Tay Eng Soon
Singapore
“Sir, up to now, the numbers involved are very small. Quite often, it is a small group, together with the lecturers, who work out the project. In other words, it is their initiative. Included in that is fund-raising, which they do.”
“The universities are also planning to introduce a modular and semester system for some of their courses. This will enable their students to do part of their course in overseas universities and gain credits for these modules towards the fulfilment of their degree requirements in NUS and NTU.”
“The polytechnic graduates who go overseas are quite a mixed group of people. Many of them do have working experience. In fact, they save the income from their working experience before they go overseas. So many do have working experience before they go overseas. PRE-SCHOOL CLASSES RUN BY PRIVATE ORGANISATIONS (Regulation) 8.”
“I think this is something which we can ask the universities to look into. Mr Umar Abdul Hamid: Does the Ministry have statistics to show that graduates who went overseas do have industrial experience before they get into the university?”
“Sir, the experience of the universities with polytechnic graduates is that they do well when they have practical working experience in addition to the diploma course that they have done.”
“They may not be highly educated themselves. Many of them are, in fact, not rich at all. They are refugees. But they pay attention to what their children do, they encourage them, they supervise them where they can, and as a result of that kind of encouragement, the children concentrate on their work and they do well in the American system.…”
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“Sir, I would like to correct the statement made by the Non-Constituency Member. This money is not being spent on a political party. It is being spent on a charitable foundation which is called the PAP Community Foundation. This Foundation is registered with the Registrar of Societies and the Commissioner ofCharities and it observes the rules governing charitable organisations.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Ministry keeps track of all incidents and accidents that may happen in school from time to time and reviews these occasions and makes recommendations for improvement on safety. As for pupils who are not well on certain days when there are physical education exercises, they do report to the school authorities and to the physical education teachers and if they have medical certificates to show that they cannot take part in certain vigorous activities they are exempted from these activities. Finally, it is part of the physical education training programme for physical education teachers that safety in sports and games is in the curriculum so that when they become teachers in schools they are familiar with the precautions that have to be observed. SOLICITORS' SCALE FEES FOR CONVEYANCING (Retention) 2. Mr Heng Chiang Meng asked the Minister for Law what are the reasons for retaining the solicitors' scale fees for legal work relating to conveyancing. The Minister for Law (Prof. S. Jayakumar): Mr Speaker, Sir, the reason for retaining the solicitors' scale of fees for conveyancing is to protect the public who are clients of lawyers in property transactions. With the system of scale fees, the client can be sure that the fee is not arbitrary and is determined on the basis of a common criterion. It also prevents over-charging and avoids disputes between solicitors and clients in relation to conveyancing work.”
“I think Mr Othman Haron Eusofe suggested that perhaps the CPF should be allowed for this topping up process or even to top up the Edusave scheme beyond what is going to be provided. I think this will have to be looked at very carefully, because what he is really asking is that CPF should now be used for primary and secondary education. And that is now going into a new use of the CPF, yet another extension of the use of the CPF. This will have to be looked at very carefully by the Ministry in charge of the CPF, ie, the Ministry of Labour.”
“Allow me to tell Dr Lee that the Government has consistently put in place programmes and efforts to equalise opportunities, especially for young children. Just leave the Edusave scheme aside for a moment. What is the amount that the State or the Government spends on general education for primary school kids or secondary school kids, and what is the amount of subsidy that is given? It is an enormous amount. The amount that is paid by parents in the form of school fees or even miscellaneous fees is less than a few per cent of the actual amount spent per child by the Government. If that is not equalisation of opportunities, I do not know what is equalisation of opportunities. It is very clear that a very high amount of subsidy is given to all children regardless of their background to help them through basic education in school, now to secondary school for all, so that they can then go on into life to do the things that they want to do or can do. Edusave is another one of these efforts to give something to all children regardless of their background, to add a little bit more to what is already a very large subsidy to help them in their schooling. So I do not think we need to defend too much the efforts to equalise the opportunities. They are there and I am sure in future if other opportunities arise, they would be examined to see whether more could not be done. As for the fourth child, ie, beyond the third child, the parent of the fourth child can put money into the Edusave scheme, top it up to the same extent as for the other three children and that would be tax exempt. That is consistent with the Government's policy of encouraging people to have three children and to have more if they can afford it.”
“So I give the Member the assurance that the opportunity is there for such bright children. Finally, on Edusave, several Members have spoken about extending Edusave to handicapped children. This subject is being considered at the moment. It is by no means concluded. Further discussions are going on. So I cannot give you a definite reply at the moment, but the subject is actively being discussed. I want to let Members know that handicapped children who go to the special schools today enjoy more grants and assistance than any other group of children in Singapore. For example, a child going to a special school, whether it is for the blind, the deaf, the physically handicapped or mentally impaired, will be given a grant up to twice what is given to a child in primary school. Today a child in primary school gets a direct grant from the Government of the order of $2,000 plus per annum. That is what it costs. A child in one of these special schools can get up to $4,000, and in addition to that, such a child will also receive from the Community Chest of Singapore, ie, from the people of Singapore through charitable means, up to $3,000 per annum. So potentially $7,000 per annum per child is available for children who are handicapped. So they are indeed well provided but, as I said, the Edusave scheme is not a large amount of money compared with what I have just mentioned, and whether it should be extended to handicapped children is a subject under active discussion at the moment. Dr Lee Siew-Choh questioned whether the Government is sincere in its desire to equalise opportunities for all Singaporeans, especially for those who come from poor backgrounds or disadvantaged backgrounds.”
“So at these levels, we should not try to differentiate between so-called first language levels and second language levels. We should concentrate our efforts on helping these young children to get a good grounding in their mother tongue in the case of these languages, and in English in the case of the working language. That must be the priority and we should not let ourselves be distracted by so-called differences between levels 1 and 2. But when a child reaches Primary 5 after the streaming exercise in Primary 4, then I think the child should be ready to go into mother tongue at first language level if he has the aptitude for it, or to remain at mother tongue at second language level if he wants to continue as normal, or into mother tongue at the oral proficiency level if he has great difficulty with the working language, English, and in that way, allowing himself to have more time for the study of English and without losing mother tongue at the oral/spoken level. Therefore, at Primary 5 and Primary 6, the orientation period, the Ministry is going to give parents and children a free choice into which of the three language streams they wish to go into. For those who choose to do mother tongue at first language level, they should be amongst the top 10% in terms of academic results, because we all know that it is not easy for a child to master two languages at that level unless he has the academic ability and mental equipment to deal with these languages. So for Malay at first language level, Tamil at first language level and Chinese at first language level, the decision to take that should be deferred until the child has finished Primary 4. And depending on his performance and his aptitude, the choice can then be made.”
