Sim Ann
Singapore
“Sir, given the increasingly transnational nature of crime and the rapid advancement of digital finance, international cooperation is indeed key. Singapore will continue to issue MLAs where it is appropriate, but also pursue international cooperation in informal manner. This applies not just to AML/CFT and PF, but also to scams.”
“Sir, I believe that the first and the third supplementary questions from the Member are related. I would say that if the facts of the case are such that it warrants taking action under the Penal Code for offences relating to the circulation of intimate images, the Police will do so.”
“Sir, we have a national movement to prepare Singaporeans against terrorism – SGSecure. This is one way through which we disseminate important information so that Singaporeans are aware of security risks.”
“Sir, we want to see everyone get home safe everyday. If safety is compromised, then livelihoods and many other good things in life are going to be at risk. We believe that the public will see our proposed for changes in this light, particularly our vocational drivers, because safer roads also mean a safer working environment for them.”
“To Ms Cassandra Lee's question, the alcohol limits that are currently enforced have been in place since 1985, and that is more than forty years ago. Now, Singapore is one of the jurisdictions with the highest alcohol limits, while the other jurisdictions have adopted stricter regimes with lower limits.”
“MFA is working with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to strengthen our safeguards against foreign interference, which will be elaborated on by MHA during its Committee of Supply. Mr Chairman, foreign policy begins at home.”
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“I thank Dr Intan for her questions. This also shows the feedback loop in action and I thank her for the comments on the English videos. Certainly, we would look at various ways of varying the pacing or the presentation of information in different formats so that a wide range of audience can find it helpful. In terms of the use of paid channels, we do not rule out any of these channels. The key, like I have mentioned, is to have a judicious mix of not just broadcast paid advertising but I think also to ensure that when people want to know a bit more – because part of the impact is in engaging people to want to find out more and to find out how their specific questions can be answered – that at that point, the information is also readily available and that the answers are there.”
“Once again, I wish to thank the Member for his commendation of the efforts that our colleagues have put into the videos. I would say that this is really an evolving exercise because at the end of the day, communication is a multi-faceted process. Beyond putting out strong collaterals, effective videos, it is also the ability to help the individual access the answers to the specific questions that he or she may have. I think that is very important and that is why I mentioned the importance of having other channels such as face-to-face outreach and communication. I would say that it is probably too early to tell, but we certainly are working very closely with the organisations and the individuals for helping us disseminate messages on the ground to see what works and what could be improved upon in order to fine-tune the entire process.”
“I want to thank the Member Mr Zaqy Mohamad for his question. MCI is a champion of the use of the four official languages, so we are completely in agreement that producing collaterals and videos in the four official languages is very important. Allow me to share a little bit on the background on the production of these particular videos that the Member was talking about. I think it also illustrates the way in which we evolve the development of new communications capabilities which I also alluded to in my earlier answer. The decision to produce the dialect videos, as I have mentioned, arose from the recognition of the need to communicate with dialect-speaking Singaporeans who might not be able to access very readily the collaterals and the videos that were actually already produced in the four official languages. Prior to the appearance of the dialect videos, there was already material that was produced in the four official languages. Considering the audience that we were trying to reach out to, the production team decided to take a slightly novel approach, which is to take a comedy skit-type of approach. It was not just the use of dialects but the fact that it was the use of a comedy-skit format that made the videos popular. Having learned from that, we then decided to apply that to other languages as well. That sort of creates the impression that some Members may have that we started off with the dialects first. Actually, it was more because we realised that the comedy-skit format also worked very well and we decided to complement the existing material that is in the four official languages by also putting in something that is more skit-like, that is more interactive, that has a bit of a storyline which, hopefully, will make the messages more engaging.”
“As for other communications platforms, the Government did not impose such restrictions. For example, for movies and cable TV, there is more room to use dialects. As for other forms of communications, such as videos, DVDs, public entertainment activities and Internet, we do not restrict the use of dialects. Page: 28”
“Madam, I think across the whole-of-Government, it is well understood that public communications messages should be as simple as possible. At the same time, we do recognise that policies themselves often have to be complex because the policies do need to cater to Singaporeans with very diverse needs and in very different situations. Simplicity and clarity must not come at the expense of accuracy in conveying important details. Besides simplifying public messages, good communications are also about ensuring effective support measures, such as having helplines as well as face-to-face outreach and explanation. What MCI does is to help Government agencies work towards clear and effective communications by providing officers who are trained in communications by giving advice in specific instances and also developing new capabilities to reach out to Singaporeans using different platforms, some of which Mr Baey has mentioned. Madam, in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] First of all, on behalf of my colleagues in the Ministry of Communications and Information, I would like to thank Mr Baey for his appreciation of the various videos that were put out. Indeed, my colleagues have put a lot of thought and efforts in producing these videos. Mr Baey has asked about the Government's policy towards dialects, and whether there is any difference between the traditional media and social media. Let me explain. In order to support the Speak Mandarin campaign, we have restrictions on the use of dialects with regard to public broadcasting media, especially free-to-air channels. But this does not mean that dialects are completely prohibited. As I have mentioned earlier, both on radio and TV, we have dialect news and programme belts.”
“There will be other videos and collaterals in the coming months. MCI will continue to enhance the Government communications effort and build up capabilities across all Government agencies.”
“Madam, the Government recognises that it is important for the beneficiaries of the Pioneer Generation Package and MediShield Life to receive accurate and timely information that is relevant to them. This is why MCI adopted the approach of communicating the Pioneer Generation Package and its benefits in Chinese dialects. Malay and Tamil videos are also being prepared and will be released soon. The dialect videos were produced primarily to communicate with dialect-speaking Singaporeans at community and grassroots events. For the convenience of many, such as caregivers and family members of Pioneers, who want to access these videos at their own time, we have posted these videos online on key information portals, such as the Gov.sg YouTube Channel and our newly launched Gov.sg Facebook. We are also using the existing dialect programming time belts on both TV and radio channels to broadcast these dialect videos. The dialect videos have been aired on Channel 8 during the dialect opera programming belt on Friday mornings. They have also been adapted in different dialects for radio broadcast during the daily Capital 95.8 FM dialect news line-up. Capital 95.8 FM carries news bulletins in Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew, Hainanese, Foochow and Hakka. Besides the grassroots dialect videos, we have also produced videos for free-to-air channels in the four official languages on the Pioneer Generation Package and MediShield Life. We will continue to find engaging ways to effectively communicate Government policies. One recent set of English videos on the Pioneer Generation Package which was aired on free-to-air channels was based on the World Cup theme. We have also produced info-ads in the papers as well as flyers for distribution at community events.”
