Committee of Supply – Head K (Ministry of Education)

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Ensuring a 3R Education System

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan (Pioneer): Sir, I beg to move, "That the total sum to be allocated for Head K of the Estimates be reduced by $100".

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools across the globe had to close during lockdowns and for prolonged periods and many schools are still closed in some countries.

In Singapore, the entire teaching and education sector including from pre-school, Primary, Secondary, SPED, Junior Colleges, Polytechnics, ITE, private and international schools and our Universities, including CET centres and training providers and adult educators, including the entire MOE had to pivot and moved to home-based and online learning overnight. Many had to grapple with these new ways of work and education delivery. Many had to learn to use various video conferencing software. Everyone had to convert their homes to become lecture theatres, virtual classrooms and even laboratories.

Notwithstanding, the entire education eco-system came together to pivot and to get our students get back to school after the circuit breaker and resume some normalcy including restarting many of the CCAs and events. We thank every one of them who have made possible the delivery of education, skills and training to our students and adult learners against all odds, safely, in a social distance way.

With disruption, and now the dreaded disease, it is vital for the entire education system to stay ready, relevant and resilient. I wish to highlight some pertinent points and observations for MOE for its entire education and learning continuum. I have six key observations and suggestions.

First, seamless transition from Kindergarten 2 to Primary 1. As MOE is now involved in delivering pre-school education through the MOE Kindergartens, I see an immense possibility and scope for MOE to better research into and enhance the curriculum of kindergartens as well as for Primary 1, so that we can better integrate and support the seamless transition of children from Kindergarten 2 to Primary 1. I find that this is an important aspect which can be further augmented to ensure children are able to catch up with or sometimes cope with the knowledge, skills and competency requirements for Primary 1.

Two, strengthen mental health and wellness in schools. We work for home and home-based learning as well as the bane that comes along with social media and device usage, as well as bullying both in the real and online world, the mental state, health, and well-being of students and teachers as well, from Primary all the way to University, is something we cannot take lightly. I submit that our education system must be well poised and prepared to prevent, detect, and provide support this area in the next normal. Can MOE share whether in the past five years, we see an increasing trend of students having mental health issues and challenges and what is MOE doing to overcome this challenge, which is further exacerbated by our drive towards digitalisation and learning device issuance?

Three, better prospects for Mother Tongue and Specialist Teachers. Our Mother Tongue and other Specialist educators and teachers in school play an integral part and role in our education system. I am particularly concerned especially in the treatment of and the parity of teachers who specifically teach only Art, Physical Education and Music and other specialised areas. Can MOE provide an update on the morale, career progression and developmental opportunities afforded to this category of teachers, including the Mother Tongue teachers and also whether MOE conducts any ground surveys of the morale, engagement scores and aspirations of this group of teachers?

Four, better job placement for SPED students. Another area I feel strongly is the provision of job opportunities for SPED students and their future beyond the learning institutions and classroom. I submit that we can and should do more to hasten and strengthen the various placement programmes and initiatives to allow SPED students who complete their school and training to prepare for work in areas where they are keen and able to.

Five, smaller class sizes and student-teacher ratios. With a lesser student cohort across the entire mainstream education system due to low birth rates in the past decade, I think we should look into having smaller class sizes across our Primary and Secondary Schools. It is without doubt that smaller class sizes do help to enhance and improve the overall learning experience and enhances the student-teacher interaction opportunities for every student.

Six, supporting continuing education and training. With the half-life of skills shortening with transformed jobs and new jobs, greater speed to market in terms of skills, competencies, and knowledge is an imperative. We need our Institutes of Higher Learning to transform into Institutes of Continuing Education and Training to work with employers and especially the industry clusters to know the future jobs and the future in-demand skills, so that we can plan, prepare and conduct bite size and modular training in response to market and industry needs.

I urge MOE to undertake appropriate strategies to help our workers, especially the mature PMEs achieving skills security by supporting them in their pursuit of training opportunities. In this regard, can MOE review the Mid-Career Enhanced Subsidy Scheme to encourage mature PMEs?

MCES is tagged to whether a PME is in receipt of a tuition grant for a local degree programme. This means that PMEs seeking to obtain a second degree from our local University to enter into a new sector or industry are ineligible for the Mid-Career Enhanced Subsidy scheme (MCES). And that the MCES cannot be separated from the tuition grant is a policy blind spot that impedes PMEs with local first degrees from reskilling with a second local degree to get their foot in a new sector.

As part of the Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs), the 23 industry sectors have launched the Skills Framework for each of the sectors. I strongly urge employers to deep dive into these skills framework, work with our unions, to develop individualised skill maps for their current employees based on the framework for the different sectors and industries. These maps will serve to provide personalised career and training recommendations for every employee and help meet every worker's unique aspiration and needs. How can SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) further outreach and raise the awareness and significance of the skills framework, especially for the PMET jobs and PMETs?

Question proposed.

Re-imagining Education

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng (Jalan Besar): Chairman, Sir, "What would be the ideal education system for Singapore, if we were starting from a clean slate?” This is the question I would like to ask MOE.

The world of teaching and learning has been disrupted, like never before. The COVID-19 pandemic threw us a curveball. Thankfully, education technology that the MOE has, such as the Student Learning Space and the Personal Learning Devices (PDL) they had in mind, were already in the works for use by the students. COVID-19 had significantly compressed the timeline to digitise education; and ground challenges like educator, student and family readiness are not uncommon.

In higher education, further disruptions are expected. Burning Glass Technology, a consulting firm that analysed close to a billion job postings and resumes in 2019, reported that good future jobs are "hybrid" jobs – more complex and multi-disciplinary. A good mobile app developer, for instance, needs to understand not only programming coding, but also user interface design, content and marketing. The demands of a hybrid job market, for instance, makes cross learnings across departments and disciplines, especially in higher education, not only important but urgent.

The call for change is widespread. In the United States, Khan Academy's Sal Khan, who was the visionary ahead of his time in creating individualised online student learning free, called out the need to: one, make available personalised and tailored education at a mass scale, citing a list of good quality online resources developed in the US; two, empowering parents and teachers as better partners for education; and three, uplifting every student at every stage of life, including the adults.

Locally last year, education experts such as Dr Varaprasad and Dr S Gopinathan shared a similar vision of a future education for Singapore – one that is tailored to the individual, learning anytime, anywhere and at any age. They dreamt of an end to high stake state exams, physical classrooms and teacher-led mass learning.

Indeed, if that were the model of future education, then many concerns raised here and outside of this House such as class sizes, excessive tuition, PSLE, Mother Tongue scoring and so on – are issues surrounding the current education model.

Past education reviews such as the PERI – the Primary Education Review, the Secondary School Review, ASPIRE, and even Special Education Reviews; were mostly fine tuning of the current system whilst retaining the same structural pillars. Alas for me, the true train 10 years school system without the PSLE is still a pipe drink for me.

Dr Prasad and Dr Gopinathan, both former MOE staff, concluded that it would be challenging to transform Singapore's education system for the very reason that it is so well-established. They spoke of the difficulties of reforming a well-established and well-polished education system due to legacy and structural rigidities; and how even making incremental changes will require changes across a very vast, complex system and overcoming resistance from many stakeholder groups.

But Chairman, I call upon the wisdom of Harvard Professor Clayton Christensen's renowned work on innovation. The good Prof convinced many senior leaders, some of whom are in our Government, that even the most outstanding companies with established products can become irrelevant unless they know how and when to abandon traditional business practices. Hence, the need for what he calls, "disruptive innovation".

I totally understand the wisdom of not throwing the "baby out with the bathwater". But in the face of changes that come so fast and furious, there is merit to consider some disruptive innovation. Therefore, I ask MOE to conduct a national exercise to answer the question of, "What would be the ideal education system for Singapore, if we were starting from a clean slate?"

Citizenship Education

Mr Leon Perera (Aljunied): Mr Chairman, during the COS debates in 2020, MOE announced that Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) would be refreshed, reinforcing the teaching of moral values increasing emphasis on mental health and cyber wellness, engaging students more actively in contemporary issues and being more integrated into subjects and activities. There is growing recognition that soft skills that are crucial for 21st century employees.

I am using soft skills here as a convenient broad shorthand for a number of skill-sets such as, firstly, critical thinking and problem solving which top the list of skills many employers believe will grow in prominence in the next five years.

Secondly, self-management such as active learning, resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility, all ranked highly in the World Economic Forum 2020 report.

And thirdly, resilience and curiosity, which are reported as priced by industry leaders.

The PISA 2018 results indicate two areas of concern for students in Singapore: adaptability to new challenges and the fear of failure.

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Only half of our students said that they could deal with unusual situations compared to an OECD average of more than that. Over 70% expressed concern about failure versus the OECD average of just 50%.

How can our CCE curriculum help to plug these gaps? For one, we should cultivate some form of standardised measurement of soft skills, spanning not only tests but project work, classroom interaction and other work streams. After all, we need to build measures of success into our policies so as to ensure that in education, as in all domains, we are striving for outcomes and not just effort.

Hence, I would like to ask how does MOE intend to measure progress towards soft skill formation objectives in the CCE?

Next, I would to like to urge greater support for teachers to a progressive reduction in average form class sizes. This would better enable teachers to focus on pastoral care for students. Research has shown that smaller classes may stimulate non-cognitive skills or soft skills, a point I have made in my Parliamentary Adjournment Motion on the subject in 2017.

I would thus like to suggest that MOE pilot CCE classes and smaller class sizes to study their effects on students' non-cognitive development.

My Parliamentary colleague, Assoc Prof Jamus Lim will elaborate on the subject of class sizes in his subsequent cut.

Ms Hazel Poa (Non-Constituency Member): Permission to take my three cuts together.

The Chairman: Yes, please.

Preparing for Future Economy

Ms Hazel Poa: Mr Chairman, the Budget Statement described extensive plans for an innovation-driven economy. To thrive in an innovation-driven economy requires more than the acquisition of technical skills and scientific or professional knowledge, but also a mindset that is ready and able to challenge established norms or widely accepted thinking, not afraid to fail and ever ready to try again, and an eagerness to navigate the unknown.

Can the Minister share with us what are the plans to prepare our students for an innovation-driven economy?

KPI

Over the years, efforts have been made to move away from a grade-centric education system. This is reflected in the "Desired Outcomes" section under MOE's budget. However, this is not totally reflected in the key performance indicators (KPIs) that are measured.

Firstly, a number of the desired outcomes are not measured in its KPI. For example, there are no measurable indicators for adaptability, ability to work in teams and across cultures, critical thinking, and so on. Will the Ministry be looking into additional KPIs to measure these desired outcomes?

Secondly, with reference to the KPI relating to engaged citizenry, is such community work compulsory for students? If so, it would not be a true indicator of engagement. Measuring the engagement rate of grown citizens would be a more accurate indicator.

Finally, whilst this is not included in the desired outcomes, would the Minister consider additional KPIs to measure equity outcomes, for example, the percentage of students from the bottom quintile that are top performers?

Students Outside Mainstream Schools

Here, I declare my interest as an operator of a private school. During the course of my work, I came across students who dropped out of Secondary schools but, after working for a few years, decided that they needed to go back to school. Aiming to enrol in a Polytechnic, they set out to take the "O" Levels in private schools. However, private education does not come cheap. It is sad to see some give up because they cannot afford it.

Homeschooled students also do not get access to core curricular activities (CCAs). Taiwan's schools embrace homeschooling and schooling kids learning together. Countries like Israel have a second-chance programme to help students complete their Secondary and diploma education. As long as our young have the desire to learn, let us give them the necessary support.

I therefore have two questions. Will the Minister consider granting financial support for those studying outside of mainstream schools? Will the Minister allow these students to be attached to mainstream schools for CCAs?

Multiple Pathways and Opportunities

Mr Baey Yam Keng (Tampines): Mr Chairman, I have three children. Over the past eight years, my family have gone through three PSLEs, one "O" level and one "A" level. There will be one more taking "A" level examination this year and the youngest one will be taking hers next year.

Members who are sharp will think that maybe I missed out two "O" levels. Those who are quicker will know that I did not miss any major milestones in my children's education but because two of them are in the Integrated Programme. But I am sure that there may be Members who do not understand what we are talking about because they have no children or their children have long passed their schooling years.

Indeed, most of us will only pay attention to or make an effort to understand policies which affect us directly. However, in the area of education, most of us will claim some authority because we ourselves have gone through formal education in Singapore. We have our own experience to go by. The problem is, the personal experience of most parents will be outdated, easily by 20 to 30 years.

For me, I went through the era when PSLE scores are in the 300 to 400s. I took my Secondary 1 History in Chinese, had to take a compulsory "O" level subject in Religious Knowledge, and could only choose a pure science, pure arts or pure commerce subject combination for my "A" level. All these have changed today.

Today, "multiple pathways" have become the lingo and I am a firm believer of that.

My youngest daughter did not do as well as her two elder siblings in Primary school. With a 30-point difference in her PSLE score, she could not make it to any of the schools offering the Integrated Programme. She went to a school in our neighbourhood, whose cut-off point was some way below her score. During her four years there, because she was "within her league", she blossomed. Her confidence and self-esteem improved tremendously and she was offered various exposure and leadership opportunities in school. I am glad she did really well in her "O" level last year and could make it to any school she wants. Through a slightly different pathway, she now joins her elder brother, who is doing the last year of his Integrated Programme.

