Sunday 9 March 2014

Parliament Highlights - 7 Mar 2014

Committee of Supply Debate: MOE, MOF, MOM





Heng outlines vision to bring out best in every child
Education Minister sketches out plan to help students with differing needs
By Sandra Davie, The Straits Times, 8 Mar 2014

BRINGING out the best in every child - this ambition lies at the heart of his ministry's plans to transform the learning landscape here, said Education Minister Heng Swee Keat yesterday.

As he mapped out the journey so far, he also spelt out plans to give students with different needs greater financial help and learning opportunities.

These include increasing the number of school-based student care centres to cover two-thirds of primary schools and new offices to support disabled students in institutes of higher learning.

Other changes, such as those affecting the Primary School Leaving Examination, are still on the drawing board, he told the House.

Earlier, several MPs spoke passionately about their pet topics on education, from the PSLE to special education to the oft-repeated but much-misunderstood slogan of "every school a good school".

Mr Heng laid out what his ministry meant by the pledge. It does not mean every school produces top achievers in the national examinations. Nor does it mean that "every school is the same school".




 For over an hour, he sketched out how this will be done - in every domain of learning, in every school, at every level and no matter what the child's starting point is, and, finally, in partnership with parents, teachers and schools to chart a future together.

Hence, the domain of learning, for example, will not be defined just by academic studies but also activities such as music and sports and courses that build character. This way, students are equipped to navigate a more complex world.

Apart from character and values education, "we emphasise higher-order thinking, collaborative and cross-cultural skills to manage complexity in a globalised information age", he said.

This holistic approach to education will apply to every school, each playing to its strengths.

"We will continue to expand the mix of programmes across our schools, and create a landscape with more distinctive schools, each good in its own way, well resourced with good teachers, and with varied programmes."

He praised several schools doing just that, at every stage, from primary level right up to the different pathways in post-secondary education. The system is working: Some 96 per cent reach post-secondary education with diverse paths to go on to next.

On how the ministry will work on the different starting points of each child, whether he is from a disadvantaged home or has a learning disability, he set out the different help programmes and their further enhancements. These range from the literacy support programme in pre-schools and primary schools to bursaries for ITE, polytechnic and university students. "We must strive for our education system to be open and inclusive," he said.

Finally, the goal to bring out the best in every child needs the dedication of teachers and parents and schools working together.

"We hope that each child can reach his best and go on to be a pioneer in his own way, inspiring others and passing on his best to generations to come, like our pioneers have done," he said, in a nod to the Budget's centrepiece of honouring the pioneers.

Madam A. Saratha, 32, who has a six-year-old son who was disabled by an accident, welcomed the enhanced bursaries and support for disabled students.

Said the sales executive: "I am relieved. Children like my son need all the help they can get to catch up to their peers and do well in school."






40 more student care centres by end of next year
In all, two-thirds of primary schools will have centres catering to 10,000
By Sandra Davie And Pearl Lee, The Straits Times, 8 Mar 2014

 STUDENT care centres, which provide before- and after-school services like homework supervision for pupils, are set to become a standard feature in primary schools here.


In all, two-thirds of Singapore's primary schools will have these centres, Education Minister Heng Swee Keat told Parliament yesterday.

Currently, the 80 centres are used by about 7,500 pupils.

Sited within their schools, they provide meals for the pupils, who are supervised on their schoolwork and encouraged to take part in games and activities such as speech and drama.

"I have visited many of our student care centres, and it is a joy to see happy, engaged children," said Mr Heng.

With the additional 40 centres, there will be room for 2,500 more pupils at these centres, most of which are run by voluntary welfare organisations.

The average non-subsidised fee is $250 a month, but low- income parents pay as little as $5 a month at centres in Ahmad Ibrahim Primary School in Yishun and Keming Primary in Bukit Batok, among others.

The new centres are among several initiatives announced by Mr Heng to help students with different needs, from financial to learning.

He said the expansion of the student care centres will provide a conducive environment for learning, especially for those from less well-off homes.

Ahmad Ibrahim Primary's principal, Mrs Melinder Goh, said with the student care centre sited in the school, it is able to run programmes that reinforce the school's curriculum and values.

Keming Primary's principal, Ms Chew Tock Lee, said her teachers are better able to understand the needs of the pupils from their conversations with the centre's supervisors who work closely with the children.

"There is close communication between the child, the parent, school teachers, and supervisors at the student care centre," said Ms Chew.



Administrative assistant Latipah Hashim, a 38-year-old mother of four, said student care centres are a safer and more reliable alternative to leaving her children at home without adult supervision.

Her two sons, Mohammad Esryan, 10, and Mohammad Nick Irfan, nine, attend the centre in Eunos Primary School.

"I don't let my sons own mobile phones. If they were left at home, I won't know if they are playing or doing their schoolwork," she said.

"But here, they are in school and well taken care of, so it puts my mind at ease when I am working."

The convenience of attending a student care centre in the school was also a big draw for her.

"They don't have to go to some other place on their own after school. Also, the teachers and student care centre staff here know one another," she added.





Student care centres: A welcome move
By Sandra Davie, The Straits Times, 8 Mar 2014

 A HEARTENING piece of news from Education Minister Heng Swee Keat yesterday is the expansion of student care centres in primary schools.

Currently some 7,500 pupils, many of them from low-income households, benefit from the services provided at these centres in 80 primary schools.

Over the next two years, 40 more primary schools will set up such centres. This means another 2,500 pupils will benefit.

 The centres charge on average $250 a child a month. But children from low-income families receive a generous subsidy and in the end, pay as little as $5 a month.

When they attend these centres - most run by voluntary welfare organisations - they receive meals and are supervised for their homework. The centres also run activities and games to engage the kids until their parents pick them up after work.