“I call on all Members to give the Ministry and all our educators on the frontline your fullest support in this journey together. 3.29 pm Page: 45”
“MOE and our IHLs will continue working with other Government agencies, Voluntary Welfare Organisations, parents and students to provide support for our IHL students with SEN. Within and beyond schools, we are committed to build a fair and just society which respects every person, which treats everyone with dignity, especially those with disabilities. The Enabling Masterplan 2012 – 2016 charts out a roadmap for the disability sector, which reflects our desire as a society to see "Singapore as an inclusive society where PWDs are empowered and recognised, and given full opportunity to become integral and contributing members of society". In education, we will do all we can to support students who need help and give them a strong foundation for becoming an active and well-integrated member of society. Mdm Speaker, education is a long journey. Fortunately, as long as our economy continues to remain on a healthy trajectory, we will be able to devote more and more resources to education. That is a more fortunate situation than in some mature economies, where educational benefits risk being scaled back in response to budgetary pressures. Instead of cutting back, we have broken new ground and are moving ahead with fresh initiatives. Besides resources, we also need time and space to train and develop more manpower and ensure that our educational frontline is well-equipped. Several Members have called for the Ministry to expand services at a faster pace, including for preschool and school-based student care centres. We are moving as fast as we can, to recruit and train in an increasingly tight local labour market. At the same time, we must be mindful of the need to maintain quality. These are trade-offs that I am sure Members are familiar with.”
“We have expanded the programme to about one-third of all primary schools, but we are not stopping there. We are doing all we can to speed up the training of qualified personnel to deliver this intervention to more students in more schools. (b) Raising quality of SPED schools. MOE shares the desire of our 20 VWO-run SPED schools in raising the quality of SPED. To this end, we have devoted significant specialist resources in co-developing a SPED curriculum framework with SPED schools in 2012. It is underpinned by strong foundation of core values and Living, Learning and Working outcomes for students. (c) School-to-work transition. An important area of need is to enable more SPED students to successfully bridge the transition from school to work. Through gainful employment, SPED students will develop self-esteem and a critical sense of self-worth, independence and dignity. At the same time, their families will have the assurance of their self-reliance and ability to be integrated into society. MOE, working with Government agencies, including MSF and SG Enable and the community, will provide more customised training pathways and job opportunities to benefit SPED students. The support from employers in providing training and job opportunities will be critical to the success of this Page: 44 programme. Next, enhance SEN support in the IHLs. Every student with SEN who progresses onto an IHL is deserving of support and encouragement. Our ITE, Polytechnics and publicly-funded Universities have each set up a Disability Support Office this year, to provide one-stop support for prospective and current students with SEN. This is just the start.”
“What this means is that the differentiation between various academic streams will gradually fade. NorthLight School and Assumption Pathway School has helped those who failed PSLE to reach post-secondary, with focus on character development and hands-on learning. We recently started Crest Secondary and Spectra Secondary as an alternative pathway for Normal (Technical) students that builds on learning points of NLS and APS. Page: 43 As for ITE, Pilot Enhanced NITEC Foundation Programme (e-NFP) this year to provide a comfortable pace for students to acquire requisite literacy and numeracy standards, before progressing to the Career Core modules of their ITE course in their final year. Next, I wish to discuss how we are strengthening the support available to students with Special Educational Needs (SEN).This is something especially close to my heart. There are 13,000 students with SEN in our mainstream schools, with conditions ranging from physical impairment to ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder and Dyslexia. There are another 5,000 students with moderate to severe SEN in our Special Education (SPED) schools. Looking after this group of students well is an important priority for MOE. We have been increasing support in the form of teacher training, curriculum development, financial assistance and infrastructure. Please allow me to highlight a few measures that are currently in progress. (a) School-based Dyslexia Remediation (SDR). Amongst the students with SEN in mainstream school, the largest group are students with dyslexia. If a student is not able to read well, his educational progress will be affected. The breakthrough by MOE is in developing its own approach towards dyslexia remediation and in training school personnel to help students with dyslexia on-site.”
“Focus is on developing self-confidence and social skills, nurturing values and providing an early foundation in bilingual literacy and numeracy. Kindergarten Fee Assistance Scheme (KiFAS) is in place to ensure that the fees remain affordable to Singaporean families. Our MOE Kindergartens provide our children with learning experiences which are relevant to the child. The Government has been more actively involved in the preschool sector, by developing curriculum resources and putting teaching principles into practice to elucidate preschool education philosophies that are complementary to and aligned with our primary school education curriculum. We hope to promote a sound approach to preschool and work with operators to prevent the premature downloading of primary school content to preschoolers. Through concrete actions, we hope to lessen the anxieties that parents may have about preschool, while supporting the preschool sector in providing high quality programmes. In our primary schools, the focus is developing basic foundation in literacy and numeracy skills. For students who have challenges keeping up, we have put in place the LSP (Learning Support Programme), LSM (Learning Support Programme for Mathematics) and ICAN (Improving Confidence and Numeracy). We also recognise that we can help by providing a conducive environment after school hours, especially for those who come from challenging family circumstances. Hence, we are expanding school-based Student Care Centres (SCCs) to benefit more students. At the secondary level, we are also constantly renewing our educational approach. We provide flexibility in our secondary school subject offerings, so that more students can study various subjects at different paces according to their strengths.”
“Having been from the ITE, I know how ITE students think and learn, and find it easy to build rapport with them. I find it rewarding to ignite in them the interest in learning." As part of his teaching strategies, he provides students with easy questions to scaffold their learning and build self-confidence. He intentionally skips steps in his presentations and invites students to interact and fill in the missing gaps. Kang Loong also takes the initiative to engage his fellow colleagues as he continually seeks to improve his teaching methodologies. I was very glad to meet such a fine young gentlemen. And I am further encouraged to know that he has taken concrete steps to give back to the educational system that had groomed him. In him, I saw strong values and steely determination. His story has also highlighted some of our current priorities: (a) to broaden the pathways to success and to help students excel at their own pace. We do not want a situation whereby everyone is rushing through one bridge and one single exam determines one's whole life. We would like to see many upward channels as mentioned by Mr Lim Biow Chuan just now; (b) the customisation of teaching and learning to cater to the different learning needs of our students; and (c) for students who have difficulty coping, to put in place programmes and resources to support them fully. We are implementing initiatives along these lines throughout our education system. Although we have yet to reach the ideal state, we are constantly experimenting and Page: 42 enhancing our processes. Now, let me talk about preschool education. As many are aware, the key breakthrough that MOE has made in this area is to pilot 15 MOE Kindergartens to provide affordable and quality preschool education.”