What made us really proud of her is that she did all these years without any tuition. She made it with her diligence and discipline and, I would say, by being in a school environment that supported her and one that was suitable for her.

In recent years, MOE announced major structural changes to our education system, including the new PSLE scoring system and Full Subject-Based Banding in Secondary schools.

May I know what MOE is doing to help students and parents understand the thinking behind these major changes so that all can benefit from the policy intent? This is not to game the system but to change mindsets so that our young could reap the benefits of the changes and, more importantly, enjoy the learning process and develop positive attitudes that would stay with them for lifelong learning.

Foundation Subjects in Primary School

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song (Aljunied): In Primary school, students may take a combination of Standard and Foundation level subjects based on their strengths and choices. However, many students and parents may not be aware that for the purpose of Secondary 1 posting, even a perfect score at a Foundation level maps to a Standard level's Achievement Level (AL) of only AL 6. In contrast, students taking Standard level subjects can achieve AL 5 if they score just 65%. A higher AL translates to a poorer PSLE score.

When parents opt for their child to take a Foundation level subject after Primary 4, it will be an uphill climb to get back to Standard level in Primary 6. Poor grades in school are seldom a full reflection of the student's abilities. The quality of instruction they receive and their home environment make a big difference. Some students simply need more encouragement and guidance to do better academically.

What are the objective and subjective criteria that schools use to determine the student's subject level combinations? How are parents, including those who may be less educated, made fully aware of the impact that taking Foundation level subjects will have on their child's PSLE score? How do schools ensure that late bloomers will have a fair chance at taking Standard level subjects at the PSLE despite poor examination performance in Primary 4 and Primary 5?

Enhancing Open Access in Primary Schools

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan (Pioneer): Sir, in 2014, MOE began reserving 20 places each, for registrants under Phase 2B and Phase 2C so as to preserve open access in all schools for parents who have no prior connections to the Primary school. Despite this, residents are still not able to secure a place in a nearby school as the school is oversubscribed in Phase 2C.

Anecdotally, I understand that more parents are registering their children in earlier phases, leaving fewer places for those who live nearby in Phase 2C.

I can understand why the Primary 1 Registration Framework needs to accord higher priority to certain groups like siblings as well some priority to other families with ties to the school. There is a maximum number of places that a school can offer. So some tradeoffs will be necessary to enhance open access in all our Primary schools, especially in Phase 2C, for those who live near the school.

Perhaps it is timely for MOE to review the Primary 1 Registration Framework to see how to enable more children to secure a place in a nearby school, especially in Phase 2C, while bearing in mind the need to still preserve some level of priority for those in Phases 2A1 and 2A2.

More Children Can Study Closer to Home

Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong (Jurong): Mr Chairman, recently, I received feedback on the challenges of securing a place in a school near where students live. In most cases, it is because the schools nearby are very popular in the neighbourhood. In addition, there are many parents who are also former students who would like their children to be part of the school.

Can I ask the Minister for Education how the Ministry views balancing the priority between alumni and students who live in the neighbourhood, and if there is any on-going review?

Reducing Class Sizes

Ms Hazel Poa: Mr Chairman, MOE has been closing schools and reducing its headcount of teachers due to declining birth rates and school enrolments. From 2011 to 2020, the number of teachers declined by 16% from 39,412 to 33,001. Allied Educators, who provide extra support to teachers and schools, also declined by 32% from 1,772 to 1,205.

However, the number of management executives increased by 260% from 851 to 3,066 and management support increased by 147% from 519 to 1,282.

Can the Minister clarify why so many more management staff are needed to manage a declining number of teachers and students? What are the targeted number of teachers in the next few years?

To introduce greater diversity and differentiated learning into our education system, we need smaller class sizes. I mentioned this last October and I feel the need to bring it up again.

With declining enrolment, it would have been the perfect opportunity to reduce class sizes had we not decreased the number of teachers and NIE intake. Not only would smaller class sizes provide better outcomes for students, it would be beneficial for teachers as well. We ought to care for teachers' emotional and mental loads as well, in addition to their work loads.

Will the Minister consider resuming the recruitment of teachers to previous levels, especially at a time when job opportunities are greatly reduced due to the pandemic?

Smaller Class Sizes

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim (Sengkang): Mr Chairman, Singapore currently has one of the highest average class sizes among advanced countries in Primary and Secondary schools. In 2019, it amounted to 33 students per class. In contrast, the average among industrialised economies is a little more than 20. Even in East Asian economies such as Korea and Japan, student numbers in the Primary school classroom only push a little past 25.

To be clear, the trend in Singapore has improved over time. The pupil-teacher ratio at the Primary level was around 26 at the turn of the millennium compared to 15 today. But this is hardly satisfactory in light of the fact that these numbers still pale in comparison to countries such as Denmark at 12, Australia at 11 and Luxemburg at nine. While certain banded classrooms are indeed smaller, this does not cover students who are not currently struggling, who arrived there on the basis of supplementary educational support.

Indeed, some may question, why, in spite of these unflattering resource ratios, our students appear to be able to producing some of the best test scores worldwide.

Part of the reason is likely to be our heavy reliance on supplementary education, sometimes pejoratively called the shadow education system, supplied by families directly. Private tuition and other supplementary education expenses come up to $112 out of the household's monthly educational expenditures, a little more than 2%. This is more than what the average household spends on clothing and air travel and about a quarter of what they spend to be able to put a roof over their heads.

At the national level, we spent $1.4 billion on such additional private tuition. This is around 10% of the total that the Government spends officially on public education and, to the extent that we believe public education should be largely self-contained, represents an additional and implicit tax on Singaporeans.

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To be clear, other East Asian societies, including China, Indonesia, Japan and Korea tend to engage more private tutors than other advanced countries. Around 70% of students in these aforementioned countries attend after-school lessons in mathematics, for instance – unsurprisingly, I was one of them – compared to less than 20% in countries such as Austria, Canada, Finland and New Zealand.

Even so, the disparities between what we devote to public education expenditure is clearly indirectly, if imperfectly, made of four by private supplemental financing. Even setting our "kiasu" mindset aside, most parents do not have any burning to send their kids onto additional tuition if there are otherwise able to cope with the subjects. Consider how our tuition dollars are predominately spent on subjects where students struggle such as math or languages, and less on humanities such as history or geography.

Smaller class sizes can go a long way toward helping the average Singaporean household reduce their perceived need to engage additional private tuition. Perhaps, more importantly, smaller class sizes can also help level the playing field. While the evidence in favour of small class sizes for overall student achievement is weak albeit still positive, it is undeniable that individual students can benefit from smaller classrooms.

A small number of students release the load on our teachers, thereby freeing them up to pay more attention to students that are falling behind and since lower income households are less likely to be able to allocate additional finances towards tuition just so that their children may stay up to speed, this obviates the need for supplemental private tuition which can prevent students from such households from falling even further behind.

To this end, I am suggesting that the MOE, perhaps, consider capping class sizes at 23 which incidentally is the OECD average and, in particular, for the most tutored subjects such as mathematics as well as languages.

Reviewing Teachers' Appraisal

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Sir, in my Budget debate speech, I proposed to make our performance management system of stacked ranking more standardised, transparent, fair and formative for teachers.

There is strong feedback from the ground that ranking is not the best way to appraise all job holders. There are differences in implementation across schools and there is a need for a more standardised system. There is also a need for more transparency. Many share that they do not feel the process of ranking has been made transparent to all teachers.

We can also make the system more fair by removing the quotas for C-, D and E grades.

Lastly, the appraisal system should be more formative than punitive. We should remove the punitive implications of getting the lower grades. We should create a more nurturing environment for our teachers.

I look forward to working with MOE and the unions to improve the performance management system of stacked ranking.

Giving Teachers Mid-term Feedback

We all grow and learn from feedback. Our teachers are no different.

School leaders must give teachers who receive the C- or D grade feedback to improve their performance. However, some teachers shared that this feedback only comes after the actual grade has been issued. Some say that little is done to help teachers improve in the course of the school year.

Similar to how students have a mid-year exam to gauge whether they are on the right track, our teachers must also be given feedback prior to receiving their actual grade. There are guidelines in place for ROs to give intermittent feedback. We should ensure these are strictly followed. Will MOE strengthen processes for teachers to seek feedback on their performance?

360-degree Feedback for All Teachers

MOE currently uses the 360-degree feedback tool more as a developmental tool for leaders to gather feedback rather than as an appraisal tool. To further strengthen this process, can MOE consider incorporating this into the appraisal process and specifically linked to performance grade? There is strong support for implementing a 360-degree feedback to assess the effectiveness of Reporting Officers at all substantive grades.

Strengthening Education Pathways

Ms Foo Mee Har (West Coast): Chairman, as Singapore re-defines our competitive edge by pivoting towards innovation, we will need to create multiple pathways for Singaporeans of all potential to develop and thrive. Achieving this will require the creation of "pathways to excellence" in multiple fields and disciplines, and both public and private tertiary institutions should have roles to play.

Singapore can be proud of a public education eco-system that delivers world-leading education outcomes and boasts some of the world’s best universities. So, we are very proud of our public universities eco-system. But our private education system also has produced high quality providers in specialised areas, such as LASALLE and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. These specialised institutes are able to deliver excellent outcomes and are seen as leaders in their own field.

Looking globally, we see many examples of private schools offering "pathways to excellence" in high-demand, specialised areas – for example, the Parsons School of Design in New York as well as EHL for hospitality at Lausanne, Switzerland.

Similarly, Singapore can encourage private education institutes to fill talent gaps in the specialised fields and to build best-in-class capabilities in niche areas, and thereby complement the broad-based education offered by our public system.

Sir, we should consider enhancing the Private Education Institution (PEI) framework to enable PEIs that have the required track record, capabilities and academic rigour to have their own degree awarding powers. This will enable Singapore’s top quality home-grown PEIs to be independent of their overseas partners and have the autonomy over their curriculum design, development and delivery.

University Cohort Participation Rate

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: Every year, around 9,000 students graduate from private education institutions offering degree courses in Singapore, while thousands more study in universities overseas. Apart from the few who obtain scholarships, most of these students will have to pay full tuition fees for their studies. This can cost them between $8,000 and $30,000 a year at local private education institutions, which vary considerably in instructional quality and resources and an average of $33,000 annually in overseas universities. These are enormous financial commitments for them and their parents.

In contrast, their peers and local Autonomous Universities spent around $8,200 annually for a non-medical degree after benefiting from tuition grants.

Many Polytechnic graduates feel the pressure to get a degree because better job and salary prospects as they compete in a globalised job market even in Singapore. The cohort participation rate in local Autonomous Universities last year was 42%. Can our AUs continue to open up more places, raising the target cohort participation rate to 50%? This will allow more deserving Singaporeans who want to attend the AUs to tap on the tuition grant scheme and benefit from the high quality of education offered by our AUs.

Contemporising University Education

Mr Darryl David (Ang Mo Kio): Chairman, the concept of meritocracy has been central to Singapore's success. The implicit assumption in the system assumes that success in life is a deserved outcome to those who have worked hard and upwards, social mobility is possible if you strive and succeed regardless of the socio-economic class that you are born into.

This psyche of attaining success through one's effort and merit has been enshrined much into Singapore's collective consciousness and social fabric and has manifested itself in our perception that attaining a good education is somehow correlated with success. The ultimate apex of our education journey is seen as a quest for a university degree with the belief that attaining a pedigree degree from a good university is one of the passports of success.

But the fundamental objective of a holistic university education should not be credentialism where students and parents chase after branded degrees, but rather the acquisition or market relevant knowledge, life skills and a keen sense of inquisitiveness that propels one to continuously upgrade and seek new knowledge throughout one's life.

As such, we should be wary of continuing to chase after GPAs and endorsements of the universities without considering if its training and education is relevant to the job market and, more importantly, to our lives.

In the world we live in today, it is not so much about what you know, as opposed to what you can do and I believe that we just strive to contemporise our university education to reflect this reality. Our university education landscape tends to revolve around a continuous four-year stint of education from 18 to 21 or 22 years of age.

Depending on the degree programme, this curriculum tends to be largely theory-based. Some students who have interacted with tell me that they sometimes have difficulty to relating to concepts that were taught in universities because the unable to comprehend how these concepts work in the real world. Students also sometimes take a formulaic approach to concept application, applying their learnings rigidly assuming that the best practices that they have learned in case studies and classes would work in the real world.

University educators that I have spoken to, on the other hand, often lament that students are unable to grasp concepts that seem so intuitive to those who have work experience.

So, the question I would like to ask is if there are still value in putting our students through a continuous linear four-year tertiary education when they are 18 years old, or should we explore an education system that is more balanced and is a hybrid between a combination of hands-on experience and theoretical knowledge.

Perhaps, we should amend and adapt the theory-oriented straight to university model and focus on a more practice-oriented model where we ensure that students should have some practical experience via internships, attachments or work stints before their enrolment to universities.

We could also think about implementing a work-and-study model where students alternate between stints of study and work to complement and enhance what they have already picked up in the university and vice versa. This would help them better appreciate the concept that they have studied in school and allow them to draw practical and operational relevance that are much needed for them to function and blossom in today's university.

