SIX-DAY WEEK IN SCHOOLS

Dr Thio Chan Bee (Tanglin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move,

That this Assembly is of the opinion that in the interests of young school children Government should not further delay the relaxation of the six-day week pending the implementation of the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry.*

• The same motion also stood in the name of Mr David Marshall.

Sir, after such a prolonged and tiring debate on the industrial unrest, I am sure most Members are looking forward to a period of some relaxation Therefore, I trust they will be sympathetic to the subject before the House which seeks the relaxation as early as possible of the six-day week for schools in the interest of young school children.

Sir, since the despatch of the original motion, the Government has appointed in a Government Gazette Extraordinary the long-awaited Inquiry Commission. It is unfortunate that the Government took such a long time to make the appointment as perhaps the motion would not have come on to the Order Paper. Sir, when the question of a Commission of Inquiry was raised, it was on 14th of November. Then on 17th of November, the Minister for Education announced his intention to revise the six-day week into something "lighter". If he had on to that, Sir, I am sure there would have been a great deal of goodwill. Then on 21st December, he decided to put the six-day week revision plan into cold storage pending receipt of the report of the Commission of Inquiry. That was a great disappointment to the many school children who were affected.

Sir, my first point is that we as Assemblymen should apply the golden rule. We ourselves do not want a six-day week practised in this Assembly. Because of the nature of our work, we find that we have to have time after our sittings here to do work outside, interview people, visit constituents and attend meetings. All these other activities have to be taken into account. In the case of school children, their work is not done only during the days when they are in schools. If they are conscientious students, they have their homework to do and more outside reading to do. All in all, a five-day school week really means, in actual practice, a six-day week, and for the very conscientious ones sometimes even a seven-day week. So when the compulsory five-day school week became a six-day school week, in actual practice, the conscientious students were penalised and they spent about seven days a week. Parents have been saying that their children have been studying on Sundays. When the children were asked why, they said, "There is plenty of homework to do. There is too much homework."

Sir, again I would stress that since we Assemblymen ourselves do not like a six-day week, we should be more considerate to the school children and relax the practice of a six-day week.

My second point is that in the case of the adult education classes, the Minister for Education has already relaxed the ruling. Last year, they worked on a six-day week. There were regular classes six times a week. But it was found that there were many absentees from the Saturday evening classes and the organisers had to ask that the number of regular evening classes be reduced to five and that the Saturday evening classes be for extra subjects. Sir, that was granted. The adults could not stand a six-day week for study purposes. Now what more the young children? In the case of the adults, if they played truant, nothing happened to them. In the case of the school children, if they were to play truant, they would get into trouble. Having been taught to be obedient, naturally they dare not play truant and so they have just to stick on, going from six days to another six days working on Sundays too and making themselves more tired than they should be. If the adults can have a five-day school week, there is no reason why there should be no relaxation for the younger school children.

Sir, the argument was made before that many parents would benefit by a six-day school week for their children. Their children would then be kept away from the streets. Sir, educationally, the schools are not meant for the parents but for the children. So educationally, we should think of the welfare of the children rather than the welfare or the convenience of the parents. If in certain areas the parents want their children to be kept occupied on Saturdays because they are not back from work, then other arrangements should be made in such a way that the welfare of the children is kept uppermost in mind. I am sure that reasonable parents would be able to see it from that angle, that schools must exist for the educational welfare of their children and not for their own convenience. It would be wrong human relations to put parents first and children last.

Sir, another point was made that because the future citizens of Singapore must learn educational languages, they must therefore have an extra day for lessons.

Mr Speaker: Order. I know it is a very difficult matter to draw a line somewhere. But the hon. Member has mentioned that there is a Commission of Inquiry, and he is now urging whether or not there should be a five-day week as against a six-day week. I would suggest that details of that nature could best be argued before the Commission of Inquiry itself, and we should concentrate on the principle behind the motion, that is, as an interim measure, there should be some relaxation of the six-day week.

Dr Thio Chan Bee: Sir, I was trying to bring out the point that a relaxation of the six-day week would not affect any purpose which the State might have for having the six-day week, because the six-day week has produced no better results than those attained in the Federation. In case they have a fear that by relaxing the six-day week they might be going against whatever might be recommended in future, my point is that there will be no ill effects, as shown by what happened in the Federation. In fact, the Cambridge Higher School Certificate results showed that the students in the Federation did better than our students in Singapore. This is very strange, because usually in previous years our students did better than the Federation students in the Higher School Certificate Examination! So, apparently, judging form the results of the Higher School Certificate Examination - I say the Higher School Certificate Examination; we do not know whether the Federation students did better in the Senior Cambridge Examination - the Federation students are definitely better.

