Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Singapore
“EDB conducts regular reviews to GIP to ensure its effectiveness in attracting only top-tier business leaders who are interested to drive the growth of their businesses and investments from Singapore.”
“MAS may vary the size of the additional capital requirement imposed on the bank and take other regulatory actions depending on the outcome of ongoing reviews. MAS requires all retail banks in Singapore to ensure that their mission critical systems supporting digital banking are resilient.”
“This question will be answered in the reply to Dr Tan Wu Meng's Parliamentary Question filed for tomorrow's Sitting. [Please refer to "Probe into Recent Disruptions of DBS' Digital Bank and Physical ATM Services and Preventive Measures Implemented", Official Report, 5 July 2023, Vol 95, Issue 107, Written Answers to Questions for Oral Ans…”
“Borrowing from the banks is one of the ways in which MAS carries out MMOs to soak up such excess liquidity. Like other central banks, MAS does this daily through an auction system, enabling MAS to withdraw liquidity through the Primary Dealers that submit the most competitive prices.”
“To mitigate consumer over-indebtedness, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) requires financial institutions (FIs) to implement a range of safeguards when extending mortgage loans and unsecured credit.”
“The Monetary Authority of Singapore imposes on external asset managers the same stringent regulatory standards for anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism that it imposes on banks.”
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“Dr Teo has asked if the Fair Trading Act will cover all industries. It is intended to be generic in its scope. The original plan was to exclude only two areas from the Act, the purchase of residential property, which is already covered by an extensive body of conveyancing law, and financial investments. However, during public consultations, we received feedback that the Act's coverage should be extended to financial investments. MAS has therefore conducted a follow-up industry consultation on the possible extension of this Fair Trading Act to include financial investments. 4.15 pm MAS' consultations ended early this month. MTI will incorporate possible amendments and table the Bill in Parliament within the next 4-5 months. Mr Yeo Guat Kwang and Miss Penny Low spoke about the Rule of 78 that applies to the early repayment of car loans. MTI is reviewing the Hire Purchase Act. We have recently commenced a review which will cover various elements, including the application of the Rule of 78. In making any revisions to the Act, we will have to maintain a careful balance. We will want to make sure that consumers are not unfairly disadvantaged, but we should regulate with a light touch so as to minimise compliance cost of businesses. Several Members, including Mr Leong Horn Kee, Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, Mr Inderjit Singh and Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, have spoken about the intended competition law. Currently, we have a sectoral approach to competition law, with sector specific competition frameworks in telecommunications, electricity, gas, and media industries. As MTI announced last year, in line with the recommendations of the ERC, the Government will enact a generic competition law. We target to do so by 2005.”
“This will take care of most of the complaints received by CASE, nearly all of which have a claim value of less than $20,000. Dr Teo asked if the Fair Trading Office is needed to enforce the Fair Trading Act. The Fair Trading Act adopts a different approach from a number of other jurisdictions. The difference is that it does not criminalise unfair trade practices. There is hence no need for a Fair Trading Office to enforce the Fair Trading Act in Singapore. What the Act will do is to empower consumers to obtain civil remedy themselves, without having to rely on Government's protection. Besides allowing for quick redress, this approach of self-reliance will encourage greater consumer responsibility and proactivity. Dr Teo and Mr Yeo have drawn attention to the need for basic infrastructure to be in place for the Fair Trading Act to work. This is indeed crucial. The Small Claims Tribunal provides an affordable avenue for consumers to seek redress. CASE has had a mediation service in place since June 1999, which consumers can turn to before taking legal action. Some trade associations have also expressed interest in developing alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. MTI welcomes such initiatives. We will work with them to set up such mechanisms, to help resolve complaints without consumers having to end up taking legal action. Another key component is the education of traders and consumers. We are glad that CASE will play an active role to support the Fair Trading Act by educating consumers and helping consumers seek redress in court. As highlighted by Dr Teo, vulnerable consumers, such as the elderly and the illiterate, will be especially in need of help. MTI will give its full support to CASE and the business associations in the educational drive.”
“It will also attempt to place at least 50% of unemployed trainees in retail jobs upon completion of their training. To help TRAS get off the ground, MTI will provide a dollar-for-dollar matching grant for contributions raised by the industry, subject to a cap of $1 million. TRAS will also be eligible for capital expenditure funding under MOM's Manpower Development Assistance Scheme (MDAS). I agree with Mr Arthur Fong that it is ultimately the culture of service excellence that marks out a competitive retail sector. It is what gives customers good memories. TianPo Jewellery is a good example of a retailer that has taken customer service seriously. All its staff undergo a rigorous training schedule, focusing on customer service and product knowledge. In 1998, it embarked on a Service Excellence Programme (which uses scripting and casting to achieve service excellence). Since 2000, TianPo has won an average of 15 Excellent Service Awards every year. More importantly, its sales have more than doubled in three years, from $4 million to $10 million. Next, consumer protection. Dr Teo Ho Pin and Mr Yeo Guat Kwang have enquired about the proposed Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act. CASE and other members of the public have told us that the $20,000 cap on the value of goods and services is too low. Mr Yeo has just reiterated this. MTI has reviewed this issue and has decided to change the way the cap is defined. It will be a $20,000 cap on the value of the claim instead of the value of goods and services purchased. The consumer who purchases goods and services with a value of more than $20,000 will thus be able to bring a claim under the Fair Trading Act if his claim is $20,000 or less.”
