CHINESE AND ENGLISH SCHOOL TEACHERS (Number of registration certificates cancelled and number of applications for registration rejected)

Mr Tee Kim Leng asked the Minister for Education (a) how many Chinese and English School teachers have had their registration certificates cancelled since 3rd June, 1959, and the reasons for such cancellations; and (b) how many applications for registration as teachers have been rejected since 3rd June, 1959 and the reasons for such rejections.

Mr Yong Nyuk Lin: Mr Speaker,

(a) No Chinese school teacher has had his registration certificate can celled since 3rd June, 1959, but one Private English school teacher had his registration certificate cancelled on grounds of moral turpitude.

(b) Since 3rd June, 1959, the number of applications for registration as teachers which were rejected was 21, for the following reasons :- Security grounds 18 Poor attendance at Teachers' Training College 2 Unsatisfactory professional conduct 1 Total 21

Mr Tee Kim Leng: (In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, could the Minister tell this House the reasons in respect of those whose applications were rejected on political grounds?

Mr Yong Nyuk Lin: The answer is yes. When a security objection is re ceived by the Ministry of Education from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the matter is reviewed. Sometimes the security objections are over-ruled by the Ministry, and sometimes we accept the objections and therefore reject the applications of these teachers.

Mr Chan Sun Wing: (In Mandarin): Does the Minister for Education know that among those whose applications were rejected, some had been teaching for some seven to eight years, and they were then members of the P.A.P., and so there was no reason for their applications to be rejected on security grounds? But when these people became the founders of the Barisan Sosialis, they received notices regarding their rejection.

Mr Yong Nyuk Lin: I do not think it is correct to state that because certain people are no longer with the P.A.P., therefore their applications for registration were rejected, because the question put to me was - how many have had their applications rejected since 3rd June, 1959? So this is over a period of time.

Mr David Marshall: Could the Minister indicate how many of those rejections were since the 1st of July this year?

Mr Yong Nyuk Lin: To the best of my recollection, one.