Sir, heads of schools have been telling me all these months that the children are showing signs of strain. They feel that the work has become a drudgery. That is bad because we want the children in school to acquire a thirst for knowledge. That is fundamental. Once they acquire a thirst for knowledge, we can leave it to them to spend six days or seven days a week to acquire more knowledge. But when the thirst is not there because of something compulsory -

An hon. Member: It is up to the teachers.

Dr Thio Chan Bee: - then, Sir, it is human nature that when we are compelled to do a thing, we do not like doing it. But when it is optional, we enjoy doing it. On the question of acquiring a thirst for knowledge, if we give somebody a little bit of water to drink but it does not quite quench his thirst, he wants more. But if we give him too much water, he does not want any more. If we keep on compelling him to drink water, then that water becomes something which he will need only when he reacquires a thirst for it. That is the comparison. As an educationist, I found that it worked that way. Where there is less compulsion and more incentive, so that there is a thirst on the part of the students to acquire knowledge for themselves, we find that they make quicker progress. Let us remember that we old people are human beings and that beyond a certain point we cannot absorb whatever we hear. We can only absorb up to a certain point, and beyond that point we find empty seats in the Assembly. I am sure that if the chance is given to the school children, the teacher will say, "All right, we will not make it compulsory. You go by your judgment. If beyond the point of absorption, you cannot understand what I have to say, you can go." Well, we can see the same thing happening -

Mr Speaker: Order. I think I ought to correct what perhaps might be a misunderstanding. The hon. Member has said he sees empty seats. I just want to say that the seats he sees empty do not include the Speaker's seat.

Dr Thio Chan Bee: Sir, I must say here that we have admired your powers of endurance. I think you are exempted from this particular comparison.

Sir, the school term will be ending at the end of this month. The Interim Report may not be ready when the schools reopen for the second term and naturally the Minister may say, "Well, why should we relax earlier? Let the thing be done when the Interim Report comes to hand." But when people are feeling depressed, surely the Minister can show his goodwill by relaxing the six-day week right away or by making an announcement that it will be relaxed pending the Report of the Commission of Inquiry, thereby giving the children a more enjoyable vacation. Sir, we all know that goodwill counts a great deal. We have talked about industrial unrest, if we have more goodwill between employees and employers, there will not be so much tension and strife. I am sure, Sir, that it is not too late yet for the Minister to take out this particular thing that he has put into cold storage, warm it up and make the announcement, because he may expect the Commission of Inquiry to put up the Report during the holidays. Well, I hope so. But we know that the members of the Commission are busy men and if they are sincere and conscientious about their work, they may want to hear the views of parents, school people, and so on; and all this may take some time. When a problem is difficult to solve, we often say, "Right, we go back to the status quo ante." The status quo ante would be a compulsory five-day week with the sixth day at the discretion of the heads of schools depending on the problems which each head encounters in his own locality and among his own students. In some schools, they had the 5�-day week; in the case of the Chinese-medium schools, they had the 5�-day week with work that was comparatively lighter than what they have now. The announcement would make them feel ready for any Report which the Commission of Inquiry might decide to put up. There would be this early relaxation that prepares the ground for something new and I am sure that it would be a good move on the part of the Government to do this, because they would not be showing that they are stubborn and that they are not prepared to be persuaded by the Opposition. We feel that if good sense comes from the Opposition the Government should welcome that. I think that is on the basis that there is no monopoly of wisdom. Sometimes wisdom comes from one side and sometimes from another. In this particular case, however, the circumstances are so clear that people expect a revision and, of course, the final revision would be made no doubt when the Report comes to hand from the Commission of Inquiry. But in the meantime before the vacation begins, if an announcement is made that the six-day school week would be relaxed as from the beginning of the second term pending receipt of the Report of the Commission of Inquiry. I should think it would change the atmosphere among the children and among those connected with the education of the children.

Sir, some parents say they have very little time with their school children at home because it is study, study, study all the time. We believe that the children who study too much are missing a great deal during their childhood. They should have time to play and go on excursions. The present full six-day week really needs to be relaxed.