The care extends to the holiday periods. Many of the centres take their charges on excursions to places such as River Safari and the National Museum and even run overnight camps and movie screenings.

But beyond that, these centres have become a lifeline for children from disadvantaged homes in many other ways.

The staff, trained to look out for children with social and emotional problems, have helped teachers detect problems early on and match the kids with the help they need.

These could range from educational therapy to counselling and financial aid.

Gavier Yee, 11, for example, was weak in his studies and had anger management issues when he entered Ahmad Ibrahim Primary. The student care centre's officers counselled him and persuaded his mother to stop sending him for tuition classes which they felt were counter-productive. They offered him more help with his schoolwork and taught him strategies to manage his anger.

Today, he is in Primary 6. He completes his homework on time and revises his work on his own.

He was in the learning support programme in lower primary for children who lag behind in their language and mathematics, but now he only lags a little in his Mother Tongue language, Chinese, which he is taking at Foundation level.

Mindful of the fact that the children's sustained gains in development are closely associated with parental involvement, many of these centres also conduct talks and workshops to enhance parents' own child-rearing skills.

The problem right now is that demand exceeds supply of places, with many student care centres full to the brim and some having to put children on a waiting list.

The opening of new centres announced yesterday is certainly welcome.

But even as the Education Ministry moves ahead with this expansion to reach two-thirds of primary schools here, it should also look closer at the distribution of places, and make sure that no child - especially one from a disadvantaged home - who really needs a place has to either wait or go without because the centre at his school has no more places.

In future, the Government should also study the feasibility of having a student care centre in every primary school, as some Members of Parliament suggested yesterday.

Some may baulk at the cost, but as many studies show, the price of not providing for disadvantaged children early is much higher social costs down the road.







Sec schools must assess students 'holistically'
Students' personal qualities now part of Direct School Admission criteria
By Pearl Lee, The Straits Times, 8 Mar 2014

ALL secondary schools under the Direct School Admission (DSA) scheme must now take students' character, resilience, and leadership qualities into account when they decide who to accept.

Some schools already consider these attributes during interviews and selection camps, Education Minister Heng Swee Keat acknowledged yesterday.

His ministry will make a "small but important change" by making this practice consistent in all schools to emphasise the importance of personal qualities.

The decade-old scheme lets Primary 6 pupils secure a spot in a secondary school even before they sit the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE).

Pupils are currently considered based on their abilities in some academic subjects, sports or artistic fields.

There were 121 secondary schools which took part in the DSA last year, including Raffles Institution, Methodist Girls' School and Crescent Girls' School.

Last August, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had said in his National Day Rally speech that the DSA criteria would be broadened to include good students with special qualities such as resilience and leadership.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) had said then that more details would be announced later.

With the change, primary schools will now identify the small handful in their cohorts with exceptional personal qualities who thrive in adversity, and secondary schools will consider students "holistically" during the DSA selection, Mr Heng said.

 The move is part of a broader effort to support holistic development.

The minister, however, acknowledged parents and teachers' warning that it was difficult to quantify personal qualities.

"We fully appreciate this. So these are qualitative aspects best observed through daily interactions over a sustained period of time in school," said Mr Heng.

He said that there was no need for parents to send their children to enrichment classes and tuition to prepare for the DSA scheme, and added that MOE does not intend to expand the DSA scheme to include new categories or more places.



 The ministry is also looking into switching the PSLE from the current T-score to a grading system similar to the O and A levels, and Mr Heng said changes will be carefully calibrated.

Agreeing with a point made by the Workers' Party's Mr Low Thia Khiang (Aljunied GRC), the minister said there would be "no sudden changes".

"We will give parents, teachers, schools sufficient time to adjust. Right now we are focused on working with parents so that they may better understand the variegated landscape of our schools, and needs and interests of their children."







WHATEVER THE STARTING POINT
Support at all levels to bring out the best
By Amelia Teng, The Straits Times, 8 Mar 2014

The Education Minister spelt out how the job of bringing out the best in every child must take place in every school, field of study, level, stage, and from whatever the starting point, with the strong partnership of parents, teachers and the community.

A CHILD, for a variety of reasons, may not be able to learn as much as his peers, which is why the education system must be open and inclusive, said Education Minister Heng Swee Keat.

"Children have different needs: Learning needs, special needs and financial needs," he said, adding that the ministry is committed to doing more to support these students at all levels.

Children entering pre-schools can benefit from the Focused Language Assistance in Reading (Flair) if they are weak in their A, B, Cs, he said.

Pupils going into primary school who are not as strong in reading and numbers can take on the Learning Support Programmes and other "levelling-up" initiatives. "These programmes provide support for the weaker 15 per cent of each cohort throughout the primary school years," said Mr Heng. "We already invest up to 20 per cent more on these students over the course of their primary education, compared to average, and this will increase to 40 per cent by 2017 as we expand these programmes."

He also said that the Education Ministry is developing "a critical mass of expert teachers" to support this effort.

"After primary school... we also adopt a whole-school approach for the child," he said, adding that there have been positive outcomes from schools such as NorthLight and Assumption Pathway in helping those who have failed the Primary School Leaving Examination.

"Before these schools were established, attrition rates were as high as 60 per cent; we have managed to lower this to 10 to 15 per cent in a few short years."













AT EVERY STAGE OF THE LEARNING JOURNEY
ITE graduate 'world best' in beauty therapy
By Pearl Lee, The Straits Times, 8 Mar 2014

The Education Minister spelt out how the job of bringing out the best in every child must take place in every school, field of study, level, stage, and from whatever the starting point, with the strong partnership of parents, teachers and the community.

 MISS Catherine Boey turns 21 only later this year but she is already considered the "world's best" in beauty therapy, said Education Minister Heng Swee Keat.