So, universities could thus be seen as the places of true continuing education where students of different ages and experiences could come and go, taking a continuous short series of short courses and programmes that would enhance what they have already learnt in the real world. And I would quote from hon Member Ms Denise Phua's line of "learning anytime, anywhere and at any age".

Along this line, we could also encourage our universities to value educators who bring with them a deep wealth of experience and functional expertise in the corporate world. Educators who are able to straddle between corporate life and academia as these educators can then complement a largely research-oriented faculties.

I would thus like to urge MOE to consider the points that I have made above as it takes steps to contemporise university education in Singapore.

Recognising Every Youth's Potential

Mr Eric Chua (Tanjong Pagar): Mr Chairman, every youth has potential. Potential to do well in life. Potential to be the best version of him or herself.

In 2020 last year, the proverbial stork blessed our little red dot with 38,705 babies. My son was one of them. In time to come, they will begin life’s salmon run and give it their best shot in their swims upstream. Some will thrive and do well. And yet for a variety of reasons, some of these young ones will stumble along the way. Each cohort, less than 1% does not complete Secondary school education. By any standard, we have done remarkably well in keeping our young ones in school.

But the story here on is a little troubling. At lunar new year gatherings each year, conversations sometimes crash into awkward silences when parents share about their child’s enrolment into ITE. These silences point to a mental model that has been entrenched in our collective psyche, that there exists a hierarchy: university degrees are more valued than polytechnic diplomas, and diplomas are more valued than ITE certificates. And paper qualification that a young person possesses is the marker of his or her intrinsic value, or worse, one that is commensurate with his or her concept of self-worth.

How tragic would that be, if it were true? I have been mentoring ITE students for the past seven years or so, so I have the privilege of interacting with many of them. Deep down in my heart, and I am sure in many of Members' hearts, too, in this Chamber, we all know there is still some truth to this. It is still how many of us frame how we think about education and success.

Are students who do well academically, that is, our top 10% in schools, top 10% in everything else in life? I cannot speak for others, but I do know if I ever were to be assessed for handyman work, I would likely rank amongst the bottom 10%. My better half can attest to that. And how about an index for street smarts? I hardly think I would go very far in that aspect as well.

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So, why are we, as a society, so fixated on good grades, degrees and white-collared jobs? It is high time that we recognise that every youth has potential, and potential should not be defined narrowly in terms of academic achievements. Perhaps, we should stop labelling youths who are not as academically inclined as the "bottom 10%" or the laggards? They too have talents; they too have potential that they can show to the world. They are not the bottom 10%!

Wayne Liu, or DJ Koflow as he is better known, is one stellar example. When a younger Wayne ran afoul of the law, what the probationer said left a deep impression on him, and I quote, "You don’t have good grades, but you’re a very talented kid. You need to find your focus." Today, Wayne is one of our music scene's most established turntablists, well sought after in the region.

I must qualify I am not making a case that one needs to be big in order to be successful. I recently spoke to Eugene, a teaching assistant and technical officer in a local institution. Eugene always had an interest in music. Armed with an ITE certificate and his burning passion, he decided to become an audio engineer right after National Service. It is a path less travelled, and understandably, family support was lukewarm.

But Eugene was lucky. He had met several mentors who took him under their wings and generously guided him along the way. Eugene's journey in music was heavily driven by passion. In school, his main motivation to learn was to pick up skills that would help him do well in what he was passionate about, not grades.

Eugene's journey, as well as many others who had taken paths less travelled, is instructive.

How can we, as a society, change our mindsets about how success is defined and how one gets there? How can we, as a society, dump our deep-seated biases and start looking at our youths with a pair of untainted lenses?

While it is true that ITE students might not have done well academically, it does not follow that they are less worthy members of our society. They too have talent and potential. How can we better structure a system that would nurture, mentor and help them uncover and pursue their passions, even in non-mainstream fields?

I would like to conclude with a quote from the late Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a novelist and winner of the 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature. He said, and I quote, "Human beings are not born once and for all on the day their mothers give birth to them… life obliges them over and over again to give birth to themselves."

Mr Chairman, we must enable and empower all our youth, including who are less academically inclined, to be able to reinvent and be the best version of themselves.

Student Care Centres – Disadvantaged Kids

Mr Don Wee (Chua Chu Kang): Chairman, for students from disadvantaged families, Student Care Centres, or SCCs can play a crucial role in ensuring that they get the additional support for their well-being. In addition to supervision and guidance for their studies, centre staff can help to keep an eye on their health and emotional conditions, and alert the authorities if there are troubling issues affecting these students.

May I ask if all underprivileged families whose children apply for places in Student Care Students are admitted? Can they be given priority for places at their own schools' SCCs to minimise travelling, particularly for Primary school students? If their own Primary schools do not have SCCs, if the families wish, can their children be accorded priority for transfers to the nearest schools with SCCs? Lastly, can dinners be provided for children from distressed families to minimise food insecurity?

Education to Strengthen Mobility

Ms Janet Ang (Nominated Member): Sir, I declare that I am Chairman of Singapore Polytechnic and a council member of Singapore Business Federation.

Sir, to-date, Singapore's world-class ITE and Polytechnic education has served us very well, with 70% to 75% of each year's cohort of students attend ITE and our five Polytechnics. Much credit goes to MOE and all our educators and staff. Education is the key enabler that imbues values and empowers social mobility. When we get this right, it is not just the students involved but their families too.

COVID-19 has accelerated industry changes and everything needs a rethink and education is no exception. I have four questions and one suggestion.

One, I would like to ask the Ministry for an update of Second Minister Maliki's review of Applied Education to ensure that ITE and Polytechnic graduates' skills are matched to interest and jobs.

Second question – the jobs that our students will be doing in the future may not even exist today. The dynamism in the industry expects our graduates to be adaptable, versatile and resilient, as well as having an attitude of being always ready to learn. Thus, the importance of providing them a broader base education that strengthens their foundation has grown in importance. What is MOE planning to ensure that there will be resources to enable broad-based education for our students at the diploma level and would MOE consider to give greater flexibility for students in their choice of diploma and perhaps even allowing them to change course one time.

The third question – how is MOE providing for resources to address mental health and wellness issues, which is anticipated to increase?

And my last question is around lifelong learning. In support of the national imperative to encourage lifelong learning, Polytechnics have built on the existing industry partnerships to develop programmes to support our local Industries and businesses. What we have found is that SMEs still need help with their skills transformation plans. Can Minister share how he sees our IHL educators supporting our SMEs further upstream with the planning for the reskilling of staff?

I have one suggestion, which is to second lecturers to selected industries for three to six months or longer, almost like a skills transformer as a service to help SMEs develop the CET training plans for their staff. The focus on CET for workers is imperative. How does MOE intend to further this aspiration?

And in closing, I would like to leave a quote for all the students: "Educators open the door, but you, must enter by yourself."

Polytechnics and ITE Outcomes

Ms Mariam Jaafar (Sembawang): Polytechnics and ITEs are a critical part of our education system. Not only must the curriculum be dynamic and able to prepare graduates for the future economy, they must also appeal to the diverse learning interests and needs of our students and inspire them to seek out challenging opportunities for them to always learn and grow.

As our education system moves to novel approaches like subject-based banding in our schools and dual majors in our Universities, let us not neglect to consider similar approaches for our Polytechnics and ITEs, including the potential to accelerate progression based on performance or dual diplomas.

I would like to ask MOE to provide an update on Polytechnic and ITE employment outcomes respectively, including full time, contract, part time employment; as well as statistics on graduates who go on to jobs unrelated to their course of study; and salary levels within and outside of course of study. The latter point is particularly pertinent to ITE, where there remains a perception, that a not insignificant number of graduates find it more lucrative to take on delivery jobs.

I would also like to ask MOE, as the Member before me, to provide an update on the pathways, progression and curriculum in Polytechnics and ITEs, and how success will be measured.

Dr Wan Rizal (Jalan Besar): Chairman, may I take the three cuts together?

The Chairman: Yes, please.

Enhancing Polytechnic and ITE Pathways

Dr Wan Rizal: Thirty years ago, the "typical" route for Normal stream students was to do their "N" levels and get into ITEs. Alternatively, they can do well for "N" levels, get themselves to do the "O" levels next, and then get to the Polytechnics or Junior Colleges.

This pathway still exists. It is not a bad one. Many of my best students actually come from the ITE route. Another group that stood out is from the Polytechnic Foundation Programme (PFP). Many have done well – even better than those that come in from the "O" levels route.

Students nowadays are lucky. When I was doing my diploma 25 years ago – yes, 25 years ago – courses were limited to business, IT, or engineering-related one. Now, we have a variety of courses, from Sports Science all the way to designing games for gamification.

In my previous speeches, I have brought forth the need to review courses in IHLs to cater for the diverse learning needs and interests and better prepare graduates for the future economy. This include meaningful and relevant internship programmes.

Therefore, I would like to ask the Minister, what are their plans to enhance the current pathways in the IHLs?

Promoting the Use of Malay Language

Sir, my second card in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Language is a reflection of a person’s race, culture and character. It also links one’s identity to his or her heritage.

As Singapore transformed into a developed nation that places importance on using the English language fluently, let us remind ourselves that the major economies in this region do not use English as the lingua franca but our mother tongue languages instead like Malay, Mandarin and Tamil.

Therefore, what policies will the Ministry of Education pursue to preserve the use of mother tongue languages among students so that they will not only appreciate but also understand the importance of mother tongue in their daily lives?

Mental Health Education and Programmes

(In English): One persistent issue that I have been confronted with my students and young residents alike, is mental health – from anxiety to addiction to depression originating from various sources from home, school and the cyberspace.

The cyberspace is not just a digital playground. It is a source of information or misinformation, and a platform for rich interaction. Our youths use social media pervasively, and they may feel that they must present a particular front to keep up with their friends' fake realities on social media. This behaviour may induce unnecessary stress that may affect their mental wellbeing. Additionally, this stress may be compounded and worsened when cyberbullying comes into play.

It can be as simple as continually muting a fellow classmate in class such that he cannot participate in an online class anymore. Or it can be more serious ones, where they gang up on online social media, target an account, attack them and ridicule these accounts.

Chairman, as a parent, as an educator, I am naturally concerned. In my recent speeches, I highlighted the importance of mental and digital literacy to teach our students how to manage their mental wellbeing, protect themselves in cyberspace but most importantly create future generations of social media users who are discerning and uphold an unwritten code of conduct.

Therefore, could the Ministry share their plans to further institutionalise, incorporate, and enhance mental health education and cyber wellness in the current curriculum.

Equip Schools in Mental Health Support

Ms Carrie Tan (Nee Soon): Mr Chairman, the number of teen suicides have increased in recent years, and depression and anxiety are emerging increasingly as real struggles amongst our youth. Mental health issues often begin during school-age years, especially during and after puberty. Stresses and confusion brought by physiological and hormonal changes add to the fray, at a time when young people are honing their self-worth and trying to form their own self-identity.

Bullying, conflicts amongst friends and social exclusion present themselves in the school environment which is where children spend the most time. It logically follows that mental health education and support must also start in schools. Teachers and students often notice small changes in thinking and behaviour in their peers and an individual before a major episode happens. Learning about early warning signs and taking action can help – and may even prevent mental health struggles from worsening into mental illness.

When society risks losing young lives to mental health struggles, educators need to understand and nurture our young through their challenges in holistic manners. Perhaps having a trauma-informed care approach to understand the context of students' experiences could be one way.

Educators can benefit from understanding the various ways that trauma appear in children's lives and some of these include poverty, peer victimisation, family violence, racism, homophobia, and lately, what has come to public attention, transphobia.

I would like to ask MOE, what are its current strategies to strengthen mental health support in schools, and how is it equipping teachers and staff, and to consider the above suggestions.

The Chairman: Order. I propose to take a 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 at 3.25 pm.

Sitting accordingly suspended

at 3.02 pm until 3.25 pm.

Sitting resumed at 3.25 pm.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Debate in Committee of Supply resumed.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Head K (cont) –

Guiding Difficult Conversations in Class

Dr Shahira Abdullah (Nominated Member): Chairman, youths are highly plugged into issues that surface in Singapore and beyond due to the ease of access to the Internet. More often than not, their opinions and knowledge about these issues also tend to come from the Internet. Constructive guided discussions in school may be an effective way of unpacking these issues.

I am heartened that the revamped Character and Citizenship Education or CCE curriculum is trying to prepare the students to have these conversations in a sensitive and thoughtful manner. These topics may include issues, such as bullying, social media use and the navigation of race and religion issues. I believe this is a good move as students from different backgrounds are able to interact together in the school environment. At the same time, students are generally more comfortable in school, so they tend to be more candid in their responses.

With my own personal interactions with teachers on the ground, however, many have confided that they are uncomfortable in handling these difficult conversations and I quote, "Yes. Sometimes, we are also scared to discuss as may not always be able to deal with what is raised" or "Students indicate that they are comfortable discussing sensitive topics like, for example, race, religion, sexuality but some of the teachers are not. Then, how do we move forward?" These are just two of the many teachers who have said something similar.

In a recent CNA article, Ho Li-Ching, President of the Singapore Association for Social Studies Education, found additional pressure present and I quote, "Singapore teachers who wish to address controversial public issues in their classrooms face constraints. My own research has shown that they are particularly concerned about the impact of breaking laws, breaching norms, especially important OB markers, and faced with the pressures of national examinations, many do not want to deviate from the prescribed official curriculum. Teachers also face pressures, such as the threat of external challenges or sanctions, and censure from superiors or peers." These uncertainties and fears will undoubtedly lead to some sort of self-censorship and unwillingness of teachers to conduct these conversations.