The Minister may have some of his own ideas about relaxing the six-day week so that the extra- curricula activities could be done on Saturday, but on inquiries made, I find that the relaxation would really mean work for many people and that the voluntary activities would no longer be voluntary and may be objectionable. So really the best way would be to leave it on the basis of the status quo ante to the heads of schools to modify arrangements according to the needs of the school children in a particular area so that the school head could really do things the right way for the convenience and the benefit of the children and those connected with a particular school.

Question proposed.

7.25 p.m.

Mrs Seow Peck Leng (Mountbatten): Mr Speaker, Sir, taking the advice of the Member for Tanglin about the limitation of human endurance, I will only say a few words.

We have, right from the beginning, objected to the six-day week. The Member for Tanglin and I, having had experience as teachers and principals, know that it is a strain on the children. But that was at a time when the Government looked upon the Opposition as dead ducks and gunny sacks. So we got no further. But today, we hope that the Government will give some consideration to our proposal. We hope that they will turn a more human ear to it. I am quite aware that there is a Commission of Inquiry. But we do not know how long this Commission will take over its Report and no matter how right the Government is in other things, there is always the possibility that the policy of the six-day week may be wrong. We have seen articles in the Press from protesting parents. The Singapore Teachers' Union who are experts in children's education have protested to the Government about the ill-effects to children and teachers of a six-day week. It is not fair to say, "Well, it has gone on for over two years; so the Commission will not take more than a few months. Why can we not go on for a few months more?" If we are to give any credit to the parents who wrote to the papers and who should know about their children and to the Singapore Teachers' Union, a group of teachers who should know about school children, and if the Minister is to lend a human ear to two Members of the Opposition who have had over 30 years of experience of teaching school children, I think he should give some consideration to this appeal. At least, let the people who have suffered for 2� years relax now, let them go back to the five-day week pending the Report of the Commission of Inquiry so that they would not have to suffer any more. Sir, civic and social activities may be deemed to be very light and frivolous, but they are not. They are essential to the pattern of any civilised life. May I tell the Government that organisations have found it very difficult to get teachers together on any occasion at all? They used to resort to Saturdays - Sundays being unsuitable for religious reasons - to get these people together for charity work, civic work and social activities. They find it is impossible now to bring together the two batches of teachers who have now become strangers. There is no possibility of the morning school teachers meeting the afternoon school teachers on any occasion at all because they work on all the six days.

Sir, the longer the drift away from the civic and social life of the country, the more detrimental - let me say especially to teachers who are supposed to manage the lives of children - it is to the morale of the teachers, and the more unhealthy the atmosphere of the State. So the sooner this is put to a stop, the better. If the Commission does find that the six-day week is better, then I do not think any harm at all would have been caused by this relaxation to the five-day week in the interim. It was pointed out by the Member for Tanglin that even the adults could not stand the strain. So the Government has to relax it. Is it because the children could stand the strain that the Government could not relax? No, Sir. It was because the children had no choice.

Mr Ong Eng Guan (Hong Lim): Mr Speaker, Sir, the motion before us is not to debate the question of the six-day week or the five-day week in the English schools. It is to debate whether we should wait for a few more months for the Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Education which has been appointed by the Government, or whether we should revert back from the present six-day week to the five-day week in the English schools before the Report is published.

Mr Speaker, Sir, the dispute is only on the matter of a few months by which time we hope the Report will come out.

Sir, most teachers and students do not favour the six-day week in the English schools and the teachers have reported that the students have lost efficiency as a consequence. On the other hand, there are people who are for the six-day week and they argue that the parents prefer a six-day week to the five-day week because in the Chinese schools the six-day week which has been established a long time ago has been going on well with the Chinese students.

Mr Speaker, Sir, this is a very controversial issue. Since a Commission of Inquiry has been appointed and many persons better versed in education will appear before it, we should decide whether or not there should be a revision of the present six-day week in the English schools when the Report of the Commission of Inquiry is published.

Mr Rajah: Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not an educational expert but I am a father of two children, one of whom is now in a secondary school and the other is still in a primary school.

