ESTIMATES OF EXPENDITURE FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1996 TO 31ST MARCH, 1997 (Paper Cmd. 4 of 1996)

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

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

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Head L (cont.) -

Resumption of Debate on Question [20th March, 1996],

"That the total sum to be allocated for Head L of the Main Estimates be reduced by $100." - [Dr Ong Chit Chung].

Question again proposed.

Mr Low Thia Khiang (Hougang): ( In Mandarin): Sir, since last year, the Ministry of Education has been giving "high value added" awards to schools that perform better than expectation in the "O" level examination. This award has been categorized into Express and Normal streams. To the neighbourhood schools, this is an incentive, and good for morale boosting. But the challenge faced by the schools today is how to teach the Normal (Technical) class. The Ministry of Education should pay more attention to these students and to affirm the teachers and schools in their efforts in teaching these Normal (Technical) students. In some schools, for certain reasons, they are not able to achieve any breakthrough in their academic results. They therefore are not encouraged by the rewards based on results. What is the attitude of the Ministry of Education on these schools? Are these schools left to fend for themselves and to solve their own problems? Does the Ministry of Education assist in their problems? What assistance does the Ministry currently provide to these schools?

The Minister for Education (Mr Lee Yock Suan): Sir, I propose to answer a few of the points raised under this cut. My colleagues, Dr Aline Wong and Mr Sidek Saniff, will answer the rest.

Yesterday, Mr Sinnakaruppan was commenting on the staff appraisal system in schools. The new appraisal and ranking system was implemented service-wide starting from last year. It is a rigorous system that involves not only the assessment of a teacher's performance but also his or her potential to hold higher appointments in relation to other teachers in the school. My Ministry has considered using a point system for appraisal before. However, such a system may not remove the element of subjectivity since ultimately the supervisors who are the principal, vice-principal and heads of department still have to make their judgment as to whether a particular teacher is good or bad based on his relative strengths and weaknesses in various dimensions. Moreover, there is also an element of subjectivity in deciding the relative weight to be accorded to each of these dimensions.

I would like to inform the House that my Ministry is fully aware of the problems encountered by schools during the ranking exercise. Many of these are teething problems as teachers were ranked for the first time last year. My Ministry will fine-tune the system in order to iron out these problems.

Both Mr Sinnakaruppan and Mr Lew Syn Pau asked about the schools' teaching of the thinking programme. My Ministry introduced in 1987, which is about 10 years ago, the Edward de Bono's CORT (Cognitive Research Trust) programme in secondary schools. At present, there are about 103 secondary schools which are implementing the CORT programme. My Ministry is refining and extending this programme to other secondary schools. Our aim is to help our pupils become better and more creative thinkers and learners by teaching them the core thinking skills explicitly and infusing these skills into the learning subjects in the curriculum. The revised programme is presently being piloted at Secondary 1 in five schools, as announced by Dr Aline Wong in November last year. Teachers in these schools are trained and teachers' manuals incorporating lesson plans, visual aids and pupil worksheets have been developed for the programme. The thinking programme will be phased into all secondary schools over the next four years. By the year 2000, all secondary schools will be on the programme.

My Ministry recognises the importance of encouraging critical and creative thinking among our pupils from an early age. When we piloted the CORT programme in 1986, we found that the explicit teaching of thinking in primary schools was not as beneficial as incorporating thinking into the teaching of the subjects. We have therefore consciously included some critical and creative thinking skills into the teaching of language, mathematics and science in the primary school curriculum. For example, in English, pupils are taught to make comparisons and inferences in reading and comprehension and to give creative ideas in writing. In mathematics, the emphasis is on seeing relationships in patterns and on being able to solve mathematical problems. In science, pupils are taught to analyse and to make deductions and come to conclusions based on observations and simple experiments.

Dr Ong Chit Chung asked yesterday about the progress of the National Institute of Education (NIE). My impression is that NIE is doing well. However, it is for Members and the public to judge. The BA and BSc with Diploma in Education programmes were successfully implemented. In 1995, the first batch of 83 and 30 students graduated in BA and BSc with Diploma in Education respectively.

Currently, all students pursuing teaching training courses at the NIE are bonded to serve the Ministry of Education for three or five years upon completion of their course. It is difficult for me to accept at this stage Dr Ong's proposal that NIE admit fee-paying students who are not bonded to teach in our schools. One reason is that in the coming years, the requirement for NIE to train more teachers for our schools will be increased significantly. NIE does not have spare capacity to train those who may not take up teaching as a career upon the completion of their NIE studies. However, for those who are generally interested in the field of education and do not wish to be bonded to teach in a school, NIE does offer higher degree courses, such as the Master of Education and the Master of Arts and Applied Linguistics. These courses are run on a part-time basis and are open to working adults.

I would like now to turn to the question of tertiary education. Several Members spoke on this yesterday. Mr Umar and Mr Chiam See Tong, who is not here, asked that we increase the university places in Singapore. In considering whether to provide more university places we should bear in mind that we already have two large universities which together will take in about 20% of each cohort after 'A' levels and four big polytechnics which will take in about 40% of a cohort after 'O' levels. Each polytechnic will take in about 4,000 new students a year, almost the same number as the intake into NUS or NTU. In total, we will be providing places for about 60% of each age cohort in our tertiary institutes. This is one of the highest such percentages in the world.

About 10 years ago, the British converted all their polytechnics into new universities, thereby doubling the number of universities to almost 100 to achieve their target of about 30% in tertiary institutes. Several years ago, Hong Kong followed suit. Had we done something similar, we would already have six large universities for a small country of 3 million people.

Mr Chiam mentioned the ratio of one university to about half a million population in Australia and New Zealand. But how big are these universities? And are they all of the university standard as we understand it? We are doing the right thing here by keeping our polytechnics as polytechnics. They have a vital role to play in educating and training our middle level manpower to provide the backbone of our economy. Overseas experts who visit or work with our polytechnics are impressed with their facilities and programmes which are better than those of some universities overseas. A former British Education Secretary told me he thought we did right in keeping the polytechnics as they were.

Recent British press reports indicate that many UK employers are reluctant to accept the degrees of their new universities at face value. They insist on at least a second class Honours degree from a traditional university. Having over-expanded their capacities and with grants tied to student numbers, some universities are even taking students without 'A' levels and putting them on foundation courses. Singaporeans need to be aware of what is happening in the field of higher education overseas. There is a very wide variation in the quality and value of foreign degree programmes. This is compounded by the problem of declining educational achievement and standards as some countries have embarked on so-called mass production of graduates on weaker educational foundations. Over-expansion of capacity and funding difficulties have led to aggressive marketing overseas.

In Singapore, we have rapidly expanded undergraduate places at NUS and NTU over the past decade whilst maintaining educational standards. They are taking in as many students as are able to make the grade. For some courses, such as science, there are in fact more places than qualified applicants. The two universities are also taking in more polytechnic graduates. An increasing number of able students are choosing to go into university through the polytechnic route although the vast majority still go through the junior colleges, the preferred route. The polytechnics are also serving as stepping stones to many universities in UK and Australia which provide advanced standing to polytechnic graduates in related courses. However, for the vast majority of polytechnic graduates, the three-year diploma course already provides a good foundation to start their careers and to upgrade their knowledge and skills on the job. After some working experience, they could pursue higher qualifications, if they wish, through part-time or full-time courses at our universities, polytechnics or overseas.

The Government has invested heavily in our tertiary institutes to cater to the aspirations of Singaporeans to pursue further studies. Our aim is to maximise the potential of every Singaporean according to his ability and aptitude. Through the provision of training places in the relevant areas and at various levels, we also try to match our output of educated and trained manpower with the needs of our economy.

Mindful of Singaporeans' aspirations, the Government has in recent years also allowed various professional organisations, such as the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) and the Institute of Banking and Finance to collaborate with foreign universities which offer degree programmes here on part-time or full-time basis. Total enrolment is about 10,000 students in both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, including about 3,000 in the Open University Degree Programmes at SIM. 12.45 pm

My Ministry has been reviewing the situation and may selectively allow a few more such degree programmes to be offered here. The type and form of such programmes are still under consideration. However, we should be mindful that private organisations are profit-oriented and may not have the standard of quality control that we desire.

Our booming economy is faced with a manpower supply constraint not only in numbers but also in terms of talent distribution. Not everyone can make it through a rigorous university programme. However, with affluence, many Singaporeans will aspire to pursue some kind of degree programme here or overseas. They should ask themselves whether the investment is worthwhile and the programme is of acceptable quality. Ultimately, the market will find its own level as employers become more discerning but the process is wasteful and will lead to unfulfilled expectations. To make up for our shortfall in manpower, we must continue to attract talent from abroad.

Here, I am pleased to note that Mr Chiam supports the admission of more foreign students into our universities. This is one way to attract talent and to provide a more stimulating environment in our universities. At present, foreign students make up less than 10% of the enrolment in NUS and NTU.

The admission of foreign students into our universities will not be at the expense of our own students. I wish to assure all Singaporeans that NUS and NTU will take in as many local students as are able to benefit from the programmes and pass. Foreign students have to pay higher fees. They also have to be academically better than local students to qualify. The number of places for foreign students is over and above those provided for local students. If there are more qualified applicants, both local and foreign, we are prepared to provide more university places to accommodate them.

In our manpower planning, it is important that we try and match the output of graduates in different disciplines with future demand. We also need to spread our talent to the different specialisations. Students and parents tend to over-react to short-term market perceptions, for example, more students are gravitating to business courses at the expense of engineering and science. We need to guide them in their choices. Otherwise, competition for places is based on A' level results, except for some courses like medicine, law and architecture where they require interviews and selection tests. Those who do better in the A' level results and at the interviews are more likely to get places of their choice.

I think this answer also covers the points raised by Mr Umar essentially. The main challenges that the polytechnics will be facing in future will be, firstly, to make sure that the courses remain relevant to the needs of industry. This is very important. The second major challenge for them is to ensure that our students, besides possessing basic technical knowledge and skills, are also flexible and adaptable. They must be able to continually learn and upgrade themselves so as to keep up with new demands and rapid technological changes at the workplace.

