MEDICAL FACILITIES FOR AIDED SCHOOL TEACHERS

Mr Ho See Beng asked the Minister for Education whether teachers in the aided schools are not provided with similar medical facilities as their counterparts in the Government Service, although they perform identical duties, and why.

Inche Rahim Ishak: Mr Speaker, Sir, the Singapore Teachers' Union, the Singapore Chinese Teachers' Union and the Malayan Christian Schools Council have repeatedly asked that the same medical benefits and facilities that are accorded to Government teachers should be extended to teachers of aided schools. Such facilities, if granted, will, of course, apply to the other employees of aided schools, such as clerks, servants, watchmen and so on. The Unions make much of Government's policy of equal pay for equal work, and point out that in most cases of negotiations, disputes and arbitration outside the civil service, medical facilities and privileges are always enforced. While free medical treatment is accorded to all members of public and aided school teachers at all Government hospitals and clinics, the Unions are concerned mainly with the hospitalisation of members and the consequent ward charges, X-ray charges, specialist fees and so on if they go to a paying ward, i.e., First Class or Second Class. The main difficulty in according the same medical privileges and benefits enjoyed by Government teachers, school servants and so on of Government-aided schools is due to the fact that aided school teachers and servants are strictly not Government servants, but employees of aided school management committees. As such, privileges and benefits, if accorded to employees of aided schools, may have to be extended to other bodies of employees.

The suggestion put by circular to the management committees of aided schools that they should pay the full charges for medical treatment and hospitalisation at public rates in respect of their staff and seek reimbursement from such staff at rates charged for Government service, is not acceptable to the management committees, and this they have informed us. We are now examining alternative possibilities like the introduction of a medical benefit insurance scheme operated commercially with regard to the provision of medical facilities. Such a scheme would probably involve a certain amount of contributions either from the aided school employees or the management committees.

2.45 p.m.