Tay Boon Too
Singapore
“Of course, I am glad to hear that the answer is "No". Sir, I would like to ask, or rather make a suggestion. Can the two languages be given equal exposure time, i.e. 50% for the mother tongue and 50% for English?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would just like to request the Senior Minister of State to clarify certain matters in regard to bilingualism. I have already quoted the Prime Minister in my speech just now.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister of State's answer to the question of six- and seven-year primary education seems to be wrong. According to my understanding, the curriculum committee has already revised the six-year syllabus to a seven-year syllabus. For example, there is a textbook graded Book Seven.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to ask a supplementary question. If a student's home environment is not conducive to his learning the language in a particular language stream, under our bilingual policy is it possible for him to learn more in the language in which he is proficient?”
“As a result of this statement the school inspectors in charge of second language teaching are very worried. So they visit all the various Chinese schools, not with the purpose of advising the teachers how to raise the standard of English as the second language but to tell the teachers, "My superior has pulled me up, so I must pull you up…”
“Sir, earlier on the Minister for Education mentioned that the discretion of limited corporal punishment has been given to principals and senior teachers. I do not know whether he realises a situation like this.”
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“Mr Speaker. Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0801 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1005*. I have said just now that even if I were allowed to speak for one whole day on the question of education, I might not be able to finish expressing all my views. However, let me briefly touch on some problems of education which require urgent attention. My colleagues and I, who are in the teaching profession, are of the opinion that the numerous educational seminars organised by the specialist inspectors were not very well managed. There were too many. In the first term of this year alone there were seminars for Primary I and II revised syllabus for Mathematics, the Primary III and IV revised syllabus for Physical Education, the Primary III and IV revised syllabus for Music, etc. All these so-called seminars were of two or three hours' duration only. In these seminars, the specialist inspectors merely took out their notes and rattled them off, and that was the end of it. However, the teachers who had to attend these seminars, especially those who come from the rural areas are experiencing some difficulties. As soon as their schools were dismissed at about 12.50 p.m., they had to take a quick lunch, rush off to catch a bus and should within one and a half hours reach their destination. The seminars would begin at 2.30 p.m. They were in such great haste that when they reached their destination they were panting like dogs. The seminars were of two or three hours' duration. I doubt whether these seminars will help the teachers in familiarising themselves with the new teaching methods and whether any real objectives can be achieved. Moreover, most of the primary school teachers are not specialist teachers. They should be able to teach all subjects.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to express the hope that the Minister for Education will enlighten us on the present policy of the dollar-for-dollar grant-in-aid for aided schools in the rural areas. I have discovered that several schools in the rural areas have to rebuild their schools, but they have not been able to obtain this dollar-for-dollar grant in aid or any capital grant. Now, if the Board of Directors of the school or the school authorities do not understand the procedure in applying for this dollar for dollar grant-in-aid, I wonder whether the Minister will consider giving more information to such people.”
“It is no solution to our problem. Sir, next I would like to talk about schools in the rural areas, in particular, the aided schools. The school premises in the rural areas are far from ideal. In the past when aided schools first accepted the full grant-in-aid system, the Government undertook to grant a dollar-for-dollar aid for the building of schools. But recently there has been some modification to this dollar-for-dollar system. The capital grant is now made on the basis of the performance of the school. Mr Speaker, Sir, this is not in keeping with the actual circumstances of the schools in the rural areas, in which the members of the Board of Directors are not very rich people. They have to work very hard to be able to raise money to rebuild their old and dilapidated school buildings. Very often they have to spend large sums of money to build school lavatories, leaving only a meagre sum for the main building itself. Most of the school premises are made of planks and attap leaves for the roof. Are we to allow these old and dilapidated huts to continue as schools? Sir, we must understand that in such circumstances, the progress of the schools in the rural areas will be impeded. Students and teachers could not - The Chairman: Your time is up, Mr Tay.”
“As a Government, we must think of the interests and future of our next generation. 4.45 p.m. We must find ways and means to ensure that every child receives an education in the mother tongue first and, at the same time, improves his second language, so that secondary school leavers will be effectively bi-lingual. If we can achieve this aim, then I believe many parents will send their children to schools to receive education in the mother tongue first. Sir, education systems in the world vary from country to country. In my opinion, in the context of our multilingual and multi-racial society, the present system of a six-year period for primary education should be extended to seven years. The seven-year period will be allocated as follows. For the first six years, every child will receive education in his mother tongue which, at the same time, prepares a foundation for the second language. The seventh year will be reserved entirely for the teaching of a second language, except for certain periods to be reserved for the teaching of the mother tongue. At the end of the seventh year, the parents will then decide to which stream of education they wish to send their children. I believe that in this way we can ensure that children from any language stream will be effectively bilingual at the end of their secondary education. In this way, we would be able to bring our policy of bi-lingual education to a satisfactory conclusion. I think there is an urgent task ahead for a reform in our education system. If we still maintain the present system of six years for primary education and continue to increase the teaching time for second language at the expense of the mother tongue, then it will not help us in our policy of bi-lingual education. This is my opinion.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, to talk about education within 10 minutes is too short a time. Our general education policy today should move in the direction of consolidating our basic education. That is what I would call back-bone education. In other words, the children of the various communities should receive a certain amount of education in their mother tongue. Sir, all along we have emphasised that children should first receive education in their mother tongue, and at the same time learning a second language in order to fit them into the multi-lingual and multi-cultural context of our country. Indeed, parents in general appreciate the value of mother tongue education. But may I know why many parents do not want their children to receive mother tongue education in the first instance? If this can be satisfactorily answered, then our back-bone education will be a success. Sir, the Ministry of Education has made considerable praiseworthy efforts. There is no doubt about it. But on the other hand, there is still plenty of room for drastic improvements in our education system. We all appreciate that Singapore thrives on international trade. It is also a multi-racial Republic. We also appreciate that English is used as a medium of communication for promoting inter-communal understanding in our own country. It is also a language of science and technology. But while our economy and technology are making a headway, we must also pay equal attention, if not more, to other values which have been acquired as a result of over 4,000 years of experience and cultural traditions. Parents, in general, understand the value of this. However, because they are unable to have the cake and eat it, they send their children to a language stream other than their own. This is indeed a matter for regret.”
