MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1982 TO 31ST MARCH, 1983

Order read for consideration in Committee of Supply [7st Allotted Day].

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

3.04 p.m.

The Chairman: Main and Development Estimates of Singapore for the financial year 1st April, 1982 to 31st March, 1983, contained in Paper Cmd. 6 of 1982. For convenience, I shall take the totals for each head of expenditure in the Main Estimates and the Development Estimates as they appear in the last columns of the schedules of Estimated Expenditure under the Main Estimates and under the Development Estimates on pages 19 and 20, respectively, of Paper Cmd. 6 of 1982.

I shall deal first with the heads of expenditure in respect of which amendments stand on the Order Paper Supplement.

Head U -

Mr Ng Kah Ting (Punggol): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head U be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead UD-01 of the Main Estimates.

Sir, in the last two months there have been press reports on why the people in Ankara and Taipeh have to suffer from severe air pollution. Whereas Singapore is a small, compact industrialized city-state, no one can disagree that we must have stringent control on the emission of toxic substances into the air, otherwise our citizens may have to suffer the same illness as a result of smog and other poisonous fumes in the air. We must not forget, Sir, that more than 70% of our population who live in highrise buildings will be subject to this exposure. Therefore, Sir, the Anti-Pollution Unit has a very important and crucial role in ensuring that the air in Singapore is free from pollutants. I am aware, Sir, that this Unit has been in existence for more than 10 years.

My question to the Hon. Prime Minister or the Minister responsible is whether he can inform the House of further progress made by this Anti-Pollution Unit; whether this Unit has been able to bring emission of toxic gases under control; whether the level of air pollution is within satisfactory limits, and whether the Unit has any new measures to control air pollution which make Singapore air free for gracious living.

The Minister for the Environment (Mr Ong Pang Boon): Mr Speaker, Sir, on behalf of the Prime Minister, let me assure the hon. Member for Punggol that the air in Singapore is generally quite clean.

The Government is aware of the damage that could be caused by air pollution. Besides Ankara and Taipeh, which are recent cases, there were numerous other cases in the last few years of severe air pollution which affected the health and even lives of many people in other cities.

When the Anti-Pollution Unit was established more than 10 years ago, it initiated a comprehensive strategy to control air pollution in Singapore. The strategy comprises four main programmes.

First, the Unit works closely with planning authorities on the siting of industrial estates and residential areas to ensure their compatibility. Within industrial estates, zones have been established for various types of industries according to the propensity to pollute, so that the most pollutive industries will be sited furthest away from residential and commercial developments. All private and public sector development proposals are vetted by the Unit to ensure compatibility according to the zoning concept.

Secondly, the Unit compiles an inventory of stationary sources which are likely to cause air pollution.

Thirdly, the factories that are sources of air pollution are required to comply with emission standards under the Clean Air Act and the Clear Air Standards, using the best practical means of control, i.e., using commonly accepted methods and available equipment. The factories have generally been cooperative and willing to comply with our air pollution standards.

Lastly, the Unit has 14 permanent air monitoring stations around the island to monitor the level of various air pollutants. The monitoring results act as a feedback as to whether the emission standards have been sufficient to bring air pollution to tolerable limits.

The main pollutants which are injurious to health and which the Unit monitors are total acidity (made up mostly of sulphur dioxide), ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, smoke and dust.

Over the last 10 years, the Anti-Pollution Unit has compiled a comprehensive inventory of all major stationary sources which can cause air pollution. The emission of these major sources have been brought under control. The results of these are reflected in the air monitoring results. The average total acidity has fallen. Smoke levels have also shown a marked decrease. Localised dust levels have, however, shown an increase in the last few years. This is mainly because of increased construction activities. Despite the increase, however, the dust levels are still within acceptable limits. Our air quality is good, and is within the long-term standards set by the World Health Organization. As expected, the air is cleaner in rural areas and more polluted in the Jurong industrial area. But even the level of pollution in Jurong is better than accepted standards.

An exception is ozone which is much higher than those monitored by other countries, although the number of occasions when high ozone levels was detected had also declined. We suspect that our higher level of ozone may be peculiar to tropical countries. However, we have not detected adverse health effects caused by the high levels of ozone.

As almost all the factories have installed the necessary pollution control equipment, our emphasis in future will be placed on proper maintenance and operations of these equipment.

Sir, we are now turning our attention to the mobile sources of air pollution of which motor vehicles constitute a major source. Control of emission from motor vehicles is being carried out by the Registry of Vehicles. It has tightened up the control of black smoke emission from motor vehicles. There has been some improvement in most categories of vehicles although there is still much room for improvement. It has also started compulsory inspection of private cars since January 1982, which apart from raising the standards of maintenance and safety of such vehicles, will also reduce air pollution.

Petrol-driven motor cars emit a lot of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbons which can cause photochemical smog. At present, we have not set emission standards for vehicles in Singapore. Many developed countries, including the United States of America, Japan and most European countries have set vehicle emission standards. The ROV has obtained approval to build a Vehicle Emission Test Laboratory. Thereafter, we will set vehicle emission standards for new petrol-driven cars, perhaps by January 1984. The Vehicle Emission Test Laboratory will conduct sample tests on new cars imported into Singapore to ensure that they are equipped with low-pollution engines to comply with the standards. For a start, the emission standards set will be less stringent than those adopted by the developed countries I have mentioned above. Major car manufacturers can comply with the standards without a substantial increase in the cost of the cars as they already manufacture cars to higher emission standards for larger markets. The emission control of motor cars will drastically reduce their emissions of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbons.

Apart from the measures mentioned before, pollution from motor vehicles is also reduced by controlling the quality of diesel and petrol sold in Singapore. The maximum amount of sulphur in diesel was first reduced to 0.7% in 1976 and further reduced to 0.5% in 1977. The effect of this is reflected in the decrease in sulphur dioxide in the air. Less sulphur in diesel also reduces corrosion of engines, thus saving maintenance cost to motorists.

We have also reduced lead in petrol as high levels of lead in the air can be detrimental to health, particularly to young children. Although such evidence is still being debated overseas, the Government feels it is a precaution well worth taking to protect the health of our people. It has therefore decided to reduce the level of lead in petrol sold in Singapore to 0.6 grams per litre since July 1981. As a result of this move, lead levels in the air have decreased by some 20-25%. When the level of lead is further reduced to 0.4 grams per litre in January 1983, lead levels in the air can be expected to fall further. The cost in reducing lead in petrol is small.

The Anti-Pollution Unit has succeeded in reducing the pollution of our air over the last decade. As a result, Singapore has been able to achieve economic growth through industrialization without sacrificing the health of our people.

Dr Augustine H.H. Tan (Whampoa): Sir, could the Hon. Minister inform this House whether and to what extent the new petro-chemical complex on one of the islands that is being set up will add to pollution in Singapore? Furthermore, could he inform this House whether dangerous chemicals and gases will be produced there and what safeguards have been taken?

Mr Ong Pang Boon: Sir, all the pollutive factors mentioned by the Member for Whampoa have already been taken into consideration before approval was given to the setting up of this petrochemical complex in Pulau Merbau. The Member can rest assured that the air will remain as clean as at present.

Mr Ng Kah Ting: Sir, I am grateful to the Minister for the Environment for the assurance that the air in Singapore is clean and that the numerous measures which he has enumerated are being taken to ensure that the clean air in Singapore is free. On that note, Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $36,392,100 for Head U ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $37,079,600 for Head U ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.

Head L -

Mr Liew Kok Pun (Boon Teck): Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head L be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead LA-01 Object Group 1100 of the Main Estimates.

Sir, I am happy to be given this opportunity to open the debate on the Education budget. Since the People's Action Party took over the reins of government, we have done extremely well. We have succeeded in upgrading the educational level and the literacy rate of our people. We can therefore say that the Ministry of Education has done extremely well over the last two decades.

Sir, I am of the view that in the 1980s the main thrust of the education policy should be on a further reduction of educational wastage, a further reduction in the number of premature school leavers but an upgrading in the quality of education in our schools. There are compelling and cogent reasons for this. We have heard the Minister for Trade and Industry stressing the importance of human resource development. We also have noted that in the 1980 census of population we have half a million workers with only a primary education. The problem must therefore be tackled at source, that is, in the schools. We must nip the problem in the bud. We must ensure that school leavers have got a basic education with a minimum level of literacy. Premature school leavers without even a grounding in the 3Rs and who join the labour force as unskilled workers will pose problems in upgrading to cater for the needs of a higher quality workforce. Moreover, these premature school leavers will form a sizeable group that can present social, economic and psychological pro- blems. Such problems can be a social time bomb.

Sir, in 1979 the Ministry of Education took the bold but necessary step forward in restructuring the education system. Streaming has been introduced, the school curriculum has been overhauled and diversified, the full-day school concept is being tried out, better educational buildings and facilities are provided, a larger number of principals and teachers are undergoing training and a wider range of vocational and pre-vocational courses for premature school leavers is being looked into by the Vocational and Industrial Training Board. I am aware of all these practical measures to reduce the number of premature school leavers and to inject quality in our schools.

In spite of all these measures we have taken so far, we can still expect a certain number of pupils, albeit a reduced number, to leave the school system prematurely because of streaming. There are many reasons why school leavers leave the school prematurely. Some of these reasons are inherent in the school system whilst others are external to it. The first reason is that the school curriculum is too academic. There are some pupils who could not understand abstract concepts. If I may just give an example to illustrate. Take modern mathematics. The pupils with very low IQ could not understand modern mathematics. They do not understand sets and so on. [Interruption] I think here the Member for Anson is worried because he may have problems in understanding modern mathematics. I think we should teach them simple arithmetic, arithmetic concerning income tax, i.e. the simple aspects of income tax computation. So the first weakness of the education system is that you have got an academic curriculum.

The second reason is that the whole school system is dominated by the examination strait-jacket. I do not blame the teachers because they teach according to the examination requirements and, of course, there is the parental pressure on every child to do well. This is one of the main reasons for school pupils dropping out.

Sir, the other reason that I am very concerned about is the large number of relief teachers. I was told that on the average we have about two to three relief teachers in each school.

This is going to upset the pupils because pupils like to look up to a teacher for guidance, and when you change teachers too often, you've had it. This subject of educational wastage is a complex subject and I am sure the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education will ask his officers to make a detailed study to see how we can further reduce educational wastage. 3.30 p.m.

However, I would like to offer a few suggestions to the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education for his consideration. Perhaps with his vast pool of resources -

An hon. Member: Systems engineers.

Mr Liew Kok Pun: - and systems engineers, of course, he can do something about it. First, is the motivation of the teachers. Teachers cannot afford to be demoralized. We must have a highly motivated teaching profession. The other day I listened with great interest to the statement made by the Minister for Trade and Industry when he proposed the upward revision of salary scales for Administrative Officers in the Civil Service. We have some of the finest and best brains in the teaching profession. I know that some of them have 15 years of service. They have a good Honours degree, Second Upper. They are highly committed. Yet they are drawing a salary of only about $2,000 to $3,000 plus. I do not see how the Minister for Finance can continue to drag his feet in not approving the Senior Education Service Scheme for education officers. I am sure the Member for Moulmein will join me in this respect. I think we should seriously consider giving the principals of schools the Senior Education Service salary. They deserve it. If they are able to run a school with 1,500 pupils and about 150 teachers, they surely deserve to be placed on the Senior Education Service.

My next point is that, in order to compensate for the shortage of teachers, we can consider using more efficient and effective ways of teaching and learning. Here, I must compliment the Ministry of Education for having managed to squeeze from the Ministry of Finance a sizable amount of funds for the purchase of overhead projectors. This is a fantastic achievement. I remember that in the 60's and 70's I had a hard time trying to persuade my school principal to allow me to use an overhead projector. May 1, therefore, suggest that we take a step further by providing each classroom with an overhead projector and also by giving them more audio-visual materials to use rather than to use the unproductive chalk-and-talk method.

The last point I would like the Ministry of Education to consider is to introduce compulsory education to make sure that the estimated 15,000 premature school leavers would by 1985 actually attend the courses to be worked out by the VITB. Here, I would like to draw the attention of hon. Members of the House to a UNESCO report which gives some very startling information. In this report it is shown that almost all developed countries and newly-industrializing countries, with the possible exception of Singapore, have provided for compulsory education. In fact, the OECD countries have provided for at least eight years' compulsory education. Let me now list out a selected number of developed and newly-industrializing countries that have introduced compulsory education. OECD countries Number of years United States 10 Japan 9 West Germany 9 France 10 United Kingdom 11 Canada 8 - 10 Italy 8 Northeast Asian countries Number of years Hong Kong 6 South Korea 6 Taiwan 9 Communist countries Number of years USSR 10 East Germany 10

The Chairman: Mr Liew, according to my calculation you have exceeded your 10 minutes.

Mr Liew Kok Pun: Mr Speaker, Sir, I would just end by saying that I hope the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education would do a study on the possibility of introducing compulsory education in our schools.

Mr Sia Khoon Seong (Moulmein): Mr Speaker, Sir, I have an amendment* and the Member has touched on some of the subjects I wish to raise. May I take the opportunity to speak on them now?

The Chairman: Yes.

Mr Sia Khoon Seong: Sir, it has been observed that the only certainty in life is the certainty of change. Nowhere is this truth more clearly manifested than in the Ministry of Education. With each change of administration in the Education Ministry, the public has learnt to anticipate with dread more educational changes. After all, each new administration is out to create the impression that it is more capable than the previous administration. That is why, despite public protests and sometimes even pleas for a hiatus to change, the wheel of change grinds on irrevocably and relentlessly driven by ambitious officers seeking the limelight of acclaim.

The latest significant change that is proposed is the stage-by-stage conversion of our double session schools to full-day schools. It is reported that some $800 million will be required to erect additional buildings for the project. Purely as an education concept, there is no doubt that the full-day school, properly conceived and planned, can, at least in theory, prove to be better than our present two-session school. But in practice, implementing the full-day school can create more problems than the Education Ministry can solve.

One such problem is the number of vacancies that the Ministry has to fill in the teaching staff since a full-day school, because of its longer hours, requires a proportionate increase in the number of teachers. At present, there exists a large number of vacancies that the Education Ministry is not able to fill, partly because of competing demands on our limited human resources and partly because of the increasing number of young Singaporeans who, through newspapers and other agencies, learn of the frustration and relatively unattractive conditions of work in the teaching service and prefer to opt for other careers. Among the desperate measures taken to cope with the shortage of teachers, the Education Ministry recently resorted to commandeering national servicemen to do relief teaching. Whatever the merits and demerits of this move, as compared to the present system of employing relief teachers, no one in his right senses will agree that it is a good or permanent way of solving the teacher shortage. It is at most a stop-gap measure, ill-conceived and unsatisfactory. The Ministry has now abandoned the scheme.