“Sincere makes use of Fujifilm's Internet portal to allow its customers to send over digital pictures and images for printing. The customers can collect the processed pictures at outlets of partner shops or have the photographs mailed to them. The portal also enables customers to make payments for Sincere Photo's services via the handphone. One year after adopting these innovations, Sincere Photo Studio had achieved more than 20% improvement in sales. Even something as simple as leveraging on an established franchise can yield significant gains. Hui Yi Collection & Colour Lab in Jurong West is a good example. Joining the Kodak Express franchise in November 2001 enabled Hui Yi to improve on its store design and layout to improve its image. Also, Hui Yi benefited from a transfer of management and retail expertise, enabling it to improve on its customer service, product knowledge and operational efficiency. Since joining the franchise, Hui Yi's sales have improved by 50%. Mr Arthur Fong expressed his support for efforts to develop the retail sector. I agree with him and Mrs Lim Hwee Hua that we need to rejuvenate the retail sector. It is not just a matter of numbers - how many people are employed in the retail sector and how much it contributes to GDP. A competitive and lively landscape of retail players is integral to any vision of Singapore as a leading cosmopolitan city. Manpower training is the key to jacking up productivity in the sector. The Retail Academy of Singapore (TRAS) will be the focus of this effort. TRAS is driven by the private sector, with the support and encouragement of Government. It is aiming high. It plans to train and certify 23,000 workers over three years.”
“Second, the rejuvenation of these industrial estates will help to support start-ups and viable SMEs. Having this broader range of work opportunities, and SMEs humming away, will contribute to the vibrancy and rhythm of life in HDB towns. MTI agrees fully with Mr Heng Chee How and other Members about the importance of productivity growth. It is ultimately the only basis for sustaining high wages and remaining attractive to investors. To achieve our GDP growth potential of 3-5% per annum over the next 10-15 years, we will need productivity growth of 2-3% per annum. This is a challenging goal. It exceeds what has been achieved in other developed countries, which are generally ranged between 1-2%, or even the exceptional 2% rate achieved by the United States during the economic boom of the 1990s. How can we sustain productivity growth of 2-3%? The most important factors will still be our economic fundamentals. This means ensuring macro-economic stability, keeping our economy open to international trade and investments, and removing artificial restraints on competition. It also means investing in our people to build human capital, at all levels of education and continuous learning. And it means stimulating entrepreneurship. These fundamentals are the best way of promoting innovation and efficiency. The Government will also continue to support industries with specific programmes to help firms to move up the value chain. Productivity improvement is about all firms, the new economy or the old economy, humble or established. Let me give you two examples of companies from the HDB heartland, both clients of SPRING. The first is Sincere Photo Shop, a HDB retailer in Tampines.”
“In the longer term, we have to add more depth and breadth in the industrial land market, increase the role of the private sector and inject greater competition. JTC has already reduced its presence in the high-rise factory market, where its share is 31%. It will increasingly let the private sector take over the development of generic industrial facilities, such as ready-built factories and business-park properties. JTC will instead focus on its developmental role, engaging in new and higher risk projects where it is better placed in the private sector. This includes projects with a long payback, such as Jurong Island, or projects which push the envelope, such as Biopolis in One-North. JTC will engage and collaborate with the private sector to develop a more vibrant and competitive industrial land market that responds quickly and creatively to new business needs. One-North is itself a good example. JTC kick-started the project. Once the project began to draw interest from prospective customers, other developers developed the confidence to join in. We expect the private sector to develop up to 80% of One-North over the next 15-20 years. Over time, as the manufacturing sector moves up the value chain, our industrial facilities will increasingly be light and non-pollutive. There will be greater scope to integrate industrial sites within our HDB townships. JTC will work with HDB to redevelop and rejuvenate industrial sites in HDB towns, starting with a couple of pilot sites. This will have two benefits. First, it will bring more employment to the doorstep of residents. This will become more important as the population ages. In the long-term, it will make it more convenient for our older workers to remain in the workforce.”
“Since last year, it has scaled down this requirement so that companies only need to declare the amount of investments they intend to make. This is to help JTC to make a decision if there are competing uses for a specific plot. For existing leases, JTC has changed its lease conditions to allow companies to extend their leases for up to 10 years without having to comply with the usual terms, in other words, without having to meet the need for fresh investments. This scheme was introduced on a case-by-case basis last year. From April this year, the scheme will be extended to all customers whose leases are due to expire within the next three years. This short-tenure renewal scheme will help companies to continue operating, without having to make large new expenditures in a difficult business environment. JTC's flexibility in renewing leases has helped many companies. Khong Guan Biscuits, a household name, is one example. Khong Guan was keen to keep its factory in Singapore where it has been for over 20 years. But it found that it was not viable to pump in new investments in the Singapore operations in the current business environment. They have 20 plants operating internationally, but they wanted to stay in Singapore for reasons of history and sentiment. JTC allowed Khong Guan to renew its lease for another 10 years without having to meet the usual renewal conditions. We kept Khong Guan in Singapore, and saved jobs for over 200 employees. JTC has put in place other initiatives to help companies save costs during these trying times. As a further measure, JTC will reduce its rental deposit from two months to one month for customers on GIRO with effect from 1st April 2003. This small step will free up $27 million for JTC's customers.”
“Some customers on older schemes have different rental adjustment conditions, but all of them have been offered the option of moving to this new market adjustment scheme. On top of keeping posted rentals in line with the market, JTC has been giving significant rental rebates to customers, as Members know. Mr Inderjit Singh has also asked if JTC and Ascendas have passed the property tax rebate onto their customers. The answer is yes. With the recent announcement to extend rental rebates until December 2003, the total value of the rebate package from 1998 to 2003 will amount to $1.1 billion. More than 7,000 companies are benefiting from these rebates. These rebates are helping businesses to tide over current difficulties, but they cannot be permanent. We have to gradually move back towards market pricing over time. Mr Ang Mong Seng asked whether JTC could be more flexible in its lease terms. This is an important question for companies in this uncertain business environment. JTC has indeed been responsive. It has broadened the range of lease tenures that it offers to investors. In addition to its standard 30-year and 60-year leases, it now offers leases of 20 years or less. Leases of 12 years or more have, in fact, been quite popular, and a lease of as short as 8 years has, in fact, been granted. Last year, JTC also enhanced its Temporary Occupation Licence scheme, which now allows for short-term use of between one and three years, with an option for renewal. JTC has also changed its requirements, or as someone just put it, "the strings attached" to its new leases. It previously imposed a minimum plant and machinery investment as a condition for the lease to be awarded, so as to optimise land use.”