"Catherine won the Gold Medal for the Beauty Therapy skill area at the WorldSkills Competition in 2013 - the Olympics of Skills," Mr Heng told Parliament yesterday. "This is a very intense competition... I am proud that our ITE (Institute of Technical Education) and polytechnic students outshone those from more advanced economies."

Ms Boey, now a teaching associate in ITE, will go for further studies on an ITE scholarship this year. She plans to return to the institute as a lecturer after completing her studies.

Said Mr Heng: "She hopes to be a role model to inspire her students to believe in themselves and achieve their dreams."

Ms Boey, he said, is a good example of how "we are bringing out the best in each child at every stage of the learning journey".

"This journey has many stages, and is a lifelong one. It never ends," he added. "At each stage, a child learns what is appropriate, and builds the basics and fundamentals for the next stage."

To make learning meaningful, each stage needs to be rigorous, well-designed and appropriate for the development of the child, he said.

Today's students, he noted, are exposed to a rich variety of stimuli in reading, writing, mathematics, arts, music, physical education and social interaction. They also enjoy quality interaction with teachers.

He added that it is "remarkable" that today, 96 per cent of each primary school cohort will progress to post-secondary education.

A decade ago, it was 88 per cent.












The moves, which will cost the Government up to $147 million a year, will affect about two-thirds of all Singaporean households, or about 120,000 students in the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), polytechnics and universities.

Education Minister Heng Swee Keat told Parliament yesterday that the qualifying income level for a household on a per capita basis has been lifted from $1,700 a month to $1,900 as of the start of the new academic year. This will allow more people to apply.

Bursaries have also been increased. An ITE student will receive between $300 and $1,200 in the new academic year, so the annual $357.20 in fees for a full-time Nitec course could be covered.

This is up from the $150 to $1,000 that an ITE student received in bursaries previously.

The increased bursaries will also cover 80 per cent of school fees for students at a local polytechnic and 45 per cent of fees for university students from lower-income families.

Eligible university students receive between $800 and $2,900, but this will rise to between $1,300 and $3,600.

Students eligible for the enhanced bursaries cheered the good news yesterday.

Among them was Mr Alvin Loke, 25, a third-year project and facilities management student at the National University of Singapore.

Mr Loke, an only child, has been working as a part-time tutor to support his housewife mother and himself since his father, a lorry driver, died in 2011 from a heart attack.

He earns about $1,000 a month tutoring seven students a week.

"The amount of money I make per month is not fixed because, sometimes during the holiday season, the students will stop tuition for a month," he said.

In the last academic year, Mr Loke, who has a gross monthly household per capita income of $500, received a bursary of $2,900.

The enhanced bursaries mean that he will receive $3,600 when the new academic year begins in August.

"The increase is definitely good news. It will go into paying for utilities, food and transport," said Mr Loke.

Mr Heng said yesterday that the bursaries come on top of other subsidies that students in the local polytechnics, universities and ITE enjoy.

Coupled with the recent concession for polytechnic students' transport fares, "these changes will reduce the financial burden of many students", he added during the Budget debate for his ministry.






MOE must treat every school like a good school
Resource allocation and transparent funding policy can make a difference
By Chua Mui Hoong, The Straits Times, 8 Mar 2014

ASSESSING education policy is always a fraught process.

In part, this is because every Singaporean can claim to be an expert, since just about all of us have gone through school, and many have children going through it.

For another, education is a long process. Changes today take many years to show effects.

For Singapore, there is an added factor: because we're starting from high bases.

What do you do with a system that already produces students who top international rankings of assessments in maths, science, literacy and problem-solving skills?

And what do you do when, despite producing top students, every parent has a view on the system - and much of it is critical?

You need to do two things: Fix the education system from within; and fix it from without.

In a way, fixing from within is the easier part. You improve the curriculum. You raise teacher standards, as former education minister Teo Chee Hean is credited with doing. You give autonomy to schools so principals and teachers can respond to needs better.

You change the things that are going wrong, quietly dismantling the streaming system the way Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam did when he was education minister from 2004 to 2008, blurring the distinction between academic and normal streams by creating more bridges that allow students to flow from one to another.

Current Education Minister Heng Swee Keat is continuing with fixing things from within. For example, he wants more emphasis on values and character, not just teaching content. He has made this the hallmark of his leadership at the Ministry of Education (MOE).

He reiterated this yesterday, when he replied to MPs' many questions when debating MOE's budget in Parliament, saying: "We need to equip our students, not to provide a map with well-marked paths; rather, we need to equip them with a compass and navigation skills."

A compass gives each child a sense of direction, a sense of right and wrong, self-mastery and resilience and empathy, he said, while navigation skills in the form of learning and problem-solving help the student through life.

But the most challenging part of improving education lies outside the school system.

To be sure, some of what parents ask for can be accommodated, such as MPs' suggestions to have more drama/history/Asia/ mother tongue focus.

But parents' expectations on what kind of education they want for their child, and their choice of schools, go beyond MOE, yet are factors that significantly shape the experience of education.

Take the unhappiness over the high-stakes PSLE, which many parents say is too stressful. This cropped up in Parliament yesterday. People's Action Party MP Denise Phua, Nominated MP Laurence Lien and Non-Constituency MP Yee Jenn Jong want some form of integrated school where students can move from seven to 16 without having to sit the PSLE.

The PSLE has become a major stress point because too many parents and pupils bought into the belief that some secondary schools were better than others. They then spent time and tuition money chasing up every last mark and decimal point on the PSLE to win a slot in a coveted school. The PSLE's precise scoring system unfortunately aided and abetted such hyper-competitiveness.

Mr Heng's repeated dictum that "every school is a good school" is an explicit attempt to counter that view. He went to some length to explain what this means yesterday: "Every school a good school does not mean 'every school the same school'. But it does mean 'every school good in its own way' seeking to bring out the best in every child."

