Haze forces closure of schools across Singapore on 25 September 2015

Unprecedented move due to possibility of PSI hitting hazardous levels: Heng Swee Keat
By Joanna Seow and Lester Hio, The Straits Times, 25 Sep 2015

All primary and secondary schools in Singapore have been forced to close today (Sept 25), after hazy conditions - the worst this year - threatened to become hazardous.

PSI levels yesterday crossed into the very unhealthy range. At 10pm, the 24-hour PSI had soared to 223- 275. Beyond 300, it is hazardous.

This is the first time Singapore's schools are being closed due to the haze.



The decision was made "given the prediction that we cannot rule out the possibility of the haze condition getting into the hazardous range," said Education Minister Heng Swee Keat last night, at a multi-agency briefing also attended by Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say.

Some GCE O-level exams set for today have been postponed, while the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) hangs in the balance, as written papers are set to begin next week.



"There will be no national shutdown of workplaces," said Mr Lim, though he added that companies should take measures to help employees, such as enforcing more frequent breaks and making work less strenuous.

The Government is also adding to earlier measures to help people cope with the haze: vulnerable and needy Singaporeans will be able to collect masks from 108 community centres islandwide from 10am to 10pm from today.



Organisations are already taking steps to safeguard members of the public and workers.

The Singapore Sports Hub, for example, suspended strenuous outdoor activities and fast-food restaurants like McDonald's and KFC halted delivery services for now.

There might be some respite over the weekend, as winds are forecast to shift.

But the hazy conditions might last for another month or more, as this is an El Nino year which could see dry weather until November, warned Dr Balakrishnan.

"Our offer of assistance to (the Indonesian authorities) is still on the table, and we still stand ready to work with our Asean partners to resolve this problem," he reiterated.

Foreign and Law Minister K. Shanmugam affirmed this stance and described his observations in a Facebook post last night. He wrote: "As I walked around, the impact of the haze, on people, was obvious. I was coughing, eyes itching, the heat oppressive. Our senior citizens must be feeling much worse."

Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who was visiting emergency workers in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan on Wednesday, had planned to inspect ground conditions and firefighting efforts in Sumatra yesterday but worsening conditions in Kalimantan prompted him to postpone the trip.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong reminded people to take care of their health.

In a Facebook post yesterday, he wrote: "Please drink plenty of water, and avoid going outdoors if you can. Look out for neighbours and friends, and stay safe."

It's the tiny things in the haze, not its look or smell, that matter

By Linette Lai, The Straits Times, 24 Sep 2015

It is that time of year again - when N95 masks fly off the shelves, air purifiers get dusted off, and complaints about sore throats and dry eyes soar.

Some days, people in Singapore wake up to an acrid smell, while smog-like shrouds block out the horizon and private planes have to be diverted to Johor.

But as bad as the air might look or smell, the average Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) readings over a 24-hour period have not gone into the "very unhealthy" range (201-300), instead swinging between "moderate" (51-100) and "unhealthy" (101-200).

Experts say that people should not draw conclusions on air quality based on just visibility levels, or how bad the haze smells.

What do the 24-hour PSI, 3-hour PSI and hourly PM2.5 readings mean? NEA's Chief Scientific Officer explains how you should adjust activities according to these #SGhaze indicators. http://bit.ly/1QJiLQTVideo: Talking Point
Posted by Channel NewsAsia Singapore on Tuesday, September 29, 2015

The haze could be more visible because there is more water vapour in the air, according to the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources. And the smell may be caused by other compounds generated when vegetation and peat are burned.

"The low visibility and acrid smell associated with the haze... are subjective and cannot be used to measure air quality," said air pollution researcher Erik Velasco of the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology's Centre for Environmental Sensing and Modelling.

Instead, one of the best ways to determine how unhealthy the air is in real time is to look at the one-hour PM2.5 levels published by the National Environment Agency (NEA), say experts.

Typically, two types of particles make up the haze.

There are the coarser ones, which the human body is mostly equipped to filter out. These particles are large enough to be trapped by the nasal passages or end up being passed directly through the body.

The bigger worry is the PM2.5 pollutants - so called because they are no larger than 2.5 microns, or a thirtieth the diameter of a human hair.