“Therefore, I think that in our efforts to train more and more people in the field of technical education, we should not overlook their training in the field of social sciences and other arts. We should not neglect this field of education, otherwise we will one day be faced with a situation where we do not have the people well trained in the social sciences. 3.50 p.m.”
“Therefore, in this respect, this Budget is a most outstanding one and we welcome it. It is not only a "painless" one but is also far-sighted. It is a positive contribution to the development of our country. If we analyse carefully the economy of our country, we can see that the economic development of Singapore is well advanced. However, there are still many difficult problems which will require our renewed efforts to overcome them. Mr Speaker, Sir, in this Budget, there is a provision of $209,700,000 for the Ministry of Education. This represents an increase of $18 million over that for 1971. However, if we consider our education policy as a whole, we will see that the increased provision for this Ministry is mainly for the expansion of technical education in order to meet the increased demand for skilled workers for our industries. Under the present circumstances, in order to cope with the industrialisation programme of our country, there is a pressing need to train large numbers of workers to acquire the necessary technical skills within a short space of time. This is indeed a step in the right direction. It is, therefore, beyond reproach. However, from the long-term point of view, if we over-emphasise technical education to the point where we overlook or omit education in the social sciences and the other arts, then, I think this policy cannot be a perfect one. Mr Speaker, Sir, let me quote an example. Today Singapore is going through a period of prosperity. It has been brought about through the able leadership of our political leaders, from the Prime Minister to the Ministers, Ministers of State, and Parliamentary Secretaries. All of them are not specialists in the technical field.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, on behalf of the people of the Paya Lebar constituency, may I express my admiration for the Budget proposals for the new financial year announced by the Minister for Finance. Mr Speaker, Sir, if we look at past history and at conditions prevailing in the surrounding countries, we will find that if the financial policy of a country is to allow a small number of people to enjoy a better life and to force the majority of - the people to go through a more difficult and hard life or suffer greater hardships, then the economy of that country will go from bad to worse. It might even go to a point beyond redemption. We all know that in any society the middle and lower income groups form the majority of the people. If they have a better life, then they will form the base of a motivational force in the country. Mr Speaker, Sir, in this Budget for the new financial year, there is provision made for an extra one month's salary as annual allowance for civil servants and also for those working in quasi-Government bodies as announced by the Prime Minister earlier. The Government also intends to review the salary scales of the public service. In this Budget also there are no new taxes. On the contrary, there are six tax reliefs. There is, therefore, no additional burden on the workers in the middle and lower income groups. This a wise and far-sighted move on the part of our Government. It is also in line with our Government's policy to strive for a more equitable distribution of wealth amongst the people. It has been the Government's policy all along that the income gap between the rich and the poor should be narrowed. The standard of living of the people should be raised. There should be greater equality among the various classes of people in our society.”
“Only with this sort of precautionary measures may we reduce, if not avoid, industrial accidents. If we do not take immediate measures to provide for stringent measures to reduce the numerous dangers faced by the workers-hut allow industrial accidents to happen now and then, our country will suffer great losses. As we all know, we do not have any natural resources and the capital for nation building is not just our good geographical position. Our main asset is our human resources and our wisdom. So we should try to make full use of our human resources and use our wisdom well to treasure, preserve and protect our limited human resources. Only then can our country and society continue to progress and prosper. 5.41 p.m.”
“If this trend were to continue, then after eight or 10 years many of our factories might have to close down because of the acute shortage of skilled workers. The Social Welfare Department and our other resources might also be heavily taxed because of the increase in the number of disabled persons. This can be said to be a great burden on our country. Industrial accidents will affect not only our national economic life, but also our social security. To provide for safeguards for our workers and to maintain our continued prosperity and national progress, we should take active measures to prevent or to reduce the number of industrial accidents. This is the basic solution. Sir, we are now actively promoting `the policy of rapid industrialisation. We are also engaged in full-scale urban renewal schemes, and, in the private sector, the building industry is also prospering. All this indicates prosperity and progress. However, it cannot be denied that this also has brought about many more industrial accidents. This is mainly because many businessmen in the industrial and commercial sectors, in order to meet the pressing needs of the hour, resort to economising on their budgets and instituting makeshift provisions wherever possible, and neglect to provide safety measures for their workers. In addition to this, there is a shortage of skilled workers, thus leading to frequent industrial accidents. I think the immediate need is to enforce stringent provisions stipulating that all factories and building contractors should provide adequate safety measures and facilities for their workers. And the Government should send out inspectors to make regular checks. Furthermore, there should be active training of technical personnel to shoulder the task of supervision.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to give some views on the Workmen's Compensation (Amendment) Bill. In view of the increase in the number of accidents in the industrial sector, the construction industry and other fields in recent years, the amendment Bill provides for an increase in the maximum amount of compensation from $7,200 to $21,600, which is treble the original amount of compensation. Judging from the present standard of living, this amount of $21,600 cannot be said to be not a considerable sum of money. Therefore, I am in full support of this amendment Bill. However, Sir, everybody hopes to be able to work in safety and to be able to enjoy his full span of life without any mishap. Nobody wants to encounter any mishap in order to claim compensation. If a workman is seriously disabled and also loses his sight, even the increased amount of compensation would not adequately compensate him. Therefore, I am of the opinion that though the increase in the quantum of compensation is one aspect of the matter, the more important point is to try to prevent industrial accidents or reduce their number. According to the statistics given by the Minister who spoke about the increase in the number of industrial accidents without informing us of the measures to remedy the situation, I feel that there is some defect in the Bill. According to the statistical report, in 1970 there were 9,682 cases of industrial accidents. In the first seven months of this year, there have already been 5,966 cases of industrial accidents. Judging from this trend, by the end of this year the number may well exceed 10,000. If there are no appropriate safety measures to prevent this situation from developing further, then every year we will be losing tens of thousands of workers in this way.”