In a previous Budget debate in March last year, the Minister had said that with the expansion of the CCE curriculum, every school experience can be a CCE lesson. Every teacher can be a CCE teacher. I think this is an excellent goal.

However, could I ask the Ministry if there are plans to have all teachers trained in such specialised skills and, if so, what is the estimated timeline for this? Controversial issues and incidents can happen at any time and it would be advantageous for all teachers to be able to seize it as a teachable moment when it happens.

For teachers who are trained, I would also like to suggest for periodic reviews and surveys to be done to find out the perceived confidence versus competence, when handling these conversations. This may be an indication of the willingness of teachers in conducting these conversations.

Enhancing Counselling for Students

Mr Darryl David (Ang Mo Kio): Mr Chairman, the COVID-19 pandemic has also made the mental health issue a concern. People have felt the effects in a number of ways: increased anxiety, worrying about health and a change in lifestyle habits and socialisation because of social distancing. Pressure levels could intensify for people who already face mental health challenges arising from daily stressors.

Our young people and students would be no different, and I would thus hope that MOE can continue to develop and enhance their pastoral and career counselling support provided to our schools and institutions.

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Pastoral counselling is essential in helping students with their mental wellness so that they can deal with their day-to-day mental stress. Sources of this stress can take the form of that which they face in their personal lives due to family and, perhaps, relationships. However, stress can also result from school-related matters, such as juggling multiple commitments – dealing with academic commitments and co-curricular activities and struggling with issues, such as their emerging identity and personality, relationship matters, peer pressure and even bullying.

We tend to assume that it is typically older students, such as those in Secondary school onwards, who are affected by stress and mental health issues. However, it could also be that students in Primary school face their own types of stress, especially in the face of what some see as the "mother of all examinations" – the PSLE.

Mental wellness and peer support have been given more focus in schools over the years and MOE has also updated and revised its Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) curriculum for 2021. It would be good if schools, even Primary schools, were able to get more trained counsellors and psychologists to cater to the needs of these students facing challenges and difficulties in this area.

Pastoral counsellors do help to manage the mental and emotional wellness of the students. However, I feel that there is also a need to have career counselling for students as well.

While career counselling is typically associated with providing students who are graduating from University to help them sort out their professional post-University choices, I feel that it would be good to also provide career counselling to students earlier. This could be for students who are transitioning from Secondary school to their Junior College and Polytechnic education, as they can then be guided and advised about the choices that they make in the next step of their education journey. Often, students do not get sufficient guidance in these areas in terms of the industry or the profession in which they are interested.

Professional career counsellors should ideally be industry professionals with the appropriate industry and professional experience – very different from the experience offered by educators or teachers. Now, these counsellors could also have the industry connections and network to invite industry professionals into the school to help speak to the students. This will help engage students so that they can make choices that are obviously more informed choices.

I believe that MOE does provide this support via their Education and Career Guidance (ECG) platform, so it would be good to extend and enhance these resources so that every school perhaps could have its dedicated team of trained, professional career counsellors.

Catering to students' emotional and career needs will help put them on a road to a stable and secure future, giving them hope and a sense of purpose. I hope that MOE will continue to provide the required support in these areas.

Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong: Mr Chairman, may I take my cuts together?

The Chairman: Yes, please.

Support for Mental Well-being

Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong: Thank you. Home-based learning, more screen time, online lessons, examinations, CCAs, tuition, extra lessons for a myriad of activities. The fear of failure. A constant struggle. The environment for a student today has become vastly different from the one of the past. I am most concerned for the mental well-being of students. Minister of State Sun Xueling, too, shared similar concerns as she highlighted the importance of mental well-being and shared how crucial it was for those students who suffer not to feel stigmatised.

Despite COVID-19 and these evolving challenges, MOE has done well to consistently update and roll out new programmes to better prepare our next generation for the challenges ahead. Recently, there has been an update to the Character and Citizenship Education curriculum. Back in my time, it was called "好公民".

Minister Lawrence Wong shared that every teacher is not just a subject teacher but also a teacher of 21st century competencies and a teacher of citizenship and character. This resonates deeply with me as it is important to ground our students with the values and competencies that will put them in good stead to thrive in an uncertain future, to care for our fellow citizens and community.

Can I ask the Minister for Education to share more on the updated CCE and how it can support our students' mental well-being? Second cut.

Support Students with Special Needs

The current curriculum of special education is tailored to support children throughout their education roadmap. As part of any education system, there will be periods of transition between schools and programmes. These periods of transition may not be easy for many students with special needs. When not properly managed, they could cause disruption and much time is needed to adapt.

Can the Minister for Education share more on how intervention programmes today help our students with their transition as they enter Primary school and Secondary school?

Enhancing Support for Students with Special Educational Needs

Ms Rahayu Mahzam (Jurong): Every child is different and deserves to be given the opportunity to thrive and discover their true potential. Some may even have special needs and may need more support and guidance. However, this should not just translate into giving them special attention and help. What would be more meaningful is to empower and equip them with as many skills as possible so that they can be as independent as possible and could even contribute towards the economy and society in the future.

Further, it is also important to provide opportunities for them to integrate into the community. We could start by creating opportunities for them to learn and play alongside typically developing students in school.

I am sure many would not disagree with the vision of supporting our children with special needs and creating an inclusive and integrated learning environment for them. But the challenge comes in the implementation.

Firstly, there is a spectrum of needs and it may not be easy to truly customise and curate the curriculum and integrate students with varying needs. Secondly, a lot of resources are needed and educators need to be sufficiently knowledgeable and mentally prepared to manage the different students. Thirdly, there may be concerns about shortchanging the typically developing children if teachers need to accommodate those with special needs.

I understand the challenges but I believe there is great value in investing upstream to provide our students with special needs with the skills and preparing them for life. The cost of having to care for them in later years may be greater and this may result in a social burden to families and the community. More importantly, this group presents a potential resource which may not have been fully tapped.

In Israel, there have been efforts to train those who are in the autism spectrum for cybersecurity jobs and an artificial intelligence (AI) start-up has found that autistic people are highly suited to their business involving data annotation. These developments may still be at the nascent stage, but if we choose to view children with special needs as assets to the community, I am sure we will find a way to maximise their potential.

I would also argue that beyond benefiting the students with special needs, students who are typically developing also stand to gain a wealth of skills, values and knowledge that are crucial for the diverse workplace of the future. Learning in school should not be just about learning hard skills and knowledge like Mathematics and Science but also about the softer skills and values.

I believe it is in our interest to nurture a culture of inclusion, respect and understanding, and these values need to be inculcated from an early age.

I acknowledge that much has been done by schools but I believe we can enhance the existing efforts. To this end, I ask that the Ministry look at a few areas.

Firstly, could a review or some studies be done to look at developing fields where the skills and inclinations of the special needs students could be developed? A revised curriculum could then be curated to enhance the student's education experience and better maximise the child's potential.

Secondly, could the Ministry and schools also look at how to better equip and support educators to manage diverse student profiles? Beyond just sending them for training, could we look at understanding the challenges and providing sufficient resources to guide educators in this journey?

Thirdly, could schools look at intentionally creating platforms by adapting programmes, redesigning school spaces and setting aside time for cross-interaction during learning and play? We should look at how to regularise such interactions and teach students to respect each other and embrace differences. Schools are best placed to create opportunities to normalise acceptance of people with different abilities and celebrate different strengths.

I laud all the efforts taken by the Ministry thus far and sincerely hope that the Ministry would continue to build on existing programmes and initiatives.

Special Education Needs

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng (Jalan Besar): Sir, over the last 15 years, MOE has been paying increasing attention to and investing in students with special education needs, or SEN. This is deeply appreciated.

About 20% of students with SEN attend some 19 Special Education, or SPED, schools. The rest, 80%, attend mainstream schools in Singapore. A proportion of these students then move on to Institutions of Higher Learning, or IHLs.

First, on students with SEN at the IHL level. Sir, internships are vital to IHL students, offering them work exposure and boosting their chances of obtaining future employment. Many students with SEN find challenges in securing internship opportunities to get the authentic work experiences that they need. Without proper support, their chances in securing and completing the internships are low.

I, therefore, seek to find out the success rate of securing and completing internships for students with SEN in IHLs and how MOE is supporting the institutions and these students.

Next, turning to mainstream Primary and Secondary schools. Students with SEN in the mainstream schools follow the national curriculum set by MOE. Their eligibility for the next level of education often weighs heavily on their academic scores and the academic subjects understandably take precedence during curriculum time. Teachers and supporting Allied Educators often give the feedback that there is insufficient time and expertise to build and coach these students in non-academic life skills, which they often badly need.

Can MOE update on its plans to provide more support so that students with SEN in mainstream schools are better prepared for their next phase of life – either to the IHLs, the next level of learning, or for work? Is there another model different from the current model that might work?

Finally, on Special Education, or SPED, schools, which are run in collaboration with disability social service agencies, or SSAs.

Many SPED students in SPED schools need a longer pathway or runway to learn both literacy and life skills. The runway is even longer with the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. More than the rest of their peers, SPED school students badly need lifelong learning.

Recent years saw interesting developments in the special education sector: (a) an increasing number of SPED schools in Singapore; (b) an increase in secondment of MOE career mainstream principals to run special schools; and (c) an increase in MOE headquarters' SPED management, control and reporting requirements.

Tight governance, compliance and reporting are all very critical matters whenever resources, public or community, are expended. But for especially the SPED sector, where challenges abound, the Government needs to find a better way to bring out the best in its disability charity partners and the community assets that the latter can harness.

I have three suggestions for MOE's favourable consideration: (a) conduct a joint visioning exercise amongst key stakeholder groups on the SPED schools of the future; (b) develop alliances for action to effectively look into how the sector can innovatively better the education and life outcomes for these students; and (c) design and pilot lifelong learning SPED schools with willing partners and sponsors for the major disability groups.

I look forward to MOE's considered and favourable response.

Para Sports Education in Schools

Mr Mark Chay (Nominated Member): Mr Chairman, it is encouraging that inclusion has been a consistent theme in our recent Budgets. In sports, medals are won in seconds and those fleeting moments belie years of effort. Our training towards inclusion has just begun and I am concerned whether we are committed enough to reach the podium.

Not many of you know that para-athlete Theresa Goh and I represented Singapore in Athens 2004 – I at the Olympics and her in the Paralympics. I learned about the Paralympic Movement then and, over the years, got to know more para-athletes. In 2019, I found little hesitance in deciding to become Yip Pin Xiu's coach even though I have never coached anyone with disabilities before.

We share the same passion, spoke the language and I soon learned that we have more similarities between us than differences. I felt confident in adapting what I know with what she needs to enact her Paralympic success.

Typically, when a child expresses an aspiration to become an Olympian, we can guide the child to pursue this aspiration through CCAs and clubs. But what if the child has disabilities? Can appropriate advice and encouragement be given to them? Does the child have to be contented with just inclusive physical education (PE)?

There is no doubt we need to play the long game for inclusion and I have two suggestions to make.

First, our educators must understand the Paralympics. Most Singaporeans already know what the Olympics are, but not its parallel movement.

Second, support our educators with additional resources to teach youths.

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Both suggestions have been tried and tested by the Singapore Disability Sports Council through two pilots: The I'mPOSSIBLE programme that attracted over 250 educators to undergo training on the Paralympic movement. and Project ParABLE, a Temasek Foundation-sponsored pilot that offers resources, such as athlete ambassadors and equipment, to bring para-sports experiences to all students.

We should evaluate how we can allocate resources to continue and extend such support to all schools to get us closer to the podium goal of sustainable inclusion.

Update on SkillsFuture Initiatives

Mr Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang): Mr Chairman, the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown into sharp relief the importance of reskilling and upskilling opportunities for our workforce. Through some of these programmes, Singaporeans equip themselves with the necessary skills to take up new roles in the in-demand sectors. Even for those who are still in the midst of their job search, learning new skills through the various courses offered by SkillsFuture has helped them to stay confident and productive.

Can the Ministry share details on further efforts to support Singaporeans to learn for life through the SkillsFuture movement? What are the latest statistics concerning SkillsFuture Credit usage? Can we look forward to another round of SkillsFuture Credit top up?

As more people stay at home and spend time online, this has led to a surge in interest in online educational content. Being able to attend classes anytime from the comfort of their homes is a boon for many busy adults juggling multiple commitments. Will SkillsFuture look into encouraging this trend of learning online, even when safe distancing measures are relaxed?

What are the plans for the next phase of SkillsFuture to facilitate the pursuit of skills mastery and development? What are the measures of success for the SkillsFuture initiative?

Increasing Training Efficacy

Mr Sharael Taha (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Mr Chairman, we continue to invest in our people and in providing for more support through SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package for our workers.

Of the many upgrading courses available, many are on digital skills. These courses need to translate into real changes. How can we increase the efficacy of these trainings into driving real digital transformation? Can we consider measuring success through transformation-driven metrics rather than course take-up rates? A tiered approach can be used, where applicable, to provide basic subsidy for attending the course and enhanced subsidy if the employee drives a change to the business. An example is the lean sigma black belt course, which is an operational excellence training course where a participant receives his certification only after showing a $1 million operational improvement to his organisation.