“When he was initially unsuccessful in applying for a place at a Polytechnic after obtaining a NITEC in Electronics (Computer & Networking), he took it in his stride and went on to obtain a Higher NITEC in Electronics Engineering subsequently, before gaining admission into Ngee Ann Polytechnic's Electronic & Computer Engineering Course. Page: 41 Kang Loong is planning to further his studies in University. He has secured a place in NUS and is pending direct matriculation into the second year of the Faculty of Engineering to pursue an Electronic Engineering degree. Upon graduation, Kang Loong aspires to return to ITE to teach. He is currently a Teaching Associate at ITE and is now colleagues with his former lecturers, who also attended his graduation to provide moral support. He is extremely appreciative of the unwavering dedication of his teachers in ITE and the support they had provided. Ms Nancy Quek, Section Head of Electronics Engineering at ITE College (West), was previously Kang Loong's teacher and is now his mentor. Her teaching methods have been effective in allowing Kang Loong to understand difficult concepts, allowing him to attain very good results for his modules. While Kang Loong was doing his Final Year Project at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, he hit a snag and his project stagnated for weeks. Mr William Tan, Section Head of Electronics Engineering at ITE College (West), provided valuable advice to Kang Loong and guided him to overcome the technical difficulty. Kang Loong's teachers before are now his colleagues; they were even invited to the Ngee Ann Polytechnic's Graduation Ceremony to cheer for Kang Loong I asked him if he felt daunted teaching students who were only a few years younger than him. He replied confidently, "Not at all.”
“If we are able to sustain constructive politics and prevent the dissipation of limited manpower and energies, then we can ensure that each Singaporean can do his or best, and that Singapore can continue to outdo itself as a country. For these reasons, while bringing out the best in every child, we hope that he or she would not forget about the collective good. We wish for every generation of Singaporeans to find the right balance between individual achievement and collective achievement. We want our students to be good citizens, with a heart for Singapore, compassion for others and gratitude to those who have helped built their lives. It is not because we no longer think that competition and excellence are relevant. But we want our students to understand that the strength of the collective lies at the heart of nation-building. This is a crucial message that our Ministry is driving home. In the course of the debate, some Members have asked whether MOE includes information about the Constitution and our political system in National Education. The answer is yes. The concepts of citizen rights and obligations, democracy, our electoral system, principles of our Constitution and the structure of Government are covered in the CCE curriculum, Social Studies and History in primary and secondary schools. I met Mr Chua Kang Loong a few days ago at Ngee Ann Polytechnic's 43rd Graduation Ceremony. He is a recipient of the Tay Eng Soon Gold Medal for the most outstanding graduate formerly from ITE. He told me that he had been a playful boy who did not pay much attention to his studies. While he was in ITE, he developed an interest in his studies and decided to try for the Polytechnic.”
“Yet, our Chinese friends hold the Singapore brand in high regard. They are very interested in Singapore's development experience and are always keen to collaborate with Singapore on various ventures. Why is that the case? Last week, I accompanied Foreign Minister Mr Shanmugam to Washington DC for the US-Singapore Strategic Dialogue. The American political and academic figures we met had expressed strong interest in what Singapore has to share on global developments. The US is a world power, in terms of its economic, scientific, academic and military strength. Why should it care about the perspectives of a small Southeast Asian country like Singapore? I believe many Singaporeans would have experienced the benefits and convenience of holding our red passport when going through immigration facilities in other countries. This shows Singapore's international standing. But how did this come about? The competitive edge that Singapore enjoys internationally is really a collective strength, or what some term a "systems advantage". We have a clean Government that does not tolerate corruption, good social order and efficient markets. We are an open, export-oriented trading hub. Although our forefathers came from different lands, we have taken Page: 40 pains to build a harmonious society regardless of race, language and religion. These strengths are not built on the superhuman abilities of a few individuals. They are built on a collective understanding on the importance of survival despite challenging circumstances, the importance of mutual tolerance and respect, and the need to secure peace and prosperity.”
“That is unsurprising, seeing as we have held many discussions under the auspices of Our Singapore Conversation, whether with the general public or with our own educators. Many of the new initiatives and policy shifts reflect views and realities on the educational frontline. Both Prime Minister Lee and Senior Minister of State Indranee Rajah have spoken on CET in their respective speeches. I wish to focus on the importance of values and how to help Page: 39 every student fulfil his or her potential. The importance that MOE has been placing on values has generally met with support from the public. But some might wonder: are we shying away from the pursuit of academic excellence? Has the Government not always been emphasising the importance of excellence? Now that there is so much emphasis on being good citizens with strong values, does that mean that our students no longer need to work so hard? If we think through this, there is no dilemma. Global economic competition remains intense. As a small country dependent on the rest of the world, Singapore cannot avoid grappling with day-to-day bread and butter issues. Singapore may be a player in global economic competition, but our strength lies in the team event rather than the individual event. Other countries boast far larger populations than us. In terms of individual merit and skills, the most accomplished Singaporean may find it challenging to outdo the most accomplished individual from any other country. I have worked for two years in China, where I met many highly qualified and outstandingly brilliant Chinese officials and entrepreneurs. Every single one of them would shine if transplanted to Singapore. In terms of population, Singapore at most ranks with a medium-sized city in China.”
“Madam, in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Thank you, Mdm Speaker, for the opportunity to participate in this debate. I rise in support of the Motion to thank the President for his Address. The title of the President's Address is "Pledging ourselves to be a better Singapore." What does a better Singapore mean? It is a nation of opportunity for all, especially for those among us who were dealt a weaker hand in life. I will share how we plan to achieve this vision and aspiration in the realm of education. Our overall goal in education has remained constant and, that is, to bring out the best in every child. Economic and social progress has opened up many diverse pathways for the next generation, and more exciting futures. But what should we do to ensure that young Singaporeans take full advantage of the new opportunities? MOE has announced many initiatives in the past three years. These include holistic education; Values-In-Action; abolishing the ranking of schools; stopped the naming of top PSLE scorers; broadening of Direct School Admission (DSA); proposed changes to PSLE scoring; collaboration with MOM on Continuing Education and Training (CET); ASPIRE and; enhanced IHL bursaries. These initiatives are underscored by four key points: (a) chasing after academic grades is not all there is to education; (b) we need to build a strong foundation of values; (c) we need to vary pedagogy and enrich various forms of learning support so that students can progress at their individual pace of development; and (d) there remains a need to engage in lifelong learning, even after leaving school. These initiatives have been welcomed by the public, parents and our educators.”
