Govt wants to encourage PRs to attend local schools: Tharman

By Sharon See, Channel NewsAsia, 16 Jun 2013

Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said the government wants to encourage permanent residents (PRs) and those who intend to stay in Singapore for the long-term to attend local schools rather than international ones.

Mr Tharman was speaking to media after a dialogue with Indian youths on Sunday, organised by the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA).

International schools bring a competitive edge to Singapore in its role as a business centre, allowing children of expats to have an uninterrupted education.

A forum moderator at the session had asked: "There's already a bit of problem between the integration of the expats and Singaporeans, and would these international schools develop more of these problems with integration?”

The key is striking the right balance, said Mr Tharman. He added the government does not intend to have unlimited growth in international schools in Singapore.

This comes after the government released more land for international schools in August 2012.

Speaking to reporters after the forum, Mr Tharman said composition is important.

He said: "The composition is important. So we're not keen on having too much expansion on schools that are only for one ethnic group or one nationality. That balance has to be found. To be more specific, we're not growing the Indian school component on an unlimited basis at all. In fact, we'd like to ensure that we cap that capacity so that that isn't the growing segment basically.

“Especially for those who are PRs, those who are here in Singapore for the long term, we want as much as possible that their children go through our national schools, so we're finding the right balance, we're not expanding all segments of the international school community equally."

A finance student asked if she stood a chance in a sector that is attracting many foreigners.

Mr Tharman said the overall proportion of professional jobs held by Singaporeans in the financial sector is "well above majority".

The Monetary Authority of Singapore is mindful about ensuring Singaporeans are well-represented across the job functions.

Mr Tharman said: "We noticed there are differences between the banks; that the banks are not all the same, some of them actually have Singaporeans much better represented in the range of functions, and in some others, the Singaporeans tend to be very much in the middle and back office… It's making sure there's a good representation of opportunities, a good spread of opportunities for Singaporeans within the different banking functions, not just getting an adequate overall number of Singaporeans in the financial sector.”

The hour-long forum is part of the annual SINDA Youth Leaders Seminar, attended by 145 youths aged between 16 and 24 years old.

Over the three-day camp, the participants also had to put on their thinking caps to come up with practical solutions to problems that the Indian community is facing.

For the first time, this year’s seminar had a community service component, where participants gave out hampers and helped to clean the houses of under-privileged residents in Taman Jurong.

'Crucial that S'pore core can land top banking jobs'
Tharman: Singaporeans should also be well represented across positions
By Poon Chian Hui, The Straits Times, 17 Jun 2013

WHEN it comes to jobs in the banking sector, the challenge is not just to make sure that Singaporeans are adequately represented.

It is also important that they take on a good spread of positions, including the best jobs in the front office for treasury and trading, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said yesterday.

He added that the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), together with the Ministry of Manpower, started "very active discussions" more than a year ago with banks here about their plans to develop the "Singapore core".

Mr Tharman, who is Finance Minister and MAS chairman, was speaking on the sidelines of a dialogue with Indian students at Hwa Chong Institution. He told reporters the local core in banking is "not just about numbers".

"It's about proactive career development, and making sure that Singaporeans are represented in the areas of the banks which are going to see growth opportunities," he said. "It's making sure there is a good spread of opportunities for Singaporeans within the different banking functions."

Without going into details, the minister said differences in hiring mixes between the banks have been observed. "Some of them have Singaporeans much better represented in the range of functions. In some others, Singaporeans tend to be very much in the middle and back office," he said.

His comments were sparked by a dialogue participant's concern that there were high numbers of foreigners in the financial sector.

In a similar vein, another student inquired about the role of international schools here. It was announced last year that new sites would be released by the Government for international schools.

After the dialogue, Mr Tharman explained that part of Singapore's competitiveness as a business centre is that children whose parents travel from other countries to work here can have an uninterrupted education at quality international schools.

But diversity is also important. "We are not keen on having too much expansion of schools that are only for one ethnic group or for one nationality," he said.

"For those who are PRs and those who are here in Singapore for the long term, we want as much as possible that their children go through our national schools," he added, noting that this has to be done in the "right proportions".

The dialogue for Indian students was held as part of the Singapore Indian Development Association's three-day seminar for youth leaders. Other topics discussed included national identity and the cost of living.