“Yes, we will never neglect them and we will do whatever we can to always provide for these schools to upgrade them, to improve their facilities, to improve the teachers that they receive, because the vast majority of our children go through these schools and they deserve the best that we can afford. To give you an example of the commitment of the Government to the state schools, all the secondary schools will become single-session schools by the end of this decade. In fact, by 1995, 50% of the secondary schools will become single-session schools and this means building some 16 new secondary schools with the latest standards, which are much more generous than the ones of the previous generation of schools, and rebuilding and upgrading 37 existing schools to these new standards. This is going to cost the Government something like $800 million. And there is more work to be done to the others schools as we come to them phase by phase. So I want to assure the Member and parents that the state schools and aided schools will never be neglected by the Government. 3.30 pm Mr Nasser Kamaruddin raised the question about offering of ML1 and TL1 to the preparatory year classes, because CL1 is already being offered to the preparatory year classes. Let me make a general point here. At the preparatory year level which is for five year olds, and even at Primary 1, 2, 3 and 4, there is precious little difference between the so-called CL1 and CL2 or ML1 and ML2 and so on. They are very similar. In fact, language learning is at its basic level. What is important is that the child learns the basic language skills, listening, speaking, reading, writing, and learns to use the language in a whole range of circumstances.”
“So parents have recognised that the quality of education is good and fees have become a secondary consideration. But that is not to say that there are no students who have difficulty with fees because of their home background. In this respect, the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) which has been put in place by the Government has helped a lot of these children. Out of the total enrolment of the six independent schools, that is, 6,744 students, 1,259 or 19% have applied for and obtained financial assistance from the Government through the FAS scheme. But the schools themselves have raised their own funds and provided additional financial support for those students who do not qualify under the Financial Assistance Scheme. Therefore, we can truly say that no child today who qualifies for a place in the independent schools will be denied a place because of his financial needs or background. Every means will be found to help such children to get into an independent school, if they are able to find a place in these schools. He asked whether there are any other independent schools in the pipeline and whether other schools have applied to the Ministry to seek conversion to independent schools. I can tell him that there are several applications that are being processed but I am not free at the moment to tell him which schools have made these applications. I agree with Dr Ong when he said that we should never neglect the state schools or the aided schools that are fully dependent on the Government.”
“Mr Chairman, the Members spoke on three topics: one was independent schools, the other was the Preparatory Year programme and the study of ML1 and TL1, and the third was on Edusave. I will try to tackle them in that order. Dr Ong asked what is the progress made in the independent schools, how are they getting on, anything that can be brought up concerning the development of the independent schools. Sir, I propose to arrange a visit for Dr Ong and the members of the GPC on Education and their resource persons and bring them to one or two independent schools that they would like to name. And I will also bring the press and television along so that they can see what the schools are doing. I think that would be a good opportunity for the GPC Chairman and his team to find out about independent schools at close range. His next question was whether the independent schools, enrolment or intake has been affected by the fees. I am happy to tell him that the fees have had minimal effect on the enrolment and intake into the independent schools. For example, there were 3,606 applicants for Secondary One intake this year into the six independent schools, and the independent schools were able to offer only 1,793 places, that is, for every place there were two applicants. And interestingly, of the six independent schools, the two independent schools that have the highest application rate for the places they offered were also the two schools that have the highest fees, namely, Raffles Institution and Anglo-Chinese School. In the case of RI, there were four applicants for every place offered by RI; in the case of ACS, there were 2.1 applicants for every place offered by the school.”
“The 'N' level examination, which was started in early 1980s, has worked out well. 'N' level certificates are accepted and even required by institutions such as the VITB and others for purposes of entry into courses. So it is not by any means useless or a worthless certificate. A person who is preparing for 'N' level examination in school is also preparing for the '0' levels. There is no loss or duplication. If he does well in his 'N' level, he will go on, and the chances are that he will get the corresponding '0' levels when he takes them after one more year. So it is preparatory to '0' levels and it has value by itself. So there is no disadvantage suffered by any of the children who take 'N' level before they take the '0' levels.”
“The Member's question is whether there is any special provision for older workers. By that I take it to mean workers who are at age 40, 45 and above who for one reason or another may have missed educational opportunities in the past. I am glad to inform Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon that discussion is going on at the moment between VITB and the NTUC to see whether or not a special scheme, perhaps a one-time scheme, could be provided for workers who are 40-plus and above today to enable them to come in for skills training. The condition would be that the educational requirement will be relaxed; in other words, taking into account that they did not have opportunity in the past. But they may have to go through some kind of assessment tests to see which courses they can fit into. But let me emphasise that this is really a special scheme for the older workers. The younger workers today would have had the advantage of education and schooling, and they will not be in need of the scheme, so that when they become 40-plus themselves, they would have had enough education to carry on into any courses that may be offered.”
“So if the apprenticeship scheme is to be extended to premature school leavers, then we will have to discuss with employers to see how many are interested to offer apprenticeships to such school leavers and take it from there. The second point is that the person has to be 16 years old before he starts apprenticeship training. So any person who leaves school at 13 or 14 will have to wait. My advice to the young people in schools and their parents is to stay on in school as long as possible and to work hard and get through the primary school and secondary school, now that it is possible for them to go right through to the end of secondary school. If they are tempted to leave early for whatever reason, they should resist that, because the opportunity for skills training for such people will become less in future and because employers prefer those with secondary education. Given that kind of future situation and the encouragement, I hope most parents will encourage their children to stay on in school and take advantage of this 10-year programme.”
“Secondly, there will be new courses as VITB explores new areas where training is needed, particularly in the service sectors. Thirdly, there will be an upgrading of training institutions as well as new institutions which will be purpose-built for this restructured VITB. Altogether, there will be seven new institutions or renovated institutions. By 1994 three new institutions - a commercial institute at Bishan, a new technical institute at Ayer Rajah, and a new technical institute at Yishun - should be ready. And beyond that, there will be new institutions which we will look at, at Bukit Batok New Town, at Tampines, and two existing institutions, the Singapore Vocational Institute and the Singapore Technical Institute, will be refurbished, renovated and upgraded. I would like to turn now to the problem of premature school leavers (those who may not finish 10 years of schooling and leave school). Mr Ibrahim Othman suggested that somehow they should be taken in perhaps by VITB or some other organisation to be given further education and training. And he suggested that perhaps the apprenticeship scheme could be extended to them. We will certainly look into this. But let me say that the apprenticeship scheme is based on employers' response and interest, because the people who are providing the apprenticeship places are companies. Employers have been saying to the VITB that for skilled workers, especially in high-tech areas, their preference is for those who have not only got skills but who have also completed secondary education. In other words, they are saying that if a person has only primary education or has left school prematurely, he is of less use to them, and their preference is not to hire him.”
“00 pm Furthermore, we know that in future they will be able to go on to the polytechnics if they have done well at the VITB, and even beyond that, to the universities, so that the VITB in future will be seen as one of the routes which enables the young person to go as far as his ability would take him, and it will be firmly in people's mind that this is a viable route for school leavers who may not take a very academic route but who may prefer a technical vocational route. As for the change of name, I think this would help to improve the image of VITB, if it should change its name, since its function is changing. The Board is actively looking into a new name to replace the name "VITB". But, meanwhile, the vocational institutes will be changed to become technical institutes as they will be offering higher level of skills courses, and appropriately should be named as technical institutes. At the same time, there will be the institutes of commerce or commercial institutes. So the VITB will really have two branches - one offering technical courses, and the other, offering commercial courses. There are of course details of what the restructuring will mean. I just want to let the Member know what some of these will be. The intention will be to develop every technical institute or commercial institute into a total training environment, one in which a trainee or a student will have an all-round experience. Not only will he be receiving skills training, he will also be developing himself because there will be opportunity for him to develop his interest in extracurricular activities and to acquire responsibility and self-confidence. So it will be a new environment which will cater for these post-secondary school leavers.”
