Committee of Supply – Head K (Ministry of Education)

11.30 am

Equipping Schools, Priority for Schools

Mr Lim Biow Chuan (Mountbatten): Sir, I beg to move,

That the total sum to be allocated for Head K of the Estimates be reduced by $100.

Sir, allow me to start by commending MOE for its outreach to listen to many parents and the community. I am pleased to see the moves by MOE to provide more different options for students of different abilities and for the heavy investment in our ITEs, Polytechnics and JCs.

In an article published on 14 June 2010, Prof Linda Darling-Hammond, a Professor of Education at Stanford University, she wrote about how Singapore had built an education system that would assure every student access to strong teaching, an inquiry curriculum and cutting-edge technology. She complimented the quality Singapore education for empowering students to use their knowledge in inventive ways. She cited a visit to Nan Chiau Primary School and how she found eager Primary 4 and Primary 5 students eagerly displaying their science projects which they have designed and conducted. Students study plants, animals and insects in the school's eco garden; they run their own recycling centre, they write and edit scripts for Internet radio programmes that they produce, etc. Sir, I am sure for those in this House who have children of Primary school age, you will find that your children are also involved in the same kind of activities.

Sir, reading her article brought a sense of pride in me. That a Professor of Education from Stanford University would be complimenting Singapore as a "high achieving nation" in education is something for all of us to be proud of. It suggests to me that even by the standards of a developed country, the Singapore education system is really quite a strong one. Of course, there are also areas where we can improve upon. But, overall, I would say that, on balance, I am satisfied that we do have an excellent education system.

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Next, Sir, let me thank the Minister for the focus on values and character development in schools. It is a topic that I have spoken about since I entered Parliament in 2006. I am grateful that the importance of values and character development is recognised at schools. During my dialogues with parents, many parents have also expressed support for this emphasis. Without the right values being inculcated, whatever academic subjects our students may excel in, we may not achieve the desired outcome that we wish to see in each of our students.

In last Saturday's Straits Times , there was a special report about values and what matters most to Singaporeans. Values like honesty, kindness, gratitude, fairness and forgiveness rank as the top five values which the survey respondents hold close to their hearts. The survey also suggested that parents play the most important role in character education of a child, with teachers or schools ranked equally high. Sir, I urge MOE to continue in its efforts to ensure that these values are constantly affirmed by our schools to the students. School leaders and teachers must take the lead to share such values at every teachable moment with their students. And this can be done not just during CIP events or Kindness Week but, on a daily basis, during CCAs like sports, arts and music periods or during everyday class lessons. Where possible, the schools should also rope in parents to be involved in their child's character development as well.

This brings me to the topic of schools and how they prepare our students for the future. Sir, many parents are anxious about the schools that their children get into. Thus, every year, during the Primary 1 registration process, parents would be stressed as they wish to ensure that their child enters into a good branded school. I am sure for many Members in this House, July is the time when we all wait eagerly for such appeals. About a week or two ago, the Straits Times ran an article about possible changes to the Primary 1 priority scheme. Since then, many parents have expressed their concerns about the possible changes. Sir, it is a sensitive topic. I can see both the strengths and weaknesses of both sides of the arguments. In fact, I have parents who were thinking of whether they should buy a property near a branded school because they were wondering whether there would be changes to the priority scheme. I do not think there is an easy answer. I would urge MOE to consider a review of the scheme. So, I pass the buck back to MOE. Perhaps, we can consider one of the suggestions, which is to give slightly more priority to Singaporeans.

But the longer term solution is to realise the vision which the Minister had expressed during last year's MOE Work Plan Seminar – that we should strive to ensure that all schools in every neighbourhood are good schools.

Every parent must be assured that whatever school they choose for their child, it is a school that will help their child to develop into the best that the child can be. This may mean more financial resources for the school and sending excellent principals and teachers to the schools. We should emphasise less on academic results and place more emphasis on the kind of students that graduate from the schools.

Last year, when I chaired the selection committee for the President's Award for Teachers, I note that several nominees came from schools in the neighbourhood. As I read each referral from parents, students and teachers about the nominee, I was touched and impressed at the dedication which the nominated teacher demonstrated towards the students under their charge. Sir, I believe that we have many such excellent teachers in every school. As a member of COMPASS, over the past few years, I have visited several schools and, from my observation, many of our teachers do a great job in looking after our children, imparting knowledge and skills to them and guiding them in their lives. And we should acknowledge these teachers for what they have done to mould the lives of our children.

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May I ask the Minister what is MOE doing to ensure that we have good schools across Singapore that will help the student develop and grow and how can the schools reach out to parents to convince them that all schools are good schools. Could we have more details of MOE's plans? How else can we encourage our schools, students and parents to focus on all rounded development, on developing their character as well as a broad range of skills? What else can we do to instil the joy for learning in our students? How can we ensure that our students are acquiring the right competencies that will prepare them for the future? Could the Minister share with this House what is MOE doing to ensure that all schools will deliver student-centric, values-driven education?

Defining Good Schools

Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong (Tampines): Sir, the vision of MOE is for every school to be a good school. However, parents tend to perceive only a small group of schools as being "good" and these are the so-called brand name schools. This is why parents focus so intensely on access to these schools. As a result of this fixation, the so-called "neighbourhood schools" have a hard time convincing parents that they are good schools too. They face several challenges, not least of which is their own neighbourhood's demographics. If the neighbourhood has a higher proportion of low-income or minority races, this tends to be reflected in the school population.

Sir, we need to tackle this problem head-on. If left unaddressed, this will lead to ever-dwindling enrolment, and plunging morale of both staff and students in the neighbourhood schools. Such public stereotyping can also lead to low expectations and low self-esteem of their students.

Education is one of the most powerful instruments of increasing social mobility, and we must focus more attention on neighbourhood schools to ensure a level playing field. Meeting this challenge calls for both a paradigm shift and additional support for neighbourhood schools. Schools with a higher proportion of disadvantaged students may not score well in academic rankings. Their children may be bright, but it takes greater effort and skill to help them reach higher levels of achievements, compared to those from advantaged backgrounds.

I know of a case from Qiaonan Primary School. One boy from a dysfunctional family came to Qiaonan in his graduating year in Primary 6 last year. His attendance in the previous school was erratic. His parents were undergoing a divorce and a Police Protection Order had been served on his violent father. His mother relocated to Tampines for a fresh start. The teachers in Qiaonan took him under their wing and they provided him with the support for his learning, behaviour and emotional needs. They worked closely with his mother.

In the boy's early days in the school, he was temperamental. One outburst led to a fight with a classmate. Where some might have given up on him, the teachers persevered. Their efforts paid off as he steadied himself, made friends and studied hard. He managed to graduate to a secondary school by year end. Given his circumstances, this was itself a real achievement. His teacher gave him high marks for resilience and told me: "With such positive outlook, he will be able to soar high in future undertakings."

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Such stories are a testament to the good work of the school. Neighbourhood schools like these understand their mission and deserve more recognition. They also need more resources. I would urge MOE to provide neighbourhood schools, which have a higher proportion of disadvantaged students, a higher pupil-teacher ratio above the "norm". They can then do more to deliver tailored programmes to these students, engage the parents and also have joint projects with the wider community to brand themselves better.

I would also urge MOE to provide more funding to the struggling neighbourhood schools, not based on headcount, as is the case now, but based on their specific programmes and needs. Some schools have been suffering from falling enrolment and without an injection of funds, they cannot improve.

I would like to ask the MOE how it ensures that all our schools are "good schools", and how we can change the perception of parents on what counts as a good school.

Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai (Moulmein-Kallang): From the points made by the two hon Members earlier in asking for MOE to look at what defines a "good school", Sir, the criteria by which one defines "good" is often very subjective and also depends on what the appropriate measure of success ought to be. The development and inculcation of good character and moral values and resilience in our students are intrinsic and cannot be easily quantifiable or measured. Thus, could the Minister explain how it defines "good" and the criteria by which that assessment is to be made? When setting out the criteria and measuring success, there is often a temptation to rank schools based on performance. Can the Minister explain if the Ministry would encourage that practice? Further, what additional steps will the Ministry be taking to achieve the vision of every school in Singapore being a good school? Would the MOE be able to harness and support the sharing of good practices across all schools without being overly prescriptive?

Finally, Sir, education is a partnership between the school, the child's family and the community. This partnership is essential because education is not only a classroom activity. Learning in life is equally important. What can be done to better cultivate this partnership and how can we enhance a student's learning outside the classroom?

Values and Equal Opportunities in Education

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar (Ang Mo Kio): Mr Chairman, there has been a lot of talk lately about the roles and expectations of teachers who are measured with a more rigid yardstick and stringent set of rules and others. This is to be expected, as teachers are seen to be the ones to impart not just knowledge and skills but also values to their young charges. However, while moral decisions and actions of teachers cannot be compromised, teachers also cannot be expected to be the sole provider of values education to children. Parents and the society at large have equally important roles to play in demonstrating and nurturing desired values in our children. Hence, the framework for Character and Citizenship Education should not just require teachers to demonstrate desired values within the curriculum and in school, but should also require parents' involvement in imparting and nurturing these values in children, as well as the commitment and participation of community partners and the society at large.

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Much has been done to create opportunities in our education system for students of different backgrounds and abilities to ensure equity among them, such as the different educational pathways for varied abilities, lateral transfers between academic streams and assistance schemes, such as the School Breakfast Programme, Learning Support Programme, Financial Assistance Scheme and Opportunity Fund. However, there are still areas where work is to be done. For instance, the establishment of the two specialised schools for Normal (Technical) and the various specialised independent schools might give rise to greater segregation amongst students of different abilities and academic streams, unless there are dedicated efforts to ensure they can integrate and work with one another.

I would like to propose a review of the Gifted Education Programme where students as young as nine years old are streamed, to select and smaller classes of higher ability students taught by specially-trained teachers. First, identifying such gifted students at that age is rather premature. Second, if such high ability students deserve smaller classes and specially-trained teachers, then so do Normal (Technical) students in mainstream schools, who are at the other end of the academic spectrum. In addition, I hope that the Ministry can review the entry requirements for students into the Special Assistance Plan (SAP) schools. It is recognised that SAP schools are top-performing schools and the demand for entry is rather high. However, the main entry criterion is that only students who take Chinese as a Mother Tongue language are eligible for admission. This perpetuates the perception of a lack of equity among those in the non-Chinese communities. While the demand for places in SAP schools by students who do not take Chinese as a Mother Tongue language may not be high, removing the barrier to entry because of one's Mother Tongue will demonstrate equity and fairness regardless of race, language or religion, as enshrined in our National Pledge.

Hence, I would like to request for the Minister to share with the House the proposed plans for involving parents €”

The Chairman: Dr Intan, could you wrap up your speech, please?

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: Yes. And community partners in incorporating CCE in schools, and initiatives to ensure the integration of students from the different streams.

In conclusion, I hope the Minister will consider reviewing the need for the GEP and the eligibility criteria for admission to SAP schools, in the spirit of creating an inclusive Singapore society.

11.45 am

The Chairman: May I please remind Members to keep their speeches to the times allotted. Mr Ang Wei Neng.

Character and Citizenship Education (CCE)

Mr Ang Wei Neng: Mr Chairman, Sir, we have received many good feedback since the Minister for Education introduced CCE last year. As pointed out by many Singaporeans, students are shaped by values demonstrated by adults in our own society. Hence, it is important to use real life examples to teach our students.

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One recent example is the Not-in-My-Backyard attitude demonstrated by a small number of residents in Singapore when the authorities want to build elderly-friendly facilities in their neighbourhoods. We understand these residents have their valid concerns. At the same time, it appears that the majority of the Singaporeans are of the view that it might be better for some of these residents to channel their resources to engage the authorities to address their concerns on the loss of use of communal space rather than highlighting the fear that the value of their HDB flats would drop. Some residents cited there would be more "deaths" in their neighbourhood as one of the reason for a possible drop in their flat value. When the dust on the debate on the Not-in-My-Backyard attitude versus the need for more elderly facilities is more settled, would MOE consider using such episodes as CCE teaching materials?

To make CCE lessons livelier, MOE could consider engaging MediaCorp to produce drama series to demonstrate the society's shared values without losing the entertainment value.

I hope MOE could take the above suggestions into consideration when constructing the CCE curriculum.

Holistic Education and Values

Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong: Sir, there is a concern that our school children are too stressed over grades, and so burdened with school assignments, tuition and enrichment classes that they are finding it tough to cope. The situation has become so acute that, as a newspaper reported recently, some parents are paying tutors to help their children complete their homework. Some are also sending their children to psychiatrists.

Sir, these developments raise three questions. First, is the education system so competitive that students cannot get off the treadmill? Second, how does this picture fit into MOE's emphasis on character building as part of the holistic development of our students? Third, how are we equipping our children with the skills and values to cope with life's challenges?

Sir, in the midst of the growing pressures in our society, we should not lose focus on the central importance of character-building, as it lays a solid foundation for the education of our young. If the foundation is firmly laid, they would be better able to deal with the pressures of 21st Century living. They are trying to find their place in the world, and to carve out an identity in the face of increasing pressures from society. Parents may add to their pressure by sometimes holding unrealistic expectations. They are often too busy with work to spend time guiding their children in forming values. At the same time, in this globalised and wired world, our young are bombarded with all sorts of ideas through the Internet.

Sir, as children spend the better part of their day in school, teachers play a crucial role in equipping our students with the reasoning skills and moral values to face the challenges of living in a fast-changing world. Teachers should use every opportunity to integrate moral values into the curriculum and themselves provide a good role model.

The teaching of values is more effective through the active participation of students in putting these values regularly into practice. By constant reinforcement and validation from a young age, a value taught in school will stay with him throughout his lifetime. There are many community projects that schools can get involved in which can impart life's lessons and skills to our children. For example, help the frail elderly to clean up their flats or to develop a programme to help keep an estate clean and green.

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For this to succeed, however, MOE needs to provide more support and incentives to teachers to seek out such opportunities and commit the time. They themselves are burdened by their already heavy teaching and administrative load and have existing KPIs to meet. But the effort would be worthwhile.

As I often tell the students at my constituency's Edusave bursary award presentations, academic results are but only one aspect of a good education. Character development, the opportunity to interact with people from diverse backgrounds and abilities, the space to fail, to get up and discover one's strengths and to enjoy learning – these are very important aspects too.

Indeed, increasingly, enlightened employers recruit people for their character and values – whether they are innovative, resilient, honest and engaged people – not so much paper qualifications or how many "A"s scored in what school.

Given this direction, I would urge the MOE to consider recognising students who stand out for their exemplary values and civic responsibility. Also to reward schools and teachers who go the extra mile to integrate moral education into their curriculum, so as to clearly signal the importance of holistic development, and not just academic achievements.

I would also like to ask the Minister for his assessment on the delivery of a holistic education in our schools, given the competing demands and pressures, and his vision on the road ahead.

Character Development and Education

Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: Sir, in Budget 2012, education is put forward as one of the pillars of an inclusive society. One of the best ways to invest in our children is to continually improve and transform our system to meet the needs of a new generation of children and equip them for the future. As Minister for Education has said previously, "Education is a long-term endeavour and we must be therefore long term in our vision and in our planning. If we get our policies wrong, then the impact would be felt by a whole new generation of Singapore citizens."

At the opening of Parliament, the Ministry has made clear that values and character development will be put at the front and centre of an education system which will foster holistic development of our children. Sir, I hope that policies will also be designed around this concept to build a sense of shared values and respect and resilience so that we can appreciate and celebrate the diversity in our country.

Sir, the Ministry's reaffirmation at the opening of Parliament is timely but I would also say that it is not a new policy. In 2006, we had the "Teach Less, Learn More" movement. This movement involved, amongst other things, a focus on holistic development beyond preparing for just tests and examinations. Sir, we all agree that values and character development should be placed at the forefront and at the core of any good system. But the question is: how is it different from our earlier initiatives? What worked in 2006 and what did not? And how is this going to be introduced and implemented in schools today? It will be counter-intuitive, I think, to make values and character development a teaching module because it cannot. We cannot just set aside some time in the curriculum to teach core values, character development or moral fibres. Instead, these concepts have to be woven into the fabric of our system. It has to permeate all that happens in schools. It cannot be taught like any other subject or content-based curriculum.

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Good values and strong character traits have also to be experienced. It has to be lived and imparted by example. It has to be demonstrated and exemplified by our school principals and teachers on a daily basis and reinforced by the community and parents at home. At the end of the day, character is built and values instilled by giving our children an opportunity to live life's experiences. In that context, what can the Ministry do to better train and equip our teachers to meet this challenge? Character development must be integrated into the curricula and experiences of children and embedded into the culture of the school and the classroom. I hope the Ministry can consider this approach and realign our focus in our school curriculum so that the relevant measure of our students is not just the academic grades achieved but also in the student's fundamental precepts and moral values. We might need to have a very significant mindset shift not just of the school, the Ministry and the children involved but also of the parents and the community at large to reinforce the message that quality education is much more than just academic development.

Integrated Programme

Mr Yee Jenn Jong (Non-Constituency Member): We started the Integrated Programme (IP) in 2004 to allow higher ability secondary school students to skip the "O" levels into the "A" levels or its equivalent. I wish to propose an alternative IP, from Primary 1 to Secondary 4. The current system puts huge pressure on students, parents and teachers in Primary schools to prepare for the PSLE. Various Members in this House, including myself, had spoken on the excessive pressures in our school system. A Straits Times article last month reported more parents taking their Primary school kids to see psychologists after doing badly in school tests, some as young as Primary 2. The purpose of PSLE and other major exams appears to be to sort students into different streams and into different schools. Our highly competitive examination-driven system has resulted in high dependency on tuition and drilling for exams rather than education for the joy of learning.

Sir, I understand this is a difficult and emotive issue as there are parents who may feel a competitive system is desirable. However, there are parents, like myself, who can accept that our children need not fight to be in the best schools. The current system offers us no choice at all because of the dreaded consequence of the child doing badly in a major examination at aged 12. Many parents feel their child's future is determined by the PSLE. Many private schools globally already through-train students from Primary to Secondary, including overseas schools based on the Singapore curriculum. Some of these schools have done well in international tests despite not subjecting students to standardised examinations at Primary 6. Finland switched to such a through-train system nationwide with encouraging outcomes. Its PISA test scores are comparable to Singapore's.

I would like MOE to consider piloting Primary through Secondary IP schools with the same level of funding per student as any Government or aided school. With such schools, Primary education need not be focused on grinding out results just for PSLE and schools can spend more time on values-based education. The post-Primary section will eventually prepare students for a recognised examination, namely "O" levels, "A" levels or even the International Baccalaureate. By that time, students are more mature and better able to handle stress. Existing school groups may opt to run such a programme. There are already aided schools in Singapore with affiliation schemes where the majority of Primary students enter the affiliated Secondary schools. Such schools have long histories and are trusted education brands. They are potential candidates to kick-start the programme. MOE has implemented holistic assessments since 2010. The experience of holistic assessments can be incorporated to ensure the rigour in learning throughout the years of studies in such pilot schools.

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Sir, I believe we have the calibre of management and teachers in Singapore to achieve this. I hope MOE can do a serious study on making this option available.

Independent Primary Schools

Mr Laurence Lien (Nominated Member): Mr Chairman, as I mentioned during the Budget debate, I believe education in Singapore is increasingly becoming a positional good that favours the well-to-do. Specifically, the PSLE examination is marked on a bell curve; so there are winners and losers. You can only get up if you force others to go down.

The PSLE constantly forces parents and teachers to work on, emphasise and reinforce the weaknesses of children, which turns them off learning. The child's strengths should rightly be emphasised instead. The system is too one-size-fits-all, and does not fit the learning styles of many children. For example, a child who is a kinaesthetic learner learns best through moving, doing and touching. His or her learning gets compromised in our current system.

There is a massive misallocation of resources nationally. A high proportion of kids take tuition, while poorer parents just do not have the resources to give their children the extra help. I have estimated, using data from the Department of Statistics' Household Expenditure Survey 2007/2008, that Singaporeans are spending more than $820 million a year on tuition. This does not include enrichment activities or the cost of homemakers spending hours fetching their kids to multiple programmes, or parents essentially sitting the PSLE examinations with their kids. What can $820 million buy? More than 10,000 new teachers, with spare change to help renovate schools to accommodate them.

We are stuck. Many parents dislike the system but they are afraid to opt out and change their existing practices. Some opt out by homeschooling their kids, but MOE is now penalising those kids in Secondary school admission. Some teachers have fed back to me that they, too, dislike the current realities but feel helpless, while others resign either to teach tuition, which is more lucrative, or to leave the education system entirely.

At the end, the key outcome is how we are nurturing students for the future. I think the Minister knows the issues. Employers are saying that our young are technically very competent, but they lack passion, curiosity and a willingness to try new things. I fear we are just going to be a nation of employees and contractors, not entrepreneurs.

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I certainly applaud the Minister for focusing on values and character education. But I think we need something radically different. This is why I am suggesting that MOE consider allowing an independent Primary school to be built from scratch, so that we can experiment with a prototype Primary school for the future that runs on an entirely different system.

12.00 pm

This would need a different approach from that used for independent Secondary schools and JCs. I think the new school must be completely unaffiliated with any existing schools. So, we can scrap Phase 1 in the first year, and Phase 2A, too.

This school can be a true 3P – people, private and public – model, with parents and experienced educators pooling together to establish and manage it, while the State helps to fund and provide education vouchers to each Singaporean student. The school must have quotas on diversity that is reflective of the general demographic of our society so that it does not become elitist.

Most importantly, we must incorporate the best practices from our current system and other systems, like the Finns' that Mr Yee has mentioned. I know the standard reply is that our culture is different. But, Sir, our children are born the same from a socio-cultural point of view. The synapses in the brain are yet to be formed. It is us adults that make life different for the children.

Sir, we need a more differentiated instruction and abolish, I think, like Mr Yee said, standardised, unified examinations within and outside the school like the Finns have. I am not really fixated with the school being independent. If MOE is willing to run the experiment on its own, within its own control, that is fine, too. But what I am fixated on is a system that is radically different because today's current dynamic is somewhat dysfunctional and there is too much at stake to change the current system sufficiently from within.

Mr Yee Jenn Jong: Before I talk about gifted education, I must say I support Mr Laurence Lien's call as well.

The Gifted Education Programme (GEP) was implemented in 1984. Primary school GEP starts the child at Primary 4 in one of nine designated schools. Schools are identified after a nationwide test at Primary 3. Centralised Secondary school GEP was scrapped in 2008 following the low take-up rate after the introduction of Secondary school IP.

I would like MOE to consider scrapping centralised Primary school GEP, too. Currently, a nationwide effort is required to identify just 1% of the cohort. With centralised GEP for Secondary schools already scrapped, much resources are now spent on a small group of students in the programme that lasts only three years. Based on the figures provided by MOE in a Parliamentary Question (PQ) last month, the past 10 years' performance of GEP students did not suggest that centralised GEP had generated better examination results at PSLE and at "A" levels. We can continue differentiated learning to develop students with stronger learning abilities. In place of the current GEP, we can implement the following:

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(1) Encourage all schools to do their own subject-based accelerated learning. Giftedness is often specific to subjects as the child may be strong in one subject but average in others. Schools can have their own methods to identify students who are stronger in specific subjects and run accelerated learning for these students.

(2) Further support can be given through the cluster system. Learning camps, workshops or talks involving special lecturers to challenge higher-ability students can be organised by the cluster.

(3) Schools can be supported by the GE branch with learning resources distributed to them for use or schools may prepare their own contents. Selected teachers in all schools can be trained on how to guide students with stronger learning abilities.

We can spread accelerated learning across many more schools. Parents need not transfer their child out to a gifted school at nine years old. MOE wants to convince parents that every school is a good school. Separating gifted students into special schools undermines this message. Retaining good students in their current schools provide better integration of children so that children of all abilities can learn from one another in a natural and authentic environment. I hope MOE will consider this request.

Normal Technical, Special and Needy Students

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng (Moulmein-Kallang): Sir, I was joyful when MOE first announced the vision to build more peaks of excellence through new education pathways. This vision serves to cater to students with different aptitudes, interests and learning styles. I am still supportive of the vision but would like to ask MOE to reconsider the way it is realised.

On top of special schools, which traditionally are located outside the mainstream system, the landscape now sees a sea of different school models: the Special Assistance Plan (SAP) schools which house primarily Chinese students; the Gifted Education Programme; the Sports School; the School of the Arts; the NUS Maths and Science School; NorthLight and Assumption Pathway for those who failed their PSLE; specialist schools for Normal (Technical) students from Secondary 1 for those who passed; and the Integrated Programme (IP) schools, and so on.