The Member for Hong Lim says that this is a matter of some intricacy for the Commission to decide and that therefore we should await the decision of the Commission. I think the Minister for Education will agree with me - I have time and again mentioned this matter in the House and I have told the Minister - that so far as I am concerned I see no case absolutely whatsoever for a six-day week in the primary schools. But I have conceded to the Minister for Education that in view of the four-language stream and the emphasis on languages and science, there may be a case for a six-day week in the secondary schools. I have an open mind on that and I await the Report of the Commission with interest. But insofar as the primary schools are concerned, I can see no case for it whatsoever. I wait to be convinced that a child of six that goes to Primary I needs a six-day week. Sir, I am not competent to judge Chinese education. Its problems may be different. But I know the English stream because I was in it myself and my children are in the English stream. It is very difficult to convince me that a child of six needs a six-day week and a child of seven in Primary II needs a six-day week. I am quite satisfied in my own mind that there is absolutely no case whatsoever for a six-day week in the primary schools; not only from the children's point of view but also from the parents' point of view.

Now education, to my mind, is not merely a question of going to school, reading as many books as you can and cramming as much knowledge as you can. I think in the society which we are trying to build up for ourselves, schools are important; of course, they have a place - a very great place. But I think what we tend to forget is that the child in the home and the training that it receives in the home is what will ultimately fit it to be a good member of society. There is a lot of juvenile delinquency in Singapore. I think if we ask any social worker why there is juvenile delinquency he will tell you that it is because the child has no family background. It does not receive the love of its mother or its father for some reason or the other.

Mr Speaker: Order. I have suggested to the Member for Tanglin - of course I have not overruled these sentiments as being out of order - that these arguments could well be advanced in the Commission of Inquiry. I should imagine that the issue today would be: should there be relaxation now before the Commission of Inquiry gives its findings or should we wait?

Mr Rajah: Mr Speaker, Sir, the point I was trying to make is that from my personal point of view there is a case for the relaxation of the six-day week for the primary schools at the moment.

Dr Lee Siew Choh: Mr Speaker, Sir, we also welcome this motion and we agree that relaxation is necessary at the present stage. We all know that the present Commission of Inquiry has been set up just because this motion has been tabled. The Inquiry will help the Government to solve some of their problems and perhaps take away sonic of the fireworks from this Assembly.

Sir, we do not disagree with the principle of a six-day week. But as with so many other things with the P.A.P. at the present moment, the principle has been distorted into something which is vulgar - just like on the question of merger and Malaysia, and in so many other -

Mr Speaker: Order. Let us not go into irrelevancies in this particular motion and start a battle between the right and the left. By that 1 mean the right and the left sides of the Chamber. I suggest, let us make a decision on whether or not there should be relaxation now or whether we should wait until the Commission of Inquiry gives its findings. Let us not complicate the issue, if possible.

Dr Lee Siew Choh: There have undoubtedly been complaints from many parents that their children have not been able to do the things they used to do before and that there has been a slackening of extramural activities. By this, I do not mean to bring up any controversial discussion as regards the causation or effects of the six-day week, because, as you say, these can be dealt with by the Commission of Inquiry. But this six-day week has been going on for the last 2� years. Looking at it from any angle it has proved to be a failure. Since the Government have been talking so much about looking after the interests of the people, let them on this occasion prove that they are going to look after the interests of the children, admit that they have made mistakes, be honest and rectify the mistakes as soon as they can.

I agree with the argument put forward by the Member for Tanglin that it would be a good thing for the children to enjoy the holidays now that the term is about to come to a close. But there is one factor which the Commission of Inquiry may not look into, namely, that the effects this six-day week has caused on the children have been due to a very great extent, to the high-handed manner and the arrogance of the P.A.P.

Mr Speaker: Order. I cannot see how that is relevant to this motion. I do not think we ought to prejudge what the Commission of Inquiry itself would be asked to judge. Dr Lee.

Dr Lee Siew Choh: I know that it is very difficult to say what the Commission of Inquiry will judge on this issue. But as I say, this is a point which is very unlikely to be looked into by the Commission of Inquiry. However, I will not dwell on it. But let us ask the P.A.P. on this occasion to think of the interests of the children. If the children themselves and the parents are all asking for a relaxation of the six-day week, let the P.A.P. try and accommodate the views and the wishes of the children and the parents on this matter.

This six-day week has become a farce because most of the children and the teachers regard it as a mere waste of time. It does not contribute to the improvement of the children's educational standards. In fact, it puts more strain on the pocket of parents in some cases, as well as more strain on the physical health of the children.

So we hope that the P.A.P. will at least give way on this particular occasion especially when there are rumours that the Government has already decided to convert this six-day week as a sort of compromise to save their own faces into a 5�-day week.