Mr Kenneth Chen was concerned that, with the improvement in the school results year by year, the better students will displace the weaker ones going to the polytechnics. I share his concern to some extent about this gradual erosion of the educational qualifications. This is partly because our students are performing much better than students in the United Kingdom. And as Members know, we are having these GCE O' and A' level examinations together with the Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate. The problem is that the educational standards have been declining in the western countries. Our students here have been very hardworking and we have stuck to the traditional methods where we assess the students regularly and set high standards for them. Our students have been improving year by year. But some of the improvements in results may have been because, as I said, the standards may have been falling over the years.

The question is whether our distribution of places in universities, in polytechnics, in the ITE, is appropriate for our needs. And if we maintain standards and make sure that we take in students who are really able to go through the course, then it should not matter despite this grade inflation. In practice, for example, the students who are going to polytechnics, the better `O' level students, are mainly going into commerce related subjects and other students who want to go into engineering and so forth are still able to find places. So I would like to assure him that all students who complete their 10 years of general education will have the opportunity to progress further and complete their education locally at the ITE, the polytechnics or the universities.

In terms of numbers, the polytechnics will be taking in, in total, about 16,000 students. Some of them will upgrade to degrees either immediately after completion of the polytechnic education or later on. And very often, it is in related areas. For example, engineering students with a diploma in engineering tend to go into a degree in engineering. So there is, in fact, no loss of relevance in that sense. We are comfortable that the output will be adequate to meet our needs.

Mr Umar has stressed the importance of upgrading the quality of our universities through research and so on, and I agree fully with him. I think the two universities that we have are doing well. They are improving in their standards year by year and also in terms of the work that they are doing in R&D. We should do our best to build up the two universities into world-class universities, at least in some areas of specialisation.

I would give Members some ideas about the amount of money we are spending on research. In the last two years, about $119 million had been committed to fund approved research projects. The main source of funding is the academic research fund, while the National Science and Technology Board, other statutory boards and industries also make contributions. In addition, an amount of $32 million was given out as research scholarships and studentships to post-graduate research students in the universities. This is to attract more people to undertake post-graduate research work and to build up Singapore's R&D manpower.

The progress of the two universities in research has been good and the research output has been laudable as evident in the increasing list of research publications. In 1994, it amounted to about 3,700, an increase of 16% over that in 1993, and many of these are published in international revered journals. So far, 40 patents have been filed or granted. In addition, since 1994, NUS and NTU have formed four and two spin-off companies from their respective research activities. All these developments have placed our universities in good stead, relative to reputable foreign universities. NUS and NTU will continue to strive for excellence in their R&D activities. They will form a basis for wealth creation in the economy through the continual transfer of technology to industry.

Next, I like to move on to this question of the neighbourhood schools which was raised by Dr Ong Chit Chung. I agree with him that we should pay utmost attention to these schools because these are the schools where most of our students are and, in fact, we are doing that. So, in that sense, there is really no need for a special unit in the Ministry to do this because the whole Ministry is actually doing it.

Neighbourhood schools are equally well provided for in terms of staff and facilities. Many neighbourhood schools have been given new and modern buildings with excellent facilities, and other neighbourhood schools have been physically upgraded. For example, under the rebuilding and extension programme still in progress for 37 secondary schools costing $566 million, 31 are neighbourhood schools. So it is fair. In fact, the majority are neighbourhood schools. We also make sure that we have a good distribution of teachers and principals to the different schools and there is no discrimination against neighbourhood schools. As I have explained before, the teachers who are good in teaching the average children may not be the same teachers who are good in teaching very bright children. So we have to try and make sure that we match the requirements.

The focus on the neighbourhood schools is to try and upgrade them and in the process uplift the education standards in all our schools. To recognise the good work put in by the neighbourhood schools, the Ministry of Eduction has given special awards to top value-added schools in the 1994 GCE `O' level examination. Of the 31 schools which received the awards, 84% were neighbourhood schools. The good leadership in these schools as well as the hard work and dedication of the teachers are recognised and publicised through these awards which will be given annually.

Next, I turn to the question raised by Dr Arthur Beng. He was speaking on behalf of parents who have to work overseas. As Members know, we have a school in Hong Kong at primary level and we are able to do that because there is a critical mass of Singaporean students there. I think the school has been doing very well and we are proud of it. The Ministry will consider having similar schools elsewhere provided there is enough number of students to form a school. Where there are not enough students, a more practical approach for parents is to put their children in International Schools. Where they want to supplement the curriculum of the International Schools with learning of mother tongue, this is an area where we can assist. As Members may have read in the newspapers, we are posting some officers to Bangkok to study how we can start such a programme in Bangkok to cater to the learning of mother tongue. Depending on the experience of that scheme, we may extend it to other areas.

Dr Arthur Beng also asked whether tax deductions could be given for children who accompany their parents on overseas postings. The Finance Minister is not here. This matter really has to be referred to him. I am not sure whether it is necessary and how it will work out. Most employers do provide child educational allowances as part of the remuneration package for employees posted overseas.

The Ministry will continue to be flexible in the application of our bilingual policy to ensure that pupils returning from abroad are not disadvantaged. Pupils who have been overseas for some time and have not been able to maintain their exposure to the mother tongue can apply to offer another foreign language instead or apply for exemption from offering a second language. The Ministry will consider each case individually.

Dr Arthur Beng yesterday raised a case of one family with two children. One is 10 years old, coming back at Primary Three. So he is exempted from doing the mother tongue for the PSLE, because it is not reasonable to expect the child to complete the primary school syllabus in just three years. However, the younger child who joins at Primary One is required to do Chinese and to take the PSLE in Chinese. I think this is reasonable because most of our Singaporean children, in fact, are doing the same thing, even though this particular child has missed out on the kindergarten part of it. If need be, additional help can be given to the child to help overcome the initial bridging problems.

Dr Lee Tsao Yuan spoke on the importance of regionalising our educational services. As noted by her, the NUS Business Administration Faculty and NTU's Nanyang Business School already run MBA and executive management programmes that take in foreign students. They are essentially self-financing and are either taught by NUS or NTU academic staff only or co-taught with foreign academics.

The MBA Programme in Chinese at NUS, for example, has over 70% of its full-time students from overseas. Other shorter executive programmes conducted by both universities have attracted participants from some 73 countries in the region and outside.

Among other areas, the two universities are developing an expertise on economic and business practices in the region. This expertise will be valuable to students in Asia as well as westerners who are interested in participating in the growth of the region. 1.00 pm

Dr Lee has suggested that business and management programmes be established abroad as well. NUS and NTU have already begun to do this. Short executive development programmes have been initiated, usually in collaboration with local institutions, in various countries around the region, including Malaysia, Thailand and the PRC. In April 1996, NUS will bring the prestigious joint Stanford University-NUS executive programmes to Hong Kong. In June 1995, NTU signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop an undergraduate accountancy degree programme at Fudan University in the PRC.

Besides business courses, we are also attracting students here to study English, computing and other subjects. Whilst we should do more to export our educational service, it is manpower-intensive and requires high level manpower. As it is, we are short of teachers for our schools and many of our university staff are recruited from overseas. To the extent that we can build up our capacity and have a room to spare, we can certainly do more to regionalise our educational services.

The last item I want to touch on is the value-added awards raised by Mr Low Thia Khiang. Since last year, the Ministry has been giving monetary awards to schools which have helped their pupils perform better than expected based on their PSLE entry scores. These are so-called high value-added schools. The top 10 schools in the Special, Express and Normal courses receive $20,000 each, while the next 10 in both categories receive $10,000 each. The Ministry likewise intends to reward the high value-added schools for the Normal (Technical) Stream. As it is desirable to use the national examination results for the purpose, my Ministry will rank the schools only after the first batch of Normal (Technical) pupils have taken their GCE `N' level examinations in 1997.

Schools are conscious of the fact that they should meet expectations in the academic output in relation to the quality of pupil intake and are channelling their efforts in this direction. Pupils' academic performance fluctuates from year to year in some schools. Patterns of performance are monitored closely by the schools and by my Ministry. More focus is placed on schools which have difficulty in making improvements. They will receive more guidance and assistance from school inspectors and subject specialists for the particular departments or for the school as a whole. I hope this will address his concern. We will certainly do our best to help those schools which have problems.

Dr Arthur Beng Kian Lam (Bedok GRC): Sir, on a point of clarification. When I brought up the case of a Primary 1 boy who came back from overseas, the understanding that I got from the Ministry of Education was that this child has got many years to catch up with. But I am sure the Minister will agree that having missed K1 and K2 in Singapore and going straight into Mandarin in the bilingual system at Primary 1, it would be a problem for the child. The parents are trying hard and the child is trying hard. I also received a reply from the Ministry of Education that the principal and teachers are helping the child. But what I am asking the Minister is, if the child is still not able to make it by the time he reaches Primary 3 or Primary 4, will he be given some consideration. There should be some flexibility in the system. The parents are definitely trying hard and they want their child to fit into the bilingual system.

Mr Lee Yock Suan: While I sympathise with this case, I am not sure how Members feel about it. This child is starting right from the beginning in our formal school system at Primary 1 and he has the full six years to master the language. Special help can be given but I am not sure whether there is a case for special consideration. In this particular case, I understand that one of the parents is an Eurasian, so maybe there is some difficulty in the family background. And for children of mixed marriages, our rules do provide some flexibility. But in this particular case, having missed out K1 and K2, I think it is not really a very big hurdle because K1 and K2 are basically more like play-schools.

The Senior Minister of State for Education (Dr Aline K. Wong): Sir, a number of Members have asked whether Edusave can be extended to junior colleges, centralised institutes (CIs), Institute of Technical Education (ITE) as well as the special schools. The Edusave Scheme currently provides for contributions to Edusave accounts of pupils between ages 6 and 16 years as well as grants to all primary and secondary schools (except independent schools), scholarships for students in all secondary schools and Edusave Merit Bursaries for primary and secondary schools. So the Edusave Scheme has a number of attached programmes.

The Edusave Merit Bursary Scheme was implemented last year to motivate pupils in primary and secondary schools who come from low and lower-middle income families to perform well academically. The value of the yearly awards is $150 for Primary 1-3, $200 for Primary 4-6 and $250 for Secondary 1-5. Last year, a total of about 47,000 primary and secondary pupils received the bursary amounting to about $9.5 million. These pupils are within the top 25% of each level and stream, with family income below $3,000 per month.

The Ministry of Education has decided to extend the Edusave Merit Bursary Scheme to junior colleges and centralised institutes to give bright students from poorer families an incentive to perform well. The eligibility criteria would be similar to that in primary and secondary schools, that is, students within the top 25% of each level in each JC and CI whose family income is less than $3,000 per month.

