. In a situation of full employment in Singapore, there is no lack of jobs for Sin-gaporeans. Singaporeans who remain unemployed do so because of two main reasons. One is a lack of basic education. That can be corrected. VITB runs Basic Education Through Skills Training (BEST) classes which provide basic education for this purpose. The other reason is a lack of will. This is more difficult. We can provide all the opportunities but if the will is not there to take up the opportunities given, there is little that we can do.”
“In addition, Sir, public educational pamphlets on current social issues affecting women such as violence at home, assistance for single parents and services for unwed mothers are being prepared for distribution to the public. 12.45 pm Mr Chairman, Sir, Encik Abdullah has asked about the Skills Training Scheme for low-income families. My Ministry is working on various measures to help low-income families. However, I would like to say that the Government can only create the conditions and opportunities for families with low income and low skills to upgrade themselves. It is really up to the individuals themselves to take advantage of the opportunities that Government has created. Our effort to help low-income families upgrade themselves so far has had limited success mainly because those who need help do not want to help themselves. Let me give a few examples. In August last year, MCD liaised with the Vocational and Industrial Training Board (VITB) to offer training places to children of low-income families below 20 years of age with at least Primary 6 education. VITB wrote to 31 persons and invited them to attend a briefing on its training opportunities. Only one person responded and even he declined subsequent training offers. On another occasion, VITB offered training placement to two persons. Both declined, one citing distance of training place from his home, the other claimed that he had found employment. In another instance, my Ministry worked with a private contract cleaning company to conduct a two-week housekeeping operatives course in November. The course was specially designed and conducted by a consultant firm engaged by the company. There were 15 trainees, of which seven were referred by the Ministry.”
“We refer those who need legal advice to the Legal Aid Bureau, Subordinate Court or Shariah Court and for free legal counselling to Legal Aid, Singapore Association of Women's Lawyers, the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations, the Muneeswaran Temple Legal Service and JAMIYAH. Rape victims who seek assistance from the Unit are advised firstly to make a police report. Rape is a criminal offence and the Police would take action to prosecute the rapist. They are also advised to undergo a medical examination and discuss their problem with the Medical Social Worker in the hospital. To help them cope with the trauma, they are then referred to counselling agencies, such as Samaritans of Singapore (SOS), Counselling and Care Centre, 800 Counselling Centres and AWARE's new Helpline which was inaugurated a fortnight ago on 8th March. They are also referred to the appropriate agency for free legal advice and some rape victims are also referred to the Pregnancy Crisis Service run by the Family Life Society. For the Member's information, between April and December 1990, 105 women called at the Unit to seek assistance. These were mainly for marital problems. 41 of the women whom the Unit felt could be better helped by other agencies were referred accordingly. 848 women called the Unit for information on legal matters. They were also assisted and referred to the relevant organisations for legal advice. Currently, the Women's Welfare Unit in my Ministry is compiling a directory of services for women which highlights various programmes and services provided by the Government, community and voluntary welfare organisations. This will be published soon and made available to all organisations concerned with the welfare and concerns of women.”
“Sir, I will address the enquiry of the Chairman of the GPC on Community Development on the Women's Welfare Unit. Last year, I informed the House that my Ministry was setting up a Women's Welfare Unit. It was set up on 1st April, 1990 and serves as a point of contact for women in need of assistance, whether it be with marital problems, single parenting or unwanted pregnancies. Officers of the Unit assist distressed women who call at the Ministry for assistance to think through their problems and decide on possible courses of action. They provide information and referral services and for those who qualify and are in need of financial assistance, financial assistance is given. The most common problems faced by unmarried and single mothers are financial difficulties, child care, child management and assistance for their schooling children. MCD's officers work with these mothers and help them sort out their needs. They are then referred for further counselling and help to agencies such as Canossaville which runs a "Help Every Lone Parent (HELP)" Family Service. Muslim women are referred to PERTAPIS and Young Women Muslim Association. There are a large number of voluntary social service centres and other organisations which provide financial assistance and child care. Divorced women seek legal advice on maintenance, custody of children, property matters and housing. My officers make a first attempt at reconciliation and where professional counselling is required, the women are referred to one of the VWOs' counselling centres. Examples are the Counselling and Care Centre, 800 Counselling Care and PERTAPIS.”