“In answer to Mr Inderjit Singh, this is indeed differential pricing at work. By zoning land for industrial use, we allow the market for industrial land to settle at a different level from land for commercial use. Second, JTC pegs its rentals to the prevailing market rates, and now exercises considerable flexibility in the terms and conditions of its leases so as to be business-friendly. Third, we intend to grow a stronger private sector in the industrial land market for greater competition and stability. [Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Chew Heng Ching) in the Chair] 4.00 pm Dr John Chen and others have asked if industrial land prices really reflect the market. JTC keeps close track of private industrial rental rates, and does quarterly reviews to peg its own rentals to the prevailing market rates. In January this year, it reduced rentals by a further 2-7%. So, since the Asian financial crisis, JTC has reduced rentals by nearly 40%. This shows that JTC is responsive to the market, and that its rentals are not sticky downwards. In general, JTC's rentals are comparable to the private sector for equivalent facilities and are even lower in several cases. However, JTC cannot simply slash prices to clear each and every piece of vacant space, because this will lead to an unstable market and shake confidence. No responsible developer will do so, even in competitive markets. JTC's scheme for making annual rental adjustments also seeks to reduce risks for the customer. It caps increases and rental rates at 5.5% per year, when market rates are moving up, but allows customers to fully capture the benefit of any downward price movements in the market.”
“EMA has recently completed a benchmarking exercise for grid charges. While PowerGrid must be allowed to earn sufficient returns to be able to finance new investments in the grid network, EMA will use the benchmarks as an indication of how much scope there is to extract efficiencies out of PowerGrid. EMA's findings are that our grid charges for households compare favourably with that in other jurisdictions. But there is scope to reduce charges for both commercial and industrial users. PowerGrid will therefore reduce its grid charges by 8% on average, with effect from 1st April 2003. For industrial users, grid charges will be reduced by up to 14%. Looking forward, however, we must brace ourselves for higher electricity prices. We do not know how high oil prices will go as the situation in Iraq plays out, or how long oil prices will remain high. Consumers must conserve energy, and manage their energy bills prudently. Overall, our utilities costs do not make us uncompetitive. Even the cost of water in Singapore is still comparable to other major cities, and less than half the cost of water in Frankfurt and Tokyo, for instance. Several Members have asked questions on industrial land, including Dr John Chen, Mr Inderjit Singh and Mr Ang Mong Seng. This is an important area of economic policy. We will ensure that our industrial land market is competitive and responsive to changing conditions. First, as Deputy Prime Minister Lee has explained during the Budget debate, the Government will release sufficient industrial land for sale under the Government Land Sales framework to achieve sustainable, internationally competitive land prices. There is sufficient supply of industrial land to do this for a long time.”
“During recessions and slow growth, as what we have seen in the last few years, profits fall. Even productivity falls. So, if wages do not fall, there is a simple result: unemployment goes up. By making quick adjustments to the CPF and, therefore, to wages, we have avoided a much sharper increase in unemployment. Sir, restructuring our markets to inject more competition has been an effective strategy for bringing costs down. The telecoms and energy markets are good examples of the dividends gained by consumers from market liberalisation. Energy, especially, is an important component of costs. By restructuring the market to inject competition, and by competitive pressures leading the generation companies to switch to natural gas, which is more efficient, we have brought tariffs down. Electricity tariffs today are 8% lower than in December 2001. Tariffs would in fact have come down much further, if not for the significant increase in oil prices last year. The benefits are even greater for the larger consumers of electricity, who are now part of the contestable retail market, which the suppliers can bid for. These larger users have made additional savings in their electricity bills ranging from 2-7%, over and above the 8% drop in tariffs enjoyed by the rest. The EMA is now working with industry players on the next phase of retail market liberalisation. From 224 customers currently in the contestable retail market, we expect another 5,000 customers to be contestable by around June 2003, and another 5,000 by the end of this year. By the end of the year, therefore, 75% of total electricity sales of annual value worth about $3 billion will be contestable. Dr John Chen suggested that PowerGrid should benchmark its grid charges internationally. We agree with him.”
“In this spirit, MTI has recently completed a review of TradeNet charges. We will be significantly reducing Government permit fees for applications made through TradeNet, from $4 per application to $0.90, with effect from 1st April 2003. This measure does not seem like a large one, but it will alone save businesses more than $20 million annually. In total, we are competitive. There are pockets of inefficiency in the economy, areas where we find excess overheads or redundant procedures, and there are industries where costs and wages are still higher than what our capabilities can justify against the competition in China and elsewhere. But there are many areas where we retain an edge in productivity and capabilities, and offer an operating environment superior to what other lower cost economies can offer. That is why we continue to attract high quality investments, OHQs, and new financial market teams, even as we lose some existing activities. If we were not competitive, the EDB would not have been able to attract $8-9 billion of new investments each year in manufacturing alone. So, our economy is going through a difficult period, with most of the external engines of demand weak or sputtering, but we have not become uncompetitive and we are not being hollowed out. Mr Low Thia Khiang had asked why then did we cut the CPF in 1998 and why have we deferred the restoration of the CPF for another two years. We have stayed competitive precisely by making quick adjustments in wages during the downturn, and we will stay competitive by taking the recommendations of the ERC to enhance the flexibility of our labour markets, stay flexible in wages and work practices. That is the way in which we stay competitive.”