Enterprise Pillar of Skills Eco-system

Ms Mariam Jaafar: The work-from-home trend driven by COVID-19 has accelerated the realisation that work can be done from anywhere in the world. While this is often couched in terms of a warning to workers in terms of higher competition for jobs in our market that could be done from outside Singapore, it is, in fact, also an opportunity, for our workers to take on jobs anywhere in the world.

An unfortunate casualty of COVID-19 is that the pace at which we can pursue learning and growth opportunities in the region has decreased, as borders remain closed. Schools have had to cancel overseas learning trips and exchange programmes and some companies have scaled back on their regionalisation and internationalisation ambitions.

Chairman, I am grateful for many things in my life but one of the things I am most grateful for is to have had the opportunity to study and work in the US and, for the past few more years, just spend most of my time working with clients in the region.

Besides gaining an understanding of the market and the ability to work on different types of projects, overseas work experience has many other benefits, including learning to work with diverse teams, cultivating an open mind, enhancing independence and adaptability, and gaining a sense of perspective, empathy, humility and gratitude. While the benefits are clearly greater when teams are co-located in the market, there is still a lot to be gained from working with virtual teams in another market and I have lived this on my own. As a consultant, I used to spend 45 days a year away from home and the circuit breaker seemed like the end of the world. But we have adapted and we have learnt that we can still deliver projects and deliver great value – staff teams in any of the countries from regions around the world – with technology.

The Government has recently strengthened the enterprise pillar of the skills eco-system with many exciting reskilling programmes driven by Queen Bee global companies, many of which provide support to place graduates of the programmes into local positions within Singapore firms in their eco-system. At this point, I should declare that I work for one of such companies.

Can we lean in on the Queen Bee global companies that we are partnering with in our various skills programmes to provide opportunities for our students in schools and our trainees in our skills programmes to gain exposure and experience working on projects and internships with teams outside of Singapore, while remaining in Singapore, as the world continues to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, and perhaps even be considered for employment with companies overseas today, and even more after we are all vaccinated and the opportunities of the world are open for us again?

Next Bound of SkillsFuture

Ms Foo Mee Har (West Coast): Chairman, I declare my interest as CEO of WMI, an education institute.

COVID-19 brought significant disruption to the global economy and, with it, also permanent changes to the job landscape. We witnessed a unique situation, where millions of workers became unemployed on one hand and significant numbers of new jobs created on the other. The skills mismatch has never been more stark.

Whilst Singapore has managed to keep unemployment at bay with generous job support schemes, many have flagged under-employment as the bigger issue. A trend has been observed in a recent Joint Autonomous Universities Graduate Employment Survey. It reported that fewer Singapore graduates secured permanent full-time jobs in 2020, along with a spike in part-time and temporary employment, amidst the pandemic.

As Singapore shifts its focus towards recovery and emerging stronger, we need to accelerate support for Singaporeans to pick up skills they need to move into new jobs and new sectors. The Government, employers and workers need to join forces to embrace reskilling pathways to address the skills mismatch.

According to a Harvard Business Review article, reskilling refers not only to learning specific job technical skills but also to acquiring core competencies, such as adaptability, communication, collaboration and creativity. The process of reskilling successfully for a new job or to carry out new tasks requires significant commitments of time and investment.

For example, the General Assembly's immersive courses that help participants gain skills for jobs in technology, data and other digital roles, typically take 480 hours of live instruction, either online or in a physical classroom, are often delivered over an intense 12-week period. So, how do we evolve our SkillsFuture training eco-system to adopt similar teaching pedagogy like General Assembly, to provide learners with skills accorded in a more formal learning experience with clear links to job performance outcomes? With significant job opportunities in the care, digital and green economy, how can we evolve our reskilling pathways to train for skills needed in these sectors?

Sir, I called, in Parliament last year, for the setting up of an Industry Skills Training Scheme to be led by employers and industry groups. The set-up of the industry academies to provide high quality certified courses to support acquisition of skills and capabilities in demand by industry is critical to support reskilling efforts.

The introduction of SkillsFuture Queen Bee companies is a good initiative. Queen Bee industry leaders, such as IBM and Google can leverage their best practices, cutting-edge know-how and training solutions to level up the skills capability of companies in the network. Also, the partnership between Goggle, EDB, IMDA and SkillsFuture Singapore for the Skills Ignition SG has the potential to boost jobseekers' employment and employability.

So, I would like to ask: how can SkillsFuture Queen Bee programme and Goggle-type initiatives be expanded to bring more industry leaders onboard the reskilling effort?

The Chairman: Minister Lawrence Wong.

The Minister for Education (Mr Lawrence Wong): Mr Chairman, much has been said about the wide-reaching impact of COVID-19. It has forced us to question assumptions we have long taken for granted and it has changed the way we live, work, study and play.

In many countries, the impact has been felt sharply by students. Schools have been closed for months; some students have not seen their teachers face-to-face for more than a year. Worse, the issue has been politicised in some places, creating sharp divisions between parents, teachers and even teacher unions. Many worry that this will impact a whole generation of children, not just struggling to keep up in their studies, but also finding it difficult later to catch up in their skills, job prospects and incomes.

Fortunately, this has not happened in Singapore. We had to close schools and move to full home-based learning for a month during the circuit breaker. But for the most part, we have been able to keep schools open and ensure learning continues seamlessly. For this, we owe a debt of gratitude to all our educators for their hard work and sacrifices, their ability to adapt and respond quickly, and their dedication to keep our schools and students safe. So, I would like to put on record in this House my thanks to all our educators in Singapore. [Applause.]

Beyond the immediate impact it has had on our schools, COVID-19 has added greater urgency to our "Learn for Life" movement and crystallised what our priorities are moving forward. As Ms Denise Phua said, it has given us an opportunity to re-imagine what our education system could be like in a post-COVID-19 world, and I assure her that that is something we are committed to doing. We are not constrained by legacy thinking or existing ways of doing things. No programme or structure in our education system is beyond scrutiny or re-examination. We may put back the stone after turning it over and there may well be good reasons for the stone to be there, but we will continue to pick it up again and again and we will take a closer look from time to time.

In fact, since joining MOE, the question I have been asked the most is: what can I do to better prepare for a more uncertain, turbulent and volatile future? And I think many young people and their parents hope for some guidance on what course of study would give them a head-start. But, in fact, there is no "right" or "ideal" subject to choose.

Whatever a student studies in school, the content knowledge will need to be constantly refreshed and updated throughout their careers. For example, many young people today want to learn how to code and that is a good thing. Today, many learn Python. A few years later, they will have to confront new apps, devices and programming languages. So, students have to be prepared to constantly upgrade themselves and take on multiple jobs throughout their lifetimes. In fact, some of the jobs they will do in the future may not even exist today.

In such a world, what is more important is the ability to learn how to learn, to keep on learning and re-learning and to enjoy doing so. We want our students to read widely, ask critical questions, analyse data, formulate ideas and to communicate well. Most of all, we want them to be curious, to enjoy the learning adventure enough to do this repeatedly throughout life, discovering new wonders each time. And that is why we have been making bold changes in our education system to move away from the over-emphasis on grades and examination results and to nurture a generation of students who enjoy learning and are not bogged down by chasing every last mark.

As Mr Patrick Tay said just now, we want our system to be ready, relevant and resilient. So, we continue to improve, to learn from other systems and to try out new approaches. Whatever changes we make, we do so carefully and thoughtfully, not just blindly copying others, but making sure there are genuine benefits and value.

Today, let me share about three of MOE's priorities over the coming years: first, to equip our students with competencies and skills beyond book knowledge; second, to support learning through multiple diverse pathways and throughout life; third, to uplift our students and ensure they develop to their fullest potential, regardless of starting point.

4.00 pm

Let me start with how we are developing in our students a broader set of foundational skills and core competencies needed to thrive in today’s fast-changing world. This is something several Members spoke about earlier, including Ms Denise Phua, Mr Leon Perera and Ms Hazel Poa, and I agree with them that it is important to develop these skills. The competencies that matter for success in the real world go well beyond academic abilities. They include skills like effective communication and teamwork, creativity and innovation, curiosity, resilience and grit.

We often call these 21st Century Competencies, or 21CCs, and we are committed to strengthening the teaching of such life skills across our education system. It is not so easy to test or develop KPIs for such skills. The outcomes are not always easily measured, and must be observed over time. So, we take a practical approach. In schools, our teachers actively look out for these traits in our students. We also participate in international benchmarking studies. And what is encouraging is that our students do outperform their peers in some areas, like cross-cultural skills and dispositions, and collaborative problem solving. Of course, there is also room to improve in other areas, like adapting to new challenges and the preparedness to embrace failure. So, we have made progress but there are some areas where we can do better and we will continue to do more to emphasise 21CCs throughout the entire education journey.

In schools, one important approach is through Character and Citizenship Education, or CCE. We are progressively rolling out a new curriculum for CCE that will equip our students with the competencies to be more future-ready. The revised curriculum will further anchor our students on strong values, teach them to appreciate diverse perspectives, strengthen their mental resilience and make them more cyber-savvy. CCE will not just be delivered through dedicated lessons. But it will also be interwoven more deliberately throughout school lessons and activities, as part of the everyday school experience. And Minister of State Sun Xueling will provide more details later in her speech.

We are also learning from our experience with Home-Based Learning, or HBL, and are incorporating Blended Learning strategies in schools – where students learn not just in classrooms, but also at their own pace at home, enabled by technology.

In particular, we will schedule HBL as a regular feature of the curriculum. We will introduce around two days of HBL a month in Secondary schools, and it can be slightly more for Pre-University. That is between 10% to 20% of curriculum time, depending on the level. So, it is a meaningful and important part of the curriculum. And every Secondary school student will own a Personal Learning Device – a laptop or tablet – to support Blended Learning by the end of the year.

The key motivation for doing this is to give our students more flexibility to chart their own learning and to equip them with important skills, like initiative, discipline and self-management.

Besides curriculum coverage, HBL days will also include dedicated time for student-initiated learning, where students can explore areas of personal interest outside the curriculum, like learning a foreign language or musical instrument. And we hope this will fuel our students’ intrinsic motivation to learn, and help them discover their interests and passions.

Beyond HBL and Blended Learning, our teachers are also transforming the in-class learning experience, to be more inquiry-based and experiential. Last week, I visited Lakeside Primary School, which is piloting the use of immersive technology to enhance learning. I joined a Primary 5 class for their Science lesson on the human respiratory system. Very relevant in the pandemic, as all of us know. We put on virtual reality (VR) goggles, we examined a pair of lungs up close in a VR environment and learned about how the lungs function. It was wonderful to see how engaged the students were – they were enjoying themselves, they were curious, and asking many questions and excited about learning.

And that is just one example of the kind of holistic teaching and learning that our schools are engaged in today. And we will continue to find new ways to ignite our students’ curiosity and support their development into self-directed and passionate life-long learners.

Besides schools, the Institutes of Higher Learning, the IHLs, are also looking at more holistic education outcomes, something which Mr Darryl David spoke passionately about. They are fundamentally re-thinking existing structures and methods to better meet today’s demands and they are also sharpening their focus on the inculcation of life skills that are important across all disciplines.

For example, IHLs are putting greater emphasis on experiential learning through projects outside the classroom. Such applied and hands-on experiences help to impart valuable skills like teamwork and negotiation. Often, industry partners are brought on board, giving our students valuable exposure in tackling real-world issues.

Another important change is the expansion of interdisciplinary learning in our IHLs’ curriculum. This builds on the broad-based education provided in our schools, where our students are exposed to a wide range of subjects. We recognise that some of the best thinking happens when different fields, ideas and disciplines intersect. And that is why it is important to expose students to different ways of thinking; to develop hybrid skills, as Ms Phua highlighted just now. It is similar to how an athlete does cross-training to exercise different key muscle groups. So, interdisciplinary learning is something that is happening across our IHLs.

These systematic changes are being made at the Autonomous Universities (AUs) and Polytechnics. For example, the Universities are enhancing the common curricula for their undergraduates, to equip them with core skills and multidisciplinary knowledge; and give students more room to pursue electives that they enjoy. As students start specialising in particular disciplines, they will also be given greater flexibility to pursue double degrees, double majors, minors and electives. Likewise, similar shifts are being made in the Polytechnics, where students will be exposed to a greater breadth of learning and modules.

When it comes to teaching and learning outcomes, our educators are at the forefront of all our efforts. They, too, believe strongly in developing students holistically, and in nurturing key values and competencies.

So, MOE will do more to support our teachers in this important work.

First, to strengthen our educators’ skills in CCE, we will establish a new Centre for CCE at the National Institute of Education. This centre will work with schools to strengthen CCE learning, conduct relevant research, and provide thought leadership. Our goal is for every teacher to be a CCE teacher and we will provide them full support to achieve this.

Second, we will launch a new Centre for Teaching and Learning Excellence. We now have one such Centre at Yusof Ishak Secondary School. It allows teachers to train in situ, strengthening the nexus between research, theory and practice. Teachers are able to participate in master classes and demonstration classes, apply their learning in an authentic classroom setting, and explore innovative ideas in curriculum and pedagogy. The Centre has received good feedback from Secondary school teachers. So, to support our Primary school teachers, we will start a new Centre for Teaching and Learning Excellence at New Town Primary School from this year.