Students of all these schools undergo programmes customised to match their profiles but are physically separated from each other on a daily basis. Although some of them meet in specially arranged occasions, the prospect of growing up separately is real.

The development that bucked this trend is the Allied Educators Scheme that supports students with milder learning abilities, for example, dyslexia, autism and ADHD, in many mainstream schools. The other encouraging development is the Pathlight Satellite School Model that integrates its senior students with autism inside two mainstream buddy schools on a daily basis, whilst supported by special educators. Both schemes are, thankfully, well-supported by MOE and, though not perfect yet, are very well appreciated, for MOE is moving in the right direction of building inclusive schools.

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What is of grave concern to me is the increasingly dysfunctional application of the "many pathways and peaks" philosophy which has created islands of schools populated by students who hardly mix with each other except in choreographed events.

Sir, we confuse programmes with place, and run the risk of depriving young people from growing up in environments that are more inclusive and reflective of the larger Singapore society. Such segregated environments weaken the foundation of society and by the time the students grow up, the inclusive society which underpins this year's national Budget is too late to be constructed.

I am especially concerned about the Specialist Schools for the Normal (Technical) (NT) students. In typical Secondary schools, students from the Express, Normal (Academic) (NA) and Normal (Technical), share the same physical facilities; they partake in non-academic activities, such as sports, music and other CCAs; and common school events. This will not be the case when the Normal (Technical) students are physically educated elsewhere. NT late bloomers would not be able to move so readily to the NA and Express streams. Not only do they now not study in the same classrooms, they have lesser authentic opportunities to build identities and bonds based on their strengths in non-academic platforms. This view is even affirmed by Mr David Hoe, the top Normal (Technical) student in 2005 and himself an LKY Award recipient.

I have four recommendations for the Minister's consideration:

(1) Do not go ahead with the plan to form the two Specialist Schools for Normal (Technical) students. Do not. That is the path of least resistance – more efficient, perhaps showing more academic results – but, certainly, non-inclusive and box students way too early in their lives.

(2) Pilot the design and implementation of an Inclusive School Education Model that allows for the co-education of students under one roof. Keeping to MOE's base philosophy of "many pathways and peaks", make provisions for customised programmes, education tracks to cater to the different learning styles of the students. Consciously design common physical and social space in non-academic pursuits, such as sports. Learn from best practices in more inclusive school models, such as Darlington Education Village in England and the Finnish education system, but localise, where necessary, to create our uniquely Singapore model.

(3) Next, extend the Satellite School Model, currently practised by Pathlight School for autism, to other special-needs groups, like the Down's Syndrome and the hearing impaired and the visually impaired. The model which unpacks integration to three levels – physical, social and academic – is flexible enough for many special-needs groups. If academic integration does not meet the education needs of the said students, then just stick to physical and social integration. The "Many Helping Hands" approach can still be deployed; and this Satellite School Model incorporates the best of both mainstream and special education in terms of funding and expertise.

(4) And, lastly, continue to enlarge and fund the Allied Educator Scheme to support milder special-needs students in mainstream schools so that they can learn even more effectively.

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Special Needs in Mainstream Schools

Mr Yee Jenn Jong: There are some 13,000 school-going children with special needs. The larger portion, or 7,600, are in mainstream schools. Therefore, we must pay attention to this group.

MOE has made efforts since 2005. There is room to do more. Although there is now at least one Learning and Behavioural Support Allied Educator (AED) in each Primary school, AEDs handle many cases and may not give good attention to each case. Some Secondary schools have yet to get AEDs.

Before we can train and hire more AEDs, schools can leverage on the parents of students with special needs. Some are stay-at-home mothers or fathers. By being the primary caregivers, they have learnt how to handle their own children. Some have attended courses on how to deal with challenging behaviours. Schools can allow these parents, especially during transition into Primary 1, to manage their children in class. I noted that some schools do allow while others do not. I read an email from a parent shadowing her Primary 1 child: "I am having a good time shadowing Joshua. We still have challenges to overcome but the school, principal, teachers and children, they are the best. Because of that, Joshua is having a very good schooling experience, it helps him a lot." Schools can even consider hiring these parents part-time to assist other special-needs students. Some have left their jobs. This can be a win-win arrangement.

My next suggestion is to encourage schools to generate innovative ideas of helping special-needs students. I know of an aided school that will partner an external service provider with autism expertise to provide intervention services to special-needs students. Such initiatives are now left to the schools and they find their own source of funds. We can establish a special needs innovation fund where schools can apply to if they have good programmes.

To build an inclusive society, we need to promote greater understanding of disability for all students. Schools can strengthen the social emotional learning of every student so that they can accept, learn and work with their special peers. This can help build a generation with a heart for the disabled. The special needs innovation fund can be used to fund interaction activities of mainstream students with special-needs community as well.

Specialised Schools for Mother Tongues

Mr Baey Yam Keng (Tampines): Sir, the diversity of our Secondary school landscape provides ample opportunities for our children to excel in niche areas even as they receive a holistic education necessary to prepare them for their future. These schools enable our education system to achieve "many peaks of excellence". We have a number of Secondary schools offering the Integrated Programme (IP) and the Gifted Education Programme (GEP), and the four Specialised Independent Schools – the Singapore Sports School, the School of the Arts, NUS School of Mathematics and Science, and the School of Science and Technology.

I would like to suggest that we set up one more Specialised Independent School – for Mother Tongues. It is important that we nurture a core group of young Singaporeans who have an in-depth understanding of our region and biggest neighbours, including China, Malaysia, Indonesia and India. Besides mastering the Chinese, Malay and Indian languages, the intensive programmes should also ground them in the understanding of the history, geography, culture, literature, philosophy, politics and socio-economics of these nations, while ensuring that they also receive instruction in English and western culture.

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Presently, we have four schools which offer the four-year Bicultural Studies Programme (Chinese) (BSP(C)) from Secondary 3 onwards which nurtures students in understanding of both Chinese and Western cultures. Courses and electives offered to BSP(C) students include Higher Chinese, Chinese Language and Literature, China Studies in Chinese, Chinese history and philosophy. In addition, the BSP(C) students may spend up to six months of immersion in China and up to two weeks in a Western country.

Another five schools offer the Regional Studies Programme where students pursue Malay Language or Bahasa Indonesia and cover developments in Southeast Asia.

Both programmes are certainly steps in the right direction. However, I would propose that we take these programmes further and step up a few notches. At the other four Specialised Independent Schools, we have no reservations about allowing the students to immerse themselves in the training of their niche areas starting at Secondary 1. There is no reason why we should not adopt similar practices for Mother Tongues, particularly in the light of the sheer sizes, complexities and the very long and established histories of these countries that would be good to understand. Furthermore, there are direct applications and benefits which the graduates of such programmes can bring to the workforce and to the country. These would include the realms of commerce and business, and diplomacy, for both the private and public sectors.

12.15 pm

Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism

Mr Low Thia Khiang: ( In Mandarin ): [Please refer to Pg 2394 for Vernacular Speeches.] Mr Chairman, Sir, at the end of last year, former Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew donated $10 million to set up the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism. The Government also promised to match the fund dollar for dollar, so the fund will eventually reach $100 million.

Before MOE announces how the fund is going to be used, I want to raise two points for MOE's consideration.

First, identify the core objective of this Fund and avoid obscuring the focus. To name it a bilingualism fund reflects the desired outcome. The purpose of setting up this Fund, as expressed clearly by Mr Lee himself, is to enable our children to study Mother Tongue the earlier the better. So, the focus of the Fund should be the learning of MTL, not "Bilingualism", and certainly not the learning of English.

Secondly, how should the Fund be used? Is the Fund open to all pre-school institutions, for research and development of curriculum and training? And will additional fees be charged for using curriculum materials developed by the Fund? If individual pre-school education institutions would like to develop their own MTL curriculum materials or train their own teachers, what are the criteria that they have to fulfill?

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Currently, MOE does not include pre-school education as part of our formal education system, neither does it specify the content of pre-school education. How is MOE going to use this Fund effectively to facilitate the learning of MTL in various pre-school education centres? Will the PCF kindergartens become the biggest beneficiaries of this Fund?

Ten million dollars is not a small sum. It shows that Mr Lee Kuan Yew and the Government have realised that Singapore is facing a serious language crisis. From a bilingual, multi-lingual society that combines the advantages of the East and West, our society is becoming an English-dominated monolingual society. Now we have to invest heavily to salvage a desperate situation. It still remains to be seen whether it is too late or not.

Edusave for All Singaporean Children

Mr Zainal Sapari (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Mr Chairman, Sir, let me begin by quoting Confucius: "If your plan is for one year, plant rice. If your plan is for 10 years, plant trees. If your plan is for 100 years, educate children."

Sir, a prominent American activist, Malcolm X once said: "Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare it today!"

In January, a panel chaired by the Minister of State for Education, Mr Lawrence Wong, announced that it is considering the provision of aid to Singaporean students in private tertiary institutions. Among the reasons given was that these students will eventually contribute to the nation. I applaud the panel's initiative in looking at education issues with a fresh perspective and with a humanistic focus.

I feel that this approach can be applied to other areas, such as extending the Edusave Scheme to Singaporean students studying in private schools, at Primary and Secondary levels. The Government started the Edusave Scheme in 1993 with the intention of maximising opportunities for all Singaporean children, but this scheme excluded students in private schools.

Sir, the cost to the Government to extend Edusave to private students will be very small as most Singaporean students are in mainstream schools because of the Compulsory Education Act. Only a small number of these students are in private schools at these levels because of special exemption. Let me speak in Malay now.

( In Malay ): [Please refer to Pg 2395 for Vernacular Speeches.] Sir, an example of a group of such students are those studying in full-time madrasahs . I concur that the bulk of responsibility for these students rest on their parents as they made the choice to send their children to the madrasahs , which are private schools. However, opting for a school that emphasises on both secular and religious education for their children is a social norm amongst the Muslim communities in many parts of the world; and, hence, the madrasah will be a common feature in any country's education landscape.

During the public discourse on compulsory education some years back, our Government was in agreement on the importance of the madrasahs to the local Muslim community. It has a role of producing religious teachers who not only educate our young people but also play an important national role in fighting the ideology of terrorists by being part of the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG). Moreover, the madrasahs have made many changes and adjustments in order to fulfil the compulsory education requirements; and overall, only takes in 400 new students annually.

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With that, Sir, I would like to urge the Government to extend its Edusave scheme to private school students who are Singaporeans, including madrasah students. For the students in private schools, conditions can be set to ensure that the fund is being used accordingly.

( In English ): Apart from madrasahs , there are other students in private schools and they could have made that choice for whatever reason. Private schools may offer opportunities for students to pursue their interests if these areas cannot be found in mainstream schools. Sometimes, private schools offer a "second chance" for a child who has fallen and who needs a structured environment to get up again. Even though these children can be admitted to mainstream schools, many may want a change of environment and opt for private schools.

Sir, these Singaporeans studying in private schools must be helped to ensure that we can maximise their educational opportunities. As an experienced educator, I have seen tremendous difference the Edusave funding can do to a child in terms of widening his or her educational opportunities. It can give the child an educational opportunity to experience learning beyond the textbook and learning beyond the confines of the classroom.

Sir, our Budget rests on the pillar of making Singapore an Inclusive society and to build a stronger Singapore. To extend Edusave to all students studying in private schools, similar to those in Government, public or aided schools, will be a bold step forward to truly embrace inclusiveness that will resonate well with all Singaporeans.

Sir, education is a gift that our Government extends to our children for them to have a part in Singapore's future. Let us cast our Edusave net wider and embrace all Singaporeans, to enable each one of us to secure a brighter future as a nation.

Edusave for Full-time Madrasahs

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap (Aljunied): ( In Malay ): [Please refer to Pg 2396 for Vernacular Speeches.] In his reply to the Parliamentary Question that the Edusave scheme be extended to students in private schools recently, the Education Minister said that this scheme is provided only to full-time students that attend public schools or schools that are funded by the Ministry of Education. He explained that it is important for children to attend national schools as it will build a national identity, a common spirit and social cohesion in each generation.

Sir, the main differences between national schools and madrasahs are that firstly, the madrasahs have a religious curriculum in addition to an academic syllabus that is similar to the one implemented in public schools. Secondly, madrasah students are made up of Muslim students only while public schools comprise students from a multi-religious and multi-racial background. Maybe these two factors are of a concern to the Ministry of Education because these factors may undermine the development of values stated earlier, that is, values that it wants to inculcate in every Singaporean student.

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However, Sir, I am confident that these values will not be compromised and will still be applied in the full-time madrasah institutions. This is because the religious curriculum taught in the madrasahs heavily emphasises values of community and cohesion, since the basic principle of Islamic knowledge is to develop a person that will bring benefits to the public, especially to the society in his resident country, regardless of race, language or religion.

This is proven in the issue of combating radical ideology that has been, and still is, going on in Singapore. Religious leaders and religious teachers, mostly graduates of full-time madrasahs , have come forward as volunteers in the form of the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) to provide counselling to those who are beginning to be influenced or are already radicalised, in order to uphold the common spirit and social cohesion in this country.

Sir, if the composition of our students become an issue because there is social exclusion in terms of religion, in other words, only Muslim students are studying in the madrasahs ; then social exclusion also exists in terms of gender, in all-girls or all-boys schools. Even though this is different but, at the core, it is still social exclusion.

Sir, I would like to share the main reasons why Muslim parents choose to send their children to madrasah institutions. Firstly, parents want their children to master religious studies and they wish for their children to have career opportunities in this field. Secondly, these Muslim parents want to inculcate Islamic values, specifically, in their conduct, especially in their moral development, personal development and compassion.

Sir, much has been said about the issue of covering one's modesty, that is, the use of the headscarves for girls and long pants for boys. In early 2000, a group of Muslim parents sent their daughter to a national school wearing the headscarf but this was not allowed by the Ministry due to certain reasons. Therefore, the madrasah institutions are the only avenue for Muslim parents to practise religious freedom, as prescribed in the Constitution of Singapore.

Finally, Sir, in 2008, the six full-time madrasahs in Singapore set out to be inclusive and openly accepted the implementation of Compulsory Education without question. In this year's Budget, the Government wants to build an inclusive society. Based on this inclusivity, I request the Government to make a more meaningful assessment and reconsider the Edusave scheme for full-time madrasah students and, furthermore, they are true Singapore citizens.

Neighbourhood Schools

The Minister of State for Trade and Industry (Mr Teo Ser Luck): Mr Chairman, Sir, let me first commend the efforts of teachers and principals, and also the Ministry over the years for having built this education system and also for putting in so many good schools in Singapore. I am a beneficiary of the education system in Singapore. Because we have different platforms to enable the students of different abilities to succeed, I happen to benefit from that system.

I came from a school in the neighbourhood, but a very good school in the neighbourhood which focused on character building, value-based education during those days I was in school, especially in the area of sports. So, I actually benefited. I was very heartened to know that the Minister actually mentioned about focusing in the direction of value-based education, character building, and also that all schools in Singapore are good schools.

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Today, we have schools that differentiate themselves – branded schools and neighbourhood schools. In the past, it was just "top schools" and "other schools". I was in those "other schools". But we never once felt any less able or less proficient than the other students. Today, we have branded schools and neighbourhood schools. One day, I was having a dialogue with some young working adults. When I asked them what schools they were from, some of them replied "loudly", I would say, and quite prominently, wanted to showcase that they were from very good schools and branded schools. But there were others who were actually a little bit shy and said that "Oh, my school no longer exists." When I probed a bit further, I then realised that they feel they were "less proficient" and they were from the neighbourhood schools. I think this neighbourhood school labelling, this connotation, has in one way or another affected and influenced the behaviour of some of our young working adults and students. As such, I was actually quite heartened to know that the Minister feels that all schools in Singapore are good schools. And I totally agree with that.

We have good schools in the neighbourhood. In fact, I think all schools are in the neighbourhood; so all schools are neighbourhood schools. Whether you are branded or not, you are always in the neighbourhood. As such, I feel there is a need, if possible, to slowly phase out this labelling of neighbourhood schools. I want to ask the Ministry: are there any plans on how we would manage this issue? Because if we want to align the schools to be more value-based and less academic – or I would say still academically-focused but more value-based – how do we get rid of this connotation? Is there a way to do this and how do we manage this issue? Moving forward, all students should be recognised and treated in the same way, at the same level, and recognised for their abilities, and different types of abilities at different levels.

The Tuition Syndrome

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: Sir, Singapore has not been called a tuition nation for nothing. The tuition industry was estimated to be about $800 million in 2008; the size could well be more than $1 billion by now.

12.30 pm

Almost every student, rich or poor, receives some form of tuition outside the normal school hours. Some genuinely need the extra help. Some do it out of fear of not doing well enough. Yet others who do not need the tuition do it out of habit or to address their sense of insecurity. Many Ministry teachers are part-time home tutors. Some teach at tuition agencies. Some teachers quit the MOE to start lucrative tutoring businesses of their own.

To keep their reputations and branding intact, some agencies conduct assessments not for the purpose of placement, but to select high-potential applicants. A concerning trend has developed and was publicised recently – the rise of private tutors who charge up to $250 per hour to complete the homework of students given by either their schools or their "top-notch" tuition agencies.

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There are many contributing factors for the thriving private tutoring business. Here are some: many Asian parents – some of us here too – value education as the passport to doing well in life. Acing high-stake exams, such as the Primary 4 streaming, PSLE and GCE exams, opens doors to limited places in what parents perceive as the elite schools. Scholarships and even employment to better jobs in the public service and private sector are perceived to be offered primarily based on academic achievements.

Sir, to turn a blind eye to the "tuition syndrome" is untenable. However, addressing it is not a simple matter. I propose we give MOE and stakeholders some time but address it, we must. I call for the setting up of a Think Tank that involves MOE, political and civil service leaders, parent workgroups, and other key stakeholders. The team needs to think out of the box; identify the triggers leading to this insatiable hunger for more and more tuition; get rid of some high-stake exams and, perhaps, even learn from the top-rated tutors in the industry. At a macro level, the Think Tank will need to engage a larger population to articulate and apply the values and norms to dream, design and deliver an education system that truly will lead to an inclusive and strong society. It is better to be late than never.

Social Mobility

Mr Baey Yam Keng: Mr Chairman, Sir, the education received by children from low-income groups is one of the best opportunities to move themselves and their families up the economic ladder. This is the most egalitarian way to prevent a permanent underclass. However, performance in school is determined by many factors. Inherent capabilities and intelligence and home environment all play important roles. Hence, if we want to ensure social mobility, our schools may have to play a more proactive role than providing lessons and preparing our children for exams. As a matter of fact, children spend most of their waking hours in school, and schools should be a great channel for the school system and teachers to look out for these children in need.

Often, teachers would be the first to notice such children. Missing textbooks, uncompleted homework, crumpled school uniform, late payment of school fees are clues that not all is well at home. I am aware teachers already have a lot on their plate but I think we should have an infrastructure and system for teachers to look out for these signs and then for them to be able to coordinate with school counsellors to follow up and investigate and, if necessary, help direct the families at risk to the appropriate Government agencies, bodies or family service centres to avail them of any social or financial assistance as soon as possible. These problems have to be nipped in the bud. We are all keenly aware of how difficult it can be to catch up on school work. So, all these problems in the families should be looked into as soon as we can.

In my previous constituency, a mentoring programme was initiated to help children from families at risk with their homework. These weekly classes run by volunteers from a neighbouring school yielded huge dividends. Many of the children were able to pass for the first time in the school. Simply not having a guiding adult and an environment to sit and do a few pages of homework a day can mean the difference between continuing their education and dropping out of school.

I would like to ask MOE if we have any new measures to ensure that children from families in difficulties can be identified and assisted in a systematic and thorough way through the school channels. What kind of initiatives do we have, besides financial assistance, to help keep the children on track? And if so, how have these efforts reaped results?

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Support for Weaker Students

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: Sir, students from disadvantaged families face problems at home due to a non-conducive environment. Sometimes, there is no suitable place at home for them to study; sometimes, they face constant quarrels amongst family members and – like what hon Ms Irene Ng says, sometimes, the parent may be abusive towards them – some students may have to work to help supplement their family income. For those in financial difficulties, they struggle to pay for their meals, much less buy books or supplementary materials to help in school work.

For students in such a situation, is MOE better able to support them? Can the teachers in the schools pay more attention to these students and ensure that they do not lose out due to lack of tuition? Is it possible for teachers to do more in school so that there is lesser need for such tuition? Many parents say that they resort to tuition because their children cannot cope with school work. Some parents feel that the teacher is not spending enough time on teaching and, hence, the need for tuition as a supplement. Sir, in what ways can we make education a social leveller such that children from disadvantaged families have a fair opportunity to progress further in their education path?

Financial Education for Students

Mrs Lina Chiam: Sir, there are 2,000 to 3,000 personal bankruptcies in Singapore per year. The major reasons for poor financial health include abuse of credit card, trading in stock market without professional advice and the poor management of expenses. We can mitigate these social issues by starting from a child's training days. One is never too young to learn financial literacy. Children learn language, maths, science and humanities in school. Outside school, parents enrol the children for ballet, music, sports and so on. While these are beneficial, one cannot neglect to teach a child how to manage their finances in future.

I suggest that MOE set up Primary and Secondary school financial literacy courses. These courses should focus on basic principles of savings and consumption. Although they have the industry-led initiatives, such as MoneySENSE, schools cannot find time to run such programmes. I would urge that MOE consider prioritising financial management skills alongside courses, such as moral education and social studies. By financial literacy, I do not mean teaching kids the difference between a stock and a bond. We can start with the importance of financial prudence and building financial goals.

Priority for Singaporeans

Mr Baey Yam Keng: Sir, after completing my "A" levels, I applied to study Medicine in NUS but I was not successful. At that time, I was very disappointed, and felt worse when I realised that two of my classmates, an ASEAN scholar from Malaysia and another from Hong Kong, whose "A" level results were not as good as mine, were admitted. As I tried to console myself that maybe NUS is distributing talents among faculties beyond Medicine and wondered if I could have done better during my interview, I could not understand why I, a Singaporean, was passed over for foreigners.

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However, that also prompted me to apply for the EDB scholarship and I was fortunate that there are such Government scholarships to allow Singaporeans like me to study for my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in London. In hindsight, it probably turned out better for me. And for the record, my two foreign friends have settled down in Singapore with their own medical practice and have started their families in Singapore.

We know that an international student profile adds to the learning environment and helps the university move up international rankings. However, I can understand why there are sentiments and perceptions that Singaporeans are losing university places to foreigners. Of course, there should be entry requirements for each faculty, and not all applicants, including local applicants, will make the grade, but we have probably moved too quickly in opening up the quota for foreign students before new universities like SUTD and SIT are able to meet the higher aspirations of our better-educated young population.

I would like the Minister to fine-tune the scholarship scheme for foreign students and allocate more resources to help needy Singaporean students and encourage local students with deserving results. We should not turn off the tap for foreign students or stop attracting global talents via scholarships, but I hope the Government could moderate the numbers.

Next, in selecting students for any scholarships, I recommend that we also follow new HR recruitment practices to also look at their activities and comments in social media as another avenue to assess the applicant. However, do not just rely on Facebook. Do remember that in places like China, Facebook is banned and platforms like weibo and QQ are the platforms to look out for.

And while the foreign students are here in Singapore, we should make more deliberate efforts to assimilate them better and more quickly in Singapore. I heard that some varsity halls are fast becoming enclaves for foreigners and, when there is a critical mass, it is very comfortable for anyone to just socialise with their fellow countrymen. I propose that we have home-stay accommodation for foreign students to live in HDB flats. And for that, I do not mean renting the entire apartment with fellow foreign students, but renting a room and staying with their Singaporean landlords. If there is a programme to do such matching, it would also help locals to monetise their flats with more rental income.

The Minister for Education (Mr Heng Swee Keat): Mr Chairman, Sir, I thank Members for having spoken so passionately about what they see as important for education. We at MOE share your passion.

In his opening remarks, Mr Lim Biow Chuan spoke about the strength of our system but also warned that we should not be complacent, and that we should be looking at how we can improve it further.

Our goal in education is to provide every child with the opportunity to get a good start in life, discover his strengths and realise his potential. Collectively, our children must come to care for each other, to forge a community united by a common national identity. This is the human element in the story of a Stronger Singapore and an Inclusive Society.

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Education, as many of you have pointed out, is a long-term endeavour and a continual work in progress. We must build on our strong fundamentals, and continue to evolve and prepare our students for a changing future.

