FAMILY SERVICES DIVISION (Education of children under charge)

Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam asked the Acting Minister for Community Development whether the Family Services Division in his Ministry arranges for education in schools of children in its care.

The Acting Minister for Community Development (Mr Wong Kan Seng): Mr Speaker, Sir, children under the care of the Ministry can be classified into the following categories:

(a) children who need care and protection, such as victims of neglect and abuse. They are given shelter either in the Ministry's residential homes or are fostered out to the care of private individuals under the Ministry's fostering scheme.

(b) Juvenile delinquents.

It is the Ministry's practice to arrange for children in its care to attend schools and vocational institutes where appropriate. Those who are overaged or who have no interest in academic studies attend in-house vocational training courses, such as welding, carpentry, gardening and plumbing for the boys, dressmaking and needlework for girls, and assembly of electrical components. All the juvenile delinquents are premature school leavers. They attend in-house vocational training programmes in the day-time and BEST classes in the evening.

Mr Jeyaretnam: Mr Speaker, Sir, would the Acting Minister tell us whether all children in the care of the Ministry, who are of primary school age, attend schools? Are efforts being made to place them in schools?

Mr Wong Kan Seng: Mr Speaker, Sir, I thought I have just answered the question. Where appropriate and where the child is still attending school, when the child comes into the care of the Ministry, the Ministry will arrange for him to attend a school. Where they have been school drop-outs, for example, then they cannot be placed in schools and they will attend the in-house training programmes.

Dr Augustine H.H. Tan (Whampoa): Would the Acting Minister inform this House whether there have been any cases of abuse or neglect, by way of nutrition or some other way, of children who are put in foster homes?

Mr Wong Kan Seng: I believe the Member is talking about homes under the fostering scheme, not those homes managed by the Ministry. It has not come to our notice that children who are under the fostering scheme have been neglected or abused. If there are, we will certainly look into them.

Mr Jeyaretnam: Mr Speaker, Sir, will the Acting Minister investigate the case of a child of primary school age in the Katong Children's Home who has been sent there and who is very anxious, as I understand, to go to school but the Ministry has not done anything to enrol the child in a school.

Mr Wong Kan Seng: Mr Speaker, Sir, I wonder whether the Member for Anson has written to the Ministry about this case, because if he is so concerned about the case he should not wait until this House meets to raise his question on a specific case.

Mr Jeyaretnam: I could have written to the Ministry. I had this letter at the beginning of this month from someone who is interested in the child. I am asking the Minister whether he will investigate, and find out whether there is a child in Katong Children's Home who has been deprived of education.

Mr Wong Kan Seng: I wonder why the Member for Anson took such a long time to raise the case to the Ministry's attention. If the Member were to write in officially to the Ministry, giving the name of the child, we will look into that.

Mr Jeyaretnam: I am asking you now.

Dr Koh Lam Son: May I ask the Acting Minister whether incidents of child abuse in Singapore are on the rise?

Mr Wong Kan Seng: May I suggest the Member to put in a Question and I will then answer the question, because the present Question is not related to child abuse.