He had plenty of examples of schools with programmes that bring out children's creativity.

Real-life stories and anecdotal examples can inspire. But when it comes to winning parents over, nothing speaks as loudly as facts and figures.

 Here, MOE should show parents it means it when it says every school is a good school.

First, it should be transparent about its spending on schools. There is a perception that it spends more on "elite" schools with fancy programmes such as the Gifted Education Programme, or the International Baccalaureate. MOE should reveal data on spending per type of school per student. If it spends more on some schools, it must be prepared to justify it.

Next, it should allocate resources - especially principals and teachers - accordingly, and counter the perception that brand- name schools get more qualified and talented teachers. A recent round of appointments of some well-regarded principals to neighbourhood schools is a good move in this direction.

Third, it can track students' performance, not just in academics, but in sport, co-curricular activities and competitions. Students' post-secondary performance should also be tracked.

Fixing the education system from without is a long-haul process. And it starts with MOE showing Singapore parents it believes in its own dictum.








No shortage of ideas from MPs on improving school system
By Andrea Ong, The Straits Times, 8 Mar 2014

 EVEN as the Education Minister laid out the many changes afoot, ideas came thick and fast from MPs on how to further improve the system.

Several spoke of the ministry's goal to make sure "every school is a good school".

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar (Ang Mo Kio GRC) said she was deeply concerned that the phrase has been misunderstood to mean that a good school is one that excels academically, like Raffles Institution or Hwa Chong Institution.

She pointed out that when Education Minister Heng Swee Keat outlined what "every school is a good school" means, he defined a good school as one that nurtures engaged learners, enables teachers to be caring educators and fosters supportive partnerships with parents and the community.

"There was and still is no mention of a 'good' school being one that has many students with stellar academic results," she said, adding that such results are but one peak of excellence. Some schools have excelled in other areas, such as dance and performing arts, she said.

Dr Intan was one of at least three MPs who called for the ministry to do away with academic streams, reduce segregation and recognise diverse abilities.

Other MPs highlighted aspects of the current system that may perpetuate elitism.

Mr Inderjit Singh (Ang Mo Kio GRC) and Non-Constituency MP Lina Chiam spoke of the recent furore over the Ministry of Education's (MOE) review of funding for independent schools and called for more funding to be given to so-called neighbourhood schools to help them level up.

Mr Singh went a step further, suggesting that schools should be clustered by location so that students of all academic abilities and backgrounds can mix.

He and Mr Hri Kumar Nair (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC) also questioned the relevance of the Gifted Education Programme (GEP). Mr Nair cited studies which challenge the "myth" that some children are naturally more clever or talented as success is more a result of good instruction and hard work.

Noting that GEP students make up 15 per cent of those admitted to secondary schools through the Direct School Admission (DSA) scheme, Mr Nair also questioned if DSA should consider academic achievements in the first place.

Several MPs asked about the ongoing review of the PSLE which will see changes like the replacement of T-scores with broad grade bands.

Workers' Party chief Low Thia Khiang (Aljunied GRC) said his party welcomed the broader review of the education system, but it should "proceed cautiously".

Parents and teachers are getting anxious over the changes to the PSLE, he said, calling for more public engagement and information on the scope of the review.

Mr Low asked MOE to consider adopting a consultative process which would proceed in phases and release topical papers, culminating in the tabling of a White Paper for parliamentary debate.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan (Mountbatten), who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Education, asked for the PSLE to be pushed to a later age when students are more mature and able to handle major exams.

To further reduce the stress of high-stake exams like the PSLE, Ms Denise Phua (Moulmein-Kallang GRC) and WP Non-Constituency MP Yee Jenn Jong repeated their calls for MOE to pilot a through-train programme from primary to secondary school.

Looking ahead to a future where grades will matter even less, Nominated MPs Tan Su Shan and Janice Koh called for the education system to relook past emphases and pay more attention to creativity and soft skills.

 Mr Lim and Ms Tan both cited the example of Google, which is hiring an increasing number of people without college education.

Other MPs suggested tweaks to the curriculum.

Ms Irene Ng (Tampines GRC) said more attention needs to be paid to Singapore's history, while Nominated MP Eugene Tan highlighted his worry about some students' ignorance and condescension towards Asia.

Mr Low and Nominated MPs Teo Siong Seng and R. Dhinakaran stressed that the transformation in the system should not be at the expense of mother tongue.








PROGRAMME THAT SPELLS SUCCESS
More help for dyslexic pupils in primary school
By Amelia Teng, The Straits Times, 8 Mar 2014

 THE Ministry of Education (MOE) will extend help for pupils with dyslexia to another 20 primary schools this year, bringing the total of schools with the scheme to 62, Education Minister Heng Swee Keat said yesterday.

The programme is for dyslexic Primary 3 and 4 pupils who struggle in reading, writing and comprehension even after receiving help earlier. They are identified through a screening process at the end of Primary 2.

The number of pupils diagnosed with dyslexia has increased from 1,800 in 2009 to 3,000 currently, which is about 1 per cent of primary school pupils.

An MOE spokesman said this is because of "increased awareness among parents and teachers, and better identification processes".

She added that since 2005, trainee teachers at the National Institute of Education go through training to learn how to cater to students with special needs.

Under the school-based programme, flash cards are used to show words broken down into their vowel and consonant sounds. This helps pupils connect the sounds and spelling of words.



 The MOE found that those who had attended the lessons improved in their reading and spelling, and were more confident and positive about learning.

This is true for Gan Eng Seng Primary School pupil Beckham Pang, 11, who used to take three days to learn to spell 15 words, and had trouble reading and recognising words.