In the past months, I have received heartfelt feedback and good suggestions from many teachers, students, parents, the public and Members of this House. There are many good ideas which we can implement. We should prioritise and sequence them well. Changes made should be thoughtful and followed through consistently. In my conversations with parents, some have expressed that the system is overly competitive and stressful. Ms Irene Ng mentioned this and so did Ms Denise Phua and others.

The good news is that many parents agree that we want to develop our children holistically. We want them to have the values and character to do well in life, to live in harmony, and to care for one another. We also want them to have strong foundations to seize future opportunities and find fulfilment and success. So how do we achieve this? First and foremost, by holistic education, with values and character at the centre; second, by creating opportunities for all, by ensuring that every school is a good school; third, by ensuring as many as possible go on to post-Secondary education, so as to build a strong foundation for life-long learning and life-long success.

First, holistic education. A critical concern on every parent's mind would often be: "Will education prepare my child for the future?", "Will she be able to make a living and succeed?", "Will he be able to live his dream and find fulfilment?" This is certainly a topmost concern in our minds in MOE as well.

Indeed, the world that we live in is shifting very rapidly. A Primary 1 student entering school this year will likely enter the workforce by around 2030 – into a world that will be vastly different from today. To be future-ready, education must develop the whole person. It is less about content knowledge, as content will have to be re-learnt and even un-learnt during one's lifetime. It is more about how to process information, discern truths from untruths, connect seemingly disparate dots, and create knowledge even as the context changes. It is about developing an enduring core of competencies, values and character to anchor our young and ensure they have the resilience to succeed.

As one teacher told me, "I don't teach Physics; I teach students." Holistic education will provide the foundation for a stronger and more united people. Developing the whole child must begin with instilling the right character and values. We must adopt a Student-Centric, Values-Driven approach, something which MOE has been doing over the years, as Mr Edwin Tong pointed out.

I thank many Members, including Mr Lim Biow Chuan, Dr Intan Azura, Mr Ang Wei Neng, Ms Irene Ng and Mr Edwin Tong for supporting this. You asked for the progress. First, I would like to say that – as Mr Lim Biow Chuan and Mr Edwin Tong rightly emphasised – values are not taught in a single lesson or period. Instead, they must be infused across everything we do in school on a daily basis, and parents and the community play critical roles.

Our schools have started on the important work of strengthening Character and Citizenship Education (CCE). They are doing so with the support of MOE and key stakeholders like parents and community organisations. MOE launched the CCE toolkit in November and set up a new CCE branch in December last year to support schools in their efforts. Feedback from schools is that the CCE toolkit has been useful for helping them customise their own efforts. CCE branch is now actively working with schools to co-construct their CCE curriculum in a form that is most likely to resonate with their students.

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12.45 pm

Mr Edwin Tong and Mr Ang Wei Neng emphasised the importance of learning in life using real-life examples and incidents. I fully agree. Now, the Community Involvement Programme (CIP) is an important part of CCE as it builds a spirit of volunteerism so that students become active contributors and concerned citizens, with empathy for fellow Singaporeans. We have thus reviewed how CIP can be enhanced to allow students to demonstrate and develop important values. After many years of efforts, almost all students now participate in CIP programmes and learn valuable lessons - the "learning in life" that we spoke of. Some schools are already going beyond just participation, and have adopted Service-Learning approaches or emphasised student-initiated CIP activities as this enables students to take ownership and have meaningful experiences serving the community.

To place a stronger emphasis across all schools on the inculcation of values through community involvement, CIP will be reframed as "Values in Action" As part of Values in Action, students will undertake personal and group reflections. They will discuss their experience and the role that they can play in the community. They will reflect on the values that they have put into practice and how they can continue to contribute meaningfully. Such reflections will reinforce learning, make it more authentic and help students internalise values. Curriculum time will be set aside during CCE lessons for these reflections.

Schools will also be encouraged to develop four-year or six-year development plans in order to move towards more coherent and sustainable learning through community involvement. Students will be encouraged to choose community issues that they are concerned about, understand the issues better, and then decide on how they can make a difference in a sustained way. Development will be done progressively. For younger students in Primary school, they can start by taking responsibility for their own spaces in class and at home. For our older students, they can initiate collective action among their peers to improve the lives of others in school and the community.

Such efforts are already happening in our schools. Tanjong Katong Secondary, for instance, has been doing this for the past three years, making a sustained impact in their community. We want this to be the approach in all schools. It is our hope that our students will continue to initiate and work on making things better in the community long after they leave school. Experiences in school lay the foundation for building an inclusive society.

Let me cite another example of St Gabriel's Secondary School. St Gabriel's Secondary School has a four-year plan guided by themes for each level, starting with "Love the School" in Secondary 1, extending to "Love the Environment" in Secondary 2, and "Love the Community" in Secondary 3, culminating in a focus on the elderly in Secondary 4 and 5. From learning to take care of specific areas within the school, they progress to service learning projects in the community thereafter. Students do reflections in their journals, and are given feedback by teachers on their development in terms of life skills.

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I hope that this introduction of Values in Action will, over time, allow students to see themselves as part of the larger community, and for the community to adopt the school as one of their own. Tanjong Katong Secondary School's project, called Project Serve, is one such effort that has made a meaningful impact, where students reach out to needy families in their neighbourhood. Let me show you a video clip on this [ A video clip was shown to hon Members ].

This is our hope that our students will continue to initiate and work on making things better in the community, long after they leave school. And such experiences, as you see, lay the foundations, the "heartware" for building an inclusive society.

Let me now turn to strengthening 21st Century Competencies. To be ready for the future, we want students to acquire critical and inventive thinking, civic literacy and information and communication skills. We are infusing elements of this across our entire curriculum, so that we build on our fundamental strengths.

A key element of 21st Century Competencies is communication skills.

Our Bilingual policy remains a cornerstone of our education system. English will continue to be a dominant working language internationally. Our Mother Tongue Languages will allow our young to remain connected to our Asian cultural heritage and values, and have an edge in an increasingly globalised world. Contrary to Mr Low Thia Khiang's pessimism about the state of Mother Tongue Languages, we are seeing more and more parents and students placing great significance on the learning of Mother Tongue Languages. And if you speak to many of our Singaporeans working in our region, they are seeing that the fundamentals that they have built up over the years, have served them very well.

But we recognise that it is no longer sufficient to simply know a language – we must be able to use it to communicate effectively. And this was, indeed, the key finding of the 2010 MTL (Mother Tongue Language) Review Committee – which led to recommendations that promoted the use of MTL as a living language.

Our new English Language (EL) curriculum for Primary schools or STELLAR (Strategies for English Language Learning and Reading), adopts a systematic approach to raise proficiency in English, including helping students to build confidence in speaking up and in reading proficiently. MOE is progressively making enhancements to the teaching and learning of the Mother Tongue Languages.

I chair the Board of the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism, which will give a greater push in our Bilingualism efforts, especially in preschools. SPS Sim Ann will elaborate on our efforts later.

Inquiry-based learning has also been infused into our teaching of the Humanities, such as History, Geography and Social Studies, as well as the Sciences. In adopting this approach – within the classroom and out in the field – students pose questions, collect relevant data, evaluate the evidence and, finally, present their findings. This allows teachers to better enthuse students and develop inquisitive and critical minds.

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We have also placed a greater focus on Physical Education (PE) and Sports, as well as Arts and Music. We have increased PE curriculum time and enhanced the PE syllabus, and given students more opportunities to participate in sports, in line with Sports Vision 2030. Senior Parliamentary Secretary Hawazi Daipi will elaborate on this later.

We have also introduced the Programme for Active Learning (PAL) in Primary 1 and Primary 2, to help students develop character and life skills, as well as discover their talents. This slide shows a variety of programmes that students in our Primary 1 and Primary 2 are getting through the PAL programme where there is dance, music or outdoor activities. PAL had earlier been introduced in 36 Primary schools, and building on what we have learnt, another 35 schools will introduce PAL this year. Eventually, all Primary schools will offer PAL.

These efforts are being supported by recruiting more teachers who specialise in PE, Art and Music. MOE currently has around 2,900 qualified PE, Art and Music teachers, an increase of 400 (16%) compared with just two years ago, and we will further grow this by an additional 1,600 teachers in the next decade.

We are also investing more in supporting infrastructure – indoor sports halls, synthetic turf, band rooms, dance studios and performing arts studios – and strengthening teacher training through PESTA and STAR.

Complementing the curricular innovations, we are innovating in terms of the way we assess students. Holistic Assessment has been implemented in our Primary schools progressively since 2010. Teachers are now better equipped to provide students and parents with richer feedback to support the holistic development of the child, and build his confidence and desire to learn. After two years, we have received a lot of positive feedback from the teachers, students and their parents.

Ms Denise Phua spoke of the tuition syndrome. This "tuition syndrome" is not unique to Singapore – we see it happening in Korea, Hong Kong and Japan. It is not a uniquely Asian phenomenon either. It may surprise many of you, but a Reuter's report some months back noted that European parents were spending billions on tuition. Aspiring parents in the US and elsewhere spend much to try and get their children into good colleges.

While it is good for our parents to have high aspirations and support their children's education, Ms Phua gives us a very timely reminder that we need to be mindful of the impact of adding tuition and other activities on our children's overall development.

On MOE's part, since I last spoke about schools having a homework policy last September, schools have been tracking their students' homework load and are working towards finding the right balance. We will look at improving the way schools set tests. But most of all, we must continue to emphasise holistic education and multiple pathways, and engage parents on this very important journey together.

Now, I am heartened that many parents support the emphasis on holistic education, values and character development. They understand that education is not about getting a paper qualification – but rather it is about developing deep skills and acquiring the right personal qualities and values. To support this emphasis on student-centric and holistic education, we will be making significant changes to the Edusave awards for which I will elaborate later.

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Let me turn to the topic of "Good Schools". To nurture students with strong values and competencies, as well as build an inclusive society – good schools are key. We need to ensure that every school is a good school.

Mr Edwin Tong has asked what we consider to be a good school. A good school is not one that is good relative to another, or good in purely academic terms. First and foremost, a good school is one that cares for its students. Therefore, it is one that studies and knows the needs, strengths and interests of its students and motivates them to learn and grow.

A good school ensures all students acquire strong fundamentals of literacy and numeracy and develops them holistically, in character, knowledge and critical competencies. A good school creates a positive school experience for each student, making him a confident and lifelong learner. A good school has caring and competent teachers who are steadfast in their mission to impact lives. A good school has the support of parents and the community, working together to bring out the best in our children. A good school cares for and provides opportunities to all students, regardless of family circumstances.

Mr Chairman, I thank Mr Baey Yam Keng and Mr Lim Biow Chuan for raising the issue of support for students from low-income families. Let me now focus my remarks on the important role schools should play in levelling-up students who need additional support. Over the years, we have evolved a good support system, to ensure opportunities for all students. Going forward, we will lend greater support for children from low and middle-income families and through an integrated approach involving five elements: first, significantly increase financial support for needy students; second, resourcing schools to enrich the learning opportunities for students; third, enhancing the coordination between schools and student care centres based in schools; fourth, mobilising community resources to enhance support; and fifth, recognise and reward their achievements through changes to the Edusave Awards. Let me now say a few words in Mandarin on this.

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( In Mandarin ): [Please refer to Pg 2397 for Vernacular Speeches.] We will lend greater support for children from low and middle-income families through an integrated approach involving five key elements: first, significantly increase financial support for needy students; second, resourcing schools to enrich the learning opportunities for students; third, enhancing the coordination between schools and student care centres based in schools; fourth, mobilising community resources to enhance support; and fifth, recognise and reward their achievements through changes to the Edusave Awards.

( In English ): Let me elaborate on each of these. First, significantly increase the coverage of financial support. Last year, MOE increased the coverage in quantum of bursaries for post-Secondary education. This year, we will further enhance support for needy students in two ways. The income limit for eligibility for the MOE Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) will be raised from $1,500 to $2,500. We will also introduce a new per-capita income (PCI) as a parallel assessment criterion to benefit students from larger families. This means that students from households with a PCI not exceeding $625 per month will now be eligible.

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For example, a family of six comprising two children, two parents and two grandparents living together, with a monthly income of $3,600 will now qualify. These changes will benefit about 40,000 more students, double the number today. We will also similarly introduce a Per Capita Income criterion and update income tiers for the Independent Schools Bursary (ISB), so that Independent Schools remain affordable to all. To ensure our children start each day of school right, we have enhanced support for the School Breakfast Programme (SBP) in Primary schools so that each child on the FAS can have the right nutrition.

Now, while these financial assistance schemes will cover most students, there will be circumstances where some discretion is needed. Schools – who best know their students' needs – will be given additional annual grants of up to $15,000 per school for the next three years every year. This will allow schools to provide additional targeted support in specific ways or to students who might have just missed the FAS criteria but are deserving.

The second measure to help students from low-income families is to resource schools better to meet the learning needs of these students. This could be in the form of Learning Support Programmes, or co-curricular programmes that can enrich their learning through the Opportunity Fund and Trips for International Experience Fund. Our schools are creatively using these opportunities to enrich learning and it has been heartening speaking to many students who are inspired to excel after these exposures.

We are also constantly improving our Learning Support Programmes, which provide targeted assistance for students weaker in literacy and numeracy. Our ongoing research shows that these have worked well, and will allow us to continue to improve the way we support students with weaker foundations and to train our teachers and Allied Educators for these programmes.

These targeted interventions are also starting at pre-school. Aside from enhancing the quality, affordability and accessibility of pre-school education, we have also introduced FLAiR – or short for Focused Language Assistance in Reading – which has helped some 6,000 students from disadvantaged families level-up by increasing exposure to English. This year, an additional 2,200 children will benefit from FLAiR. Minister of State Lawrence Wong will update on the progress of our various initiatives in pre-school.

Third, we will be enhancing the coordination between schools and student care centres based in schools. Student care centres provide additional supervision and guidance to students after school. We will continue to improve the quality, accessibility and affordability of school-based student care centres (SCCs). To improve accessibility, we will increase the number of school-based SCCs to 70 by the end of 2014, up from 57 currently. Schools that do not have an SCC can continue to make use of community-based SCCs in their neighbourhood. We will enhance the quality of school-based SCCs by strengthening the coordination of the school's and SCC's programmes to align the support for students from low-income families. MCYS will speak more about enhancements to improve affordability of student-care later.

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Fourth, supporting schools to mobilise community resources and other forms of support. Many schools are strongly supported by their advisory or management committees, Community Self-Help Groups, Clan Associations and other VWOs. They provide bursaries and scholarships. Parent volunteers, too, play their part. For instance, in Jurong West Primary School where they conduct recess reading programmes. Initiatives by the corporate sector, such as the Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund and SembMarine SchoolBag projects, have been running for years and have helped numerous children. MOE will work with schools to enhance such support.

Fifth, recognise their achievements. We need to recognise the achievements of students who do well and show resilience to overcome their circumstances. I will elaborate on this later.

Taken together, the whole support package to low- and middle-income families can be quite substantial and would relieve some burden. But let me emphasise that it is not just about money, but an integrated approach, addressing financial, socio-emotional and learning support, in partnership with parents and the broader community.

Let me provide an example of how schools are making use of all these various measures and the resources that MOE has been providing to creatively level-up the students. I recently visited Kheng Cheng School, and saw how their staff work hard to fulfil its founder's vision, I quote, "to uplift the children in the community through education". Within three days of a student joining the school, each form teacher makes contact with the parent, and through this interaction is able to understand her students better and can more actively reach out to needy students. The school then adopts a comprehensive approach to the learning of students from needy backgrounds, a point which Mr Baey asked earlier. For students needing academic support – Kheng Cheng runs effective Learning Support Programmes for Primary 1 and Primary 2 students weaker in literacy and numeracy. Now, this is an example of a Learning Support Programme for Mathematics for Primary 1 students and this class has seven students, a specialised programme to help the students level-up in numeracy. There are similar classes for the Learning Support for the learning of English.

Dr Intan would be pleased to know that class sizes for these students are very small and, in some Normal (Technical) course lessons, below 20. In many of these schools, all below 16. I have seen one teacher to four students in another school, helping the students to acquire the basics. Kheng Cheng School continues to support those who need additional help through Primary 3 and Primary 4, by creatively deploying its Learning Support Coordinators to work closely with the respective Form Teachers and Allied Educators.

The targeted help is further sustained at Primary 5 and Primary 6, where the school has arranged for smaller class sizes for weaker students. As you can see in this slide, a specialised class for the learning of English. Now, this allows a continuum of help to be extended for students needing more individualised attention. So, our schools are no longer the cookie-cutter model that some of you might have the impression of.

Needy students also benefit from special programmes and learning journeys which aim to build up their self-esteem and increase their exposure. The school has also organised overseas trips to China and Malaysia, and by tapping on the Trips for International Experience and the Opportunity Fund, it can provide higher subsidies to needy students, to ensure they are not denied such opportunities. Let me emphasise that this is not just happening in Kheng Cheng School, but in many other schools. As Ms Irene Ng pointed out earlier, we must update the perceptions of parents.

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A second important group of students who need more support are those with special education needs, whether in SPED schools or mainstream schools. In recent years, we have been working to improve the quality of education for these students, and will continue to do more.

We will enhance our support for students with dyslexia in our mainstream schools. At the same time, we are doing more to integrate students with special needs in our mainstream schools, with the deployment of more Allied Educators and enhancing facilities for students with physical disabilities. Senior Parliamentary Secretary Sim Ann will elaborate on these later.

I have touched on levelling up students. Let me now touch on developing good schools across the board, a point which Mr Lim Biow Chuan and several others have asked earlier. Our approach is to develop good schools across the board, not just a select few. We do this through: (i) resourcing schools to offer customised programmes that best fit the needs of their students, (ii) raising the professional standards of teachers across the system, (iii) encouraging learning and innovation across schools, and (iv) promoting partnerships between school and community.

First, resourcing schools. Programmes, such as Holistic Assessment, Values in Action, Programme for Active Learning (PAL) and bilingualism, are implemented across schools and serve to build a strong foundation in holistic education for all.

In addition, as part of our student-centric approach in developing the varied interests and abilities of our students, we have a variety of programmes in each school, and a variety of schools across our system. For example, one, to cater to different academic abilities and interests, we have programmes such as the Learning Support Programme, N(T) Mark II, Gifted Education Programme and the Integrated Programme. Various schools also offer Applied Subjects, language elective programmes, Art and Music Elective Programmes. Two, to encourage peaks of excellence and allow schools to develop varied niches, we also have the Programme for School-Based Excellence and Niche Programme. These niches can be in terms of sports, aesthetics, national education or in cognitive areas. Three, schools can also tap on funds such as "Time Out Fund" and Opportunity Fund to support their initiatives to better engage students. Four, we also have specialised schools catering to specific talent in Arts, Sports, Mathematics and Science and Technology. The Junior Sports Academies also nurture budding sportsmen and sportswomen.

We do not adopt a single model in delivering these varied programmes in our schools. Rather, our focus is on what is effective and developmentally appropriate. Some programmes like the GEP, which Mr Yee Jenn Jong had spoken about, require a centralised approach at the Primary level so that there is a critical mass of students. What we learn in GEP is extended to other high ability students who can benefit from it and I should point out that it is not right to assess the success of the GEP programme solely by the PSLE results. In fact, the GEP precisely is to help develop different talents and different peaks of excellence and allow a different form of learning.

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At the same time, our overall level of resourcing, across all schools and across all levels has been significantly increased. We now have about 32,000 education officers, an increase of 4,000 from five years ago. It is not just about more teachers, but also better teachers – through more stringent selection and professional development.

We have also started a new Allied Educator Scheme in 2009 and have grown the total number of AEDs to 2,200 today. Ms Denise Phua will be glad to know we will be further increasing this. This means that, over the past five years, each school has, on average, about 10 more teachers. In addition, each school now has an average of six Allied Educators. These additional teachers and AEDs will further allow schools to benefit students with a better learning environment and more customised experience.

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The second way that we are levelling up across all schools is to raise the professional standards of teachers. Teaching is a calling and it is about touching lives. I know many of the teachers have gone beyond their call of duty to go the extra mile for the students. In some cases, it takes hard work and a long time before the students respond, yet, many teachers do not give up. They stand testimony to the power of the mission and make the learning experience meaningful to many of our students.

A demonstration of this calling in many of our teachers is the strong professional pride teachers take in improving their craft. For example, since we started the Academy of Singapore Teachers (AST), almost 300 learning communities have been established for teachers to learn from each other within and across schools. The N(T) Professional Focus Group (PFG) is one such platform where teachers expand their repertoire of strategies to enrich their students' learning by learning from each other as well as experienced practitioners and partners.

In addition, last year, our teachers and Allied Educators collectively developed the ethos of the teaching profession to signal their commitment to their calling. With this dedication, it is no surprise that, every year, on Teachers' Day, we see the outpourings of appreciation of the good work of teachers by our students and parents. And I am very glad to receive many emails commending the good work of our teachers. Sir, I want to thank Mr Lim Biow Chuan and Dr Intan Azura as well as Ms Irene Ng for the affirmation of the good work of our teachers earlier.

The third way that we are levelling up across all schools is to encourage learning and innovation across schools. Schools share best practices through a variety of platforms, including the annual MOE ExCEL Fest. For this year's ExCEL Fest, over 20,000 educators, school staff and members of the public will come together to share and learn about the many good efforts and innovations in our schools.

The Innovation Adoption Platform was initiated at ExCEL Fest last year to facilitate collaboration and diffusion of innovations across schools. Some interesting partnerships were formed. For instance, Yishun Primary School shared its "Mobile Mind-mapping iPod Touch Programme" with Raffles Girls' Primary School and Innova Primary School.

Finally, schools level up when we help them to strengthen partnerships with parents and the community. Over the past year, I have also had the opportunity to meet many parents, passionately involved in Parent Support Groups (PSGs) who asked for greater support so they can do more. Senior Parliamentary Secretary Hawazi Daipi will share more on what we do later.

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With our efforts to uplift all schools, encourage innovation and help them form partnerships, we now have greater diversity in our system to meet the varied interests and learning profiles of our students. At the same time, we have been able to maintain coherence and linkages across the system, and ensured opportunities for all.

Many parents are concerned about Primary 1 registration and getting their child into a good school, a point that Mr Lim Biow Chuan has raised. We receive feedback after every Primary 1 exercise and, for every rule that is currently in place, there is feedback both for and against it. Now, if we perceive that there are only a few good schools, no form of school allocation can satisfy all parents.

As Mr Lim Biow Chuan has pointed out, a sustainable solution must lie in ensuring that every school is a good school, and that parents perceive it as such. As I have tried to show, many significant improvements are being made across our schools. So, while we continue to consider the feedback, our schools will make a concerted effort to reach out to parents on the programmes they have and engage parents in developing our students holistically. So, for now, let us concentrate on ensuring "every school, a good school".

Members have, in this debate, made interesting suggestions for more pathways and options. Mr Baey Yam Keng, Mr Yee Jenn Jong, Mr Laurence Lien have suggested more options. Mr Yee suggested having an Integrated Programme starting from Primary 1. My concern would be that, far from removing pressure at Primary 6, you will now transfer the pressure to Primary 1. South Korea has abolished national examinations at the equivalent of Primary 6 but that has not taken away the pressure. Mr Laurence Lien and Mr Yee Jenn Jong spoke about Finland – 40% of the students move on to vocational track at Grade 9, equivalent to ITE.

While Mr Laurence Lien, Mr Baey Yam Keng and Mr Yee Jenn Jong asked for diversity, Ms Denise Phua was concerned about segregation and how that might have unintended consequences. So did Dr Intan Azura, who raised concerns about segregation. I agree with Mr Teo Ser Luck who said that we should not be apologetic about neighbourhood schools. The truth is our schools are geographically sited in our neighbourhood, so naturally they draw students who are living in the neighbourhood. We have to ensure good schools in every neighbourhood and not use the term "neighbourhood school" as an apology. We must collectively change perceptions and change mindsets, as Mr Edwin Tong mentioned.

I thank you all for your suggestions. I gather, from your suggestions, certain common goals of creating more options, choices, pathways as well as maintaining a system that is inclusive and strengthens social cohesion. There is merit in having greater diversity in our national school system so that we can develop a range of talent better. And contrary to what was mentioned by some Members earlier on, we do have, as I tried to illustrate, many more options, many more pathways and a greater diversity across our system, both within schools – where even within the single school, the profiles of the pupils are different and schools do their best to reach out to these different learning profiles and customised programmes for them, whether it is through PAL, learning support and in bilingualism, and so on, and other forms of programmes. At the same time, they are reaching out to students to help them to develop socio-emotional competencies. So we have a variety within schools and across schools.