“Madam, Mr Baey has raised an interesting suggestion with regard to having a unified Government spokesperson. I believe that, so far, the approach that we have been taking is to ensure that information be given to the media or to members of public in as timely and as comprehensive a manner as possible. And what this means is that the spokesperson would need to be very familiar with the subject at hand. I also believe that our Government agencies do practise teamwork, such as if subjects should cut across several agencies, then the agencies would work hand-in-hand to ensure that the media and the public obtain the most comprehensive accurate information possible. With regard to the use of dialects to communicate important policies, such as the Pioneer Generation Package, Madam, we agree that for the elderly who really are going to be the beneficiaries of the Pioneer Generation Package, communicating the details to them in the language that they are most familiar is of extreme importance. I am also very glad to see that Mr Baey himself has also facilitated a community dialogue using dialect for this very purpose. Indeed, we will continue to work with MOH and MOF to consider how to make use of available channels. For instance, news segments in dialect are on radio in order to make such information more accessible to the elderly.”
“I am pleased that members of the National Translation Committee and its resource panel have a common understanding of our objectives. Although we will not see an immediate effect from the work we do, we hope that our efforts will help to Page: 82 promote and raise the standard of translation in Singapore. (In English): To conclude, MCI will continue to provide greater access to quality resources and strengthen the bonds of community through our libraries, to enhance Government communications and our translation capabilities.”
“Thirdly, nurture the next generation of translation talents. MCI will look into the possibility of collaborating with the Civil Service College and other education institutions to provide more translation training for public service officers to help build a pool of translators within the Government Ministries. Mr Low Thia Khiang made some suggestions that are in line with the views of the Committee. First, is to launch a website for standardised translated terms. The officer in-charge of the website for standardised Chinese translated terms recently discussed this issue with me. As part of our work in the Committee, we also hope to launch such a website, providing standardised Chinese, Malay and Tamil translations of various terms. We are in the process of collating and updating some information. Hopefully, we will be able to launch the website soon, which will serve as a source of reference for everyone. Mr Low also made suggestions in the area of procurement of services. During my interaction with the media, we have looked into how we can provide guidelines to help various Government departments do a better job in procurement, I will not repeat this in Parliament. I believe that translation plays a significant role in a multilingual society, and promoting the translation profession is a long-term effort. Mr Seng Han Thong brought up the question of whether we have the capability. I believe Singapore has the capability to do well in translation, our potential has not been fully realised. I have full confidence in our local translators. As to the issue whether we have the "heart" for it, I think we have both enthusiasm and determination. What we need now is time.”
“He also headed the then-Ministry of Culture's Translation Service from 1969 to 1980, and, in his 29 years as a civil servant, has helped to groom many outstanding translators. After his retirement in the 1990s, Mr Lee continued to share his expertise through lecturing in translation and interpretation at NTU. I had the good fortune of having been taught by him when I took a postgraduate Diploma in Translation and Interpretation some years ago. We need more of such translators in the Public Service. We will look into collaborating with CSC and educational institutions to provide more training for our current in-house translators, and also to offer translation scholarships to young talent. These are still ideas we are exploring, and I will bring them to the NTC. Madam, in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Recently, I had an introductory meeting with members of the National Translation Committee and its resource panel. They were very positive and enthusiastic, and were all geared up to work with us to improve the standards of translation in Singapore. I am pleased that Mr Baey Yam Keng has accepted the invitation to join us as a member of this Committee. I am sure that members of the Committee would be delighted to know that Mr Seng Han Thong and Mr Low Page: 81 Thia Khiang share the same interest as us. The Committee will focus on the following areas: firstly, to come up with a set of guidelines to assist the various Government departments with translation or procurement of translation services. Secondly, establish a platform for collaboration, so that the Government, the industry and our people can work together to raise the standard of translation and promote good translation.”
“This includes addressing potential pitfalls, such as cheap-sourcing without sufficient regard for quality and failing to vet translated material before public release. I believe that best-sourcing practices, once established, will not only help our agencies procure quality services at fair rates, but also signal professional respect for skilful translators Page: 80 who understand the local context and are able to meet the public sector's requirements for accuracy and speed. Second, we want to create a collaboration platform among the public, private and people sectors to promote and raise translation standards. There are already informal networks of the like-minded who care deeply about our offical languages and who support good translation. They include not only people who work with languages, such as teachers, media professionals and writers, but also members of the public. They are able to offer not just views on whether translating a term in a particular way is technically correct, but also rich insights into the more delicate aspects of linguistic convention, nuances and local flavour. We would like to reach out to such groups and tap on their collective wisdom and vigilance to grow community ownership on the issue of translation. Third, nurturing the next generation of translation talent for Singapore. Here, I would like to pay tribute to Mr Lee Seng Giap, an acclaimed veteran translator and interpreter. Here, in this photo, you can see him in the interpreters' booth serving this House. One of the early pioneers of the local translation scene, Mr Lee helped to build up translation and interpretation standards for the public service.”
“For example, CEO of URA Ng Lang, URA Chief Planner Lim Eng Hwee and other members of URA's senior management met Members of Parliament, community leaders and stakeholders to seek their feedback on the URA Draft Master Plan 2013. MCI and the Civil Service College (CSC) conduct media and public engagement training to prepare our public officers for such efforts. Let me now address Mr Baey Yam Keng, Mr Seng Han Thong and Mr Low Thia Khiang's concerns regarding the need for better translation. Improving the quality of translation is part of our efforts to enhance Government communications. We recognise the Government can and should do more to establish consistency and translation standards across the public service. But we cannot do this alone. We need the partnership of our community stakeholders across the private, public and people sectors. That is why we will set up the National Translation Committee (NTC) to oversee short-term and long-term plans to enhance whole-of-Government translation capabilities. It will engage community stakeholders who care deeply about translation and signal the Government's commitment to communicate effectively with all Singaporeans, including those who are not proficient in English. I will chair this Committee, which will include members from the media, academia, the translation industry, as well as Government representatives. There will also be resource panels providing expert advice on specific translation problems, one each for Chinese, Malay and Tamil. The NTC will help improve the quality of translation in the following ways. First, the Committee will help draw up best practices to help public agencies procure or produce quality translation.”
“We have been producing interstitials, or short video clips, in the four official languages to explain policies like the new BTO packages for singles, the Pioneer Generation Package, as well as the healthcare financing schemes like 3Ms (MediSave, MediShield and MediFund). These are featured on MediaCorp channels, YouTube, and also shared on various social media platforms to maximise reach. Videos are an effective means of communication and we will continue to leverage a wide range of platforms, such as TV, to extend reach. This year, my Ministry will be revamping the Gov.sg website to provide citizens with an easy one-stop access to news and information on all Government policies, services and related matters. Public agencies are also intensifying efforts to conduct public engagement prior to policy formulation. This is an area we can and will do more in. We welcome suggestions to improve communications and deepen engagement, especially when consulting on difficult issues. Effective communications must occur at every level of the Civil Page: 79 Service. Assoc Prof Eugene Tan has suggested that senior civil servants take a more prominent role in explaining and attending to the concerns of the public. We agree that they can and they have been doing so on appropriate occasions. Heads of Statutory Boards brief the media regularly. For instance, IDA's Managing Director Jaqueline Poh spoke on cyber threats and ways to tackle them in the wake of cyberattacks on Government websites. Senior civil servants have also engaged the public with their views on policies.”