After receiving help through the programme, he can now learn to spell the same number of words within 10 minutes, said his mother, Ms Goh Bee Suan, 37, an administrative staff.

From failing English, he now scores over 70 marks in the subject.

"Within a few months, I could see a difference. His vocabulary improved, and he was more confident in speaking and asking questions," said Ms Goh, whose husband is a construction supervisor.

She said: "Last time, he did not like to do his homework because he could not understand all the words, but now he finishes his work."





Panel Aspires for better technical education
By Amelia Teng, The Straits Times, 8 Mar 2014

MORE than two decades ago, having an electronic typewriter, a telex machine, a fax machine and a phone routed through the switchboard was considered being at the forefront of technology.

Today, the iPhone is capable of doing these four jobs and replaces the four people who used to do them, Senior Minister of State for Law and Education Indranee Rajah said yesterday, as she explained the need to prepare students for jobs of the future.

Ms Indranee is leading the Applied Study in Polytechnics and ITE Review, or Aspire for short, which was first announced in November last year.

She highlighted how Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam had said in Parliament previously that jobs had been transformed by the pace of technological change, making the future workplace unpredictable.

It is in the context of these changes that the review is being done to keep polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) in tune with the changing economy.

This will be done by strengthening applied learning in these institutions, said Ms Indranee.

She led a study trip to Switzerland and Germany last month to study their models of applied learning.

Elements in those countries, like strong vocational training and industry partnerships, which have led to their success, have also been introduced in Singapore, she said, adding that it shows the system here is "on the right track".

But stronger collaboration and co-ownership between industry and institutions are needed here, and these require a "mindset shift", she said.

In the countries she had visited, companies were responsible for vocational training and taking on apprentices.

They also helped apprentices find schools to provide theoretical education. Employers also invested heavily in training employees.

Another challenge is how society here views vocational training and jobs, she said.

"We have to see each job as something valuable in its own right, and place value on professionalism, technical skills and craftsmanship."

A number of initiatives are being considered by the Aspire committee, like enhanced internships to help students connect their skills to industry demands, and the use of professional certifications or frameworks to recognise skills in some industry sectors.

Other possible measures include better career guidance to better match students' strengths to the courses they take, and support for those not doing well.

Ms Indranee added that Aspire is also looking at continuing education and training for polytechnic and ITE students, so that they have more options after graduating, such as choosing to work or study first, or set up their own businesses and be entrepreneurs.

The technical education review is also looking at how to strengthen research, innovation and enterprise in polytechnics and ITEs, which can play a part in developing young entrepreneurs.






Campuses to have offices to support special needs students
Special fund also set aside for those in poly, ITE to buy assistive devices
By Amelia Teng, The Straits Times, 8 Mar 2014

OFFICES to provide dedicated support for older students with special needs will be opened on campuses across the island, it was announced yesterday.

Every Institute of Technical Education (ITE) college, polytechnic and publicly funded university as well as Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and Lasalle College of the Arts will have the facilities.

Ms Sim Ann, the Minister of State for Education and Communications and Information, said the offices will also organise staff training and work with course managers to ensure that adjustments are made during lessons, tests and exams for students.

She noted that ITE colleges already have a "learning accessibility office" within their student care centres.

These were set up last September and serve as a point of contact for students with physical, learning and behavioural disabilities.

They provide pre-admission help as well by obtaining school reports from a student's secondary school to ensure a smooth transition.

Ms Sim also told Parliament that a fund for special education needs will be set aside for polytechnic and ITE students.

This will provide students up to $5,000 to buy assistive devices for functions such as voice recognition.

Those needing support services like sign language interpretation can receive as much as $25,000.

About 1 per cent of students who enter ITE, polytechnics and publicly funded universities have some form of special needs, including physical disabilities and learning difficulties.

Ms Sim said that more than 3,000 teachers have been trained to have a deeper understanding of special needs, while there are almost 400 allied educators specialising in learning and behavioural support for primary and secondary schools.

 These numbers will increase.

An Education Ministry spokesman said that more than 600 polytechnic and ITE staff have also undertaken a one-week workshop to learn basic skills to support students with special needs.

More staff in these institutions will undergo training programmes over the next few years.





MINISTRY OF FINANCE


'No' to GIC, Temasek taking risk to boost returns
That is not the way to fund higher govt spending, says Josephine Teo
By Yasmine Yahya, The Straits Times, 8 Mar 2014

 GOVERNMENT spending will rise over time, but this does not mean Temasek Holdings and GIC will have to take on riskier investments to fund it, Senior Minister of State for Finance Josephine Teo said yesterday.

Instead, the solution lies in the Government's budgetary measures, rather than a change in these entities' investment strategies.

 The Government can tap up to half of the long-term expected real return from the net assets managed by GIC and the Monetary Authority of Singapore for its budgetary spending, under the Net Investment Returns (NIR) framework.

Half of the expected real returns are hence kept in the reserves, Mrs Teo noted.


GIC and Temasek "must continue to invest with the aim of achieving good, risk-adjusted returns over the long term", which they have achieved this so far, she said.

She was responding to Mr Inderjit Singh (Ang Mo Kio GRC), who had raised concerns that the Government may be spending too much from its investment returns earlier in the debate on the Finance Ministry's budget.

Mr Singh had also asked whether giving higher Central Provident Fund (CPF) returns would be better than sharing benefits through government transfers.

Mrs Teo said many pension funds abroad may promise higher returns, but they also expose their members to market risk.

CPF funds are invested in risk-free Singapore Government securities. Coupled with the Government's fiscal transfers, it is a fair and equitable approach for citizens in the long run.

"In many pension funds abroad, there is the promise of higher returns, but depending on when you retire and the state of the financial markets at that time, your pension withdrawals can vary significantly," Mrs Teo said.