“I wish to clarify this point, Sir. If these people are not suitable for promotion, is it because they do not know English and because they do not know how to write their reports in English? 4.15 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister told us that the Inspectors were on trial. But, as far as I know, two inspectors have been demoted after they have served in that capacity since 1962. So the trial period cannot be more than eight years. It is even more curious to note that this demotion has taken place after the reorganisation. So you just cannot put a person on trial for eight years and then, after reorganisation, and after the English-educated senior staff have taken over, say that he has been put on trial and it has been found that he is not suitable. This is rather difficult to explain. If the Minister can clarify, I will be prepared to withdraw the amendment. Mr Jek Yeun Thong: Sir, I have already said that the Inspectorate is not a grade. It is a transitional step, a place where people are put on trial. If they are not suitable for promotion to a higher grade, they either remain there or they have to be sent back to their original post. Some of them may have been there since 1963, but the reason why they were posted there and have remained there since then is that they have been found to be not suitable for promotion. Otherwise they would have been promoted. They cannot be there forever because they have to make way for others to be sent there on trial.”
“The points that I have raised are, in my view, worthy of consideration by the Minister, and I hope he will give a satisfactory answer.”
“What I want them to do is to try to understand the local conditions of each constituency before they make any decision. They should at least go and get the views of the M.P. concerned before they come to any final decision. The third point is in relation to the training of Assistant Organising Secretaries. Over the past 10 years the People's Association has achieved a lot of success. All this is attributable to the contributions from the staff, including the Assistant Organising Secretaries. But after the reorganisation we understand that these serving Organising Secretaries have been forced to go for further training in the National Youth Training Institute. Some of them are already quite old and they have been asked to participate in rigorous training in various fields and subjects. In the case of women officers, they face a rather difficult situation. Actually they already have enough experience in organisation and they understand the people. Over-enthusiasm in rigorous training is unnecessary. If, in the opinion of the People's Association, all the officers must be qualified as well as rugged, then training and selection should be undertaken before recruitment and final confirmation. Otherwise, if experienced old staff who have served for ten years have to go for training, perhaps the Minister will consider starting such training for all, from the Director himself down to the gardener below. Then you can say it is equal treatment; otherwise those new senior staff will just sit down and enjoy the ease and peace obtained and fought for by the older staff. Instead of thanking and promoting these old staff for their achievements, they are demoting and forcing them to go for another course of training for the purpose of reorganisation.”
“I do not object to the requirements of bilingualism, but as far as I know, the senior administrative staff at the People's Association are mostly monolingual. Most of them know English but not Chinese. How is it that these people are not demoted? There should be a fixed principle and criterion to go by. The second point relates to the lack of understanding between the administrative staff and the people. The People's Association has contributed much to our political and economic stability. As we know, in the past the administrative staff in the People's Association went to the masses to find out the feelings of the people, and to come into contact with the community leaders at grass-root level. At present, perhaps because of reorganisation in the People's Association or because they have no time, a lot of administrative staff do not go down to the grass-root level, to the community centres, or to the constituencies in order to understand the actual conditions for policy administration. For example, in my constituency, when recommendations were made for membership of the Women's Sub-Committee of the Management Committee, these administrative staff, who enjoy working in air-conditioned rooms, did not understand the actual problems involved and so they rejected the recommendations. Instead they recommended somebody else who was about three miles away from my constituency as a member of the Women's Section of my Management Committee. I do not understand the theory and thinking behind this kind of recommendation. I think this is rather unrealistic and inapplicable to the community work in the area. I wonder whether such a way of thinking will make any contribution to our local community work. I am not blaming anybody in particular or the authorities concerned.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1303 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2283. Since its inception in 1960 the People's Association has been actively engaged in the promotion of recreational activities for our people and in youth and mass organisation work. It is also responsible for the promotion of multi-racial understanding and communication between the people and the Government. We should give credit to what it has done. But, unfortunately, recently the senior staff in charge of the People's Association have been running the Association in such a way that it has resulted in a lot of heart-burning among the other staff. There are several points I wish to bring up now, because the staff dare not speak up. Firstly, it is in relation to the transfer of staff. I have been given to understand that recently the supervisors of community centres at the headquarters of the People's Association, who are very old and experienced staff, have been demoted because they do not know English, and have been sent to take up the post of Organising Secretaries in the various community centres. I do not understand why the officers-in-charge of the People's Association still harbour the colonial thinking that the English language is supreme. We know that these old staff of the People's Association have made a lot of sacrifices for the Association. Their loyal contributions have been very great indeed, in spite of their deficiency in the English language. But, instead of getting promotion and recognition, they have been demoted to the post of Organising Secretaries in the various community centres.”