But what of the long term? Shouldn't the shortage of teachers be solved once and for all for the sake of our children? Without a full complement of teachers, how can we effectively pursue the course of quality education in a fast-changing and developing environment where the demands of modern education have become so complex? What is the use of spending $800 million on school buildings to meet the physical requirements of the full-day school programme when we do not have enough qualified teachers to man them? How can we then achieve our objective of achieving qualitative education? Is this not like a young woman who, upon deciding to enhance her marriage prospects, buys herself the latest fashionable clothes by Christian Dior and the most expensive cosmetics to make herself attractive, but does nothing about her two missing front teeth? Which eligible young man will be attracted to a girl reeking with expensive perfume and attired in Christian Dior clothes with black holes in the upper register of her smile? With all her finery and cosmetics, she has not enhanced her marriage prospects because she has not bothered to see a dentist to do something about her missing front teeth. Similarly, all the extra school facilities and buildings that the Ministry intends to build, will not achieve the objective of improving education if it does not solve the fundamental problem of teacher shortage which would necessitate a perennial dependence on relief or other ad hoc teachers.

One would have thought that the present administration, whose forte is reputed to be their quick-fire methods of solving problems, would have announced a solution to this problem by now. But unfortunately, the prospect of solving this problem is relatively grim, and the problem of teacher shortage and relief teachers continue to bedevil us.

Why has the Ministry not been able to solve this problem of teacher shortage for so long? The answer must lie in the fact that teaching is becoming increasingly unattractive, not only because teachers feel that they are not treated with dignity and respect, but also because they feel trapped in a depersonalized system that is unintentionally but nevertheless effectively becoming insensitive to their aspirations and their pedagogical problems. They also feel increasingly the difference in economic and social status between themselves and other professionals.

It appears, therefore, that the solution to the basic problems of teacher shortage is to make teaching once more a spiritually as well as financially attractive career. We will then not only be able to attract higher calibre entrants into the teaching service but also be able to bring some job satisfaction to serving teachers.

To this end, I would like to inquire from the Minister how soon his Ministry can be expected to complete its review and revi- sion of teachers' salary scales in line with the recent announcement made by the Minister for Trade and Industry on the review and revision of the terms and conditions of employment in the public sector. Will teachers' salary scales be revised before June this year? Will they be among the most attractive salary scales in relation to officers of comparable grades?

In reply to my question to this House on 3rd March, 1982, on when the next promotion exercise for education officers will be, the Minister of State for Education stated that it was unlikely that one would be held as previous exercises had merely resulted in making teachers feel even more demoralized. He also stated that his Ministry, together with the Public Service Commission and the Finance Ministry, was working on a better method of rewarding deserving principals and teachers. What I want to know is whether the system of promotion that his Ministry is looking into will result in more, or fewer, teachers being promoted. If fewer, how can it be a better system because one of the major causes of frustration and demoralization in the teaching service is the insufficient number of teachers being promoted and the infrequency of such exercises? Moreover, will promotion imply that the teacher can no longer remain as a classroom practitioner even if he desires this? Will he be "persuaded" to leave the classroom and work in the rarefied atmosphere of the headquarters or as a school principal? To do this is to further de-emphasize by implication the importance of the work of the classroom teacher.

The other cause of frustration is the method used for assessing teachers. If better evaluation instruments have been devised, I would like to request the Minister for further information on the subject.

I see, Mr Speaker, Sir, that I have completed my speech before my ten minutes are up. The reason why I read so fast is that I did not want to be stopped by you. I have a lot to say because last year I did not say anything.

Encik Mansor Haji Sukaimi: Mr Speaker, Sir, if I am about to exceed my 10 minutes, please remind me. It was in March 1979, three years ago, that we debated on the Education Report 1978, popularly known as the Goh Report. Since then, many changes and improvements have been systematically implemented, notwithstanding the persistent shortage of teachers. Many Members of this House, I remember, took the opportunity to debate, make comments and suggestions on the Report. This was, in fact, actively encouraged by the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education. I would like to ask if the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education could give a status report on the implementation of the Education Report.

We know that the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education gives the Schools Council an opportunity of being informed of the progress of policies implemented in the Ministry of Education. I think this is good. But for the humble Members of this House, I am asking that this be done at least once in three years. In this status report, I wonder if he could say how many of the recommendations contained in the Report have been implemented, without material changes; how many have been implemented with substantial changes; how many have been cast away; and what new ones, not mentioned in the Report, are now being actively implemented or considered.

Secondly, as regards the examinations for the PSLE, GCE 'O' and GCE 'A' levels for 1981, I wonder if the Minister could inform the House of the results of these examinations. Not the details. I think we will benefit if the Minister can indicate the broad trends and the important features of the examination results, indicating whether the results last year, that is 1981, were better or worse and, if so, in which particular subject, and what were the reasons. Related to this subject, I wonder if the Ministry could consider undertaking a diagnosis or post mortem of the results, not a statistical diagnosis. I am more concerned with the factors, the environments, that bring about students who had succeeded well and those who did not succeed well. 3.45 p.m.

I think many parents, educationists and teachers would be interested to know not just the reasons that exist in the school environment but also other socio-economic reasons for the success and failures of our students. And they would benefit further if the Ministry could give them concrete evidence, explanation and, perhaps with this information, they could help in creating a much richer environment at home and in the community which will strengthen the educational foundation of our children.

This point is important. And it is for this reason that I wish to raise the third point. Is the Ministry keeping track of the students' performance over time? That cohorts are now being monitored? Since when? For how many years? And what are the findings? I am asking these questions because, from the cases that I know, there are a number of students who, though they fared well in Primary 5 and PSLE, seem to have withered in Secondary 1 and Secondary 2. I do not know exactly the reasons but I can roughly guess. Some of them may be:

First, Secondary 1 and Secondary 2 are more demanding.

Secondly, Secondary 1 and Secondary 2 require more independence as compared with the situation in PSLE.

Thirdly, secondary school life is different. In PSLE the students were the senior students, but when they enter Secondary 1 they become the most junior and this could have an emotional impact on them.

Fourthly, at Secondary 1 and Secondary 2, that is around ages 13 to 15 years, the effect of peer group influence becomes more significant. I seem to find from the cases that I have come across that at that age the peer group influence, if it is an adverse one, can badly affect the student's education. Related to this, many parents seem to be less disposed, or even willing, to exercise greater control on their children at that age of 13 to 15 years. In fact, many of them would be more willing to give their children more freedom. I wonder whether this would not have any effect on the children's school performance.

Whatever the reasons, I feel that many students who are good at PSLE should mean that they should have got a good foundation in order to do well in Secondary 1 and Secondary 2. But this does not seem to be the case in a number of students that I have come across. Will the Ministry therefore confirm that this trend is true? If so, how serious is the trend? What are the reasons and whether specific measures could be taken to rectify them?

Next point, Sir. Since the implementation of the 1978 Education Report, so much has been done to improve the school system, the curricula, the textbooks, upgrading of teachers, teacher training, development of principals, improvements of the administrative infrastructure and procedures and now new concepts such as full-day schools. New training schemes are being introduced, both in the academic and the technical fields. All these augur well for Singapore, Will the Minister, perhaps in the next two or three years, consider extending this upgrading effort to paying more attention to the factors that affect educational performance but factors that prevail outside the conventional boundaries of the formal education system?

Let me explain my point. We know, for example, that the home environment is a key factor in a child's education, especially from birth to perhaps the age of 11 or 12 years old. For instance, we know that the foundations for the development of good language begin early in the child's life. Love for reading starts early, especially during the critical age of two to three years if one of the parents, especially the mother, reads bedtime stories to the child. General cognitive skills are also nurtured early and this depends on the quality of the home environment, the intensity of the stimulus, the awareness of parents about what can be given to the child to enrich that stimulus. The parents' motivation is also said to be critical. The important point is that all these do not happen in school. All these happen long before the child starts schooling. Yet they are critical factors in ensuring that the child has a very sound foundation to ensure greater suc- cess in life. I wonder whether the Ministry, notwithstanding the fact that this is outside the conventional boundaries of the school system, will consider developing means and programmes to ensure that these foundations are strengthened for the benefit of our students.

All these, and I am sure there are many other illustrations, reiterate that many of the school problems that we are grappling now could be minimized if more efforts had been done in these areas in earlier years. I think it is worth our while to do this. I think we already have a basis for this. We have, for example, a very advanced school health service. But I think it is worth our while to get the school health service to spend more time on the developmental aspect of the child, not just curative.

On the maternal and child care service, while we do give attention to post-natal care, I think we should also emphasize on the mental development of the child.

There are many organizations which conduct parenting courses. I think this was referred to by the Hon.-Minister for Social Affairs, and I think it is worth our while if we can expand such programmes. There have been so much research materials on child development that can be used by parents. Let them be simplified. Get the materials to reach young parents so that they can benefit from them. I think our approach must be longitudinal; it must be total. And we must direct ourselves not just on the traditional issues of schooling but, more importantly, the foundations of schooling.

The Chairman: Your time is up, Encik Mansor.

Dr Ow Chin Hock (Leng Kee): ( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, first, I would like to talk about the Special Assistance Plan schools and their problems. The first batch of SAP students will be sitting for the 'O' level examinations at the end of this year. 1,513 of them sat for the EL 2 and CL 2 subjects at the 1981 GCE 'O' level examinations while they were in Secondary 3 last year. They scored 99.8% passes, and 83% of them got distinctions in these two subjects. This is very encouraging. The effort and the spirit of these students and their teachers are commendable and deserve our praise. I hope this batch of SAP students will be able to pass the final examination at the end of this year with flying colours and prove that the SAP plan is achievable.

I would like to know whether the Ministry, apart from assistance in the language laboratory, has got other special plans of assistance for the SAP schools, for example, assistance in terms of school building, library, teachers' room and other facilities. What special assistance will be given to them? We know that among the nine SAP schools, some are faced with a shortage of classrooms, and some of their buildings are in a dilapidated condition. The more important assistance needed is adequate teaching staff. Is there any plan? At the moment they have even to rely on relief teachers and temporary teachers to conduct language lessons. I would like to know what has been done in respect of the question of teaching staff. I would also like to know the progress of the Supplementary English Language Programme (SELP) and the Supplementary Chinese Language Programme, the Immersion Programme. How are their problems being solved?

Now let me talk about religious education. On 16th January at the Schools Council meeting, the Ministry raised tile question of requiring Secondary 3 and Secondary 4 students to take the subject of Religious Knowledge. These students can take the subject of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, or Hinduism or a mystical subject called "World Religions" as one of the subjects. Subsequently, the Ministry further announced that students can opt for Confucianism, and this has brought relief to many non-Christian Chinese parents.

I understand that the rationale for the introduction of Religious Knowledge as a subject is: first, for the last 10 years or so, as a result of our rapid economic growth, materialism has reared its ugly head. Secondly, there has been a tremendous increase in the English school enrolment. English has been widely spoken or used so that our nationals, particularly the youngsters, are more exposed to Western cul- ture and fads through the mass media and, therefore, they are also more exposed to some undesirable aspects of Western subculture and practice while, at the same time, there is a gradual decline in oriental moral values. Thirdly, the popularisation of the concept of small family unit and womenfolk working outside the home have affected family education and the inculcation of value concepts in children. All these have contributed to a deterioration in social morals.

In order to reverse such trends, the Ministry of Education has actively paid attention to the subject of Living for Education, Moral Education and now even Religious Education. We can well understand this. But this does not mean that our people have become morally depraved, shameless and that we are becoming a nation of thieves. In fact, when we compare Singapore with other major cities of the world, we find that our crime rate is very low. Singaporeans are very hard working and trying hard to excel themselves. They know what is right and what is wrong. The milk of human kindness still flows in their breast. In other words, some traditional values and moral concepts are still found in many of them.

It has been the PAP Government's policy to uphold and foster traditional values and Eastern cultures and moral standard is farsighted and deserves our praise. My view is that Religious Education is the extension of the subject Moral Education from Primary 1 to Secondary 2. I had recently on a TV forum and on other occasions supported this plan in principle.

What I would like to talk about now is the difficulty of implementing this policy. I would like to draw the attention of the Ministry of Education to these problems and hope the Ministry will find solutions to them. For example, first, in the matter of teaching staff, we are faced with a shortage of teachers. How are we to maximize the use of manpower? How are we going to recruit and train a few hundred teachers who are going to teach these subjects so that they are not only knowledgeable in the subject but also imbued with a strong conviction in what they teach? They should be able to set a good example. And how are we going to effectively inculcate these concepts or values in our students? This is not like obtaining goods upon spot payment of cash. ( ) 4.00 p.m.

Secondly, on the matter of content, there are existing textbooks available on Christianity and Islam. However, textbooks on Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism have yet to be skimmed, written and compiled in order to meet the requirements of the present situation. In other words we have to modify these textbooks to suit our present needs. This is a monumental task. We have to inculcate such value concepts and instil the spirit of sublime human nature in our students through precepts and practice. It is not as simple as learning a Shakespearean play where students are taught how to appreciate, how to study, how to watch the play. The more important thing is the content of the religious subject. We should stress the spirit of mutual tolerance and mutual respect among the various religions and that we should take care to prevent any sensitive issues or religious conflicts from arising. This spirit of tolerance should also be applied to the traditions and practices between the races.

Among our local non-Christian Chinese, a handful of them are atheists while the great majority of them are polytheists. They believe that three feet over your head there are gods. When my colleagues visit the flats where Chinese live, they notice that at the door-step there is a shrine for Earth-God and hung over the door there are an octogram and a devil reflector mirror, and in the hall there are images and statues of the Goddess Guan-Yin and other idols and even shrines for the ancestors. Not only this, there is also a niche for the kitchen-god. In the temple there are shrines and statues of Buddhas and all sorts of gods and deities. The Chinese also practise geomancy, carry talismans and observe all sorts of traditional religious rites and practices. All these traditions are deeply rooted in the Chinese community.

Can students who have been taught Religious Education tolerate all this? Would Christians call this "idol-worship" or "heretical"? Or, would non-Christian Chinese regard the Christians as people who have adopted the religion of the red-haired foreigners or who have forgotten and forsaken their forefathers? If we are not careful, this subject of religion may exercise a divisive effect on our society and adversely affect the cohesiveness of our society. So I hope the experts, specialists and teachers who compile the curricula would take this as a major premise in their consideration.

Thirdly, we must avoid "over-religious" people making use of this opportunity to preach their own faith and attack other religions. The Ministry of Education has announced its intention to set up a monitoring unit to monitor the teaching of this subject. But, as there are about 140 schools, it is doubtful whether one single unit will be effective to do the work. There will be problems. There are already some protests!

The Chairman: Your time is up, Dr Ow.

Dr Tan Cheng Bock (Ayer Rajah): May I be allowed to join in this debate, Sir?

The Chairman: All right.

Dr Tan Cheng Bock: Thank you, Sir. Sir, while I share the Minister of State of Education's concern over the high failure rates in Mathematics and Science in last year's PSLE, I would like to sound a warning that while we should be concerned we should not over-react, lest in trying to correct this we might detract from our bilingual policy. How far has bilingual education succeeded? Judging from last year's PSLE results, we can conclude that the Ministry of Education has scored a success in this direction.

