Education — Topics

7 May 2024

Encouraging Food Operators to Offer Healthier Meal Options and Refrain from Marketing Unhealthy Meal Sets to Students

Ms See Jinli Jean raised concerns about rising obesity among young people and asked how the Ministry of Education can work with nearby food operators to provide healthier meal options and stop marketing unhealthy meal sets to students.
The Health Promotion Board (HPB) runs the Healthier Dining Programme to partner food establishments in increasing healthier options for all consumers, not just students.
In schools, food and beverages sold in canteens, cafes, and vending machines must comply with HPB's Healthy Meals in Schools Programme guidelines.
As part of the school curriculum, students are taught the importance of healthy eating and how to make healthier food choices.

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7 May 2024

Additional Measures to Ensure Students Stay Safe While Engaging in Outdoor Activities in Hot Weather Conditions

Sitoh Yih Pin asked if the Ministry of Education plans extra measures beyond current guidelines to protect students during outdoor activities in hot weather, given recent extreme temperatures and UV levels.
Chan Chun Sing stated that the Ministry and schools already have safety measures aligned with government advisories for hot conditions during lessons and activities.
In a heatwave, schools will monitor local Heat Stress Levels and adjust outdoor activities by reducing intensity, rescheduling to cooler times, adding rest and water breaks, or suspending activities if needed.

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7 May 2024

Mitigating Disruptions and Ensuring Equity for Senior Education Personnel in School Rotations

The Ministry of Education will introduce structured rotations for senior Key Personnel who have served over eight years in the same school starting from 2027 to help them gain new experiences and contribute to other schools.
To minimize disruptions, schools can defer rotations for a small number of senior Key Personnel and MOE will facilitate internal posting applications to schools with vacancies.
MOE and school leaders will assist senior Key Personnel in identifying suitable postings to ensure fair and equal opportunities across schools with different student profiles and resources.

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7 May 2024

Submission of Skills Transfer Roadmaps by Companies That Receive More Than $5 million in Government Grants

Gerald Giam asked whether companies receiving over $5 million in grants must submit skills transfer roadmaps with specific local upskilling targets, if future grant tranches depend on meeting skills milestones, and what terms ensure such transfers.
Gan Kim Yong responded that grants support business upgrades and growth, with local employment and training considered case-by-case, and pointed to a prior parliamentary reply on skills transfer programmes.
He emphasized that specific grant conditions are tailored to each project rather than applied uniformly, and directed the member to existing government upskilling initiatives for details.

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7 May 2024

Skills Upgrade for Self-employed Arts Service Providers to Meet Requirements in New Arts Council Framework

The National Arts Council is collaborating with healthcare partners to develop a framework promoting arts for health and well-being, which will include best practices, impact measurement tools, and case studies to help self-employed arts practitioners meet desired outcomes.
The framework aims to create more opportunities for self-employed arts practitioners to use their talents to support well-being, though specific numbers of arts self-employed persons to be upskilled are not yet detailed.
Training support for self-employed arts service providers under the framework will be formulated in collaboration with partners, with more details to be shared later.

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7 May 2024

Raising Awareness amongst Singaporean Travellers on What To Do when Faced With Emergencies while Overseas

Joan Pereira proposed setting up a permanent facility with simulated exercises to educate Singaporean travellers on safety steps and emergency responses for overseas situations like natural disasters or terror attacks.
K Shanmugam highlighted existing initiatives like the Emergency Preparedness Centre, which uses interactive exhibits to teach the public about natural disasters and terror threats, and the Responders Plus Programme that offers online and in-person life-saving skills training.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force also provides resources such as the Civil Defence Emergency Handbook and the SGSecure website, which offer guidelines on handling various emergencies, including protocols like "Run, Hide, Tell" for terror threats.

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7 May 2024

Impact of Temperature Hikes on Rate of Heat Injuries and Hydration amongst Students

Yip Hon Weng questioned the Ministry for Education on whether there has been a notable increase in student heat injuries over the past six months and if mandatory hydration breaks should be introduced.
Chan Chun Sing reported no significant trend in heat injuries between November 2023 and April 2024, with only one incident noted, and the student recovered after medical leave.
Schools currently encourage hydration but do not mandate scheduled breaks, focusing instead on teaching students to develop good hydration habits.