“Sir, in view of the detailed answer given, although I am not completely satisfied, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, what I am trying to say is that Upper Paya Lebar should not be developed without first giving priority to the resettlement of the people affected in the case of the shops in the Kallang Basin which were allotted to those affected by the Sims Avenue Scheme, I think it was because Sims Avenue is in the constituency of the Member for Geylang East, who is in the Ministry of National Development.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, before I withdraw my amendment, I would like to clarify a few points. On the matter of summonses, those people who are affected by resettlement have not been allocated accommodation, so summonses should not be issued to them. The Minister has said that the Kallang Basin has no vacancies. I would like to ask, why then is it that the project in Paya Lebar is to be started first? Is it because the "Member for Sims Avenue," is working under the Minister? Is it because of that that the people in Sims Avenue are given preferential treatment? Is it because, as I have said, the "Member for Sims Avenue" is working under the Minister? An hon. Member: It is the Member for Geylang East!”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, a point of clarification. In my speech, I said the local leaders and myself have tried our very best to convince and persuade the people in our constituency to look after the national interest, but my point is that the Housing and Development Board has not allocated any place for them to go to. The Minister says that the road has not been widened because the people will not move. It is not that the people do not want to move, but because the Housing and Development Board has not allocated any place to them. Are you asking them to go on to the road?”
“These people have already agreed to move away but they have not been allocated any premises yet. Therefore, they are still there. This anomaly quite common and people who are affected by resettlement have complained to me very often about this. Sir, the right hand of the Government does not seem to know what the left hand does. Because of this, we seem to have lost the spirit and the quality of the P.A.P. when we first came to power. I complained to the department concerned about this. The reply was that those who were affected by resettlement were in the wrong. Or else I would get a perfunctory reply full of high-sounding language and beating about the bush. On behalf of my constituents. I would like the Minister to instruct his departmental heads that they should not be overbearing. Otherwise he will become embarrassed if a complaint is again raised in this House.”
“Because of improper handling by the officials of the Housing and Development Board, many problems which were originally capable of solution have become more and more complicated and have caused great inconvenience to many of our people. Sir, when a person who has been affected by resettlement applies for Housing Board accommodation or shop premises, he has to fill in an application form to indicate his choice of premises. These people have accordingly indicated their preference for the location, the lot numbers and the addresses. However, what they have been allocated in the end turns out to be completely different. Their original choice has been given to other people. This situation has made me doubt the statement that these people are, in fact, given preferential treatment. Sir, compulsory reallocation of shop premises cannot work because much depends on the customers. For example, if a coffee shop has been given an isolated corner to carry on the business --- I have received complaints from coffee-shop owners on this score it has only itself to serve and no other customers, and it will have to wait for the day to fold up its business. On the problem of allocation of premises to those affected by resettlement, we must find them a better solution and give them a better choice. Only in this way can we say that we are fair and impartial. Many people have been delayed or disappointed by the method and the way in which allocations have been made. However, the Public Works Department, especially the Roads Section, does not seem to be aware that these people have not been allocated their new premises and have issued summonses to them asking them to appear in court. I have emphasised this point before.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1107 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1005*. (* The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr Ho Kah Leong) Sir, every Singaporean knows that our Government has been able to lead us on to the bright and glorious path of national development. As a result of the prosperity of our country, certain problems of communication were created. Two years ago, Upper Paya Lebar Road was widened in order to facilitate the laying of sewer pipes. Some attap houses in Lorong Tai Seng were demolished and the sewers were laid. Paya Lebar Airport will have to accommodate the Boeing 747s and, as a result of the need to expand the airport, some houses in Paya Lebar will have to be demolished. There is no doubt that these development projects have affected the people in my constituency who have to make sacrifices. We have to be very careful in dealing with the problem of resettling people who are affected by these projects. We should not carry out plans rigidly and without any flexibility, thus driving them to the brink of despair and hopelessness. Sir, I would like to point out clearly that, as a result of such development projects as road-widening and sewerage works, many houses and shops have been demolished. Many of my constituents have expressed their distress and great disappointment when they see their houses brought to the ground. However, after lengthy persuasion on the part of the local leaders and myself, the great majority of them have come round to the point of view that the national interests must come first. The question now is how to resettle properly those who are affected by these development projects.”
“(2) That the sum to be allocated for Head 0901 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1003.”
“There has been some injustice or unequal treatment in certain ways. I wonder whether the Minister for Culture is aware of certain discrimination existing in the National Theatre. As far as I know, members of the Chinese orchestra receive different treatment from those in the Philharmonic Orchestra. I am given to understand that the reason is that members of the Philharmonic Orchestra have passed certain examinations and obtained certain qualifications, and therefore they are given better treatment and emoluments. In the case of the members of the Chinese orchestra, there have been no examinations, no official qualifications, and so their salaries should be lower. Sir, in my view, this is unreasonable. As we know, the Chinese orchestra has its origins in China. But in China there is no proper institute for the training of musicians. This is done by those who have a liking for Chinese music under the guidance of experienced players. After that, the trainees themselves will have to practise hard before they can be anywhere near success. Therefore, it takes a very long time and plenty of practice and energy to train a Chinese musician. There is a Chinese saying, in regard to the learning of Chinese musical instruments, that it takes 1,000 days to learn the pi pa, which is a Chinese flute; 100 days to learn the ku chern, a Chinese harp; and more than half a lifetime to learn a three-stringed instrument. 3.45 p.m.”