These can become trapped deep in the lungs and are tiny enough to pass through linings into the bloodstream.

Long-term exposure to these particles on a regular basis has been linked to increased risk of death from heart and lung complications such as lung cancer or heart disease.

On a regular, non-hazy day, the maximum concentration of PM2.5 is usually between 20 and 35 micrograms (mcg) per cubic m, said Dr Velasco. They start becoming a serious problem when the numbers hit 100, and dangerous when they exceed 200.

November 2015 launch of 12,000 flats to include Bidadari units

Two launches merged to let more benefit from new housing policies, says Khaw
By Yeo Sam Jo, The Straits Times, 24 Sep 2015

The highly anticipated Bidadari development will be part of a mega Housing Board flat launch in November, when around 12,000 new flats will be put on the market.

Of these, about 7,000 will be Build-to-Order (BTO) flats located in six towns, including Punggol Northshore, Bukit Batok, Choa Chu Kang, Hougang and Sengkang. The other 5,000 are balance flats not sold in previous BTO exercises.

The bumper crop is the result of merging this year's remaining two BTO flat launches, including one scheduled this month, in a bid to include the implementation of three major housing policies - two of which were announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the National Day Rally last month.

These were increasing the household income ceiling for new HDB flats from $10,000 to $12,000, and enhancing the Special CPF Housing Grant. This grant will be extended to households earning up to $8,500, up from $6,500 now.

Posted by Khaw Boon Wan on Tuesday, September 22, 2015

National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan posted on his blog yesterday that combining this month's BTO exercise with November's was a practical solution. He wrote: "As implementation of any new policy does require some time, we therefore decided to delay the September BTO launch by a few weeks, so that these initiatives can benefit as many Singaporeans as possible."

The fresh initiatives also include a new Two-Room Flexi scheme that allows elderly buyers to choose shorter leases.

The highlight of the mega launch will be the 2,130 Bidadari flats, said property analysts, who expect them to cost more owing to their central location on the city fringe.

Shuqun Secondary School bullying incident

Creating a bully-free school a responsibility for all

Schools should be a safe and nurturing environment for all students. Unfortunately, the reality is that schools are also places where bullying episodes can take place.

While bullying is a social concern for many, most people do not know how to deal with it. At the Singapore Children's Society, we believe that the crux of a bully-free school environment lies in making anti-bullying a priority issue among students, parents, school personnel, educational authorities and the community at large.



It is especially pertinent that members of the entire school community are made aware of their roles and responsibilities in preventing or stopping bullying behaviour. We have been working towards this goal since 2004.

The Singapore Children's Society has been organising talks, workshops, group work and campaigns to help students identify bullying behaviour and understand its corresponding detrimental impact.

We also have various programmes designed to help victims, bullies and bystanders.

Bystanders can be protective figures and they can be empowered to discourage bullying in a safe manner.

In addition, we also conduct annual Bully-Free Ambassadors Training Camps, a public roadshow, forums, and training for teachers and parents.

To better understand the bullying phenomenon and develop more effective strategies to manage it, we have conducted a series of research studies and are continuing to do so.

In the light of the alleged bullying incident at Shuqun Secondary, the Singapore Children's Society has offered its services to the school ("Jurong school counselling students in bullying video"; Tuesday).

We would also like to spread the bully-free environment to all schools and would gladly work with the Ministry of Education to do so.

While we may not be able to totally obliterate bullying in schools, there is still much we can do to minimise its occurrence and reduce its impact on students.

More tips and information can be found on our microsite, www.bullyfreecampaign.sg

Ho Lai Yun (Professor)
Chairman, Research and Advocacy Standing Committee
Singapore Children's Society
ST Forum, 24 Sep 2015

IDA PlayMaker Programme: Tech toys to help pre-schoolers learn

By Lester Hio, The Straits Times, 24 Sep 2015

Technology in the form of toys and robots can help pre-schoolers with their cognitive development and social growth, as they are more interactive and physical, compared with screen-focused technology such as iPad apps.