“We need to pay particular attention to groups, such as the vulnerable and elderly, for instance, when communicating the Pioneer Generation Package. Such efforts to customise communications will continue, and we will continue to pay special attention to all major policies and events, some of which the Member has named in his speech. That said, I agree with Mr Seng also that we have to regularly enhanced our capabilities and conscientiously assess the effectiveness of public communications. I would also like to thank Assoc Prof Eugene Tan for raising the need for better outreach to address Singaporeans' concerns over hot-button issues. Last year, we announced that REACH will be ramping up the frequency of face-to-face dialogues to better understand the challenges and concerns of specific groups. Over the last year, REACH has more than doubled the number of consultation sessions with Singaporeans, in particular, youths and PMETs. This year, we have explored new ways of outreach to those in the heartlands. We have adopted an open concept booth where people can leave feedback and obtain information. These booths, called Listening Points, are set up in accessible locations, such as malls and transport nodes. Dialogues and outreach efforts help REACH and other Government agencies gather valuable feedback on policies. Our agencies will continue to work with community organisations and VWOs to reach out more widely to different platforms, including social media. Miss Penny Low spoke of the importance of broadcast channels. Indeed, we can harness free-to-air channels and content development capabilities to do more, to communicate important policies to our people.”
“The first of its kind for our libraries, this specialised library corner will feature over 60,000 books and audio-visual items in the four official languages which cater to children aged six and below. The collection for children aged three and below is carefully chosen to support the five literacy practices of playing, talking, singing, reading and writing. Parents and educators can also work closely with librarians specialised in children's books and learning needs. I also wish to thank the Member Mr Arthur Fong for showing such strong support for the collections of the NLB. Indeed, the collections of our libraries are very carefully curated and, as a supporter of our Mother Tongue languages myself, I am very often amazed by the extent to which our libraries go to ensure that we maintain and celebrate our literary heritage in all four official languages. 2.30 pm Mr Arthur Fong has asked about what more can be done by the libraries to celebrate our nation's heritage as we mark our 50 years of Independence. Indeed, the National Library Board is the prime mover behind the Singapore Memory Project, and allow me, at this juncture, to also encourage all Members to participate in the Singapore Memory Project to share, curate and also to record the collective memories of all of our communities in Singapore. Now, please allow me to address the comments on Government communications. I would like to thank Mr Seng Han Thong for highlighting the need for good public communications. Given the increasing complexity of issues and with new issues emerging all the time, it is all the more important Page: 78 that we engage citizens and reach out to different segments of society.”
“This scheme will be trialled first with groups catering to seniors. As Mr Arthur Fong said, there are some groups that may find it difficult to travel to a library and this applies to some seniors. Through this new scheme, community groups can come forward and work with NLB to set up their own reading corners close to the people they serve. NLB will provide the expertise to setting up a conducive learning space and select the right books to meet the community's needs, while the community can take on the management and operation of the reading corners. Some early adopters are the Senior Activity Centres in Taman Jurong and Bukit Batok East. NLB welcomes more groups to take up this scheme. Page: 77 Now, let me speak on what we are doing for the young. It is important to set a good foundation to learning for our young, but it can be challenging for parents to figure out the reading level of a young child and how to help him or her develop a love for reading. So, this year, NLB has embarked on an initiative called Early READ. In partnership with the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA), NLB will be introducing a comprehensive reading framework and toolkit for teachers and parents to start reading to their children as early as possible. To reach children not enrolled in pre-schools, NLB is working extensively with community groups and welfare organisations, such as the Singapore Children's Society, Mendaki, SINDA, CDAC and the Eurasian Association, to distribute a Starter Kit to these families. Free reading workshops will be organised to better equip parents through the use of simple but effective pre-reading practices. NLB will also be setting up an Early Literacy Library at Jurong Library in April.”
“We need to be prepared to have more services to Page: 76 reach out and engage our seniors, and help them continue pursuing their learning interests. Since last year, NLB has been revamping its services for seniors. For example, NLB has doubled its collection of large print books. There is also a wide collection of audio books in our four official languages. A key partner in IDA's Silver Infocomm initiatives, the NLB will continue to help seniors pick up new digital skills and they can enjoy digital services and free Internet access at our public libraries. To expand its reach, NLB has been working closely with partners, such as the People's Association and the CDCs, to provide services closer to our seniors. We also partner active seniors who are valuable volunteers with the library. Take Mr Ho Hew Lee, for example. At 72 years of age, Mr Ho belongs to our Pioneer Generation. He has been an energetic, dedicated volunteer with our libraries since 2006. Passionate about helping others, Mr Ho has helped conduct training workshops for other seniors on how to use e-devices on loan, such as iPads and Kindles, and teaches them how to access resources from the library's databases. He also volunteers at events to raise awareness of the library's many reading programmes. We are thankful for passionate individuals like Mr Ho. NLB welcomes more seniors who would like to play a part in our library's learning services. NLB has been working with community groups over the past few years in loaning out books at various places, such as community centres and senior activity centres. NLB is enhancing this service through a new scheme called Read@Community to provide guidance to community partners in setting up reading corners; these corners will be open to the public.”
“As a result, we can look forward to the opening of a new library with an innovative design in the later half of this year. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the different groups for their hard work. This is one way we hope to continue engaging communities in building new services and improving on them. NLB will continue to work with the community to see how libraries can be even more community-powered. With the community playing a role, we will be able to bring more library services to more people in more locations. If you recall, the library@chinatown, opened last year, is entirely run by volunteers who provide 77 man-hours of voluntary service every week. The library@orchard, too, will explore how it can work with volunteers to extend library operations beyond traditional library operating hours to better serve users along the Orchard Road belt. Promoting the love for reading is core to NLB's work. NLB's reading programmes cater for people of all ages and social backgrounds. For example, the NLB has been reaching out to school-age children through its kidsRead and Read@School programmes. Among adults, some 50 reading clubs help build on common reading interests and the annual READ! Singapore initiative provides a wide range of activities for young and old. Members like Mr David Ong and Mr Vikram Nair have pointed out that seniors and the very young are important groups. This is why NLB will be introducing new reading programmes to better cover these age groups. Seniors make up about 9% of our population and this will grow significantly in the next few years. In fact, population projections have our seniors population tripling by 2030.”