“He also said that the Ministry of Culture would do all it could to accomplish the mission. This is, of course, a matter which we should be very happy about. Admittedly, Sir, the best item that we could contribute to such an international cultural festival would be to send a mission comprising Chinese orchestra, the Philharmonic Orchestra, local dance troupes and choirs. Such a mission would be able to reflect the characteristics of our multi-culture. If this invitation had been handled by the National Theatre, I am sure the result would be very good. But unfortunately the National Theatre is unable to do anything because of financial difficulties. Even the present Philharmonic Orchestra and dance troupes have already ceased their activities at the moment. The remaining organisations that are still active are the Chinese orchestra and the choir. And even they are in a very precarious position. They are not able to do what they can for the country. If the Ministry of Culture cannot give adequate financial assistance or encouragement to the orchestras and dance troupes, how can we expect them to contribute to the cultural life of our country? As a matter of fact, in my view, the various orchestras, dance troupes and choirs in the National Theatre should be regarded as a cultural army representative of Singapore. We should therefore, in all seriousness, give them proper training, encouragement and financial assistance. Whether it is a philharmonic orchestra or a Chinese orchestra or any dance troupe, they should be given proper training opportunities and facilities. The next point which I wish to deal with is in connection with the treatment of the various orchestras and dance troupes in the National Theatre.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I actually meant to move the next amendment* but I would like to speak now. * The amendment reads as follows: (2) That the sum to be allocated for Head 0901 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1003. Sir, I would like to confine my discussion to the development of dancing and music and, in particular, to the National Theatre Trust. The National Theatre Trust, under the Ministry of Culture, is responsible for certain cultural activities and cultural work. And they have organised some orchestras and dance troupes. In other words, the National Theatre is more or less an institute of performing arts. As we all know, to train an orchestra, a choir or a dance troupe to a certain standard is a very difficult task indeed. It is much more difficult than training a violinist or a pianist. Sir, the National Theatre has a modern stage of considerable size and the National Theatre Trust has many able conductors and dance instructors. These are the pre-requisites necessary for the training of members of orchestras and dance troupes. Endowed with such facilities, it is a pity that the National Theatre Trust is experiencing financial difficulties. As a result, all the facilities that are at its disposal cannot be fully exploited. If we view this problem from this perspective, we would feel a great deal of pity and sympathy for the National Theatre Trust which must not be allowed to die because of financial difficulties. Sir, I remember some time early this year I read in the newspapers that the Australian Government had extended to us an invitation to send a mission to attend the Adelaide Cultural Festival. At that time, a spokesman from the Ministry of Culture said that it was a great honour for Singapore that such an invitation had been extended to us.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, before I withdraw my amendment, I would like to point out to the Minister that if he says examinations are not important, I would like the examination system abolished so that all students can go into secondary schools, and secondary four pupils can go into Pre-U classes. They would have a greater advantage. May I express another point? When the H.S.C. results were announced, the National Junior College said that the students who were admitted to it had an aggregate of not more than 12 points. They were all Grade One holders. However, since the Minister has replied to my questions, I beg leave to withdraw.”
“They also have half-day sessions only, but their pass rate has been anything from 50 per cent to 90 per cent. The National Junior College has an excellent environment for study, longer hours of study, and the best student potential, but we regret to note that the results have not been satisfactory. The students have not been trying their best. I think the principal should be primarily responsible for his duty in the planning, guidance and encouragement of the students. Very often we hear about meetings held by associations and societies. When a new committee is coming in to replace the old one, they pay compliments to the outgoing president or chairman, and praise his qualities of leadership. We can see how important leadership is. The National Junior College possesses so many excellent conditions. It is not an excessive demand to expect that the students would perform extremely well. It is out of the warmness of our hearts that we expect them to do well. We cannot therefore give credit to the principal of the College for the way he is handling it. I would like to mention another point, and that is that the principal in question has written a letter of recommendation asking a certain secondary school to admit a particular student into his Pre-U class, although he knew very well that the student concerned did not possess the minimum requirements specified by the Ministry of Education. This is most puzzling. I do not know whether to laugh or cry; whether he meant this as a joke or whether he was not aware of the policy of the Ministry. How can we expect him, in such circumstances, to contribute in any way towards the cause of education and towards our country?”
“Sir, after studying in the National Junior College for two years, their percentage of passes was only 83 per cent in the English stream. 7.30 p.m. Two years ago when these students were selected for admission to the National Junior College, their parents were very proud of them. Even their friends and relatives held them in high regard. If we look at those who have failed in the H.S.C, examination, we feel both surprised and sorry for them, especially their parents. Those of us who are concerned with the cause of education will also feel sorry for them. Mr Speaker, Sir, a famous philosopher in China, Lao Tze, in one of his famous classics called Tao Ter Chin, said that difficult things are meant to complement the easy ones. The long is meant to be compared with the short. This is a universal truth. In fact, without comparison one cannot see the difference between the difficult and the easy, and between the long and the short. It is only by comparison that we begin to see the difference between them. All the secondary schools in Singapore, with the exception of the National Junior College, have received a directive from the Ministry of Education which says that for admission to Pre-University classes, the aggregate for Arts students must not be more than 24 points, and for Science students must not be more than 25 points. All those who satisfy these conditions should be admitted if there are vacancies. Although the standards of the students are uneven, all of them who satisfy these conditions must be admitted. One could say that it is like pulling a cow up a tree. Secondary schools in Singapore do not often have the facilities and the environment anywhere comparable to those of the National Junior College.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0801 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1281. Sir, when we established the National Junior College two years ago, we selected the best students in our country to be educated there. We hoped that the cream of our youth would be able to put up an outstanding performance under the guidance of the teachers in the National Junior College. However, today we are sadly disappointed by the fruitless efforts. When the results for the Higher School Certificate were announced, a number of people who arc concerned with education were dissatisfied with the results. The percentage o passes for these students, who were supposed to be the cream of the lot was 93 in the Chinese stream and only 83 in the English stream. This has taken us by surprise. Sir, the Minister may defend the National Junior College and its teachers by saying that the results were the best among all the schools in Singapore. But I would like to remind him that the selection of students for the Junior College is very strict. This is a matter of common knowledge. The students who apply for admission to the College all performed very well in either the Secondary Four examination or the Cambridge School Certificate examination with an aggregate of less than 12 points. Only students with such excellent results can be admitted to the College. Undoubtedly, they were among the best of our students. The equipment and facilities at the College are excellent. They had a quiet environment in which to study. In fact, we can say that they had nothing but the best of everything, so that it is not expecting too much if they secured very good results. It should be a matter of course for them to perform very well in the H.S.C, examination.”