With this belief in mind, the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) has developed a programme called PlayMaker which is centred around using technology-enabled toys to build creative confidence in young children and familiarise them with technology from a young age.



Pre-schoolers as young as five from the PAP Community Foundation Sparkletots pre-school at Yuhua Block 223 are the first in Singapore to play with these toys in a pilot programme for PlayMaker, ahead of its full rollout next year.

One such toy is the BeeBot, a bright yellow robot that teaches children problem-solving, logical thinking and teamwork.

It carries four directional arrows on its back, along with a "Go" button. Teachers will place the robot on one of 25 numbered squares on a mat and tell their students which square they want the robot to go to.

The children must then plot a route of the squares they want the robot to visit before hitting the "Go" button, in an effort to teach them sequential thinking.

The IDA plans to roll out these toys at 160 pre-schools from next January as part of its $1.5 million PlayMaker programme.

Australian Governor-General adds finishing touches to '50 bridges' mural in Clementi

The mural is the largest of 50 paintings by Australian street artists, part of the "50 bridges" initiative launched in May to celebrate SG50, as well as to commemorate 50 years of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Australia.
By Nadia Jansen Hassan and Kenneth Lim, Channel NewsAsia, 23 Sep 2015

Australian Governor-General Peter Cosgrove, who is in Singapore for a four-day state visit, applied the finishing touches to a mural in Clementi West on Wednesday (Sep 23).

It is the largest of 50 paintings by Australian street artists, part of the "50 bridges" initiative launched in May to celebrate SG50, as well as to commemorate 50 years of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Australia.

CNA news report 23 Sept 2015
Channel NewsAsia Singapore report on Day 3 of Australian Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove's state visit to Singapore. Watch the video to find out more about our last SG50 gift to Singapore - an awesome street art by artist Matt Adnate on an entire HDB block in Clementi - the grand finale to our '50 Bridges' art and community engagement program #sg50oz
Posted by Australia in Singapore on Wednesday, September 23, 2015

“It's pretty significant to me,” said Melbourne artist Matt Adnate, who painted the mural as high as an HDB block. “You know, painting in Singapore, it's a pretty amazing country, it's a very famous country as well, so to have a massive wall like this in such a renowned city, I'm definitely pretty lucky.”

Mr Cosgrove said: "I am so delighted to represent Australia, especially at this symbol of our great congratulations on the 50th anniversary of Singapore's establishment, or as a country, its independence. At every hand, we've been greeted wonderfully, warmly, from the President, through the Prime Minister, to the ordinary folk of Singapore, we've been made to feel welcome.

"Australia and Singapore are forming a wonderful partnership in the region. I congratulate Matt Adnate, the artist, whose work symbolises Australia's regard for the people of Singapore, and we congratulate him and thank the people of Singapore for receiving this gift of art."

Minister in the Prime Minister's Office S Iswaran, who accompanied Mr Cosgrove, said the Governor-General's visit was a special experience for Clementi residents. He also said the "50 bridges" initiative helped enliven the HDB landscape.

Said Mr Iswaran: “As the Governor-General has mentioned, it's a close relationship bilaterally and also in various international fora. And I think this particular initiative, which brings a bit of Australia into the heartlands of Singapore, will go a long way towards deepening the close people-to-people ties between our two countries.”

Expats' poll shows Singapore the best place to live and work

By Ann Williams, The Straits Times, 24 Sep 2015

Singapore has topped a poll of the best places in the world for expatriates to live and work.

It provided the right balance of career opportunities and lifestyle as well as a stable economy, according to HSBC's latest Expat Explorer.

Confidence in Singapore's economy is the highest compared with all other countries, the survey showed. Nearly eight in 10 expats in Singapore (79 per cent) are confident about its economy compared with a global average of just 48 per cent.

The HSBC Expat Explorer sought the views of 21,950 respondents from 39 countries, asking respondents to rank countries based on career prospects, financial well-being, quality of life and ease of settling for partners and children.

Singapore came out tops based on its rankings among the three broad categories of economics, experience and family, pipping New Zealand and Sweden in second and third place, respectively.

Mr Matthew Colebrook, head of retail banking and wealth management, HSBC Singapore, said: "Singapore provides the perfect blend of career and lifestyle, which makes it a preferred destination for expats."