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And I agree with Ms Denise Phua and others that it is important to be inclusive. As in our schemes, the key is implementation. Ultimately, being inclusive is about giving each child the best opportunity to realise his or her potential and, in turn, be able to fully participate in the workplace and in society thereafter. In other words, focus on educational outcome.

Let me share MOE's experience of setting up NorthLight School (NLS). When we set up NorthLight School in 2007, it was both a bold innovation and also a leap into the unknown. The outcomes from its first batch of graduates are encouraging – attrition has fallen to 10% compared with 60% for this group of students previously, with 75% of the cohort graduating with an ITE Skills Certificate, which prepares them for ITE or to enter the workforce.

Just as importantly, students show a measurable improvement in their maturity and their ability to handle relationships with others. NorthLight has taken this group of students who have not passed their PSLE, levelled them up and made social mobility real for them – over 60% of NLS graduates have achieved qualifications higher than at least one of their parents. I have read the statements of many of the students, teachers and others involved and I would say that it is a touching experience.

The NorthLight innovation has several winning elements, not least of which, the commitment and dedication of its principals, teachers and staff. By adopting a whole-school approach and placing strong emphasis on character and values, as well as literacy, numeracy and important life skills, NorthLight has unlocked the potential in its students.

By acting as a focal point to draw in community support from small business owners to large corporations, it has provided an opportunity for other Singaporeans to do their part for their fellow citizens. In all, it was an innovation that is truly trail-blazing and gave us confidence to try out other good ideas, including the setting up of two Specialised Schools for Normal (Technical). These schools are additional options available to our students. While some will give the new schools a try, the vast majority of our N(T) students will continue to study in existing secondary schools.

Dr Intan Azura raised the issue of SAP schools and Mr Baey Yam Keng suggested having a school that focuses on the learning of languages and culture. Indeed, we have SAP schools to provide a school-wide environment conducive for the acquisition of the Chinese language and culture. We have similar provisions for students who wish to learn Malay and Tamil to a higher level, but these are implemented in different ways in the form of programmes within schools or at the Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre. Many good schools also have minority students and they thrive in those environments.

I understand Dr Intan's sentiments and our SAP schools will need to continually find ways to enhance integration. Indeed, as we create more pathways, we must continue to emphasise integration. For example, to enable students to interact across schools, students from Hwa Chong Institution work with students from various partner schools, such as Chestnut Drive Secondary, Assumption English School, Westspring Secondary and Whitley Secondary in a Racial Harmony Programme. Students jointly undertake a series of activities over three months, including organising ethnic-themed bazaars and performances. This gives students an opportunity to interact with friends from other schools and, in the process, learn about the various cultures. I am confident that our schools, including SAP schools, will evolve their ways of enhancing integration as part of our inculcation of values.

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I agree with Members who feel that our national schools will continue to play an important role in forging social cohesion and a common national identity. Our policy is, therefore, to encourage all Singaporean children, as far as possible, to be enrolled in national schools.

On Mr Zainal Sapari and Mr Faisal Manap's queries, it is for this reason we do not extend Edusave to students who are not enrolled in our mainstream schools. But we recognise the important role of madrasahs in our community, as Mr Zainal Sapari mentioned, not just to the Muslim community but to the Singaporean community. Apart from assistance from MOE on teaching resources, MUIS also provide important support which Minister Yaacob Ibrahim may touch on later.

For children who did not do well, let me reiterate one key point that there is no social exclusion. All children, regardless of family background, race or religion can access the many pathways and options in our system. For children who did not do well, there are many options and pathways as well.

To sum up, good schools make real the opportunities we want to give to our children and, in doing so, build a stronger and more inclusive Singapore. Allow me to show Members this clip that demonstrates what is happening in our schools to make this happen. [ A video clip was shown to hon Members. ] Now, is it not heartwarming to see how our children are pursuing their dreams and how we are helping them and how parents are so supportive?

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Now, let me touch on changes to Edusave awards. Last Saturday, the media highlighted the achievements of several "A" level students. Jason Chua was an EM3 student, went on to Millenia Institute, and now aspires to study law. He shared that he was motivated to study hard when his mother, a single parent, was retrenched. Desmond Toh, from Hwa Chong Institute, despite being of modest means, and having to be hospitalised a few times last year, overcame that to be one of the top students this year. Yang Xin Yi of Tampines Junior College showed resilience in the face of her father's stroke. It spurred her on to do well and she did well enough to pursue a life sciences degree at NUS.

There are also stories of students who excelled well beyond their studies. R R Pravin, who was from ACS (Independent), is a gifted writer and wrote an award-winning novel when he was 15, winning an award at the United States of America's Best Books Award in 2008. He showed perseverance and overcame difficult family circumstances, being from a single-parent family.

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We saw equally inspirational stories earlier at the "O" and "N" level exams, of students overcoming disabilities, difficult family circumstances, or having significantly turned their lives around.

Caroline Justine first entered Jurong Secondary as an N(A) student but, through hard work and determination, emerged as one of her school's top students at the "O" levels. She was also a passionate volunteer who never forgot the community despite her own obstacles.

One of the most memorable students whom I have met was Syasya Rifqah, winner of The New Paper Schools Sports Star Award, from Teck Whye Secondary, who took care of her family at a young age. And despite that, she led her school to win multiple hockey and floorball titles. She was the captain of the floorball team and was consistently a top student as well.

We have seen outstanding achievements in our ITE students, too. Shuner Leong, who won the gold medal in Beauty Therapy at the 41st WorldSkills Competition – the Olympics of skills – is now back at her alma mater, ITE East, helping the next batch of ITE students.

There are also many others that our principals and teachers, and in fact many of us have also come across, who are not in the newspaper headlines or the media headlines, but who have shown great determination. Now each of these is a heart warming story of tenacity, grit and resilience. Each is also an example of how character building, through school culture, CCA and community service, enables our students to build confidence, leadership ability and a sense of service. While they may be young, they are already contributing to their families, and our community and country. We celebrate their journeys, and congratulate them on their successes.

These students come from diverse home backgrounds and circumstances. But all of them, together with their parents, have these things in common: they value education, they believe in developing character, and they seek to achieve success in their own ways, making full use of the pathways in our education system. They show us the importance of a values-driven, student-centric education. We must continue to encourage and support our students and their parents.

Our Edusave Awards was last reviewed in 2009. Today, our Edusave Awards are tilted towards academic achievements. As we place more emphasis on holistic education and character development, it is timely that we align our recognition framework. We will, therefore, improve our Edusave Awards to recognise students who have shown exemplary values, character and civic responsibility through their actions; who strive to overcome the odds; who excel in academic and non-academic areas; and who display leadership qualities.

We will introduce a Character Award, expand the EAGLES Award, and enhance the Edusave Merit Bursary so that more students with modest household income can benefit. These changes will support our values-driven, student-centric education, and is part of our approach of giving everyone opportunity. Let me say a few words in Mandarin on this.

( In Mandarin ): [Please refer to Pg 2398 for Vernacular Speeches.] We will further improve our Edusave Awards to recognise students who have shown exemplary values, character and civic responsibility through their actions; who strive to overcome the odds; who excel in academic and non-academic area; and who display leadership qualities. We will introduce a Character Award, expand the EAGLES award, and enhance the Edusave Merit Bursary so that more students with modest household income can benefit. These changes will support our values-driven, student-centric education.

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( In English ): These changes will be implemented for the 2012 awards cycle, and awards will be given out to students early next year.

Allow me to go into the details. First, we will introduce a new Edusave Character Award. This will allow schools and ITE to recognise students who exhibit exemplary values, such as resilience and tenacity, integrity, care and respect, as well as civic responsibility.

This award is in line with our emphasis on Character and Citizenship Education, and is expected to recognise up to 10,000 students each year. Some of our schools already have their own awards to recognise such students, and the new Edusave award will serve to affirm that this is the right way to go.

Second, our schools today give out EAGLES award. EAGLES is short form for Edusave Awards for Achievement, Good Leadership and Service. We must continue to encourage students to develop leadership skills and a sense of service, and to pursue excellence in non-academic areas. Hence, we will double the number of EAGLES awards and raise the value of the award. This will signal a greater emphasis on developing the whole person.

Third, we will increase the income ceiling for Edusave Merit Bursary from $4,000 to $5,000 and introduce a new Per Capita Income Criterion of $1,250. The Edusave Merit Bursary aims to encourage students from families of modest means to persevere and do well. Last year, about 30,000 students benefited from this. By raising the income ceiling and introducing a per capita income criterion, we expect more students from lower middle-income families, as well as larger families, to benefit. An additional 10,000 students are expected to benefit.

Finally, we will remove the tiering of Edusave scholarships – so as not to have such a fine distinction between the top 5% and 10% of academic performers. There will just be one category of Edusave scholarship, to recognise academic excellence.

The $200 million top-up to the Edusave Endowment Fund announced by Deputy Prime Minister Tharman is timely, and will support these changes.

Mr Chairman, Sir, I have outlined the significant investments MOE will be making to ensure every school is a good school and opportunities for all. They also reaffirm our commitment to deliver holistic education. These investments will build on our strong fundamentals, and nurture an inclusive and stronger Singapore. Ultimately, delivering good education to our children – day in and day out – is about heart ware.

Good teachers are instrumental. At the same time, parents are an important group of people in the lives of the children and are far more important. No matter how caring the teachers are, they will not be able to substitute the role of the parents; and when the students graduate, the family remains the primary source of influence.

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Let me end by sharing what Mrs Chua Yen Ching, the founding Principal of NorthLight School, had shared with me: "In NorthLight School, the students used their skills to render service to senior citizens staying around the school. One group of students noticed that there was only one light bulb in one of the homes. They fixed another light bulb so that even if one light bulb were to blow, the house would not be in complete darkness. The elderly man told the students: 'Today, you light up my house, tomorrow someone will light up your lives.'"

I am heartened and encouraged to have met many committed teachers over the recent months, who work hard to nurture the students under their care and display this heart ware. But I also know that teachers cannot be a substitute for parents. I have also met many loving parents who want to do the best for their children. Let us work together – we will deliver the best education to our young, so that they, too, in time, will light up the lives of those around them.

The Chairman: Mr Inderjit Singh is not in the House. Asst Prof Eugene Tan.

Promotion of Lifelong Learning

Asst Prof Tan Kheng Boon Eugene (Nominated Member): Sir, the importance of upgrading Singapore's human capital is an imperative for our knowledge-based economy. As our economy evolves and restructures, we have to ensure that we minimise skills gaps and skills shortages so that we are not overly reliant on foreign manpower to augment our human capital needs.

In this regard, lifelong learning plays a crucial part in ensuring that Singapore and Singaporeans are able to optimise our collective human capital potential. Productivity gains, another national imperative, should also benefit from a commitment to lifelong learning. Beyond that, lifelong learning can ultimately contribute to a meaningful life.

Sir, lifelong learning should not be confined to formal education only. Instead, we should approach lifelong learning as an enquiring attitude in everyday living as well as a nimble mindset that inspires our people to want to continually improve ourselves by being relevant to the changing economy.

We urgently need to have a mindset shift in which the love for degrees should not get in the way of the love for learning. If not, education becomes overly instrumental and strait-jacketed. I see tentative signs of this among local undergraduates where they show an all-consuming focus on course content, to the neglect of developing learning skills.

Sir, the question is not whether what we learn during our formal years of education will become outdated but rather how soon they will become outdated, a point that the Minister pointed out earlier. But we should not allow ourselves to be in that situation.

Without a zest for lifelong learning, we will not be optimising the full potential of Singaporeans. It is learning skills and the joy of learning that will help ensure that we Singaporeans are able to keep ourselves abreast of the developments in our areas of specialisation or expertise. We can also become a more discerning and learned society.

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Sir, even as we strive to prepare Singaporeans for what they will do when they end their formal schooling, I urge the Education Ministry to instil in our students the appreciation for lifelong learning. We have a duty to equip Singaporeans to imbibe the larger purpose of education. Sir, can we replace our "love for degrees" with a "love for learning", and a "love for information" with a "love for knowledge"?

Education as Key Driver of Human Capital

Ms Tan Su Shan (Nominated Member): Mr Chairman, our 2012 Budget featured a lot of emphasis on the continued improvement of our human capital, especially on productivity and innovation. But for that to work, our education policy needs to be in sync with these goals. For our children and our future workforce to stay ahead and to stay relevant, maybe our education system can be stretched further, and we can perhaps look to test some new models. I have mentioned the collage model in my last speech. I will briefly mention it again today, and I also want to bring up the Finnish model.

In my last Budget Speech, I stressed the need for our children to learn to innovate, collaborate, think critically and also work effectively in an international environment. So far, our methods of teaching may have been a little bit too linear. As we grow up and enter the workforce, we are also a little bit linear in the way we think and the way we act. The various examples cited by my fellow Members of the House including very competent professionals in Singapore who are able to work very well on their own, do not seem to be able to collaborate or work effectively together in teams. This is perhaps an outcome of our education system. Hence, I introduced to the House to collage, which is a collaborative method of teaching. It intertwines these different disciplines and it helps the children to understand the relevance of what they are learning and yet think innovatively and work collaboratively with each other at a very young age.

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The teachers who piloted this very successful programme did surface it to the Ministry of Education, to the Curriculum Planning and Development Division. Unfortunately, Mr Chairman, Sir, the Ministry did come back with some comments but no real follow-up. So I would urge the Minister to revisit this. Whilst I understand and sympathise with the resource and space constraints faced by the MOE, perhaps the Minister can look into this new method of teaching and consider using even a distilled version of it in Primary schools so that our children can benefit.

Secondly, I want to talk about Finland very quickly. It is well-known that Singapore and other Asian countries produce great test scores. But have we looked at the Finnish model? The scores are just as good as any East Asian model. But it sounds quite ideal – there is less homework, more creative play and a lot of critical thinking. Finland is highly regarded as an education superpower because of its apparent emphasis on equality in its education system and, as I said, produces leading scores.

Finally, I was heartened, when I visited the MOE website, to learn of the holistic Desired Outcomes of Education. But for us to get to the 21st century competencies, let us not forget that we want to create citizens who are willing and able to collaborate, innovate and think critically.

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Future-proofing Children through Education

Ms Low Yen Ling (Chua Chu Kang): Mr Chairman, I am heartened by Minister Heng's announcements of the various initiatives to realise a holistic education that enables our children to be future-ready. We have indeed invested in education to equip our young people with future-relevant skills underpinned by strong values. Singapore's education system is well admired and scores highly in global rankings, such as PISA. While we have made headway, we must make deeper investments for the future.

Just last month, in his speech at Singapore Management University, Minister Heng shared about employers' comments that Singapore's students seem to lack drive and the confidence to venture out of their comfort zone. Yet, these are the essential qualities for success in the competitive global playing field. It has led me to ponder these questions: what are some meaningful outcome indicators that show how well our education system is nurturing our young for the unpredictable future? Besides international rankings, are there measurable outcomes to indicate if our young ones are indeed well prepared to meet challenges beyond academic excellence? For example, will they be able to adapt nimbly to changes and new demands brought about by global forces? Today, the playing field for our young Singaporeans entering the workforce is being re-drawn at a faster pace. Technology can make today's jobs obsolete tomorrow. Thirdly, what benchmark should we set to give our children the foundational skills that will prepare them for life?

May I suggest that MOE consider benchmarking our education efforts against the following three indicators? Number one, our students' degree of self-motivation. This inner desire is the engine house for lifelong learning. The self-directed learner gains confidence and has the drive and curiosity to explore and discover new things. Number two, state of mental and emotional well-being in our students. Having a healthy mental and emotional state will help our young people meet future challenges. The Institute of Mental Health (IMH) revealed that more than one in 10 Primary school students here had emotional and behavioural problems in 2010. As pressure from studies and stresses of life become an unbearable burden not only for children, and parents suffer, our society and economy will also be adversely affected in the long run. Lastly, a measure of outcome to consider is the love for learning. This is the joy found in the pursuit of learning for learning's sake. A passion for learning is a lifelong skill that will stand our children in good stead. Even as adults today, we continue to learn, unlearn and relearn.

I believe that MOE has placed great emphasis on making our children future-ready. The three benchmarks I have suggested are part of the skills and value that MOE aims to impart. When our young ones are healthy, self-motivated and armed with a lifelong love for learning, they will have the confidence and agility to innovate and meet tomorrow's challenge. To this end, if MOE can monitor and regularly review these three key outcomes, it will help us stay on course and provide an education for life and a better future.

Pre-school Education

Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: Thank you, Mr Chairman, Sir. I thank Minister Heng for his earlier address on our education system which focused on holistic, values-driven and character development in our education system. I believe that those core precepts and values are equally applicable to our early childcare education.

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Pre-school education should not merely be an extension of formal school system where numeracy and literacy skills get emphasised at the expense of other developmental goals. But I do believe that, in Singapore, we could do more to start the process of inculcating core values and character development from an early age. It is generally recognised that children between the ages of three and seven have a strong developmental and cognitive ability and that this can best be nurtured through play and interaction at those ages. The pre-school years are thus a very critical period for the development of our children. They lay the foundation for our children's education, prior formal schooling. There have already been recent movements by the Government to recognise and accredit pre-school education through the efforts of SPARK and MCYS. Indeed, it remains not compulsory, nor is pre-school curriculum currently being regulated by the Government.

In that context, would the Ministry consider developing and prescribing a curriculum for pre-school education much along the lines of the models that we have been talking about which are being developed for the Primary, Secondary and tertiary school education systems? Sir, in particular, as part of accrediting good-quality pre-schools, could the Ministry also consider building and introducing character development programmes which start a child's pre-school years?

Finally, Sir, as the Minister mentioned earlier, our teachers are instrumental in the education of our children. In that context, would the MOE also consider doing more and investing more in training and equipping our pre-school teachers so that they are better able to help our children in their development of character and holistic values and concepts and in building a strong value system at that age? Those are the formative years of the child's learning and I feel we should not lose the opportunity to seed the foundation of good-quality values and encouraging strong moral fibre in our children from that time.

Support for Pre-school Industry

Mr Yee Jenn Jong: Sir, I state my interest as a service provider to pre-school operators. However, I do not run kindergartens which are beneficiaries of this proposal. MOE has earmarked $290 million to be spent on pre-schools over five years from last year. The objectives are to raise the quality, accessibility and affordability of pre-school education. The intent is good. Investment should spread evenly to all participants in the industry so that overall quality can increase while keeping school fees affordable.

MOE has scholarship programmes for eligible kindergartens ranging from diploma to masters. Besides the PAP Community Foundation, how many scholarship places have been used by other kindergartens so far? MCYS has scholarships available to all childcare centres, including private ones. Will MOE extend these scholarship programmes to private operators too? We can attract good educators into the industry through pre-service scholarships that allow scholarship holders to work for any MOE-registered kindergartens for a minimum period after graduation.

When designing industry engagement programmes, I hope MOE can be inclusive of all operators. For example, KiFAS is a good scheme to support low-income families. However, after eight years of implementation, only PCF has qualified as an eligible operator. I will speak on this during COS on MCYS.

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Singapore has 500 kindergartens. I would like MOE to consider fee subsidy for all kindergartens, like how MCYS subsidises half-day childcare for all licensed centres. By providing better industry-wise support, we can generate a more vibrant pre-school scene with more choices, better quality and continued affordable fees for parents.

Polytechnic and ITE Education Pathways

Mr Zainudin Nordin (Bishan-Toa Payoh): Sir, let me first declare that I am a member of the ITE Board. Mr Chairman, as our economy matures, more of our workers will need to be trained at the tertiary level so that they can find meaningful employment, and contribute to our continued economic growth. I am happy that a larger percentage of our student cohorts today have the opportunity to attend tertiary institutions. It is not just our Universities that receive them but many are furthering their studies and training in our Polytechnics and ITEs.

Sir, quietly but surely, our champions of technical education – that is, the five Polytechnics and the three ITE campuses – are emerging as the crown jewels of our education system. Many of the guests who had the opportunity to visit these modern and high-tech campuses are bowled over by the value and the high level of investment we put into preparing our young to be technologists and technicians. Nevertheless, Sir, we must not be lulled by the accolades, spanking infrastructure and the larger numbers of graduates alone. We must ensure that the skills and knowledge that they acquire through their education and training are relevant and useful in the workplace.

Could the Ministry of Education share how it ensures that poly and ITE curricula are relevant to the industry, and how it ensures that graduating students are more ready for the workplace? Would the Ministry consider funding co-curricular courses for polytechnic and ITE students to help them acquire more work-life skills in addition to their formal education? Would the Ministry also update whether it is offering sufficient financial assistance to students from poorer families to further their studies in Polytechnics and ITEs? Lastly, given that there is likely to be more demand for tertiary-trained workers in our economy, would the Ministry share if there are any plans to offer more progression opportunities for post-Secondary students?

Foreign Scholarships

Mr Yee Jenn Jong: Our Government awards some 1,070 undergraduate scholarships each year to foreign students. It is an annual value of up to $25,000 each. With up to four cohorts of students at any time, this is a large yearly expenditure. Sir, I am not anti-foreigners. I recognise that talented foreigners can add vibrancy to our institutions. We welcome them in our universities, subject to the quota allocated to foreigners at their own expenses, just as most Singaporeans study overseas at our own cost.

I am uncomfortable to learn that only 67% of foreign scholars graduate with high honours. Any scholar, local or foreign, should aim to graduate with at least Second Upper. I am sure PSC sets high standards for our own local scholars. If we cannot attract good enough foreign scholars, we should immediately cut intake by 33% to admit only those with potential for high honours. If scholars do not maintain the cumulative GPA good enough for Second Upper, during their course, scholarship should be suspended until they do well enough again. I hope MOE can explain its criteria for selecting foreign scholars and review this decades-old policy to see how many foreign scholars we actually need, how we can better assimilate them into our society and how to better engage them after graduation.

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University Education

Ms Low Yen Ling: Mr Chairman, I am heartened by the Government's move to provide more opportunities and pathways for Singaporeans to obtain a university education. Our young people's aspirations and talents will inadvertently shape the nation's future. The Committee on University Education Pathways was formed to study and recommend ways to extend the university sector. This strategic sector develops the necessary human capital and equips Singaporeans with the skills and knowledge needed for our economy. One of the committee's tasks is to look at how the Cohort Participating Rate (CPR) can be extended to 30% by 2015. Can I ask the MOE to provide an update on this, are we on track to achieve this and what are its implications and effects?

Just two days ago, The Straits Times reported that a plumber in China earns five times more than a fresh graduate there. The phenomenon is a worrying one, not just for China but globally – where many young graduates find it difficult to get the jobs they want and end up with lowly-paying jobs. Some graduates become domestic workers in Shanghai. It is, indeed, a sad situation of "axed-piration", where young aspirations are being axed in the bud right after graduation. Over in Britain today, one in four youngsters aged 16 to 24 years old have trouble landing a job. The reasons for this situation in China and Britain are bountiful. There are no easy answers or quick solutions as to how governments can assure a perfect match between the skills that employers want and the skills that our young graduates have.

As we aim to expand the number of university places in Singapore, how do we in Singapore ensure that we prevent such gaps from taking place? How can MOE equip our graduates with relevant competency and skills to meet the future needs of our economy? We need to ensure close alignment between the distribution of places across course disciplines and the manpower needs of the future economy.

I also note that the 30% CPR growth applies to Singaporeans and PRs admitted to publicly-funded undergraduate degree programmes and exclude those who go overseas for their degrees as well as those enrolled in private Universities in Singapore. This suggests that the total number of graduates could then be centrally higher than those covered under this 30% CPR growth. Therefore, it is important to consider, at this juncture, what are some measures we can take to ensure that the expansion of the university sector will not erode the value of the degree.

Sir, may I ask MOE are there enough graduate level jobs to accommodate the future increase in graduates, and how do we avoid problems that other countries are facing in terms of graduate underemployment and unemployment? To this end, can we learn from the general model of apprenticeship that has been successful in providing the young people with the skills for employment? Will deploying more practice-oriented pedagogy equip our students with more industry relevant skills? And can we enhance and build strong linkages with industries and professions to boost good employment outcomes? Let us all do more to future-proof our young generations so that they have a good chance of realising their aspirations.

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Singaporean Talent in Local Universities

Asst Prof Tan Kheng Boon Eugene: Sir, I would like to, first, declare my interest as an academic with the Singapore Management University.