The scheme will also be extended to full-time students in the Institute of Technical Education who meet the same criteria. However, trainees in the Apprenticeship and Continuing Education and Training Programmes will not be eligible as most of them are working adults. So the extension of this scheme to ITE students is only for the full-time students.

The value of the bursary is $300 for the pre-university level and $400 for ITE, which are higher than the rate for secondary schools because of the higher expenses of post-secondary students.

The Edusave Merit Bursary for pre-university and ITE will be awarded at the end of 1996.

Edusave grants are currently given to primary and secondary schools to enable them to purchase resources and introduce enrichment programmes to enhance the quality of teaching and learning. Primary and secondary schools currently receive an Edusave grant of $50 and $90 per pupil respectively.

The Ministry has decided to give an Edusave grant to junior colleges and centralised institutes at the rate of $120 per pupil, and a grant to technical institutes at the rate of $100 per pupil. Independent schools, which at present do not receive the Edusave grant, will also be given the grant at the rate of $90 per pupil, similar to the Government and Government-aided secondary schools. The extension of Edusave grants to JCs, CIs, ITE and independent schools will be implemented in 1997.

We estimate that a sum of about $1.8 million will be spent on the Edusave Merit Bursary Scheme for junior colleges, centralised institutes and ITE in 1996. The disbursement of Edusave grants to junior colleges, centralised institutes, ITE and independent schools in 1997 will require about $4.8 million which will be provided in next year's budget.

There are currently 15 Government-supported special education (SPED) schools providing education to some 3,000 disabled children in Singapore. These SPED schools are run by voluntary welfare organisations. And the Ministry supervises and monitors these schools as well as provides capitation grants for 50% of their recurrent expenditures.

At present, the SPED schools are not included in the Edusave Scheme. The Government has received many appeals from Members of the House as well as the National Council of Social Service.

I am pleased to announce that the Ministry has decided to extend the Edusave Scheme to children in the special schools starting from 1996. They can use Edusave for programmes which are over and above the basic education and training programmes, such as special outings, survival skills in water, computer-assisted learning and even aesthetic activities for some children.

Eligible children in the special schools will receive an Edusave contribution of $130 in 1996. In addition, the SPED schools will also receive an Edusave grant at $50 per pupil, similar to the primary schools. The budget required is around $540,000. More details on the scheme will be made known to the SPED schools at a later date.

Mr Umar asked whether the Edusave Merit Bursary Scheme could also be extended to polytechnic students. I would like to remind Members that the scheme is designed for students between ages 6 and 16, that is, for primary and secondary students. Polytechnic students are generally regarded as studying in tertiary education institutions and when they graduate from these institutions, they can earn better income than those who do not. So for polytechnic students, we have decided not to extend the Edusave Scheme to them. But if they are in any financial difficulty, the polytechnics have established tuition fee loan schemes, bursaries and other financial assistance for them.

He also asked whether the Edusave Merit Bursary scheme could be extended to the top 30% of the student population. The question is where do we stop. I think 25% is already quite a broad band. Since the scheme only came into existence last year, we would like to monitor the effectiveness of the scheme whose purpose is to motivate more pupils from the lower income families to do well in schools. So we would like to see whether this scheme has met its objective before considering whether it should be extended further.

Dr Ong Chit Chung asked what further things we are doing for students in the special education schools. I have just announced that, with effect from this year, the children who attend SPED schools will be receiving Edusave contributions. And these schools will also receive Edusave grants. I am also pleased to tell him that, by way of helping the schools with their capital expenditures, the Ministry will from this year revise the funding formula from 80/20 to 90/10, that is, the Ministry would bear 90% of the capital expenditure. We should note that the Government has already been providing renovated school buildings to them and we also bear the cyclical repair costs. This new funding formula will further assist them in developing purpose-built schools in future.

As regards students with some learning difficulties, especially those known to be having dyslexia, Dr Ong also asked what we are doing to help them. The Ministry is working in collaboration with the Dyslexia Association of Singapore to help Primary 1 to Primary 4 pupils with dyslexia to overcome their learning disabilities. We have given the Dyslexia Association a start-up grant of up to $500,000 to set up their second Dyslexia Centre in Ping Yi Primary School. They already have one in Clementi. We have provided a start-up grant for the cost of the renovations and also to help them cover their operating deficit in the initial years. Eventually, they are expected to become self-financing. 1.15 pm

The dyslexia centre at Ping Yi School actually started operation in January this year, with about 29 Primary One to Primary Four pupils. It is expected that when the school is operating in full capacity, it can accommodate 200 pupils. The above-average as well as the average pupils who are identified by school teachers as being moderately to severely dyslexic are referred to the Dyslexia Association's centres where they will receive extra remedial tuition conducted by specialist teachers. These remedial lessons last for about an hour per session and most students attend twice a week. Each remedial group consists of a very small number of students, varying between four and six. Once these students overcome the learning disability, they need not continue with their remedial lessons.

As I said, the Dyslexia Association of Singapore has another centre in Clementi Community Centre and they are providing remedial tuition for about 32 Primary One to Primary Four pupils. The Association is charging a fee of $1,400 a year per pupil. But for needy students, the Ministry helps them by providing financial assistance.

Let me come to the subject of information technology (IT). Dr Arthur Beng, Mr Sinnakaruppan and also Dr Ong Chit Chung have spoken on it. There is no question that the revolution in IT will have revolutionary effects on the way we live, study and work, and the way we spend our leisure hours. To face this challenge and in preparation for the 21st century, my Ministry is putting in place a very comprehensive programme to introduce IT in our schools.

Very broadly speaking, IT is introduced in three ways. First, use of IT as a teaching tool; second, the teaching of IT in schools; third, provision and exposure to IT in schools. We use IT as a teaching tool or what is known as computer-based learning in our schools. All the schools are being provided with 1-2 computer laboratories. The facilities are already in place in all junior colleges and secondary schools. The provisions in the primary schools should be completed by early next year, once the necessary renovations are completed. Some of our primary schools do not have the necessary infrastructure like electricity loading, etc, for the additional number of computers. So we have to wait for the renovations to be completed for all the primary schools, so that they could be provided with computers. The target date is early next year.

Beyond the provision of hardware, the challenge is to ensure that our teachers are adequately trained and that we have enough appropriate courseware to use IT to teach the curriculum subjects.

In the primary schools, the emphasis is on using the computer as a teaching and learning tool. The idea is to integrate IT into existing curriculum subjects. With the assistance of the National Computer Board, the strategy has been to implement the IT programme on a pilot basis in six schools, while preparing for the roll-out to the remaining 191 primary schools.

The pilot programme known as Accelerating the Use of IT in Primary Schools (AITP) was launched in mid-1995. The scope of this pilot project involves all streams at the primary level and, wherever possible, all the subjects. So we are piloting the use of computer-based learning for most curriculum subjects. We are sourcing for suitable courseware which is available in the commercial market and which can be integrated into our teaching of the subject matters. Our Curriculum Development Institute is also developing its own courseware. To begin with, we are developing courseware in Mathematics.

At the secondary school level, the Ministry is piloting a special project which Members may have heard or read about in the papers. This is known as the Students' and Teachers' Workbench (STW). This is a flagship project in the National Computer Board's IT 2000 Vision of turning Singapore into an intelligent island. The pilot project which began in January 1996, as scheduled, is implemented in six secondary schools. And in each of these schools, the STW is used by 3-6 teachers to teach science in Secondary One. A total of 2,000 Secondary One students in all streams in these schools are presently using the STW system. The system is being used in the STW classrooms, in the science laboratories as well as the resource rooms.

The STW is essentially a central collection of educational resources which both the teachers and the students can access very easily, at the touch of a few buttons. It is hooked to Internet and it utilises multi-media resources. We have received some very positive feedback so far. So we may have to look into extending the STW to Secondary Two next year.

In addition to AITP and STW, the Ministry encourages the development of more multi-media CD-ROM titles for schools to choose from. And we are working very closely with the National Computer Board as well as the private industries in developing the software and to keep them updated about our school requirements.

As I mentioned, IT is not only used as a teaching tool, it is also being taught as a special area in our schools, beginning with keyboarding. Keyboarding is a very basic skill for using computers effectively and efficiently. And we have been teaching keyboarding to Primary Five pupils in some schools already. From the feedback we have obtained, it is considered to be very useful and essential. So we have plans to teach keyboarding skills for primary students at earlier levels.

In the secondary schools, IT is taught as a core subject called "Computer Applications" in the Normal (Technical) stream. These students in the Normal (Technical) stream will acquire practical skills in word processing, in desktop publishing, graphics and design. At the junior college level, interested students can offer "Computing" as an elective 'A' level subject. At present, we do not plan to introduce IT as a separate learning subject in secondary schools along the same lines as, say, English and Mathematics. Our approach is to integrate the use of IT in the learning of these subjects. I think in this way, it would be more fun and it would stimulate students' thinking skills, than to teach IT as a separate subject in the secondary schools.

Finally, on the provision and exposure of IT in schools, we are providing computer laboratories as standard resources. At the same time, we are looking into putting computers in some classrooms, science laboratories, resource rooms and other appropriate areas within the school, such as in some open spaces and in staff rooms, so that both students and teachers can have access to the computers after school hours. So through such an IT-enriched environment and curriculum in the schools, we can further develop our students' thinking skills and capacity for harnessing the usefulness of IT in the learning process and to prepare them for the later challenges of working life.

Dr Arthur Beng and Mr Sinnakaruppan asked for some specific statistics about the extent of how IT is being provided in the schools. As to how many teachers have been trained, so far, about 3,000 primary and 6,000 secondary teachers have attended various computer courses. These courses expose them to computer literacy as well as teach them how to use the computer effectively in teaching curriculum subjects.

Do we provide the latest Pentium computers? As a guiding principle, the Ministry provides up-to-date models which are capable of remaining current for the next 4-5 years. We all know computers are very expensive and they can become obsolete in 4-5 years' time. Our principle is to provide up-to-date models which are capable of at least being in use for 4-5 years.

For the AITP project, the schools are provided with multi-media Pentiums or Macintosh Performas. For the STW, schools are given a mix of 486s and Pentiums. But I think we have to evaluate whether the use of these computers is cost effective in teaching students at various levels. Even in a country like Isreal where they have pushed IT in schools on a very big scale, they are not using the latest type of computers or the most powerful type for the lower level school students. I think we have to be a bit cautious in spending money on acquiring hardware.