IRAS nets record tax revenue of $43.4 billion in FY 2014/15

Bumper take for last financial year as firms, individuals earned more in stable economy
By Rennie Whang, The Straits Times, 24 Sep 2015

The taxman raked in record tax revenue in the last financial year as both individuals and companies earned more in a stable economy.

Total tax collected for the year to March 31 climbed to an all-time high of $43.4 billion, according to the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore's (IRAS) latest annual report out yesterday. It was 4.4 per cent higher than the $41.6 billion collected in the previous financial year.

This was in line with the economic showing as Singapore grew about 3 per cent and the global economy hummed along, said DBS Bank senior economist Irvin Seah.

Income tax, which formed the bulk of IRAS' collection, rose 8.8 per cent to $23.4 billion for the year. Corporate income tax collection rose 5.4 per cent to $13.4 billion while individual income tax collection rose 16 per cent to $8.9 billion. Withholding tax came up to $1.1 billion.

As a gauge of earnings, listed companies generally grew their earnings last year, thanks to modest economic growth, easy monetary conditions and a stable financial market, said Fundsupermart research and content manager Ho Song Hui.

"The strongest earnings growth was seen in the financials sector last year... driven by the three local banks, select property-related companies and real estate investment trusts."

When it comes to individuals, Singapore is still running at full employment, so overall increases in salary costs contributed to the higher earnings of individuals, said KPMG head of tax Tay Hong Beng.

SMRT to be fined S$5.4 million for 7 July 2015 train disruption

Disruption that affected 413,000 commuters could have been prevented, says LTA
By Neo Chai Chin, TODAY, 23 Sep 2015

Rail operator SMRT will be fined S$5.4 million for Singapore’s worst train disruption, which affected 413,000 commuters two months ago, the Land Transport Authority said today (Sept 23).

The operator was fully responsible for the July 7 incident and had fallen short in maintenance — failing to address water seepage in the tunnel between Tanjong Pagar and Raffles Place stations, for example — the LTA found.

“The incident could have been prevented if SMRT had rectified the tunnel water seepage as required under LTA’s Code of Practice for maintenance,” the authority said.

The fine is more than double the S$2 million imposed for the two disruptions in December 2011 that affected 221,000 commuters.

In the days following the July breakdown of the North-South and East-West lines for more than two hours during the evening peak period, market analysts worked out the highest fines that could be meted out possibly. One analyst suggested a figure of S$50 million.

With the fine now decided, a transport expert and netizens are wondering what’s next, should a similar disruption happen again.

Under the Rapid Transit Systems Act, operators can be fined up to S$1 million or 10 per cent of their annual fare revenue for the affected line, whichever is higher.

LTA chief executive Chew Men Leong said it decided to impose a “high” financial penalty because of the seriousness of the incident and the number of commuters and motorists inconvenienced. The fine will go to the Public Transport Fund to help needy families.

The value of seeing other points of view

Being open-minded can help you to gain a better understanding of people, the world - and yourself
By Gary Hayden, The Straits Times, 22 Sep 2015

One of the character traits I most admire is open-mindedness: the willingness to consider things from other people's points of view.

The French essayist and philosopher Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) was renowned for this.

He was so interested in seeing life from different points of view that he even tried to imagine how life must be for his animals.

He tried to envisage how the world must seem to his dog with its heightened sense of smell, and he tried to understand how his relationship with his cat might appear from the cat's perspective.

He wrote: "When I am playing with my cat, how do I know she is not playing with me?"

But what most interested Montaigne was trying to understand how the world seemed to other people, especially those from very different backgrounds and cultures.

He was once invited to meet some Brazilian cannibals who were visiting France at the invitation of King Charles IX. He jumped at the opportunity. Like everyone else, he wanted to learn first-hand about the culture and practices of these "barbaric" people who ate the flesh of their defeated enemies.

But, unlike everyone else, he was equally keen to find out what the cannibals thought of the French.

When he questioned them, through an interpreter, one of the things they told him was that they were shocked to discover that there was inequality in France.

There were people who gorged themselves with every kind of choice food, while outside their doors, there were people who perished from hunger.