“Those who are responsible will remain so. For example, the Parliamentary Secretary sitting opposite was a teacher. However, he has left the teaching profession because he did not receive training in professional ethics in the T.T.C.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to clarify one point. I was referring just now to the lectures in the T.T.C. Trainee teachers in the T.T.C, do not receive training in professional ethics. I am not saying that the teachers are not responsible. They are responsible and they have been doing their job well.”
“And there could be common agreement on this. But we on the other hand, need not have to have a different plan, contrary to what he has in mind because we can always pattern his recommendations to suit our local conditions. In addition, I think there is a need to provide educational research facilities for teachers on teacher training, methodology, and the like. These research activities must be directed towards the improvement of teaching methods, and I think the Institute of Education can take on this extra responsibility which, at this moment, no department or any section of the Ministry of Education can undertake with authority. So there are so many other benefits which this Institute can provide. There are so many other matters which we have got to look into in the context of our present situation. Therefore, before the Minister makes up his mind while he is having second thoughts, I think there should be more consultation and discussion with the teachers, as there can be a lot of other useful views on the matter. I would urge him to think very carefully, and I must say that I disagree with him on the need to have second thoughts. Perhaps we could sit down and find out what kind of Institute of Education we should have, and work it out according to the context. I believe the teachers will be very happy if we have an institute of Education. It gives the feeling that teacher education is put on a high level, and I think this will give the teaching profession a sense of pride and professionalism.”
“I think there is a danger of being influenced too much by expert opinion, particularly if the expert is a foreigner, as he would probably be talking in a different context and, therefore, his opinion might not necessarily be correct. Offhand, I would say there is definitely a difference in the situation existing in Singapore as compared with that in England. I believe that most of the teachers in England are qualified in teacher training and are on a salary scale different from Singapore's, so that there is no good reason for them to further their teacher training in order to obtain the necessary recognised qualifications. But in Singapore there is a great need to provide non-graduate teachers with the opportunity to advance themselves professionally. In this respect, it is not just a question of getting them to attend classes and so on, but to give them proper recognition on completion of the course. I see advantages in having an Institute of Education, because this Institute, for example, could confer diplomas which could be equated to a university degree, and so give these teachers the recognition which graduate teachers are now enjoying. The Teachers' Training College, however, is not in a position to confer such a degree. If non-graduate teachers were to go to the University of Singapore, for example, to obtain a special university degree, then, apart from their difficulty in having to compete with the school leavers, I think they would be faced with so many other problems. My immediate reaction to the British expert's opinion, therefore, is that the expert and we are placed in very different situations. Perhaps he could be right if we are talking specifically of what the functions and scope of the Institute of Education should be.”
“, for example, training courses on second-language teaching and music, carry a monetary bonus at the end' of it. Those who complete the course successfully will either get an extra increment, or a bonus of $150, but some will not get anything at all. And there are some teachers who have undergone the same training and do the same amount of teaching but receive different treatment. This is extremely unfair and unreasonable. Although one may argue that the teacher should always seek to improve himself or to improve his knowledge and methods of teaching, and not look forward to monetary rewards, nevertheless we must treat all teachers alike. If we do want to give monetary rewards, then all of them must likewise he entitled to them. There must be a uniform principle in granting these rewards. This will then show that our Government is fair, and it will not give rise to dissatisfaction among our teachers, which could result in poor performance. Modern methods of education advance each day. If we expect the education system of our country to keep up with the times we have to pay attention to the training of our teachers. And as a body charged with the responsibility of training our teachers, the T.T.C, suffers from a great number of defects. It is time that the Ministry took remedial measures immediately. Mr Sia Khoon Seong: Sir, the Education Minister has said earlier that he is having second thoughts about the establishment of the Institute of Education. He has quoted the views expressed by an expert in England about the desirability of setting up such an institution.”
“I therefore bring this matter up again so that the Minister can have a good man-to-man talk with the Principal of the T.T.C, if we expect our teachers, after completing their training, to carry out their duties faithfully, to be responsible teachers, and to make sacrifices in the interest of education, we must inculcate in them a set of professional ethics to enable them to understand more fully the duties of the teachers. It is sad to note that the T.T.C, does not provide a training course on professional ethics. I think this is an extreme deficiency. The result is that many teachers, after having completed their training and performed their duty, will soon leave their teaching posts to seek greener pastures elsewhere. From this we can see that the T.T.C. should provide a training course on professional ethics. The fourth point refers to the in-service training courses conducted by the T.T.C. 1 find that many of these courses are repeated over and over again. For example, there was this one-year course on advanced education for primary school teachers conducted from 1968 to 1969. If we take a look at the syllabus, it would appear that the syllabus is very ambitious and comprehensive. But actually there is nothing much in it. It is quite devoid of any real content. It merely consists of old material being modified here and there. It is like putting old wine into a new bottle. There are some lecturers who know nothing about the subject they are supposed to lecture on. Instead they waffle and beat about the bush during lectures. They not only waste the time of the teachers, but also public funds. The fifth point I would like to bring up is the inequitable manner in which monetary rewards are made. Some of the in-service training courses conducted by the T.T.C.”