Mr Bani: Mr Speaker, Sir, the six-day week was imposed upon the teachers in the typical attitude of arrogance -

Mr Speaker: Order. I am not allowing this type of debate on this particular motion. I have already pulled up the Member for Queenstown. The motion is quite a simple motion. It asks this Assembly to hold the opinion that in the interests of, young school children Government should not further delay the relaxation of the six-day week pending the implementation of the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry.

I should imagine that the only issue here is that the Assembly is asked to decide whether or not there should be relaxation now or whether we should wait for the implementation of the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry. I do not think it is proper for Members to anticipate how the Commission of Inquiry will view the six-day week. What the Member for Thomson and the Member for Queenstown wish to say, they can very well say before the Commission of Inquiry.

Mr Bani: Sir, what I do want to say on this motion is that while we ask for the relaxation of the six-day week, we must, I believe, be aware of the reasons why we think this relaxation should take place.

Sir, although the motion is worded in such a way as to say that this relaxation should be done in the interests of young school children it is nevertheless important to see what effects the six-day week has had on the teachers, because I believe the attitude of the teachers is significant as it would inevitably have an effect on the children.

Sir, the six-day week for English schools is an idea which we in the Barisan Sosialis had supported. It had as its objective the increase of teaching hours in science and language subjects. This is a praiseworthy idea and we are not ashamed to say that we supported it. And I have no doubt whatsoever that the majority of the English school teachers would have accepted it had it been introduced and conducted in a proper manner. Sir, instead of consulting the Singapore -

Mr Speaker: Can I bring the Member back to the issue, which is whether or not there should be relaxation now or whether we should wait for the findings of the Commission of Inquiry? But, as I say, all these remarks would be appropriate before the Commission of Inquiry, because this Assembly is not a Commission of Inquiry and it is not asked to decide whether there should be a six-day week or a five-day week. It is merely being asked, as an interim measure: will the Government relax the six-day week?

Mr Bani: Sir, briefly I just wish to say this: the original idea of introducing the six-day week, as I have said, was to increase the number of teaching hours in the language and science subjects. It has been proved in practice that, in fact, there has been no increase in the teaching hours of these two subjects. And I think it is well known to many of us that in schools when there are language periods, no language teachers are available.

Sir, if the primary objective of having introduced the six-day week has not been achieved, I think it is only proper that immediate relaxation takes place. And if I may be allowed to say this: all that has happened is a stretching of the five-day week time-table to a six-day week. That is in addition to what I have earlier said. If this is all that the six-day week means, then I say, Sir, we in the Barisan Sosialis ask the Government to relax the six-day week immediately. In fact, it has been long overdue. It is somewhat difficult for us to say more because of the Commission which has been set up to inquire into the education system, but perhaps I can only say that we hope that the Commission would make recommendations that are in the best interests of our children.

7.50 p.m.

The Minister for Education (Mr Yong Nyuk Lin): Mr Speaker, Sir, as stated by the Member for Tanglin, some four months ago, I had to answer an Oral Question from him in which he inquired whether the Minister for Education - I am quoting from Hansard, Vol. 15, No. 3, dated 17th November, 1961, Question No. 33, in which he asked the Minister for Education:

'if he will appoint an independent Committee of Inquiry to investigate into the effects,, both direct and indirect, of the compulsory full six-day week in Singapore's primary schools, especially in regard to the welfare of these school children, and to make recommendations for its continuance or discontinuance with effect from January, 1962.'

My reply was that:

`The Ministry of Education is at present in the midst of discussions with the Malay Teachers' Union, the Chinese Middle School Teachers' Association, and the Singapore Teachers' Union for a revised version of the six-day week for 1962. Arising out of these discussions, the question whether or not to appoint a Committee of Inquiry or aa Commission of Inquiry will be decided.'