I thank Mr Louis Ng for his appreciation of the difficult and important work that our teachers do, and his suggestions to improve the appraisal framework for our teachers. MOE shares his desire for a more effective performance management system, and we will refine and calibrate how to do this better over time. We will continue to use our regular dialogue sessions with the Public Service Division and the teachers’ unions, to ensure that our appraisal framework is relevant, fair and motivates performance and development.

We will also look out for the well-being of teachers in specialised subjects like Arts, Music, PE and Mother Tongue, something which Mr Patrick Tay highlighted earlier. We will continue to run comprehensive staff engagement surveys, something which we are already doing. We will do more of that. We will engage all our teachers and support them holistically in their professional development as well as their career progression.

Our second priority area is to provide more diverse and flexible pathways for learning. Whenever I visit our schools and tertiary institutions, I see an incredible diversity of talents and passions amongst our youths. Every student is unique, and we must do our utmost to empower each of them to learn, grow and thrive.

That is why we are pressing on with major structural changes in our education system, to provide more flexibility for our students to customise their learning experiences, and embrace a wider spectrum of strengths and talents through diverse pathways and through every phase of their learning.

One major reform being implemented this year is our PSLE scoring system. It will support a shift away from an over-emphasis on academic results. Because with wider scoring bands, there is no need to chase every last mark. Every student will be measured on their own progress and can set their own goals, regardless of how their peers performed. More schools will also have the same cut-off point. So, we encourage parents and students to look beyond cut-off points and pick a school based on its programmes, its ethos and culture, and that best fits the student’s interests and aptitudes.

Mr Baey Yam Keng and Mr Gerald Giam spoke about this and, indeed, MOE has been progressively preparing students and engaging parents for these changes. In particular, our teachers will continue to advise parents and students on the subject combination that best caters to the student’s pace of learning, based on their learning outcomes, aptitude and attitude.

But this is not cast in stone. So, if a student who initially takes a subject at the Foundation level shows improvement, then the school will support them to take the subject at the Standard-level for PSLE. Students who do well in their Foundation subject at PSLE or later can also take subjects at a more demanding level in Secondary school. MOE will continue to put out more information and engage parents on these PSLE changes. In fact, in the next few months, we will provide the indicative Achievement Level cut-off points for each individual school, simulated based on the latest 2020 PSLE results.

But each time we put out this information, I think parents will look at all the details very carefully and I want to remind everyone that the PSLE is just one checkpoint of many in the education journey. I think Mr Darryl David just now said it is the "mother of all examinations". It is not. It is only one checkpoint of many throughout one's education journey and the changes to the PSLE are part of a bigger move to provide flexible pathways for learning, and to avoid locking a student into any fixed path in Secondary school and beyond.

We are enhancing such porosity in our Secondary schools through another major structural change – and that is Full Subject-Based Banding, or Full SBB. We have been piloting Full SBB in 28 schools since last year. In these schools, students of different academic abilities are placed in mixed form classes, and they can offer additional subjects at a more demanding level. And the initial findings from these pilot schools are very encouraging. Students in the mixed form classes are learning well and they are making friends with classmates from different courses. More importantly, they are learning to respect and appreciate each other’s differences and strengths. And with a greater diversity of perspectives, classroom discussions are richer and livelier. Some students attempting subjects at a more demanding level were naturally apprehensive at the start. But with support and encouragement from their teachers and classmates, they have been progressing well in their learning and enjoying their lessons.

The implementation of Full SBB is not a trivial exercise. Significant adjustments are needed: our schools in the arrangement of classes and timetables; our teachers in how they design and teach classes for varying student profiles; and our students in their mindsets and attitudes towards learning. So, I am glad that everyone has risen to the challenge and embraced these changes and we are on track to implementing Full SBB across the system.

4.15 pm

We will continue to learn from the experiences of the pilot schools, and more schools will come on board the Full SBB. In particular, about 30 more schools will come on board Full SBB next year, and we will roll out Full SBB to the remaining Secondary schools over 2023 and 2024.

We will then see the end of streaming and a new approach across all our Secondary schools – giving students greater agency in their own education, and more opportunities to develop their diverse strengths and interests.

We are also expanding and enhancing our post-Secondary pathways to better support students with different abilities and talents and to ensure that they have more opportunities to progress to post-Secondary courses that are in line with their interests and strengths.

In particular, we will take steps to enhance our Polytechnic and ITE education, to ensure that it remains responsive to the aspirations of our students and the needs of our future economy. Second Minister Maliki Osman is leading a comprehensive review of opportunities and pathways in applied education, and will share more about this later. Let me share briefly some of our thinking.

In the Polytechnics, we are looking to expand the Common Entry Programmes (CEPs). Through the CEP, students benefit from exposure to different course options within the cluster as well as career guidance support. It allows them to discover their interests and strengths, and better understand the nature of each course, before they decide on a specific diploma course.

We will also enhance the ITE pathway. Today, ITE offers two-year Nitec programmes, and Higher Nitec programmes most of which are two years in duration. Around 30% of Nitec graduates today do not progress to Higher Nitec or other publicly-funded upgrading pathways. We want to do more to help these students. So, we are reviewing the ITE curriculum structure to see how to enable more ITE students to attain and benefit from a Higher Nitec certification.

Many ITE students want to pursue a diploma, and we will help them do so. Some do well at ITE and they go on to the Polytechnics. ITE itself offers Technical diplomas and Work Study diplomas. These are different from the Polytechnic diplomas as they put greater emphasis on technical and applied learning, and they integrate work experience into the education journey. We will expand these distinctive diploma offerings in ITE, so that more students can benefit.

Ms Foo Mee Har spoke about quality Private Education Institutions and how they can complement our public system and fill talent gaps in specialised fields like the arts. Indeed, MOE believes strongly in the need to nurture more diverse talents through our multiple education pathways. In our next phase of development, we will need this diversity of talent – in STEM and also in the arts, design and media.

We will, therefore, take steps to strengthen arts education in Singapore. Today, LASALLE College of the Arts (LASALLE) and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) are our home-grown private arts education institutions, supported by the Government. They offer specialised arts and design diplomas as well as degree programmes in partnership with overseas universities, like Goldsmiths, the Royal College of Music, and the University of the Arts London.

The programmes are subsidised by MOE, enabling students to access a quality and affordable arts education. They have attracted high-quality faculty, many of whom have contributed significantly to the wider cultural sector in Singapore. Their graduates have also forged diverse and successful careers and contributed to our society and the economy.

I have discussed with the boards and management teams in both institutions. We recognise that LASALLE and NAFA have grown from strength to strength over the years to become centres of artistic excellence, with their own unique character and strengths. We want to retain these distinctive identities.

At the same time, both institutions recognise the opportunity to come together and forge closer collaboration, and to leverage their respective strengths and traditions.

So, MOE, with MCCY's support, will work with LASALLE and NAFA to establish an alliance between the two institutions. Because of the quality and standards that both LASALLE and NAFA have achieved, I am happy to share that MOE will grant the alliance its own degree-awarding powers, and also confer it University status. So, this will be our first University of the Arts in Singapore.

It will be a private University, supported by the Government, with LASALLE and NAFA as its two constituent colleges. In other words, both will remain as distinct colleges offering their own programmes, and the University will draw on strengths from both colleges and drive synergies between them. For example, students in future can benefit from a more diverse range of offerings, with more opportunities to access cross-institution modules and projects, as well as share learning resources.

Faculty can look forward to more opportunities for joint academic collaborations. More importantly, we envisage the University to contribute more to cultural life in Singapore and the region, and to offer a stronger value proposition to its students and stakeholders. I have provided a broad sketch of what this alliance will look like in the future. There is a lot of work to be done in putting this together. MOE has appointed a Pro-Tem committee chaired by Professor Chan Heng Chee to oversee the implementation.

I hope the new Arts University will take tertiary arts education in Singapore to greater heights, enabling our youths with strengths and talents in this field to maximise their potential and contribute to our economy and our society.

Our efforts to expand pathways and opportunities are not limited to the schooling years. In the past, most of us saw education and the workplace as two separate worlds. So, we have a fixed period of education, frontloaded when we are young, followed by a fixed period of work. But this model is no longer relevant today. We need a rotational model, where work and education are rotated through one's career, and there are multiple entry points for education through life. And that is an important shift we are making across our entire system.

So, we have to look at the University Cohort Participation Rate, or the CPR, in this broader context. As suggested by Mr Gerald Giam, we will continue to review the CPR periodically, taking into consideration the manpower needs of the economy. But the CPR for fresh school-leavers is just one pathway to University. We have also expanded opportunities for working adults to pursue a degree, for example, through part-time degree programmes. So, those who wish to enter the workforce first can get a clearer sense of their interests and areas they want to deepen their skills in, and then make more informed choices about upgrading later.

The pandemic has also thrown into sharp relief how essential reskilling and upskilling are for our workers today. And this is why MOE has enhanced our support for Singaporeans and companies to pursue workplace training during this period. The various schemes have helped our fresh graduates from University, Polytechnics and ITE. It has cushioned the impact of the pandemic and allowed us to avoid the high unemployment rates seen in many other countries. We are also paying close attention to mid-career workers whose jobs are impacted and who need help through work transitions.

Mr Patrick Tay suggested that we allow PMEs with a local degree to reskill with a second subsidised degree. I appreciate the intent behind this, but a full-time four-year degree programme may not be the best way for a mid-career worker to retrain to enter a new sector. So, we will have to review and enhance the various modular pathways to support career transitions, especially into growth sectors.

I agree fully with Mr Patrick Tay that the IHLs are our key partners in this endeavour. They serve not just as a bridge that students cross to enter the workforce, but also a companion for all Singaporeans in their journey of lifelong learning.

Overall, MOE is committed to further strengthening this culture of lifelong learning – not just for work reasons, but as a habit and as a way of life. Minister of State Gan Siow Huang will say more about this later in her speech.

Let me move on to the third and final area – how we are uplifting every student, regardless of starting point or background. Reducing inequality and strengthening social mobility has always been our priority, even before COVID-19. We have made significant moves over the years to ensure that education continues to be an effective social leveller in Singapore. For example, we have invested in quality and affordable pre-school education. We have ensured that those without a conducive home environment can benefit from school-based Student Care Centres and after-school engagement. We are working more closely with community partners to strengthen wrap-around support for disadvantaged students and their families; and we are also providing more support for children with special needs, both in our mainstream schools and in dedicated special education schools. Second Minister Maliki Osman and Minister of State Sun Xueling will share more on these as well in their speeches.

This commitment to uplift every child is also reflected in our approach to resourcing schools. Mr Patrick Tay, Assoc Prof Jamus Lim and Ms Hazel Poa spoke about class sizes.

Ms Poa, in particular, highlighted that there had been a sharp reduction in the teaching force. I believe she is referring to figures from the Budget Book, and I should clarify that there had been some definitional changes in the Budget Book figures over the years. So, these may not provide a meaningful year-to-year comparison. In fact, a better source of information to look at the size of our teaching force that is deployed in schools is the Education Statistics Digest which we publish and is made available online. If you look at the data, it will show that while there has been a slight decline in recent years, we have broadly maintained the size of our teaching force. At its peak, it was about 33,000 or slightly over 33,000 a few years ago. Now, it is about 32,000. So, just a slight decline, not the sharp fall that Ms Poa highlighted.

Also, it is more relevant to compare our teacher numbers with our student enrolment numbers. So, you have got to look at the teaching force in context, compared with student enrolment. When we compute the Pupil-Teacher-Ratio (PTR) in our school system, we find a very clear trend. Over the last decade, the PTR has improved, from about 19 and 16 in 2010, for Primary and Secondary school levels, to about 15 and 12 currently. And this is comparable to the OECD averages.

So, the question is really about how we choose to allocate our teachers across our education system. Today, we are deliberate in deploying them where they can maximise their impact, as part of our needs-based resourcing approach. So, we deploy more teachers for students at the earliest grade levels or for those with greater needs. For example, our Learning Support Programmes run in class sizes of 8 to 10.

Foundation subjects in upper Primary are taught in smaller classes, between 10 to 20 students in most instances. Classes are also generally smaller for Secondary students in the Normal (Technical) course. Compared to other OECD countries, we also devote a larger share of our teachers' time to important activities that are crucial for students' holistic development, like CCAs, professional development and lesson preparation.

So, when Members cite our larger class sizes compared to OECD norms, I hope they understand that it is not that we have fewer teachers, compared to other countries. Assoc Prof Jamus Lim also suggested that it is our heavy reliance on private tuition that plays a part in our students doing well in international benchmarks.

But really, that is not being very fair to our teachers who work so hard and give so much of themselves for every child in school. In fact, the OECD and other research point to teacher quality as being the critical element in influencing student learning and performance.

So, we have capable, motivated and a first-rate team of teachers, and we will continue to invest in them and focus their time on what matters.

This means continuing to reduce the amount of time teachers spend on lesson, marking, and administrative work, including through the use of technological tools and additional manpower support. And wherever possible, we will certainly look at having smaller class sizes in more areas, especially in subjects where students may benefit from more interaction and more space for discussion.

The bottom line is this – MOE will continue to secure as much resources as we can for the Ministry and we will deploy our teachers in a way that achieves the best outcomes for every child. Whatever resources we have, MOE will have to prioritise them to achieve our desired outcomes.