“In the last year, we have achieved this by, firstly, upgrading the pre-service training from 1990 for both graduate and non-graduate teacher trainees, with the introduction of the post-graduate Diploma in Education and the Diploma in Education programmes respectively. Furthermore, this year, a 4-year degree programme will be introduced at the Nanyang Technological University for primary school teaching. Secondly, there is provision of systematic and structured in-service training programmes for teachers to update them on new teaching methodologies and also on pertinent developments in the field of education. Thirdly, there are now more organised school-based workshops and seminars which meet the professional needs of teachers within the school. We have many very committed teachers today. Their commitment can be seen through their untiring efforts to teach well by providing good and interesting lessons and ECAs. Remedial classes are given when needed and enrichment classes where beneficial. With the formation of the Education Service Commission, there is also a better planned career development pathway for education officers. And the professional development of the committed with potential will be enhanced. Furthermore, we train school administrators in management skills through 6 to 9 months' full-time in-service courses, namely, the Further Professional Diploma or the Further Professional Certificate in Education and/or Diploma in Education (Administration) courses. By providing this professional development, our staff are motivated and their commitment at the individual schools can then be enhanced. 3.45 pm”
“Sir, I wish to respond to Dr Ong Chit Chung's two questions on parents' involvement in education and on teaching as a profession. The Ministry agrees completely with the Chairman of the GPC on Education that parents play a crucial role in the education of their children. Schools, principals and teachers are all the time appealing for parental support, even in simple acts like showing interest in the children's homework, school work, supervising their homework and participation in ECA, also attendance at sports and speech days. On their part, schools have welcomed parental involvement by inviting parents to orientation programmes for new pupils and other major school functions. Some schools set aside a Parents' Day when parents can meet teachers, while others call parents back to school to discuss their children's progress, maybe once a year, sometimes twice a year, after the school examinations. We shall follow up on Dr Ong's suggestion of having more PTAs in our schools. There is a common saying that the mother is the child's first teacher and her lap is his first classroom. Education of children begins at the home with parents and should be a continued responsibility of parents throughout the child's educational years. Parents' participation in their children's education process is welcomed. And the support of their children's school in the form of giving of their time, their talents and/or financial support is encouraged. Dr Ong's concern for teachers' professionalism and commitment is appreciated. It is not possible to talk about commitment without professional development and vice versa. The Ministry of Education has always been concerned with the enhancement of the professionalism of teachers.”
“As I have informed this House on 26th February, the 3.30 pm to 6.00 pm programme is an after-school care programme organised for the convenience of parents on a full paying basis. If parents opt for group activity programmes, like supervised home work, remedial lessons, enrichment programmes, and group teaching of music, or group sports and games like Tae-kwan-do, the cost will be lower. If, however, they opt for piano lessons with an instructor and a student ratio of one is to one, the cost incurred will definitely be much higher. I would like to tell the Member for Fengshan also that we are sending out a questionnaire to all parents under the programme to see what they would like to have under this programme so that the principals in the pilot schools can start making arrangements and tailoring the programme according to the requests. Encik Abdul Nasser, Member for Hong Kah GRC, has expressed concern about the fees. The Government is funding all developmental and infrastructural costs. The increase in miscellaneous fees, an increase of $20 over the existing fees of $5 per month, is to meet the additional operation costs from the longer operational hours and extra programmes and additional staff. The principle that Government is adopting is that Government will pay the cost of educating a child under current normal provision, and that costs over and above this provision will have to be borne by parents whose children are benefitting from the additional services and the programmes provided.”
“We need to address the issues of logistics and criteria. Let me assure Dr Arthur Beng that the Ministry of Education is as concerned as he is about the nutritious quality and hygienic conditions of preparation for lunch. We are now having active discussions between my Ministry officials and food caterers. At the school end, principals are liaising with their tuckshop vendors for the provision of small snacks for the recess breaks. As official announce- ment of the Day School programme was made only on Tuesday, 26th February 1991, in this House, the Ministry of Education could not liaise with caterers or food vendors until after the announcement. Hence, details of lunch to be provided will only be available later. In the setting up of this programme, we need the support of teachers and parents involved in the programme. Feedback from them will also help us tune the programme to meet the specific needs of our children. In answer to Dr Beng's queries regarding facilities, yes, shower facilities and air-conditioning to teachers' lounges will be provided in the Day Schools. His suggestion of water coolers is a good one, and one that we will certainly look into. However, air-conditioning of all classrooms is another problem. Currently, it is not under consideration. We are also aware of the problems of bus operators who, besides ferrying children to and from school, provide transport for office and factory workers. The principals of our pilot schools will be meeting with these bus operators and asking them how they can accommodate these changes. As these schools are starting at 8.30 am, hence neighbourhood children can leave home in the brightness of day, hence walk-to-school schemes can be promoted for neighbourhood children.”