The cannibals were no less shocked at the inequalities of French society than the French were at the cannibals' practice of eating human flesh.

Reflecting upon this, Montaigne wrote: "Each man calls barbarism whatever is not his own practice; for indeed, it seems we have no other test of truth and reason than the example and pattern of the opinions and customs of the country we live in."

His willingness to listen helped him to gain a balanced view of the visitors' society and customs.

So although he criticised some aspects of their culture, he also found much about it to admire.

Just as importantly, his willingness to see things from their perspective helped him to gain an insight into some of the faults of his own society.

Popping the filter bubble

Your social media feed may not reflect reality, so tear yourself away from it to discover the world outside
By Ignatius Low, The Sunday Times, 20 Sep 2015

According to my Facebook feed, the world consists of animals (mostly dogs) doing cute, sad or amazing things, celebrity musicians on late-night talk shows, tech freaks with hack tips and gym freaks with training tips.

And, oh, the most important nations on earth are Taiwan and Japan, both having citizens that take an awful lot of selfies.

Of course, I'm exaggerating (or am I?) but I was recently compelled to take a closer look at the items that appear in my social media feeds.



Like many others, I was somewhat surprised by the results of the recent General Election.

In my line of work, I scrupulously avoid following any politician on social media, so my social media feed is relatively free of party propaganda.

Although my friends list skews more to the left of the political spectrum, there is a good spread of personalities and viewpoints.

Yet judging by the postings I saw on my Facebook feed and the comments that followed them, I could have sworn support for the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) and the opposition would be much more even when the votes were finally counted.

I certainly did not imagine the landslide for the PAP that materialised and it became obvious in the comments and postings of the post-election period that most of my friends didn't either.

To many of us, the election showed in the most dramatic fashion that sometimes, the world that you think is faithfully mirrored by social media doesn't quite match up to the reality outside.

And that got me interested again in a phenomenon in the online world known as the "filter bubble".

The term was first popularised by Internet activist Eli Pariser, who wrote a book on it and also gave an influential 10-minute Ted talk which is well worth watching.

Basically, filter bubbles are created when algorithms on websites such as Facebook and Google try to personalise the Internet experience for users.

The algorithms analyse information about a user, such as what he likes to click on to read or watch and the friends he tends to follow the closest. They then serve only news articles, postings or videos that is their best guess of what the user might like to see.

As a result, the user starts to become separated from any information that he disagrees with. He sees only the information and viewpoints that he likes, effectively isolating him in his own cultural or ideological bubble.

MOE Work Plan Seminar 2015: Volunteers sought to help students explore career options

MOE Work Plan Seminar 2015
MOE building network of professionals to reach out to the young; ex-Nasa scientist, film-maker among partners
By Pearl Lee, The Straits Times, 23 Sep 2015

If you are an established professional in fields like the humanities, business or the sciences, the Ministry of Education (MOE) wants to work with you.

It is building a network of volunteers to work with primary and secondary schools, and link them to industries and communities, to help students get a better idea of possible career options. This is in line with SkillsFuture, a national move to equip students and workers with industry-relevant skills.

Speaking at the MOE's annual work plan seminar at Ngee Ann Polytechnic yesterday, Education Minister Heng Swee Keat said: "We want to pool resource persons so that our schools can draw on their support to strengthen their programmes. When parents, teachers and the community work together, we multiply our efforts to make every student an engaged learner."

For a start, 16 individuals and one organisation - the Agency for Science, Technology and Research - across seven areas have come on board. Partners in the network, named Community of Pathfinders in Action, can plan activities such as talks and job attachments to reach out to students and parents.

While some schools with longer histories can tap their alumni networks for the same purpose, not all schools have the same access to such people, Mr Heng noted.

"Some of our newer schools do not have strong alumni or the same profile in the community. We want to help every school and provide them with resources," he said.

MOE aims to have 300 individuals in the network by the end of next year, and 1,000 by end-2018.

Their work will complement that of education and career guidance counsellors, who help students learn about their strengths and plan education and career paths.

By next month, 50 such counsellors will be deployed to schools. This will grow to 100 by 2017.