As to how many computers are provided to schools for administrative use, currently, five computers are provided for every primary and secondary school for administrative use. Another six will be added this year. So there will be a total of 11 computers which will be linked to a school local area network called the LAN System.

Do we have a target for computer-teacher and computer-student ratios? For the AITP roll-out plan, we are working towards one PC for every five teachers and one PC for every 15 pupils. But I think we have to feel our way. From our pilot study, we have to evaluate the effectiveness of the ratios. We cannot stick to it as a hard and fast rule.

As to what steps we are taking to increase home ownership of computers, it would be ideal if every school student in Singapore can own a home computer. In fact, Singapore already has one of the highest ownership of computers in the world, granted that some homes have more than one computer and some homes do not have any. Yes, we could look into various ways to help students have access to computers at home. But first, we can provide more access to computers at the school, if students cannot afford to have one at home. By putting more computers in resource rooms, libraries, in open areas in schools and so on, we can help students to have access to the computers, even if they do not own one at home.

I am sorry, when I looked at Dr Soin, I realised that I had missed her question regarding special schools. Let me just go back very briefly. She asked whether the Ministry can consider funding 100% of the education component of the special school's recurrent expenditure. She knows that we are funding 50% of the recurrent expenditure of special schools. Within this funding principle, there is some variation with regard to the kind of programmes that the students attend. Let me point out that the so-called two tier per capita cap is an internal arrangement within the National Council of Social Service only. It is true that during the last two years, the Ministry had been flexible in giving more per capita grant to three schools catering to the multiple handicapped. However, two years of flexibility does not establish a rule. I think she would agree with me that it is very difficult to distinguish between the education and welfare components in providing for students in SPED schools. Even for the education component, it is very difficult to distinguish between the basic education part, ie, training, like other students, for numeracy and literacy, and the rehabilitative part where the students receive speech, physio or occupational therapy. So for the moment, let us continue to work within this formula. It has served us well and we will have to watch for the cost effectiveness of the programmes at the SPED schools.

I think she should be happy with so many benefits that we have announced today for the SPED schools. 1.30 pm

Let me come to the questions on mother tongue. Mr Peh Chin Hua has spoken on the need for us to put greater emphasis on teaching the mother tongue not only orally but also in reading and writing. He also mentioned that we should allow the students greater exposure to the mother tongue through teaching some more subjects in the mother tongue.

Let me assure him that the teaching of the Chinese language provides for a balance in the language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in order to help the pupils attain proficiency. We put adequate emphasis on reading and writing, both at the primary and secondary levels. Both the skills are taught as well as examined.

In the national examinations, the oral skills take up 20% of the assessment, while reading and writing take up 80%. As for exposure to more subjects in the mother tongue, and he referred to the Chinese language, let me inform him that at both the secondary and pre-university levels, there is provision for the learning of Chinese literature. In addition, at the pre-university level, pupils may offer History in Chinese. Starting last year, a new subject called General Studies in Chinese offered at the `AO' level was made available. For other subjects like physical education, moral education, music and art, teachers may use Chinese in classes where all the pupils take Chinese as the mother tongue. The SAP schools are given the flexibility to teach moral education and some other subjects in Mandarin, if not all the time, at least whenever they feel the need to do so. They are given this flexibility.

Dr Ow asked about the progress in implementation of the recommendations of the Report of the Chinese Language Review Committee chaired by Mr Ong Teng Cheong. Specifically, he asked four points. One, the revision of the Chinese Language syllabus for primary and secondary school students. I would like to inform him that we began to implement the revised syllabuses from 1995 by levels. This year, pupils in Primary 1 to 3, and Secondary 1 to 2, both Special and Express streams, as well as Secondary 1 to 3, Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical) streams, are already studying the Chinese language based on the revised syllabuses. The revised syllabuses have a twin objective: (1) to develop the language proficiency of the students; and (2) to inculcate Asian culture and traditional values. Based on the recommendations of the Committee, we have integrated interesting ways of conveying both these two objectives by including more stories, more poems, more interesting cultural events and so forth, to develop the children's interest in Chinese.

A second question Dr Ow asked is about the promotion of supplementary reading in Chinese. One of the recommendations of the Review Committee is to set up a Chinese Supplementary Readers' Council and this was set up in 1993 to promote Chinese reading. The Council does this by reviewing and recommending books and distributing lists of supplementary readers to both the primary and secondary schools, junior colleges, and so on. Since 1994, the Council has distributed a total of nine lists of recommended readers, which include a total of 600 titles. 600 titles is quite a long list for supplementary reading. In addition, the Council itself has reviewed and launched a total of five new readers. The recommended list is given to the school libraries. They choose which to acquire and the Chinese teachers use them for enriching the students' reading programmes.

A third question asked by Dr Ow is whether we use multi-media, ie, modern IT technology, in the teaching of Chinese. Yes, we do. In fact, since last year we have been using six new Chinese language multi-media instructional packages for both primary and secondary levels. These have incorporated the recommendations of the Committee based on the revised syllabus, the new word list and so forth.

Finally, Dr Ow asked how many Chinese language teachers have received upgraded training in the teaching of Chinese. I would like to assure him that for the last three to four years we have been sending Chinese language teachers to attend customised courses in China. In 1995, we sent 30 teachers and in 1996, 40. Before that, for a couple of years, we have already started to send them to specialised courses in China. We have also engaged consultants from China to conduct short training courses locally. The number of teachers who have attended these courses is quite large. In 1995, 147; 1996, 220 (estimated). We also have NIE in-service courses on the teaching of Chinese. Every year we provide these courses to over 100 teachers.

Mr Sinnakaruppan asked about the teaching of Tamil. On the one hand, he said we should maintain high standards, yet on the other hand, he said that there has been some feedback that the standard which is being taught seems to be a little too high and that there is too much emphasis on grammar. I must admit that I know nothing about the teaching of Tamil, although of course I ask my specialist officers about it. They assure me that the quality of teaching and learning of all the mother tongues is maintained through the setting of equivalent standards in the syllabuses, in the examinations, textbooks and teacher qualifications. The Tamil teachers are required to have the same professional and academic qualifications as all the other language teachers. So the standard is assured. But whether it is pitched at too high a standard, I could ask our specialist teachers to take a look at it and see whether we are pitching it at too high a level. But since they told me that they are pitched at equivalent levels across all the mother tongues, perhaps this is a matter of equivalent standards.

Mr Sinnakaruppan also asked whether the Tamil language course could be upgraded from the diploma level to a degree level course. Yes, there is a shortage of local Tamil teachers. We have noticed that there are fewer and fewer young teachers who want to take up the teaching of Tamil. But to raise the teaching of Tamil from a diploma course to a degree course is only one way of solving the problem. We have been trying to recruit Tamil teachers from India to fill our current shortage. Last year, we recruited 31 teachers from India and all of them have assumed teaching in our schools already.

As to the nurturing of our local Tamil teachers, it is not just a matter of how many Tamil teachers at present would like to upgrade to a degree course. It is not just a question of the present pool of Tamil teachers. I am sure the aspiration to upgrade is there. But it is also a question of whether a degree course in Tamil language can be sustained over the long run. It is also a question of the entry requirements. How many of the existing Tamil teachers are able to meet the entry requirements for a degree course? The NIE maintains a very high standard that is comparable to NUS for entry to its BA, BSc cum Diploma in Education programme. So we have to look at the profile and requirements before we can commit ourselves to a firm answer. We can certainly look into it. But, as I said, it is not just a question of numbers. It is a question of sustainability. It is also a question of entry standards. Meanwhile, I would like to inform him that the Ministry has supported Tamil teachers who wish to pursue a degree in Tamil language at selected universities in India. They are given study leave, tuition loans, and so on. The number has not been great, but encouraging.

On moral education, Dr Ow asked a couple of specific questions. He asked whether the new syllabus has been completely phased in. Yes, I would like to inform him that the revised Civics and Moral Education syllabus has been fully implemented in the primary schools since 1994. For secondary schools, the new syllabus will be completely phased in this year. He asked how we assess the students since there is no examination in Civics and Moral Education. At the primary level, the teachers award grades based on their perception of the behaviour and conduct of the pupils together with inputs given by several teachers. These grades are then entered in the pupils' report cards. So even though Civics and Moral Education is not an examinable subject, grades are given to the students based on the teachers' perception of the students' conduct and behaviour after consultation with several teachers.

At the secondary level, Civics and Moral Education is assessed through both formal and non-formal modes of assessment. The formal mode is the paper and pen test and this forms about 40% of the weighting. Then there is the non-formal mode which makes up 60% of the weighting. This includes presentations, service oriented activities and projects. He also asked whether we reinforce the teaching of CME through other activities. Yes, CME has always been reinforced by students taking up community service projects, extra-curricular activities, leadership camps, etc.

He expressed some concern about the discipline of students arising from his emphasis on civics and moral education. I would like to assure him that the situation with school discipline is not a serious one. We have taken several measures this year to help address the problem, even though it has by no means reached a serious proportion. For example, we have formalised the post of a discipline master who now has the status of Head of Department. We have also formalised a school discipline committee which is chaired by the Principal. We are using computers to help us monitor the incidence of discipline problems in schools. We collaborate with parents also. For Members' information, school principals as well as teachers hold meet-the-parents sessions in schools and we invite the parents to come and discuss the children's progress. Some schools do it once every six months while others do it once every year. So we maintain constant contact with the parents. If there is any problem with regard to attendance and handing in of assignments, the teachers will call the parents and do home visits.

With regard to other types of discipline problems where the Police need to be informed and involved, we do that. As far as the more serious discipline problems are concerned, we are closely liaising with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Police and the Ministry of Community Development. If the case involves the family, we refer it to counselling and social service agencies. 1.45 pm

My final subject touches on the promotion of a gracious society. This question was raised by Mr Chew Heng Ching who raised the same subject during the debate on the estimates for the Ministry of Information and the Arts. Needless to say, all along our schools have emphasised the importance of courtesy, care and concern to pupils, so that they can develop into gracious young men and women. The school environment itself encourages the development of these traits. The pupils are taught to show respect to the teachers and elders, including visitors to the school. Civics and moral education and the pastoral care programmes are two special programmes that will help to bring up the students into gracious young men and women. And these two programmes are further reinforced through community service projects, and so on.