“Office rentals have fallen by about 38% since 1996, and are now cheaper than in most competing cities, including cities like Seoul and Beijing, never mind cities like Hong Kong and Tokyo, which are of course much more expensive. Industrial space is not cheaper than in many competing Asian locations, but the gap has been narrowed. Industrial land prices have dropped by about 45% since 1996. JTC rentals are down to the levels of the early 1990s. Competition in the electricity market has brought tariffs down significantly, despite rising oil prices. And the full liberalisation of the telecommunications market has also brought charges down. Mr Inderjit Singh, Dr John Chen, Mr Low Thia Khiang and others have referred to our many Government taxes, fees and charges, and asked whether we are still competitive after adding all these up. Let me first say that the total Government burden on businesses, comprising taxes, both direct and indirect, and Government fees and charges, is low - certainly lower than in most other countries. It is two-thirds of the total tax burden in the US, taken as a percentage of GDP, for example. And the US is regarded as an environment that is supportive of enterprise. We have achieved this because we have kept Government spending low and kept Government smaller and more efficient than most. That is the only sustainable way to keep Government-imposed costs down, not by lowering fees and charges to prevent the costs of services from being recovered. But I agree with the several Members that we have to keep reviewing Government services, keep looking for more efficient ways of doing things so as to reduce costs, and trim charges wherever it is possible to do so while recovering costs.”
“Sir, several Members have rightly spoken about our cost competitiveness. This is an important issue. Our objective, which all Members will agree on, must be to sustain a high income economy. We want a society brimming with affluence and dynamism, leading and not just following. This must mean, as Mr Leong Horn Kee has pointed out, that Singapore ultimately cannot compete as a low cost economy. What we must do, however, is to minimise costs where they are artificially propped up and wring out inefficiencies wherever we find them, in Government, in the markets. We do this by streamlining services, keeping our markets open and introducing more competition, wherever feasible, to moderate price increases. We must also work relentlessly to increase productivity, keep upgrading the skills of the workforce, and build deeper pools of innovative expertise. If we succeed in this, the outcome will be higher incomes, higher wages, not lower. Several Members have referred to the image of Singapore as "high cost" and, therefore, uncompetitive. Is this image, or perception of an image, in sync with the facts? Each Member would, I am sure, have at the back of his mind, some real examples of firms, even industries, that are no longer able to compete in Singapore. There will be real examples. But the facts overall, for the economy as a whole, provide a different picture. We are a competitive economy. Our wages are high but, on the whole, they are made up for by higher productivity. In BERI's workforce study last year, Singapore was ranked first internationally, in Relative Productivity. This refers to productivity-adjusted wages. Across the board, our cost structures have in fact adjusted downwards significantly in recent years.”
“We have trade links with all parts of the world. We have trade links with parts of the world which are politically stable as well as those that are politically complex. I do not think that we should be distracted from providing this connectivity where there is business to be done. If there is a case for security measures, when it comes to relationships with particular cities or countries, that would be undertaken in a sensible fashion. But it should not distract us from being able to conduct trade and boost commerce with all countries in the world. SENNETT ESTATE (Upgrading) The following Question stood in the name of Mr Chiam See Tong - 2. To ask the Minister for National Development whether the recent decision to upgrade Sennett Estate is based on the Estate's eligibility or is it a result of the promise made by the Prime Minister in the last General Election.”
“Mdm Ho is quite right about Yogjakarta's intention to boost its role in the region. They are trying to promote themselves as a cultural, educational and tourism hub to compete with Bali and other centres of attraction in Indonesia. We see this as complementary with us. The more links we have to the region, the better. It enhances our role and we also want the various centres of commerce in Indonesia to succeed. So, it is complementary.”
“I do not have an immediate answer to that, but I am quite sure that we have checked all available sources. FORMER WORK PERMIT HOLDERS MARRYING SINGAPOREANS 11. Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman asked the Minister for Manpower (a) if he will clarify the policy of disallowing former work permit holders from marrying Singaporeans even after they have ceased being a work permit holder; and (b) if his Ministry will consider a timeframe for which a former work permit holder who has ceased holding the work permit, be allowed to marry a Singaporean without facing charges of violating his work permit agreement.”
“All suggestions for best practice are quite useful, I am sure. We are making quite a lot of effort in this process and I think the process is working quite well.”
“We have checked with all the available sources. In other words, where there is information in Government, we would have tapped the information. So these residual cases are cases where we really do not know where they are.”
“I will look into the suggestion of whether we should refer such cases to grassroots organisations, if it has not already been done. But, basically, there is a limit to how far we can track everyone in Singapore, and I suspect citizens do not want the Government to literally track them completely. We are trying our best. The number is quite small, and for this residue of cases we will see what we can do. We are putting every effort into it, but we will not be able to bring the figure down to zero.”
“We are trying our best. I think the processes are already improved. To begin with, before Compulsory Education, the processes were working quite well, but we have strengthened our resources. We have got many more officers now on the job of house visitations. As regards those who we are unable to locate, it is not something that we can do very much more about. Most of these people, I suspect, have gone abroad. Again, if we have any information coming from Members or any other source, we will follow up on it.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, we visit all cases who do not respond to our letters. The first step is sending out letters to the parents. Where there is no response, we visit all cases. Whether the officers are accompanied by specialists in door knocking or in eliciting a response, I do not have the details immediately with me, but I think the officers themselves know how to get a response if someone is at home. The real problem is more in follow-up, where we are able to meet the person at home and there is a reluctance to send the child to school. This is where we need to counsel the parents. The process is working quite well so far. Our main problem is that we were unable to locate 170 pupils last year.”