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7 May 2024

Utilisation Rates of Sport Facilities under Dual-Use Scheme

Ms Yeo Wan Ling asked for an update on the utilisation rates of facilities under the Dual-Use Scheme and whether the programme could be expanded to include more school facilities.
Minister Edwin Tong stated that bookable facilities under the scheme were almost fully utilised in 2023, while free-to-play facilities allow spontaneous public access without booking.
The Ministry will continue working with the Ministry of Education to expand the Dual-Use Scheme and provide more convenient access to school sports facilities.

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7 May 2024

Training for Healthcare Professionals Who Support Patients Who Are Neurodivergent or Have Disabilities, and Their Families

Mr Chong Kee Hiong asked the Minister for Health about the training healthcare professionals, including administrative staff, nurses, and doctors, receive to support neurodivergent patients or those with disabilities and their families in healthcare settings.
Ong Ye Kung responded that healthcare professionals are trained to provide compassionate and respectful care by personalizing treatment based on patients' care goals and best interests, and allowing additional consultation time.
Specialized conditions like autism spectrum disorders are treated by care teams with additional training, such as clinical psychologists who offer psychotherapy and rehabilitative therapies in collaboration with psychiatrists.
Administrative staff are trained to note and support additional needs, while medical social workers provide psychosocial support and caregiving advice for patients and families requiring further assistance.

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7 May 2024

Review of Grants for Provision of Non-Tamil Indian Languages through Board of Teaching and Testing of South Asian Languages

Pritam Singh asked the Ministry of Education when grants for Non-Tamil Indian Languages were last increased and when a future review would be conducted.
MOE last increased funding for these language grants in 2017.
The Ministry stated it regularly reviews funding and last assessed it as adequate in 2022.
MOE emphasized its commitment to supporting quality instruction and meeting student learning needs through these grants.
No specific timeline was provided for the next review of grant sufficiency.

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7 May 2024

Percentage of Students in Each Annual Cohort who Attain International Baccalaureate Diploma

Darryl David asked for the percentage of students in Government schools attaining the International Baccalaureate diploma over the past three years and if there are plans to increase such places.
Chan Chun Sing responded that around 7% of each Pre-University 1 student cohort took the IBDP in the past three years.
He stated there are no current plans to allocate more IBDP places, as the GCE "A" Level programme remains the relevant national curriculum.
The government will continue to review this regularly.

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7 May 2024

Probe into Recent Mobile Guardian Data Breach Incident and Impact on Cybersecurity Measures for School Apps

MOE confirmed the Mobile Guardian incident involved unauthorized access to a support account via poor password management, affecting 67,000 parents and 22,000 school staff across 127 schools, but did not compromise MOE or government systems.
The Ministry has communicated with affected users, lodged a police report, and required Mobile Guardian to appoint a forensic investigator to review systems and prevent recurrence, with contractual actions to be taken if obligations are breached.
MOE reiterated its commitment to independent audits, regular cybersecurity testing, and user education to ensure the security of school IT systems and apps.

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3 Apr 2024

Update on Plans for Training of Educators for Children with Special Needs in Pre-schools

Joan Pereira asked about plans to train and place educators for children with special needs in all pre-schools.
The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) is working with training providers to include inclusive practices in both pre-service and continuing education for early childhood educators.
ECDA supports children with low to medium intervention needs through existing programmes and plans to expand these to cover more preschools and children.
Specialist diploma programmes are offered to enhance the skills of educators in screening and supporting children with developmental needs.

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3 Apr 2024

Direct School Admission Applications and Success Rates for Gifted Education Programme Students

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim inquired about the number of Gifted Education Programme (GEP) students who applied for and were successful in Direct School Admission (DSA) to secondary schools over the past five years.
Minister Chan Chun Sing reported that about 200 GEP students are admitted annually via DSA-Sec, which is a small portion of the 3,800 total students admitted through DSA-Sec each year.