Sir, I believe that one of the chief aims of primary education should be devoted to the teaching and learning of languages. If a child has mastered the languages, then it will put him in a better position when he is in secondary school to learn the sciences and the other subjects. The child must be able to comprehend what he is reading, and this is a basic and essential component to learning. This ability to comprehend is tied up with knowing and mastering the languages. Therefore, when I read the Sunday Times headlined "Dismal show in science and maths by PSLE students" and the comments by the Minister of State of Education that the problems of teaching and learning Mathematics should be discussed at the next Schools Council meeting, I conclude that corrective measures would be taken to check this trend. I have, therefore, taken this opportunity to caution the Ministry not to over-correct as to slow down the learning and studying of the languages. On the other hand, I hope the Ministry of Education will examine the contents and the teaching of Science and Mathematics.

Mr Speaker, Sir, if there is anything wrong with the PSLE Science results, I place the onus squarely on the Ministry of Education. Look at this [indicating]. This is a Primary 5 Science textbook for 10-year old students. I will refer Members to Topic 2. This topic discusses Vegetative Propagation. I wonder how many of us know the meaning of these words Vegetative Propagation. In this one lesson introducing one particular concept, there are listed so many ways of doing it. There are the detailed references of each method, and on top of this the students have to remember all the scientific words - if Members will bear with me I will read them out. Apart from the term "Vegetative Propagation", you have rhizomes, corms, tubers, bulbs, suckers, runners, cocoyams, gladiolus and crocus. I think there must be about 40 such new words for the poor Science student to master just for this particular topic. They cover eight topics in this book. There is so much detail in just one chapter and the teacher has to make sure the students master these scientific terms and languages to do well in PSLE. No wonder the teacher hag no time to do the simple act, for example, of planting a ginger or potato. I take these two examples because it is related to these bulbs and corms, which would form a most vivid and lasting impression on the students.

Are the Ministry of Education officials aware that the whole system of Science teaching in our schools would not have achieved its purpose, which is to produce an observant person? But Mr Speaker, Sir, can they bear to throw out all these painstaking details which they have befuddled so many a PSLE student? My contention is that Science as being taught in our schools suffers from a flood of factual details, and from a famine of scientific practice, the bas's of which is observing, recording and deducing.

Let me refer Members to the Sunday Times, 14th March, 1982. Let me read this report and the Education Ministry's reason for the poor performance in Science.

'The Director of Research and Testing Division blamed the poor performance in science on the manner in which teachers drill their students to answer PSLE questions. We are reaching a stage where students are drilled in certain skills so that they can answer on cue and pick the right answers taught in class.

She went on to explain that in a badly set multiple-choice question in which four answers are given, the bright student knows that all four answers can be right. But a student drilled to answer such questions will automatically pick the answer the teacher wants. Supporting her, the Director of Education said that students are trained to answer PSLE questions from the first day they enter Primary 6 - instead of learning for a whole year.'

What puzzles me is that these Ministry of Education officials seem to know the reasons why the students do not do well, and they are the people in charge. They know it, but why do they allow it to continue? I hope the Minister will take corrective measures to ensure that this does not happen.

The Minister of State of Education (Dr Tay Eng Soon): Mr Speaker, Sir, permit me to reply to the questions and points that have been raised on behalf of my Minister. I know that there are other Members of the House who want to raise more points later, but as several Members have already spoken and raised numerous points, I feel I should try to give an answer now so that I can do justice to their points and then take on more points at a later stage.

The Member for Boon Teck raised the question of educational wastage and I want to thank him for raising this very pertinent point. That was the fundamental reason why the Goh Report was produced and this was debated at length in 1979 in this House. I can assure him that the subject of educational wastage is constantly before the officers in my Ministry who have to carry out this policy.

To give an example of how progressively over a long period of time we can hope to reduce educational wastage, I would just like to take the example of the Primary School Leaving Examination going back to 1976. I would like to caution that changes in education have a very long time factor, namely, that a change today affecting a child in Primary I will not show any results until 10 years later when that child does the 'O' Level. So we have to make haste slowly. We have to have a long-term view and we have to persist in whatever we do.

Prior to 1976 we had automatic promotion in our schools with the result that many pupils were being pushed up to PSLE with the obvious consequence that they would fail. So it is not surprising that in 1976 the failure rate in PSLE was very high and only 57% managed to pass the examination. But from 1976 onwards we stopped automatic promotion and we introduced the policy of retention, that is to say, weak students would have to repeat their year. For the next few years the PSLE results steadily improved: in 1977 it went up to 67.9%, in 1978 74.5%, in 1979 74.3%, and so on. That meant that the retained students would either pass in the following year or would reach a point when they would be too old for their class and would have to leave the system. So retention meant that a certain percentage of the students would have to leave the system and these premature school-leavers or drop-outs represented a loss. It was precisely to address that problem that the Goh Report was produced, and the principle of streaming students into courses more appropriate to their ability and therefore more suited to them, was introduced in 1979 and 1980. So I take this opportunity to reiterate the purpose of streaming - it is none other than to reduce educational wastage which the Member for Boon Teck and other Members are rightly concerned. 4.15 p.m.

The benefits of this policy would take some time before they become apparent. This is the third year in which streaming has taken place in the primary schools, and the second year in which streaming has taken place in the secondary schools, and it will be some time before a reduction of premature school leavers can be seen. But I would just like to let him know that with the monolingual stream being introduced in the primary schools, the number of pupils who are leaving the school system at Primary 4 and Primary 5 has already gone down. In fact, last year the number of pupils who left at Primary 4 had gone down by a factor of three. So we begin to see some reduction in premature school leavers in the primary schools.

The Member for Boon Teck's point about the courses being too academic for students and is the cause for some of them to fail is well taken. I think this is so, and this is the reason why in the monolingual stream the course is deliberately made not academic in content and emphasis is placed on literacy, learning of the language under informal conditions. With these measures, I can assure him that we hope to reduce educational wastage in the schools.

On the question of helping those who are not academically inclined to become more skilled so that they can contribute to themselves as well as to the economy, we are looking into how the VITB system can be more closely linked with the school system. As Members know, by 1984-85 the first batch of monolingual pupils will be leaving our school system. The monolingual stream is not a dead-end because our intention is that monolingual students on leaving the school system should go on to some form of pre-vocational and vocational training. The same thing can be said of those who are unsuccessful in the PSLE examinations after having been through the extended course in the primary stream. Similar provision will be made for them.

On the question of compulsory education the Member has cited so many countries that have introduced compulsory education. The first point to note is that in Singapore the desire for education is extremely high. Without any form of compulsory education, more than 99% of pupils of school-going age register to join Primary 1.

On the question of whether we should have compulsory education at the later stages so that we can keep potential premature school leavers within the school system and prevent them from dropping out, we can certainly do this by compulsory measures but that by itself does not solve the problem. What is more important is to find solutions which provide alternatives for such students, such as streaming, which I have mentioned, into appropriate streams for them and alternative channels, such as vocational training for those who are not academically-inclined.

I think these are the more important practical measures that we have to take to provide a route up for those who are not academically-inclined. If we are successful in carrying out these measures, I do not see any necessity to introduce compulsory education. There will, of course, be pupils who for various reasons do not want to stay within either the school system or the vocational training system. We know this to be true even today. We have to look into how we can get these pupils to progress smoothly from the school system into the vocational system. But the possibility of making it necessary for such pupils who are not staying in the school system to have to do some vocational training as a compulsory requirement cannot be excluded.

The Member for Moulmein cautioned us against making too many changes and his advice in a way runs counter to what many Members have also suggested because, what they have suggested, if implemented, tantamounts to change. I think the important thing here again is that we make haste slowly. We do not make changes for the sake of change and where we do have to make a change we do so after careful and thorough investigation.

On the subject of full-day schools, the Member knows that a number of schools are under a pilot scheme. This year we have six secondary schools and two primary schools and we are constantly monitoring these schools to find out what their experiences are with full-day school. On the basis of what we know of full-day schools, we are not ready to make a firm decision on whether we should proceed full steam ahead with all the schools. This will have to wait until the pilot scheme has been thoroughly tried out.

On the shortage of teachers, this problem of manpower affects not only the school system but also many sectors, including the Civil Service. The more important thing to note about the teaching service is that the turnover is low as compared with many other services. For example, for the non-graduate teachers, the turnover is less than 2% per annum and for graduate teachers, the turnover is about 4% per annum. I think we should be thankful for this.

At the same time, recognizing that there is a shortage of teachers, the Institute of Education is looking into how the intake can be increased. The problem here is that the trainees in the Institute of Education have to meet strict criteria imposed by the Public Service Commission because when a person is taken into the Institute of Education he is as good as having been employed to become a teacher. The Public Service Commission quite rightly believes that the standards that ought to be maintained for non-graduates as well as graduates who want to become teachers must be kept as high as possible.

We know from the experiences of the 1960s that when the education system underwent explosive growth many people with marginal academic qualifications had to be taken into the education service. The Public Service Commission is not prepared to accept this for our education system for the years ahead. With that important restriction, I must say that the number of applications to the Institute of Education for both graduate and non-graduate courses remains quite high, something like 3.3 applicants for every place for graduate teachers, and 10 applicants for every place for non-graduate teachers. So there is interest among our school leavers and university leavers to join the education service.

As I said, the selection imposed by the Public Service Commission is of a high standard and I think Members will in the long run agree with me that this is the way for the education service to maintain and even improve standards and to have an excellent teaching force.

The Member for Moulmein asked a question about the salary revision. I think his question has already been answered to some extent by the Minister for Trade and Industry yesterday when he said that the salaries of all the other services, including the Divisions I and 11 which affect graduate and non-graduate teachers, are undergoing revision. I can assure the Member that my Ministry has already begun discussions with the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service Commission on the revision of these salaries and the introduction of the Senior Education Service.

He asked a question about promotion of teachers. I would like to take this opportunity to say something about this. In 1972, 1974, and 1977 there were three mass promotion exercises. These exercises involved something like 10,000 teachers, In each exercise, there was a shortlisting of teachers to a figure of about 1,700 and then there were many interview boards which were set up to further interview the shortlisted teachers to see who should be promoted. The result of all these exercises was that the number of teachers promoted in each case was between 200 and 470. In 1977, it was 470. In percentage terms, promotions were given to 2% to 4.7% of eligible teachers. These exercises took several weeks. Many people had hopes of a promotion. Many hopes were dashed when only a few percent were promoted. Even those who were promoted received, after all that exercise, one increment. It can be said that these mass promotion exercises produced more frustration, more disappointment, even for the successful teachers than if they were not carried out at all.

If we look back into the education service before 1972, we find that there was no system of mass promotion. Instead, promotions were carried out to fill posts such as principals of schools, inspectors in the inspectorate in the headquarters, specialist officers, and so on, and in each of these exercises the candidate who was promoted assumed higher responsibility. He took on, in fact, a different job and gen- erally the education service accepted these promotion exercises.

With the proposed Senior Education Service a similar principle for promotion will be observed, namely, that promotions of teachers should be to responsible positions, such as vice-principals and principals of schools and specialist and inspectorate positions in the Ministry headquarters. 4.30 p.m.

What about teachers in the rank and file who do not get promoted in these exercises? I think the important thing is not that promotion per se is the main motivator, but how we can help the teachers, the bulk of whom will be teaching in schools, to improve themselves, increase their knowledge of the subjects they are teaching, improve on methods, all of which will make teaching a more satisfying function. For this, the Ministry has already instituted in-training courses, school-based courses or workshops to help teachers to get a broader, deeper perspective of their professions and subjects. For example, last year the Institute of Education conducted 10 in-service courses and ran 71 school-based workshops. This is an example of how the Ministry can help teachers to develop themselves in their profession and to get more satisfaction in the work that they have to do in the schools. There are other matters which we have mentioned once or twice in the Schools Council, such as encouraging teachers, in some positive ways, to be more innovative. These are the matters which are being looked into by the Ministry of Education.

The Member for Kampong Kembangan asked if a status report on the new education system could be provided. My answer is that the status reports on various aspects of the new education system are, in fact, being made known to the public and to the teachers through the Schools Council and through press releases. This has been going on all the time. I am not sure if it would be beneficial to have an omnibus status report on every item covered in the new education system. The present approach of dealing with every aspect as it arises and reporting it in the Schools Council would, I think, suffice to inform Members of this House and members of the public of what is going on in the implementation of the new education system.

He mentioned the whole question of how to help children to become better achievers in school. He mentioned home factors and factors outside the school. I am in complete agreement with him that these factors have a profound influence on children. At the same time, these are the very factors which are the most difficult and intractable for anyone to change. Any parent who has to deal, for example, with an indisciplined child knows how difficult it is to try to change the behaviour of that child. Anybody who has had to deal with parents who are dogmatic and who refuse to accept certain changes in the treatment of their children knows how difficult it is to bring about such changes. I think the Member is touching on something fundamental and universal and which has been in man for a very long time. I do not think there are any quick solutions or answers to these questions. Certainly I do not see how the Ministry of Education will be able to extend itself beyond its very large task of the school system to the home.

On the question of religious knowledge which was brought up by the Member for Leng Kee, may I leave this till later because I know other Members also want to bring up points concerning religious knowledge. However I would like to ask my Parliamentary Secretary to reply to the Member for Leng Kee on the progress of the SAP schools.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Education (Mr Ho Kah Leong): Mr Speaker, Sir, may I reply to the points raised by the Member for Leng Kee in regard to the Special Assistance Plan schools. The scheme of SAP schools was first implemented in January 1979 with the following two objectives: first, to raise the English language proficiency of non-English medium pupils in secondary schools to enable them to proceed to their Pre-U education and tertiary education, or to better their employment prospects, and secondly, to preserve a few established Chinese-medium secondary schools to inculcate traditional values in a Chinese school setting.

Under this scheme the top 8% to 10% of the PSLE passes are posted to the SAP schools. These pupils have to do two languages, that is, Chinese and English, at first-language level. In the middle of last year, the principals of the SAP schools felt that they needed a basis to gauge the students' potential to cope with their CL1 and EL1 at the GCE 'O' level examination. On their request, my Ministry allowed the Secondary 3 students to sit for their CL2 and EL2 'O' level examination last year. The results show that they have done extremely well. As has been pointed out by the hon. Member for Leng Kee, the percentage of passes and distinctions is very high, even higher than the national average. In EL2 it is 99.7% passes against the national average of 47.3%, whilst in the CL2, it is 99.9% against 82.5%. I am glad that the hon. Member has paid tribute to the SAP schools. I fully agree with him that this is due to the hard work and the extra effort put in by the principals and the teachers concerned.

As regards special financial assistance to the SAP schools, it is an announced policy that the SAP schools should be given financial assistance to improve their facilities as well as to meet the increased operating costs. Besides the air-conditioned language laboratory, as mentioned by the Member, SAP schools are provided with air-conditioned libraries, audio-visual rooms and music rooms. As seven out of the nine schools are Government-aided schools, special grants from the Education Fund are given to them to supplement the capital grant from voted funds for non-standard facilities. Special interest-free loans from the Education Fund are also extended to SAP schools to improve their physical facilities. A case in point is the Nanyang Girls High School where a special grant and interest-free loan were offered to the school to construct additional classrooms and storerooms. In addition, an annual grant of $10,000 is given to SAP schools to develop their libraries.