“Our officers will provide information on community organisations to those parents who need assistance from these organisations. The processes we have put in place are working well. While we will continue to put in our best efforts for children who did not register for school, we should be mindful that it is not always possible to locate each and every child. If Members have information on children who should be in school, but are not, we will be happy to follow up on them.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in November 2002, the Ministry of Education reported that a total of 490 children either could not be contacted or were in the process of being traced. Of these 490, 33 children have come forward and registered for Primary 1 on their own. For the remaining 457 cases, we have managed to contact 287 of them. Of these 287, 263 were overseas, 14 subsequently sought admission for Primary 1, and four were granted exemption. The Ministry is still looking into the remaining six cases out of these 287. As of now, there are 170 children who could not be contacted despite attempts to reach them by mail and house visits. The families of these children may have changed their place of residence, without informing the authorities, although they are legally required to do so. Most of them are likely to have left the country. 391 Singaporean children of compulsory school-going age enrolled in madrasahs this year. 134 were boys, 257 were girls. The implementation of Compulsory Education year has been smooth. The vast majority of children continue to be registered for Primary 1 in national schools. Over 42,000 children or about 96% of the cohort have been registered for Primary 1 in national schools for 2003. This is comparable to the percentage registered for Primary 1 in 2002. Most of those who have not registered are either exempted from Compulsory Education or living overseas. We have put in place a system of house visitation for those who have not registered their children for Primary 1 in the annual registration. For the year of admission of 2003, the house visitation managed to get 24 children to register for school. We have also put in place a counselling and community mediation process to deal with cases of non-compliance.”
“I think principals have a good understanding of this. They know that if a student is expelled from a particular school, he does not gain readmission into that particular school. So there is no adverse implication in an expelled student having to go to another school. There is no implication of the first school having not been convinced as to whether the student is someone who should be taken back as such. Very often, you will find a principal of a school which has expelled a student taking in a student who has been expelled from another school, if he is convinced that the student has turned over a new leaf. PRIMARY 1 REGISTRATION 10. Ms Braema Mathiaparanam asked the Minister for Education (a) how many of the 178 children who could not be traced for registration in Primary 1 have since been found; (b) how many of the 312 children who are still being traced are now in school; (c) what is the proportion of boys and girls in the cohort of 467 children who have enrolled into madrasahs; (d) what is his assessment of the implementation of how the Compulsory Education Act has been put into effect by his Ministry; and (e) what improvements, if needed, can be made to get more children into schools under this Act.”
“First, I do not know of any cases where a student who is genuinely keen to come back is unable to find a place in school. Where, in fact, there is difficulty being encountered, the Ministry of Education does step in to help. Second, schools do not take the line of least resistance. There have been many students who have gained readmission to schools even where the student is not performing well or might require a great deal of resources and attention. They had been taken back in. So it does show that, in fact, our principals are not bloody minded about it.”
“There are no formal guidelines. But I think principals exercise quite good judgment in most cases. Sometimes, of course, it is a case where the level that the person is trying to get back into is up to full capacity in a particular school. We do not have a problem for the system as a whole. But for a particular school, it may be literally full up. Secondly, it may be a matter of the student not being able to convince one principal but being able to convince another because the case is at the borderline. Matters of judgment are involved. But I think we can trust our principals to make good judgments in all these cases. Assoc. Prof. Ngiam Tee Liang: I would just like to follow up on this issue of helping schools which are keen to help but maybe they need extra help with some of the more difficult cases. I think a case is made where principals, if they are not given additional resources and the Ministry says, "Well, you deal with it. If you want it, it is at your risk", then where is the incentive for them to take back these youths? I am just wondering whether the Ministry of Education could actually encourage, and there is some way to give them some incentive or reward, so that it would be an example for other schools, or best practice. I think we want schools to be inclusive, not exclusive. And until we have compulsory education, even if the number is small, we are talking about precious human resources. We know that if we go the extra mile, many of them would turn out to be very productive.”
“To begin with, the number is not large. Quite frankly, if you compare us to any other school system, I would say the rate of drop-out is lower in Singapore. And we would like to keep the discipline in the system, which is a system that says that if you come to the point where you are expelled, you had better put in a lot of effort before you get back in. That is the basic discipline.”
“In the case of students who do not have parents, they will typically be in a welfare home, where we will be able to seek the home's views and advice. So the views of homes or of probation officers would certainly be taken into account. These cases are few, and we deal with them case by case quite sympathetically. What was your second question, Ms Braema? Ms Braema Mathiaparanam: If it is 100 plus 100 yearly, we cannot just have them out there. Is there any form of agency or a system?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, there are several layers to the counselling process, starting with the teacher, going on to professional counsellors and, sometimes, involving external agencies. I do not know how many cases there have been where specialist psychiatrists were called in. I would not be surprised if the cases were few. But it is really for the school to manage and draw on the appropriate counselling resources. The professional counsellors that are engaged by the schools are well-trained. They are trained in some element of psychiatry as well. They are not professional psychiatrists, but where it is really a case that is more involved and requires specialist expertise, schools will be able to draw on the right resources.”
“In many ways, it touches on the same point. The basic point is that the initiative has to come from the student and his parents. I do not think it is desirable to have a system where the Ministry of Education manages this centrally, where we keep track, try to match students, try to ascertain their tone of behaviour and see whether it has reached the point where we can say, yes, he has crossed the mark and he is now to be put back in school. It should be left to the student and his parents to be convinced that they really want readmission to a school. And where they are convinced and they seek readmission to a school and are unable to find a school that will take them in, then we will step in. So, we should not go for a system where the Ministry of Education centrally manages this and tries desperately hard to reduce the figures; in other words, to try to get readmission of all students who are expelled. I do not think that would be good for the system.”
“There are two parts to the question: one, on the process of expulsion, and the other on the process of readmission. On the process of expulsion, the Ministry respects the authority of the principal. The principal reports all such cases to the Ministry and they give the reasons. If we come across a case where it is clearly a matter of poor judgment on the part of the school, we will want to do something. But we have not come across such cases, and we trust our principals to make good judgments. The basic point is that schools go through great effort in trying to prevent such a situation from happening before they really expel a student. On readmission, yes, the Ministry does step in to assist where it finds that a student is genuine in wanting to gain readmission and is unable to get a place despite trying. Those are the cases where we think it is worthwhile stepping in to assist.”