An important factor contributing to the relative success of our tertiary educational institutions, especially our Universities, is our being open to international talent in the recruitment of students, faculty and staff. This openness also affirms our commitment to meritocracy. Our students are also afforded as best a selection of faculty members to teach and mentor them.

Sir, even as our Universities seek to be global knowledge enterprises, we must ensure that there is a strong Singaporean core in them. I fear that in our quest for quick success, we seek "off the shelf" solutions in foreign faculty rather than the laborious process of nurturing home-grown talent.

To be clear, in taking a "Singaporean first" stance, I am not asking for affirmative action for Singaporean academics. There is no place for discrimination in our educational institutions because it would mean that we would not avail ourselves to the best people. It would also undermine the integrity of our learning institutions.

But even as we remain open and meritocratic in our hiring policy, it is important that we consciously and methodically develop Singaporean talent in the various disciplines. Sir, in almost every discipline of study, there are certain areas that are important or perhaps even of strategic interest to Singapore. In these areas, it is crucial to have Singaporean talent and expertise grounded in a firm commitment to Singapore.

Take, for example, the discipline of law where I come from. Arguably, it is important for Singapore to have a sufficient number of good quality Singaporean academics in areas such as constitutional and administrative law, criminal law, contract law, company law, to name but a few. Local academics are more likely than not to pursue research and teaching in these areas as well as work with the legal profession and the courts, with a subtle and nuanced understanding of the Singaporean context.

More importantly, Singaporeans are more likely than not to have "staying power", and they will be critical in developing local expertise in these important subjects.

There may also be subjects important to Singapore but where the talent pool is small because the subjects may lack appeal to the international academic audience. I would venture the study of the Singapore Government and politics as one example. Again, this is where Singaporean academics will play that vital role of being involved and responsible scholars.

Sir, in our quest to have truly world-class Universities that we can call our own, the Singaporean element and heartbeat are crucial. Our schools and Universities must be imbued with the Singaporean ethos and values.

Sir, I urge the Education Ministry to ensure that a Singaporean core forms the bedrock of our tertiary educational institutions, in particular our Universities.

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More Opportunities in Higher Education

Mr Ang Wei Neng: Mr Chairman, Sir, many Singaporeans aspire to have a degree. During my recent house visit, one resident lamented to me that the cost of a 3- to 4-year degree course at a private educational institution (PEI) could be as high as $75,000. As his daughter could not get into a local publicly-funded university, the cost of tertiary education is a heavy burden to the family.

I think $75,000 is a big sum of money. So, I did a quick scan on the Internet to check the tuition fees charged by the various reputable private educational institutions in Singapore. Indeed, $75,000 is at the higher end of the range. The average is about $30,000 for business or business-related courses. Nonetheless, it is still a significant cost to an average family in Singapore, and they are not assured if they are getting quality education from the PEI.

I understand that the EduTrust Certification concentrates more on the governance and protection of fee paid by the students, rather than the quality of the courses provided by PEI, that is, the Council for Private Education does not assess the quality of the course content and grade them accordingly.

Though it could be early days, but I would appreciate if Minister of State Lawrence Wong could update us on the preliminary recommendations by the Committee to Review University Education Pathways beyond 2015, particularly if there are plans to certify the quality of the undergraduate courses offered by PEI. Such plans, if implemented, would give the students a better sense whether the courses offered by PEI are of value for money. It could also pave the way for the Government to subsidise some of the certified courses so that Singaporeans can have more choices to obtain a degree with the help of the Government. At the same time, we need to be mindful that they could get a job after graduation.

Mr Heng Swee Keat: Mr Chairman, Sir, I thank Ms Low Yen Ling for suggesting the three outcomes against which we can benchmark our schools, and also for pointing out about the importance of future-proofing our students. I also thank many of the Members who have spoken on deepening the Singaporean talent pool, and providing opportunities for our students to go as far as possible.

In my earlier remarks, I focused on what we need to do at the school level, where the basic 10-12 years of education takes place. I now want to touch on post-Secondary education. Today, a vast majority of our students, over 93%, progress to post-Secondary education. We are able to achieve this due to the many pathways to meet the different interests, aptitudes and abilities of our students. We will continue to enhance the strong linkages between our schools and post-Secondary education institutes. For example, by providing more opportunities for students to progress to the ITE and Polytechnics directly via through-train programmes.

Our post-Secondary education should continue to build on the foundations of values and 21st Century competencies in schools, and prepare our students for life and employment. Global competition is intensifying and economic cycles are getting shorter. Our economy is moving towards a more knowledge-intensive, innovation-driven phase. I agree with Ms Tan Su Shan about preparing our students well for the future as well as Ms Low Yen Ling that our students need to be adaptable and resilient, possess deep skills as well as higher order competencies, such as creativity, innovation, collaboration, communications and cross-cultural awareness. Our post-Secondary institutions must thus continually adapt.

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In the past two decades, MOE has invested heavily in the post-Secondary education sector. Apart from building new institutions, there have also been significant changes in what is being delivered.

Sir, let me say a few words on ITE. Since VITB was transformed into ITE in 1992, it has embarked on a series of five-year strategic plans. The latest is in establishing the "One ITE System, Three Colleges". We have invested in the state-of-the-art regional campuses, new programmes and new teaching methods. Together with close collaboration with industry, cohorts of students have been equipped with industry-relevant skills.

This year, ITE is celebrating its 20th Anniversary and it is regarded as a world leader in technical and vocational education. It has many visitors from around the world each year seeking to replicate its success.

Our Polytechnics have also undergone significant changes in the past two decades. We established two new Polytechnics during this period – Nanyang Polytechnic in 1992 and Republic Polytechnic in 2002. Today, our five Polytechnics offer a broad range of courses and are well-regarded by employers for equipping their students with practical, applicable and relevant skills. They have also sought to provide broad-based, holistic learning experiences for their students, be it in international competitions across various domains, or in overseas experiences.

The investments and improvements in ITE and Polytechnics have translated to good outcomes for our students. Students grow in confidence and maturity with the variety of learning activities. Upon graduation, they are in high demand. This has come about because of the unique strengths, innovative pedagogies and wide course offerings that are aligned to industry needs.

Mr Zainudin Nordin spoke about our ITE and Polytechnics being the crown jewels in our system. I thank him for that comment, and I fully agree. Our three regional ITE campuses have their own strengths and niche courses, such as Healthcare Services in ITE College East, Land Transport in ITE College West and Creative Design and Interactive Media in the upcoming new ITE College Central. New courses are offered each year to develop relevant skills to meet current industry needs.

Mr Zainudin Nordin asked how we are preparing our students better and how our Polytechnics are adapting. In addition to the wide course offerings, they offer varied learning experiences. For example, every Diploma Programme in Temasek Polytechnic incorporates e-learning and problem-based learning, while Republic Polytechnic has adopted problem-based learning as its main pedagogy.

Singapore Polytechnic adopts Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate (CDIO), Design Thinking (DT) and Multi-Disciplinary Project (MDP) as key teaching and learning approaches for several of its disciplines. Ngee Ann Polytechnic's School of Interdisciplinary Studies offers a diverse range of modules which widen students' perspectives. At Nanyang Polytechnic, the Teaching Factory training model simulates the real world environment in an institutional setting.

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These varied pedagogies have allowed our students to develop skills beyond content knowledge, in communication, problem-solving, multi-disciplinary and innovative thinking, areas which several Members have spoken about.

Moving forward, ITE and Polytechnics will continue to be the bedrock of our post-Secondary sector, through which the majority of our students gain their pre-employment qualifications, and through which they continue to develop important foundations for lifelong learning – a point which several Members have also spoken on.

Now, let me say a few words on our Universities. Our University landscape has also expanded significantly – it is more diverse, and offers students a wider range of courses and experiences across different disciplines. The new SIT has also offered Polytechnic upgraders opportunities to pursue degree programmes offered in partnership with quality foreign institutions. We have also begun to fund arts degree programmes. Minister of State Lawrence Wong will elaborate on some of these initiatives later.

Asst Prof Eugene Tan spoke on the importance of developing Singaporean talent in our Universities. Indeed, if we want our Universities to be world-class, they must, as Prof Eugene Tan pointed out, stay open to recruiting the best talent and, at the same time, invest in developing a Singaporean core.

And we must develop a strong Singaporean core, not just in our universities but in all key areas of our economy and our society, though small our population may be. It is for this reason that we recently launched the Singapore-Industry Scholarship, a partnership between the Singapore Government and prominent enterprises to groom Singaporean talents. The participating companies have been selected on the basis of their strong capabilities in developing human resources and developing leadership quality.

Let me emphasise that it is not just about funding, but the opportunity to be exposed to higher management and to the industry in a deeper way that will enable these students to develop the wide range of key competencies that many Members have spoken on.

Sir, we will continue our efforts in developing a strong Singaporean core, starting especially from pre-school, all the way through universities and to post-graduate studies, and, in fact, even beyond that, to Continuing Education and Training (CET). CET and industry upgrading will become increasingly important avenues through which Singaporeans can acquire deeper skills and knowledge and attain higher qualifications through the course of their career.

To provide more continuing education opportunities, MOE will be investing $350 million in CET over the next five years. We have also increased the number of training places over the past few years. As of February 2012, there has been a 50% increase in the number of part-time degree training places and 9% increase in part-time diploma training places compared to Academic Year 2008/2009.

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In addition, Singaporeans can look forward to greater choices in CET course offerings. On top of Engineering and Science and Technology courses, new course offerings introduced in academic year 2012/2013 include Diploma in Sports (Coaching) and Specialist Diploma in Palliative Care.

Singaporeans can also look forward to more subsidies and support. More than 30,000 CET training places across ITEs, Polytechnics, universities and UniSIM were taken up in academic year 2011/2012.

In addition to academic upgrading, I would also urge Singaporeans to take up the opportunities for industry-based upgrading. I recently visited ST Aerospace and had a long discussion with the CEO, and he spoke about the specialised programmes that he had. One example is Mr Ng Boon Chin who joined ST Aerospace as a trainee senior technician in 2002 after graduating with a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering. He underwent a one-year technician training with the company and was subsequently enrolled in ST Aerospace's four-year Certificate in Aircraft Maintenance Programme as a trainee Licensed Aircraft Engineer (LAE). Today, Boon Chin is a Senior Licensed Aircraft Engineer. He manages a team of more than 10 engineers and technicians, ensuring quality performance for all aircraft maintenance work. He is also currently pursuing the BSc in Aviation Maintenance with UniSIM, under ST Aerospace's LAE Study Award programme.

The Committee on University Education and Pathways beyond 2015 (CUEP), announced by Prime Minister Lee last year, has been studying some of these issues. Minister of State Lawrence Wong will elaborate on the preliminary findings later.

Sir, going forward, we will continue to offer a variety of options to cater to the range of aptitudes, interests and talents of our students. While students may not always progress into their first choice course or institution, we will continue to enrich the diversity of our post-Secondary landscape. We will do more to support and invest in continuing education to ensure that Singaporeans have the opportunity to continually upskill and reskill. We will do more to build a strong Singaporean core.

I have outlined the broad directions, and Minister of State Lawrence Wong will share details on our plans for the post-Secondary education sector.

The Minister of State for Education (Mr Lawrence Wong): Mr Chairman, Minister Heng has spoken about the need to equip our students with the right skills and values, and to provide them with ample opportunities to fulfil their promise and succeed in life. In this regard, let me speak about two vital sectors – pre-school and tertiary or post-Secondary education.

Let me start with post-Secondary education. Here, our system is flexible and differentiated according to the interests and talents of our people. Our students have multiple entry and exit points, as well as various options in their learning journey. Those who prefer a more academic pathway can go to the junior colleges, and then articulate to the Universities. Those who prefer a more practice-based education can go to the Polytechnics or the Institute of Technical Education (ITE).

Mr Zainudin Nordin highlighted the importance of investing in the Polytechnics and ITE – "our crown jewels of higher education", as he put it. I fully agree with him. Both the Polytechnics and ITE are attractive options to meet our students' educational preferences and needs. They open up many possibilities for both personal and career fulfilment and success.

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After about 10 years of broad education, some students are keen to experience a mode of learning where they can clearly see the link between theory and application. Not surprisingly, every year, about a third of "O" Level students who qualify for junior colleges choose the polytechnic route instead. Temasek Polytechnic's Ms Teh Zi Yun is one such student. She has a strong interest in the hotel industry, and instead of going to a junior college, as she could have done, she is now studying Hospitality and Tourism Management at Temasek Polytechnic, which she finds "more enriching and relevant to her work life".

The Polytechnics and ITE also offer students multiple pathways to develop their potential. In the past, attending these institutions meant heading straight into the workforce. Today, students have more options. Many ITE graduates continue their education in the Polytechnics. Similarly, many Polytechnic graduates want to progress to Universities. And that is why we established the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), so that more Polytechnic students can get a publicly-funded university degree.

While some continue with their studies, advancing directly into the workforce remains an attractive path for many students. More than nine in 10 graduates secure employment within six months of graduation. They get to apply their knowledge and skills, and gain a clearer sense of where their passions and talents lie. After working a few years, they can still upgrade their skills in their preferred fields.

Sir, our Polytechnic and ITE students enjoy these opportunities because of the quality education they receive. Minister Heng talked about the various learning pedagogies that our institutes are applying to enhance the learning environment. Another important feature of our Polytechnic and ITE education is the close linkages these institutions have with industry. This ensures that our students have ample opportunity to equip themselves with valuable skills relevant in today's global economy. For example, ITE partners a wide range of local and international companies, from Cisco to Sembcorp Marine, so that students can pursue recognised industry and professional certifications, undertake jointly-developed courses, or participate in practical attachments and internships. The Polytechnics and ITE also regularly introduce new programmes in tandem with changes in the economy. This year's offerings include diplomas in sports coaching and mobile software development; and ITE certificates in aerospace engineering and info-communications.

Besides being industry-relevant, the Polytechnics and ITE are doing more to provide holistic education for their students, something which Mr Zainudin Nordin mentioned as well. We are getting our students to think creatively, work collaboratively, and communicate effectively. We are also giving them more opportunities for overseas exchanges and community projects, so that they are imbued with sound character and values. Last year, for example, 30 students from ITE College East visited the Al Husna Orphanage in Surabaya, Indonesia. The students undertook various tasks, like resurfacing roads and plastering toilets, to improve the living conditions of the orphanage. In the process, they gained a stronger sense of what it means to contribute to the community, and further developed their character and resilience, as well as leadership and team spirit. As the students later shared, their experience had "opened up their minds and views to the opportunities to contribute to society as a whole."

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Time and again, our students have proven that there are multiple pathways to success. According to one company, the greatest value that Polytechnic graduates offer is their "willingness to learn €¦ they can pick up skills and knowledge rapidly and become an expert in that field."

Many graduates have also successfully started their own enterprises. For example, Mr Sivachandran, who was previously an ambulance driver in Comfort Ambulance, went on to ITE for his NITEC in Nursing. After graduating, he started his own ambulance service company. Mr Siva said, "The ITE Certificate is very well-recognised, and has enabled me to pursue my dream. I am thankful for the opportunities and the care the ITE lecturers have given me and which have enabled me to become what I am today."

Sir, we are very proud of the Polytechnics and ITE, and the graduates from these institutions. They are self-confident, well-trained and prepared to work hard to chase their dreams. The Polytechnics and the ITE are critical pillars in our education system, and MOE has invested heavily in them to give our students a solid grounding to pursue their goals. Our spending per ITE and Polytechnic student has risen by more than 50% in the last decade to about S$12,000 and S$15,000 respectively. Let me assure Members that MOE will continue to invest in these institutions, to keep them on the cutting edge, and to give our young people the best possible vocational and technical educational experience they can get anywhere in the world.

Next, let me touch on the University sector, and address some of the issues raised by Members, including Ms Low Yen Ling and Mr Ang Wei Neng.

Many young Singaporeans aspire to go to University, as mentioned by Mr Ang. I see this in my interactions with students and parents too. We are, therefore, expanding publicly-funded University places over the next few years, so that more Singaporeans can obtain a University degree. Last year, 12,000 Singaporeans were admitted into our Autonomous Universities and the Singapore Institute of Technology. By 2015, we expect to add another 2,000 University places for Singaporeans, equivalent to the size of one additional SMU. We are kick-starting this increase by adding over 1,000 University places for Singaporeans this year.

As we increase the number of University places for Singaporeans, we will also continue to monitor and control the intake of international students. Mr Yee Jenn Jong and Mr Baey Yam Keng both spoke about this, and I understand their concerns. It is something that we are watching very closely, both in terms of the number and the quality of the students, and we will be doing more to improve the integration of international students on campus. Through the steps that we are taking, the international students, including the scholars, will form a smaller proportion of our student body over time. But let us manage this process carefully and find the right balance. International students do contribute to our Universities and add to the diversity of student life. I think these are points which Members also acknowledge. Having international students study alongside Singaporean students also helps our students form links to the wider world, opening up new opportunities to the exciting range of life experiences available to them.

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Indeed, by connecting to the world and leveraging on external networks, our universities have succeeded in attracting and retaining outstanding researchers and professors from around the world, and in preparing our own students for global careers. Today, NUS, NTU and SMU have built up strong reputations, and are highly regarded by Singaporeans and employers at home and abroad. Our fourth and newest university, the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), will welcome its first batch of students next month. SIT, along with its overseas partners, offers yet another option for students, adding seven new programmes to its existing 17, including in aerospace and early childhood education.

Even with all of these developments, we believe that there is scope to further enhance the University sector. I now chair a Committee studying how to provide even more opportunities for University education. Over the past six months, we have consulted widely and received much public feedback. We also visited several countries to study their systems. I thank those who have given us their suggestions, and would like to take this opportunity to provide an interim update on my Committee's work, and may I emphasise that these are still preliminary recommendations.

First, we recommend expanding the University sector to cater to a wider spectrum of students while maintaining the quality and standards of University education in Singapore. As our economy grows in scale and sophistication, we will need more Singaporeans with high-level skills. We also want to meet the strong aspirations amongst young Singaporeans for a degree education.

How far should we go in expanding the state-funded university sector? One way is to benchmark ourselves against other countries. Currently, about 27% of every cohort goes to our publicly-funded Universities and this proportion is expected to increase to 30% by 2015. Our provision for state-funded degrees is already more generous than many of our Asian neighbours, including the most developed amongst them, like Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea, as this chart illustrates.

At the other end of the spectrum, state-funded university participation rates tend to be higher in Europe. Naturally, their citizens pay higher taxes to enjoy highly-subsidised and broad access to universities. But there are risks to raising university participation too rapidly. Often, standards are diluted, and degrees are devalued. Then, far from graduates acquiring valuable skills, they become under-employed, or worse, unemployed. These were points which Ms Low highlighted earlier. For example, the New York Times reported last year that in Spain, Portugal and Italy, almost one out of every four graduates cannot find a job after leaving college. Indeed, we have also received feedback from many Singaporeans, including from university students and alumni, who worry that we may be going too far in expanding university places. One member of the public wrote in through the MOE website to say that we "should be very cautious in expanding university places, and not jeopardise existing opportunities and the interest of individuals".

Generous provisions for University education are also associated with wastage and inefficiencies. We saw this when we visited Finland and this is what their officials told us. When we were at Finland's University of Helsinki, for example, we learnt that the average student takes almost seven years to complete a degree. And because the places in these universities are taken up by what they call "eternal" students, it creates a bottleneck for new students, who have to wait around one to two years before they can actually matriculate. Meaning to say, you apply, you have a place, but you still have to wait one to two years before you can actually start your studies in the university. And, meanwhile, while around 65% of each cohort enters the Finnish universities, the attrition is high, and only about 40% actually graduate. So, when you saw the charts earlier, with high participation rates, these do not account for attrition. Even with a high participation rate of 65%, the actual attainment rate is only about 40%.

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I have highlighted these international comparisons just to give us a sense and perspective of where we stand and how far we want to go. I think another useful indicator to look at domestically is the proportion of high-skilled jobs in our economy. Today, about a third of our resident workforce is employed in professional, managerial and executive (PME)-type jobs. This is a significant increase from a decade ago. As we restructure our economy over the next decade, the profile of industry and jobs will also change. PMEs will be the fastest growing segment of our workforce, and so we can expect growing demand for graduates with high-level skills. University participation rates for Singapore will, therefore, have to increase correspondingly.

Sir, I have outlined several broad considerations that will shape our thinking. The Committee will continue to study this issue and seek public feedback to work out how far to expand the university sector while maintaining quality outcomes for the benefit of our students.

Second, as we expand university places, we also need to think about developing new pathways for entry into university. We want to add to the diversity and dynamism of the university sector, and provide students with more choices to develop and grow. Today, our publicly-funded universities are largely research-intensive. Other countries, however, have a more balanced mix – they have research universities as well as teaching universities that are practice-oriented and share close links with industries. Diversifying our mix of universities will increase the routes and options that our students are able to take for entry into them.

In Finland, I visited Metropolia, their largest University of Applied Sciences. The Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences offer mainly Bachelor degree programmes, and in areas with clear industry demand and focus, such as engineering, healthcare and social services. The entire curriculum is designed with close industry inputs. Students go through a practice-oriented learning pedagogy, and most professors have strong industry backgrounds. They focus on applied research and collaborate with industry partners to commercialise technologies. The students, therefore, graduate with valuable, industry-relevant skills, and are better able to apply their knowledge in a practical way. This is in Finland, but other countries like America and Germany also have teaching universities with such characteristics and features.

The Committee, therefore, believes that there is scope to develop a new university model in Singapore – one that is teaching-focused and practice-oriented with close industry ties. While these elements already exist in our current universities, we want to integrate them and take them further, to offer something that is distinctive and valuable for our students. The mix of disciplines offered should have a strong industry focus, including niche programmes not offered by the existing universities as well as areas where we need more skilled manpower, for example, in hospitality and tourism, social services and allied healthcare. Such a university model can also include elements of co-operative education, where academic studies are fully integrated with practical, hands-on work experience, and where students alternate between semesters of full-time study and relevant paid work. Ultimately, for the students, this university experience should be challenging, interactive and meaningful, combining theory with real-world industry experiences that help them achieve their full potential.

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We will study how best to implement these ideas. One possibility is to leverage on the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), which is already pioneering some elements of such a model. Together with its overseas partners, SIT today offers a number of applied degree pathways in disciplines with strong practice-orientation, such as occupational therapy and digital animation. It has also built close links with industry and received strong endorsement from industry partners. Building on these foundations, we can develop an innovative model of teaching-focused, industry-linked and practice-based university education for Singapore.

Third, in expanding the university sector, the Committee believes that there is some scope to leverage on the private education institutions.

Many Singaporeans obtain their degrees through this route, and the private education sector has grown into a diverse industry, comprising many different players with different business models, catering to different needs. This diversity, however, makes tapping on the sector a complex issue as quality and standards are not uniform across the board. Today, the Government subsidises students at selected private education institutions, namely, UniSIM, which is the only local private institution with degree awarding powers, and NAFA and Lasalle, which are specialised arts institutions offering degree programmes in partnership with top overseas institutions like the Royal College of Music and Goldsmith College.

Mr Ang Wei Neng asked whether the Government can consider subsidies being extended further to students in other private institutions. Mr Zainal Sapari also raised this issue in this House before and he mentioned it just now as well. Indeed, the Committee is studying this matter carefully. We recognise that there is a role for private providers to meet the demand for University education in Singapore, but this has to be managed carefully to preserve the value of university education for our students.

I would say that we are not alone in grappling with how best to leverage on the private sector. Worldwide, there is a growing debate about the role of the private sector in providing higher education. In the UK, the rapid growth of private Universities has sparked concerns that the interests of private providers may not be aligned with national interests, that the private providers are "cherry-picking" the more profitable courses and students, and that standards are being compromised. In the US, the Department of Education is increasingly dissatisfied with the value offered by for-profit private education institutions and is clamping down with new rules to block government aid to such institutions.

In Singapore, we have taken steps to raise the quality of our private education institutions. We established the Council for Private Education (CPE) which sets out mandatory baseline standards for institutional quality. CPE offers a voluntary EduTrust Certification scheme for higher-quality private institutions to differentiate themselves. But this is just the first step in distinguishing quality from baseline requirements. EduTrust provides prospective students with a measure of confidence that processes are in place to run a sound organisation and student interests are well looked after. We will have to do more to encourage private institutions to focus on quality outcomes. This is a challenge that regulatory agencies around the world face. If the same quality benchmarks for public universities are applied to private institutions, there may not be a viable business case for many of the programmes offered in such private institutions. We should, therefore, study the experience of other countries very carefully, including learning from them what is feasible and what not to do.