“As for the training of kindergarten teachers, I have invited Dr Arthur Beng and another representative from the PAP Kindergarten Foundation, to be part of a committee to look into the short-term solution to the training of teachers of pre-school programmes. It will also look into the long-term provision. This is timely, as in July 1992, the National Institute of Education will be formed, and it is good that we should at this time consider the direction training of pre-school teachers should take. Sir, I thank Members who have spoken on the Day School programme for their support of the scheme. With reference to Dr Ong Chit Chung's and the Member for Fengshan's questions, allow me to first give you details of our pilot primary Day School programme. The Ministry will pilot the Day School programme in a few schools first. This is to allow us time to work out the facilities and staffing required as well as to improve on the implementation of the programme. Three schools which are already functioning as single-session schools will begin the Day School programme in January 1992. They are Pei Hwa Primary School, Rosyth Primary School and St. Michael's Primary School. Two other schools, namely, Henry Park Primary School and Nanyang Primary School, will join the programme in June 1992, after renovation works on their extensions are completed. A few other schools will join the programme later. We are piloting the Day School programme in stages because we want to lay a good groundwork and see to its smooth implementation. We will be making adjustments to the programme as we go along, in terms of staffing, facilities and structure of the Day School programmes. For example, the lunch and the after-school care programmes are new to us.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, I wish to inform the House that currently the Preparatory Year programme in English and Chinese is conducted in 10 primary Special Assistance Plan (SAP) schools. In 1992, there will be five additional primary SAP schools, making a total of 15 primary Special Assistance Plan schools. The Ministry of Education will also, in 1992, introduce the parallel Preparatory Year programme in 15-20 primary schools, where all three mother tongues, Malay, Tamil and Chinese, will be taught. This is following from the feedback and requests from Malay and Tamil MPs and after discussion with them. Dr Ong Chit Chung has asked about the Ministry of Education's philosophy that Preparatory Year programme be the responsibility of parents and the private sector. It is not just the Ministry of Education of Singapore's philosophy. It is worldwide. The Government takes responsibility for the education of children during the school-going years. The years before have always been the direct responsibility of parents. The Member for Fengshan has appealed for Government assistance in helping private kindergartens upgrade. Government can assist in infrastructural and developmental costs. The criteria for this assistance have yet to be worked out. Operating and recurrent costs, however, will have to be met through fees. He has also asked about the sharing of kindergarten materials. The materials and programmes which have been piloted in our Preparatory Year will be made available to all private kindergartens for pre-school programmes at reasonable cost, ie, excluding developmental cost, but the kindergartens will have to pay for the printing cost.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, there are no plans at present to amend the priority scheme for registration of primary school children. TOLL ROADS (Introduction) 3. Mr Heng Chiang Meng asked the Minister for Communications whether there are plans to introduce toll roads.”
“We are aware that the Day School Programme will affect the lifestyle of many people - principals, teachers, parents and pupils as well as administrative and support staff in the schools. The Government is ready to support it because people have asked for it and primary school children have a need for it. We believe it will enrich the education of our children and provide them with a firm foundation in their early school years. Furthermore, it will serve the needs of an evolving Singaporean society whose workforce consists of a growing number of working mothers with young children.”
“It is an improvement to the non-formal aspects of education and to education in general. Hence, the additional provisions over and above what is normally provided for all children in current primary schools will have to be paid for. The basic miscellaneous fee of $5 the parents will have to pay in cash. The balance they can use their Edusave funds and top up. With new school hours, new transport arrangements will have to be made. Schools will hence be working with parents and transport companies to ensure adequate transport arrangements for students who require them. As children in neighbourhood schools can walk to school in the brightness of day and not in the darkness of 6.00 am to 6.30 am, a walk-to-school scheme can be introduced by the community to help to see to the safety of our children. The main difference between single-session and Day Schools lies in the lunch session for the purpose of teaching children social graces and good eating habits. Teachers have to be in school to eat with their pupils and to teach and show them table manners and other meal courtesies and also the responsibilities of serving the meal as well as clearing up afterwards. The Ministry intends to introduce an allowance of $200 per month for teachers in the pilot Day Schools. This allowance is given for the extra work of supervising the lunch programme and lunch-time activities. We will start the Day School Programme as and when the schools feel the need and are ready for it. Because of the amount of planning and organisation involved, the programme can only be first piloted in a few schools. The Ministry is discussing with some schools regarding their participation in the programme. We are planning for the pilot project to be implemented in a few schools in 1992.”