“If the students have great difficulty in seeking readmission to another school, not because they do not want to change over a new leaf but because the new school's principal may think that it is not appropriate to have such troublemakers in the school, what is the best approach the Ministry would suggest to students in that predicament?”
“First, let me reiterate that the number is very small. If we compute them as a percentage of all students, it will be a very small percentage. Second, let me reiterate that schools do not expel students lightly. It is usually after several months of counselling of both student and parent before this action is taken. We should not institutionalise the system by having the Ministry of Education arrange for readmission of students automatically into another school. There has to be more than a modicum of effort required on the part of the student and his parents to gain readmission to a school. That effort is required. It should not be too easy to get readmission to a school, because then we change the whole process, which requires that the student really turns over a new leaf before getting readmission. If it is a process of central allocation, the student can bring a Ministry of Education letter to the principal and say, "Please readmit me." He does not have to change his conduct and his parents do not have to vouch for him. So, yes, it is a system in which it is not smooth sailing for those students who have been expelled to gain readmission. But that is probably for the better. Assoc. Prof. Chin Tet Yung (Sembawang): May I ask the Senior Minister of State whether there is a duty on the part of the school to report to the Ministry of Education when a student has been expelled and the reasons for doing so? And, if there is any dispute between the school and the students, is there any process through which they can appeal directly to the Ministry of Education to look into the case and perhaps mediate on the case?”
“For students who have been rehabilitated and who have changed their conduct and are keen to learn, we will find them a place in schools. I do not know of the specific cases the hon. Member is talking about. But where it is clear that the student has reformed and the home in question is vouching for the student, we should be able to find him a place in a school. The reason why schools do not take expelled students back has nothing to do with a lack of capacity in the system. It has to do with the fact that the student and his parents have not shown that genuine desire to take school seriously.”
“The vast majority of cases that are expelled are on account of very serious and repeat disciplinary offences. An expulsion comes only after repeated counselling, not just of the student but also the parents. How many will be readmitted? I do not think it is possible to put a number on it, because it is really up to the students and the parents rather than the school. I can assure the House that schools go through great effort to prevent the situation from coming to the point at which expulsion is really necessary. So, it is not a situation of schools being quick on the draw. Assoc. Prof. Ngiam Tee Liang (Nominated Member): Sir, there have been cases of juveniles who have been sent to welfare homes, and the probation officers and the staff of the welfare homes face difficulties in getting them readmitted. So, we can say that there is this group of students who pose sufficient behavioural or disciplinary problems and they cannot be readmitted. What is the future for this group of students, if we do not find ways and means to get them readmitted to school and to prepare them for employment in future?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would not drag the ranking system into this. The number of students expelled is actually very small, to begin with. And it is not that students are expelled for performing badly academically as such. They are behaving badly, and they are affecting the quality of the school environment. The student has to have the desire to learn and conform with what the school considers to be appropriate conduct. That is the main criterion. Students who fail to get readmission are usually those who are not able to convince the new school to take them in, that they have reformed, that they have turned over a new leaf, and that they are going to put in that extra effort. That is the reason why they are unable to get in. There are some cases where a student is genuine, remorseful, wants to turn over a new leaf, and the parents are backing up the student. And in those cases where the student is really unable to find a school, the Ministry of Education will step in to see what we can do to help.”
“Where necessary, MOE will assist in their readmission. Upon readmission, the school will provide guidance and counselling to the student to help him maintain good behaviour. Ultimately, however, the student must have a desire to learn and benefit from the educational opportunities offered to him.”
“The principal is in the best position to decide when a student should be removed from the school for serious misdemeanours so as to maintain discipline and good order for the safety and welfare of all students in the school. Schools take a proactive approach to ensure that students remain interested in schooling. The proactive measures that schools adopt include pastoral care, life-skills and career guidance programmes which are aimed at helping students build self esteem, take responsibility for their own actions and develop purposefulness in life. Each school has in place a formal structure involving the Principal, Vice-Principal and teacher counsellors, together with external agencies, such as the self-help groups and family service centres to counsel and assist students with behavioural problems. The intervention measures that schools adopt include counselling the students with the involvement of the parents. Schools also work quite closely with the parents. Dr Amy Khor also asked about readmission to schools. Students who have been expelled can be readmitted to another school. Having students apply directly to the new school for readmission is part of the process of helping them turn over a new leaf. In personally seeking readmission to the new school, the student will have the chance to explain why he is deserving of a second chance. The student will have to give an undertaking to his new principal that he would take personal responsibility for his conduct and attitude. This has been found to be an effective approach in helping the student value his education and eventually improve in the new school environment. MOE has also assisted, where necessary, in the readmission of students who have in fact approached various schools.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the number of students expelled at the primary level was 0 in year 2000, three in year 2001 and four in year 2002. For the secondary level, the statistics were 118 in 2000, 164 in 2001 and 94 in 2002. At the pre-university level, it was six in 2000 and none in 2001 and 2002. The number of students expelled at the primary level has remained small over the last three years, and I should clarify that out of the four who were expelled in year 2002, two of them were really drop-out cases who had Malaysian parents and went back to Malaysia. They have been technically classified as expulsion cases because of absenteeism but they are really drop-out cases. For the secondary and pre-university levels, there has been a falling trend. This can be attributed to the measures put in place by schools, junior colleges and centralised institutes to instill good discipline in their students and to sustain their interest in schooling. A student is expelled if he commits a very serious offence such as assault, and if allowing him to remain would threaten the safety of other students or undermine school discipline. There are also some cases of expulsion on account of persistent absenteeism. Expulsion is only done as a last resort when measures such as counselling, suspension and other disciplinary measures have had no effect on improving the student's conduct or discipline. The Ministry does not have a set of guidelines on expulsion which principals have to follow. The principal has the full authority to decide on the expulsion of recalcitrant students.”