“Sir, three of the speakers brought up the subject of the third university and I will leave that to my Minister to reply. But I want to address the point brought up by Dr Ong Chit Chung regarding the VITB, and the point brought up earlier by Encik Ibrahim Othman, also on VITB and the problem of premature school leavers who, despite the new system, may leave school before 10 years of schooling, and what would happen to them. Sir, the point made by Dr Ong Chit Chung is well taken. The VITB is on the point of becoming a new institution. It will become a post-secondary institution catering for school leavers who have finished at least 10 years of schooling and would have reached the 'N' level or the 'O' level. That alone, I think, would change the image of VITB from one where it was receiving primary school leavers and those who left school before they finish secondary school, and therefore regarded by society as "dropouts", to one which is catering for students who have successfully completed 10 years of schooling and who have good general education and are in a position to go further into skills training. The proof of the pudding, of course, will be in the eating. It will depend on how the new graduates of VITB in the future who have 10 years of schooling and who have skills training perform when they go out into the working place. I feel confident that they will have good job opportunities and good careers judging by the ones who have finished secondary school today who have gone on to the VITB and then gone on into jobs. These graduates who comprise about half of present VITB output command good salaries and have good careers when they go out. They are in high demand by employers who want skilled workers, preferably those with some secondary education. 3.”
“You point out to me which country you like, and you tell me. Okay?" So Ivan stared at the globe in front of him. Ten minutes, twenty minutes passed, and he still had not decided. At last, he looked at the OVIR officer and asked: "Don't you have another globe?" Mr Deputy Speaker, colleagues, I have taken these examples to emphasise what has been stated by Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, that we have to be very careful about these two areas. We must avoid getting into the syndrome of "more is good, new even better". In this respect, I think five is good enough, no new ones needed. Let us just work on these.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, to illustrate my point, I would like to quote an article by Mr Goenawan Muhamad, entitled "Prospects in 1991", published in the Indonesian magazine, TEMPO, on 29 December 1990. I quote [in translation]: "The best caricature of 1990, by Billy Day, showed six armed men on their knees praying to God. [This is viewing it from the religious angle.] The first prayed to God that Jews be wiped out. The second prayed that Arabs be killed. The third prayed that Muslims be exterminated. The fourth pleaded that Hindus be exterminated. The fifth pleaded that Catholics be killed. The sixth called for Protestants to be destroyed. And, below, the caption by Billy Day said: 'All God's children have guns'". All God's children have guns indeed and we know that they are going to destroy each other. That is the situation the world is in now. And this is the only world man has. There is no other world. So we have to preserve it, protect it together. And we can begin with our own country, like what we are doing now, through the Shared Values. I would like to bring another quote, a comedy from Russia, to underscore this point. The story goes that Ivan Ivanovich, a poet, went to the OVIR, the Russian Immigration Office, to get permission to migrate. So the officer said: "Of course you can. Where do you want to go? Israel?" "No", said Ivan, "I will be battered by war over there." "How about United States?" "Oh, no. Too much unemployment there." "How about India?" "No. There's going to be a lot more religious riots there." "Indonesia?" "What? Can I read poetry there?" [We know the Russians have a penchance for poetry]. The officer looked at Ivan patiently and said: "Then you've got to have other alternatives. Here, I will give you a globe.”
“It is like saying one's ideology is superior to the Declaration of Independence, the Communist Manifesto, the Pancasila or the Rukun Negara. If one look at the four ideologies - Liberalism, Fascism-Nazism, Communism, and Socialism - one would be reminded of the concept of racial supremacy promoted by Fascism-Nazism, where even children at a young age in school were sown with belief in the superiority of the German race and the inferiority of others, in particular, the Jews. Germany later made a pact with Italy and Japan, and the world soon inherited the wounds of a terrible war. It prompted Daniel Bell to write "The End of Ideology", following the end of World War II, saying that ideology is no longer necessary; science and technology is all that is important; the technological society does not need ideology. But the world later came up against a new form of imperialism, imperialism by the communist countries through the medium of the communist ideology - Russia in Europe and Latin America, China in East Asia, and Cuba in Africa. Mr Deputy Speaker, world political and religious developments and the latest events in the Middle-East bring me to the conclusion that both aspects - politics and religion - should not be included at this stage. I think these two deserve to be considered, analyzed and determined only by the international community, or better still, by the United Nations. No single nation will be able to adequately deal with them on its own. World political climate and the recent trend of religious revivalism demand new evaluations and new approaches, particularly as world bodies are now in the position to demonstrate their credibility and character in tackling problems such as the Gulf crisis.”
“Thus we find Vaclav Havel, then just an ordinary citizen, launching his movement of peaceful revolution through the Civic Forum. The Civic Forum defeated the Communist government at the end of 1989 and Havel became President. Then we hear plans to turn Civic Forum into a political party professing the ideology that Havel and his supporters have long adopted. Suddenly we read in the Straits Times of 12th January 1991 of a split between President Havel and his Finance Minister Vaclav Klaus, who now heads the Civic Forum after having defeated Havel's candidate. And yesterday it was reported that Civic Forum has already become a political party. The point I am trying to make is that conflicts like this can occur over the question of philosophy alone. Klaus wants the Civic Forum to be structured along the lines of the conservative parties of Western Europe. And I quote the Straits Times [in English]: "Mr Klaus stands for capitalist reforms that may cause social unrest, while Mr Havel and his allies symbolise an intellectual approach alien to the can-do spirit that some say is needed to transform Czechoslovak business. - AP" The same thing happened, between followers of the same ideology, in the case of Lenin versus Berenstein, Stalin versus Trotsky, and now Gorbachev versus the conservatives and Boris Yeltsin. And between adherents of the same ideology too, in Communist Russia versus China. This means that embracing the same ideology does not necessarily mean embracing the same philosophy. And the problem is worse within a society, especially a heterogeneous society. Secondly, the sentiment that one's ideology is superior to the ideologies of other countries. This is no longer just within the same society.”