As regards staff in SAP schools, it is also the announced policy that eventually they will be staffed by the best English and Chinese medium teachers. Moreover, the number of teachers is given above the normal quota to the SAP schools and the principals are allowed to identify teachers for posting to their schools. Every SAP school is given one or two expatriate teachers. In addition, my Ministry has managed to obtain from the Ministry of Finance a post of technician to assist in the running of the language laboratories in SAP schools. It is true that there is still a shortage of teachers in SAP schools, but I can assure the hon. Member that my Ministry will take active steps to fill these vacancies.

The hon. Member also wants to know the progress of the three supplementary language programmes to help the pupils in the SAP schools to improve their language proficiency, that is, the Immersion Programme, (IP), the Supplementary English Language Programme (SELP) and the Supplementary Chinese Language Programme (SCLP). I wish to inform the hon. Member that these three programmes are closely monitored by the Schools Division of my Ministry. Statistics show that SCLP is the most popular among the three programmes. For example, last year among the Secondary 1 pupils, 1,807 pupils participated in the SELP, while 162 in IP and 577 in SCLP. From feedback, these pupils have benefited from the programme very much.

My Ministry is fully aware that as the SAP school scheme is a new one, there are bound to be many teething problems. I can assure the hon. Member that my Ministry will continue to render every assistance that is needed by the SAP schools. In fact, the Director of Education and the Director of Schools do hold regular meetings with the nine principals to find out their individual as well as collective needs and solve their professional and administrative problems. In case there are matters that cannot be thrashed out at such meetings, the principals can always come to me. In fact, some of them have done so. In conclusion, my Ministry is as anxious as the Member is to see that the SAP schools will succeed.

Mr Sia Khoon Seong: Mr Speaker, Sir, can I respond to some of the points raised by the Minister of State in reply to queries raised by Members of Parliament? First, I want to thank him and to say that I am very pleased with the manner in which he replied to all of us. But I am not so sure whether I can say that I am pleased with the content of his reply. But the blame should not be put on him because it is not his fault as that information was given to him. But I am afraid that the facts given to him concerning the mass promotion exercise and the discontentment, have not been correct. The impression I gathered from his reply seems to be that after 1972 they held several mass promotion exercises under the new structure. There was great discontentment. Prior to that there was less discontentment. I think that is a historical non-fact. The fact is there was greater discontentment and, as a result, this scheme was introduced. 4.45 p.m.

The Minister of State was pleased to announce that we now have only 2% to 4% turnover rate. One of the reasons could be that the scheme was introduced in 1972. Prior to that, the turnover rate was greater and it was because of the dissatisfaction of insufficient promotion opportunities. The former Education Minister who is not in this House at this moment, Dr Lee Chiaw Meng, can bear me out on this. I was involved in this from the start.

Promotion to higher posts has two disadvantages. First, a teacher has got to wait for the incumbent to die before the post is vacant, and people do not die easily these days. So he has to wait until people grow old, and he may die before he gets a chance to be promoted. It is very frustrating.

Secondly, a good teacher must remain a good teacher. It is just like a good doctor who wants to be a specialist, wants to indulge and blossom in his speciality. He should not be taken out of his field and put in headquarters of the Ministry of Health, next to the Minister for Health. That does not give him a thrill. It will only make life miserable for him if he is a good doctor, not because of the Minister himself. It is because it is not to his liking. Similarly, in the past, if it was discovered that he was a good teacher he would be promoted to the post of principal or as a Ministry official before he could get himself upgraded. But we found in the past that many good teachers became bad principals because the functions of a teacher and the functions of a principal are two different functions. He may be a good teacher in the classroom because a teacher handles 40 pupils and more and he shapes the life, the character, the future and the destiny of the children under his charge. The Minister may have underestimated this. He or his Ministry officials may not be aware of the importance of the teacher.

This is the reason why this scheme was introduced to promote good teachers and remain as teachers. When the promotion exercise was carried out for the first time, it was done clumsily. A massive group of 1,000 teachers were called up for interviews. And the Ministry discovered its mistake and subsequently reduced the number to a few hundred. They could have reduced the number of interviews by using computers. They could have used various methods to find out who were the best and, in the process, promoted them. But the point is this: let them remain as teachers so that they will love their job and there will be plenty of opportunities for teachers to be upgraded. I think that is the point, Sir. If we deviate from that, we will go back to the pre-1972 period. If the Minister cares to learn about the history of the frustration in the teaching profession during the pre-1972 period, there are many others, including myself, who could supply him with the information.

On this question of teachers' salaries, my question is not really whether they have started discussion. I know they have. But the Minister for Trade and Industry said yesterday that the completion of the revision would be sometime in June. He said that for Divisions 1, 11 and Ill, the revision should be completed by June. My question is: will the Ministry of Education also complete its revision of the teachers' salaries by June?

On the suggestion that teachers should be satisfied with just in-service courses and so on, surely in-service courses are important, They give satisfaction and gra- tification to teachers who want to feel that they are constantly upgrading, learning and keeping up with the times. But just like any other professionals, administrators, or any group of men in Singapore, I think monetary incentive is also important. Why should the question of money be unchaste for teachers? We have incentive schemes for all categories of workers. Similarly, why should teachers be deprived of these?

Dr Tay Eng Soon: May I just reply to the few points, Sir? On the question of the date of the salary revision in June, unfortunately my Ministry is not the only party involved in the negotiations. But I think the Member can take it from the Minister for Trade and Industry that the intention is to complete the revision by June. We all look forward and hope it will be completed by June.

The point the Member made regarding teachers who want to remain as teachers is a valid one, something which I thank him for making and something which my Ministry officials are fully aware of. I hinted just now in my remarks that we are looking into ways in which teachers who are not going to become principals can be motivated and rewarded.

Mr Liew Kok Pun: Sir, before I withdraw my amendment, with your approval I would like to make one or two comments. I am sure that Members of this House and a lot of parents must be cheered and delighted to note that streaming in the primary schools has reduced educational wastage. This is a sure good sign of the progress of our educational system.

I would like to respond to the comment made by the Member for Moulmein concerning the importance of upward salary revision for teachers. Whilst I subscribe to his views, I think money alone is not the only factor. There are other factors that make a teacher a good teacher. I think it is a love for children, a commitment. It is also a conviction that makes a teacher stay back in the teaching profession. But that does not mean that the Minister for Finance should continue to drag his feet over the Senior Education Service and its implementation.

Sir, I would like to make a few suggestions to the Ministry of Education for increasing the pool of trained teachers. The first point is this, and here I want the Member for Anson to take note. I think the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State of Education should again talk to the housewives, those who have been teachers before and who have resigned from the Education service to look after their children. This time it is to seek their assistance to teach for a few hours in schools whilst their children are attending school.

The second suggestion that I would like to make is that we are going to have an aging labour force. Perhaps we should consider extending the retirement age of school teachers beyond 60 years. I think we can recruit ex-teachers who are in retirement back into the Education service.

My third point is that the Ministry of Education should take steps to cut down the voluminous amount of paper work that teachers have got to do. They have got to collect school fees. They have to fill up the registers and so on and so forth. Sometimes teachers are even asked to type examination papers on their own. Surely this aspect of the work can be undertaken by the clerical staff.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I hope the Minister of State will not dismiss so lightly the suggestion that we should consider introducing compulsory education. There must be merit in this proposal. Otherwise there would not be so many countries of different political ideologies having introduced it.

Sir, on this note, I would like to thank the Minister of State of Education and the Parliamentary Secretary for their replies.

Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment by leave, withdrawn.

The Chairman: I think it is a good time to take the Suspension.

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

Mr Speaker: I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair again at 5.25 p.m.

Sitting accordingly suspended at 4.55 p.m. until 5.25 p.m. Sitting resumed at 5.25 p.m.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Debate in Committee of Supply resumed.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Head L (cont.) -

Mr Sia Khoon Seong: Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head L be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead LC-01 of the Main Estimates.*

Sir, the Government's concern over the state of public morality of the younger generation of Singaporeans is not of recent origin. As a matter of fact, it has shown much concern over the last decade. This is the raison d'etre for the Bilingual Education Policy which saw the role of English as the language of Science and Technology and the ethnic language or mother tongue as the source for providing cultural ballast and as the means of maintaining links with our past heritage and traditions and transmitting moral values. This Bilingual Policy, as we all know, has imposed on our educational system additional pressures and problems. I need not repeat the arguments raised in this House as well as outside this House that reflect the anxiety the Bilingual Policy caused to parents and students. Religious knowledge then was not thought of "as a panacea to check the weakening of the moral fibre of our pupils". On the contrary, mission schools were obliged to discontinue the teaching of Religious Knowledge more than a decade ago.

Today we see a reversal of that policy. The recent decision of the Education Ministry to make Religious Knowledge a compulsory examination subject at Secondary 3 and Secondary 4 levels in all secondary schools was received with disquiet in some quarters. While it appears that there are growing signs of moral laxity of our younger generation, because of our increasing exposure to some undesirable Western influences as well as the growing tendency towards a more materialistic outlook, it is not so widely agreed that the introduction of Religious Knowledge as a compulsory examination subject will necessarily bring about the desired effect. At the same time, such a move is also fraught with danger.

It is important that the implementers of this policy are fully cognizant of the potential areas of danger and friction when Religious Knowledge is introduced as a compulsory examination subject in schools. Once introduced, it will not be easy for any political leadership to reverse the policy yet again, as the withdrawal of Religious Knowledge will inevitably have untold repercussions especially among some religious groups. It is a serious undertaking not to be entered upon without much careful thought. Nothing must be allowed to upset our existing atmosphere of racial tolerance and religious harmony which we must cherish and preserve at all cost. In any case, the First Deputy Prime Minister must be fully aware of these problems, and I do not intend to lecture him gratuitously on the possible dangers arising from the introduction of Religious Knowledge.

There are, however, certain queries which I would like to raise with the Minister concerning the introduction of Religious Knowledge as a compulsory examination subject.

(1) As we understand it, parents can at present exercise an option not to have their children study any religion. Does it mean that their children will automatically have to choose between World Religions or Confucianism as a subject? Can parents exercise an option for their children not to study any religion, World Religions or Confucianism at all?

(2) Does allowing children to opt or not to opt for Religious Knowledge, World Religions or Confucianism for their 'O' level examination mean that those who do not opt for 'O' level examination, will have to sit for a school examination on the subject? If this is the case, is the Ministry not increasing further the pressures on our secondary school children? As it is, our secondary school children can barely cope with the heavy work-load of our highly examination-oriented education system. 5.30 p.m.

(3) In splitting up every class of pupils into different groups to cater for the different options of Religious Knowledge, how is the principal going to find sufficient classrooms and teachers to meet the needs of various groups of children of different religious persuasions? Has the Ministry examined this problem and appraised its magnitude? Even with the Bilingual Policy which by comparison has been logistically easier to implement, there are already problems that cause unhappiness to some sections of the Indian community occasionally. A case in point is a recent incident in one school involving eight children of Indian origin during their second language lesson. Because of a shortage of classrooms, they had to have their Tamil lesson in odd nooks and corners where there were no tables and chairs. Some of their parents were very indignant and accused the Principal of racial discrimination. What happens in one school in the teaching of a second language may well be repeated in another school in the teaching of Religious Knowledge. Because of the lack of sufficient space and teachers some children attending classes for a particular option on the subject of Religious Knowledge may be treated in the same cinderella fashion as these eight Indian students. This might arouse the ire not only of the parents but also of the religious leaders. Can you imagine the problem we will face if any religious group is given cause to feel that way, particularly if the feelings are further inflamed by religious bigots and fanatics out to exploit the situation for their own ulterior motive?

(4) The Minister of State of Education, in his reply to the Member for Kebun Baru in this House recently, assured him that his Ministry would monitor the teaching of Religious Knowledge in schools to see that there is no conversion. I am intrigued to know how his Ministry proposes to do that effectively. For example, has a special section of the Inspectorate been established for this purpose? And, if so, is the section large enough to carry out the duties required of it? How does his Inspectorate hope to ensure that there is no conversion taking place? By checking regularly on those who teach, or by waiting for parents to complain? Does it mean that no conversion is taking place if no parents complain? Cannot a skilful teacher with missionary zeal subtly use the lesson for conversion without causing any stir? Can a teacher who does not subscribe to a particular faith be relied on to teach the fundamental tenets and dogma of that particular faith without distorting them inadvertently? Can it be said that a teacher of a particular faith is, therefore, competent to teach the Religious Knowledge of that particular faith at Secondary 3 and Secondary 4 levels to enable the students to sit and pass their examinations? I sincerely hope the Minister will be able to answer all these questions satisfactorily for the future peace of mind of all Singaporeans.

In conclusion, I want to state that I am not, in principle, against the teaching of Religious Knowledge per se in schools. As a matter of fact, Religious Knowledge as it was taught in the mission schools in the past proved very useful to the students then. The mission schools, unlike the state schools, have the atmosphere and infrastructure for effective religious education. But today, the proposal of making this a compulsory subject at the Secondary 3 and Secondary 4 levels in all schools has left some sectors of the public sceptical. It is the practical difficulties and problems connected with the implementation of such a scheme that I wish to draw the attention of this House to, when raising these queries with the Education Ministry.

Mr Lai Tha Chai (Henderson): Sir, I notice that the Minister of State of Education has just answered the question which I intend to raise. So I do not think I should waste your time by repeating my question and getting the Minister of Education or his Minister of State to give the House the same answer. Because of this, I do not wish to speak on the amendment.

Dr Tay Eng Soon: Sir, the Member for Moulmein has touched on the subject of Religious Knowledge, of which much has appeared in the press and public discussion recently. The Member for Leng Kee earlier had also touched on this important topic. The questions that have been raised by both Members are many and some of them are fears they expressed which I am sure other people share.

Let me take the most basic point which has been mentioned by the Member for Moulmein - I think it is the fear some people have - and that is the question of conversion. I have said in this House in answer to a question on the 3rd March, that the Ministry will monitor the teaching of this subject. Teachers for this subject will be selected on the basis of their maturity and the knowledge of the subject. The subject itself or the subjects under Religious Knowledge are clearly laid out in the syllabus and in prescribed textbooks. They cover the two years of Secondary 3 and Secondary 4. In the teaching of these subjects there will not be any religious practice or worship in the classroom. It is the express intention of the Ministry that the classroom should not be used as a place for converting any one from one faith to another. So we look upon the teaching of Religious Knowledge as the teaching of a subject which is linked to the 'O' level examination which can be offered for the 'O' level, and which is acceptable for pre-University admission.

Nevertheless Members have expressed the fear of conversion. Let me say that the question of conversion is something which is personal and a matter between a person and his own conscience. No one can predict if a person will be converted, and when and how. All of us have the experience when we read a good book or see a good film to be moved and even to accept the ideas that are put across, and it is quite possible that during the learning of Religious Knowledge some students will find the ideas, the teachings expounded to be very attractive and to want to accept these ideals for themselves as practical principles for their own lives. Do we say that a student who imbibes ideas and teachings in this manner has been converted? Is it wrong that a student should be attracted by the universal moral values that all these great religions teach and that he should want to imbibe them? On the contrary, I believe that if the study of any of these Religious Knowledge subjects leads to students imbibing the teachings, the values, then this is a cause for satisfaction rather than for regret.