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Fourth, we should continue to expand the routes for working adults to continue their education and training by enhancing the pathways for them to get a degree.

Last year, the Government subsidised over 4,000 part-time degree places at NUS, NTU and UniSIM. This was on top of the 12,000 publicly-funded full-time University places for Singaporeans. We believe that more adult learners can benefit from such part-time degree programmes. In a constantly changing and increasingly sophisticated economy, continuing education and training (CET) is a critical avenue for Singaporeans to continuously upgrade their skill sets.

I understand that it is not easy for adult workers to pursue a part-time degree. They have to make personal sacrifices, to juggle work and family commitments and study at the same time. To make CET more attractive, we must address the challenges that part-time students face. This includes diversifying the range of offerings to better cater to individual needs and preferences, and enhancing flexibility in course structures and programmes. More fundamentally, we will require closer cooperation amongst the various stakeholders – whether they are education providers, employers and the Government – to provide a more conducive and supportive environment for CET. The Committee is studying how best to tackle these issues so as to create many more opportunities for adult workers to get a degree while continuing in their jobs.

Fifth, as we build new University pathways, we must ensure that these opportunities remain open to all Singaporeans, and that University education remains affordable, especially to those from lower-income families.

Education is a vital enabler of social mobility – I think many Members agree and have spoken about this in their interventions. No Singaporean student admitted to our universities should be deterred from pursuing a degree education due to financial difficulties. Today, the Government subsidises a large proportion of university education through grants and supplements this with a full range of financial assistance schemes, including loans and bursaries.

MOE regularly reviews and enhances these schemes and will continue to do so to ensure that they meet the needs of students, especially those from lower-income families. For example, we recently enhanced the bursary scheme by broadening its coverage to two-thirds of all families, based on household income, and increased the quantum provided.

The Universities and broader community have also stepped forward to provide support. But some of these schemes may not be as well-publicised. So MOE will work with the universities and other post-Secondary institutions to reach out more to the students and ensure that those in need are aware of the support available, and are not unduly burdened by the financing of their education.

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One area of financing where there may be scope to do more is the loan schemes that are extended to students. In some countries like America, Canada and the UK, university education is financed largely through student loans. And to reduce the financial burden on students, many such loans are subsidised by their respective governments, whether in the form of lower interest rates, or extended interest-free repayment periods. The Committee is studying some of these ideas to see if we can adapt and apply them in the Singaporean context to make loan schemes more attractive as an additional source of financing for University education, on top of the direct grants and bursaries provided by the Government.

Mr Chairman, over the next few years, the Committee envisions a more diversified university landscape with multiple "best-in-class" institutions, including top-notch research- and teaching-oriented universities as well as a good mix of full-time, part-time and work-study degree programmes, to meet the wide spectrum of Singaporeans' needs and preferences. At the same time, we must maintain the quality and affordability of university education, and ensure good employment outcomes for all our graduates. I have outlined the preliminary findings of the Committee. The increase in university participation and the enhancements to this sector will require a corresponding increase in funding for the higher education sector, not immediately, but this will come, and I hope Members will support all this in due course. There is much more to be done before we finalise our recommendations in the second half of the year. In the meantime, we will continue with our consultations and we welcome further suggestions and views.

Sir, higher education, whether ITE, Polytechnic or University, serves as a launching pad into the world beyond. But the value of higher education is built on the foundations of the student's earlier educational journey. The formative years before Primary education are critical for the holistic development of a child. And several Members – Mr Edwin Tong and Mr Yee Jenn Jong – have asked about the quality of the pre-school sector. MOE too recognises the importance for our children to get a good early foundation, and we have invested in pre-school opportunities for all Singaporeans.

We have made good progress in recent years. Today, access to pre-school is almost universal – more than 99% of Primary 1-going children attended pre-school. We are now making a greater push to enhance quality. Recently, MOE launched the Singapore Pre-School Accreditation Framework (SPARK), a structured approach to assess the quality of the teaching and learning, administration and management processes in our pre-school centres, and to identify their strengths and areas for improvement. This is what the SPARK logo looks like. So if you are looking for a good pre-school centre, look out for the ones with the SPARK accreditation. Today, 69 pre-schools are SPARK-certified. One example is Ascension Kindergarten. The principal tells us that the SPARK assessment has helped them to review their teaching environment and teaching strategies, and thus improved their ability to meet the learning needs of every child. I am glad to note that 53 more pre-schools have applied for certification in this year's first application window, and I encourage more to do so in the coming months.

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MOE pro-actively helps all pre-school centres to enhance their quality. First, we do this by raising programme standards. MOE had earlier developed the Kindergarten Curriculum Framework and Guide as a reference for quality teaching and teacher-pupil interactions in pre-school settings. This guide emphasises the holistic development of children, including character-building. And in this regard, I fully agree with the points made by Mr Edwin Tong that pre-school education should not be an extension of formalised schooling for our young children. Rather, it should be about creating an environment for them to explore, inquire, play and discover; it should be about instilling in them a sense of curiosity and creativity – abilities that are even more important for learning in the long run.

With this in mind, MOE is now in the process of updating our Curriculum Framework, with further inputs from early childhood professionals, practitioners and other stakeholders. The Curriculum Framework will be ready and will be distributed to all pre-schools in the second half of the year.

Second, we are also doing more to invest in teacher quality, as suggested by Mr Edwin Tong. In January 2009, we raised the minimum academic and professional qualifications of pre-school teachers. Today, around 90% of teachers in our pre-schools teaching nursery and kindergarten ages possess a diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education, or are undergoing training to obtain one.

MOE also invests in the professional development of our kindergarten educators, through various bursaries, scholarships and teaching awards. For example, we will be offering awards for teachers to take up the newly launched Wheelock-SIT Early Childhood Education degree programme, and also the new certificate course in music and movement by Republic Polytechnic. And I would like to assure Mr Yee that these awards are open to teachers from all pre-school centres. Recently, we also developed a guide as a reference for pre-school educators on career progression opportunities, including the different options for them to upgrade their skills. Through this guide, pre-school educators can learn more about the education and career pathways available to them, based on their varying areas of interest, their strengths and aspirations.

Overall, MOE will continue to strive to improve the quality of pre-school education in Singapore. We provide a broad range of support to all kindergarten operators and, in particular, to the not-for-profit kindergartens, which cater to all races and religions, and especially to children from the lower- and middle-income groups. Through these investments, we will build solid foundations on which our children can fully develop their potential, and achieve success in life.

Mr Chairman, higher education and pre-school education may lie at the opposite ends of a student's educational life cycle. But they both aim to achieve the same thing – to equip the students with valuable skills to maximise their potential, and thrive in a changing world. MOE will continue to invest heavily in both sectors, to develop better pre-schools, and to build stronger tertiary institutions – at the ITE, Polytechnic and University levels. In so doing, we aim to create even more education opportunities for young Singaporeans to pursue their dreams, and fulfil their promise.

Embedding Social Innovation in our Curriculum

Miss Penny Low (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Sir, what is the essence of education? By whichever path it takes, it should be to bring out the best in each child so he or she can be the best that he or she wants to be and also, collectively, become a contributing citizen contributing to society.

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With the right value system, knowledge and skill set, our future leaders can then build a more inclusive society, a stronger Singapore. I therefore applaud MOE's launch of the CCE toolkit. However, values and ideas are caught, not taught. Therefore, learning by awareness, application and experience sharing would make all the difference. To this end, I have four suggestions:

(1) Could we surface community and national challenges as case studies to help students get a sense of reality and cultivate a sense of shared responsibility?

(2) Do not just do the same old but embed social innovation as a cornerstone in the regular curriculum to encourage students to think out of the box, while channelling their energy and imagination positively into solutioning for social deficits and national challenges.

(3) Provide generous funding and teaching support to CCE and use action learning pedagogy.

(4) Link each project to a social enterprise or community organisation so as to inculcate a self-reliant, hands-up and not just a hands-out approach. Perhaps, to this end, could MOE consider setting up a unit in CCE itself to match-make projects with SEs?

Recently, the Home Team also collaborated with NPCC to develop practical strategies to resolve school and community crime issues. Youths are also given the space to create ideas, share with their peers and implement the ideas jointly with the Home Team. Shared responsibility is pivotal in this exercise.

Would MOE consider expanding such a scheme systematically to our future leaders to the CCE schemes to address the social deficits?

Outdoor Education

Ms Faizah Jamal (Nominated Member): Sir, at the outset, let me declare my interest as a nature and environment educator. Sir, schools are increasingly, and in greater numbers, sending their students for adventure camps both within Singapore, as well as overseas, eg, to neighbouring countries like Malaysia. And these programmes are sometimes for the entire cohort; sometimes they are part of an orientation programme for new students, or leadership programmes for student councillors or uniformed groups.

This is a really laudable move. It shows that schools acknowledge and recognise that adventure activities have values to teach that will stand the students in good stead, not just when they are in school but beyond as well.

When students have to sleep in tents, canoe down raging rivers or traverse a rock wall 50 metres above the ground, they learn that being outside their comfort zone is scary, but yet when that fear is overcome, there is a huge sense of accomplishment. It does wonders for their sense of self-esteem. When students support each other through a rough mountain terrain, or work in tandem as they navigate through white water, they learn values like leadership, team building, and bonding.

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Indeed, many studies have shown that two main values come up as a result of adventure education. These are, firstly, more effective interpersonal relationships when people learn how to get along with each other in difficult and uncomfortable situations; secondly, a deeper intra-personal relationship, when an individual gains confidence, a sense of accomplishment and achievement as a result of having overcome fear and discomfort. The individual begins to value himself that much more.

However, Sir, as an educator, I have observed that one very important element is often missing in such programmes. While these programmes are quite comprehensive in their approach towards adventure education, often, there is little or no component of nature or environment education.

Just to give one anecdotal example. When my daughter was in JC1 last year, she went to Gunung Ledang in Johor as part of her school's orientation programme. The students had a great time, by all accounts, and one significant remark at the end of it was made by all participants. They said they had a great chance to get to know each other better and there was great bonding between them, the instructors and the teachers. So when I asked her what they had learned about Gunung Ledang and its rich flora and fauna, she said, "Nothing – we saw birds and stuff, but no one talked about nature!" As an environment and nature educator, you can imagine my horror. Think of that lost learning opportunity. Luckily for my daughter, she is already well exposed to the richness of the natural world at a really early age. She did not lose too much there.

Sir, in my maiden speech last Tuesday, I had shared what many young people tell me about their feelings after experiencing nature-related activities. Some of these include a sense of awe and wonder, a sense of love for the places they visit, and a sense of their own place in the bigger scheme of things, in the world and in the universe. They learn humility and gratitude.

To expand on what I have shared, studies have shown that when an outdoor programme includes a well-facilitated environment programme, two more values emerge. These are, firstly, eco-systemic relationship; secondly, ekistic relationship.

Let me explain. An eco-systemic relationship is when students learn of the inter-dependence of all living organisms and how when one aspect of nature is destroyed, everything else is affected. For example, when an environment education is included in an outdoor programme, students learn, as they walk through a forest or climb a mountain, how nature is interconnected.

When students learn that in the forest, for example, "dead leaves" are not exactly "dead" and indeed they are very useful by giving back to the forest in the form of food and nutrients, thereby ensuring the health of the forest, they see how nature is a giant web of life, one thing depending on the other. And then when they learn about, for example, the macaranga plant that proliferates in our forest, they learn that there is a win-win relationship because there are armies of ants in the plant that actually protect the plant and receiving food and shelter at the same time – again, an example of inter-connectedness.

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The second value, "ekistic relationship" that I mentioned, is when students learn that in our tropical rainforest, it is where all our plants and herbs are where we originally got our food, how we fed ourselves, how we obtained our medicine – it is not for nothing that our rainforests are called "the pharmacy of the planet". They learn that humans depend on nature to survive.

When students see how in the forest, the soil and the roots act like water storage tanks preventing soil erosion, they see the connection between a healthy forest and flood prevention, which then connects to their own well-being.

Conversely, they also realise that when the forests are destroyed, for example, by building highways, so too are much of nature's free eco services destroyed. They understand that their every action, day to day, has an impact not just on the natural world but on their own lives as well.

Sir, I have two questions that I want to ask of the Ministry of Education.

The Chairman: Ms Faizah, quickly please.

Ms Faizah Jamal: Yes, two questions. First, what does MOE plan to do in order to ensure that all adventure programmes include an equal emphasis on environment education? And, secondly, how would we ensure the environment education programmes are well facilitated? Let us not have young people who, when they become decision makers, grow up to have the attitude in the words of William Blake: "The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way."

Promoting Sporting Spirit in Schools

Asst Prof Tan Kheng Boon Eugene: Sir, I warmly welcome the Education Ministry's commitment to better deliver a holistic and values-driven education. For too long, we have focused almost exclusively on the academics, and perhaps relegated values and character development to the margins of our education system.

Sports is an excellent medium by which we can inculcate and nurture life skills and the values of confidence, determination, team work, empathy and sportsmanship. Sports, if properly utilised, can be a powerful platform for character building. However, if inappropriately used, it can undermine the very purpose of sports in education. It can convey unwholesome values as well.

Sir, is the sporting spirit in our schools almost dead? While our inter-school competitions at all levels continue to see increasing levels of participation, for some schools, the desire to win is so strong that their ethos can be summed up in the famous quote by Vince Lombardi, the late American football coach, "Winning isn't everything. It's the only thing."

We, regretfully, know of one too many instance of unsportsmanlike behaviour at inter-school competitions attracting much media attention. Direct school admission exercises are used to recruit entire teams of sports-persons with the sole objective of winning national titles.

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3.00 pm

Are our pupils able to take part in sports and games just for the love of it? It seems that few schools today encourage pupils to pursue their interest in sports and games in a non-competitive setting. Schools only want competitive sports teams, and even then they must perform reasonably well to avoid the chop. Sports-for-all is only observed in physical education lessons. What are the values that our school-going children will learn in such a setting where sports and sporting achievements are pursued with such an instrumental bent?

Sir, I am all for excellence. The will to win in sports is a powerful driver and cannot be denied. It is the essence of sports. But this will to win can be dangerous if it consumes us, if it takes us away from the fundamentals of sports such as fair play. The will to win cannot be at all costs.

What does this overly-competitive zeal for sporting success tell impressionable young minds? One impression could be that sports and games are only for the agile, strong and nimble. And if you have average psycho-motor skills or two left feet, then you need not apply.

We would have missed out on a valuable learning opportunity in our schools to learn, practise and internalise values and character education. I strongly urge the Education Ministry to ensure that our schools reaffirm the true spirit of sports as an integral part of our revitalised values and character education curriculum.

Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: Sir, sport in Singapore schools is important at the field level. First, as part of MOE's ongoing broader framework and commitment towards politic education, character and values building, school sport is important. Team work, determination, humility, self-esteem, achievement – these are just some of the intangible lessons which can be gained through participation in sport.

Second, sport promotes fitness, and there is a lifestyle choice which makes for a more balanced and well-rounded person.

Third, as part of the vision to promote multi-pathways, sport offers an option to those who excel in it, to make it their chosen pathway or even a career option.

Sir, save for a few examples in Singapore, Singapore has not hitherto been well known as a sporting power house in the international arena. Our relatively small size, however, should not itself be a disadvantage. We should aim to nurture a good sporting talent from a young age and provide the best resources and facilities to nurture and develop that talent. Success on an international arena will bring great pride to Singapore and Singaporeans.

Sir, in developing Sports Vision 2030, the Government has established a Sports Pathway Committee to foster collaboration between the key stakeholders in the development of sporting pathways for youth. The MOE is one such key stakeholder and can play a big role in achieving Sports Vision 2030. In that context, I would be interested to know what plans does MOE have for the development and enhancement of sporting pathways for our students? How can the existing school curriculum be revised to encourage a greater sporting culture amongst our students?

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The Chairman: Unfortunately, you will not get your answer as I propose to take the break now.

Thereupon Mr Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House.

Mr Speaker: Order. I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair again at 3.25 pm.

Sitting accordingly suspended

at 3.05 pm until 3.25 pm.

Sitting resumed at 3.25 pm

[ Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Debate in Committee of Supply resumed.

Head K (cont) –

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education (Mr Hawazi Daipi): Mr Chairman, you have heard the Minister and the Minister of State explain how MOE will continue to ensure the best for our children. I thank Members who have brought up a number of questions and suggestions.

My colleagues and I have been engaging parents in a systematic manner since we joined MOE last year. These were meaningful conversations which sought feedback from parents. We also took the opportunity to clarify and explain the intent of MOE's policies. We have met hundreds of parents over the past few months. We value these conversations.

Sir, when I was a teacher about 40 years ago, I found it frustrating when I could not make contact with parents. Some parents were constantly unreachable, even after I had arranged to pay them a visit at home. In the end, I had to do what I thought was best for the child.

All of us – parents, teachers – want only the best for our children. As teachers, we want our students to have good academic grounding, exposure to a range of interests, and to develop 21st century competencies. In this vein, I would like to assure Mrs Lina Chiam that financial literacy is taught in our schools during the form teachers guidance periods and enrichment programmes. It is also often learnt when students undertake projects or CCAs that require financial planning.

But in our globalised village, I believe it will take more than just good teachers to raise a child well. I agree with Dr Intan Azura that a child's upbringing is a shared responsibility among parents, schools, teachers and society. Together, we will support and guide our children to grow up into responsible and successful citizens.

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Sir, most of our schools have Parent Support Groups (PSGs). It is heartening to note that despite their busy schedules, parents have voluntarily stepped forward to help our schools. Their efforts have not gone unnoticed.

East Coast Primary School, for instance, runs a Life Skills Programme which is strongly supported by its PSG. The programme focuses on imparting soft skills to its students ‒ including character development, health education and even innovation and enterprise. PSG members work with teachers to design and facilitate two different segments on nutrition and housekeeping.

There are many examples like this. We are grateful for the time and energy parents have set aside for our schools. But the contribution of parents goes beyond what they volunteer to do with our schools.

Mr Edwin Tong would agree that the value of education is best measured in the values and belief systems which each child forms throughout his educational journey. And it is the close partnership between parents and schools which shapes the educational journey of our children. Together with schools, parents help to instil in our children the important values of life.

The PSG at Westwood Secondary School, for example, has taken a proactive approach to values education. At the school's Sports Day in 2011, the PSG took the initiative to raise some $3,000 for the victims of the Japanese tsunami. It may look small but the amount was really quite meaningful. I applaud this creative idea for three reasons. First, funds have been raised for the victims. Second, awareness of global events has been raised in our children. Lastly, and most importantly, parents and school have planted the values of care, sacrifice and empathy in our children.

Through the examples of East Coast Primary and Westwood Secondary Schools, we see that parents can support curriculum outcomes through their involvement beyond the classroom. They can provide opportunities for holistic education and enrich school programmes with real-life perspectives.

And it is for these reasons that we will find new ways to support PSGs, so that the PSGs can, in turn, form productive partnerships with our schools.

I am thus pleased to announce that MOE will provide all schools with a PSG Fund, which is a seed funding of $2,500. The fund will come in handy for innovative efforts at engaging parents via outreach programmes and parent-child bonding initiatives.

Sir, at MOE, I chair COMPASS, which stands for Community and Parents in Support of Schools. I am pleased to say that we have made much progress since the start of COMPASS in 1998. COMPASS has been a useful platform to engage parents and community representatives on MOE's initiatives and to explain our existing policies.

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Beyond this, I believe COMPASS can do more to enhance our outreach effort in emphasising the importance of holistic development of the child. MOE will work with COMPASS members to reach out to more parents, be it through the PSGs of the various schools or even to leverage social media to engage parents directly. COMPASS members could also volunteer to lead working groups that involve like-minded stakeholders, such as self-help groups, the People's Association, National Family Council, Dads for Life, and many others, to reach out to parents more effectively and coherently.

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To facilitate productive partnerships by our schools, MOE had set up a dedicated office called the Partnerships in Education Office (PEO). PEO would support our schools to reach out to our parents more effectively and support the work of COMPASS. PEO will help to bring together and propagate the best practices from different schools. PEO will also analyse the most effective way for MOE to support our schools in this endeavour – whether in the form of funds, manpower or stronger support from MOE.

In addition to the support from parents, our students also benefit from the support provided by community partners. These include VWOs, social service agencies, alumni and other Government agencies whose efforts in complementing the efforts of our schools have become increasingly important today.

One key area that we want to work on is the support to be extended to weaker pupils. Sir, I would like to give the following example where the identity of the child has been changed for reasons of privacy. When John Lim first enrolled in Primary school, both his parents were in prison. He lacked basic numeracy, literacy and social skills for a Primary 1 child. Beyond financial and socio-emotional support, John was also enrolled in the school's Student Care Centre (SCC) run by a VWO. Over the past five years, John's teachers, the school counsellor, MCYS officers and the SCC staff have worked closely together to help him. John has shown tremendous improvement. He is the top scorer of the school football team and now even helps his peers with school work. Despite unfortunate circumstances at home, John has a secured and conducive environment in school to grow.

As the Minister has reiterated, the support which our weakest students require often goes beyond financial assistance. I would like to assure Mr Lim Biow Chuan that MOE's approach is for our schools to implement a suite of programmes that provides coherent support in all aspects. A key ingredient of success is the combined effort of schools, parents and the community.

The Minister spoke about how the School Breakfast Programme (SBP) is part of the integrated support that we provide for Primary school students on MOE's Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS). We cannot ignore the importance of a good start to the school day. Let me share with Members the candid words of Quek Zhi Yi, a Primary 5 student from Rulang Primary School, who is on the SBP. She said:

"Before having breakfast coupons, I felt very sad because not enough money to eat and eat only instant noodles everyday, but after having breakfast coupons, I feel excited because I get to drink hot Milo and eat bread with eggs. In class, I can think better and not feel sleepy all the time."

This is from a child at Primary 5 level. For children like Zhi Yi, a simple meal of Milo, bread and eggs cannot be taken for granted. And we cannot take the nutrition and well-being of our children for granted. Funding per student has been increased since January 2012 from $180 a year currently to $270. Together with the increase in the number of students eligible for MOE's Financial Assistance Scheme, the amount allocated by MOE to SBP will increase from $4 million to $12 million per year.

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Sir, while, on the one hand, parents and community play a very important role in the education of our young, schools can also play a role in uplifting the community that they reside in. The Minister had earlier shared the examples of Tanjong Katong Secondary School and NorthLight School. Whether it is through service learning, sports or outdoor education, our children contribute to the community. Through such opportunities, values such as perseverance, self-discipline, respect, rootedness and team work will be imbued in our children for life.

Miss Penny Low had asked if social innovation could be embedded in our curriculum. Miss Low will be pleased to know that the reframing of the Community Involvement Programme (CIP) as Values in Action (VIA) will see greater emphasis on learning values through authentic experiences in serving the community. These experiences will help to nurture social innovators in Singapore.

I would like to take this chance to thank the community for working hand in hand with our schools over the years to deliver CIP to our students. We seek your continued support as we embark on Values in Action (VIA). This is a prime example of how schools, students and communities work hand in hand to provide a holistic education for our students.

Through these service learning projects, our students play an active role in identifying and addressing the needs of their communities. Students in Innova JC, for instance, helped children with special needs through a specially designed PE programme to develop their psycho-motor skills. Innova JC students also conducted an eight-week reading programme with kindergarten children from less advantaged backgrounds and followed up with feedback to parents on their child's reading progress at the meet-the-parents sessions. They organised meet-the-parents sessions and gave feedback to the parents on the reading ability of the child.

ITE, Polytechnics and Universities also encourage their students to participate actively in community involvement projects. These projects offer invaluable opportunities for the students to develop innovative solutions to help solve social issues even across other countries, and provide these students with an opportunity to develop cross-cultural skills. For instance, Mission Sevapur from Singapore Polytechnic made trips to India where they initiated schemes to generate funding for a non-profit organisation Inba Seva Sangan (ISS) so as to run programmes to benefit the villagers in Sevapur.

Sir, we will work more closely with our community partners to design more comprehensive or even multi-year programmes to achieve the desired impact. This would create more meaningful opportunities for volunteering in the communities on a sustained basis. This will lead to students feeling a stronger sense of belonging to the community and a greater willingness by the community to support the efforts of the school.