“Though we have to be realistic where there are voices to the contrary, I think I would consider this a healthy development in our process of nation-building. We need to be active listeners, to be able to accept what is sound. What is important is building a consensus. What must be avoided is contending just for the sake of it, or finding faults and excuses, in the spirit of one of the values, consensus instead of contention. I believe the shared values will result in a stronger, more cohesive, more caring, harmonious and tolerant Singapore society. To achieve this, to inculcate these values, we need to begin from young, in the schools, at home and at places of work. Mr Deputy Speaker, my second observation is that I feel it is proper at this time not to include other values, ie, values with ideological connotations or tending to reflect an ideology, whether political or religious. I think ideology is a serious matter, an important matter, and should not be taken for granted. Ideologies have their own philosophies and characteristics. Often, their idiosyncracies rear their head. Looking at the history of ideologies, I notice they tend to give rise to two situations, regardless of whether the ideology comes before a country's independence or after. First, the sentiment that one's national ideology is best. This is acceptable still, because such is the nature of human being. But then sometimes conflict occurs even among believers of the same ideology. Czechoslovakia is an interesting example. It started out having a national ideology that believed every political party should be able to espouse its own respective ideology. Then the Communist Party won power, communist ideology became the national ideology, and a new problem arose - other ideologies were banned.”
“What have been proposed is a set of five values that I reckon will lead to four important results if they are imbibed by everyone. Firstly, these values will bring forth an individual who is responsible, an individual characterised by individualism, in the sense of being uniquely talented in his own right, but not individualistic. For, one of our values is regard and community support for the individual. This, in my view, refers not just to the less fortunate, the poor or the handicapped among us. More importantly, this refers to those with special talents, experience, knowledge, etc, but at the same time, are not individualistic. In other words, individuals who possess wealth, but are not possessed by wealth. Secondly, he will have a high sense of responsibility to the family, to society and to the nation. Thirdly, the society in turn will care for him and look after him in a respectful way and will give him support when needed. Fourthly, I am sure there will evolve a cohesiveness that will further our efforts towards evolving a Singaporean identity. History will show that these five values will act as a catalyst for the development of this identity. It will require time. Their total appreciation will require a lot of time, and mathematical considerations will not come within the scope. As a start, I think it is sufficient for us to begin with the five proposed values. The choice has been made so carefully that I believe every community, every religion, will feel that the values proposed belong to them. I think this is one of their positive features and I think it is important we understand this. This identification is important, particularly in the context of our multi-racial, multi-religious society.”
“Sir, I dislike to take the responsibility of inculcating values out of the hands of parents. I believe they have the most profound influence which we cannot easily substitute. However, as our schools are the next most influential body over our children, I want to assure the House that the Ministry of Education and our schools will be involved in some way in teaching shared values. We have a polyglot young society with potential pulls in different directions, and we cannot take it for granted that the pulls will not grow stronger. The question before us is whether we can keep pulling together and one day perhaps become the Switzerland of the East, or go the other way, the way which so many other multi-racial societies have gone. Sir, I support the motion. The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education (Encik Sidek bin Saniff)( In Malay): Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise in support of the Motion to adopt the White Paper as the basis for developing a set of shared values for Singapore. I would just like to touch on two areas. First, how we should adopt all these five values. Second, there is no need for us to include other values, specifically those having ideological connotations, be they political or religious. On the first, I congratulate the Government for recommending these five, generally inter-related values. More importantly, this set of values on the whole captures the values of our Singapore society, whatever may be our religion or race. I think all of us appreciate that no majority interest has been given emphasis over any minority interest. No belief, Confucianism or whatever, has been so highlighted as to push aside some other creed.”
“Our shared values must never be an excuse to stamp out individual ideas and aspirations that can lead to new achievements. We must always encourage individual excellence. Even the Japanese are realising that excessive conformism stifles creativity. Finally, Sir, spelling out a set of shared values is one thing. How do you get people to internalise them, and to take personal responsibility for them? Unless that takes place, it will all be lip-service. Fortunately, the five values are not new. They are already to some extent present in our collective psyche. Every group in Singapore, every community in Singapore, accepts and practises to some extent those five values. This is a good start. But implanting a value is not an easy task. Take, for example, the principle of advancement by merit. Today, this is generally accepted. But this was not so 25 to 30 years ago. Nepotism, special contacts and favours, guanxi, were then more the norm. This value is still widely practised in many Asian countries. But Mr Lee Kuan Yew and his generation of leaders decided to break the mould. They decided to go against an age-old tradition and chose the principle of meritocracy. They were strict in the implementation. Today, guanxi is not dead yet. But those who practise it do so in secret with a strong sense of guilt. But the point here is that advancement by merit has become accepted as a Singaporean value. This example gives me hope that the five shared values will one day also "stick" and become accepted as Singapore values. But to achieve this, our leaders, perhaps more than anyone else, must be firm and consistent in applying the values. The example they themselves set will then be followed and in due course the values will become uniquely Singaporean.”
“The question that I and many others are asking is whether the shared values that we are adopting will help to make us more Singaporean and less communal in our outlook. I hope that emphasis on shared values will make all groups feel that there is space, there is room, for all. The second anxiety is that the proposed shared values are loaded too much in favour of the group and will give little room for the individual. This is the hidden fear when people criticize "consensus instead of contention" and "society above self". Dr Jonathan Sacks, the British Chief Rabbi elect, speaking on the dilemma of the individual and society in the West, put it this way. He says: 'We have lost our sense of being part of a single moral community in which different people are brought together under a canopy of shared values. We have reached the limits of individualism ... Without community and tradition, there is no self-expression beyond the inarticulate cry of a child.' This is how far the pendulum has swung towards individualism in the West. And as a religious leader, he has expressed great concern of this trend. Sir, we do not want to go that way. The framers of our shared values, the authors of our shared values that we are debating, are right in assuming that the human tendency is always towards self - self before others, self before society, even when they pay lip-service to the greater good. Therefore, I agree with them that if they have to be loaded, the scales should be loaded in favour of community and society. But neither do we want blind conformity and compliance in the name of nation or of consensus, a disease which is not unknown in the East. Tyranny of the majority may be even worse than individualism.”
“If there is no consensus in the family, if the interests of the individual members always take precedence over those of the family as a whole, such a family will surely break up. As with a family, so with a nation. For us, the values we share, the bonds that bind us together, the common experience that we have, are not just a matter of intellectual debate. They are a matter of national survival in the long term. Sir, I wish to bring out at this point two fears that have been expressed to me during this debate, not by Members in this House, but from people outside. The first is the fear by the minority communities that they will have less of a place in the Singapore of the future. It is true that the majority community, the Chinese, have done well. And elements of their culture and values have helped them in this. The Chinese indeed have a strong sense of their culture. They like to recall their 3,000 years or more of unbroken history. But because of their success and because of the interplay of their values with their success, it may be taken that successful Chinese want to propagate and impose their values on others. This is how minority communities may see this. Therefore, there must never be cultural arrogance. Instead, we should always emphasise the common area that we all share. Sir, since our independence, we have carefully avoided promoting any one culture but have always striven for a multi-racial, Singaporean approach. This goes right down to grassroots activities. In trying to encourage each group now to re-establish their cultural roots, we should be very careful that we will not reverse what we have taken 25 years to achieve.”