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3 Apr 2024

Psychological Impact and Stress of Instituting Single SEC Examination Sitting for Mother Tongue Language Subjects

Gerald Giam raised concerns that moving to a single SEC examination sitting for Mother Tongue Language subjects could increase psychological stress due to having only one chance to pass and overlapping exam preparation with other subjects.
Chan Chun Sing highlighted that over 95% of students have met the MTL requirement with the mid-year sitting, and the impact of the second sitting on post-secondary placements is minimal.
The Ministry noted that Full Subject-based Banding offers flexibility, allowing students to meet MTL requirements through different subject levels and granting provisional admission if needed.
Schools have reported benefits from the September MTL sitting, including more curriculum time and better spaced-out examination schedules, which students appreciate.

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3 Apr 2024

Impact of Tourism Development Fund on Worker Training and Job Placement and Projected Number of Jobs Created

Ms See Jinli Jean queried the Ministry for Trade and Industry on worker training, job placement, and job projections under the Tourism Development Fund (TDF) for 2022-2023.
Minister Gan Kim Yong reported that since 2020, over 900 workers from Hotels, MICE, Attractions, Travel Agencies, and Cruise sectors were trained via TDF in areas like sustainability and events management.
The recent TDF top-up will increase training opportunities in leadership, technology, sustainability, and partnership building, alongside other initiatives like Career Conversion Programmes and SkillsFuture support.

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3 Apr 2024

Age-appropriate Financial Literacy Programmes in Schools

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Ministry for Education about the number of primary and secondary schools with financial literacy programmes and whether age-appropriate content would be developed for all schools starting from upper primary levels.
Minister Chan Chun Sing responded that financial literacy is already taught in all primary and secondary schools through age-appropriate concepts infused into subjects like Character and Citizenship Education.
Primary school students learn basic concepts such as differentiating needs and wants, spending within means, and saving, while secondary students learn about simple financial planning and responsible credit use.
The Ministry also partners with MoneySense, the national financial education programme, to complement the curriculum with outreach activities.

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3 Apr 2024

Differences in Employment and Salary Outcomes for Graduates from Different University Courses

The Minister of State explained that arts, design, and media (ADM) graduates have stable employment but lower starting salaries compared to peers in sectors like engineering and business, due to market demand and a higher proportion of freelancers, while the government supports this through initiatives like the Our SG Arts Plan and partnerships with agencies like Dsg and IMDA.
Health sciences graduates saw a 6% salary increase in 2023, higher than the average, and the Ministry of Health works with healthcare clusters to review salaries and provide funding support to ensure competitiveness, with a focus on community care sectors and salary guidelines.
Nominated MP See Jinli Jean asked about integrating arts graduates into growth industries like tourism and entertainment, and bridging health sciences graduates with opportunities from Healthier SG, to which the Minister replied that ADM graduates already work in diverse fields like PR and marketing, and MOE will collaborate with MOH to update curricula and skills frameworks for better opportunities.

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3 Apr 2024

Take-up Rates at School-based and Community-based Student Care Centres

The Ministry of Education and Ministry of Social and Family Development track enrolment in school-based and community-based Student Care Centres (SCCs), with 33,000 students in school-based centres and 8,300 in community-based centres across 182 and 190 centres respectively.
School-based SCCs are required to provide weekly outdoor programmes and enrichment activities to develop values and competencies, while community-based SCCs must meet standards for structured daily programmes with flexibility for additional activities.
The government will continue to review SCC programmes to align with holistic development goals and incorporate enrichment activities beyond grades, partnering with organisations like the National Library Board and RSVP Singapore.
Current demand for SCCs is monitored closely, with most centres not having long waitlists, indicating availability to meet student needs.

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3 Apr 2024

Encouraging Prospective Tertiary Students to Pursue Careers in Special Needs Education

The Ministry of Education (MOE) is working with social service agencies to recruit and retain Special Education (SPED) educators, including through partnerships with Institutes of Higher Learning and the Journeys of Excellence Package to enhance professionalism and career progression.
MOE is enhancing training, such as the Diploma in Special Education (DISE), and increasing funding to SPED schools from 2024 to 2026 to raise salaries for teachers and aides to maintain competitiveness.
MOE will explore alternative pathways, such as conversion programmes, to attract professionals from other fields into SPED, in collaboration with social service agencies.

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