“Mdm Speaker, I will now speak on the role of MCI in building a knowledgeable and connected society. As Mr Arthur Fong pointed out, our libraries are very popular. On a busy day, about 79,000 people visit our libraries and borrow over 100,000 items, and 300 new members join the library. Reading programmes and exhibitions in our libraries attract about 27,000 participants. Our libraries are well-used and well-loved. We recognise that libraries remain important to Singaporeans and we intend to continue to expand the library network. I am pleased to inform Members that we will be opening two libraries this year. First, residents living in the north will be able to enjoy an expanded, newly renovated Sembawang Library on the fifth floor of Sun Plaza, which will offer a Page: 75 bigger space with a new look and feel. The new library will be ready in the third quarter of the year. The Sembawang Library is especially well-used by young families, and its collection will strive to meet their needs even better. The new design will not only focus on the young, but will also be fitted out for inter-generational learning to promote interaction between children and their parents and grandparents. Second, the much-anticipated library@orchard will open at the new Orchard Gateway development at Somerset. This is an exciting project because the library@orchard took a new co-creation approach in development. During the last Budget debate, we shared with Members that NLB exhibited the service prototypes for library@orchard and obtained feedback on what features should be included. Since then, the design-thinking team from Singapore Polytechnic, NLB staff and volunteers with design expertise have been working to conceptualise the interiors and the collection.”
“Madam, let me take the hon Member's question on the Disability Support Offices. Madam, the intention is for the Disability Support Offices that will be set up in our ITEs, in polytechnics, in our autonomous universities and arts institutions, to look into all forms of special education needs. Page: 26 Now, allow me to recap the purpose of the SEN Fund. It will be set up for our polytechnic and ITE students and it will serve the students with physical or sensory- related impairment. The autonomous universities and arts institutions are also committed to ensuring that the same support is provided. For students who have other forms of disabilities aside from physical and sensory-related impairment, they are currently being supported directly by the institutions that they are in and we foresee this situation to continue. However, with the set-up of the Disability Support Offices, and as such offices and their work unfold, we do expect to gain a more comprehensive grasp of the special education needs amongst our students in our Institutes of Higher Learning, and to gain a better understanding of how to help and how to support them. MOE will continue to work with all Institutes of Higher Learning to ensure that all students with special education needs – regardless of what forms they take – will be adequately supported.”
“Madam, I will take the Member's questions on raising the quality of SPED schools as well as progression of our students in the SPED schools on to post-secondary institutions. Madam, indeed, it is the shared goal of MOE as well as our stakeholders and partners in the VWO sector to see as many of our students in our SPED schools progress on to either post-secondary institutions or be able to secure a job when they leave the school system. And to this end, we have been working together with our SPED schools as well as VWOs to strengthen our vocational training for those students who are able to undertake such education. This is an ongoing piece of work and I would like to thank our Members for being amongst the stakeholders who have given us many valuable suggestions in this regard, and MOE will be pleased to share more when more of our initiatives have been firmed up. Over the years, we have been putting in more investments into our SPED schools in order to help prepare our students for work, in order to equip them with more skills.”
“The Deputy Prime Minister recently announced transport subsidies to help persons with disabilities gain access to essential services like care, work and education. We are glad that our students with special needs will also benefit. MSF will also provide a fuller report on the related initiatives for persons with disabilities under the Enabling Masterplan 2. The Government cannot do it all. I wish to thank the community, businesses, our educators and all who have worked hard to build an inclusive society. MOE will continue to work with MSF, NCSS, our VWOs and many other partners to embrace people with special needs as full and integral members of Singapore society. Page: 194”
“Other initiatives, such as the SPED curriculum framework and the formation of professional learning teams in all schools have helped to uplift the quality of what is taught in SPED schools. The enhanced Opportunity Fund announced last year has also helped to enrich the learning of SPED students from lower income backgrounds. Ms Denise Phua has asked the Government to consider having features of the Anchor Operator (AOP) scheme in the special education sector. Page: 193 Sir, the AOP scheme was introduced for pre-school operators to provide funding support to eligible operators to scale up the provision of good quality and affordable early childhood care and education services. As I have mentioned, quality and affordability are also two key areas of focus for MOE's work in the SPED sector. Currently, our 20 VWO-run SPED schools are funded by MOE and NCSS. Our funding to SPED schools has also increased over time. This tripartite partnership between VWOs, MOE and NCSS recognises the VWOs' long history, community links, capability and expertise that allow them to customise their programmes and services to meet the needs of SPED students and to help these students with their post-school transitions. We continue to work closely together, focusing on the quality and affordability of SPED, and to ensure sufficient capacity in the sector. Sir, although the AOP scheme was set up in quite a different context from SPED, I find the Member's proposal intriguing, seeing as it is underpinned by her concerns for student outcomes and quality education which MOE shares. We will study the Member's proposal. Sir, the Government has been doing more to ensure that we continue to be a society that gives hope and assurance to all.”
“During the examination period, he is allowed to use a laptop equipped with text-to-speech software so that he can hear the questions and type his answers in. Being a positive and hardworking student, and with the help of assistive devices and support services, Hong Sen has overcome many challenges and adapted well in his Polytechnic. To benefit more students like Hong Sen, MOE will set up a dedicated Special Education Needs (SEN) Fund for Polytechnic and ITE students with physical or sensory-related impairment. The Disability Support Offices will administer requests for financial support from this new SEN fund. Under this fund, students can receive up to $5,000 to purchase assistive devices to alleviate physical impairment, such as word prediction equipment, voice recognition technology, computer pointing devices and so on. Up to $25,000 per student will be made available for those who require supporting services, such as interpretation in sign language. This means that seamless financial support for assistive technology will be available to students with special needs from the schools through to ITE and the Polytechnics. The Universities and arts institutions are also committed to ensuring that the same support is provided to their students. In my speech last year, I spoke about the Government's continued commitment in uplifting the quality, accessibility and affordability of our Special Education (SPED) sector and some of the initiatives from the last few years have helped to contribute in raising the quality of education. For example, SPED schools have been able to tap on the $4.5 million Tote Board ICT Fund for innovative infusion of ICT in their teaching.”