“Dr Steinberg traces these values to the communal and cooperative economic organisation of the old Swiss mountain communities. They were fierce, independent and freedom loving communities. Yet they learnt that to survive, they had to cooperate with one another despite their differences. They had to agree to common pastures for their cattle. They had to cooperate to maintain passes and roads which were regularly washed away by avalanches. They had to unify to defend themselves against bigger outside foes. Today, the shared values of the Swiss are embedded in their institutions. Their federal system of cantons guarantees that every racial and language group is represented. This is their version of the GRC system. They have a highly participatory and responsible form of democracy. They have town councils at the local level in which their citizens assume responsibility for most local affairs. They believe in a people's militia. They have compulsory national service even though they have been neutral for over 400 years. Out of the severe constraints put upon them by their racial and language differences, they have through their rational genius created a harmonious and cohesive nation. Can we, with our diversity, also create a cohesive and prosperous nation in the long run? This, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, is the essence of the Shared Values debate. "Natural" nations usually have one race, one language and one common culture - something which may have taken them hundreds of years to evolve. We are trying to build a Singapore without these advantages. How can we do so? Take a normal, successful family. What holds it together? It is their common bond based on the values that they share and experiences that they share.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is a small country. It is prosperous and doing well. It does so despite the fact that it is a multi-lingual and multi-racial country. Its people are split into three main language groups. Furthermore, they are also split in their religion. They had violent conflicts in the past over religion. Yet today, that country is harmonious and cohesive. It has a thriving economy based on banking, manufacturing and tourism, although not so long ago, it had unemployment and even poverty. Sir, I could be describing our country, Singapore. But I am not. I am describing Switzerland, a country of 6(r) million people comprising German, French, Italian and Romansch speaking peoples. Half of the people are Calvinist Protestants. The other half are Roman Catholics. On the face of it, Switzerland should not exist as a country. Its peoples have close racial, language and cultural links with their respective neighbouring countries. This should produce forces to pull them apart in three directions. Indeed, during the 2nd World War, there was a risk that Nazi Germany might carry out another "Anschluss" on the German-speaking part of Switzerland. But Swiss cohesiveness held. Dr Jonathan Steinberg, a Swiss scholar in Cambridge, says that Switzerland is a puzzle. Switzerland poses the question: why does a country of such diversity in language and culture not pull apart and instead, is a very cohesive and successful one? He tried to give an answer in his book entitled "Why Switzerland?" What is Switzerland's secret? Why do the Swiss people have a strong sense of "Swissness" despite their racial differences? It is their shared values. The Swiss feel Swiss because they consciously or unconsciously share the same set of values with other Swiss citizens.”
“This arose from differences of opinion, perception and understanding. Such things are bound to happen in every process towards consensus through dialogue and discussion. But the decision has now been made, through consultations, and the Malay community must now put aside the past and look ahead. We must now take maximum advantage of the scheme. I believe Mendaki, in the spirit of consensus, with its clear objectives and with all the wisdom and resources available to it, will be able to put the scheme to its maximum advantage. If effective handling requires outside contribution, including expertise from our non-Malay brethren, I am sure the Government would be willing to help. I say this because, in the final analysis, we have to look in terms of seven or ten years ahead. The scheme will show its results. Would the paddy we plant this time produce large, solid, quality rice, or would there be no harvest to reap? Or would weeds grow instead? We are the ones who will answer these questions and bear the consequences. Let us ensure that an empty harvest it will not be. 5.13 pm”
“The Malays of Singapore, I am confident, will continue to feel secure and will stand firm behind Mr Goh. Indeed, some quarters have even accused Mr Goh of being too concerned about the affairs of the Malays. They say Mr Goh is pro-Malay. They also charge Mr Goh with giving too much to the Malays and cite as evidence the $10 million that has been granted to Mendaki to administer. But if we were to ask the Malay community the same question, they will say Mr Goh is not pro-Malay. Sir, I think, to quote a scholar, the truth must be somewhere in between. This must be so. Mr Goh is concerned about the affairs of the Malays not because the Malays are Malays but because they are Singaporeans. He is just as concerned about the affairs of Chinese Singaporeans, Indian Singaporeans and Eurasian Singaporeans, because they are all citizens of Singapore. For the same reason, the people of Singapore as a whole should appreciate and accept the short-term, medium-term and long-term measures Mr Goh and his colleagues in the Cabinet have taken. In the short-term, certain measures might appear painful and difficult to accept, but we have to view their long-term results on the stability and progress of Singapore and its population. No less important is the need to build mutual trust among us regardless of religion or descent. Indeed, this mutual trust is the prerequisite of the total involvement of every citizen of Singapore. In this connection, may I now, with your indulgence, speak on Mendaki and the tuition fees scheme for university and polytechnic students. I fully agree with the views of my fellow Malay MPs on this issue. I am aware that in the one year since the issue was first mooted and debated, there have been signs of growing schism within the Malay community over this issue.”
“It is because of the need to evolve and uphold a set of shared values that the President dealt with the National Ideology in his Address. The thrust of his message is that we need to reach a consensus in our social attitudes towards and perceptions of each other regardless of race, religion, profession or income. Everyone of us has a role to play and a contribution to make and these form an inseparable part and, indeed, a guarantee, of our existence and well-being. Sir, we are now in the process of leadership transition. This is not a transition in the usual sense, but a transition in continuity. The Hon. Prime Minister will be relinquishing his post by the end of the year. To the people of Singapore, he is the man who built, developed and moulded the independent Singapore that exists today. I agree with the Member for Yuhua that Prime Minister Lee is the Father of Singapore, the man who was prepared to make sacrifices and devoted himself to the realisation of the vision of a modern Singapore rising in the midst of the many failures among newly-independent countries. In the eyes of the world, Prime Minister Lee is a pearl set in an uncertain and chaotic world. He knew what Singapore wanted. Many foreign leaders welcome his opinion, even as the Western media, while admiring him, deplore the unique way he has ruled the country. Mr Deputy Speaker, we have our own philosophy and culture, and they are not the same as the West's. As for the Malay community of Singapore, they feel secure while Singapore is under the leadership of Prime Minister Lee. This is an important consideration to them. Now the leadership is to be handed over to Mr Goh Chok Tong. Will the Malay citizens of Singapore continue to feel secure? The answer is yes.”
“This will mean more diverse tasks and roles for our citizens, leading in turn to differences in social perception. If these different perceptions are not homogenised through a set of shared values, we will encounter fresh problems. Signs in this direction began to surface some time ago in the commonly-held ideas, particularly among parents, of the difference between white collar and blue collar jobs. As a result of public prejudice, parents became reluctant to send their children who are not performing well academically to vocational institutes. This puts us in double disadvantage. Firstly, our children gain only limited education or, indeed, are uneducated or unskilled at all. Secondly, while the country thirsts for skilled workers, we cannot rely on our unskilled young people and have to import foreign skilled labour, thus adding to our social ills. To address this problem, VITB must bridge the information gap through publicity in schools to highlight the achievements of VITB trainees. Members of the public who are unsure about the functions of VITB should be encouraged to approach its institutes whenever they hold their open houses. We have to change our attitudes toward blue collar workers because they too have a not insignificant contribution to the economy. Imagine the situation if, for some unavoidable reason, the blue collar workers we had brought in leave us en masse. Production will stop, factories will close down. The managers and the white collar workers in the organisations affected would lose their jobs, too. Mr Deputy Speaker, I cite the example of VITB trainees and graduates just to emphasise the importance of adopting and maintaining a positive attitude and social perception in our society.”