The Minister for Information and the Arts also broached the subject of introducing the so-called "Small Kindness Movement" through the Singapore Courtesy Council. At the moment, my Ministry is studying the merits of the proposal and see how we can fit into this. While the schools can play their part in disseminating and teaching graciousness, I like to emphasise that our community, ie, the public bodies, the trade unions, the business circles and social groups, must also play a part. They have been participating in the courtesy campaign. I think it just takes a little bit of expansion of the campaign to include the quality of graciousness in the promotion of courtesy throughout Singapore, so that it can become a nation-wide movement.

I like also to say that the family too must play a role. Parents have to be good role models and they must be prepared to not just teach, but also scold or chide their children whenever they show discourteous or ungracious behaviour. During the debate under the Ministry of Information and the Arts, I think my colleague, Mr Davinder Singh, said that since the parents are working nowadays, they do not have the time. Or if they have the time with their children, they want them to sit down to do their homework, and they have no time to discuss social issues such as graciousness with their children. And he also said that, if I quote him correctly, the responsibility lies squarely on the schools. I disagree with him. The responsibility also lies with the parents. Graciousness such as kindness, politeness, helpfulness, gentleness and civic-mindedness cannot be taught by precepts alone. They must be taught by example, and the parents must also set the example. I must say that I have seen enough instances where our working parents indulge their children so much that sometimes they do not even scold their children when they behave ungraciously in public. I think that is wrong. Parents must also play a part; everybody must play a part.

Mr Choo Wee Khiang: May I seek a clarification, please? Sir, am I right to say that the Senior Minister of State mentioned that schools have no serious disciplinary problems?

Dr Aline Wong: No, I did not mean that. What I meant was that the extent of serious disciplinary problem is not great.

Mr Choo Wee Khiang: May I bring this to the attention of the Senior Minister of State: on 17th February 1996, I mentioned it yesterday, the Straits Times reported that there was a huge jump in the juvenile crime rate since 1990. There were 2,589 youngsters being arrested, of which 87% were students, ie, 2,248 students. You can form two schools out of 2,248 students. It is unfair to say that juvenile and disciplinary problems should be tackled solely by the schools, but I think the social agencies, police, parents, the society at large are responsible for the whole thing. Since we have such a large number of youngsters committing crimes, in my view, the schools must take that into consideration. If it is a serious problem, let us sit down and see how we can solve the disciplinary problem and bring the crime rate down.

Dr Aline Wong: I take the point from Mr Choo that the schools should take all measures to solve the problem. But I was referring to the question of discipline which Dr Ow Chin Hock mentioned in relation to CME. As far as the schools with problem students are concerned, my colleague, Mr Sidek, is going to answer that.

Dr Arthur Beng Kian Lam: Sir, one point of clarification, please. I am very pleased to hear the announcement made by the Senior Minister of State about the very comprehensive way in which IT is going to be applied in schools. I am also very glad to hear that six more computers are going to be added to the existing five for administration. I would just like to ask the Senior Minister of State whether she would like to consider including one laptop or notebook computer from the additional six computers so that the principal can use it both at home and in school, ie, five plus five, plus one.

Dr Aline Wong: We can certainly look into that.

The Senior Minister of State for Education (Encik Sidek bin Saniff): Sir, first, I thank Mr Peh Chin Hua, Mr Low Thia Khiang and Mr Choo Wee Khiang for their concern regarding discipline in schools.

Let me respond to Mr Peh first. Sir, MOE has a comprehensive system to help schools to deal with problematic students. At present, teachers in school provide first-level counselling to students with problems. The guidance officers from the Pastoral Care and Career Guidance Branch of our Ministry conducts school-based training on basic counselling skills for teachers. Furthermore, MOE will be conducting in-depth training for teacher counsellors this month. In addition, schools have a disciplinary committee headed by a disciplinary master or mistress to manage students with disciplinary problems. For more problematic students, schools seek the assistance of guidance officers who promptly respond to provide advice and counselling. Where necessary, the schools and the guidance officers work with parents and refer the students to appropriate social service agencies such as the Family Service Centres, the Students' Care Service, the Child Psychiatric Clinic and, of course, the self-help groups. There is also provision for schools to employ qualified part-time counsellors to help students with problems. For problematic students beyond parental control and where close supervision is to be necessary and beneficial, the school generally recommends to place them in residential homes such as the Boys' Town, Pertapis, Marymount Centre where they are closely monitored. These pupils continue their education at mainstream levels.

Sir, with the existing measures to help students with problems, my Ministry considers that it is not necessary to set up a school only for problematic students where they would be negatively stigmatised and which may also impede their integration back to mainstream schools.

Sir, Mr Low Thia Khiang made several suggestions, for instance, reduced workload for teachers. We cannot afford to reduce the workload of teachers to enable them to devote their time to help problem students because, as he knows, we do not have adequate manpower. However, where schools cannot cope with the counselling of problem students, as I mentioned just now, they can have the services of part-time counsellors.

Sir, I agree with Mr Low Thia Khiang that if parents cannot look after their children, the schools should do their part. Just like my colleague, I would say there is so much that the schools can do, so much that the self-help groups can do, but not much more. It must be the responsibility of the parents. And I do not think there are teachers who would just let their kids sink or swim. If Mr Low were to know of that particular school, or that particular teacher especially, please let us know. Because if it is true, then that is a mistake. And I always believe mistakes must be corrected quickly because by doing so, you will manage to separate the wise from the not-so-wise, or the wise from the foolish.

Sir, as parents have a choice in the school they wish to send their children to, it is not right for the Ministry to simply distribute problem students to various schools or even various classes, because, as I mentioned just now, school counselling is in existence. As for schools giving encouragement to students who have shown improvement in behaviour, as mentioned by him, this is an on-going practice and is part and parcel of the method of teaching. For example, teachers commend students in the classrooms for improved conduct, and this boosts their confidence. Some schools offer awards to students who make the best progress in school or in their conduct. In other schools, special mention is made at school assemblies. Positive feedback is also given to parents when problem students improve their conduct and show progress in their studies. However, Sir, schools, in general, do not like to over-play in giving special rewards to problem students as good behaviour is expected of all students. Such rewards may send a wrong signal that special recognition is given to problem students while others with good behaviour are not acknowledged.

The Chairman: Encik Sidek, "guillotine" time is at 2.00 pm.

Encik Sidek bin Saniff: Sir, let me answer Mr Choo Wee Khiang. He made a specific recommendation about the setting up of constituency counselling committees. I would like to inform him that currently, schools are working closely with social service agencies in their vicinity to help counsel children with problems. There is already in place a network system of self-help groups, the police, and other voluntary welfare organisations to provide further assistance to pupils in need. The Ministry is currently looking into ways to further strengthen the existing network. Instead of setting up a counselling committee, as suggested by Mr Choo, the People's Association could complement the present network by providing courses on parental skills to help parents of problem children. At present, counselling for students and parents conferencing are being conducted by schools.

Dr Ong Chit Chung (Bukit Batok): Sir, I want to take this opportunity to thank the Ministers for their wide-ranging replies, especially the very welcomed announcement on Edusave grant and support for the special schools.

I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. 2.00 pm

The Chairman: Amendment No. (2). Mr Peh, can you take your two subjects together?

Mr Peh Chin Hua (Jalan Besar GRC): ( In Mandarin): Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head L of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code LA 1200.

According to a news report, in recent years, more and more secondary school and university students are making use of the viewing gallery, corridors and fast food centres at Changi Airport to study during the examination periods. They sit on the floor with their books, notes, stationery, food and drinks scattered around. If this state of affairs is allowed to continue, it will become a matter of concern for us. Just imagine: Changi Airport is ranked No. 1 in the world, it is a place where many tourists, people of all stations of life and from all countries of the world, would pass through. To the first-time visitors to Singapore, this is their first impression of our country. It is neither a school nor a study room.

In order to maintain a good image of the airport and to allow its smooth running, I feel that the Ministry of Education should issue a circular to all the schools and instruct the principals to forbid students from using the airport as a study place. This is because their presence there would impede the free movement of passengers and their luggage. Moreover, like Orchard Road, it is crowded with tourists and, therefore, it is not a suitable place for students to study. On the other hand, the airport management is under no obligation and should not make space available for these students to use.

In view of the above, I suggest that during school examination periods, more places should be made available for students to study, such as school classrooms, libraries, National Library and its branches, reading rooms in the community centres and Residents' Committee premises. I believe these will help to solve the problem if the students are provided with alternative places to study.

With regard to the heavy school bags of primary school students, this subject was raised by me during the 1992 Budget debate and I suggested then to the Minister for Education to consider providing lockers in schools for students to keep their textbooks and stationery which were not immediately needed in order to reduce the weight of their school bags. This suggestion was then well supported by many parents who responded enthusiastically to it. However, it has been four years since, and I do not know whether the Ministry of Education has taken any concrete measures or action on this matter.

As a matter of fact, over the past four years, the weight of a school bag of an average primary school student has not been reduced. On the contrary, it seems to be even heavier, particularly for students in the lower primary classes who have to carry, in addition to their heavy school bags, water bottles, raincoat, etc. and for those students whose parents are both working and have to attend after-school care centres they would have to pack in yet another set of clothing and bath towel, making the bag even more bulky and heavier. I often see some fragile-looking school children, skinny like I was when I was a student, staggering with a heavy bag on their back and another carrier bag in the hand. It is such a pitiful sight! I think in the long run, this may be detrimental to the physical development and bone structure of the children.

The Ministry of Education has suggested that parents help their children decide what books they have to bring to school every day as a way to reduce the weight of the school bag. Some parents have told me that the school time-tables are arranged in such a way that almost every textbook is needed in the school every day. The children are afraid that they may be scolded by the teachers if any particular book needed for the period is not brought to school. Apparently, this method is not effective in solving the problem of heavy school bags.

In fact, in the early days in Singapore, most schools provided lockers at the rear of each classroom. The conscientious teachers would normally instruct the class monitors or group leaders to collect the workbooks and textbooks that were not necessary for revision at home and keep them in the lockers and were only redistributed to the students as and when they were needed. In this way, it was safe and the books were kept clean and neat. Some principals were quoted as saying, "Well, these lockers are not practical and they are not useful." I do not understand why they said so. They are just pushing away the responsibility. Some teachers are afraid that the children may lose the keys to the lockers. I think we can install combination locks, and that will avoid the problem of these young children losing their keys.