“The ITE set-up not only ensures that the students with special needs have a point of contact from admission to graduation, they also provide pre-admission help by ensuring the school report forms of these students are obtained from their Secondary schools to ensure a smooth transition to ITE. This helps to provide special needs support in a more structured, systematic and sustainable manner. Starting this year, therefore, each publicly-funded University, Polytechnic, ITE college and the arts institutions – in other words, NAFA and LASALLE – will set up a Disability Support Office on campus to provide one-stop support for students with special education needs. They will also set up a disability support website to provide information on the special needs support available in their institutions. These offices will coordinate training on special needs support for their staff and work with course managers to ensure that necessary adjustments are made for students with special needs so that they are able to access lessons, tests and examinations. Assistive devices, such as FM devices, text-to-speech software; and support services, such as signing interpretation services, are essential to help students with special needs gain equal access to their institutions' programmes so that they can participate fully in and benefit from their school Page: 192 experience. Chia Hong Sen is currently a first-year student in Temasek Polytechnic. Despite his visual impairment, he is able to participate fully in his Diploma in Information Technology course. His notes are provided in softcopy format so that he can access them via the text-to-speech Smart Reader.”
“Their success in gaining admissions to the IHLs should be celebrated. The next step we are taking is to provide students with special needs with more structured support in their education journey in the IHLs. Some Members, particularly Mr Ang Wei Neng and Ms Denise Phua, have spoken about this at previous COS debates, too. We have heard you. Ms Denise Phua asked for an update on the setting up of Disability Support Offices in our IHLs and we will give a more comprehensive update today. Before that, I want to thank Ms Phua for her unstinting support for our work in this Page: 191 sector. With her advice and support, we have been reaching out to students with special needs in the IHLs, and this has been very helpful in clarifying our thinking and in helping us identify what needs to be done. Our stakeholders have come together to create the overarching vision for students with special needs in our IHLs, which is: to develop an inclusive community that promotes a culture of openness, understanding and mutual support in our IHLs, so that students with special education needs can have a holistic education experience, attain independent living skills and be equipped to access meaningful employment upon graduation. As part of this broader IHL vision for special needs support, we have two specific initiatives that will start this year. Through dialogue sessions, we have affirmed our students' and other stakeholders' desire for a one-stop office that provides disability support. An illustration of how such an office might work is the Learning Accessibility Office (LAO), located within Student Care Centres in the ITE colleges. This is a one-stop office for ITE students with physical, learning and behavioural disabilities to seek advice and assistance.”
“The remediation curriculum and strategies are designed by MOE reading specialists, and also include a home support component so that parents can play a role in consolidating the support provided by our schools. One heartening success story of the SDR Programme is Muhammad Firdaus from Yio Chu Kang Primary School. Firdaus used to get upset and cry when he realised that his reading and spelling competencies were not on par with his peers. Thankfully, the SDR programme introduced Firdaus to various intervention strategies. After being on the programme for a year, his Allied Educator, Ms Siti Adliana, noticed that his reading speed increased significantly from 20 to 100 words per minute. Beyond improving his reading and language competencies, the SDR programme boosted Firdaus' self-confidence. Today, the once demoralised boy organises study groups to help and encourage his peers. Having seen how the programme has helped students to learn to read and grow in confidence, MOE has expanded the SDR programme to another 20 schools this year, bringing the total number of schools with the programme to one-third of our Primary schools. This brings the total number of students benefiting from the programme to close to 1,000. We are committed to providing more support to our students with dyslexia and aim to roll the programme out to more schools in the near term. At the same time, we need to build the capacity to train, monitor and support school staff who deliver the programme so that the quality of the programme is kept consistently high. Over the years, more of our students, both those from mainstream schools as well as those from Special Education (SPED) schools, have progressed to our institutes of higher learning (IHLs).”
“At the same time, we value our VWO partners who have deep expertise in special needs, and who work with us to provide school-based itinerant support for students with physical and sensory impairment. We thank the Member for his valuable feedback. I think what he has shared in terms of observations and feedback by parents echoes much of the feedback that we have heard through the Our Singapore Conversation (OSC) sessions organised nationally and also organised by MOE. What we have heard over the months has triggered ideas as well as internal reviews within MOE and we will continue to work to improve our system to support all types of special needs, together with our committed stakeholders. 7.45 pm I have updated on the support that our mainstream schools provide for our students with special needs, as requested by Ms Denise Phua during her cut just now. I hope it is clear, in response to the points made by both Ms Phua as well as Mr Lien, that our system has made significant moves towards supporting students with diverse needs and that our pedagogies have become more varied. We will continue on this journey to bring out the best in every child. Let me now share more about what we intend to do for students with dyslexia. Students with dyslexia form the largest group of students in our mainstream schools with special education needs. They have a very good chance of catching up if intervention occurs early. This is why MOE has piloted the school-based Dyslexia Remediation (SDR) Programme since 2012. Page: 190 The school-based Dyslexia Remediation (SDR) Programme is a two-year specialised intervention programme for Primary 3 and Primary 4 students, conducted in small groups by trained school personnel, including AED(LBS) and TSNs.”
“At the school and classroom level, our teachers have been trained to adjust their pedagogy to fit the profile and learning needs of their students and, indeed, we continue to do more each year. To support low-progress learners better, MOE has established our Educational Support Branch to help teachers identify, adapt and share teaching strategies to cater to the needs of this group of students, including using specific pedagogical strategies that help to build the learners' self-belief and self-esteem. For students with special needs, since 2005, all teachers learn about basic support for special needs during their pre-service training. On top of that, we have trained more than 3,000 teachers as "Teachers trained in Special Needs" (TSNs), who have a deeper understanding of special needs. We will continue to train even more TSNs, who can share their expertise and support their Page: 189 colleagues in school. Furthermore, we have recruited almost 400 Allied Educators specialising in Learning and Behavioural Support (AED(LBS)) for our Primary and Secondary schools and we will increase those numbers. All Primary schools now have at least one AED(LBS) who provides more specialised support for students with dyslexia, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and mild autism. MOE also provides assistive learning devices for students with sensory and physical impairment, and these devices include FM equipment, Braille notebooks, computer systems and more. Our schools are further supported by MOE psychologists who provide consultation and advice to school personnel on identification and support for students with special needs.”
“Although Mr Laurence Lien did not appear to have been in the Chamber just now when Minister Heng delivered his vision for bringing out the best in every child, it appears that he nevertheless understands the message very clearly, which I am very glad about. Minister Heng talked about bringing out the Page: 188 best in every child, in every domain, in every school, at every stage of the learning journey, whatever their starting point. Our education system indeed over the years, Sir, has not stood still. We have come a long way in our efforts to diversify how we teach and what we teach our students and also in the additional support that we provide students with more specific needs, such as learning needs. Even as we acknowledge that more can be done in various areas, please allow me to take stock of what has been introduced to our education system in a relatively short period of time. We have different pathways and niche programmes catering to various types of talents and interests. Some take the form of elective programmes, such as for art, language and music. For others, we take a whole-school approach, such as the Singapore Sports School and School of the Arts. All these provide avenues to develop the diverse talents of our students. The introduction of Applied Learning Programmes and Lifelong Learning Programmes in our Secondary schools also provides more opportunities for our students to excel in niche areas. To meet specific learning needs of students who need more support, we have set up the Northlight School, Assumption Pathway School, Crest Secondary School and Spectra Secondary School. We have also rolled out levelling up programmes in our Primary schools to build a strong foundation in literacy and numeracy in all our students.”