On 21st December, 1961, with the tabling of a motion by the Member for Anson, supported by the Member for Joo Chiat, for a Commission of inquiry into the Educational Policy of the Government which I accepted, I did at the same time mention that I would put into cold storage the proposal to bring about a relaxed version of the six-day week for 1962. It was, therefore, three months ago when I gave notice that the proposal would be put into cold storage. And now when the Commission of In quiry has actually been formed with a directive that it should produce an Interim Report on the six-day week itself, I am quite puzzled why the Member for Tanglin now supports the course adopted by Members of the Barisan Sosialis. They accepted the six-day week in principle but when it came into practice they said that it is a matter of urgency that there should be relaxation. Surely after having taken so much time to get members to sit on this Commission of Inquiry, which in my view would take at least six months to look into the educational structure of Singapore - a complicated system of four language streams - and having stressed to this Commission the need to produce an Interim Report on the six-day week, we should not prejudge the issue by either relaxing or going back to the five-day week. In fact, Sir, I have been given to understand that the Commission of Inquiry met for the first time today to plan out how they should proceed with the Inquiry. So I must say that, in my view and in the view of the Government, there is no necessity to make any changes and we should leave it in the good hands of this independent Commission of Inquiry to make suitable recommendations.

I might add that it is rather fortunate that today I received a 1962 publication by U.N.E.S.C.O. on the organisation of the schools here, and this is a comparative study of a survey made by U.N.E.S.C.O. which covered 81 member States -Singapore is an associate member, not a full member - of U.N.E.S.C.O. There were 52 replies and it might interest hon. Members of this House, who talk of the five-day week as though it is the only ideal system for schools that is known to Singapore and Malaya, that according to this survey there are more countries in the world which adopt the six-day week than the five-day week. It is true that the five-day week is customary in English-speaking countries, and I quote from page 6 of the U.N.E.S.C.O. publication that for primary schools there are 25 countries which have a six-day week, five countries with a 5�-day week, and the remaining other countries with either a five-day week or even a four-day week. And for secondary schools, 31 countries have a six-day week, and three countries with a 5�-day week. The countries in Asia which have a six-day week are China (that would, of course, include Communist China and Formosa), India, Japan and Korea, and although Malaya did not send in returns to U.N.E.S.C.O. they did send Malay Education Advisory Council members to Indonesia in 1960; and in Indonesia they also have a six-day week. There are numerous countries in Europe which adopt the six-day week. I will just mention a few, Sir: Austria, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Rumania, Sweden, Switzerland, Yugoslavia, the U.S.S.R., Africa, Libya and the Arab Republic. So I think it should be quite clear that the six-day week is not something novel or unusual because right in Singapore itself -

Mr Speaker: Order. I would suggest to the Minister that if he goes on in that strain he will excite a debate on whether or not there should be a six-day week or a five-day week. I have indicated that that is an issue for the Commission of Inquiry. The issue before us is: should there or should there not be relaxation now?

Mr Yong Nyuk Lin: Mr Speaker, Sir, I shall therefore conclude by saying that since the Commission or Inquiry have already started to sit, let us allow them to get on with their task and we should be patient enough to wait: for the recommendations which they shall be putting forward and which we shall table before this House.

Dr Thio Chan Bee: Mr Speaker, Sir, I think the principle of relaxation of the present six-day week is not in dispute. The Minister for Education himself has said that in November he was already contemplating the introduction of a revised version, beginning from January 1962. So the principle was accepted, might I say, Sir, by both sides of the House. Now, if the principle was not in dispute then, it cannot be in dispute today. And as it is not in dispute, why wait? If the principle was accepted then and it is also accepted now, why wait? That is the question to be answered - why wait? If the Commission of Inquiry has been appointed, still it does not mean that we should wait. The relaxation can still be introduced.

The Deputy Prime Minister (Dr Toh Chin Chye): You are prejudging the issue.

Dr Thio Chan Bee: It is not a case of prejudging the issue. When two parties are at war, Sir, and there is a Boundary Commission appointed, then the forces go back to the status quo ante. Then, of course, the Boundary Commission will decide on what is the proper boundary line. That is the point I am trying to make, Sir,If the principle was not in dispute before and it is not in dispute now, why dig your toes in and say, "We will not budge because of this and because of that." That is my reply, Sir.

Sir, there has often been an implied inference that the Member for Tanglin knows nothing about Chinese medium schools. Sir, I have not brought up here these two facts: I was in a Chinese medium school for l� years and I taught English as a subject in Tao Nan School which is a well-known Chinese medium school in Singapore. I taught English as a subject in Tao Nan School for 1� years and the 5�-day week carried a load that was equivalent to a five-day regimented week. If you ask the Chinese students themselves, Sir, they will say that the six-day week today is equivalent in load to a seven-day week before. That being the case, there is nothing complicated at all. In principle, relaxation is accepted. Why not introduce it now?

Question put, and negatived.

Motion accordingly negatived.

8.02 p.m.