"In our system, with the CPF monies being invested in government securities, it is the Government that bears the investment risk."

Unlike most pay-as-you-go pension systems, the CPF system is designed to be sustainable and does not require intergenerational transfers.

"However, the Government systematically tops up the CPF savings of the lower-income. We do this through Workfare, housing grants and other schemes. These top-ups are all borne by the Budget as explicit fiscal transfers," Mrs Teo said.

Also, though the interest rates on other pension funds abroad may be higher, the returns on any financial instrument have to be viewed in the context of how their domestic currencies perform over time, she said.

"Interest rates are typically higher in countries whose currencies have tended to depreciate over time, because higher interest rates compensate for weaker currencies," she said.






Procurement specialist track to be launched by September
By Yasmine Yahya, The Straits Times, 8 Mar 2014

 A SPECIALIST track for those who buy goods and services for the public sector will be launched by September.

This will give the more than 2,000 procurement officers more structured career pathways and send a "clear signal" of the Government's commitment towards their capability development, Senior Minister of State for Finance Josephine Teo said yesterday.

The track, first announced a year ago in the wake of several high-profile scandals involving procurement, aims to turn it from being a civil servant's secondary role into a full-time job.

These officers will soon have compulsory continuous training, over and above their mandatory basic training on government procurement principles and rules.

Ms Teo added that the Government could build up procurement expertise in specific domains and share it across agencies.

"For instance, IDA (Infocomm Development Authority) will deepen its expertise in developing complex IT systems, agile digital services and data science," she said during the debate on the Finance Ministry's budget.

"This will help other agencies tapping on IDA's expertise to procure the right technologies that will improve service delivery and policy implementation."

Ms Teo also noted that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have had good access to government procurement.

Last year, about 80 per cent of all government tenders - contracts valued above $70,000 - were snagged by SMEs.

In terms of contract value, this was about 50 per cent of the contracts awarded by the Government.

SMEs were also successful in tendering for bigger projects, Ms Teo added.

Among the 1,105 tender contracts valued between $1 million and $50 million called last year, SMEs won 872, or about 80 per cent.

"However, there is scope to help SMEs, in particular smaller SMEs, take on more or larger projects," Ms Teo said.

For instance, in the IT and telecommunications sector, SMEs won 60 per cent of the tenders awarded, which collectively accounted for 40 per cent of the total contract value.

The Government intends to do more to nurture tech start-ups in the IT sector and achieve better outcomes for itself, she added.







Firms to get help to avoid mistakes while applying for PIC scheme
The Straits Times, 8 Mar 2014

 COMPANIES will get help to avoid common mistakes when applying for a cash payout from the Productivity and Innovation Credit (PIC) scheme.

 This is possible when they apply using a Web-based form that has built-in validation checks.

Before the company submits its claims, the application process will trigger an alert on how it can avoid common mistakes.

From early next year, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (Iras) will also process most PIC claims within two weeks, instead of taking three months.

These changes will result in businesses getting their PIC cash payouts with less paperwork and in a shorter time.

As for companies applying for tax incentives for their research and development (R&D) projects, they will have a clearer idea on whether they qualify for them by June. Several government agencies are reviewing and improving the note it issues companies on the criteria for the R&D incentives and what qualifies as R&D activities.










MOM finds over 50 firms filling posts with too many non-locals
By Amelia Tan, The Straits Times, 8 Mar 2014

 THE Manpower Ministry has found more than 50 companies which have been filling professional positions with too many non-Singaporeans, after it started a search for such firms at the start of the year.

The companies have been asked to implement action plans to improve their human resource practices, Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin said in Parliament yesterday.

 The issue for some of the companies was not unfair hiring practices though, he added. Rather, they faced difficulties in employing Singaporeans because of a "gap in skills" in the local workforce.

Mr Tan said the authorities will work closely with the industry to explore ways to support more manpower-lean business models, or develop a local pipeline of workers with the relevant skills and experience.

The minister did not say which sectors the errant companies belonged to.

However, human resource experts said that it is likely the list could include information technology and financial services companies, which are anecdotally known to hire many Filipinos and Indian nationals for white-collar work.

Mr Tan's comments came after Mr Patrick Tay (Nee Soon GRC) and Mr Zaqy Mohamad (Chua Chu Kang GRC) asked for an update on rules announced by the Government last year to make companies consider Singaporeans first for professional jobs.

A key plank of the new framework is an online, government-run jobs bank. From this August, companies will have to post advertisements on it for at least 14 days before they can apply for an Employment Pass for a foreigner.

Firms with 25 or fewer staff, as well as those hiring for jobs that pay $12,000 and above a month, are exempted from the rule.

Mr Tan said the jobs bank will be launched in the middle of this year.

The Singapore Workforce Development Agency is currently working with employers and job-seekers to test a beta version for the website.

Mr Tan said: "We will refine and improve the jobs bank as we gain more experience and feedback from Singaporeans and employers."

Singapore Human Resource Institute president Erman Tan said some companies' hiring managers may be foreigners who prefer to hire workers from their native countries, based on recommendations from friends.

He said the ministry needs to work closely with such firms to ensure that local candidates are considered first.

"If the locals do not have the right skills, the firms should look at training them. If that cannot be done, Singaporeans should be hired to support the foreign managers, who can impart skills to the locals," he said.
















Govt may let foreign workers switch jobs
Review could help cut turnover of experienced staff
By Amelia Tan And Toh Yong Chuan, The Straits Times, 8 Mar 2014

 THE Manpower Ministry (MOM) is discussing with businesses how best to ease the rules so that foreign workers can switch employers under specified circumstances.

The aim is to help reduce the turnover of experienced workers who now must be sent home should their employers go bust, fail to pay them or are abusive.