“While these programmes are optional they will come under the supervision of the principal. Let me, however, underline the fact that these programmes will have to be fully paid for by the parents. The fees would depend on the type of activity as well as the instructor-student ratio. The Day Schools, being in a special category of schools, will be given certain benefits in terms of resources and facilities. The Ministry's aim is to provide a conducive teaching and learning environment and we will direct our efforts to make sure that teachers and students are sufficiently comfortable in the longer hours they have to remain in the school. For a start, Day Schools will be provided with more classrooms to accommodate all pupils in one session. These classrooms will be equipped with multi-media resources to enhance learning. Special rooms such as staff room, offices, music room and art room will be airconditioned. Toilets too will be extended and shower facilities provided. The Ministry will also make provisions for an additional complement of staff to assist the Day Schools. Each Day School will have an additional Vice Principal and an additional Head of Department. They will also be given an additional clerk to help in the administrative work. We will also secure for each school three specialist teachers - one each for physical education, music and art and craft, a library technician as well as an AVA-cum-laboratory technician. The current miscellaneous fee in primary schools is $5. Whilst the Government will meet the capital costs and fund the facilities in Day Schools, pupils in Day Schools will have to pay $25 in miscellaneous fees to cover the additional operating costs. The Day School Programme steers towards quality education in Singapore.”
“As more and more women enter or stay in the workforce, and as the female labour participation rate increases, many children return to empty homes after 1.00 pm, some to inadequate care and others to the television sets as their companions. Being in school from 8.30 am to 3.30 pm and 3.30 pm to 6.00 pm will provide children with the company of their peers and their activities, be they in the classroom or on stage or in the playing fields, and will help in children's development and act as strong social buttresses. Day Schools will begin from 8.30 am and end at 3.30 pm with no change in curriculum time. Our aim is not to cram lessons and extend content-based learning, but allow schools to function in a more relaxed pace. Short breaks in between lessons will be included for teachers and pupils to rest. Teachers and pupils will also eat lunch together during the lunch break. Let me assure parents that nutritious meals will be provided in schools at affordable cost. The normal teaching day will end at 3.30 pm. However, for the sake of some children, an optional after-school care programme will function from 3.30 pm to 6.00 pm. The content of this programme will vary from school to school. It will be conducted by separate staff. Relevant organisations could be approached or contracted for the programme. Retired teachers can also team up with sports, arts and music professionals to organise the programme which can include activities such as music, art and supervised homework for children. There is really no limit to the range of programmes which can be provided. Children can have special lessons such as coaching in tennis or even home-making activities if parents are interested in having their children learn them.”
“The tight schedule in double-session primary schools has made schooling very rushed for primary school children. Facilities have to be shared in these schools. Pupils are not free to remain after school to make use of them. Because of the early school hour, some children have to wake up as early as 5.30 am to get ready for school in the dark. Others go without breakfast. Those in the afternoon session sometimes get home as late as 7.30 pm. In double-session primary schools, pupils have little time to interact among themselves, much less with their teachers. With Day Schools they will definitely have more time to interact because the school day will be less hectic. With the intended short breaks between lessons as well as a long lunch break, students will be able to study, acquire social skills, rest and play together. Their education will be enriched and their school life made more enjoyable. More importantly, children involved in the after-school care component of the Day School programme will be cared for as they participate in the educational and recreational programmes supervised by qualified personnel. There is another complaint, ie, that young children have to lug heavy bags to school since there are no lockers in school for them to keep their things. With Day Schools, children will have their own chairs and desks with locks to store their dictionary, stationery and textbooks. Because the classroom now belongs to them, they can create little pleasure corners like a fish tank or library to enhance their learning environment. Walls can be decorated with children's own art work and exhibits put up for display. The Day School Primary Programme also meets a social need.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the motion standing in the name of Mr Davinder Singh. The Chairman of the Education GPC, Dr Ong Chit Chung, has mentioned the Day School Programme in his speech earlier, and as many people are asking about the programme, I wish to flesh out the concept as introduced by the President in his Speech. The Day School Programme evolved from considerable study and recommendations from various quarters. Since 1987, we have been looking into excellence in education through the single-session school concept after the visit of 12 of our principals to schools in the United States and England. In 1989, 20 of our primary school principals visited schools in Taiwan and Japan. In their report, Building a Firm Foundation, they recommended that our primary schools function as single-session schools, so that there would be sufficient time to provide for the total development of our pupils. Subsequent to that, I chaired the Committee on Single-Session Primary Schools to look into the concept. We looked at the single-session school concept from a historical perspective. We saw how it was practised in foreign schools at home and abroad. We assessed the current situation in Singapore in terms of educational and social needs. We even weighed the advantages of a programme that runs from 7.30 am to 1.00 pm against that which runs from 8.30 am to 3.30 pm. Based on a series of meetings with principals, teachers, Ministry officials and representatives from various unions, the Committee recommended that a single-session school programme called the "Day School Programme" be piloted. The Day School Programme addresses two basic concerns. The first is educational and the second social.”