Sir, let me now talk about sports in schools. Sir, I wear yet another hat as Chairman of the Healthy Youth Committee (HY-Com), which looks into improving and providing holistic health for our children. Here, representatives from various agencies, including HPB, hospitals, voluntary organisations, come together to look at what more we can do to ensure that our young people grow up healthy. We want to cultivate in our children the attitude to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

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Mr Edwin Tong will be pleased to know that in line with Sports Vision 2030, MOE has reaffirmed its commitment to imbue in our students the importance of active and healthy living.

We are improving our provision for sports facilities. One hundred and twenty-one Indoor Sports Halls have been completed to date, with another 86 under construction. We have also replaced grass fields with synthetic turf in 73 schools, with seven more on the way. These investments will cost us a total of $3 billion [please refer to Pg 31 for the Official Report of 9 April 2012] and will support a range of programmes within the schools.

MOE has also increased the time for PE lessons, and every school will organise intra-school games annually for all their students to participate in. This will be implemented from 2014 onwards. With these changes, we want to create ample opportunity for all students to be exposed to an array of sports, and to have the chance to enjoy and play sports for recreation for as long as they can.

St Hilda's Secondary School, for instance, has taken care to ensure that its PE programme exposes students to a range of sports beyond its niche sport of volleyball. I know that they are very good at volleyball, winning national championships, but they are also introducing various other sports to all students in the school. In fact, they are doing a lot more than just that. These sports include hockey and netball. Yes, netball and the boys play netball too! Students are taught the mechanics of these sports in modules, meaning they are taught how to play the game and how to play the game well and enjoy it. These modules focus on the various mechanics of each sport. After all modules are completed, students participate in an inter-class competition which is an excellent opportunity for nurturing class, school and sporting spirit! Yes, there will be competition but it is friendly competition among friends; between classes, between houses.

The school also runs a "Learn to Play" programme for children with the Singapore Hockey Federation and mentors students on the Sports Management Course at ITE College (West). I have been to the school. The top deck of the sports hall is where the hockey turf is and it is opened to the public, and I was told that every weekend it is well used.

In the same vein, MOE welcomes the sharing of sports facilities in all its schools with the community to provide more sports venues for the public. In partnership with MCYS and the Singapore Sports Council, 85 school fields, 50 free-to-play fields and 45 indoor sports halls are currently shared with the community under the Dual-Use Scheme (DUS). From 2012, the DUS will be further expanded to include an additional 15 indoor sports halls and five school fields. This brings the total number to 60 indoor sports halls and 90 school fields.

The sharing of school sports facilities not only enables all of us to better utilise these facilities outside school hours, it has also brought communities and schools closer together. Indeed, I would like to stress to Asst Prof Eugene Tan that the value of sports to our children's education is not in winning competitions. At Outram Secondary School, for instance, a Sports Enrichment Centre (SEC) was formed last year for students who had no CCA and required after school activities to engage them. The students took the initiative to partner the Kim Seng Youth Executive Committee to launch the "One Community" project. Dr Lily Neo may be very pleased to learn about this. The students organised games and fitness sessions and opened the school's sports facilities to underprivileged youths in the Kim Seng Constituency. Through such partnership efforts, our students will see themselves as active citizens beyond the confines of schools.

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We want more than just for our students to run faster, jump higher or become stronger. With the right programmes in place, sports serve as an important vehicle to nurture values of teamwork, sportsmanship, friendship and respect. These are values which will shape the character of our children. Far from just a race for medals and trophies, participation in sports is an important avenue for character development and contribution back to the community. So, Asst Prof Eugene Tan, we have a lot of things in common here.

Having brought the community into schools, we have also brought our students out to interact with the community and the environment. I agree with Ms Faizah Jamal that it is important for our students to care for the environment. That is why outdoor education is one of the modules in Programme for Active Learning (PAL) for all Primary 1 and 2 students. This will be implemented in phases across all Primary schools by 2017, as recommended by the Primary Education Review and Implementation (PERI) Committee.

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At the Secondary school level, students are taught to appreciate and care for the environment through the Science, Social Studies and Geography curricula. One effective approach that teachers use is field trips. A few schools have even designed an environmental education curriculum. For example, Christ Church Secondary School has a module over one semester for Lower Secondary students. The weekly lessons include learning journeys to places such as Pulau Semakau to help students deepen their understanding of conservation in our local context. All these programmes, properly shared, will enrich the opportunities for learning amongst students in many other schools.

Mr Chairman, I have stressed the importance of schools partnering with parents and the community to deliver a holistic education. Parents play a key role in providing a supportive environment for our children to learn. Communities can support and enrich learning in many ways. Partnerships augment the school efforts to meet the developmental needs of every student placed in their care. Let us work together for the betterment of our children's education. Mr Chairman, Sir, please allow me to reiterate some points in Malay.

( In Malay ): [Please refer to Pg 2399 for Vernacular Speeches.] I am heartened to note that many parents have come forward to help our schools even though they are busy with their own schedule of activities. We are very grateful for the time and effort that parents have set aside for our schools. In fact, their contributions go far beyond the volunteer work that they do through, and for, our schools.

The value of education is best measured through the values and beliefs that are formed or developed by each child throughout his or her education journey. The close partnership between parents and schools can assist our children's educational development.

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For example, the Parent Support Group (PSG) of Westwood Secondary School has taken the initiative to collect donations amounting to $3,000 for the victims of the tsunami in Japan during their school's Sports Day last year. Three thousand dollars may not seem much, but it is very meaningful because it was collected by the parents, students, and also the school's staff and teachers. I applaud this creative idea for three reasons. Firstly, the funds raised helped the victims of the natural disaster in Japan. Secondly, awareness of global events has been raised in our children. And, thirdly, and most importantly, parents and school have inculcated values of care, sacrifice and empathy in our children.

Together with the schools, parents help to inculcate and develop important life values in our children.

Schools also play a role to uplift the community. Whether this is done through service learning, sports or outdoor education, our children contribute to society. Through such opportunities, values like perseverance, respecting one another and team spirit will be cultivated and created in our children, and they can use it as their life's foundation. Let us work together for the benefit of our children's education.

Training for Special Education

Mr Alex Yam: Mr Chairman, Sir, in November 2011, it was announced that the Special Education Schools will be sharing broad educational outcomes while preserving their different approaches to cater to students with diverse needs. The Ministry has also, in recent years, focused attention on channelling over 8,000 students with mild special needs into mainstream schools. For teachers, both in SPED and mainstream schools, the challenge is a multi-faceted one due to the lack of local training opportunities.

Apart from the NIE diploma in special education, which is offered only to those already teaching in SPED schools, there is a lack of specialised local training facilities. I therefore urge the Ministry to consider introducing other NIE or full-time special education degree or diploma. This will increase the number of teachers who may receive training locally to be equipped to educate special-needs students. The problem of lack of local training is also compounded as overseas training is often expensive and an unfortunate barrier for those with a passion to educate our special-needs students.

A family I spoke to last year spoke to me about their frustrations in trying to find a place for their child in a SPED school. During another recent block visit, I met a young man, 16 years old, studying in Primary 6. His parents were worried that at the end of his education cycle, whether there will be vocational opportunities for him. The families I mentioned are just a few of those that I had the privilege of meeting and witnessing their passion and love in doing what they can for their children. Many parents with children of complex special needs face a constant struggle in finding a place for their children with little certainty that they will be able to secure a place despite going from school to school. I therefore also urge the Ministry to look at introducing a holistic approach to assist parents with such children so as to ease their burden and point them in the right direction. That, Sir, is the mark of a true compassionate society and an enlightened education system.

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Examinations for Special Needs Students

Mr Teo Ser Luck: Mr Chairman, Sir, the education system here is one of an inclusive one. With different learning abilities, you are on a different track and at a different pace. Even taking examinations, you can be given special conditions because of your different abilities and because of some medical conditions.

One of the parents shared with me that such a special condition was going to be accorded to his child who is going to take his "O" levels this year, as his child has ADHD. However, he was anxious because there was a choice that he has to make, whether to give the child a special condition while taking the examinations. Because if the child passes the "O" levels, in his certificate, there will be an annotation of a "special condition" while taking the examinations. I can understand the system being transparent and being very open and wants to be upfront about the special condition given to the child when he takes the examinations. But for the parents, they would think that it would make it more difficult for the child in the future, whether it is for employment or application for further studies. I would like to ask the Ministry if an exception can be given to a condition, so as not to put in an annotation in the certificate while allowing the child to take the examinations in a special condition.

Tertiary Institutions: Special Education Support

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: Sir, I am very grateful to the MOE team and, most recently, the Minister and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Sim Ann for their visibly active and helpful support for our younger special-needs students in the system.

Sir, it is time for MOE's post-Secondary institutions, such as the Universities, Polytechnics and ITEs, to catch up with their more progressive peers in the world to grant more systemic and structured provisions for students with special needs.

From Boston University to Berkeley to San Jose University in the US, the disability support officers support students with disabilities in a structured way in matters such as disclosures, registrations, arranging for appropriate services, supporting and advising faculty on academic accommodations and transition to employment. Persons who are hearing-impaired, for instance, upon approval and evaluation, may receive sign language interpretation, note-taker services, computer-aided real-time translations or other appropriate provisions.

As a global education player, it is time for Singapore post-Secondary institutions to catch up with their peers. The numbers may be small but how we treat and support them is watched by the rest.

Mr Ang Wei Neng: Mr Chairman, Sir, we appreciate the Minister's commitment in helping students with special needs in the mainstream schools, as well as in the SPED schools, as stated in his speech earlier. At the same time, we are very glad that the Government has also extended WIS to work-capable PWDs and SEC to employers of PWDs. These are over and above what the Enabling Masterplan 2012-2016 has recommended.

Now, the race is to provide good basic education and vocational training to PWDs so that as many of the SPED school graduates can be work-capable as possible. While MCYS would address most of the recommendations contained in the Enabling Masterplan 2012-2016, there are quite a few good recommendations that concern MOE in the report. In particular, I hope that MOE could address the following areas:

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(1) Currently, SPED schools are managed by VWOs despite the significant funding from MOE. As mentioned in my maiden speech, owing to the different aspirations of the boards of the VWOs, the quality of education in different SPED schools remain uneven. Thus, would MOE consider instituting a governance structure, supported by NCSS and other stakeholders, to improve the governance of SPED schools and appointment of SPED leaders?

(2) The 20 SPED schools in Singapore have been trying to develop their own curriculum quite independently of each other. Some are more successful than the others. In November 2011, a draft SPED Curriculum Framework was introduced, mainly due to the efforts by a working group chaired by Senior Parliamentary Secretary Sim Ann. Moving forward, would MOE consider setting up a sizeable SPED curriculum development unit to further develop a core SPED Curriculum Framework as well as providing a platform to share expertise and resources so that each SPED school could customise for its own use and needs?

(3) Today, only two small groups of SPED students are funded to study up to 21 years old. One group comprises students in the mainstream curriculum and another group consists of students pursuing vocational certification. However, most developed countries allow their SPED students to exit from formal sponsored special education at the age of 21 years old, taking into consideration their lower learning abilities. Hence, would MOE consider extending the SPED school exit age to 21 years for those who can benefit from the extended vocational training and not just limited to those who can obtain formal certification?

And, lastly, does MOE have any plan to develop a sufficient talent pool in SPED schools so that policy, curriculum and programmes can be properly executed in the 20 SPED schools similar to that in the mainstream schools?

Singapore's Bilingual Education Policy

Mr Teo Siong Seng (Nominated Member): ( In Mandarin ): [Please refer to Page 2400 for Vernacular Speeches.] Mr Chairman, Sir, on education, I would like to share two of my thoughts. Firstly, on the Bilingualism Fund. Former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew mooted the establishment of the Bilingualism Fund, to which he personally donated $10 million. The community rallied to his call. In particular, the Chinese community leaders and organisations responded with great enthusiasm and donated generously towards this national objective to benefit our younger generation. Three months have already gone by since the Fund was set up last November. I would like to find out from the Ministry of Education how it proposes to manage and utilise these funds. Are there any current plans and developments?

Secondly, how to continue grooming bilingual and bi-cultural talent. Everyone, from the Government to the community, is diligently promoting the grooming of bilingual and bi-cultural talent for Singapore. Language is the vehicle enabling culture to be effectively transmitted; in this regard Mother Tongue education is extremely important in instilling traditional core values. Learning of Mandarin is a good example. When I was young, the anecdote of Yue Fei's "精忠报国" or "Loyalty to the Country" taught me about the meaning of national service; after reading about "Oath of the Peach Garden" in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, I deeply understood about maintaining trust and integrity among friends; as I read Mencius' saying on "Of the three transgressions of filial piety, the worst is severing the family line", I came to understand the importance of filial piety and raising a family. These moral values, having been deeply instilled in me while learning my Mother Tongue, will never be forgotten.

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Former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew mooted the establishment of the Bilingualism Fund with the primary objective to enhance Mother Tongue language proficiency among pre-school children. However, Mother Tongue language learning and the transmission of culture is a long-term process which needs to be vigorously pursued and sustained in an undisrupted manner. As school children at the Primary and Secondary levels need to study the Mother Tongue and face examination pressures, they naturally work harder at learning the Mother Tongue in the hope of scoring high marks during examinations. When they enter pre-Universities or Polytechnics, Mother Tongue is no longer a compulsory subject. Once the examination requirement is waived, many young people tend to ignore Mother Tongue language learning. Chinese texts, which they had studied in Primary and Secondary schools, would be set aside, never to be referred to again.

Hence, I suggest that the Ministry of Education should consider reviewing the education policy for post-Secondary school students. It should request and encourage students in pre-Universities, Polytechnics and arts colleges to participate in activities using Mother Tongue as the medium, enabling them to continue their exposure to the language. In learning and using the Mother Tongue, such oriental moral values as benevolence, righteousness, graciousness and honesty can be deeply embedded in the hearts and minds of young people through proverbs and stories. Indeed, such moral values would influence and shape their thinking and serve as their lifelong source of inspiration.

( In English ): Sir, to be bilingual, I will go back to English. Sir, today is 8 March – International Women's Day. I would like to wish all the ladies here "Happy Women's Day, good health and happiness".

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Ms Low Yen Ling: ( In Mandarin ): [Please refer to Pg 2401 for Vernacular Speeches.] Mr Chairman, last Saturday, Lianhe Zaobao published an article written by Mr Danny Yeo. After reading it, I had many thoughts. This article, "Burn Chinese! Burn!", wrote about how the daughters of two of Mr Yeo's friends burned their Chinese textbooks after the examinations, because they can finally get rid of learning Chinese. There was a deep sense of pain in my heart, and what I was even more concerned with, is how we can quickly improve the general environment and teaching systems for the learning of the Chinese language, so that children can learn Chinese more happily and, most importantly, more willingly. As the saying goes, all buildings start from the ground; hence, pre-school education is a critical phase.

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With regard to this issue, I have three questions. Firstly, I would like to ask MOE, how will the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism be used to develop more creative and interesting pre-school curriculum materials and teaching systems, to encourage students to enjoy learning the language and using is wisely. Secondly, whether they will consider increasing the number of hours that children use MTL in schools every day. Besides MTL lessons, can teachers continue to use MT to converse with the children during break time, so that indirectly, the children can listen more, speak more, learn more and use the language more? Thirdly, we can broadcast cartoons produced specially for local pre-schoolers through MediaCorp's OKTO Channel, to entice them to learn MTL in an entertaining and relaxing way. Hence, how should the children learn, so that they will be willing and love to learn Chinese and Mandarin?

To me, learning Chinese is a life-long experience, to know about it and retain the knowledge for life, to use it wisely and pass on the language to our next generation. Examinations should not be the sole purpose of learning Chinese, and one should not throw away this precious knowledge after the examinations. This is an issue that we must be closely concerned with and seek solutions to resolve.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education (Ms Sim Ann): Mr Chairman, Sir, Minister Heng spoke about the need to realise the potential of all our students. I would now like to focus on a particularly vulnerable group of students − those with special learning needs.

Upon joining the Ministry of Education, I was tasked to lead a review of Special Education (SPED). I am glad to work with many dedicated and passionate professionals and volunteers on this shared journey to uplift the SPED sector and serve the children to the best of our abilities.

Members have already seen media reports on the recommendations in the Enabling Masterplan 2012-2016 report. We in MOE share the vision of enabling Persons with Disabilities to maximise their potential and integrate fully with our society. The initiatives that MOE is about to implement will address some of the recommendations. And we will work with the National Council of Social Services (NCSS) as well as our VWO partners to address the full list of recommendations over time.

We support the philosophy of Many Helping Hands, but we are all pulling in the same direction, which is: to improve the quality, accessibility and affordability of special education, so that every child has full opportunity to overcome his or her disability, and be well-prepared for meaningful participation in society and a fulfilling adulthood. Let me start by explaining how we plan to improve the quality of teaching and learning in SPED schools.

Mr Alex Yam asked about a full-time special education degree or diploma. Now, MOE has already been actively expanding training opportunities for our SPED teachers. All untrained teachers who join SPED schools have to undergo a one-year full-time training programme at NIE − leading to the Diploma in Special Education (DISE). Senior Teachers and Heads of Departments in SPED schools can acquire management skills in the NIE Management and Leadership in Schools (MLS) programme. We also offer scholarships to SPED teachers to pursue Masters degrees at both NIE as well as overseas universities. We are exploring the possibility of working with overseas partners to offer a SPED undergraduate degree programme.

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Apart from teacher training, we are also strengthening curriculum development in SPED schools. Mr Ang Wei Neng asked about this. The MOE launched the draft Curriculum Framework for SPED Schools last November. It specifies a set of Education Outcomes and Learning Standards that SPED students should attain after 12 years of education. We are now working very closely with schools and other key stakeholders to fully develop the Framework. It has to be customised for every school to meet the needs of their students.

Curriculum Leadership Teams will be formed in all SPED schools. Training by local and overseas consultants will also be provided to help build school capability in curriculum development, design and evaluation. We must also attract and retain able staff, because this is a very key pillar for quality so that expertise and knowledge in the SPED sector can continually be built up.

Skilful and passionate teachers are absolutely critical for SPED schools. So are the Allied Health Professionals – the physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists and psychologists – and the Vocational Education and Administrative staff. Hence, the MOE will support NCSS and VWOs in reviewing salaries in SPED schools, so that schools can continue to attract and retain talented and committed teachers, Allied Health Professionals and other staff members. Additional funding will be available for SPED schools to effect salary increases this year.

We must at the same time do more to improve access to SPED for families with children with special needs. We are doing this in two ways: first, invest in expanding the capacity of SPED schools where places are in short supply; and second, streamline the enrolment process to improve waiting times for admission, and certainty on the ground, particularly for cases that are not so clear-cut. Mr Alex Yam spoke about the experience of some parents in enrolment. MOE monitors the enrolment figures of SPED schools closely to ensure that there are sufficient places to cater to students of different disability types. We have committed $150 million towards the upgrading and building of the 20 SPED schools in the past decade, and will continue to invest in increasing capacity where required. Metta School, which caters to students with mild intellectual disability, will be able to take in another 150 students from 2013 after its new extension block is completed. With the refurbishment of the former Chong Boon Primary School, Pathlight School added an additional 100 places at the start of 2012 and will be able to provide an additional 200 places by the end of 2013.

Beyond expanding capacity, we recognise the need to improve the experience of parents seeking to admit their child into the SPED school that is appropriate to his or her needs. MOE will set up a Multi-Agency Advisory Panel, comprising specialists and professionals from MOE, the health sector, the NCCS as well as the different SPED schools. The Panel will develop a standard application process for all 20 SPED schools. And it will help facilitate admission for children with less straightforward learning profiles into the appropriate SPED school. With the standard application process, parents would not have to make multiple applications to different SPED schools − only one will be required. And we aim to implement this fully by October 2012.

I have described our latest efforts to improve quality and accessibility. Now, let me turn to affordability. With effect from 1 March 2012, the household income ceiling of the SPED Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) will be raised from $1,500 to $2,500 per month, in tandem with the MOE FAS revision for mainstream schools. Similarly, larger families with a per capita income of $625 or less will also be eligible for the revised SPED FAS. About 1,500 SPED students are expected to benefit from the revised Financial Assistance Scheme, up from 600 students who benefit from the existing scheme. We will also extend annual top-up grants to SPED schools for the next three years, so that they will have the resources to provide additional assistance, such as transport subsidies, to needy students.

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We will continue to do more for the Special Education sector. We do so with a vision firmly in mind, which is that these students will eventually leave school and transit into adult life. And we want to prepare them as well as possible for meaningful participation in society and a fulfilling adulthood. But we are mindful that every child with special needs is different. So, our approach is to support each child in striving for the goals that he or she can achieve. Some of our students, because of the severity of their disabilities, will require long-term care in a variety of settings after leaving school. And we want to equip them with self-management skills so that they can gain as much independence as possible. Other SPED students have the potential to participate more actively in the workforce and in society, with varying degrees of structured support. Some of them are capable of entering open employment, again, with appropriate interventions.

Let me therefore say here that we share Ms Denise Phua's sentiments about the importance of working towards an inclusive society. Indeed, I want to thank her for tirelessly advocating on behalf of the special needs sector, selflessly sharing her ideas and experience with me and my colleagues in MOE, and, more importantly, by putting words into action and leading the way in developing some of the best practices in the sector. Thank you.

This philosophy of being an inclusive society guides us in our approach for the SPED schools, which is to equip the students with relevant skills, and strengthen their transition to post-school settings. Let me talk about our latest efforts in these directions. First, we will continue to expand satellite partnerships of the kind that Ms Phua spoke so passionately about. Since 2007, MOE has worked with some SPED schools and mainstream schools to forge satellite partnerships that foster regular interaction between students with special needs and their mainstream peers. For example, students from MacPherson Primary School and hearing-impaired students from Canossian School learn alongside one another in academic and non-academic activities. Students from both schools have been enriched by this experience. Shakeel, a Primary 6 student from McPherson Primary, speaks fondly of his friendship with Wei Xian and Brandan from Canossian School. Wei Xian and Brandan have also benefited − they have more opportunities to practise their communication skills with mainstream peers. Fernvale Primary School, a mainstream school, and MINDS Fernvale Garden School, a SPED school which serves students with intellectual disabilities, have also established a successful partnership. Sir, we will continue to expand the network of satellite partnerships between SPED and mainstream schools.

Secondly, in line with the measures announced by Deputy Prime Minister Tharman to increase the labour participation rate of Persons with Disabilities, including the Special Employment Credit for SPED graduates, MOE will also do more to prepare SPED students for future employment. We will place greater emphasis on vocational pathways that lead to nationally recognised certification, for students who can access open employment. And we will also provide opportunities for students to gain work experience, through a programme jointly run by MOE and the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF).

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Let me now address Ms Denise Phua's point about Allied Educators in Learning and Behavioural Support for helping children with mild special needs currently in our mainstream schools, and I believe Mr Yee Jenn Jong also made a similar point.

Since 2005, MOE has increased our schools' capacity to identify and support students with mild special needs, including dyslexia, mild autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). All new teachers undergo a compulsory 12-hour module on special needs at NIE to have a basic understanding of students with special needs. Ten per cent of our Primary school teachers and 20% of our secondary school teachers have undergone the Teachers trained in Special Needs (TSN) programme to be equipped with more advanced skills.

We have also provided schools higher levels of specialised support, in the form of Allied Educators in Learning and Behavioural Support or AEDs (LBS). These AEDs (LBS) are dedicated manpower specially recruited and trained to support students with mild special needs in the mainstream schools. After a year-long Diploma in Special Education at NIE, they are posted to schools and work closely with teachers to identify and assist students with mild special needs. Schools and parents have shared that they cherish the support that these Allied Educators provide. Currently, there is at least one AED (LBS) in all Primary schools and 51 Secondary schools. We will recruit and train 200 more by 2016.

Let me now speak specifically about how we plan to better support children diagnosed with dyslexia. While these children have difficulties learning literacy skills, there is a good chance that they can overcome their difficulties with appropriate intervention. So far, we have been referring dyslexic students who need more intensive support to MOE-funded remediation classes conducted by the Dyslexia Association of Singapore (DAS) outside of schools. From our experience, there are some students who find it difficult to travel to these classes. Hence, to better cater to them, we will pilot a new school-based dyslexia remediation programme in 20 Primary schools island-wide in 2012 and 2013, and this pilot will cost $3.6 million. It will target Primary 3 pupils identified through a systematic screening process by the end of Primary 2, and our objective is to help these students read at the same level as their peers by the end of Primary 4. If the pilot is successful, MOE will consider expanding the support in phases to other schools. The school-based remediation is part of an ongoing process whereby MOE improves educational outcomes for our students with mild special needs. We are also committed to providing appropriate arrangements for students with special needs who take the national examinations, to give them the opportunity to do as well as they can. And Mr Teo Ser Luck has asked about these provisions.