Once again, I want the Ministry of Education to consider the possibility of providing lockers in the schools. If the Ministry is of the view that it is not possible to install these lockers in the schools which were built in the past because of space constraint, I hope that it will take positive steps to find other interim measures to resolve the matter. For example, can the Ministry request the schools to re-schedule their time-tables? Presently, during the half day in a typical Primary 1 class, more often than not, all the three main subjects of English, Second Language and Mathematics as well as the other subsidiary subjects are taught every day. If arrangement can be made to have only two of the three main subjects being taught each day, it would at least help to reduce one quarter of the weight of the school bag.

Furthermore, nowadays, most schools are fitted with water coolers. If there is a locker, the students can keep their empty water bottles in school and have them filled up at the water-coolers, thereby further reducing the weight of their school bags. The over-weight school bags of primary school students is a matter of concern to most parents and an important issue too. It certainly warrants the immediate attention of the Ministry.

Dr Ho Tat Kin (Toa Payoh GRC): Sir, many parents who have children in primary schools have complained to me about heavy school bags that their children have to carry to school each day. Parents are concerned with the stress that children are facing from the high standard demanded of the school curriculum. To them the heavy bag is an additional but avoidable stress. I believe this problem can be easily solved by a two-pronged approach. Teachers can help by giving more precise timetables with more specific instructions on what books will actually be used for a particular subject. In this way, students need not worry about bringing all the books in case the teachers want to use a particular book and if they do not have it, they will be punished. Teachers can also help by regularly checking the school bags to ensure that the pupils are not bringing unnecessary items to schools.

Sir, schools can also assist by providing lockers to students. My colleague, Mr Peh, has given us examples. Of course, schools will reply that they do not have such a budget. Schools may be unduly concerned with the maintenance and replacement costs of lockers and also additional administrative chores. Sir, one way to go round this problem is to out-source the lockers to a service provider. I understand that there are service providers who are willing to place lockers of different sizes in schools for rental directly to the students. Students then pay direct to the service provider. All the school needs to do is to provide the space. I am sure parents will be most happy to pay for the rental of lockers for their children if the schools make such arrangements.

Sir, heavy school bag is not just a syndrome of kaisu students. It is a strong indication of the increasing stress that students face today in schools. We should try at least to reduce the physical stress on the students so that the school days can be an enjoyable experience.

Mr Choo Wee Khiang: ( In Mandarin): Sir, unfortunately, I am not like Mr Peh Chin Hua who is very good in graphics, otherwise I can also show some cartoons to indicate the plight of children carrying their heavy school bags. I think this burden can be avoided. In 1994, I also raised the issue. At the time, the then Minister of State, Dr Ker Sin Tze, did not give a satisfactory answer. I think what Mr Peh had said is something that should be taken seriously. Maybe the Ministry of Education can reconsider the scheduling of lessons, and the weight of the textbooks should be reviewed. The thickness, the kind of paper used, the cover, etc can be looked into. Better still, lightweight paper can be used to replace the present type of thick paper, and it can certainly help to reduce the weight of the school bag. But I hope that the use of new materials will not cause the prices of textbooks to go up. Otherwise, this again will become another burden, a financial burden, particularly to the low income groups.

Sir, Mr Peh and other MPs have already raised the question of heavy school bags for many years. It is a very realistic problem that we cannot afford to overlook. I do not know whether the Ministry of Education can cooperate with the Ministry of Health to conduct a survey on the weight of an average school bag in Singapore and elsewhere. What kind of effect will heavy school bags have on the school children in their physical development? Children are the future masters of Singapore. If they have to carry very heavy school bags, they may become hunchback, their spinal cords may be affected and they may have all kinds of elbow problems. This will affect the physical growth of the children. As parents and Members of Parliament, we have to share our concern and responsibility on this problem. Sir, I hope that the over-weight school bags will not lead to a series of problems which may affect the physical development of our young school children.

Mr Chiam See Tong (Potong Pasir): Sir, I have two cuts, one is on smaller class size and the other is on compulsory education. Can I take them together?

The Chairman: Yes.

Mr Chiam See Tong: For many years now, I have advocated that schools should have smaller class size. At the moment, the class size in our neighbourhood schools is about 40 to 44 pupils in one class. I have advocated that the class size be reduced by one quarter to about 30 pupils. The Minister has spoken on the neighbourhood schools and I have listened to him carefully. He said that the Ministry is paying utmost attention to the neighbourhood schools and they are equally well provided for. They have also been physically upgraded and about $536 million has been spent for their improvements and 31 of these neighbourhood schools have benefited from that sum of money. Also, there is a good distribution of teachers and principals among the neighbourhood schools, in particular, teachers who are good in teaching the average pupils. In this sense, there is no discrimination against the neighbourhood schools.

But I think there is still a discrimination against the neighbourhood schools in regard to the number of pupils in each class. The better and independent schools have smaller class size. They have an average of about 30 pupils or even less. What the Minister has said in regard to the neighbourhood schools is laudable. But they are in fact peripheral in respect of educational value. What the school should aim for is quality teaching. The teaching must be effective and it can only be done if the class size is manageable. Imagine a teacher teaching English in a class size of 40 or 44 pupils as against one of only 30 pupils. If she teaches five classes, that means something like 50 additional books to mark for each essay, as against a class of only 30. The time spent in marking those extra books could be spent on giving individual attention to pupils, and thus improve the quality of her teaching. 2.15 pm

Obviously, teaching in our schools is not very effective. Because, I understand, that the failure rate in the English language is fairly high among the neighbourhood schools. It is something like 30%. Also, the fact that so many tuition centres have sprung up show that the teaching in our schools is not effective. I have even heard people saying that teachers advise their pupils to take private tuition.

There is a proliferation of private tutors in Singapore. In fact, private tuition has become an industry itself. This clearly proves that the teaching in our schools is not effective. I hope the Minister will remedy this. It can be immediately remedied if the Ministry spends enough money to increase the facilities, schools and teachers by another 25%. This is to reduce the class size to about 30 pupils.

Sir, I go on to my other topic on compulsory education. Singapore is supposed to be a developed country. This is only because it has attained more than US$16,600 per capita of GDP. But as far as education is concerned, Singapore is far from being a developed country. I think most developed countries have got compulsory education.

The last time I brought up this matter, the Minister said that only about 2,900 students were affected. I think this is a bad approach to the problem. We cannot just ignore the small percentage of children who have got no education at all, because we cater for the majority of the pupils. I think this is not a good approach to this problem.

More importantly, the fact that the Government has a policy of compulsory education does send a strong signal to all parents that education is important, even to the small minority. And Singapore being what it is, any child who is not going to school will easily be reported. News spread very fast in Singapore. So with regard to policing and enforcement, I do not think the Government has to spend much money. Enforcement should not be a problem, if the policy is made known to all Singapore citizens.

Sir, I would again urge the Government to consider having a policy of compulsory education. And for the long term, it will also help our workforce. Speakers have again and again pointed out that our workforce is very lowly educated. Many of them have only primary education and many are also illiterate. This springs directly from the fact that we have no compulsory education. And it is high time we implemented a policy of compulsory education in our schools.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin (Nominated Member): Sir, with your permission, I would like to refer to the concerns of my colleagues about heavy bags and physical development of a child. As an orthopaedic surgeon, I would like to assure them that there is no ill effect on the physical development or on the growth of the spine. In fact, it will end up making the students more robust if they carry heavy bags, and it will be good for their development.

Sir, I would now like to go on to my cut which is on school drop-outs. I raised the subject of compulsory education and school drop-outs on more than one occasion, and I know that the Minister himself is concerned about school drop-outs, although he does not advocate compulsory education.

In the 1993 Committee of Supply debate, the Minister spoke of two categories of drop-outs, the older ones and the younger ones. When referring to the young drop-outs, this is what he said:

`... as soon as the students are found to be showing signs of dropping out, they will be counselled by their form teachers, and later on by their principals who will bring in their parents, and so on. This is an area where the Ministry is studying to see what further improvements can be made.'

Recently, the case of a 13-year old, Chua Teck Huat, from Zhenghua Primary School, emerged as a heart-warming story. The boy was abandoned by his parents and dropped out at Primary One. Two years ago when he was 11 years old, MCD, acting on a tip-off, looked into the case and this resulted in the boy being admitted to Zhenghua Primary School, five years after being out of school. The boy did not even know the alphabet, but now he is in Primary Three and has become an achiever, and even received a book prize.

If not for this tip-off and the prompt action by MCD and the care and concern shown by his school, a young life could have gone astray and have been wasted. CID figures show that two-thirds of young offenders are 14-15 years old. An MCD study has found that half of the young offenders surveyed were premature school leavers. I would therefore like to urge the Minister to ask his Ministry to institute a system of keeping track of young school drop-outs after they leave school, so that we can bring them back to school in the shortest possible time. MOE could work with MCD on keeping track of these young drop-outs. I am sure that the Minister appreciates this problem, just as we appreciate his problem in dealing with the difficult issue of school drop-outs. But I am hoping that the Minister will be able to lead the way in solving this very thorny problem.

Encik Sidek bin Saniff: Sir, may I respond to Mr Peh's concern about students studying at the airport. We agree with Mr Peh's proposal that during the examination period, places such as classrooms, libraries in schools, the National Library and its branches, as well as reading rooms of community centres and RC centres, should be made available in the evenings for students to use as study areas. This would certainly alleviate the need for students to use Changi Airport as a study area.

Sir, while the Ministry of Education is in no position to forbid students from studying at the Airport, it had always urged students to avoid using the Airport for studying. The provision of more study areas, as suggested by Mr Peh, will greatly help students who are in need of conducive study areas outside their homes.

The second matter raised by Mr Peh, Dr Ho Tat Kin and Mr Choo Wee Khiang concerns us all. Let me give the answer, especially on the concern of Mr Choo Wee Khiang about the weight of school bags. My Ministry is aware of the issue of heavy bags. Last year, it instituted a pilot project to instal lockers in 10 primary schools. MOE has evaluated the impact of these lockers in reducing the weight of school bags. The lockers have helped to reduce the weight of school bags by between 23% and 38%. This is a significant reduction. The Ministry will be considering the installation of lockers for other primary schools. However, space is still a problem. Other measures may be more effective.