“1 - [Mr Mah Bow Tan]. JUNIOR COLLEGE/UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION Debate resumed.”
“However, what I would like to ask is: has this so-called competition caused schools to lose their collegiality, their sense of cooperation with each other, their willingness to share resources and experiences with each other? Sir, the diversified curriculum would impose a demand on resources, the like of which has never been experienced before. The new curriculum will bring a period of uncertainty too for the schools. There may be a tendency to hoard expertise and experience rather than to share and weld a collegial spirit among all our colleges. So I would like to ask what are the current measures and future measures that are necessary to build up this collegiality in the schools and colleges that hitherto we have not promoted. Sir, in the new age of diversity, we must all the more look for collegiality, among the schools and colleges, among the teachers and students, and among the students themselves. With the diversification also in terms of private schools and public schools, we are entering into an era of what one might call an embarrassing richness of choice and opportunity for students compared to the relative poverty of choice under the old system. I hope that all in this House will of course agree that we must make it work. But in order that the new curriculum and setup will work, educators and manpower planners must provide, I believe, more guidance and direction than that given in the White Paper. Only then would there be public confidence that this sea-change of policy into uncharted and uncertain waters will end up in a safe harbour. Sir, I strongly support the motion. EXEMPTED BUSINESS (Motion) Resolved, That the proceedings on the business set down on the Order Paper for today be exempted at this day's sitting from the provisions of Standing Order No.”
“A balance must be struck between knowledge and skills - which he has addressed very thoroughly - diversity and specialisation, teamwork and individual development. Working out these balances will take time, and as he so properly pointed out, if the balance is properly addressed and worked out, it will be a system that the world has never seen before, and I doubt if any other country can lay claim to having worked out such a system. So instead of a borrowed vision, Senior Minister of State Tharman has convinced me that we can say that this is a bold vision. But, if it is wrongly balanced, we would see an increase in workload and stress, and decrease in the effectiveness of the programmes and a lack of focus in the education given to students. So, of course, I sincerely hope that we will succeed in working this out properly. While supporting the motion, Sir, I would like to raise a problem that does not seem to have been mentioned, and that is whether the implementation of the new curriculum would require not just an increase in human resources in terms of teachers and trainers, but also infrastructural facilities, such as language laboratories, recording studios, what have you, needed for the teaching of communication skills and the like. Has the Ministry already got the plan in place to build such additional facilities in schools selected for this new curriculum? Finally, Sir, I would like to make the point about competition among colleges and schools, the ranking system in this new setup. The ranking of colleges according to their students' performance records, and the like, appears to have created an atmosphere of competition among the colleges and schools.”
“It is true to say that when we shift the balance from the acquisition of knowledge to the acquisition of analytical or communication skills, we are talking of a very serious increase in the number and quality of teachers of these skills. As we found out in teaching advocacy and lawyering skills in the Law Faculty, staff-student ratios have to be drastically reduced in order for such skills to be taught effectively, because the emphasis would be on each individual student and his or her ability to analyse and communicate. We found out, for example, that a staff-student ratio of 1:8 would be just about manageable. Do we intend to increase staff resources to that level? Can we train sufficient teachers in the short space of time available in such skills, and not only in such skills but in imparting such skills to hundreds or even thousands of JC and secondary students? Sir, I would like to emphasise the words of the motion that "the curriculum will better develop thinking, communication and other process skills ." Whether this will actually achieve the result or not depends not so much on the curriculum per se, which only provides the opportunity for the acquiring of such skills, but on the teachers and the time given to the training of such skills to their charges. Sir, this is not to say that the new vision and approach does not promise much. It does. It has many good elements in it. The development of independent thinking, teamwork spirit and social consciousness are critical objectives. They are worth developing for their own sake. It seems, however, that a balance must be struck, and the Senior Minister of State Tharman has addressed some of the problems.”
“As Senior Minister of State, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, has fully addressed this point, even though this is not an unimportant question - and he had said so himself - I think that his answers more than satisfactorily cover the points that I want to make about the fact that even though we broaden the curriculum, it will not be at the expense of the shallowness of learning. And I assume that this will be very important when the new curriculum takes effect. But I think parents and their children may still be at a loss as to how to deal with this interdisciplinary approach. They ask simple and immediate questions, such as what would the new curriculum mean in terms of the chances for my children, for example, to secure a place in the university, in medical school, in engineering or in accountancy or law. Diversity in curriculum may bring uncertainty and even unhappiness to many, particularly in the years that such a new curriculum start because not many people would be sure as to how it would go. But, Sir, I am all for the diversity in the curriculum. I hope that there will be some serious attention given to working out exactly what sort of workers are needed in a knowledge-based economy. We pride ourselves in the past for providing education that would fit our people into different jobs. And a large part of that success has been due to manpower projections about how many engineers, how many doctors, how many lawyers, how many accountants are needed. How will such projections now work in the age of uncertainty? I think this question needs to be addressed and, so far, I believe, has not been quite addressed by the answers given. Sir, I turn next to a problem already referred to by some Members of this House, namely, resources.”