“Mr Speaker. Sir, the Teachers' Training College has been established for quite some time now. It has played a significant role in the training of teachers and the promotion of education in our country. However, it suffers from a number of shortcomings. I would like to list the more glaring ones below. Firstly, on the question of the quality of the lecturers. The great majority of the lecturers in the Teachers' Training College have never had any experience in teaching in primary schools. They have not got the faintest idea about the teaching methods to be applied in primary schools. What they do lecture on is based entirely on textbooks. Therefore, they have not been able to provide accurate guidance in the matter of teaching in primary schools. There are a number of lecturers who do have experience in teaching primary schools, but they are not qualified because they are only certificate trained. If we expect these certificate-trained lecturers to lecture to trainees in these certificate classes, we are barking up the wrong tree. We cannot expect them to have any excellent performance. Secondly, the teaching method. When the lecturers in education at T.T.C, lecture on teaching methods, they just reproduce blindly material from the textbooks. They are great in theorising and shoptalk. But on how to teach a particular lesson, they are not able to provide any guidance and leave the trainees to grope in the dark. One can imagine what results we are going to get. 6.45 p.m. The third point is the lack of training in professional ethics. Actually this matter was raised by me two years ago during the budget debate. I said that the Teachers' Training College lacked a training course on professional ethics. Today, after two years, we still cannot find such a course in the T.T.C.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to make a clarification. The Minister has misunderstood what I said. Maybe he did not hear what I said. What I said was that the district sporting activities are organised by principals who know nothing about sports. I am not saying that the teachers are not interested in sports. What I am saying is that the sporting activities should, be planned and organised by a committee of sports teachers and those who know sports. For instance, there may well be a sports programme where you have a 100 metres dash as the first event and the next event will be a 400 metres race then you have all the events in short distance running crammed together.”
“Thank you. Sir. If the Government builds an Activity Centre for teachers from all the various streams to meet, to get in touch with one another, to play games, or to discuss matters in common, I am sure they will be able to learn a lot more on how to teach. This is better than taking part in a seminar. I do not know if the Minister agrees with me on this point. But I would, however, like to point this out -that education is a great investment and the expenditure on it should only be next to defence. Therefore, it is worth while to consider building an Activity Centre for the teachers. Lastly - 4.30 p.m.”
“They need time to learn new things in order to be able to teach their students. But, as I have pointed out earlier, there is a lack of places for teachers to go to, either to learn or to relax. When a person works in a very pleasant and favourable environment, he will be able to make a greater contribution to his work. Therefore, I would like to propose that the Government build a Teachers Activity Centre with facilities, such as a library, a sports stadium, a conference hall, a swimming pool, etc., for the teachers to enjoy during the school holidays or outside school hours. With these facilities the teachers will be able to indulge in physical exercise or study. This proposed centre will also provide a forum for discussion among teachers from the various language streams. Mr Speaker, Sir, while we are encouraging our students to meet one another and to live in a common environment, we should also provide similar facilities for the teachers to do so. This is particularly necessary because in the present circumstances teachers from the various language streams have hardly any opportunity to meet one another. This is a great disadvantage in our present education system.”
“Although school principals are allowed to apply for vacation leave, I would like to ask this question: why should it be necessary for them to apply at all? It is my view that the Ministry of Education should grant school principals a certain number of days for an annual holiday during the school vacation, so that they can have time to relax. I do not think this matter requires any legislation or has to go through any cumbersome procedure, nor does it entail any negotiations across the table. It is purely an administrative matter for the Minister for Education to decide. He can, in fact, even announce at any time what procedure is to be adopted in granting vacation leave to school principals. The third point I wish to raise is this. Our school teachers have a very crammed timetable, as the Member for Jurong has pointed out. They work very hard during school hours, and even outside school hours, such as engaging in extra-mural activities. Therefore, during the school holidays they do want to go somewhere for recreation, but there is no place in the school for them to carry out legitimate activities. Teachers are not allowed to go to certain places and there are other places which the teachers themselves ought not to go. There are moral instructions like the Ten Commandments of Moses in the Holy Bible which say that thou shalt not do this, and thou shalt not do that! Of course, all these rules are well intended. But it is too much to expect everyone to be a saint. This is attempting the impossible! No doubt education is a great enterprise and a responsibility for the teachers. At this time when civilisation has entered the space age, with progress and advancement constantly made in various fields, the teachers must also keep abreast of the times.”