“This is a very unfair accusation and I hope that in his future deliberations he will be able to accept that this is something we in Singapore need. We need to have an identity, we need to have with that identity values which we can share and can call our own. He also fears that we do not have contention and confrontations and he speaks of people fearing to speak up their minds, Mr Chiam has in the last ten years spoken his mind not only within this House, but outside this House and openly. I am glad to say that his neck is still very intact, and his head is on it. I do not see why he fears and I do not understand why he says that Singaporeans fear to speak up their minds for fear of their necks. As for contention, I am sure he does not want us to come to blows in Parliament, as they do in Taiwan and Japan, because the odds here are very much against him in this House. He has quoted several times from the seminar which he attended at the Institute of Policy Studies. It is needful to remind the House, and especially the Member of the Opposition, that the IPS was set up by the Government. At a meeting of a body set up by the Government, a member of the Opposition was invited and all the quoted contentious issues were raised. Is this not to support the situation of Government supporting the public to speak up their minds and supporting our people to say what they feel so that we can learn from feedback and from their experiences? After that meeting the participants have still got their necks intact and I am sure their necks will be intact for a long time because it is not the policy of Government to be against contention. What we are saying is that we would like to have consensus. This, I believe, is the desire of all in this House.”
“Yesterday, I had the pleasant or unpleasant discussion with a member of the public on the cost of a certain anti-gastric medication called Zantac. This member of the public said that it costs half the amount in Australia as compared to Singapore and asked why. In our discussions, we discovered that in Australia the member of the public is supported by the Australian Government and in Australia some people are using the names of Australians to get the medicine at half the cost. This, I believe, is misuse of privilege by the public. I believe the Member of the Opposition is rather naive to think that when things are given and subsidized, similar misuses will not occur in our society. He also brought up the issue of heightened racial awareness by Government urging communities to help members of their own community. In our recent tour of the United States, we found on the Western Coast of the United States, that Chinese community were helping the aged of the Chinese community, the Koreans were helping the aged in their own community, the Jewish were helping their own aged in their own community, and that the United States Government is supporting this issue because they found that it was both the most cost effective and socially the most effective form of support of the aged in the community. So, I wish to inform the Member of the Opposition, who is not here, and place it on record that this is not just a Singapore situation and that even in other countries where there are several racial community groups the Governments are encouraging racial community groups to support the needy and the aged in their own communities. Mr Chiam has got a suspicious mind. He thinks that shared values were designed by the Government to fool the people of Singapore.”
“If a conciliatory court approach can save some marriages and help save the pain and trauma for children involved and even if salvation of the marriage is not possible but more amicable separations are achieved, parenting roles continued, and children's protection and support ensured, I believe that such a conciliatory process will be a worthwhile societal investment. The family is the basic unit of society. It has to be supported and promoted to remain strong and in times of problems and crisis it has to be assisted. Yesterday, the hon. Members for Cheng San GRC and Bukit Batok suggested the setting up of a national council to oversee and keep alive the issues of Singapore's shared values. I do not believe that this is necessary. A single unit or council within the ambit of a Ministry, whether it be in MCD or any other Ministry, will not be able to coordinate the effort or act as a watchdog. Shared values will have to be taught, promoted and supported throughout the whole Government structure, through several Ministries including Education, Community Development, Information, Health, Labour, Defence, etc. The Ministry of Community Development has itself over the years coordinated and promoted various community and value programmes like family week, community week, feedback, children's and senior citizens' welfare and social programmes with the Singapore Council of Social Services and other voluntary and welfare organisations. Our deliberations and decision in this House on the Shared Values will set the tone for our Government. Hence, the suggestion for a new unit or council is not necessary. Sir, the hon. Member of the Opposition has talked about responsible use of low-cost medicines and support in health programmes.”
“Divorce rates in Taiwan and Japan are also increasing and so are ours. In 1989, our divorce rate was 12.3%, almost double the rate a decade before at 7.4%. Can we save these families? Can we slow the trend? We should try and our emphasis of the family as a national shared value and teaching it at school and with family care and family support systems, we will try. Family break ups are painful events. The warring couples emerge from divorce bat- tle-scarred and often enemies for life. The children suffer the trauma often of being the tools in the battle and long after the event suffer from the effects of the destroyed secure nest and of lack of or over-parenting as the case may be. They too are often scarred for life as studies have shown that children from broken families tend themselves in adulthood to form less successful marriages and the vicious cycle goes on. Divorce courts are necessarily adversarial - two hurting adults supported by lawyers fighting over rights, property, children - often the very process of divorce widens rifts and results in life enmity. The Committee on Family Life of the Advisory Council on Family and Community Life advocated the wider use of conciliation to alleviate the negative effects of divorce especially on children. I strongly support this recommendation. The conciliatory approach has been shown in other countries to bring about reconciliation and some marriages and families have been saved.”