4.15 pm

Sir, standardised testing conditions are an important component of fair testing in a merit-based system. If students with special needs request to take the examinations under non-standard testing conditions, such as extended time, they are required to submit supporting documents such as a psychological report. These documents will be evaluated by a panel of MOE specialists. At the point of application, students and their parents are clearly informed that the result slips and certificates will be annotated to indicate that the examination has been taken under non-standard arrangements. This, Sir, is in line with international practice. Details of the arrangements are not disclosed and will not affect the student's progression to the next level.

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In response to Ms Denise Phua's query, I am also pleased to talk about how we are supporting students with special needs at our tertiary institutions. There is a range of provisions offered across our ITEs, Polytechnics and Universities to enhance the learning experience of our students with special needs.

Visually impaired students may receive materials in larger print and extra time for assessments. Physically impaired students are assigned classrooms at lower floors. The hearing-impaired students at Temasek Polytechnic (TP) are also given audio transmitters and receivers during lectures.

Our tertiary institutions are committed to providing a good learning environment for all students and we will continue to review and enhance the level of provision across the board. However, students with special needs should also be mindful to keep tertiary institutions apprised of their conditions. Otherwise, schools may not know and would not be able to provide appropriate, customised assistance to these students. We will continue, Sir, to work with our tertiary institutions to explore more systematic ways of helping students with special needs.

I now want to address the suggestion of a special-needs innovation fund that Mr Yee Jenn Jong has raised and I am pleased to inform him that, indeed, our schools can already tap on various funds available for innovation for the purposes of developing new or novel methods of helping our students with special needs. And we will support the use of these funds as well as provide professional inputs and advice from MOE headquarters.

Sir, allow me to make a conclusion on special education. We will continue to improve the quality, accessibility and affordability of special education, and we urge the community to support us to improve the lives of these children and to embrace them as integral members of our society.

Sir, I shall now touch on bilingual education in Singapore and also provide an update on the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism. Queries on this have been raised by Mr Teo Siong Seng, Mr Low Thia Khiang and also Ms Low Yen Ling. Mr Teo Siong Seng also asked about our policies to maintain and improve students' bilingual capability. I will talk about English, followed by the Mother Tongue Languages (MTLs).

Sir, to drive excellence in the teaching and learning of English in our schools and to raise the English language competencies of all children, we recently launched the English Language Institute of Singapore (ELIS). It offers professional development courses run by Master Teachers to guide our school teachers on teaching oracy, grammar and assessment for learning. ELIS also encourages teachers to explore effective and interesting pedagogies in special interests groups.

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English is clearly important to our society, but so is our Mother Tongue Language. Sir, our Mother Tongue teachers play a critical role in equipping our students with vital language skills and these are also the skills through which we learn about our heritage as well as values, and we will continue to support and develop our teachers. Sir, the Singapore Centre for Chinese Language (SCCL), the Malay Language Centre of Singapore (MLCS), and the Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre (UPTLC) have been set up to provide professional development for our MTL teachers.

Arising from the 2004-2005 Mother Tongue Language reviews, we also formed the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning (CPCLL), the Malay Language Learning Promotion Committee (MLLPC), and Tamil Language Learning Promotion Committee (TLLPC) to rally the support of community organisations to promote the use of Mother Tongue Languages beyond schools, and students have benefited from the variety of programmes and expertise provided by the community groups.

Our Mother Tongue Language policy also seeks to encourage students to learn Mother Tongue Languages to as high a level, for as long as they can. Students who can and wish to study Mother Tongue Languages can also enrol in special programmes.

To complement our efforts undertaken so far, Sir, the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism has been set up to nurture bilingualism with a focus on pre-school education. Research shows that early bilingual exposure is one of the best ways to develop language competence. We have earlier announced that a Board would be formed to look into the uses of the Fund. As the Vice-Chairperson of the Board, I thank Mr Lee Kuan Yew for starting and contributing to the Fund. I am also very heartened that many Singaporeans, as pointed out by Mr Teo Siong Seng, from all walks of life have come forward to support the promotion of bilingualism. I would also like to thank the Board members for agreeing to serve and share their deep knowledge and experience in the area of language learning.

To Members who have enquired on the uses of the Fund and on the progress of the Board, I am happy to provide an update. The Board, chaired by Minister Heng Swee Keat, recently met for the first time. Members discussed how best to nurture bilingualism in young children, especially in view of Singapore's unique and complex socio-linguistic context. The Board recognised that language learning in pre-schools is important, and pre-schools need to be well-supported. But language learning is not limited to the pre-school setting. Bilingualism in pre-schoolers is also nurtured through their day-to-day communication with parents and caregivers at home, or through exposure to educational media programmes. Parents, grandparents, caregivers and the community thus play an important role in creating and shaping a conducive bilingual learning environment for our young children.

The Board was of the view that the Fund could focus on supporting measures in three key areas: first, bilingual learning in pre-schools; second, in their homes; and, third, in the broader context of our society. This would ensure an "eco-system" of support in all the environments that a pre-schooler would be immersed in, and we will announce more details in due course.

Mr Chairman, in conclusion, I would reiterate that bilingualism will remain a pillar of our education system and we will continue to do more to equip our children with linguistic skills that they will need now and in the future.

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( In Mandarin ): [Please refer to Pg 2402-2403 for Vernacular Speeches.] Mr Chairman, the bilingual policy will continue to be the cornerstone of our education system. English is the language of law, government, public administration and international trade. It also serves as a medium of communication for our different ethnic groups.

Our MTL teachers play a critical role in equipping our students with vital language skills, and we will continue to support and provide training for them. To achieve this objective, the Singapore Centre for Chinese Language, the Malay Language Centre of Singapore, and the Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre have been set up to provide professional development for our MTL teachers.

Our MTL policy also seeks to encourage students to learn MTL to as high a level, for as long as they can. To complement our efforts for bilingual education, the establishment of the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism will strengthen the learning of English and MTL, particularly the enhancement of bilingual education in pre-schools.

Research shows that to learn two languages, the earlier you start, the better. Early bilingual exposure will further enhance our children's ability for bilingual competence.

We have earlier announced that a Board will be formed to look into the use of the Fund. As the Vice Chairperson of the Board, I am very grateful to Mr Lee Kuan Yew for starting the Fund and his contribution to the Fund in his personal capacity.

Now, I would like to share with Members the key points raised by the Fund's Board members during the discussions. Most importantly, the Board recognises that language learning in pre-schools is important, and emphasis can be placed on supporting the child's bilingual education in three areas of daily living, namely: pre-school education institutions (this includes kindergarten and childcare centres), family and community. This will ensure that pre-school children receive maximum support in all areas of their daily lives, to develop bilingual abilities. We will announce further details in the near future.

Mr Low Thia Khiang raised a few concerns about the Fund. Firstly, he questioned whether the PAP Community Foundation (PCF) Kindergartens will become the main beneficiaries of the Fund. Mr Chairman, in actual fact, work on the Fund is in its nascent stage. But since Mr Low raised his concerns, I am happy to respond to his queries. Naturally, the use of the Fund should be centred on the needs of the child, not of the organisations and, in particular, on students who do not have good opportunities for bilingual learning beyond the kindergarten or childcare centre setting due to their family environment and financial situation. This principle should be reasonable. Hence, I think Mr Low may have been overly-concerned.

Mr Low also reminded us not to lose our focus, and should concentrate on the learning of MTL, and not emphasise on bilingual education or the learning of English. I would like to highlight that, having been named as a Fund for Bilingualism, naturally the Fund seeks to enhance bilingual competencies. We should, of course, focus on the learning of MTL. Why? Because for many children from English-speaking families, learning MTL is considerably difficult. However, Singapore's socio-linguistic environment is also complex, and we do, indeed, have a group of students who encounter difficulties in learning English. Hence, we should not and will not forget them.

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Mr Low also thinks that our country is now facing a language crisis. He believes that this crisis is severe and we are at a point where we are desperately salvaging an irrevocable situation. On previous occasions in Parliament, Mr Low had also expressed similar views on the standard of Chinese. Back then, I had responded with an optimistic view. Now, I am still responding with an optimistic view. I would like to say that this is not blind optimism, but based on a few considerations.

Firstly, the Chinese language has been around for thousands of years, with a long and well-established history. If we take a step back, in actual fact, there is now a global trend to learn the Chinese language. Hence, rather than to say that Singapore is now trying to desperately salvage an irrevocable situation, I believe that we should instead say that we are now trying to ensure that our students will not miss out on the best opportunity to learn something that will benefit them for life. I believe that our attitude and perspectives on this matter will affect the progress of our work. In education, we need to have passion and enthusiasm, but not necessarily undue pessimism. As the mother of young children, I have some first-hand experience. The more urgently we want our children to learn, the more they refuse to learn.

At this juncture, I would also like to discuss this interesting article "Burn Chinese! Burn!"

I think everyone who is concerned about the education of Chinese Language, particularly the educators, would be pensive and thoughtful after reading this article. I would like to point out that this is precisely why we need to encourage students to enjoy learning the language and use it wisely. We must focus on the practical usage of languages such that even if a student burns her textbooks after the examinations, we hope that the Chinese language has been ingrained in her brain and rooted in her heart. And that if she ever would need to use the language in future, she would not regret having not learnt more about it.

Mr Lawrence Wong: Mr Chairman, I want to make a very quick clarification on a point I made earlier in my remarks. I said that MOE will be giving out new awards for degree programmes for early childhood education and for certificate programmes in Republic Polytechnic for teachers from all pre-school centres. Just to be precise, these awards will be for teachers from all non-profit kindergartens.

The Chairman: Members, we have about 20 minutes for clarifications. Mr Lim Biow Chuan. Please keep your questions short.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: Thank you, Mr Chairman. I have two clarifications. Several parents have given feedback that some school teachers do not cover some of their subjects thoroughly because they expect the children to have tuition teachers who would do that for them. Can I ask the Minister what else can MOE do to ask the teachers to do more, because not every student has the advantage or the financial ability to have this kind of tuition?

The second clarification is this. There are quite a few concerns expressed about the number of foreign students in popular courses, like Medicine and Law, in the local Universities. So, when I heard the hon Member Mr Baey expressed his concerns that he did not get into medicine but some other foreign students did, I would like to ask the Minister whether he has some statistics on how many foreign students there are in popular courses, like Medicine and Law, in the local Universities.

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4.30 pm

Mr Lawrence Wong: Mr Chairman, I thank the Member for the question. Let me take the second part of the question. We have clarified in Parliament that there are about 1% of international students in the popular faculties, specifically in Law and Medicine.

Mr Heng Swee Keat: Mr Chairman, on Mr Lim Biow Chuan's question on teachers covering the syllabus, in fact all our teachers are expected to cover the full syllabus and we have a national syllabus for all our subjects. Teachers do set specific questions in order to reinforce the learning in the schools.

Mr Yee Jenn Jong: Thank you, Chairman. I have two sets of questions for two of the cuts. The first is regarding the Primary to Secondary Integrated Programme pilot. The Minister said that "we will be transferring the pressure to Primary 1". Does the Minister not agree that when that happens, it means that this pilot is very successful and it is time to actually open more of such pilots, just as we have done so when we did the secondary to college integrated programme? The Minister also said that in Finland, 40% of the students go to vocational stream at Grade 9. I am not sure why this was raised as a problem by the Minister. Is it because the Minister thinks that going to the vocational stream is actually under achieving?

In speaking with Finns, I actually found that parents and students, they choose the vocational track by choice because in Finland, the salary differential between the vocational stream and professional stream is not as great as in Singapore. So, the higher percentage may not mean that they are under performing. Is the Minister open to dialogue with schools and parents to see if they actually want such a track because when I did my survey, I found that there is a significant number of educators and parents who are interested and I heard that – perhaps the Minister can confirm that – one aided school even approached the Ministry for discussion on this several years back.

The second is related to the GEP cut. The Minister questioned my use of the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) and GCE "A" level scores as a means of assessing the performance of GEP students. I would like to ask the Minister, are these not the same data the Ministry of Education largely relies on currently to channel our students into different academic streams and into schools and also in the Award of Scholarships? Does the Minister not agree that parents today perceive the nine GEP schools as being "the" good schools, as evident by the rush for places in these schools?

On the point that we need critical mass to put them into the centralised nine GEP schools, I want to clarify specifically that I am not asking for GEP or accelerated learning per se to be abolished but I am asking for centralised GEP to be scraped, and in place of it, being disseminated to different schools. Does the Minister think that we can actually make use of our cluster school system to achieve that critical mass?

Mr Heng Swee Keat: I thank Mr Yee for his follow-up questions. First, on his point about his proposal for an Integrated Primary 1 to Secondary 4 programme, I have made two points. First, that we will be transferring the pressure to Primary 1. Second, he mentioned my point about Finland that at the end of Grade 9, 40% are on the vocational path. I want to use that to illustrate a very basic point, which is that in our system, we have many pathways and many options. This has been enhanced over the years and the results have been very good across the entire system. In the last few years, MOE had done major review of Primary and Secondary education. In fact, Senior Minister of State Ms Grace Fu, who is here, led the review on the Primary education. That is after very extensive consultations with educators, specialists, parents and the broader community.

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As a result of the review, you will find that in all Primary schools now, we are implementing a very wide range of very important and interesting programmes. I mentioned about PAL, the Programme for Active Learning. I mentioned about the learning support in order to raise numeracy and literacy. With the additional bilingualism effort at pre-school, we will continue to enhance that. Schools are given a lot more resources to level up. I also announced earlier that we have now five major measures to level up the lower and middle income families. And I have also announced significant changes to Edusave.

So, across the entire system, changes are being made. All these are part and parcel of our entire effort to provide opportunities for all Singaporean students and, at the same time, these are in line with our shift towards holistic education and values-driven education.

Now, it is very important for us to look at how we design our system in a way that maximises the opportunities for every child. At this point, with so many initiatives, we must focus on good implementation. I have also mentioned how in our system, that over 93% of our students are moving on to post-Secondary education. In my second set of remarks, I also mentioned how vocational pathways and technical pathways are very important. In fact, I deeply believe, as Mr Zainudin Nordin has mentioned, that the ITE and Polytechnics are crown jewels of our system. We have a system that works very well and a system that has served all Singaporean students very well.

Now, on the Member's question on GEP, he asked whether that is the way that MOE assesses the success of GEP. The answer is "no". In fact, it has to be a holistic assessment €”

Mr Yee Jenn Jong: That is not my question. My question was: is this the way that MOE currently relies on to channel students to different academic streams, schools and in the Award of Scholarships, that is, by relying on PSLE, GCE "A" level grades, and so on?

Mr Heng Swee Keat: Well, a large part of it, "yes", in the form of examination results at PSLE. But we must also recognise the changes which have been made over the years. Schools now have Direct School Admission (DSA), in order to recognise a wider range of talent; in order for us to develop a whole slew of different skills, aptitudes and talents. That is how we have been doing it. Admission into schools like SOTA, for instance, requires students to show the aptitude and interest in the arts, similarly admission through sports. So, if you look at the entire system, we have created many, many more options, pathways and opportunities for our students. We have to recognise all these very important changes which have taken place and I think we have to go out and communicate better with our parents on all these changes.

Mr Zainal Sapari: I would like to thank the Minister for reiterating the policy on the Edusave Scheme. I have four queries. First, can the Minister explain the policy intent in giving Edusave only to students in national schools? Second, what are the concerns of giving Edusave to private students? Earlier with reference to the observations of Minister of State Lawrence Wong on the challenges of embracing a private university, would MOE consider Edusave to these private students if the school outcomes of the private schools are aligned to those in national schools? Finally, what changes would MOE like to see to enable Edusave to be extended to students in private schools? Sir, with all the support given to students in mainstream schools and those in special needs schools, and given the fact that there are about 6,100 Singapore students in private schools of Primary and Secondary levels – including those who are homeschooled but excluding those in special schools – are we not missing out on the students in private schools who are part of Singapore's future?

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Mr Heng Swee Keat: I thank Mr Zainal Sapari for his follow-up questions. In fact, I will answer all the four questions together because they are inter-related. First, on the policy intent. Edusave is currently provided to Singaporean children who enrol in MOE-funded schools. As I have mentioned in my speech earlier on, this is because MOE encourages all Singaporean children, as much as possible, to be enrolled in national schools as this helps to build our national identity, common spirit and social cohesion in each successive generation.

At the same time, I agree with Mr Zainal Sapari when he mentioned earlier that m adrasahs play an important role for our Muslim community. And, indeed, not just the Muslim community as he mentioned; in our broader Singaporean community. It is for this reason that MUIS channels community funding to support the madrasahs' school operations, teacher training and development, curriculum development and administrative support. In partnership with MUIS, MOE also seconds up to two MOE teachers to MUIS to advise on curriculum development and our National Institute of Education also conducts customised training programmes for madrasahs school leaders and teachers. All these with a view of ensuring that educational outcomes are good for all our students.

The Member also asked about the 5,000 over students who do not get Edusave. Out of these 5,000 over students, about half of them, or 1% of our total enrolment, are children with special needs and enrolled in our SPED schools. We extend Edusave to Singaporean children in SPED schools because their needs cannot be adequately met in a mainstream school setting. The other half comprises students who are in madrasah or in other private settings.

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: Sir, I know that it is probably not fair to blame the tuition syndrome on MOE because it is reflective of the values we have in our society being competitive, " kiasu-ism " and parents who just want the best for their children. I do want to ask if Minister thinks that it is at least an issue that is worth looking into. I understand that the Minister said the tuition syndrome is evident in many other countries as well, but " two wrongs do not make a right ", and there is a saying that says, " only dead fish swim with the stream ". I do not think that Singapore is not quite dead and never has been. So, I want to ask if MOE could think about facilitating dissecting this problem. There are some of us who are willing to help. I ask the Minister to consider looking at this, give ourselves some time to look into this, dissect the issue and see how we can solve it as a nation.

The second clarification, Sir €”

The Chairman: Ms Denise Phua, keep it short, please.

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Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: Yes, Sir. Second clarification, Sir. About NorthLight School, not Pathlight but NorthLight School, the one that helps students who failed their PSLE. I think very highly of Yen Ching, the Principal, and her team. But I hope the NorthLight programme can be duplicated in more schools, like mainstream and even special schools, instead of prolonging its legacy and starting some more schools that are in the same fashion as Northlight like the Specialist Schools for Normal (Technical) that I spoke about, to which I am very against. I hope that the Minister will also reconsider this plan and decision to start yet again some more segregated specialist schools.

Mr Heng Swee Keat: I thank Ms Denise Phua for being a very consistent advocate of better education. I fully agree with her. First, on the tuition syndrome, as the Member has said, a positive aspect is that our parents have high aspirations and that we are a higher achievement society. Our society values achievement and that is by itself a good thing. But the negative aspect, which we all must be aware of, is that it imposes greater stress on our children. They have less time for rest and it may take away the joy of learning. As Ms Low Yen Ling and Asst Prof Eugene Tan said earlier, really, at the end of it, our students need to be lifelong learners, and the love for learning, the joy of learning, must be a critical part of our education system. So, I fully agree with Ms Denise Phua that, indeed, we have to focus on that.

I think what MOE can do is, first, make sure that our homework policy is well understood across all our schools and is well implemented. Second, I will continue to push for our schools to make sure that we set tests at the appropriate standards. Importantly, I agree with the Member's point that it cannot just be an MOE's responsibility. I think it requires the efforts of the entire community and in particular, parents. We have to reach out more to our parents in order to communicate what we are doing. Let me share a recent experience.

4.45 pm

I spoke to a young couple with two lovely children in a Primary school and I asked: "Are your children receiving tuition?" They said no. They said, "Well, you know, some parents said that enrichment centres set very difficult questions and to help you to get an 'A', and I am little worried that if I do not send them for that, they may not get an 'A'." So, I asked, "Are your children doing well in school?" They said, "Yes, they are doing very well." So, I said, "What do you do with them?" They said, "Well, we spend a lot of time with them, not just on academic work but as loving parents." I said, "That is wonderful!"

I think that particular encounter convinces me that we have to do more to reach out to parents and to harness the knowledge amongst parents in our parent support groups to do more – both to communicate what the schools are doing and how parents can reinforce the learning in schools and at the same time, to reach out, look at how we must take this holistic education seriously. And earlier, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Hawazi mentioned how we are providing some seed funding to parent support groups. This is an area which the Ministry will do more. So I thank Ms Denise Phua for her suggestion. I am always happy to hear her ideas.

Mr Zainudin Nordin: Mr Chairman, Sir, point of clarification because I did not get an answer for my question on whether the Ministry is thinking of offering more assistance to students from the poorer families to further their studies in the Polytechnic and ITE. I know for a fact that the majority of students in the ITE come from low-income families.

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Mr Lawrence Wong: I thank the Member for the question. We are continuously monitoring this situation because we do want to make sure that our students in all tertiary institutions and especially in our ITE and Polytechnics do not find it a burden to go through their education. As we mentioned earlier, MOE had recently enhanced the bursary schemes that were provided to students in ITE and Polytechnics. We increased the quantum and we extended the coverage so that it covers up to two-thirds of all families in terms of household income. This was done last year, and we will continue to monitor these schemes and make sure that they are well provided for.

In addition to what MOE provides, we also know that there are community groups and self-help groups that provide various financial assistance schemes in the ITE and Polytechnics. And so we will be working closely with them to make sure that these schemes are well-known to students who are in need and to specifically and proactively reach out to the students who are in need to make sure that everyone of them will be well-taken care of.

Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong: Thank you, Sir. I welcome the move to reframe the CIP as Values in Action. Since this may involve more work and effort on the part of the teachers, can the Minister consider also giving an award to teachers who go that extra mile to work with community partners to impart values and to themselves set up a good role model to students? My second question is about neighbourhood schools. Given that some neighbourhood schools are struggling with falling enrolment, can the Minister provide more funds in terms of quality teaching and also in terms of resources to help these schools to level up so that all schools are indeed good schools?

Mr Heng Swee Keat: Mr Chairman, Sir, I thank Ms Irene Ng for her question. On her suggestion of recognising teachers for their efforts, that is something the Ministry will consider and I thank her for her suggestion. On better resourcing for neighbourhood schools, or good schools in our neighbourhood, today our funding is driven very much by needs-based analysis. I mentioned about the learning support programmes in our schools, I mentioned about the additional allied educators in our schools, and many of those programmes are funded on the basis of the needs in the school. We will continue to look at this. I fully agree with the Member that good schools in our neighbourhoods need to be well-resourced. We are studying these issues carefully, looking at the needs of different schools, looking at the profiles of schools and how we can provide resources to our principals for them to do a better job.

I gave the example of Keng Cheng School and how the resources which we have given in the form of the Opportunity Funds, in the form of additional school grants and in the form of the trips for international experience and so on, have been well-used, very creatively used by the principal. It is not just the resources but also in sharing best practices and which is why these innovation platforms and encouragement to our schools to learn from each other are very important. Encouraging our schools and our principals and school teachers to share best practices, and to continue to think of ways and means for which we can improve educational outcomes for all our children, are very important.

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Mr Chairman, I realised that I earlier did not answer a second question from Ms Denise Phua, if I may just answer her briefly on this. Ms Denise Phua asked what we intended to do with the experience of NorthLight school. Indeed, our intent is not to duplicate another NorthLight. NorthLight serves as a trail blazer for us to learn and because of the very innovative pedagogy, because of the flexibility that was given to the school for them to re-think their curriculum, to re-think their pedagogy and to infuse the learning with a great deal of socio-emotional learning, the school has shown how we can reach out more effectively. Earlier, some Members had also spoken about how some students learn differently. Mr Laurence Lien mentioned about kinesthetic learners and so on. We are taking the experience from NorthLight school, studying it very carefully to see how that can help us improve learning outcomes right across our school system. Sir, our intent in all these is very simple, that we want to find ways and means for which we can reach out to our students, encourage them, motivate them and find the best way to motivate each and everyone to learn basic competencies, to learn lifelong skills and to be the best that he can be.

The Chairman: Mr Lim Biow Chuan, can I invite you to withdraw your cut?

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: Mr Chairman, Sir, I thank the Minister, the Minister of State, the two Senior Parliamentary Secretaries for all their replies and clarifications. I also want to take the opportunity to thank the Permanent Secretary, Second Permanent Secretary as well as all the staff of MOE for their hard work and support in providing the answers to the Members' concerns and queries. I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $9,692,000,000 for Head K ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $888,000,000 for Head K ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.