Safeguards, of course, can be made. As I said, selection of teachers in the first place is within the school context. The principal who is responsible for the school would know and monitors what goes on in classes where Religious Knowledge is being taught, in the same way that the principal does or should know what is being taught in other subjects. That is something which would normally take place in the school. If a teacher should, in his or her enthusiasm, make use of such classes in a deliberate way to convert or to evangelize the students, then the principal knowing this should report the matter to the Ministry and the teacher will be stopped from doing this.

Let us remember that Religious Knowledge, at least for Bible Knowledge and Islamic Religious Knowledge, has been taught in quite a large number of schools for many years. It is not correct when the Member for Moulmein said that when the PAP Government came in they stopped the teaching of Religious Knowledge. That is incorrect. What was stopped in the Sixties was the teaching of religious instruction during curriculum time, that is, the carrying out of religious practices and worship for the purpose of religious instruction during curriculum time. Schools,such as Christian mission schools which have always done this were obliged to carry out religious instruction and worship in time outside the curriculum time. And so from the middle Sixties onwards mission schools have had to add an additional hour per week to their school time.

Religious Knowledge on the other hand continued to be taught as a subject for 'O' level in mission schools and in Malay stream schools, because we have always had students offering these two subjects at 'O' level. Last year, even before the introduction of this new policy 1,200 students took Bible Knowledge at 'O' level and 1,500 students took the Islamic Religious Knowledge at 'O' level. So we have a fairly long history on the teaching of Religious Knowledge for 'O' level at Secondary 3 and Secondary 4, I believe, from the experience of these schools and from the experience of the Ministry in the offering of this subject at 'O' level, that there will be no problem when we extend Religious Knowledge to other schools and by 1984. Nevertheless, as has been mentioned, principals will be monitoring the teaching of the subject; specialist inspectors at my Ministry, in the respective Religious Knowledge subjects, have been appointed and they will be meeting principals and will be monitoring how the implementation of teaching is taking place in the schools. 5.45 p.m.

On the question of exemption, we have in this subject provided six options: Bible Knowledge, Islamic Religious Knowledge, Buddhist Studies, Hindu Studies, Studies of the World Religions, and Confucian Ethics. We believe this wide choice would meet the needs of almost all students in our schools. There will, of course, be a small number who for various reasons will not want to opt for any of these subjects. They can apply for exemption to the Ministry not to take these subjects. But I can assure the Member for Moulmein that for those students who are exempted something will be found for them to do. They will not be allowed to do nothing during the two periods of Religious Knowledge in their schools.

The workload of students has been mentioned by the Member for Moulmein. I do not think that there will be any increase in the workload for students. Even now there are two periods set aside in all secondary schools for Civics and Current Affairs. Civics is a subject which has semestral tests, granted that not all schools take it that seriously but it is meant to have semestral tests. What we have done with the introduction of Religious Knowledge is to replace Civics and Current Affairs with Religious Knowledge in the same two periods which those subjects occupy.

What about the question that the Member for Moulmein raised concerning the dangers of conflict and divisiveness in the society at large as a result of religious fervour? It has been said in this House, and I repeat what has been said, that our Government has not and will not hesitate to come down firmly and strongly on groups who intend or who make use of religious issues and religions to cause conflict and division in our society. We have demonstrated this again and again. Quite recently five persons were detained. They were members of the Singapore People's Liberation Organization who, among other things, wanted to incite our people against the Government on religious issues. They were apprehended and were detained. We will continue to exercise firm control over groups like this. I can assure the Member for Moulmein that this Government will not hesitate to come down hard and strongly on groups that exploit religion in that manner.

He has also raised questions about the logistics on teaching Religious Knowledge, i.e. sufficiency of teachers, of classrooms and whether these will be provided. I accept that these are problems that we will have to overcome as best as we can. There is obviously a cost in logistic terms to implement the teaching of Religious Knowledge and it is something which my Ministry is fully aware of and we are looking for solutions.

Finally, let me say that we should look upon the introduction of Religious Knowledge in Secondary 3 and 4 as 'O' level papers in their proper and correct perspective. These are subjects which will expose our students to the great religions, to their teachings, to their beliefs, to their universal moral values. It can only benefit them although it is possible that for some students it will make no impact at all. We do not look upon Religious Knowledge as the panacea for all our moral ills. I do not think it is as simple as that but we should see Religious Knowledge in its context as part of moral education in all our schools. After eight years of moral education from Primary 1 to Secondary 2 in schools, we believe that it is appropriate that school children should study something of one of the great religions. The alternative to that would be that in time we will have many sections of our population who do not know anything at all about any of the great religions, their origins, what they stand for, what they teach. Is this something that we want for future generations?

I believe I have touched on all the points that Members have raised.

Mr Sia Khoon Seong: Sir, in view of the Minister's reply, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The Chairman: May I remind Members that the guillotine time for the Ministry of Education is 6.10 p.m.

Mr Bernard Chen (Clementi): Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head L be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead LC-01 Project 8101 of the Development Estimates*.

The Housing and Development Board in moving out its major housing estates to suburban, and now rural, areas has generated a very large demand for school places, especially in primary schools, as the number of school-going children increases in these housing estates. This is also compounded by the fact that relatively younger families have moved away from their old homes into new estates.

We were informed earlier in the House that it will take some time for the school building programme to catch up with the demand. In the meantime, pending the completion of these new schools, school children are allocated temporary places in all kinds of schools, some of them in secondary schools, others get crammed into existing schools which have to open a lot of new classes for them. Still others have to be sent to schools three to five kilometres away. Because of the priority system adopted by the Education Ministry as well as the different times of entry of the population into these HDB estates, a situation has now developed where children staying near certain schools have instead to go to other schools a few kilometres away from their homes, whilst students staying further away go to the schools nearer their own homes. This has generated a lot of additional cost in transportation as well as inconvenience for some parents. Many parents accept this as a temporary solution because they realize that it will take some time for schools to be completed.

I am wondering whether the Ministry of Education can devise some kind of a reallocation scheme which will rectify this anomaly. The scheme should allow for a movement of school children back to schools nearest their homes, as and when these new schools are completed. This will involve moving children back to new schools which are nearer them and have their places taken up by those nearby.

I think an option can also be given to those school children who decide to stay on in the schools even though they are further away from them because they have adapted themselves to the educational environment and the teachers. If possible, can the Ministry consider mounting this exercise at the end of this year when it is more convenient to do so or, if it is logistically possible, do it half-yearly as and when the new schools are completed?

Mr Rohan bin Kamis (Telok Blangah): Sir, in view of the shortage of time, may I be allowed to speak under this Subhead what I intend to speak under Subhead LC-02* because they are closely related?

The Chairman: Carry on.

Mr Rohan bin Kamis: Sir, as you are aware, Telok Blangah is a pleasant urban constituency where most of the facilities are fully developed. However, the school facilities are not yet up to mark. For this reason, some two years ago I requested for a secondary school and a primary school to be built in Telok Blangah for the convenience of the residents in sending their children to nearby schools. The Minister had already informed the House that several schools will be built in Telok Blangah, a generosity which is most readily accepted and well appreciated by all residents in Telok Blangah.

I can now see that construction work is in progress in several sites of Telok Blangah and as parents are getting more anxious, they would like to know more details. Therefore, I would appreciate if the Minister could provide full details of the progress of the construction programme of these schools. And to assist him in providing me with full details in the time available before the guillotine, may I be permitted to quote a poem which I recall and which has served me well in the search for any information in the shortest possible time, and it goes:

'I know of six honest men. They taught me all I knew. Their names are What, Where and When, How, Why and Who.'

May I also assure you, Sir, that I am asking all these details solely and wholly for and in the interest of my constituents only.

Mr Ho Kah Leong: Sir, the hon. Member for Clementi is correct in pointing out the shortage of schools in new towns. I share his concern over the inconvenience experienced by his constituents. That is why we have to resort to the concept of "holding schools" to hold pupils temporarily in existing schools slightly further away from the new town pending the completion of new schools in the town proper. The holding period normally ranges from one to three years depending on the progress of the school building programme. 6.00 p.m.

Coming back to the point raised by the Member in regard to the movement of pupils from a holding school to a new school when it is completed, may I inform the Member that when the new school is completed and begins to function the mass exodus of pupils from the holding school to the new school is done exactly in the same manner as described by the hon. Member just now, except for the Primary 6 classes and those who have been accustomed to the holding school environment and to the traffic pattern and who have opted to stay behind.

For the information of the hon. Member, four new schools will be built in the Clementi area. These schools are (1) the Jin Tai Primary School at West Coast Road (12 Km) due for completion in June 1982; (2) Jin Xiu Primary School at Clementi Avenue 1, due for completion in May 1983; (3) a primary school at Pandan Expressway, due for completion in May 1983, and (4) a primary school at the junction of Upper Ayer Rajah Road and Commonwealth Avenue West, due for completion in August 1983. With the completion of these four schools, I think there will be more than enough school places for the school-going population in his constituency. Should the hon. Member encounter any difficulty in future, he is always welcome to call at my office.

Let me now come to the point raised by the hon. Member for Telok Blangah. I share his concern over the education of his constituents. He is correct in pointing out that there are two secondary schools being built in his constituency. In addition, two primary schools will also be built in Telok Blangah. Let me give more details regarding the site and class size of these schools. The two secondary schools will be sited at Depot Road and Telok Blangah Drive respectively and due for completion in December 1982. As for the two primary schools, one will be sited on the former Kampong Jagoh School and the other at Telok Blangah Road. These two primary schools are due for completion in December 1983. All these four schools are of 1980 standard, which means that for a primary school there will be 36 classrooms, including six for pre-primary classes. For a secondary school, there will be 28 classrooms. If we work on the basis of 40 pupils per class, then we will have 4,800 places for primary school pupils and 4,480 places for secondary school pupils. Of course, this works on the assumption that it is a two-session school. Statistics show that, in the Telok Blangah constituency, the school-going population for primary school is slightly more than 4,000 and for the secondary school, it is slightly more than 2,000. With the completion of these four schools, there will be more than enough places for children of his constituents.

Mr Bernard Chen: Mr Speaker, Sir, I am most impressed by the Parliamentary Secretary's answer, He has given me information even though I have not asked for it, for which I am most grateful. I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Mr Sia Khoon Seong: Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head L be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead LC-02 of the Main Estimates.

In moving this amendment, I wish to range over my other two amendments.*

Sir, recently, the Minister of State of Education announced that a committee under his chairmanship is looking into the feasibility of setting up a Physical Education College. One of the terms of reference of the Committee is to look into the minimum level of qualifications for future entrants into the College. The need for such an institution arose from the concern over the level of physical fitness of school leavers who join National Service.

While agreeing that the setting up of a Physical Education College might help to enhance the level of PE instruction in schools, I am just wondering whether a scheme like this, if confined only to the training of PE teachers in schools, might not be too extravagant an expenditure in the long run. How many PE teachers are expected to be trained annually, and what will be the ideal number that we need in schools to make the PE programmes effective in producing rugged Singaporeans? Since the number of PE teachers we require is only a proportion of the total number of teachers we require, there will come a time when the proposed PE College will have met its target. Just as the National Youth Leadership Training Institute outlived its purpose long ago, the PE College might likewise become a white elephant.

On the other hand, both the Police and Army also need good PE instructors who constantly have to upgrade their skills. The Sports Council probably need good instructors for its various sports programmes as well.

Would it not, therefore, be more feasible for the proposed PE College to be set up on a national basis, providing and coordinating the national sports and physical education training programme? In this way, the PE College will have a broader and more enduring role to play in our effort to build a rugged society. To achieve this objective, there is a need for coordination and cooperation among the Education Ministry, Mindef, Police and the Singapore Sports Council so that the efforts of one party can supplement or complement the efforts of the others. For a start, perhaps the Education Ministry could invite representatives from the Police, Mindef and the Sports Council to sit on the Committee that has just been formed to study the feasibility of setting up a PE College.

On the matter of prerequisite qualifications for applicants to the PE College, serious thought should be given to lowering the entry academic qualifications at 'A' level for those who are good sportsmen and sportswomen with the necessary aptitude and qualities to become good PE teachers. Among the qualities a good PE teacher must possess is the ability to instil in his students during games and PE lessons attributes like esprit de corps or team spirit, sportsmanship and good manners. An A grade in English, Science or Maths, at 'A' level does not necessarily make him a good PE teacher, although such a qualification is a useful asset.

It is also important for the Ministry to take steps to ensure that those trained in PE are not later assigned to posts in which their training becomes redundant, as in the case of other specialist teachers in the past. Sometime in 1979 the Director of Education lamented publicly that although there were 500 qualified PE teachers in primary schools and 325 qualified teachers in secondary schools, there was a shortage of 750 PE teachers because the qualified teachers were utilized for some other purposes. It is not uncommon to see qualified PE teachers being deployed to teach subjects other than PE because of shortage of teachers in the other areas. PE has always been treated by everyone - Ministry official, principal, teacher, parent and pupil as an extraneous and unimportant subject.

If the Education Ministry is earnest about upgrading the level of physical education in schools, it has got to do more than just setting up a PE College.

Mr Speaker, Sir, while the Education Ministry is at the moment grappling with the problem of a shortage of PE teachers, may I ask the Minister how often and to what extent his Ministry liaises with the Police and Mindef regarding the possibility of getting the latter's more "gentle" PE instructors to assist the Education Ministry in certain areas of acute shortage? For example, in some primary schools where there is a predominance of lady teachers, the Police and Mindef can help by permitting their football coaches, drill instructors, etc. to meet the need in those schools. Perhaps the Ministry should also encourage and advise principals to enlist the help of parents of children in their schools, who are good sportsmen and sportswomen, to spend some evenings in their schools helping out in the games they excel in. This is a good and effective way of getting the community and parents involved in some school activities. 6.10 p.m.

The Chairman: I am sorry. Time is up. It is guillotine time.

The sum of $901,803,600 for Head L ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $531,265,600 for Head L ordered to stand

part of the Development Estimates.

Head N -

Mr Liew Kok Pun: Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head N be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead NA-01 Object Group 1100 of the Main Estimates.

Sir, I am again happy to be the first one to speak on the Ministry of Finance budget. My advice to my colleagues is to submit their amendments early so that they would have a chance to speak.

Sir, the Skills Development Fund was established in 1980 to encourage employers to provide funds for the training of workers. A total of $88 million was collected in 1980, of which only $14 million (or 16%) had been granted to subsidize the training of 10,180 workers. The situation improved greatly in 1981. Total training grants took up nearly 30% (amounting to $72 million) of the total levy collected. The number of workers who benefited from such grants improved more than threefold to 32,103.

Sir, it is apparent that more and more employers are beginning to make use of the Fund, as can be seen from the sizable increase in the amount of grants disbursed, and also the threefold increase in the number of workers who have benefited from such grants, This increase is due to the commendable efforts made by the SDF Secretariat and also the press in disseminating information on the SDF grant schemes. However, I would like to know what percentage of the Fund is used for upgrading the skills of workers earning less than $750 a month. I believe this information is not readily available, but I suspect that the percentage is small. I am concerned about the bulk of the Fund for training being given to the upgrading of management staff and that not enough is being spent on upgrading the skills of workers. One reason for this is that there are more management courses in the market than that intended for upgrading the skills of our workers. Whilst I agree that the Fund collected should be used for upgrading the skills of all categories of employees, I am inclined to the view that there should be a proper balance and that it should not be heavily biased in favour of one category of employees.