“We assure Mr Dhinakaran that we give due regard to the UniSIM BA degree in Tamil Language, which is one of our key sources of prospective Tamil Language teachers. In fact, MOE actively reaches out to recruit UniSIM BA (TL) graduates who have displayed interest to teach the Tamil Language. Generally, UniSIM BA (TL) degree holders are eligible for placement on the salary scale for graduates. MOE also works closely with the community to promote the official MTLs in and beyond our schools. As I have mentioned just now briefly in Mandarin, we would be very happy to work with partners, such as the companies, such as our businesses, in exposing our young students to the needs of enterprises in terms of recruiting students with a high command of the Mother Tongue Language. Sir, another way which we work with the community to support the MTLs is through the Mother Tongue Language Learning Promotion Committees (MTLLPCs). And these committees engage and harness the wisdom of our community stakeholders to organise programmes and activities that develop talent, and spark interest, in our Mother Tongue Languages, beyond classroom learning. An example is the national Malay debate competition (Bahas 4PM), organised by 4PM or the Malay Youth Literary Association and funded by the Malay Language Learning Promotion Committee. Sir, I hope to have given some assurance to our stakeholders of all three Mother Tongue Languages. MOE is, indeed, very much committed to work together with the community to raise our students' interest in the Mother Tongue Languages. I will now talk about our commitment to develop an inclusive education system that helps each child to be the best that he or she can be – to achieve success in different ways, at different paces, and in different domains.”
“So far, the Fund has supported 17 proposals from various corporations, organisations and individuals, to develop more resources set in the local context, and to support events and research. Furthermore, the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning, which I chair, would be happy to work with the private sector to help increase our students' awareness of the career opportunities that a good grasp of the Chinese language can provide, and to also better understand the linguistic demands of industry. I hope that Mr Teo will give us his full support and encourage companies to work with us. (In English): Sir, I will now continue in English. As part of our bilingualism policy, MOE provides our students with as high a level of access to official MTL instruction as feasible, and we continue to show strong support for the teaching and learning of the Tamil Language. I do apologise that I am not able to reciprocate Mr Dhinakaran's cut by replying in Tamil. Mr Dhinakaran asked about Tamil Language (TL) provision in our Secondary schools. At the Secondary level, about 95% of Tamil Language students are able to study the language in their schools during curriculum time. The remaining students attend Tamil lessons outside curriculum time at one of the 12 geographically-distributed MOE Tamil Language centres. We will work with Page: 187 schools to ensure that students who travel for their Tamil Language lessons do not miss out on support programmes offered to their peers outside of curriculum time. We will also continue to regularly review the provision of Tamil Language instruction. Most of our Tamil Language teachers are locally-trained.”
“Sir, I begin with an update on bilingualism. The learning of our official Mother Tongue Languages (MTLs) remains the cornerstone of our education system. MOE continues to promote bilingualism in schools and works with partners to promote our MTLs in the community. Sir, a few words in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I would like to thank Mr Teo Siong Seng for his support for the Bicultural Taskforce. Mr Teo raised the point that we should build a strong foundation for the learning of the Mother Page: 186 Tongue Languages from preschool. We fully agree. Studies have shown that helping young children build a strong foundation in listening comprehension and oral communication can enhance their language acquisition abilities. We should help them to embark on the journey of bilingualism as early as possible, and this is why the Ministry of Education places great emphasis on, and fully supports, bilingual education at the preschool level. Last November, we launched the Nurturing Early Learners (NEL) Framework for Mother Tongue Languages. This framework articulates a broad set of vision, objectives, learning goals and guiding principles that are appropriate for the teaching and learning of all three Mother Tongue Languages. It also taps on research findings on the cognitive benefits of being bilingual, and the greater ease of learning another language before the age of eight. The teaching and learning resources under the NEL Framework are currently being piloted in our MOE Kindergartens for K1 children. In addition, we established the Lee Kuan Yew Bilingualism Fund in 2011 to further complement the teaching and learning of English and the Mother Tongue Language, particularly in the area of preschool education.”
“Mdm Speaker, Mr Yee earlier referred to a previous reply given by MOE to one of his questions. I do not know whether he is referring to the previous parliamentary sitting. If he is, perhaps he could give a nod because I do recall he asked a supplementary question, to a main question which I answered, which was with regards to DSA about students who may have been admitted through sports and about whether their PSLE scores have had a certain gap between the cut-off point of that particular school. Mr Yee raised this issue about CCAs as a supplementary question and I recall the answer that I gave was not that it differs from school to school but that it would be looked at on a case-by-case basis. And I believe that the answer that my colleague the Senior Parliamentary Secretary Mr Hawazi Daipi has just given corroborates this.”
“Madam, depending on the particular school that the student agrees to enter into, there would be a certain set of expectations upon which the student is offered entrance and upon which the student accepts. So, this really depends from case to case.”
“I do not have the information on hand that the Member is asking for. Perhaps the Member would like to communicate with us separately.”
“Madam, I thank the hon Member for her inputs. These will be taken into consideration. I am aware that there are a range of views with regard to DSA. I just wish to reiterate that when we look at these issues, it will be with a view towards the original focus as well as the educational objective, which is to recognise a range of students' achievements and talents aside from performance in the national examinations.”
“Madam, I am glad the hon Member supports the objectives of the DSA scheme, which was introduced to allow schools the flexibility to Page: 32 recognise a more diverse range of student achievements and talents other than performance at the national examinations. The Member has asked whether we could consider ceasing accepting students with PSLE scores of a certain range below the cut-off point of a particular school that is considering them under the DSA scheme. Madam, I wish to highlight here that all schools would endeavour and do their best to support and develop the students under their care. Under our current system, we allow diversity in the approaches that the schools take to develop their students and every effort is made to ensure that students at the point of admission, whether via DSA or the secondary one posting, understand what is the approach favoured by a particular school. Also, efforts are also made to support students throughout their journey in school to ensure that they are able to cope in the school and that they are able to learn. Having said that, MOE will be reviewing our policy with regard to DSA with a view of developing our students better, taking into account their long-term needs as well as the educational objectives of DSA.”