4.30 pm

Ms Hazel Poa asked for more support for those who are outside the mainstream system, including home-schoolers and those in private schools. We will continue to look into these suggestions. But I hope everyone understands that resources are always going to be constrained, and we will need to prioritise them for students in our national system.

For example, we are seeing students from disadvantaged backgrounds with complex needs – not just in academic and learning support but also in other areas. That is why we have piloted in some schools a more holistic "whole-school" approach. In other words, beyond support for specific needs through more teachers, these schools are also provided with extra general resourcing – including Student Welfare Officers and Allied Educators. The schools then have the flexibility to identify, monitor and extend support to such students. This goes beyond just academic support; it includes mentoring, motivational and even holiday programmes.

Let me share how such a holistic "whole-school" approach has benefited one student. She had little motivation to attend school, often playing truant, or turning up late for school. She struggled academically and had difficulties getting along with her classmates. Teachers recognised that her behaviour stemmed from broader issues – low self-esteem, her strained relationship with her parents, and her family's financial difficulties.

So, her school enrolled her in a mentoring programme, where a volunteer mentor helped her to better understand the challenges she faced and how to overcome them. She participated in group bonding sessions with her peers to strengthen her communication and life skills. Her teachers provided her extra support for her schoolwork; while the school counsellor organised counselling sessions for her and her mother. Her family also received financial support from the school.

Today, things are looking up for this student. She is motivated and engaged in school, participating actively in class and her CCA. Her grades have picked up, and her relationships with her parents and classmates have improved. This arose from an actual pilot that we have started. So, we will study the findings from the pilot, and consider how to expand such holistic support to more schools with similar profiles of students who are disadvantaged and vulnerable.

One important aspect of a rich and meaningful school experience is the CCAs and activities outside the classroom. CCAs provide opportunities to develop character, resilience, team spirit and leadership. They are important platforms where students from different schools, different backgrounds and races can interact with one another and form lifelong friendships. It is important we give all our students such exposure. That is how appreciation and respect for diversity is imbued at a young age.

So, I have asked the MOE team to study how we can better support our schools in this area, and ensure that students across all our schools can have a full CCA experience based on their passion and interests.

The importance of keeping our schools open to students from all backgrounds is also reflected in our Primary 1 registration framework. In this framework, we give priority to some groups like children of school alumni because we want families to build connections to their schools, and for each school to develop its own tradition, history and identity.

At the same time, we do not want our Primary schools to become closed circles, which you can only access if your parents or siblings went there. It was for this reason that MOE set aside 40 places for children who have no prior connection with the school in Primary 1 – 20 in Phase 2B and 20 in Phase 2C – with priority given to those who live near the school. This has helped to give every Singaporean child a chance to enter a Primary school of their choice.

In recent years, we have seen competition for spaces in more popular schools intensify, and more schools having to ballot to allocate places. Such popular schools are not limited to any particular locality. Some people have a perception, only certain area have such popular schools. That is not true. Such popular schools are found across all our towns in Singapore.

As a result, even with the 20 places set aside for Phase 2C, some children do not get to attend a school near their home. I am sure Members have received such appeals before. We receive these appeals at the Ministry and we are sympathetic, because there are many good reasons why children should be able to get a place in one of the schools near where they live.

So, I agree with Mr Patrick Tay and Mr Shawn Huang that we should try to increase the number of places set aside under Phase 2C. This is the open phase for those who do not enjoy any form of priority admissions, and is, therefore, based on home-school distance. We are reviewing the P1 Framework to see how to do this in an appropriate manner. Of course, we recognise that any increase in places for Phase 2C would mean greater competition under the earlier phases for the more popular schools

We will have to study this carefully and balance the competing demands – to give Singaporean children and their families a better chance at their school of choice, particularly, if it is near their home, while still recognising the merits of providing some priority to certain groups. Ultimately, I want to reassure Members that MOE remains committed to ensuring the quality of every Primary school. Wherever our children go for their studies, they will be well served, and well supported to reach their fullest potential.

Mr Chairman, may I say a few words in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] COVID-19 has brought us many new challenges, and also reinforced the importance of 21st Century Competencies such as creative thinking and resilience, which are needed to thrive in future.

Knowledge may be finite, butthe world is fast changing and unpredictable. Hence, other than knowledge, we should develop in our students a broader set of skills including adaptability and a love for lifelong learning.

It is also vital that we shape strong values and character, which are the bedrock of every child's success. We will interweave CCE more deliberately throughout our students' entire school experience to teach them to be cyber-savvy, mentally strong, and to appreciate different perspectives.

Bilingualism will also continue to be integral to our education system and national identity. A strong foundation in our mother tongues will enable our students to better appreciate their heritage and values and take on opportunities in a rising Asia.

We will continue to transform and reimagine education to ensure that our students are future-ready. But MOE will not be able to do this alone. Our communities and families also have a part to play to lay down the foundations for our children to develop. We look forward to continuing our partnership in education with our many stakeholders, to bring out the best in every child.

(In English): Let me conclude. The pandemic poses huge challenges for countries everywhere. But it is also an opportunity to transform and re-imagine education, and to start realising a vision for the future of learning where our children learn with joy, rigour and purpose in schools and beyond.

MOE is seizing this window of opportunity to equip our students with a broader range of competencies; to develop more diverse and flexible pathways of learning through life; and to uplift every child, regardless of their starting point. We will stay open to new ideas and we will continue to engage in careful and thoughtful experimentation to keep our education system ready for the future.

MOE cannot do this work alone. We work with many stakeholders, including our educators, parents and the community at large. So, all of us have a role to play to encourage our children to pursue their passions and interests, instead of focusing only on their academic results; and to be open to the different pathways our children can take throughout life, empowering them to find one that best suits them.

We all have a shared interest in bringing out the best in our children. I look forward to continuing and strengthening our partnership in education, to nurture our next generation, and shape the future of our nation together. [Applause]

The Second Minister for Education (Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman): Mr Chairman, MOE is committed to bring out the best in every student, regardless of their starting point in life.

The Uplifting Pupils in Life and Inspiring Families Taskforce, or UPLIFT, was set up in 2018. Through UPLIFT, we aim to safeguard social mobility and strengthen support for students from disadvantaged families, by helping them to achieve their full potential.

Like Mr Eric Chua, many of us have come across these students in our work. They face challenges like irregular attendance, and some struggle with self-confidence and motivation. Oftentimes, we find that they lack a structured home environment after school. While the number of students facing these challenges is small, MOE is committed to ensure that all students have the support that they need to do their best and to grow up well.

One of UPLIFT's key strategies is to strengthen after-school care and support, especially for those who do not have conducive home environments. I am pleased to inform Mr Don Wee that we have set up a Student Care Centre, or SCC, in every Primary school since last year.

The school-based SCCs provide a safe and nurturing environment for students after school hours, where they can enjoy lunch, an afternoon snack, complete their homework and participate in various enrichment activities. Schools prioritise their students from disadvantaged backgrounds when allocating SCC places, and are committed to expanding capacity where necessary.

We are concerned about students who may benefit from the SCCs but are not currently enrolled. Thus, all Primary schools have started proactively reaching out to parents of these students this year, to encourage them to enrol their children in these SCCs. The teachers guided families through the enrolment process and streamlined the process for financial support.

Secondary schools have put in place the GEAR-UP programme, targeting students who would benefit from more structured after-school supervision and support. These help schools identify students' needs early, to better strengthen and customise their learning and socio-emotional support.

Beyond our schools, UPLIFT seeks to provide the necessary support for disadvantaged students and their families. This was why we started the UPLIFT Community Pilot in Boon Lay, Kreta Ayer and Woodlands starting January 2020. In these three towns, we introduced an UPLIFT Town-Level Coordinator, or TLC, to smoothen the flow of information and coordinate support for the family from community agencies.

The work of the TLCs is important, as community agencies might not always be able to identify the children and families who need their support. Conversely, schools might not be aware of all the community resources available to support their students.

We are also recruiting volunteers as UPLIFT family befrienders to check in with the families regularly, mentor and guide them, and assist the TLCs. The first batch of about 50 befrienders completed their training in December last year and have recently been matched with families.

Let me provide an example of the wrap-around support provided by our TLCs. I recently visited Mohammed Nazri and his wife Mariana, both in their mid-30s. They have five children in Primary school and a sixth child who is just under one year old. Nazri’s TLC has been supporting the family since early 2020 when the children's school attendance was irregular.

The TLC first found out that Nazri and his children lived in Malaysia for several years. When the family returned to Singapore, the children found it difficult to adjust as they were behind their peers academically. One of the first things that the TLC did was to enrol the children in MENDAKI's weekend tuition classes and also work with MENDAKI to source for volunteer academic coaches to mentor and inspire the children and provide more individualised support.

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As mentioned, UPLIFT's support goes beyond the children. The TLC has been supporting the parents, too. For example, he linked up Mariana with AMP Singapore, which has schemes to support her interest in setting up a micro business, to enable her to earn an income while caring for her infant. When the child is ready to be placed in a childcare centre, we will assist her to do so and help her look for a more permanent job. The TLC will also explore upgrading support for Nazri, who is a food delivery rider, to help him secure a more sustainable job.

Apart from the TLC, the family has been matched with two befrienders. One of them is an IT professional, Raj, who has helped the children ease into online learning. I hear that the children's attendance has improved over the past one year and they are more engaged in their learning. I wish Nazri and his family all the very best.

Mr Chairman, their story is a powerful reminder of what we can achieve through UPLIFT. Indeed, at first glance, we see a vulnerable young family with six very young children. When I met them and saw the smile in their children's faces and eyes light up, I see hope and dreams. We must do all we can to fulfil these hopes and dreams for these children. I am confident that, together, we can secure a brighter future for Nazri and his family and many other families like theirs.

The UPLIFT Community Pilot has yielded positive outcomes, with about 80% of the students placed in the pilot in early 2020 attending school more regularly. As such, from February this year, we have expanded our coverage to include more students, such as students living in rental flats as we work closely with ComLink set up by MSF. We will also extend the UPLIFT Community Pilot into Bukit Merah. Together with the coverage of students living in rental flats, we are working to support students from about 70 schools who are living in the pilot sites by the end of this year. This means we will surpass our original target of 300 students supported by the Community Pilot by 2022.

Community partnerships are key to the success of UPLIFT, and must continue. Many community partners have stepped forward to support students from disadvantaged families, who were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. We will continue to bring on board more community partners, work with them to curate suitable programmes and connect them with schools whose students would benefit most.

Our work in UPLIFT is a whole-of-society effort. We will continue to press on, working hand-in-hand with the community to ensure no child is left behind.

When I took over as Chairperson of UPLIFT, I wanted to deepen our collaboration with Self-Help Groups and also brought People's Association on board the taskforce. They have brought valuable expertise and experience to take UPLIFT forward.

We will also continue to work closely with MSF and other Government agencies to synergise across different initiatives, like ComLink, KidSTART and community programmes like M³. This is part of the Government's commitment to strengthen our social service delivery.

Mr Chairman, Ms Janet Ang, Ms Mariam Jaafar and Dr Wan Rizal have also spoken on how our applied education pathways must continue to prepare our graduates for the future. We have made significant progress over the past few years and I am leading an ongoing Review of Opportunities and Pathways in Applied Education to build on this foundation. My team comprises representatives from the public, private and people sectors, many of whom have deep engagements and experience in the ITE and Polytechnic sector, as well as Polytechnic and ITE leaders. Over the past couple of months, we have spoken to over 400 stakeholders, including students and graduates of the Polytechnics and ITE, their parents, employers and industry partners and the staff. Their perspectives have been valuable in shaping the review's early work. We plan to reach out to more stakeholders.

Mr Eric Chua reminded us of the important role deep technical skills have in our workforce and society. Our students know this, too. Many shared their aspirations to upgrade themselves, building on the foundation they had acquired in Polytechnic or ITE. All of them wanted to hone their skills to stay up to date in a fast-changing workplace, which is very heartening. Some, of course, aspire for a University degree.

We also heard from employers who agreed with the value of upgrading, but were quite wary about hiring and training someone, only to have them leave in a few years for further studies. I hope we can find meaningful convergence between the students' aspirations and the employers' needs. Ultimately, continued training and deepening of relevant skills must translate to better employment and salary outcomes for our Polytechnic and ITE students. We will continue these conversations over the next few months.

Allow me to share an overview of the ideas that have emerged so far, which I see as key priorities for us to address through this review.

First, we recognise our students' diverse interests and aspirations and support them in exploring different options. This includes strengthening porosity and flexibility in our education pathways and ensuring strong Education and Career Guidance, or ECG. We agree with Ms Janet Ang that we must help our students be, and I quote her, "always ready to learn", engaged in their studies and inspired about their future careers. We will look into how to do this better through our review.

Second, our courses and curriculum must remain industry-relevant and prepare students well to enter the workforce after graduation. But we have to balance near-term job readiness with career resilience. We want our students to be versatile and able to seize emerging opportunities over the course of their careers.

Third, we must and we need to invest in life skills, including essential competencies such as cross-cultural communication, critical thinking and collaboration, which are relevant across jobs and disciplines, as well as life outside their workplace. We want to prepare our students well for life and work, regardless of the pathways they choose after graduation.