Sir, I hope that the Skills Development Council should not be too eager to approve training grants just because of pressure from the employers who are anxious to recover their SDF contributions and also pressure from the press. I am aware that the SDF Council has set certain criteria for grant allocation. It should maintain its criteria of granting subsidy, otherwise we end up with the syndrome of providing training for training's sake.

Sir, we can expect the number of application for SDF grants to increase. I would like to suggest that we beef up the SDF Secretariat with more staff to evaluate training proposals. In fact, the Secretariat should have a larger pool of resource persons or consultants to advise employers who wish to embark on training and developing projects. This is necessary as we do not have enough qualified local trainers in Singapore, It is thus understandable that not many companies are able to put up with meaningful and effective training programmes.

I would, therefore, urge the SDF Council to consider expanding its role from a passive one at present to a more active one to promote or initiate relevant skills-upgrading training programmes. To continue with its existing role of merely evaluating training proposals submitted by companies may not speed up the process of skills acquisition of our workforce. Some companies, especially the smaller ones, may not have the manpower to undertake the task of identifying training needs. The SDF Council may want to consider taking on a more active role in upgrading our workforce.

The SDF Council should be congratulated for broadening the use of the SDF to provide grants for companies wanting to seek external expertise to help upgrade their business operations. I would like to suggest that the SDF Council should also consider setting up or financing the establishment of national training centres such as the Institute of Continuing Occupational Development which is being set up to provide for the continuing education of our workforce.

6.15 p.m.

The Minister for Finance (Mr Hon Sui Sen): Mr Speaker, Sir, Skills Development Fund grants are awarded on the basis of training needs of employers regardless of the category or income levels of the workers. Only 10% Of the training grants that have been awarded are for management and supervisory training programmes. The majority of grants are for technical training which has benefited the shopfloor personnel. In fact, most of the 90 courses which the Fund has approved are training programmes for workers who earn less than $750 per month. There is an implied criticism in the Member for Boon Teck's comments on this particular aspect. I do not think there is any necessity for this. There is sufficient money for all the training of all the workers with incomes under $750 p.m., which may be needed. If there is need for training, then I think the Skills Development Fund will be all too anxious that there will be submissions for funding such training.

Funds from the Skills Development Fund can be used for the setting up of training centres. To-date, two such centres have been set up. One is the Microcomputer Centre run by the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the other is the centre run by the Singapore Textile and Garment Manufacturers' Association for the training of skills required by their industry. The Skills Development Fund provides 70% of the cost of the centres as well as subsidizes 70% of course fees paid by participating companies.

The Skills Development Fund is a funding body. It does not itself set up training centres but provides some encouragement and financial incentives to various trade and industry organizations to do so. Company-organized training programmes are often more effective than independently developed training programmes because they are designed to meet the companies' specific needs. It is therefore preferable for companies to draw up their own training programmes. However, where areas of general need have been identified, the Skills Development Fund actively encourages the established training institutions and trade and industry organizations to organize the relevant training programmes.

The Member for Boon Teck may be pleased to know that the National Productivity Board is offering a wide spectrum of courses for human resources development. The kind of training centres that we would like to see more should be similar to the Rollei Government Training Centre, the Philips Government Training Centre and the Tata Government Training Centre. Perhaps the NTUC should also consider whether it would like to set up training centres. I can assure the Member that it will receive all the assistance necessary for this purpose.

Mr Liew Kok Pun: Sir, I thank the Minister for his kind reply and beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Dr Ow Chin Hock: Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head N be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead NA-01 of the Main Estimates.*

In moving this amendment, I wish to raise some points concerning the PPBS, which stands for Programming and Performance Budgeting System. In response to a criticism by the former MP for River Valley in 1975 and his so-called classic example of "50-cycle generators" which was mistaken for 50 bicycles, the Hon. Minister for Finance agreed to refer the matter to the Estimates Committee for recommending a more effective budgeting and financial control system. The Estimates Committee first recommended the implementation of PAR (Programme Analysis and Review) in its Report presented to Parliament on 11th August 1975. The PAR system was subsequently modified and improved on. The budgets for FY 76 and FY 77 were recast to test the new budgetary system.

The present system consists of four components: (1) programme structure, (2) budget preparation, (3) budget analysis, and (4) programme monitoring. This new system was first implemented in FY 78/9. In the Report of the Estimates Committee presented to Parliament on 31st August 1981, the Budget Division was reported to state that "most of the technical problems with PPBS and its procedures have been resolved."

There is a general shortage of manpower in the civil service. This is evident from the fact that in FY 81 there were 7,918 vacancies which represented 11.5% of the 69,016 posts provided by the approved establishment list. In the Ministry of Finance, the number of vacancies was 595, which represented 14.6% of the number of posts approved. If you were to look at the Budget Management Programme, under Subhead NB-02, the number of posts provided increased from 44 in FY 80 to 47 in FY 81. The number of posts provided under this subhead remains unchanged in this fiscal year. Similarly, under expenditure control, Subhead NB-03, the number of posts provided was 20 in FY 80, and it increased marginally to 22 in FY 81. Again, in this fiscal year, the number of posts under this subhead still remains at 22. Oh the revenue side, under Subhead NF-01, the number of senior inland revenue officers and computer service personnel remains unchanged at 26 between FY 81 and FY 82. Given all these data and facts, I am concerned about whether the shortage of manpower in the civil service in general, and the skilled financial management staff in particular, will slow down the implementation of PPBS. If it does, what steps does the Ministry of Finance propose to take to alleviate these problems?

The paper submitted by the Permanent Secretary (Finance) (Budget) to the Estimates Committee on 27th April 1981 is concerned more with the technical aspects of the implementation of this new budgetary system. I am more concerned with the benefits or values of the system in terms of cost-benefit analysis and the so-called fiscal marksmanship.

I shall deal with the second issue here. Studies by my colleagues in the National University of Singapore show that in the past, Government expenditure has been consistently over-estimated while, on the other hand, revenue has been consistently under-estimated. During 1966 to 1978, the margin of error - the difference expressed as a percentage of the estimated expenditure - varied between 5.1% and 9.1% in the recurrent expenditure. In the case of development expenditure, the margin of error varied between 15.1% and 35.5% for the same period. As for revenue, the percentage varied between 9.0% and 24.2% from 1966 to 1975. Therefore, I would like to find out from the Minister whether the new budgetary system has narrowed down the gap between budgeted expenditure and actual expenditure, and the gap between estimated revenue and actual revenue since the implementation of the new system in FY 78-79.

Next, let me turn to estate duty. In this year's budget presented by the Hon. Minister for Trade and Industry, he announced that CPF balances and a residential house or flat will be fully exempted from estate duty. These concessions are welcomed, although they benefit mainly the middle and upper income groups. The levy of estate duty on CPF balances which is a form of forced saving, and income tax on annual CPF contributions exceeding $5,000 are unfair in principle. I am glad that now the estate duty and income tax on CPF and the estate duty on one residential property have been removed. Revenue from estate duty forms a very small percentage of total revenue.

However, I am of the opinion that, after exempting CPF balances and the residential unit, some form of estate duty should still be retained on estates exceeding a certain value. In other words, wealth should not be allowed to accumulate too rapidly from generation to generation. Unfortunately, the Member for Anson is not here. I would like to claim that this is consistent with our socialist principle with regard to the distribution of wealth and income. Perhaps the Minister may like to enlighten me or to explain the rationale for the estate duty exemption.

Mr Goh Chee Wee (Boon Lay): Mr Speaker, Sir, when discussing the salary scales and terms and conditions of service of employees in the public sector, it has always been convenient for the various Ministries to pass the buck to the Ministry of Finance and to point the finger at the Minister for Finance. The statement by the Hon. Minister for Trade and Industry yesterday has raised a lot of hope among the Divisions II, III, IV and daily-rated employees. I hope the Hon. Minister for Finance would confirm today that the salaries of all the civil servants, including teachers, would indeed be revised before June and that the quantum of adjustments will be quite substantial.

Having said that, Sir, I would like to express my reservation and to comment on the consequences of the Government's recent decision to adjust the salaries of the Administrative and Professional staff. There is no doubt that the Government had time and again adjusted the wages of the Administrative and Professional staff in order to match those offered by the private sector. 6.30 p.m.

However, with each revision, the private sector is bound to make corresponding adjustments in their wage offers. The end-result is a spiralling of wages for these categories of people. The more serious social consequences are the widening of the wage disparity, the gap between the Administrative and the junior subordinate staff in the public sector and between the management staff and the general workers in the private sector. As a matter of fact, one of the main complaints of the foreign investors today is that our engineers and professionals are paid even more than their counterparts in the developed countries.

Sir, I am not denying that the standard of living of our general workers has gone up tremendously over the last 20 years. The credit should go to our hardworking population and to the efficient PAP Government, not to the roosters that crow in the morning. I am not suggesting that we should penalize the high-wage earner, neither am I advocating measures which will stifle our citizens' determination to work hard and earn more. What I am questioning is the Government's strategy to try to retain top civil servants by keeping on increasing their salaries, knowing very well that this will cause an inflationary effect on the wages of these categories of people.

My question is: is wages the only factor that results in the resignation of the senior officers in the Government departments? Would a Superscale officer, after working for 10 or 15 years in a Ministry, start looking for jobs outside just because he thinks that the private sector can offer better wages? Has the Government considered other factors, like job satisfaction, work environment and human relations? Has the Government considered other ways of motivating the staff, like providing them with better fringe benefits or giving them greater challenges and job satisfaction?

According to proven motivational technique, the higher the wages a person draws, the less effective is money as the motivating factor. If we believe that increasing remuneration is the only way to instil loyalty among these categories of highly paid staff, I wonder how can we ever succeed in inculcating loyalty, reducing job-hopping among our lower paid employees using non-monetary motivational techniques like good human relations, QC circles and others if, after all, the only effective way to make them stay is to pay. I hope the Government will examine these factors carefully before coming out with yet another round of wage increases for the senior officers when the private sector catches up again with their offers.

In the meantime, may I remind the Hon. Minister for Finance again of the urgent need to revise the salary of the junior and daily-rated employees? I hope the employers in the private sector would be equally generous in making corresponding adjustments in the salary of the general worker.

Mr Hon Sui Sen: Sir, the Programme and Performance Budgeting System which was introduced in FY 78 involves the following. First, the classification of expenditure and manpower requirements of Ministries and Departments in terms of the programmes and activities necessary to achieve their goals and objectives. Secondly, the preparation and evaluation of the proposed expenditure budgets of Ministries and Departments using objective criteria such as performance indicators and workload data. Finally, the periodic monitoring and review of programme performance. This tallies with the Member for Leng Kee's four categories, which I have reduced to three.

The problems relating to classification of expenditure and manpower according to programmes and activities have been resolved. Considerable progress has also been made in the collection and analysis of data relevant to budget analysis and performance monitoring. Workload and performance indicators have been established for the majority of Government programmes, in consultation with Ministries. These have been used in recent years in deciding on budgetary and manpower allocations and will be refined over time. The mechanism for monitoring performance would be improved with the development of computerized management information systems for Ministries. Provisions have been made in the FY 82 Budget for the development of these systems. The existing computerized financial accounting system will be upgraded and integrated with the information systems of various Ministries. The budgeting system has been implemented for more than four years now. Ministries and Departments are conversant with the requirements of the system. Regular training courses on financial management are conducted at the Civil Service Institute for the staff of Ministries and Departments. There is now a core of officers in the Civil Service who are familiar with the new budgeting system. The general shortage of manpower in Ministries and Departments has not, in my opinion, adversely affected the implementation of the budgeting system.

The Member for Leng Kee has commented that in the past the provisions in the budget for recurrent as well as development expenditure have been under-utilized. For example, for the FY 75-77 period, the actual recurrent expenditure of Ministries and Departments as a whole averaged some 93% of their total budgeted allocation. With the introduction of the PPBS in FY 78, recurrent expenditure performance has been closer to the budgeted levels. Since FY 78 the proportion of the total recurrent expenditure allocation which has been utilized by Ministries and Departments has increased to nearly 98%.

A similar improvement has been registered in development expenditure budgeting and performance. Over the FY 75-77 period, actual development expenditure averaged less than 70% of the total development budget. Since FY 78, the percentage of actual development expenditure compared with the budgeted allocation has averaged nearly 90%.

It is therefore correct to conclude that the introduction of PPBS has helped Ministries and Departments to better estimate their financial requirements. From the figures I have shown - in 1980 the percentage of actual versus budgeted development budget provision was 101%, so that supplementary provision was authorized during the year. The PPBS provides a framework for deciding on the expenditure budget allocations.

As for revenue projections, these are based on Departments' estimates which take into account past collection trends. Adjustments are made for changes in the economic activities, for example, the state of property and stock markets, amendments to tax legislation and revision in rates of fees. I am afraid that the revenue estimates are not quite as accurate now as the expenditure budget.

The Member also made some comments on estate duty. These comments I agree with totally, especially on the principles of socialism which determine that we should try not to have inherited wealth conferring preferential status to families who have profited from the total absence of estate duty. In practice, though estate duty has been a very small percentage of our total revenue, sometimes it has been tempting to consider whether abolition of estate duty altogether may not be more beneficial in the sense that a lot of capital would flow in, a lot of income would be generated from this invested capital and that the taxation on such income would probably produce a higher revenue than the estate duty which has been forgone.

I come now to the Member for Boon Lay. He has made comments on our recent revision of salaries and hopes that the revision of salaries of the lower civil servants will also be completed expeditiously. The intention is, as has been stated, that this should be completed by June of this year. But, of course, the timing would depend also upon what kind of attitude the NTUC or the AUPE takes on the proposals which will be made by the Treasury. I hope that these will not produce any obstacles and that, in fact, the June 1982 date can be kept.

He has also made some comments on the effect of this revision upon the private sector, and he expects that the private sector (and he is probably quite right) will take the revision of Government salaries to be the basis for their own further consideration if they want to attract personnel from the public sector. But if we have regard to this and fail to do anything to improve the salaries of the senior civil servants, I am afraid that we are merely confessing to failure and despair in our personnel policy. So I think that, as far as this revision is concerned, it is quite clearly necessary and Treasury has agreed not too reluctantly to this costly revision. 6.45 p.m.

On the provision for the lower civil servants, I think we would all like this to end expeditiously so that there will be satisfaction in the whole civil service.

The Member for Boon Lay asked whether, in fact, financial rewards affected some of the members of the civil service to join the private sector. This is not the only reason why there has been a brain drain from the civil service. In practice, it would be impossible to suggest that other motivational factors would offset a vast gap between what is paid in the private sector and what is paid in the civil service. In the case of the professional services, like the medical and legal services, the disparity is very wide and I think many of the officers who resigned did set up or join presumably more lucrative private practice. But I take the Member's point that there are other factors which could motivate many civil servants to stay on and this is why we still have a very efficient and dedicated civil service. I hope that the Member's words will be taken to heart by the civil service and that there will be fewer resignations in the future.