In announcing the move in Parliament yesterday, Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin said: "This (lifting the restrictions) is something that MOM has been looking at for some time and I am keen to take it further, if possible."

He was responding to a call by Mr Yeo Guat Kwang (Ang Mo Kio GRC) for the restrictions to be lifted as it tends to stop workers from airing their problems for fear of being sent home.

Currently, work permit holders, except for maids and construction workers, cannot change employers.

But even for maids or construction workers, they must first get a letter of consent from their current boss before they can move.

In making his call, Mr Yeo, who is chairman of foreign workers group Migrant Workers' Centre, asked for the MOM to consider letting workers change bosses only under certain circumstances.

For example, if a worker is nearing the end of his contract, has legitimate grievances against his boss or if his employer agrees to a a transfer.

Mr Yeo also said that while surveys by his centre show that generally, foreign workers are happy to be in Singapore, more can be done to ensure they are paid fairly and have good accommodation.

He said the bulk of complaints handled by his centre in the past five years were disputes on salary payment and the way their pay is calculated.

These can be resolved if employers are required to transfer by Giro the salaries to the workers' accounts, said Mr Yeo.

He also urged the MOM to raise standards of foreign worker dormitories by tightening regulations and enforcing them.

Minister Tan said he will consider Mr Yeo's Giro suggestion. He also said the MOM is drawing up new rules for dormitories and will build more of these facilities.

Mr Tan, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Hawazi Daipi and Senior Minister of State Amy Khor took turns to lay out the ministry's priorities, responding to questions from more than 20 MPs.

Mr Tan told the House the Government will focus on creating good jobs for Singaporeans and training them for the jobs. It is also revamping the continuing education and training model.

Targeted help will be given as well. Low-wage workers in the landscape sector will come under a compulsory progressive wage model which will see their pay go up, while professionals, executives and managers may get more help from unions and the MOM when they are locked in dispute with their companies.

Firms that put their workers at risk, especially at construction sites, will be dealt with severely.

But those who worry about further foreign worker curbs can breathe easy. Mr Tan said: "We are not introducing further tightening measures this year, with the exception of the increase in foreign worker levies for the construction sector."

The curbs are already showing in the services sector, he noted. The number of S Pass holders rose by just 1,000 in the second half of last year, far fewer than the 8,100 in the second half of 2012.











Govt can't let up on efforts to boost low pay
By Toh Yong Chuan, The Straits Times, 8 Mar 2014

 THE tone of Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin's speech in Parliament yesterday was generally upbeat, but there was a sobering remark which could easily have been missed.

"As we transform the economy, there will be natural limits to what education and training can do for all Singaporeans. There will still be Singaporeans working in lower-skilled jobs," he said.

The statement in itself would not have been alarming, had it not come two days after Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam warned of the risk of job polarisation in Singapore, a process where top-end positions are created while middle-end ones disappear.

Taken together, both statements paint a dim picture of the prospects for low-skilled workers.

If the middle-end jobs, which these workers can aspire to, disappear, and there is a limit to how training can boost their prospects, what is there for them to look forward to?

For these Singaporeans stuck in the trap of low-skilled, low-wage jobs, the government efforts to boost their salaries cannot let up.

There are a few measures which can help. First, do not rule out making wage ladders compulsory in other sectors. The Manpower Ministry has now singled out 80,000 locals working in the cleaning, security and landscape sectors for pay rises under the progressive wage model scheme.

But they are only a fraction of the more than 400,000 workers who earn below $1,500 each month.

Second, there has to be a clearer link between training and pay increases. The ministry repeatedly cites a survey between 2008 and 2010 to show that training has led to wage increases of between 2.6 per cent and 4.6 per cent.

But it is unclear if these increases resulted directly from training, or whether there were other contributory factors.

A possible option is to have custom-made training plans tied to wage ladders for low-wage workers, so that they get a raise in pay after they complete training courses.

 Third, there are just too many government training programmes.

For example, there is the national Workforce Skills Qualification framework, which said it has trained one million workers since 2005.

There is the continuing education and training masterplan launched in 2008 as a national training road map.

In 2010, the Workfare Training Support scheme was introduced to give training subsidies for low-wage workers.

The many helping hands approach may be welcomed in the social services sector to help the needy. But for workers' training, having a unified national system will be more accessible and far more effective.

The Government has said it is reviewing the national training plan. It is a good start.






Workers may get to work till 67
By Toh Yong Chuan, The Straits Times, 8 Mar 2014

 OLDER workers could soon opt to work till age 67.

The Government is looking into raising the re-employment age ceiling by another two years, Senior Minister of State for Manpower Amy Khor said in Parliament yesterday.

She was replying to Mr Heng Chee How (Whampoa), the National Trades Union Congress' deputy secretary-general and Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, during the debate on the Ministry of Manpower budget yesterday.

He asked for a time frame for the age extension so that companies can plan for the change.

But Dr Khor said the ministry would announce the details, "including the appropriate time frame for raising the re-employment age", when it is ready.

Since January 2012, companies have been required by law to rehire workers aged between 62 and 65, provided they are healthy and their work performance is satisfactory.

Dr Khor said its implementation "has been smooth". An official survey found that private-sector companies rehired nearly all who turned 62 last year.

Two in three workers did not suffer pay cuts, she added.

But the Government is not relying solely on legislation to support the employment of older workers, she said.

A committee of unions, companies and government officials has been formed and it will run programmes to coax employers to hire older workers by highlighting, among other things, their positive attributes and the experience they bring to the company.

Dr Khor also touched on the Central Provident Fund minimum sum in her reply.

She assured the House that there will be no further changes any time soon to the "real" value of the sum, which now stands at $148,000.

The amount is the minimum that workers must set aside for their retirement when they turn 55. It has been rising steadily since 2003 to take inflation into account.

Any changes to it will be for inflation purposes, said Dr Khor.