“This is because we are no longer faced with the responsibility of meeting just the needs of the masses, but also of satisfying the diverse and often arbitrary desires of the individual. In the past, we could come up with statistics to show what percentage of the population owned flats, how much they earned a month, what their qualifications were. Today, flat ownership is no longer the consideration. The question now is how meaningful it is and how satisfied one is with one's flat. The same applies to monthly income. It is no longer a question of just how much one earns, but what one can do with it. It is no longer a question of what one's educational qualifications are but what discipline is preferred, what purpose will the qualification serve and what satisfaction can one gain from it, having achieved it through such stiff competition in school. Sir, we are moving from tangible considerations to abstract considerations, from the objective to the subjective world. Another point I would like to make is that as a society achieves maturity, social stratification will appear, with all its attendant features and effects. Social stratification manifests itself not only in terms of income, social status and education, but also in terms of lifestyles and perception of life and a slower social mobility. As long as there are ample opportunities to climb the social ladder and social mobility is fast, we have little problems. But when we are faced with the situation now prevalent in the United States and Europe, where social mobility is so slow, we will have to do something before society falls apart. Mr Deputy Speaker, the higher our economic advancement and the more complex our infrastructure, the more specialisation would be required.”
“The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs (Encik Yatiman Yusof)( In Malay): Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise to support the motion moved by the Member for Tanglin to express our thanks to the President for his Address at the opening of the Second Session of the Seventh Parliament on 7th June. Sir, the President's brief Address is Singapore's response to the challenges of the future. It reflects our aspirations and desires for the future, to create a Singapore of excellence and distinction, developed, mature, existing in an atmosphere of stability and peace. It is not a statement of unfulfilled desires, as claimed by the Member for Potong Pasir, but is in continuation and an enhancement of the real and concrete efforts we have taken so far. The President's Address was delivered at a very significant moment for Singapore. It was delivered while we are celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Singapore's independence. We are now at the threshold between two different generations, moving from a generation meeting the demands of independence to a generation evolving a society of excellence, from a generation seeking to fulfil basic needs, ie, food, clothing, housing, jobs, education and health, to a generation living comfortably, cultured, artistic and strong in human compassion, from a generation sufficient in physical requirements to one that has its inner and spiritual needs satisfied. We are now in the phase of a society approaching maturity. In this sense, we are entering a more difficult and complicated arena, one that will challenge our capability. We are moving from the state in which every step, every action taken, every programme, are readily measured and gauged, into a state in which a common yardstick can no longer apply.”
“Through such complete training programme, I am convinced that our 20% of the lower income workers, ie, those who are unable to catch up with our economic growth, will also have a chance to improve themselves and their lifestyle subsequently. What I have touched on has to do with a certain aspect of human quality and it involves the way they earn a living and their training. The other aspects are the moral attitudes and spiritual development and what we were debating about - a national identity. This needs more time. Personally, what I feel is the most important factor or an indirect means is not through talk or through celebrations. More important, every one should serve as an example. What we believe and what we do will effect our next generation. Our political leaders are chosen by us and we choose them because we have our aspirations and expectations on them. But we cannot say that they must comply with the wishes of the people in every way. Let us say, everyone may aspire for a car. Sometimes an individual's aspirations may come into conflict with our national interest, then there must be control. Take our second language requirement, for example, if parents were given a choice, although they can appreciate the advan- tage of learning the mother tongue, for obvious benefits and to lighten their children's load, they would drop it. Given a choice, children may not even want to study it at all. So I am happy to hear the First Prime Minister say that he will not rule by the count of hands and that he will not mislead the people to win popular votes. I am happy to see that our successors have this firm stand and we fully support them in continuing to bring Singaporeans a better life.”
“Perhaps this has to do with the negative attitude our society has towards those who work with their hands. What Germany and Japan have achieve today, I believe, stem from the importance and respect they place on technical personnel. Although I believe a name may not be that important, psychologically, many may still be bogged by the negative image on VITB. Therefore, I suggest changing VITB's image into a vocational training board may be more appropriate, thus changing parents' concept towards VITB. Another area of training is on the workers. Japan's leading role today comes from many factors. I trust the minister knows more than I do. When we visited the various factories in various countries, training for workers in Japan is continuous and it is not based on individual stages of production but according to the 5-year or 10-year plan of the company. And I know that when some companies in Singapore undergo restructuring or the production procedures, they push all their failures onto the workers, saying that the workers' standard is only that of Primary 6 and that they cannot be trained. With the change in production procedure, they are retrenched. This is a very negative way indeed. A more positive way would be for the company to raise its competitiveness. the company should carry out total restructuring in workers' training. I read in the NPB's report that they are to get companies to spend 4% of their salaries on retraining of their workers. This indeed is good news. Perhaps this figure should be reviewed every year to see whether they are coping with the needs.”
“The fact that our parents often put pressure on their children is because under the present system formal education is the only way to success and it is only through university education that their children can become a lawyer, engineer, doctor, etc. But we know that in may advanced countries they put a lot of emphasis on adult education, especially in terms of technical training. So a child does not necessarily have to attend university to become a professional engineer. This is especially true in Germany where their vocational training in line with the work a person does. Through opportunities in night school, and open-university and Television school they can become engineers. If we can strengthen this type of remedial education in the adult education project, I can be certain that parents and the society will change their attitude towards education, that is to say, every person in every stage of his life can continue to learn. Therefore, I call on the Ministry of Education that although expenses in this area can be high and cost of per capita investment is high, they should consider it so that those who do not make it in the formal education system may be able to work towards a professional certificate. At the moment, most people's attitude towards VITB is biased and I think this is wrong. They see VITB students as naughty kids. But lately from what the VITB has done in raising charity fund. I can see they are concerned members of the society. They have raised $400,000. For these children, our objective should be how to tailor courses for these students to suit their work, so they can continue to attend night class and eventually get that professional qualification. Only this way will parents change their attitude towards VITB.”
“And as for primary and secondary schools, I am happy to see in the Addendum on the Ministry of Education plans are underway to convert secondary and primary schools into full-day schools. And I think this should not be delayed any more. But before we launch the full-day system, during this transitional period, what we should do is to help some schools which have shown a willingness in providing before and after school care. I think the Government should give them the necessary financial and personnel support. Another point that I am happy to see is that the Ministry of Education has also aimed at raising the quality of staff in primary school. But I have on several occasions raised in the House that 90% of our pre-school children attend day care and kindergarten before they enter primary school. So I hope the Ministry of Education, besides putting efforts at improving the quality of primary school staff, they should also help to train pre-school and kindergarten staff as well. As our Prime Minister said in 1974 in the World Teachers' Seminar, no matter how advanced and good the facilities are more important is the relationship between the teachers and the students, as a positive relationship, can help motivate the child to reach his potential in learning. Such relationship also serves to help children in their formative years form a positive attitude towards life. Therefore, in the process of formulating a syllabus for our national values, I think the most important factor is teachers' qualification because they serve as models for our next generation. So I think while improving our teaching aids, we must also work on this teacher/pupil relation and their moral education. This is what I call formal education. The next point which is more important is adult education.”
