AHMAD IBRAHIM INTEGRATED SECONDARY SCHOOL (Malay Secondary School classes)

Mr Teong Eng Siong asked the Minister for Education whether he proposes to start Malay Secondary School classes at the Ahmad Ibrahim Integrated Secondary School, Sembawang Hill, for the Malay stream students living in the Sembawang Constituency.

Mr Ong Pang Boon: Mr Speaker, Sir, Malay medium secondary classes have not been started at the Ahmad Ibrahim Integrated Secondary School because of the relatively small demand for Malay medium secondary places in this area. For the years 1960 to 1966, the number of pupils from Sembawang Malay schools who qualified for Secondary I Malay medium was 45, 50, 45, 36, 77, 68 and 63 respectively. It will be seen that each year the number was too small even to start two classes. Lack of adequate staff at the higher level and subject teaching requirements call for a wise deployment of Malay medium secondary teachers, and we are very short of qualified Malay medium secondary school teachers. A minimum of four classes of Secondary I would be necessary to make the best use of staffing facilities and for effective teaching. The Sembawang Malay medium secondary students are posted mainly to Monk's Hill Secondary School to which they can go by one bus. The majority of them are receiving bus bursaries. In view of these circumstances, it is not proposed to start Malay medium secondary classes in the Ahmad Ibrahim Integrated Secondary School, at least not until the demand increases to make possible the formation of four classes.