“There are some family values which we can call everlasting, eg, loving, caring, sharing, helping, values of relationships within the family which are precious and which hold the families together and members of families dear to each other. Values which begin within the inner circle of nuclear families extending to outer circles of the extended family, values which have been in our society from time immemorial and worthy of preservation for all in the future. But in the words of a song immortalised by Bob Dylan, "The times they are a-changing". And as times change, so families have to make changes with the times. In July 1990, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, addressing the PAP Women's Wing, asked mothers to bring up sons to accept changing roles of husbands and help their wives in today's family. I would like to add that fathers too have a part to play in bringing up sons to these roles and in changing themselves to changing times of economically active wives, less accessible house help and new family norms. Some families however have difficulties coping with these changes. The setting up of Family Centres and Family Service Centres in the neighbourhood where families can go for assistance when they have problems, be these problems with child minding, parenting, marital, with the aged, or for family support and back up. I hope these family centres will meet this need of assisting families to cope. But, Mr Speaker, Sir, there will always be instances where there will be seemingly irreconciliable problems and rifts, and couples will resort to divorce. All over the world families are breaking up. In some states in the United States, the rate is from 40% to 50%. This phenomenon of increasing divorce rates is not only a US and European problem.”
“It is useful to remind ourselves that the weakest point in a chain is the weakest link and we would do well as a society if we take pains to strengthen the weak links in our chain and re-establish the values practised by kampung, clan and ethnic groups of earlier days - the strong helping the weak, the rich the poor. It is a value practised in many families and one which I would like to see extended to peer groups in schools, colleges and universities and in the whole neighbourhood. We have, many of us, experienced and heard of instances where important text and reference books are lost from libraries and articles cut out or torn from books or journals, either destroyed, stolen or secreted away by some who would deny the information to his peers who will be his competitors in the examinations. It is an ugly picture, but one which exists. On the positive side, we also have in schools and colleges peer teaching being practised - the older helping the younger, the better the slower. We know the value we would like to have as a community. Community support thus is not only volunteering for community work or contributing time, money and personal commitment to community and welfare programmes, community support has to begin in the neighbourhood, the classroom and at home. It is good to remind ourselves that we are a meritocracy which believes in community support of and compassion for the less able individual. The family as the basic unit of society - this is not an Asian value - it is a universal societal value. It is timely that we place emphasis on this, the building block on which all society is built.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I speak in support of the motion. I will be specific and wish to address two of the five issues: the first, regard and community support for the individual, and the second, the Family. Sir, the White Paper has rightly addressed the important issue of balance between society and the individual. While as Singaporeans we place the nation and society above community, we must also respect the rights of the individual. Several hon. Members have touched on this important value and I do not wish to add to what has been said. Community support and showing compassion for the less able were issues raised in many discussions on the shared values and shows the concern of many. The Member for Potong Pasir and others who have voiced concern fear that Singapore will be a hard headed meritocracy with the able rising to the top and the less able uncared for at the bottom. The inclusion of this value as one we in Singapore uphold addresses this concern. It is a value our forefathers practised: the strong helping the weak, the rich the poor, the talented, the less able. While in the Netherlands, I saw a statue in the garden of the Zoetermeer Nursing Home. It showed four men - one standing tall at the top of the pedestal with his arms outstretched supporting two men in a stretched sitting position who each in turn had their free hands outstretched and pul- ling the fourth man who was standing at the foot of the pedestal on the very ground. It bore the simple caption "Help Each Other". Sculptured by a Dutch artist, Ad van den Brink, it symbolised people helping and supporting each other, the stronger helping the weak, the able the less able. Its message touched me deeply and it is relevant to our thinking on the shared value of community support for the less able.”