Progressive wages may be extended to landscape sector next
Tripartite cluster to be set up to discuss issue, says Hawazi Daipi
By Janice Heng, The Straits Times, 8 Mar 2014
LANDSCAPING firms may eventually have to meet labour movement pay guidelines to be licensed, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower Hawazi Daipi said yesterday.

The progressive wage model, which sets career ladders with pay benchmarks, is voluntary in most industries - except cleaning, and soon, security. Now, landscaping might follow.

But Mr Hawazi stressed that there is no plan to legislate the model beyond these three sectors.

He noted that these are the ones where "cheap-sourcing" is prevalent, with companies competing on costs to secure contracts.

Wages are higher in landscaping than in the other two sectors, but have still stagnated at around $1,000 for several years, he said.

This has meant few local workers going into the sector, though the number of jobs is increasing.


Mr Christopher de Souza (Holland-Bukit Timah GRC) had called for the move earlier in the debate, as it would ensure "a clear path for career progression and an increase in wages".

Complying with the model has already been made a licensing requirement for cleaning firms.

They have until September to ensure that all new contracts pay basic wages in line with the recommendations.

By September next year, this requirement will apply to all existing cleaning contracts as well.

Similarly, the security tripartite cluster is now negotiating over the model.

"When ready, the Government will apply the progressive wage model requirement to the licensing regime that is in place for the security sector," said Mr Hawazi.

The model is expected to help more than 80,000 local low-wage workers in cleaning, security and landscaping.

Nominated MP Mary Liew had also asked about extending the concept to professional, managerial and executive (PME) jobs, though she did not call for legislation.

In hospitality, for instance, the model covers not just rank-and- file workers, but PMEs too, noted Mr Hawazi.

But he stressed that mandating the model is "a very targeted intervention... It is not appropriate for the Government to do this for all sectors and for all occupations".





Idea of mandatory eldercare leave will be reviewed
By Janice Heng, The Straits Times, 8 Mar 2014

THE Government will look at whether to make eldercare leave mandatory, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower Hawazi Daipi said yesterday, four months after his ministry said there were no such plans yet. This is part of efforts to deal with Singapore's ageing society, he added.

He was responding to calls from MPs on both sides of the House. People's Action Party MP Fatimah Lateef (Marine Parade GRC) noted that many elderly people are taken to and from medical appointments by family members who may be working.

She suggested annual eldercare leave of one week per worker as "a good number to start off with".

Fellow PAP MP Ellen Lee (Sembawang GRC) noted that her party's Women's Wing called for mandatory eldercare leave at its annual conference last month.

And Workers' Party MP Lee Li Lian (Punggol East) said that the two days of eldercare leave which civil servants get are "a good start, but... not enough."

 She also cited a 2010 Manpower Ministry survey finding that only 10.6 per cent of private companies offered eldercare leave, and these were large firms with 200 or more workers. "This is again plainly insufficient," she said.

In reply, Mr Hawazi said: "The Government will review the issue of legislated parent or eldercare leave as part of our broader efforts to address the challenges of an ageing society."

This was a shift in his ministry's stance last November, when such leave was suggested by Nominated MP Mary Liew and Dr Chia Shi-Lu (Tanjong Pagar GRC). Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob had also called for it last October.

"We do not have plans to legislate any family leave schemes at this present stage," Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin said last November.

Both then and yesterday, however, MOM noted the need to let firms adjust to new and enhanced leave schemes from last year's Marriage and Parenthood Package.

It includes benefits such as a mandatory week of paternity leave to encourage Singaporeans to have children.

Mr Hawazi said yesterday: "We need to give businesses some time to adjust and adapt, not just to these leave requirements, but also the broader effects of the economic restructuring and foreign manpower tightening."

Such consideration would be a boon to short-handed small and medium enterprises, said Mr John Kong, managing director of building supplies firm M Metal.

"In principle, I think it is a very good move. I have no objections. But the timing is important."

It might be better in two years' time, "when the dust has settled" from restructuring, he suggested.






Watchdog to widen scope to help overworked and older workers
By Joanna Seow, The Straits Times, 8 Mar 2014

WORKERS who are overworked or who face prejudices because of their age will soon be able to take their grievances to Singapore's anti-discrimination body.

 After eight years of protecting employees from unfair labour practices based on gender, race, language and nationality, the watchdog is widening its scope, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower Hawazi Daipi said yesterday.

Singaporeans now want "more space to pursue other goals and priorities outside of work", he said. Older citizens and disabled persons are also still concerned about discriminatory employment practices, he observed.

"We believe that good and more progressive workplace practices will not only mean better jobs and quality of life for Singaporeans, but also help companies attract and retain more local employees, which is important amidst foreign manpower tightening," he said.

These new areas will be covered by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (Tafep), which will continue its approach of promotion and education. This, despite several MPs calling for Tafep to be given more teeth through anti-discrimination legislation.

Such laws, said Mr Hri Kumar Nair (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC), would "carry a strong moral force". He also pushed for a labour tribunal to be set up.

Mr Zaqy Mohamad (Chua Chu Kang GRC) suggested making Tafep a full statutory board or a regulatory agency, saying: "Today, many people see (it) as a lightweight organisation..."

In response, Mr Hawazi said it remains difficult to prove discrimination, pointing to the experiences of other countries.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is also exploring "an expeditious and affordable avenue for dispute resolution". To meet the needs of a diverse workforce, MOM is also looking to improve the Work-Life Grant, said Mr Hawazi. It provides firms with up to $160,000 over three years when they introduce flexi-work.

Tafep will also scale up its operations in the next year to cover such work-life harmony.

"The expanded Tafep will therefore retain its original purpose of promoting fair employment practices, even as it takes on this expanded role," he said.






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