Dr Ow Chin Hock: Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Mr Bernard Chen: Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head N be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead NB-01 Object Group 3110 of the Main Estimates.

Sir, I must first apologise to the Member for Telok Blangah for breaking his monopoly to speak on computerization in this House.

Sir, when the National Computer Board was established the Finance Minister, in his Second Reading speech on the National Computer Board Bill, stated that one of the responsibilities of the Board is to guide the growth of the computer services industry in Singapore. While it is relatively simple to get the hardware and software from abroad, it is quite another matter to train the staff, whether it be systems analysts or programmers, to use this hardware and adopt the software to local requirements. The fact is that in Singapore now the computer hardware and software introduction has far outstripped the supply of needed manpower required to man them. This was aggravated by companies and institutions in both the public and private sectors who opted for more computer aids because of the need to conserve manpower costs as a result of wage increases in the last several years. It is also a consequence of our policy on economic restructuring to introduce more automation and mechanization.

As a result, in many areas now computer systems analysts and programmers are at such a premium that they demand much higher wages than the job actually required. Moreover, the turnover rate amongst computer trained staff is extremely high. This has proved to be quite upsetting to corporations which need computer personnel to develop a longer-term computerization programme for their own operations. And if their hardware is manned by inexperienced systems programmers there could be a grave danger of computer frauds being perpetrated by those who know how to run computers better than they do. As in all things, there will be a lead time in providing the necessary manpower.

What I would like to address the Minister is whether he can tell us what is the extent of the present shortage of computer manpower. How and when this shortage can be met, apart from those that have been announced recently in the press by the NCB. Is there any way in which a part of this shortage can be ameliorated by getting expertise from abroad on a temporary basis, for example, as turn-key projects where they supply the technical manpower as well as the hardware and software? Can corporations and institutions be given some incentives to employ such expertise from abroad to overcome this problem? Is it possible for the Skills Development Fund to consider granting some kind of subsidy or grant for this category of technical manpower? There can also be a further requirement for major manufacturers of computer hardware, when they import their equipment into Singapore, to also provide as a matter of contract some training to our local personnel so that they would not just be selling equipment but in fact equipping the buyers with the wherewithal to run them.

We appreciate that the NCB is doing its best in what is now becoming a very overheated situation in the computer services industry. But if we can give certain incentives for the corporations to at least minimize the impact of these shortages, it will be a welcome relief not only to those in the private sector but also to those in the public sector as well.

Mr Hon Sui Sen: Sir, the National Computer Board has estimated that at present there are about 1,200 trained computer personnel in Singapore against an estimated demand of 1,500. Measures therefore have to be taken to solve not only the present shortage of 300 but also that of subsequent years if the computer software industry is to be promoted with a view to making Singapore a computer services centre.

The National Computer Board has to-date initiated the following designs to increase the supply of trained computer personnel:

1. Intake of computer science students at the National University of Singapore has been increased by over 50% since 1980.

2. The establishment of the Institute of Systems Science in December 1981 with the first enrolment of 32 graduates to be trained as systems analysts.

3. The establishment of the Japan-Singapore Institute of Software Technology with the first intake of 50 'A' programmer trainees in February 1982.

4. The establishment of the Computer Systems Advisors Training Centre with its first intake of 20 at the end of 1981 with the support of the Skills Development Fund.

5. The establishment of the Systems Education Centre as the in-house training arm of the National Computer Board with the support of the Skills Development Fund. The Centre will open its facilities to other statutory bodies and public organizations.

In addition to the above training schemes, the National Computer Board together with the Singapore Polytechnic and the Ngee Ann Technical College are presently studying the possibilities of establishing a Centre for Computer Studies to train 'O' and 'A' level school leavers to be programmers.

The projected output of these training schemes and that from other services would total 4,646 trained computer personnel and the total number of computer personnel available in Singapore by 1990 with the present stock of 1,200 will amount to 5,846 as against the projected demand of 5,800. I quote these figures with some precision although these are estimates, but of course the projected demand was made in 1980.

The National Computer Board will review the position from time to time. The Board is planning to undertake a survey of the computer industry to obtain up-to-date statistics of the stock of computer pro- fessionals and future requirements. The Computer Board will monitor the supply and demand situation closely and will take steps to make adjustments to the enrolment of various training institutions when necessary.

The Member for Clementi has suggested that the shortage of trained computer personnel could be reduced in various ways. One way of course is, as he suggests, by employing experts from overseas on a temporary basis. The National Computer Board has recently mounted recruitment exercises overseas for senior computer personnel from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. In response to feedbacks from the computer software industry, the Board has worked out plans to provide incentives to encourage the inflow of overseas computer professionals. The incentives would cover housing accommodation, funding of computer training with Skills Development Fund support, collate local training as well as sponsorship for overseas training in the computer field, extending of development consultancy scheme and assistance in the evaluation and selection of software packages.

The Member for Clementi has also suggested that sales of computer hardware should be accompanied by training and supply of personnel. I think we can leave it to the computer hardware firms to use these methods to persuade people to buy their computers.

Mr Bernard Chen: Sir, I thank the Minister for Finance for his reply. I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. 7.00 p.m.

Mr Rohan bin Kamis: Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head N be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead NB-01 of the Main Estimates.

Sir, I am more interested in live-ware than software or hardware in this House. Last year, during the debate on the annual Budget Statement, as reported in Hansard, Vol. 40, col. 672, 16th March, 1981, I spoke and urged the Government to consider favourably two items. First was the plight of the pensioners and, secondly, medical benefits for female civil servants. I ended with the hope that the Government would review these cases and move on from slogan-shouting to practical implementation. I am glad that the Government has moved on and has done something positive. It is most heartening to note that the Government has reviewed these cases and only two days ago the Minister for Trade and Industry made a statement that our pensioners will get an increase in the form of the New Singapore allowance. Sir, that is one out of two.

Now I am still awaiting a favourable reply to my second request for equal medical benefits for the married ladies in the Civil Service in terms of medical cover for their spouses and children. I am also renewing my call to the Minister for Finance to reconsider this outstanding matter, especially in the light of recent development.

I notice that the Government is slowly but surely giving what is due to married working ladies in terms of equality in employment benefits. This was demonstrated by the recent amendment to the Income Tax Act to allow even the unearned income of married working ladies to be assessed separately for income tax purposes. This concession is well received by all married working ladies. I hope that just because one Member in this House, for reasons best known to himself, decided to claim a Division on that well-meaning and well-accepted concession, all married female civil servants would not be deprived of their medical benefits. I hope this is not so. In the light of the above, would the Hon. Minister please comment and, hopefully, give his assurance that he would be sympathetic to this cause.

Mr Hon Sui Sen: Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Telok Blangah should be satisfied, as far as the pensioners are concerned, that we have listened to what he had said and had done something about it. I would not put his contribution as 100%. I think he has helped us in making a decision. I think one out of two is not too bad.

As regards all the other concessions which he suggested we should reconsider, I am afraid that the feeling is still that perhaps it is not yet time for us to consider that married women should also be the recipients of Government benefits for their spouse and children. Of course, as he has said, we have moved somewhat in the case of the rights of married women. We have allowed them tax relief from the unearned income from investments which were derived from earned income and, maybe at some suitable date, it may be possible to consider whether medical benefits should accrue to the children. I think I would be very much against benefits being given to the spouse of a married woman. I feel that, as a man, he should at least be able to provide for himself, if not for his children. Even for the children, it should be his duty and responsibility to see that his own children are all taken care of. We do not want to encourage a situation where the spouse of the married woman becomes a house-husband and that there is a fall in the male participation rate in our working class.

Mr Rohan bin Kamis: Sir, would the Minister then consider on a case-by-case basis in the event the spouse of a married working lady in the Civil Service is an invalid? Would he then, on a case-by-case basis, extend the medical benefit to cover the spouse and the children because the husband is incapable of being gainfully employed?

Mr Hon Sui Sen: Sir, at the moment, the answer is no. That is as far as we will go at present. It may be that there are certain hardship cases. But, of course, if necessary, he may be entitled to get into Class C of the General Hospital which, I think by present standards is not too uncomfortable. If, of course, he wants better classification for the kind of treatment he can get, it would be better if he works for it. If he is an invalid or there are certain circumstances, maybe our new welfare schemes which we want to set up with money from the Central Provident Fund can take that into consideration.

Mr Rohan bin Kamis: Sir, in view of the Minister's reply, we should not look a gift horse in the mouth. I beg leave to withdraw.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Encik Othman bin Haron Eusofe (Geylang Serai): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head N be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead NB-04 Object Group 1210 of the Main Estimates.

Sir, I would like to raise the following issues. First, housing scheme for public officers. The Ministry of Finance has stopped building housing units for public officers after its Phase 2 development at Siglap was completed. Now, offers for housing units are made to public officers only when there are vacant units in the existing estates developed under the scheme. From time to time public officers were invited to apply for a small number of units, and each time the Ministry received a flood of applications. Each time the public officers submit their applications they become very anxious. I think it is like a lucky draw. In view of the keen interest shown by public officers for the Government housing scheme, will his Ministry consider developing more housing units under the scheme? This can indeed, be one of the attractive features of public service. If the Ministry does decide to develop more housing units, will all grades of public employees be eligible to apply for these units? However, if there are no proposals just yet, are there any other arrangements to provide housing for employees in the public sector?

Next, I would like to touch on the opportunities for junior civil servants to upgrade themselves. Generally most of the opportunities for post-graduate scholarships and other study awards are available only to officers holding Division I appointments. What are the opportunities available for officers in the other Divisions? For example, we have a good number of graduates in the Executive Service, some of whom may have good first degrees. I think they should be given opportunities to go for higher degrees. There are also officers in Divisions II and III who have good 'A' level qualifications and they would like to go to the university. Would the Minister consider providing study grants as well as study leave for such officers to continue with their studies?

I have touched on the appraisal scheme for the second tier NWC awards. I think this is also a serious problem in the public sector. A lot of unhappiness has been generated among civil servants who feel that they have not been fairly assessed for the payment of the second tier NWC award. They are also not happy with the way the awards have been disbursed. There is need for the appraisal system, either on a yearly basis or for the second tier award to be reviewed. I hope the Minister would comment on this.

Finally, as regards the salary revision, I think the Minister has been adequately reminded about this and the urgency for such a revision. I would just like to make one general comment. I hope the Ministry of Finance would be just as generous, if not more, when it considers the revision of salaries for the other officers, especially those in the lower grades, the daily-rated employees, the Divisons II, III and IV officers.

Mr Hon Sui Sen: Sir, the Ministry has no plans to build any new flats exclusively for civil servants in the same way as those in Neptune Court and Lagoon View. If they want flats in these areas, they must wait for the occasional empty ones returned by civil servants who leave the Civil Service. The reason is that we do not want too many of such enclaves, or some may say ghettoes, for public officers. It is not desirable for social reasons to have public officers divorced from living among people in other walks of life.

However, Government assistance to public officers in solving their housing needs could help attract and retain talent in the public service. Hence, arrangements were made with the HUDC to set aside a number of flats in regular housing HUDC estates for a special housing scheme for public officers, which was introduced last year, to help professional and administrative officers, many of whom are ineligible for Housing and Development Board flats, to own HUDC-type flats. The special housing scheme thus ensures that a limited number of HUDC flats under each phase of development is made available for allocation to public officers. The scheme also obviates the need for statutory authorities to introduce independent housing schemes of their own and compete for the limited building resources with the two public housing authorities. 7.15 p.m.

The Member for Geylang Serai has also asked about educational and training opportunities for junior officers. An officer who wishes to pursue a course of study, which is of direct value to his work and which is recognized by the Government, may be given half-pay study leave based on his completed past service. Where the course is not of direct value to the Ministry but may be of value to other Ministries, he may be granted no-pay study leave. Taking time off to attend classes or courses would cause disruption to work and be unfair to other officers, unless it is for short duration or, as in the case of language study like Mandarin classes, it helps the officer in discharging his duties.

Training awards given to in-service officers have always been geared towards the officers' jobs rather than to their individual needs. According to the Public Service Commission, training awards have been given to senior officers as well as officers at the executive level. These include officers in the closed services who are sent to attend specialized courses relevant to their work. The Public Service Commission, however, does not keep separate records for Division I and 11 officers sent for such training. Scholarships leading to the degree of Master of Business Administration are available to both Division I and II officers, including those in the Executive Service. Such scholarships are tenable at the National University of Singapore.

The Budget Division has also recently, with the concurrence of the Public Service Commission, introduced a sponsorship scheme for both Division I and 11 officers to attend a part-time diploma course run by the Singapore Institute of Management and the National Productivity Board. These courses are run in the evenings and lead to diplomas in management studies, personnel management and business administration. Successful applicants to these courses are eligible for the sponsorship which includes courses and other fees.

The Member also made some comments on the performance appraisal for the second tier NWC payments. I do not think it is the performance appraisal or the assessment forms which are at fault. Whenever staff appraisal involves a large number of supervisors and the vast variety of jobs, there will inevitably be varying standards of assessment, no matter how sound the system may appear on paper. The Ministry was aware of this problem and guidelines for filling the appraisal forms were provided to minimize inconsistencies in assessment and award. The Ministry advised Permanent Secretaries to form committees to scrutinize and moderate the assessment of supervisors in their Ministries and departments. Permanent Secretaries were allowed to modify the appraisal forms issued by this Ministry or to design their own forms to meet the specific needs of their departments. If the Member has any suggestions in this respect, I would be very happy to forward them to any Permanent Secretary. Thereafter it is up to the Permanent Secretary in each Ministry to ensure that the assessments are fair and consistent and that unhappiness amongst staff is reduced to the minimum. I do not think it can be altogether eradicated.

As to salary revision for services other than the Administrative and Professional services, these as I have explained will be going on. As to being generous, I think Government can be relied upon to be fair and just in the proposals which they are making. They want to be good employers and they want their staff to be contented and happy.

Encik Othman bin Haron Eusofe: Sir, I would like to thank the Minister for his answers, and I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment by leave, withdrawn.

The following amendment stood in the name of Encik Saidi Haji Shariff:

(6) That the sum to be allocated for Head N be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead NB-04 of the Main Estimates.

The Chairman: Amendment 6, Encik Saidi Haji Shariff is not here. Amendment (7), Mr Ng.

Mr Ng Kah Ting: Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head N be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead NF-01 Object Group 1210 of the Main Estimates.

Sir, in moving this amendment, I would like to touch on the subject of income tax in greater detail, with particular regard to the widening of the tax net. Yesterday the Hon. Minister for Trade and Industry dwelt at great length on the philosophy of having as many people as possible within the tax net, i.e. to expand the tax base. He reiterated that income tax had always been the mainstay of Singapore's tax revenue forming just over half of the total collection. Since this has been the case, Sir, I was a bit disappointed that he did not make reference to the increase in the number of taxpayers in the last financial year. Also, he did not comment on the exercise that the Inland Revenue Department is vigorously pursuing so as to bring all the evaders with(n the tax net. I would like to refer him to the Budget Statement made by his predecessor on 6th March last year as contained in the publication, Towards Higher Achievement, published by the Information Division, Ministry of Culture, Singapore. It is on page 17:

'Other professionals not paid by corporations behave like taxi-drivers and hawkers in evading income tax.'