“The SNCF is the body which utilises this fund and will organise the education and training courses. These courses include computer programming, use of word processing and other software, report and minute writing, managing a thrift and loan co-operative, public speaking and presentation skills, etc. The list is long. The subjects taught and courses undertaken are good. The participation level, however, can be improved. Sir, I would like to assure the Member for Tanglin that my Ministry will work together with the SNCF to improve on the education and training programmes and improve on what we will be giving through the CCF to the co-operatives. Sir, I think I have answered the questions of both Members. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Dr Seet Ai Mee]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. ADJOURNMENT”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank the Members for Boon Lay and Tanglin for their support of the Bill. As Mr Goh Chee Wee has aptly put, the NTUC Fairprice supermarkets help and assist greatly in keeping the cost of living down for all Singaporeans. I am rather glad that he supports the Bill in that the monies from the NTUC Co-operatives be sent to the SLF instead of the CCF. In answer to Mr Lew Syn Pau's question, he is quite right in saying that the major contributions will be coming from the NTUC co-operatives. However, of the 63 co-operatives, eight currently qualify for the 20% contribution. These include the four NTUC co-operatives and also the Singapore Mercantile Co-operative, AUPE Multi-Purpose Co-operative, Telecoms Co-operative, Singapore Police Multi-Purpose Co-operative, Singapore Government Servants Co-operative and PSA Employees Cooperative. In answer to Mr Lew's request that for the non-NTUC bodies contributing to the SLF Fund the SLF consider extending benefits to these, let me explain that the privilege of membership in the SLF is not dictated by the Ministry of Community Development. I therefore would suggest that those interested co-operatives who want to contribute to the SLF instead of the CCF contact and negotiate with the SLF directly to see what privileges they can get if they exercise this option. Mr Lew has also brought up the point about utilisation of the Central Co-operative Fund. The CCF is only a fund, Sir. It is like a bank. The money is kept there and it funds the apex body, the SNCF, which is the arm utilising this fund. The utilisation of this fund has been dictated by the Act. We have both repeated how this fund should be used, so I do not need to repeat it a third time.”
“This will enable the managers of the SLF and CCF to make the necessary administrative arrangement and adjustment. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed.”
“Over the years, these co-operatives have done well and expanded both in scale and size of their operations. Co-operatives cannot be strictly equated to commercial companies. This is because co-operatives are basically founded on the principle of co-operation and self-help and are subject to the restrictions in operations as specified by the Co-operative Societies Act. For example, dividends paid to members cannot exceed 10% of the shares or subscription capital without the Registrar's approval. At least 5% of their annual surpluses must be kept as liquid assets in the reserve fund. Given the increased scale and scope of operations of many large co-operatives, the Government feels that there is a case for increasing the contributions of co-operatives to the Central Co-operative Fund. This Bill therefore provides for the contributions to be increased from the present 5% of surpluses to 5% of the first $0.5 million of surpluses and 20% of surpluses exceeding the first $0.5 million. As the larger co-operatives are mainly sponsored by the labour movement and their members are also from the labour movement, the Government has also decided to allow co-operatives to opt to channel their additional contributions over the first 5% to the Singapore Labour Foundation instead of to the Central Co-operative Fund. These contributions will enable the Singapore Labour Foundation to have the resources to embark on projects benefiting workers. To provide for these changes, sections 2, 71 and 72 of the Co-operative Societies Act will need to be amended, as proposed in this Bill. There is also a provision to require co-operatives to give two years' advance notice for change of option for contributions to either the SLF or the CCF.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Sir, this Bill seeks to amend the Co-operative Societies Act to subject: (i) co-operatives to a contribution rate of 5% to the Central Co-operative Fund (CCF) for the first $0.5 million of their surpluses; and (ii) the surpluses of co-operatives in excess of $0.5 million to a contribution rate of 20% to be paid to the Singapore Labour Foundation (SLF) or the CCF at the option of the co-operatives. Under the existing laws, co-operatives are exempted from paying corporate tax but are required to contribute 5% of their annual surpluses to the CCF. The CCF is used to further the co-operative movement in Singapore and to provide assistance to co-operatives in the areas of education, training, research and audit. The history of co-operatives in Singapore dates back to the 1920s. In 1924, the British Government enacted the Co-operative Societies Ordinance for the Straits Settlements which included Singapore. In 1970, the Co-operative Societies Ordinance was replaced by the Co-operative Societies Act. By then the number of co-operatives had increased to 90. The principle of co-operation and self-help has remained the underlying philosophy of the co-operative movement in Singapore. In recognition of their role, co-operatives are given tax-exempt status. The development of co-operatives was given an impetus with the formation of the NTUC Co-operatives in the 1970s: NTUC Income and Comfort in 1970, NTUC Denticare in 1971 and NTUC Welcome (now Fairprice) in 1973. These co-operatives were set up to cater to the needs of their members as well as to the general public. This was to help keep the cost of living down for the man-in-the-street in Singapore.”