In analysing the weight of school bags carried by students, the Ministry noted that there is a wide range in the weight of school bags of pupils, even among the primary schools and among those attending the same level. Let me give Members an example. In Primary Three, for example, the lightest school bag was 3.8 kg and the heaviest was 11.5 kg. So the average school bag was 6 kg. In Primary Five, the lightest was 2.9 kg and the heaviest was 10.9 kg, an average of 6.7 kg. This wide range of weights, even among pupils attending the same class, indicates that many pupils are unnecessarily carrying heavy school bags. Parents can help their children to pack their school bags according to the daily time-table and the day's needs to ensure that their children do not carry heavy and unnecessary accessories. If water bottles are carried, they should bring empty bottles to fill up at the water coolers in the schools. We now have four or five water coolers in each school now with the TAF (Trim and Fit) programme. The number of water coolers in each school will be increased from the current one to 200 pupils, to one to 120 pupils. Parents can also buy for their children light-weight school bags, which weigh around 300 gm.

In addition to the above, MOE has also taken other measures to help reduce the weight of pupils' bags. CDIS consciously prints most of their primary textbooks and workbooks in either two or four parts to be used at different times of the school year. CDIS also prints worksheets which are kept by teachers and issued to pupils in units as and when they are required for use.

Lower primary teachers will also normally keep the pupils' art books, exercise books and workbooks in the school. With all these measures and the cooperation of the parents, our school children need not carry heavy school bags, even though it will mean that they will be more robust, as suggested by Dr Soin.

Mr Lee Yock Suan: Sir, Mr Chiam See Tong has again raised the problem of class size. I do not propose to enter into a long debate with him today as time is very short.

First, I would like to clarify a few points. He said that neighbourhood schools have a class size of about 40 and independent schools have a class size of 30 or less. This is actually incorrect. A lot of neighbourhood schools have smaller class sizes because of shrinking enrolment. It is the better schools that have bigger class sizes. For example, among the independent schools, RGS has a class size of 40 and it is the top school in Singapore. The other independent schools started out with 30 pupils but they are gradually creeping back to 40. Most of them are around 35 now, because it is very expensive to have a small class size. For example, if we follow his advice and cut down our class size from 40 to 30, we will need 7,000 more teachers. If we have that number of teachers, why do we have to raise the salaries so much, as announced yesterday? It is completely impractical.

The research evidence shows that there is no conclusive correlation. Many people intuitively feel that a small class size must be better, but they have not actually considered the evidence. Take the example of a teacher who teaches a class size of 40. The pupils are attentive. They follow the lessons. They are systematic. They are of similar ability. Supposing a teacher had chosen to do the same thing in a different situation and divided the class into two classes and done exactly the same thing, he would have just wasted his time, would he not? He would have taken twice as long, worked twice as hard. In the end, the results would be similar if the methods have not changed.

The problem with many places in developed countries, for example, is that students are not prepared for lessons. In the same class, we may have pupils of very wide ability. So very often, they may even need a special assistant to sit by the side of one of the students to coach him as the other teacher is explaining.

Our situation is very different from that in other countries. In our case, we recognise that in neighbourhood schools, there are some children who are disadvantaged. What we do is to draw them out early, at P1 level, and we give them remedial lessons in English, and so on. And we find that it has worked well. After maybe six months to a year, they are able to fit back into the mainstream and do not require further coaching. I think this is a better approach. 2.30 pm

Even if we do have the manpower, and hopefully with the new measures, we will be able to get more teachers, we should deploy the teachers in the most optimum manner, for example, in enrichment programmes, remedial lessons, as school administrators, and maybe to help out teachers who have a heavy marking load. I accept his point that for certain subjects like English it is very difficult. If you teach English you have to set essays and mark every essay laboriously. So maybe that is an area for us to vary the teaching load amongst teachers. But we should not just go for small class size because everybody thinks this is a great idea. It is very expensive and there is no evidence that it is really worthwhile. The studies in the west have in fact concentrated on very small class sizes, below 20. If you are talking about reducing from 40 to 30 or 35, you might as well forget about it.

He made another point that our failure rate has been high. There again, I have to correct him. Our school results have been improving year by year. For example, in terms of five O' level passes, we are achieving something like 70% or more and in terms of three O' level passes, it is something like 90%, and some schools achieve 100%. Many countries would dearly love to have our results.

The other point he raised is about compulsory education. We have to discuss this again after so much time has been spent before. We do not differ on one point, ie, education is very important. We must make sure that as many children as possible enter school and remain in school for 10 years. But as children grow older, some of them are distracted. They may not be so good in their studies. We do our best to counsel them. In fact, if you look at our drop-out rates, it is very low. For Primary schools, it is now less than half a percent. Even at the secondary school level, after 10 years of schooling, it is only something like 2,000 a year. So the figures are actually very small and when you classify them as "drop-outs", you may not be quite fair to these children. They are actually premature school leavers and they are people who actually learn later on. They may, in later life, go back for night classes and learn on-the-job. So actually they are not wasted.

Mr Chiam made the point again that our workforce is lowly educated and he attributes this to our not having compulsory education. The fact of the matter is that the average education rate is still pulled down by the older generation - the older people who never had the chance to go to school because there was insufficient capacity. So that group only had primary six education. If you look at the younger generation, they are all going through 10-year schooling, 12-year schooling, polytechnic and university. We are rapidly raising the level of our manpower.

The only point of difference between us is whether we should have compulsory education. My point is that, in our case, because we value education so much and parents are aware of the importance of education, there is no need to legislate. Even without legislation, we already achieve enrolment rates much higher than countries which have compulsory education. It is only a form. You can have compulsory education but can you achieve it? I disagree with him that it is not going to be a policing problem if you have a law. Just read the newspaper reports about children skiving off and going to the video arcades. If we have compulsory education, we must enforce it and it is going to take up a lot of time of the teachers, the Police Force and so forth. What we have been trying to do is to identify, for example, every year amongst the Primary One school registration, how many parents may have failed to register their children for one reason or another. We counsel them. If need be, we will assist them. That is a better approach to the problem.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin has asked whether we can monitor the children who have dropped out from school. It is a practical problem. The schools are doing the best they can. But at some point, I think the school's role must end and society and the family must take over. These children are grown up, they have gone to do their jobs, they are doing other things. It is not a feasible idea for the schools to be pursuing them all the way. If we do know, for example, of children who want to come back to school, we are more than happy to welcome them back and help them to adjust, as in the case she quoted.

So our efforts are directed towards trying to keep every child in school for at least 10 years. Hopefully, with the new Normal (Technical) stream, we will be able to come somewhere close because the new method that we are using in this stream, with their more practice-oriented teaching and the use of computers, seems to have caught the interest and attention of the pupils. So these are the ways we have to address the root causes of the problem, and not hark back to legislation or try to chase after the children.

Mr Peh Chin Hua: Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Mr R. Sinnakaruppan (Kampong Glam GRC): Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head L of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code LC 1500.

Sir, extra-curricular activities in our schools are an integral part of our education system because they inculcate in our pupils the right values, desirable social attitudes and provide for healthy recreation.

Sir, I wish to raise several points about the present ECA points system in schools.

Many educationists and administrators have pointed out that the present system favours those doing non-sports ECA and as a result more students try to find easier routes to scoring more points. This imbalance would make the ECA points system unfair, especially to sportsmen and will discourage our young to take up sports in schools. In a Straits Times' article dated 21st January 1996, even the Ministry's Deputy Director of the ECA Centre, Mr Ong Lye Huat, has acknowledged that sportsmen were disadvantaged under the present scheme although he said that the Bonus Points Scheme, which was introduced last year, would help to some extent.

Sir, I was a very active sportsman myself in school. Therefore, I know that students involved in sports teams have to train very hard, at least three times a week for most parts of the year, to prepare for competitions. It is certainly a great pride for a student or even his entire school, when he represents the combined schools' team or even the national team.

While it is important to recognise uniformed groups as they may help male students to prepare for national service, we must recognise that sports does more to prepare them for national service through the development of physical fitness and mental attitudes. Also, in the process of giving more weightage to uniformed groups for the reasons of national service, the girls become free-riders. I therefore urge the Minister to review the ECA points system.

The Chairman: Mr Sinnakaruppan, we are running short of time.

Mr Sinnakaruppan: The second point that I would like to make is that the ranking of ECA should be included in the ranking of schools because a school's overall image should include ECA in addition to academic performance.

The third point I want to make is that ECA be used as a criterion for admission to universities, as it is being done for JCs and the polytechnics.

Encik Sidek bin Saniff: Sir, the Ministry of Education has all along considered ECA as an important component in our education system. At present, ECA performance as reflected in ECA grades in secondary schools can be used to gain admission to three-year pre-university courses at pre-university centres and centralised institutes. To give ECA an added push, the Ministry has decided to allow the use of ECA points for entry into junior colleges. This will come in the form of bonus points for ECA which give pupils with ECA achievements an advantage in gaining admission to a junior college of their choice. This scheme will come into effect with the JC intake in 1998. Similarly, the four polytechnics will accept the same bonus points for ECA starting with the intake of students in 1998.

In the case of universities, Sir, it is important that they maintain academic standards and ensure that the students are able to cope with their chosen course of study. Therefore, they do not give bonus points for ECA. However, for two applicants of equal academic merit, the ECA record may make a difference.

The ECA grading system has been in place for many years. Over the years, several revisions have been made to streamline the scheme so as to make it fairer to different groups of ECA as well as different ranges of sports achievements.

In the last revision done in 1994, greater recognition had been given to pupils taking part in sports. It also took into account the different levels of participation. For example, a pupil who takes up a sport for four years would previously earn 3 points. Now he will get four points. Points are also given now for house or class representation which was not previously given.

Pupils who are selected for higher level representation, like State or combined schools, are now given greater weightage for their achievements. Winning medals at international and regional competition, such as SEA games, are awarded additional bonus points. Fine-tuning of the ECA grading system is a continuous process which will be carried out by the Ministry from time to time to ensure its effectiveness.

Mr Sinnakaruppan: He has not answered my query whether ECA could be included in the ranking of schools.

Encik Sidek bin Saniff: We will consider that.

Mr Sinnakaruppan: I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Dr Ong Chit Chung: Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head L of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code LD 1500.

Sir, every year, parents try to give their children a headstart by enroling them in established and popular schools like Nanyang Primary School. Not all, of course, could be admitted to such good schools, as demand would exceed the number of available places.

