Reliance on Malay/Muslim Community Institutions for Social Mobility of Younger Malays from Lower Socio-economic Backgrounds

Mr Fadli Fawzi asked the Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (a) to what extent does the Government rely primarily on Malay/Muslim community institutions to develop social capital and social networks to facilitate greater social mobility for younger Malays from lower socio-economic backgrounds; and (b) whether the Government will commission a study about the effectiveness of relying primarily on Malay/Muslim community institutions for this purpose.

The Government does not rely only on Malay/Muslim community institutions to facilitate greater social mobility for younger Malays from lower socio-economic backgrounds. National programmes form the foundation of our support, with community and corporate partners playing an important complementary role.

The Government has put in place initiatives to support children and youth from lower-income families. For example, under ComLink+, the Government recruits volunteer befrienders from different walks of life who may mentor the youth. ComLink+ family coaches also link children to programmes run by community partners where they interact with staff and volunteers from diverse backgrounds. These interactions help ComLink+ families build social capital.

The Ministry of Education provides financial assistance for students who need help to cope with education-related costs. The Government has also enhanced the Tertiary Tuition Fee Subsidy scheme by revising the income eligibility criteria to help more Malay students, particularly those from lower-income households, pursue tertiary education.

To prepare our youths for the transition to work, the National Youth Council is also working with the respective self-help groups to help youths develop skills and networks, including through job tasters, mentoring and youth leadership programmes. The National Trades Union Congress' Employment and Employability Institute also collaborates with M3+ partners, such as community leaders and unions, to route Malay/Muslim jobseekers to its career coaching and job matching services.

The Government will continue to work with our partners to strengthen the social capital of our youths, including our Malay/Muslim youths, to enable them to tap these social networks to maximise their chances of success.