He went on to say:

'It may be many years yet before we bring all the evaders within the tax net.'

Sir, if this is the case, the question of presumptive taxation does arise. The then Minister has made his point very clearly on the same page where he states:

'The Inland Revenue Department is studying the possibility of presumptive taxation of hawkers, restaurateurs, taxi-drivers, property brokers and other freelancing commercial intermediaries who do not keep proper accounts. Under this scheme, the department will take sample investigative surveys to determine what these groups are earning. All those in these groups will be deemed to have chargeable incomes based on the findings. The onus of proof will then be on them; it is up to them, hawkers, restaurateurs, property brokers, etc, to rebut presumed taxable income by accounts which show true income to be lower.'

Sir, may this House be informed of the progress made by the Inland Revenue Department in this respect? What pursuit has been made? I have also taken note of Table 5 of the 1980 Inland Revenue Department's Report, page 12, which states:

'The number of tax paying employees rose by 39,136 or 15.06 per centum to reach 298,990 or 27.99 per centum of our estimated labour force of 1,068,900.'

May I repeat, Sir, and stress "tax paying employees." This lot cannot avoid not paying income tax. What about the rest who come under presumptive taxation? When the then -Minister discussed this question of personal income tax rates, he elaborated, and I quote him from page 16 of the same booklet:

'I have in my budget statement last year stressed the importance of spreading the income tax net to cover as many individuals as possible. Let me reiterate the reason for this. The more citizens we have paying income tax, the greater will be the appreciation amongst Singaporeans of the basic fact of life - how to finance various programmes, like health, housing, social welfare. Our people will have a keener understanding that more expenditure on welfare programmes and subsidies must mean an increase in their income tax.'

Sir, whilst I appreciate the work of the Inland Revenue Department in having to cope with the growing numbers of tax-payers, I merely wish to pick a bone with the Hon. Minister for Finance on this question of presumptive taxation. What progress has been made?

Mr Hon Sui Sen: Sir, some Members may recall that I had in May 1979 replied to a similar question by the Member for Telok Blangah on the taxation of the self-employed. I informed the House then on the measures taken to bring more of the self-employed into the tax net. Briefly, it was estimated that roughly 56% of those self-employed persons who have taxable incomes were not paying tax. Measures were being taken beginning with hawkers, taxi-drivers and car owners. It may not be entirely prudent for me to publicly discuss all the further measures taken to bring into the tax net those who are not already in. A lot of action has been taken.

As at December, 1981, there were 573,781 taxpayers, which is an increase of 92,526 taxpayers. Not all assessments for the year 1981 have been completed. However, our income-tax records show that for the Year of Assessment 1979, there were 76,400 self-employed taxpayers and for the Year of Assessment 1981, there were 105,500. This is an increase of 29,100 self-employed taxpayers.

As far as possible, the Inland Revenue Department would prefer not to raise presumptive assessments. This is the reason why the Department continually educates the self-employed on how to keep proper accounts so that their tax liabilities can be accurately determined. However, when the self-employed persists in not maintaining proper records, the department will perforce have to estimate their income as provided for under the Income Tax Act, and this has been done for the Year of Assessment 1981. My advice to those who still do not keep proper records is that they must begin to do so if they wish to be fairly assessed. 7.30 p.m.

The Inland Revenue Department has begun presumptive assessment on individuals who do not keep accounts. The first exercise was directed at hawkers because of much adverse publicity on this group of self-employed. In 1978 the Department issued questionnaires to 30,000 hawkers registered with the HDB, the JTC and the Ministry of the Environment. Of the 30,000 questionnaires issued, it was found that approximately 3,000 were already taxpayers, 2,000 had already given up their licences, 3,000 were cases where licensees could not be traced, 2,000 cases were cases where replies were outstanding as at September 1981, and 9,000 were near the taxable threshold. The 11,000 remaining cases did not submit any accounts and declared themselves as not taxable. Forms were sent to them in 1980 advising them to keep proper records of their businesses. A random sample on 1,000 of these cases were selected for study, and I think an analysis showed that there were 275 cases returned as taxable and 392 cases were thought to be worth assessing presumptively. So the 392 cases were assessed as a pilot project. For the Year of Assessment 1981, the individuals were assessed to have an estimated annual income of $7,200. The results of this are summarized below:

26 were not assessed presumptively upon receipt of fresh information.

150 raised objections. Of these, 90 made payments, 19 did not, and 41 assessments were subsequently amended and were not taxable.

216 did not raise objections. Of these, 173 made payments, 34 did not and nine could claim reliefs exceeding the assessable income.

Total tax raised amounted to $29,804, of which $22,820 was paid.

The revenue was insignificant as the exercise had taken up a considerable amount of Inland Revenue resources. Nevertheless we are persisting in this kind of exercise. Information on the income of taxi-drivers has been forwarded to the Inland Revenue Department for action. Maybe there can be another progress report sometime later on.

Mr Ng Kah Ting: Mr Speaker, Sir, it does seem that presumptive taxation as a measure produces results to a certain extent and is therefore worth pursuing even though the administrative cost may be high because of the underlying philosophy of the statement of the Hon. Minister for Trade and Industry yesterday.

Whilst I do not quarrel with the Hon. Minister for Finance on the question that it is not prudent to discuss the measures taken so as to draw more taxpayers within the tax net, surely the Inland Revenue Department as well as the dishonest tax evaders should realize that, as the Hon. Minister for Trade and Industry says, there are two things we cannot escape in life: one is to pay taxes and the other is death. So I hope I will be able to get an assurance from the Hon. Minister for Finance that he will pursue this matter before I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.

Mr Hon Sui Sen: Sir, I very gladly give the Member the assurance that this philosophy which we initiated will be pursued, whether or not the exercise is economically justifiable.

Mr Ng Kah Ting: Sir, the question of justification is always there. Tax paid is tax paid, whether it is much or little. But I am grateful to the Hon. Minister for Finance for being patient with me, and I am happy with his reply. On that note, Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Mr Chai Chong Yii (Bukit Batok): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head N be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead NF-02 Object Group 1210 of the Main Estimates.

Sir, income tax collection for 1981 is equal to about 37% of the Government total revenue, or about $2.6 billion. This shows how important this source of revenue is to our country. Of this amount, about three-quarters were collected from limited companies. Under Singapore law, part of the 40% income tax paid by limited companies can be claimed back by shareholders if their highest tax brackets are lower than 40%. On the contrary, additional tax has to be paid. In view of the large amount of income tax collected from limited companies, one can imagine the tremendous volume of administrative work involved in the calculation, checking, collection and refund of income tax deducted at source.

Our Income Tax Department, although very efficient, is well-known to be short-handed. We should try to simplify the collection procedures, wherever possible. I venture to suggest for the consideration of the Hon. Minister that the present 40% company tax be divided into two parts. The first part may be termed "Corporation Tax", say, 20% to be paid by a limited company on its annual taxable income and no refund or tax credit will be granted on this amount. The balance could be recovered from shareholders by way of income tax on the dividends they receive. If the company declares no dividends, an undistributed profit tax of, say, 20% could be levied on excess earnings retained as reserves. In case of non-residents, a 20% dividend tax withholding could be levied to make up for the loss.

Under this system, income tax paid by residents is likely to be more. To overcome this problem, a blanket exemption of dividend from income tax could be granted to all resident taxpayers whose highest tax brackets do not exceed 20%. This will save most taxpayers the burden of declaring dividends in their returns and the Income Tax Department the work of checking. For those resident taxpayers whose highest tax brackets exceed 20%, perhaps only half of the dividend received need to be declared in their tax returns, in order not to unduly increase their income tax burden.

Sir, the proposed system is not meant to be a camouflage to increase income tax. It is put forth for consideration because it has the following advantages. It is simple and can be understood easily by the public. No complicated computations on tax credits are necessary. It discourages extravagant company expenditure. It encourages business expansion, as reasonable amounts of undistributed profits kept as reserves for the investment could be exempted from the additional undistributed profits tax.

Our existing system of collecting company tax is, in fact, an advance payment with a big portion not being claimed. Those who know the tax law well will benefit. The average small taxpayers lose out because very often they forget to declare the small amounts of dividend received. This proposal for whatever merits it may have, when fully refined and implemented, is likely to pave the way for the introduction of a simpler tax system for corporations.

Mr Hon Sui Sen: Sir, my Ministry is always ready to consider proposals for tax changes, especially when they are presented as a simplification of our present legislation. The Member for Bukit Batok will forgive me if I do not respond immediately by an acceptance of his proposal. I think matters of this kind had best be put forward and considered at some leisure. That is why I think the Minister for Trade and Industry invited representations from member bodies and then, at some time before the Budget Statement, considered whether any of the proposals could be implemented.

The reason for this is that income tax law is extremely complicated and any changes must have repercussions. Under our present taxation system the tax paid by companies is deemed to have been paid by the recipient of a dividend, and if his tax rate is less than 40% he is entitled to claim a refund. Charities and approved provident and pension funds are entitled to a full refund. 7.45 p.m.

There are people who have under double taxation agreement with Malaysia also the right to claim refunds from Malaysia. Any changes in the tax law could have some implications as far as this double taxation agreement with Malaysia is concerned. Our corporate tax law has been designed to fit into our trading and economic system. I would like time to study seriously the implications of the Member for Bukit Batok's proposal before I respond to it.

Mr Chai Chong Yii: Sir, I thank the Minister for his intention to study the proposal. This proposal is only meant to provoke some thought and further study into it. It is still a very raw piece of proposal. On that note, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Mr Ng Kah Ting: Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head N be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead NG-01 of the Main Estimates.

Sir, one of the defined objectives of the Customs and Excise programme is the prevention of "smuggling of dutiable goods, controlled drugs and other prohibited or restricted articles." Sir, may I refer to page 10 of the Annual Report, 1980, of the Customs and Excise Department under the heading "Preventive Branch - Container Division" wherein it is stated that "A total of 180 offences against various legislation under the Department's purview was detected during the year." It does not state the kind of action taken. May the House be informed as to what kind of action was taken against these 180 offences. Similarly, for the Docks Division, a total of 296 offences were detected, and in the Land Division 748 drug offences were detected. 453 persons were arrested and prosecuted for trafficking or possession of controlled drugs, and also the distilling of illicit samsu has been reduced as a result of urban renewal and housing development.

Sir, the Customs and Excise Department plays a very important role in assessing and collecting excise duties, in preventing smuggling and in providing general services related to the warehousing and manufacture of dutiable goods, etc. It was proud to collect some $715,470,940.13 in 1980. I am just wondering whether the overall staff is sufficient enough to cope with the workload, as I notice there has been a decrease in the number of staff. For FY 81 the number of staff was 1,735 but it has been reduced to 1,603 for FY 82. There is a net loss of some 132 staff. The Report dealt very comprehensively with the activities and scope of this very important Department. My question is this: Will the reduction in staff affect the efficiency and smooth operation of this Department?

Mr Hon Sui Sen: Sir, the reduction in Customs' staff was the result of reorganization and rationalization and streamlining of Customs procedures. With effect from 1st April 1981 the seven branches have been reduced to three main branches. The Lim Chu Kang Checkpoint and the Jurong Customs Station have been closed down. The Department's selective checking of passengers and cargoes at the various entry checkpoints has resulted in the deletion of 122 posts. The Department simplified its procedure in the collection of entertainment duties and this has resulted in a substantial reduction in workload and manpower.

The 180 offences under the Preventive Branch and 296 offences under the Docks Division quoted by the Member for Punggol were either under-declaration, incorrect declaration or non-declaration of duty. Most of these cases were settled out of court, with fines collected and duty recovered on the spot.

I want to assure the Member for Punggol that since the reduction in staff was mainly due to the reorganization and streamlining of procedures it should not affect the efficiency and smooth operation of the Department. On the contrary, it should achieve greater efficiency.

Mr Ng Kah Ting: Sir, may I ask the Hon. Minister what has happened to the 132 staff? Have they been redeployed?

Mr Hon Sui Sen: I assume that, like many departments, the 132 staff have been redeployed to the other Divisions of. the Customs and Excise Department.

Mr Ng Kah Ting: Sir, I am pleased with the Minister's reply, and I therefore beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The following amendment stood in the name of Encik Othman bin Haron Eusofe:-

(10) That the total sum to be allocated for Head N of the Main Estimates be reduced by $100.

Encik Othman bin Haron Eusofe: Sir, I have raised the issue in my earlier amendment. I am not moving, Sir.

The sum of $2,249,642,190 for Head N ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $2,096,245,000 for Head N ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.

Head M -

Mr Lim Boon Heng (Kebun Baru): Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head M be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead MA-01 Object Group 1100 of the Main Estimates.

Sir, in order to allow the Minister adequate time to give a reply, I will make my comments very brief. Earlier on this afternoon, the Member for Punggol raised a question concerning air pollution. Concern for a cleaner environment is most appropriate, particularly when we live in a small country. We should also be concerned with the marine environment. I am sure many of the older Members of this House would recall that many years ago they could enjoy catching prawns and fishes in the Singapore and Kallang Rivers. Over the years, because of discharge of pollutants into the marine environment, these prawns and fishes have disappeared. However, owing to the efforts of the Ministry of the Environment there have been press reports recently that our citizens can now enjoy catching prawns and fishes in the Singapore and Kallang Rivers. I must congratulate the Ministry for bringing about these achievements.

Sir, I would like to request the Minister to explain to us how this has been achieved and what steps the Ministry will continue to take to ensure that future generations of Singaporeans will enjoy uncontaminated fishes and prawns from our tidal rivers.

The Minister for the Environment (Mr Ong Pang Boon): Sir, the Ministry of the Environment launched a programme in 1977 to clean up the Singapore River and Kallang Basin catchment. The objective is to improve our living environment. The programme will restore clean water in our reservoirs and eliminate the filth and stench from our rivers and canals so that clean water will flow in our watercourses and aquatic life will return. A clean city reflects a disciplined and organized society with an efficient infrastructure. It brings indirect economic and social benefits to the country by enhancing the confidence of our investors and attracting tourists to the country.

The cleaning-up programme has already achieved significant progress, as pointed out by the Member for Kebun Baru. If Members of the House will recall, passing Rochor Canal and the Singapore River was a distinct experience a few years ago. The stench was strong and the river water was black in colour. The water was so polluted that even the most hardy fish could not survive. Now, Sir, one can catch prawns and crabs under the Benjamin Sheares Bridge and along Singapore River and Kallang River. Prawns and crabs cannot live in these rivers if the water quality is not improved. The water is visibly cleaner. There is no longer the foul stench from Rochor Canal. In the Singapore River, the stench is now less frequent. 8.00 p.m.

The Chairman: Order. Mr Ong, would you like to describe these idyllic conditions tomorrow? It is now the moment of interruption.

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

The Minister for Law (Mr E.W. Barker): Sir, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made progress on the Main and Development Estimates for the financial year 1st April, 1982 to 31st March, 1983, and ask leave to sit again tomorrow.

Mr Speaker: So be it.