I am glad, therefore, that this year the Ministry of Education is giving the children a second chance to get into good schools like Nanyang Primary School, with a supplementary intake into such schools at Primary Four. This is indeed a good move. May I ask the Minister how many such places have been taken up at the selected popular schools, and whether the scheme will be extended to other popular schools.

Encik Harun bin A. Ghani (Hong Kah GRC): ( In Malay): Every year, during the registration for Primary One, many parents would come to meet their Members of Parliament to seek help so that their children can get places of their choice. This is so because parents nowadays take great interest in the education of their children. Being Singapore citizens, who are loyal to the country and especially those who voted and supported the Government, they want their interests to be given priority, especially with regard to their children's education. But at times the interests of Singapore citizens are being put to task when it concerns school registration for their children. As places in a school are limited, all those who have registered for a particular school will have to be balloted, regardless of whether they are Singapore citizens or permanent residents. In the process, some Singapore citizens are not lucky. Instead, permanent residents get the places. In other words, permanent residents are more favoured than Singaporeans, when we are not certain of their loyalty. Therefore, I hope the Ministry of Education will find a solution to this problem so that there would not be any feeling of dismay in the minds of Singapore citizens. 2.45 pm

Mr Lew Syn Pau (Tanglin): Sir, we all want the best for our children. We all want them to start off correctly in life by going to the right school. Therefore, the Primary One school criteria have always been very sensitive. Generally speaking, the Primary One criteria have been fine-tuned over the years and for the better.

The only point I would like the Minister to review is the new requirement introduced last year that the parent could only register his or her child in the same primary school that he or she came from and not in another one of the same group. I am going to use Anglo Chinese School (ACS) as an example.

In the past, an ACS old boy could register his son in either ACS Primary School (ACPS) or ACS Junior School (ACJS). The new ruling has created a problem of mis-match between applications and vacancies, between ACPS and ACJS. This is because ACPS used to have 10 primary classes in each cohort many years ago. But today they have only five. Whereas ACJS, the junior school, used to have five classes, but today they have 10. Today, we see a large cohort of ACPS old boys from 10 classes fighting for places in only five classes in ACS Primary School, whereas ACJS has many vacancies to spare. I think the Ministry should allow parents and schools some flexibility in this instance to register their children in either primary or junior school and in this way, redistribute the demand to match the vacancies better. Incidentally, this is already allowed under Phase 2B. A member of the Methodist Church, for example, can register his or her son in either school.

Secondly, there is only one Old Boys' Association (OBA) irrespective of which school the students graduated from. Many activities such as fund-raising and so on are conducted at the OBA level. I feel that we should not have policies that divide and weaken the OBA, but we should have policies that strengthen them.

Mr Lee Yock Suan: Sir, I thank Dr Ong for supporting the supplementary intake at Primary Four level, which we started this year. The scheme has been well received and I am able to give him some data on the response.

Based on the selection test for the Gifted Education Programme (GEP), 750 pupils, not in the GEP, were invited to apply for admission to the two popular schools of Nanyang and Rosyth. Of these pupils, 176 applied. Eventually, 76 were taken into Nanyang Primary and 65 into Rosyth. The Ministry is looking into other good schools to see whether there is room for them to expand. And if there is, we will do so and provide for more enrolment at Primary One as well as the supplementary intake at Primary Four.

Next, the question on registration for Primary One. Encik Harun Ghani asked whether we should give priority to Singapore citizens over permanent residents in registration of primary schools. Permanent residents contribute to Singapore's economic well-being. We want to attract prospective permanent residents with relevant skills and professional expertise not only to work in Singapore but also to become Singapore citizens. For these reasons, Singapore citizens and permanent residents are grouped together in the same category in the Primary One registration Priority Scheme.

In the 1995 Primary One registration exercise, only 1,166 children of Singapore permanent residents were registered in Phases 2A, 2B and 2C where balloting was conducted. This represents only 4.2% of the total number of children of Singapore citizens and permanent residents registered in these phases.

For the reasons I have just given, I am therefore not in favour of changing the scheme at present.

I come now to the point made by Mr Lew Syn Pau. As an old boy of ACS, I understand his concern for parents of ACS. But we have to bear in mind that if we do allow these children, say, from ACJS and ACPS to cross-register in the other schools, there is a possibility that at Phase 2A the capacity could be reached and then there will be no places left for the children in the neighbourhood. The purpose of our introducing the 50% cap at Phase 2B is to enable children living in the neighbourhood, firstly, within one kilometre, then within two kilometres, and so on, to also have a chance to gain admission into popular schools. If we were to adopt his suggestion, we may be forced into a situation where we have to even cap Phase 2A which may not be desirable. And that is the reason why we have to be rather specific in giving priority to children only in the particular school where their parents went to.

Generally, these changes have been well received and many parents are happy with the scheme. I am therefore reluctant to make any changes and extend the Phase 2A to children of affiliate schools. Once we do that, there will be many schools which can claim affiliation.

Dr Ong Chit Chung: Sir, I thank the Minister for the reply and beg leave to withdraw the amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The Chairman: Amendment No. (5), Mr Choo.

Mr Choo Wee Khiang: Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head L of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code LI 3200.

Sir, in the 1994 Budget debate, I spoke on a special admission scheme for outstanding athletes and coaches. This year, I would like to mention the same. My points remain the same and I suppose the Minister will give the same answer. However, I would like to reiterate that since we have a scheme worked out with the Singapore Sports Council, known as the Joint Polytechnic-SSC Admission Scheme for Sports Persons, I cannot see why we cannot have one Joint University-SSC Admission Scheme for Outstanding Sports Persons. Here, I mean outstanding sports person like Josceline Yeo. I think we really need to reward this group of people with such a benefit. They are training very hard day in and day out and they may miss out a lot of school work, and as a result they may not be able to attain the same high entrance requirements as other students.

My point is that if they were able to meet the minimum entry requirements, please admit these outstanding sports people, like Josceline Yeo. If the Minister is prepared to accede to my request, it will go a long way to encourage Singaporeans to do well for the country, to make sure that we are a country of sports excellence and in return they can pursue their further studies.

Encik Sidek bin Saniff: Sir, students who meet the minimum entry criteria for JCs will be admitted, as the presence of sports persons will enrich the life of JCs and help motivate other students to be interested in sports. JCs do make special provisions to admit students talented in sports if they meet the minimum entry requirements.

Sir, university admission will continue to be guided by the ability of the candidate to cope with tertiary studies and to follow the courses in order to benefit fully from their academic experience. We must ensure that those admitted to NUS or NTU will be able to achieve success in their studies. The university will consider on a case-by-case basis outstanding national sportsmen or sports persons who have marginally missed the cut-off point for the courses they apply for. It is not sufficient that they meet the minimum entry requirements.

The Chairman: Order. It is "guillotine" time.

Mr Choo Wee Khiang: Sir, there is a slight improvement in the answer on the part of the Senior Minister of State. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $3,034,515,800 for Head L ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $960,832,100 for Head L ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.

Head I -

The Chairman: Head I - Ministry of Communications. Amendment No. (1), Dr Michael Lim.

Dr Michael Lim Chun Leng (Cheng San GRC): Sir, I beg to move,

That the total sum to be allocated for Head I of the Main Estimates be reduced by $100.

Sir, the recent White Paper on a World Class Transport System was debated in Parliament and it leaves no doubt as to the great length in which the Government will take to ensure that Singaporeans can look forward to an excellent Land Transport System. To achieve this aim, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) was set up. Although the plans covered by the White Paper were very comprehensive, there are some areas in which LTA should and can improve on.

The LTA should not only plan for major roads and expressways but also look into the overall planning and development of roads, including those in the housing estates. Currently, for estates that have been developed, there are often traffic jams within the estate itself because of the limited access roads to the main arterial road. The problem can be alleviated if LTA was given authority to plan new access roads, and to hasten and speed up the construction of access roads. This should be done even though the adjacent areas may not have been fully developed. The LTA must be able to plan from the drawing board to the completion of all roads and not just assume responsibility from authorities like HDB or URA when roads are completed.

Most of the developments in the Land Transport System are concentrated on infrastructure, hardware and equipment. However, for the Land Transport System to be successful, one must not forget the human factor, ie, the people. The recent spate of bus accidents is a good illustration. Efficiency must not be imposed at the expense of road safety. Just as we look into buying better buses and building better roads, we must also ensure that our public transport providers are better trained, and have good working conditions. They should not be unduly stressed by the quest for efficiency. In trying to achieve efficiency by having bus drivers meet predicted arrival times, bus drivers may be under stress as the drivers hasten to drive faster to meet the time schedules. Hence it is important that the needs and limitations of public service providers be taken into account in the provision of good public transport system. What are the measures that are taken by the Ministry to ensure that as we strive for better efficiency, road safety and welfare of public transport providers are not compromised?

The North-East MRT line was good news to all those living in the North-East corridor. However, the success of the North-East line will also depend on good integration with the public transport system of buses. Efficiency of the pubic transport system can be improved by working closely with the grassroots organisations. The Ministry may want to consider getting feedback from the grassroots organisations in planning for the integration of bus services and MRT stations. The planners may do the best they can but they will never know as well as those using these services daily. In restructuring the bus services, bus companies may also want to consider an intermediate service between a trunk service and a feeder service that will serve the routes in the estate. This type of service will have the effect of reducing the number of feeder services within an estate and hence reduces the manpower requirement of bus companies and residents will also benefit as they do not have to change buses or use trunk routes to get round the estate.

Improving trafficability in expressways must not be at the expense of congestion on other roads. For example, the proposed implementation of Road Pricing System in future in the CTE and PIE has significant implications. If there are no adequate alternative routes, it may just be transferring the jams to other roads. Even by having special traffic lights and special bus lanes, buses still need to change lanes. Hence, if roads are congested, public transport system will also be affected. Even if there are special express buses plying the expressways, this will not solve the problem of travelling time as it will cater to only certain areas within the estate. The large majority may not benefit from it. Hence better trafficability at the expressways should not be at the expense of the travelling time of the majority of bus commuters.

At the end of the day, what counts to the commuters is not just comfort but, more importantly, reduced travelling time. The biggest task that will face LTA is to achieve the twin aims of reducing travelling time and yet maintain an affordable public transport system. I will appreciate the Minister's views on these issues.

The Chairman: Order. I propose to take the tea break now.

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

Mr Speaker: Order. I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair again at 3.30 pm.

Sitting accordingly suspended at 3.02 pm until 3.30 pm. Sitting resumed at 3.30 pm