“In fact, the Executive Council of this union has repeatedly requested the Ministry of Education to reconsider this matter. In order to give equal treatment to all the language streams of teachers, the Ministry should standardise the age of retirement at 60, instead of leaving it at 55 and 60 years respectively. Over the past decade the Chinese School Teachers' Union has done its best to fight against this difference, but the Ministry has continued to allow this unreasonable practice to carry on. This is beyond my comprehension. As a matter of fact, the regulations and practice of education handed down from the past are not necessarily good or practical for all time. The Minister himself said, on the 16th of March, in this House in reply to a question raised by my colleague, that the salary structure of school principals and teachers is a very complex matter and should be simplified. I am in full agreement with him on this. But at the same time I would like to appeal to him to standardise the age of retirement of teachers at 60 years, because the present practice is a very unreasonable one and should be removed as early as possible. If it is allowed to carry on, it will create further discontent and will not benefit our country. Mr Speaker, Sir, the next topic I wish to raise is the matter of school holidays. Teachers during the school vacation rest, study, or go on a tour in order to enrich themselves mentally. But school principals do not have the good fortune of enjoying a vacation. They have to report for duty in school even during the school holidays, and this amounts to working throughout the whole year, and even throughout his school working life.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I seek your permission to speak now, so that I need not speak on the next amendment* later. Sir, I am a serving teacher in a Chinese school. At the same time I am also the President of the Singapore Chinese School Teachers' Union. I have come into close contact with those in the teaching profession, and therefore it is my responsibility to take this opportunity to bring up their grievances before this House. * Amendment No. (2) , standing in the names of Messrs. P. Govindaswamy, Yeo Choo Kok, Ho Kah Leong and Tay Boon Too, Reas as follows: That the sum be allocated for Head 0801 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1005. Mr Speaker, Sir, firstly, I would like to raise a matter which has existed for more than a decade, and that is the age of retirement of teachers. I would like the Minister for Education to reconsider the question of standardising the age of retirement. Over the past decade there have been a lot of grievances among teachers in Government-aided schools, particularly those in Chinese schools, against the difference in the retiring age. Some teachers are retired at 60 years while others are retired at 55. Why should there he this difference? It is admitted that when a teacher reaches the age of 55 years, he can apply for an extension of service. But, in spite of this privilege, he will still harbour a grievance and a feeling of injustice, which is understandable. Editorials in the Chinese newspapers have given publicity to this matter and they have spoken for the Chinese school teachers since the early days of the implementation of this policy on retiring age. The Chinese School Teachers' Union has also spoken on it.”
“Nowadays we often hear that this or that price must be adjusted, but we have not heard that the employers are going to adjust the wages of their workers. Let us take, for example, the salaries of teachers. The previous Minister for Education promised the teachers salary adjustments, but nothing has happened although the relevant bodies submitted their recommendations six months ago. As the Chinese saying goes, "We can only hear the footsteps on the staircase, but we never see the people coming down." If we do not adjust the wages of the working class in the face of the general increase in the price level, this will lead to a fall in their income. It is for this reason that I would like to represent the people in my constituency and thank the Minister for Finance who has brought us this good news of a painless budget. I would also like to express the hope that a permanent price control committee will be set up to prevent unscrupulous merchants from raising prices without valid reasons. 3.15 p.m.”
“Despite this, many people have voiced their discontent. What is the reason for this? There must be a reason. As the Chinese saying goes, "There can be no wave without the wind." People in the lower income group, especially the wage-earners, have to draw up their household budget too. Of course, their budget is not comparable to the momentous one for the country drawn up by the Minister for Finance. The people, on the whole, are not concerned with development projects as such. They are not concerned so much with the increase of taxes or new tax rates because their household budget is based on the rise or fall of the general price level. A small number of unscrupulous merchants have recently raised the prices of many goods without good reasons. This has caused great hardships to the people. This is even worse than an increase in taxes. It is a most distressing thing to witness. What is worse is that these unscrupulous merchants have put the blame squarely on the Government. Mr Speaker, Sir, it is a fact that prices have increased tremendously in the last few years. The increase in the price level has been a general one, including prices for all the daily necessities: for example, tinned food, fish, vegetables, bread and so on. Even bus fares have gone up! There is indeed a general increase in the price level. Unscrupulous merchants have raised prices under the guise of price adjustments, but price adjustments are equivalent to price in-increases. We have never yet seen price adjustments leading to a downward revision of prices. It is only now that I understand price adjustments to be synonymous with price increases. It is a new term for price increases.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, when the Minister for Finance announced in the House on the 8th of this month that Singapore was not going to have any new taxes or increase in taxes in the coming financial year, all the people in Singapore received the news with great joy. Indeed, he brought tremendous news to the people of Singapore. This has stimulated a spirit of self-reliance and perseverance among the people of Singapore and has encouraged them to work even harder. Among the countries which have become independent after the Second World War, very few of them have been fortunate enough to be able to afford such a painless budget as ours. If we examine the reasons for our success, we will find that in the last 10 years or so, our Government has put up a creditable performance. It has established a clean and efficient government and has helped the people of Singapore in overcoming their difficulties, in creating a new environment, and in encouraging them to strive for a better future. On the other hand, the people of Singapore have worked very hard and have shown a spirit of endeavour and perseverance. This surely must go down in history as a great performance. Mr Speaker, Sir, Singapore has progressed from strength to strength for many years now. We have received news of one success after another. If we look at the newly emergent countries, we will find that many of them, especially in the Sixties, faced chaos and experienced great disappointment after their independence. Only the people of Singapore can "thumbs up" and say that in the last 10 years they have surmounted their difficulties. They are approaching an even brighter and glorious future. In the last few years, they have had the benefit of painless budgets which have brought honour to our country.”
“Sir, I would like the Minister of State for Education to clarify two points. The first is about bad conduct. What is the criterion for bad conduct? Secondly, can the Minister of State say whether his Ministry will take strict measures to deal with complaints by parents of students to Members of Parliament at meet-the-people sessions?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to clarify what I said just now. What I meant was that we should legalise pirate taxis so that the pirate taxis drivers can still earn a living. For instance, the Speaker of the House was an adviser to the Singapore Ex-political Detainees Association which looks after the rehabilitation of its members. The White Paper does not provide for the rehabilitation of pirate taxi drivers.”