“The focus of education must shift from efficiency to diversity, from knowing to thinking, and from fitting people to specific jobs to equipping them for lifelong learning and creating their own opportunities.' Nice, eloquent phrases. But how true is this? Is this a bold vision, a borrowed vision or a blurred vision? As I understand it, the old vision had to do with educating our students for specific jobs, and for training them to work efficiently. Emphasis was placed on knowledge. Under the new vision, in a world subjected to the demands of globalisation and the knowledge economy, we should provide our students with a diversified education, with thinking skills rather than knowledge and with the ability to be extremely mobile, and to re-educate themselves, if need be, when their employment circumstances change. This is the new vision. If this can be achieved, I think the Minister for Manpower would no longer need to worry about structural unemployment, because workers will re-educate themselves for new jobs. And that would be a wonderful scenario, which would make a lot of sense in the current circumstances, I am sure. Sir, the vision assumes that developing thinking skills and acquiring greater breadth of learning would meet the needs of the knowledge economy. The White Paper states that "in the knowledge economy, an ability to draw on different disciplines will be at a premium." Sir, my first query really is: how true is this? Will depth of learning be sacrificed for the breadth of learning?”
“It is unlikely that one would eventually find it, but in the process of travelling down the roads and the pathways, which seems to be the buzz word these days, we will be enriched and, in some cases, even ennobled. But, of course, some may stumble and fall but the quest goes on. In this House, for the last couple of days, we have been embarking on a journey to search for a better education system for Singaporeans. But, first, I think that our educators deserves credit for the many achievements of past education policies. These policies have enabled Singapore to propel itself to first world status within three decades. Singaporeans owe a debt of gratitude to educators, past and present. As a parent of two children who have gone through the system, I for one would like to say thank you to them for providing my children with an education that is hard to beat, especially if one were to consider the costs of providing for such an education. I am one of those parents who accept that stress is a necessary part of life and education, and that the development of intellectual rigour is of utmost importance in the education of children. Reading Command Paper No. 8, I searched, first, for the vision that must ex hypothesi be different from the one that had held good for nearly three decades. The old vision, if one can call it that, was one that was designed to produce "high levels of achievement by international comparison, and prepared successive generations well for the workplace, citizenship and responsible adulthood." The new vision is stated in paragraph 26 of the White Paper as follows: 'Going forward, we face the challenge of preparing students for a future of innovation-driven growth, and frequent and unpredictable changes in the economic and social environment..”
“For example, EastOne Cluster Art Centre at Siglap Secondary School, which caters not just to students at Siglap Secondary but to the whole cluster. It has three arts galleries, one graphic design centre, one ceramics room and one arts resource library. That is the hardware. It has teachers who are being continually trained, and sharing experiences in how to engage students in the arts. This is something which is spreading throughout the system in our neighbourhood schools. Anyone with a special talent will have an opportunity to develop it. Sir, we are at a turning point. We have not painted an end destination, but I think we are confident about the direction that we are proceeding in. And if we implement carefully, ensure that our teachers are well provided with training, and keep them well motivated, I am confident we will achieve our objectives. Sir, I support the motion. Mr Speaker: Order. I propose to take the break now. I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair again at 3.35 pm. Sitting accordingly suspended at 3.01 pm until 3.35 pm. Sitting resumed at 3.35 pm [Mr Speaker in the Chair] JUNIOR COLLEGE/UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION Debate resumed. Assoc. Prof. Chin Tet Yung (Sembawang): Mr Speaker, Sir, after listening to the comprehensive speech by the Senior Minister of State, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, I can only say that I rise to speak in strong support of the motion standing in the name of the Minister for Education. Over 30 Members of this House have already expressed their views and Members present here will be relieved to know that this has considerably reduced the length of my speech. Sir, as I listened to the speakers, it struck me that the search for a perfect education policy is rather like searching for the Holy Grail.”
“With diversity in place in our mainstream system and with innovation and quality in place in our mainstream system, there is really no need to provide incentive or financial assistance for students to go to private schools. On foreign system schools, some Members have questioned whether we should ease up on some of the rules for Singaporeans to attend the foreign system schools in Singapore. Currently, MOE considers this case-by-case. We will review the guidelines, particularly with respect to children of Singaporeans returning from abroad. But we should bear in mind that the international schools were established for the purpose of catering to children of foreign expatriates working in Singapore and they will have their character shaped by that objective. The children in these schools will not experience the same social environment that our national schools provide, the environment that makes them uniquely Singaporean. Finally, very quickly, the issue of whether diversity is being restricted only to the specialist schools and Integrated Programme schools. This is not the case. Diversity is not just for the top 10%. It is being spread throughout the system. Look at our existing independent and autonomous schools. We have 23 autonomous schools now. 19 of them have already established substantial niches and specialisations of their own in the arts, in sports, in Science, in special areas of learning. Some of them, very recently, but some for several years now. Look at our neighbourhood schools. Through the cluster system that we have set in place, our neighbourhood schools now have available to them the opportunity to develop special talents in a broad range of areas. Take arts.”
“And pupils who join those schools, who have come from the Gifted Programme at primary school, will join those schools as part of their mainstream classes. What the IP schools will do is to apply some of the techniques and programmes of the Gifted Programme across the board to all their classes. The Gifted Education Branch at MOE will support them in doing so. We will continue to offer funding, support, advice on the design of such programmes and the curriculum that is best suited to the top band of students. They will still need to have some programmes that are specific to the very top end of students. But we should have some flexibility in this and allow the schools to shape programmes that best meet the needs of their pupils. Once we have the Integrated Programme schools in place, MOE will discontinue the supplementary selection exercise for admission into the Gifted Education Programme at Secondary One. This is because the Integrated Programme schools and the new specialist Mathematics and Science School, once it is formed, will open up opportunities for more pupils who are not already part of the primary school Gifted Education Programme. So, there will be ample opportunities to join these schools and there is no need for a supplementary exercise to select students for the Gifted Programme at secondary schools. Mr Cedric Foo and a number of others have suggested that we should provide Government scholarships for needy students to attend private schools. I do not think it is necessary or desirable for us to do that. Anyone who qualifies for a place in our national schools, including our independent schools and any of our best schools, will not be deprived of a place on account of financial difficulty.”