“But I feel what we have to stress is how do we raise the quality of Singaporeans and to raise their spiritual development and a sense of national solidarity. In fact, in the past two days, some of my colleagues have raised the issue about some Singaporeans' attitude towards life and they have complained that they are unable to catch up with the economic development of the country. And their mentality remains at the stage of a developing nation. Some of my colleagues have also mentioned that Singaporeans are ugly and they suffer from this "kiasu" syndrome. To me, put simply, all these have to do with what our future leaders, our parents, corporate bodies, our social and cultural activities. More importantly, it has to do with our education system and its implementation in deciding what sort of a society Singapore will become. When I studied the information I received from the Ministry of Education, what moved me was that fact that we have set aside $2 billion in our budget for education. This is more than in New Zealand. Australia has a population seven times our population, but what they spend on is only four times of what we are spending. So we are indeed putting a lot of emphasis on education. What I am talking about is not education in its narrow sense. This not only includes formal education. I will first talk about formal education and then general education. In order to provide parents with more choices and in an effort to raise the general standard of education , what we have done in increasing our universities and higher tertiary institutions is credible. But I feel in order to cultivate a creative society perhaps the Government needs to consider allocating more funds on research.”
“Moreover, for the decision maker in the Ministry of Education (MOE), may I suggest that when we are having the cultural months, the MOE should organize the students to visit these activities so that they could understand these cultures. Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon (Yuhua)( In Mandarin): Sir, actually many important points have already been brought up in Parliament by my colleagues and the First Deputy Prime Minister. But I still wish to make use of this opportunity to raise some of my own personal views. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Prime Minister and his team for what they have done in the past 30 years, bringing Singapore from a backward fishing village to a modernised society, a garden city with luxuriant growth. This achievement cannot be described in a few sentences. They risked their lives, sacrificed their families and their time to work for the Singapore people. I must also thank our last generation for their hard work and cooperation with the Government so that we can enjoy the peace and prosperity of today and have a share in today's economic success. So if we decide to regard our Prime Minister as the Father of Singapore, nothing can be more appropriate than that. We must also welcome our First Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Goh, for what he said just now. We can see that our successors are no opportunists and we will not rule by pleasing the masses by twisting reality or misleading our voters. We will continue to work for the interest of Singaporeans and for the general good. Therefore, when I study the President's Address and various Addenda, I feel that what Singapore has achieved economically and in infrastructure is obvious and there are not many things we can point an accusing finger at.”
“But if we have another objective, which is to expose our people to the cultures of others, and therefore to bring about greater understanding and perhaps even a greater sense of unity as a nation, then my suggestion, I think, has some merit. I just want to make this point. Dr Ow Chin Hock( In Mandarin): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I did not misunderstand the Senior Minister of State's speech. From what I have read in the newspaper reports and the official press release of his speech, I know that he did not intend to have a rojak culture. In fact, our exchange just now has already reflected the lingual or cultural difference between the two of us. He did not know exactly what I said because he heard my speech through an interpreter. I agree with him that apart from encouraging various races to be proud of their own cultures, we must also give the other races an opportunity to learn from each other's culture. But I would like to ask a very simple question: In that case, are we not like a three-ring circus in the United States where they have three rings performing at the same time? Next question is, what are we going to have for our opening ceremony? Should it be Malay, Indian or Chinese? Should we have all these performances at the same time? If so, we have already done that in our National Day rally, carnival and other festivals. If we want our people to appreciate the cultures of other races, I think the most effective way is through television. With television, we could introduce the cultures to the other races. A few years ago, I suggested to the then Minister for Culture, Mr Ong Teng Cheong, that we should publish a booklet on the traditions and customs of the various races so that the younger generation could learn about these customs and traditions.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for allowing me to speak. I just want to reply to a point that my friend, Dr Ow Chin Hock, made just now concerning a speech that I made three weeks ago. Sir, I think I was misunderstood by Dr Ow Chin Hock when I listened very carefully to what he said. What I had said on that occasion was that instead of the three cultural months that we have this year, perhaps for the future we could consider having a single cultural festival at which the different cultures could be displayed for all to see. But he misunderstood me and said that this would be a rojak arrangement where all the cultures will somehow be mixed and we will have something which is a messy mixture. This is not at all what I had proposed. What I had suggested was that if there was an occasion when all the cultures of all our different races were to be displayed, and the achievements were to be shown at one place and at one time, then the visitors to this festival would have the opportunity not only to see the achievements of their own culture but also what others have to show. This would lead to greater exposure and understanding of the diverse cultures that we have. Sir, it is all a question of what the objectives are. If the objective of a single cultural month is to teach members of that race what their culture is, then of course having separate cultural months will achieve that. I was told that this year, with our three cultural months, many of the visitors to the Chinese Cultural Month were Chinese; those who visited the Malay Cultural Month were Malays; and those who visited the Indian Cultural Month were Indians. If the objective is to teach the respective races their own culture, of course, that has achieved it.”
“It proposes to establish Temasek Polytechnic as a body corporate comprising the Board of Governors, the Senate, the members of the academic staff and other officers. The Bill also makes provisions for the establishment of Schools within the Polytechnic. The Constitution of Temasek Polytechnic is set out in the schedule to the Bill. The Constitution defines the composition, powers and duties of the Board and Senate as well as other details which will be governed by statutes. The Bill is similar in substance and intent to the Singapore Polytechnic and the Ngee Ann Polytechnic Acts. Temasek Polytechnic will be a statutory board like the other two Polytechnics in Singapore. Sir, I beg to move. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Dr Tay Eng Soon]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. STATISTICS (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 2.15 pm”
“Eventually, the three polytechnics will have a combined annual intake of about 10,000. This constitutes about 25% of an average primary 1 cohort. Temasek Polytechnic itself will have an annual intake of 3,000, once fully established, and a total enrolment of about 9,000. Initially, there will be three schools in the polytechnic. These are the School of Business, School of Design and School of Science and Technology. Temasek Polytechnic will offer courses in the applied arts such as Graphic Design, Interior Design and Product Design; courses in business with an emphasis on the finance, retail and tourism sectors; courses in electronics with emphasis on manufacturing technologies; and courses in information technology in line with the continued manpower requirements in this area. This year, it is proposed that the Temasek Polytechnic commence operations from two premises: the Grange Road Campus, which will be vacated by Raffles Institution, and the Baharuddin Vocational Institute Campus. There will be an intake of 400 for the business courses and 120 for the design courses. Next year, in addition to these courses, there will be 240 places available for Computer Science and Electronics courses. The long term plan is to develop a new campus for Temasek Polytechnic on a 30-hectare site facing Bedok Reservoir. This is an excellent site with a distinctive ambience worthy of a premier tertiary institution. Its proximity to the Tampines, Simei and Tanah Merah MRT stations means that its catchment will be island wide and not confined to the eastern part of Singapore. It is envisaged that the new campus, expected to be ready in four years' time, will bear all the hallmarks of a major tertiary institution of distinction. Sir, I now turn to the Temasek Polytechnic Bill.”