“Sir, when we say sports excellence, we mean sports excellence. It is something we are working towards. And if the Member for Potong Pasir would like to assist us in this programme, we would be very willing to invite him into one of our committees promoting sports excellence.”
“Sir, may I be permitted to check on the facts? I disagree with the Member for Potong Pasir that we did not get any medal during the Commonwealth Games but I may be wrong. Sir, we do have a sports excellence programme. We are encouraging young people to take up sports seriously and that is why I took the opportunity to mention Zarinah Abdullah and the fact that she was prepared to go full time into badminton. And we hope that there will be other young people who will rise to the challenge if they feel that sports is their livelihood. We in the Ministry of Community Development and the Singapore Sports Council will try our utmost best to make sure that they will have the proper scholarships to keep them in training. Mr Chiam See Tong rose ---”
“Sir, I do not agree that we did not get any medal.”
“More could be achieved with greater private sector participation in the promotion of sports and we do agree with him that we should urge more commercial bodies to assist in this programme.”
“Sir, I thank the Member for Pasir Panjang GRC for the great concern he has taken in the sports scene in Singapore. We have covered at great length the recommendations on the Advisory Council. Of the 39 recommendations on sports and recreation, 33 of them have been implemented or are being implemented as ongoing programmes. Referring to his request for implementation report being constantly made public, it would be a huge secretarial exercise and I do not think that it really will be of interest to everybody. However, if the Member is interested and makes a request directly to me, I shall give him a personal copy of implementation reports of ongoing programmes in sports and recreation. As part of the sports excellence programme, the Government has agreed to provide an annual grant of $1 million for a period of five years to help create and sustain a conducive sports environment for nurturing champions. Sports excellence is a major focus of the Singapore Sports Council and sports associations in Singapore. Earlier this week, the Straits Times featured the sponsorship by the Singapore Badminton Association of Zarinah Abdullah, our national woman badminton champion, to train at Bimantara where top badminton players will be training. This meant that Zarinah had to commit herself full-time to badminton and she was prepared to do so. Sir, the Government supports the Member for Pasir Panjang GRC's call to commercial companies to come forward to support our sports programmes. In financial year 1990, commercial sponsorships of nine sports training schemes administered by the Singapore Sports Council amounted to $385,000. So far, 10 commercial sponsorships totalling $400,000 have been finalised for the next financial year.”
“Sir, I thank the Member for Aljunied GRC for his kind words. Aside from the 45 songs by the late composer, the book contains an English language biography on his life, and therefore we feel that there is no further need to translate the biography in Malay by Messrs Sulaiman Jeem and Abdul Ghani Hamid for our school children. Schools are being encouraged to purchase the book at a discounted price. As students learn the National Anthem, they can also learn more about the composer of our National Anthem from the book. Sir, the Member pointed out that the location of the exhibition is not appropriate. His point is well taken. The National Museum is being renovated and we are having problems with available exhibition space. We wanted to open the exhibition and launch the book in tandem with the Malay Cultural Month. I hope the Member will pass this information to the complainants. We are short of space and we really could not find an alternative site. Encik Wan Hussin bin Hj Zoohri( In Malay): I move on now to the use of Oral History materials. I am pleased to read in the Annual Report of the National Archives that the Public Search Room and the Reference Service are well used by the public.”
“Sir, if the Member for Potong Pasir were to go to the Toa Payoh branch library on Monday at 11.00 am, he can borrow any number of books and he will not have to wait at all. Sir, we cannot cater to the maximum load at any of the branch libraries or any facilities in Singapore. So, his argument does not hold water.”
“Sir, obviously the Member for Potong Pasir did not listen to my answer. I said that over the next five years my Ministry will build three more branch libraries in Tampines, Yishun and Hougang. So when completed there will be 11 branch libraries plus the main Library. As far as our calculations go and as far as our Library policy goes, that is sufficient for the population of Singapore.”
“Sir, the reason why the Member has been asked to come to MCD is that he is asking for subsidized rates for welfare organisations. If he is prepared to do it at market rate, ie, tender for a shophouse, I am sure HDB will be willing to rent him the premises and the Senior Minister of State is here to confirm if the HDB will rent him at market rate if he tenders for a shophouse. He is asking for a subsidized rate and we have not subsidezed any library in any neighbourhood or void deck, Sir.”
“Sir, I do not doubt that it is a good thing, but we are saying that he does it himself. We are not helping anybody else to start up their own branch library in their own constituency so, I do not see why we should do that for the Member for Potong Pasir.”
“An educational centre is an educational centre, and it is run by the PAP Community Foundation. So maybe he should start a Community Foundation, a non-profit making, charitable body, and run educational centres.”