“They call the process, and I quote, "Professional Formation". Their concept is that school leavers have only obtained general education. They need further training to form them in professional skills so that they can be prepared for the world of work. This steady supply of highly skilled and disciplined workers is the key factor in both countries that accounts for the tremendous resilience of their economies even in times of recession, the excellent quality of their products and the productivity of their workforce. These are the fruits of an education system "committed to train people for work" and not, as an American expert said of the US system which is "committed to train people for further education". Sir, Singaporeans would do well to reflect upon the Swiss-German philosophy, especially in its practical orientation of preparing school leavers with skills and knowledge for working life, and to eschew credentialism or the seeking after of certificates for their own sake. The Polytechnic diploma is an adequate and complete qualification for entry into the job market. It endows the diploma holder with skills that are in demand and well rewarded by employers. Polytechnic graduates can also upgrade themselves through several further educational opportunities. They could take up the Advanced Diploma Courses offered by the Polytechnics. These courses take them up to higher levels of expertise and technology. Alternatively, they could apply for places in NUS or NTI for degree courses. This year, more than 200 places in NTI/NUS will be offered to Polytechnic graduates. This number will gradually increase in the years ahead. Sir, Temasek Polytechnic will be the third to be established in Singapore.”
“This figure is higher for those from the engineering courses; between $1,100 and $1,200 which is about equal to that for a pass degree graduate in the non-professional courses. 93% of polytechnic graduates are able to find jobs related to their training which attests to the relevance of polytechnic courses to market needs. In the experience of many of the better polytechnic graduates, they are able to reach positions of managerial responsibility. In some cases, they have become entrepreneurs and proprietors of their own businesses. Clearly, there is a strong demand from industry for people with practical knowledge and skills from polytechnics and not just for those with deeper theoretical knowledge from the universities. This is not surprising when we look at the experi- ence of developed countries such as Switzerland and West Germany. In both these countries, the majority of children complete nine years of compulsory basic schooling before they go on to learn a skill or trade that equips them for working life. In Switzerland, for example, about 15% of each year's cohort aim to go on to university or teacher training. This is the proportion completing the 'matura' or A-levels. More than 70% of Swiss students from each cohort enter a vocation through apprenticeship programmes. They become highly skilled and disciplined workers, technicians and engineers through this route. Their education system allows those who opt for the non-academic route to reach their highest possible level, including degrees. About 10% of this group go on to obtain engineering degrees after apprenticeship. The West German system is similar. Sir, it is worth noting what the Swiss say about their post-secondary training and education programmes.”
“This has serious political and economic repercussions. Unemployed or under-employed lowly-paid graduates naturally become a frustrated and disgruntled lot. They would be prime vehicles for political agitation. From the economic perspective, such a mismatch between a country's human resources and its manpower needs would result in economic stagnation. An excess of graduates is a waste of resources. Every individual trained in the wrong field is a triple loss: firstly, to himself, as he will have an unmarketable skill; secondly, to the employer, who cannot find a worker with the relevant training; and finally, to the state (and therefore the taxpayers) which had to expend costly resources for his training. Sir, in Singapore, we have adopted a more prudent approach. We have emphasised the need for high quality at all levels of education. We have maintained a steady supply of well-trained Polytechnic graduates whose skills are in demand. We have expanded university and polytechnic places in response to economic growth and needs. We have thus avoided a situation in which there are under-employed or redundant graduates. Underlying this approach is our basic philosophy and commitment, which is to train and prepare people for working life, not just to obtain certificates. This approach has been vindicated by the economy's response to Polytechnic graduates who are highly regarded by employers in Singapore. Several indicators bear out this conclusion. Every year, seven to eight thousand Polytechnic graduates enter the labour market. Practically all of them receive at least one job offer within three months of graduation or after completion of National Service. Polytechnic graduates who have completed National Service command a median starting salary of about $1,000.”
“The other dimension to the expansion of the Polytechnic sector is its relevance to the needs of the Singapore economy. Our education policy has always striven to reconcile the educational aspirations of young Singaporeans on the one hand with the manpower needs and job opportunities in the economy on the other. To function effectively, our economy needs a competent workforce at several levels. We require a pool of degree holders who will provide the professional knowledge, managerial and planning expertise as well as research capabilities which are essential for economic growth. This pool, however, must be supported by an even larger group of well-trained middle-level managers, supervisors, technicians and other support staff. This support group is crucial for the operations of any industry for it is responsible for the effective and efficient implementation of plans and concepts. Many countries, especially the developing nations, do not have this important skilled support group. Instead of filling this void in the country's manpower pool, they have bowed to political pressure by opening more universities so that a larger proportion of their population can obtain degrees, usually in the soft areas. Interestingly, this same problem has arisen also in developed countries such as the UK and Australia. Political pressure has caused them to convert their polytechnics and technical colleges into degree awarding institutions. The consequences of such policies are predictable and, indeed, evident in many countries. They lead to a surfeit of degree holders, particularly in the soft areas. The economy is unable to absorb them. They, inevitably, have to take up many lower level jobs. Ultimately, such graduates end up under-employed or unemployed.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The Bill makes provisions for the establishment of a third Polytechnic in Singapore. It will be known as the Temasek Polytechnic. Sir, over the years we have witnessed a significant increase in the demand for polytechnic places. In 1988, there were 10,500 first-choice applicants from the 'O' level cohort for 6,600 polytechnic places. In 1989, there were 12,300 first-choice applicants for 8,000 polytechnic places. This year, more than 16,000 'O' level students have applied to the polytechnics as their first choice in the current Joint Admissions Exercise. It is significant that this is more than half of all the applicants in this year's Joint Admissions Exercise. Not all of these applicants will be successful as only 8,700 polytechnic places are available. But they will be able to find alternative courses from the range of post-secondary educational opportunities which we have in place to further their education. How do our 'O' level school leavers distribute themselves among the various channels for post-secondary education? For example, from the 1988 cohort of about 37,200 students, 28% went to the Junior Colleges, 21.5% went to the Polytechnics, 6.5% went to the 3-year Pre-University Courses, 13% went to the VITB and 2.5% went to the EDB institutes. About 1.5% or 600 students entered specific training schools such as the Nursing School and SHATEC. 12% of that cohort repeated their 'O' level examinations and the remaining 15% sought employment. Sir, these statistics attest to the growing acceptance and increasing popularity of polytechnic education among young Singaporeans and their parents. The Polytechnic sector must expand if it is to keep abreast of these aspirations.”
“Sir, that will be one of the topics to be considered under the review that I mentioned. APPLICATIONS BY WORK PERMIT HOLDERS TO CONTRACT MARRIAGE WITH SINGAPOREANS (Figures) 3. Mr Chew Heng Ching asked the Minister for Labour how many male and female work permit holders applied to contract marriage with Singaporeans in 1989, and how many applications have been approved.”
“The College will continue to train more and more teachers to make the programmes in both junior colleges, secondary and primary schools a better one.”