Fourth, as part of our on-going efforts to help every student achieve their potential and find success, we will build on our experience with UPLIFT in our schools and leverage community partnerships to strengthen support for students with higher needs and enable more of them to achieve their full educational potential.

Mr Eric Chua spoke passionately about how we should support our ITE students. I wholeheartedly agree and this is, indeed, a key priority. One of the first moves we will undertake in this review is to enhance the ITE's curricular structure. In 2019, we announced that, by 2030, we would provide more opportunities for ITE graduates to upgrade beyond a Nitec qualification over the course of their careers, taking into account diverse student aspirations and learning needs. More than half of the 2019 cohort of Nitec graduates progressed immediately to a Higher Nitec, up from just under half the year before. We will continue to progressively increase Higher Nitec places.

We will cater more Polytechnic places for working adults and grow the ITE's Work Study Diploma (WSDip) pathway. We will also work closely towards expanding ITE's diploma programmes. ITE's Work Study Diplomas or WSDips, and Technical Diplomas have a distinct applied focus and cater to students who benefit from a more hands-on learning style. This will strengthen opportunities for ITE graduates to upgrade to a diploma in the course of their careers.

I would like to assure Ms Mariam Jaafar that ITE employment outcomes are strong overall. About two-thirds of the ITE graduates in full-time permanent employment reported that their job was related to their course. For Polytechnics, it was about three-quarters. Having said that, we can always do better to ensure better salary outcomes for our ITE and Polytechnic graduates.

ITE is committed to preparing its students well for the working world. We agree with Dr Wan Rizal on the importance of providing meaningful and relevant internship experience for our students.

I recently met Siti Raudah, who graduated from the Nitec in Logistics Services in 2019. During her course, Siti interned at YCH Group, a home-grown supply chain solutions company, where she coordinated the movement of freight containers. She made a strong impression and was offered a permanent position after graduation – a very, very positive experience in her internship. Today, she is a Logistics Specialist at YCH.

As the pace of economic change grows, our graduates will require deeper skills to stay competitive. Our companies will also need a more highly skilled workforce to transform. Employers have an important role to play. They complement theory with critical on-the-job training and this is especially evident in the WSDip pathway.

I recently met Alex, who is currently working at air services company dnata and, concurrently, a trainee of our WSDip in Airport Operations. While at dnata, Alex picked up specialised skills, such as cool chain handling. He now leads an Equipment Operator team to ensure the safe and timely movement of inbound and outbound cargo.

There is scope to do more for ITE students like Siti and Alex, many of whom benefit from a more hands-on pedagogy which suits their learning pace and style. To this end, we will make some structural changes in ITE. We want all ITE students to aspire to attain their Higher Nitec qualification when they enrol in ITE. Today, ITE offers both Nitec and Higher Nitec courses, with the Higher Nitec building on the foundation established during Nitec. We will streamline the ITE curriculum to provide more students the opportunity to attain a Higher Nitec in a shorter duration. This will equip our ITE graduates with deeper industry-relevant skills, which provide a stronger foundation for future skills upgrading.

We will also ensure sufficient flexibility for students of different profiles under this new system to cater to different learning needs and paces. With this change, we hope to better meet students' aspirations for upgrading, while continuing to meet evolving industry needs. We will share more details in the months ahead.

One point we heard in our engagements was the importance of course matching. When students are matched to a course that they are passionate about, they are more motivated to do well and succeed. In recent years, we have taken steps to support students' progress from Secondary school to Polytechnics. We have enhanced the Education Career Guidance (ECG) in Secondary schools to help students explore different career pathways and education options.

In 2019, we expanded the Polytechnic Foundation Programme, or PFP, which prepares selected Polytechnic-bound Normal (Academic) students to enter Polytechnics. In the lead up to the implementation of Full Subject-Based Banding in 2024, we are looking at how the PFP can cater to a more diverse profile of Secondary school students, with different strengths and pace of learning. We build on this when students enter Polytechnic. So, one key effort is the introduction of the Common Entry Programmes or CEPs.

In 2019, we expanded CEPs to the Business and Information & Digital Technologies clusters, complementing the existing Engineering CEPs. CEPs target students interested in a cluster but are undecided about their specific course that they want to undertake.

One student who has benefited is Leonard, who applied for Temasek Polytechnic's or TP's Aerospace Engineering course in 2019 but did not meet the cut-off point. So, Leonard entered TP's Engineering CEP instead, where he was given a feel of TP's other Engineering courses through modules like electrical circuit analysis, digital electronics and programming. Leonard and his classmates also benefited from talks and hands-on activities conducted by lecturers, ECG counsellors and industry professionals. The CEP helped Leonard affirm his interest in Aerospace Engineering. Leonard worked hard and has since secured a place in the Aerospace Engineering course. I wish him all the best.

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Leonard's experience is not unique. Out of the 2019 cohort of CEP students, 90% agreed that their CEP has helped them discover their interest and aptitude. This is an encouraging start. There have been other moves since then.

Republic Polytechnic introduced a CEP for the science cluster, and Singapore Polytechnic rolled out their single Media, Arts and Design Course, which functions like a CEP. Building on this, we will introduce CEPs in the Arts, Design and Media, and Sciences clusters in all Polytechnics from 2023. With this change, we expect 25% of Year 1 diploma students to enter Polytechnic via a CEP, up from 20% currently.

Mr Chairman, allow me to continue in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Education must remain an uplifting force for the less advantaged in our society, and help all students achieve their full potential. Through UPLIFT, we will continue to collaborate with the community to complement our efforts in schools.

One key change is the expansion of the UPLIFT Community Pilot Programme, including extending it into Bukit Merah estate. We will also strengthen our collaboration with Self-Help groups, including MENDAKI, and explore synergies with other related initiatives such as ComLink and M³.

Today, at the post-secondary level, almost 70% of each cohort choose the Polytechnic and ITE route. I am heading the review at the ITE and polytechnic levels to help our students stay relevant and achieve success amidst an ever-changing world.

We want all ITE students to aspire to attain their Higher Nitec qualification when they enrol in ITE. This means that we recognise their potential and have confidence in their abilities. To this end, we will streamline the ITE curriculum to provide more students with the opportunity to attain Higher Nitec within a shorter duration.

Polytechnics will also undergo important changes. In the first year of their studies, we will expand CEPs to better support polytechnic-bound students in their course selection process. We are also studying how we might expand the PFP to cater to more students.

During the Budget debate, Ms Mariam Jaafar spoke about the representation of the Malay community in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). MOE is committed to support all students, regardless of race, and we will continue to encourage all students, including Malay students, to develop their interests in STEM.

I would like to give the assurance that we start from a position of strength. STEM courses are popular among Malay students as well. Today, we find that over half the Malay intake in our Institutes of Higher Learning are taking STEM courses.

This is just the start of an exciting journey. I hope we can come together to make these ideas a reality.

Dr Wan Rizal asked about MOE’s efforts to foster students’ interest in and appreciation of the Malay Language, and their Mother Tongue Languages (MTLs) in general.

Chairman, let me start by elaborating on MOE’s efforts to promote the use of the Malay Language.

Our education system is based on the bilingual policy. A strong foundation in our mother tongue language will enable us to deal with this region more effectively while continuing to stay rooted to our heritage. This is important because we know that the number of children who use Malay as the main language at home is decreasing.

Over the past few months, I found out from our Malay Language educators about how we are making adjustments in terms of how and what we teach, to ensure that the Malay Language continues to thrive for a new generation of learners.

For example, Lead Teacher Cikgu Zainaba Omar from Clementi Primary School sets real-world tasks for her students like preparing menus for breakfast and lunch when teaching classifiers like "a pinch of salt" and "a cup of cereal".

This "task-based approach" helps make language learning more authentic. I was told that her students have become more confident, not just in using the Malay Language, but in the preparation of their own daily meals as well.

Parents and the community also play a critical role in reinforcing students’ use of the Malay Language beyond the classroom. MOE is committed to support their efforts through the Malay Language Learning and Promotion Committee (MLLPC).

One of MLLPC’s signature programmes is the Perkasa Warisan camp, conducted in collaboration with the People’s Association and the Malay Activity Executive Council (MESRA). The camp provides primary school students an opportunity to deepen their knowledge of Malay culture and heritage through hands-on activities.

Since we introduced it in 2018, the Perkasa Warisan camp has reached out to over 1,400 students across 39 primary and secondary schools.

In recent years, we have expanded our efforts to post-secondary students as well.

As the Malay proverb goes, "If we do not split the trunk of the palm tree, how can we get the sago." I applaud these efforts, and am confident that we will continue to find good ways to help the Malay Language thrive as a living language in our homes, schools and community.

(In English) Mr Chairman, in English. Bilingualism is a cornerstone of our education system and a good grasp of our Mother Tongue Language, or MTL, can unlock opportunities for our students in the region and beyond. MTLs also help us to remain connected to our heritage and our Singaporean identity.

Mr Chairman, let me conclude by saying that we have come a long way but our education system cannot remain static. We must respond to changing circumstances as we prepare our children to function confidently in the future. And our children must be at the centre of our education system. We must work together to ensure that education remains an uplifting force for all and secure a brighter future for Singaporeans and Singapore. [Applause.]

The Minister of State for Education (Ms Sun Xueling): Mr Chairman, Sir, I thank Members like Mr Patrick Tay, Dr Wan Rizal, Mr Shawn Huang, Ms Carrie Tan and Ms Janet Ang for their thoughtful and timely questions on MOE's support for students' well-being.

As Minister Wong has shared, we have been implementing the refreshed Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) curriculum, starting with Secondary schools this year. The CCE curriculum has an updated, stronger emphasis on mental health and cyber wellness education. Students will learn about topics like differentiating signs of stress and distress, and healthy habits for positive well-being.

We recognise the nexus between increasing digital usage and mental health concerns, even more so amongst our young, who may not know how to regulate their use of social media. Teachers will work alongside student peer supporters to look out for other students. We will also work with parents to help guide their young in the use of online media.

During CCE lessons, students will learn to identify risks in the digital space, such as doxing or scams; discern unverified or inappropriate content; and take steps to protect themselves and others. Schools will also guide students to report cyber bullying and harmful content to the online service provider.

In Secondary schools and pre-Universities, students will discuss contemporary issues of interest, such as environmental sustainability, race and religion. Through CCE 2021, we hope that students will be equipped to become more resilient, stay mentally healthy and engage one another respectfully and constructively on issues.

Ms Carrie Tan and Dr Shahira Abdullah have also asked how teachers are equipped to strengthen mental health support and navigate contemporary issues. We will be launching a new "Centre for CCE" at NIE to helm teacher education for CCE by end 2022. The Centre will bring together local and international experts in CCE research and professional development and provide critical thought leadership in this field. This could establish NIE as a leader for CCE in the region. The Centre signals our strong commitment to be evidence-based in our curricular and pedagogical approaches. As part of strengthening teachers' professional development for CCE, our courses equip teachers with the skills to teach CCE.

MOE has regular dialogues with our educators to understand their teaching needs and also be attuned to the issues that students are concerned about. Every Secondary school also has trained specialised CCE teachers to role model and coach other teachers in facilitating challenging CCE discussions. From 2022 onwards, every pre-University institution will also be equipped with specialised CCE teachers.

Beyond CCE, our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) are enhancing mental health support by strengthening programmes on mental wellness literacy and awareness. Our Polytechnics and ITE have worked with the Health Promotion Board to launch a new mental wellness curriculum for all Year 1 students from 2020 and 2021 respectively to raise awareness and understanding of mental health and also to foster early help-seeking behaviour. The autonomous Universities (AUs) are also promoting mental wellness through briefings during freshmen orientation and University-wide programmes.

Another key pillar of mental health support is peer support. Hence, as MOE has announced last year, we will establish a peer support culture and structure in every school by the end of this year.

Currently, all IHLs have peer support programmes. From this year, schools will also appoint dedicated Key Personnel to oversee peer support and student well-being matters. They will tap on student peer supporters to help students involved in incidents that affect their well-being.

Alongside peer support, I agree with Mr Darryl David that counselling and guidance must be made readily available to those who need it. Counsellors are vital members of the student support team. MOE will continue to grow the number of teacher counsellors and equip them further over time.

MOE's efforts complement larger nationwide movements to destigmatise mental health and encourage help-seeking.

Last year, MSF, MOH and MOE started the Youth Mental Well-Being (YMWB) Network. Over 1,500 enthusiastic individuals came together to strengthen the youth mental well-being space. I am proud to share that the network has initiated ideas for over 30 potential ground-up projects. One team I have met is equipping parents to strengthen emotional literacy in their children. Another team is working on reframing perceptions of counselling and destigmatising help-seeking. I sincerely thank the network members for their efforts and we warmly welcome others to join them.

As we emerge from COVID-19 and face on-going challenges, it is going to be a bumpy ride. But the journey within each and every one of us is not a journey we need to walk alone. Let this be our gentle encouragement and steadfast commitment to one another.

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Chairman, I would now like to reaffirm MOE’s commitment to an important group – students with Special Educational Needs (SEN).

In recent years, we have developed the landscape significantly. As Mdm Rahayu Mahzam has suggested, we need to grow our students with Special Educational Needs as well as typically developing students in the soft skills that will last them into adult life. Learned Members, such as Ms Denise Phua and Mr Shawn Huang have shared how transitioning between stages can be daunting for students, especially those with SENs.

For instance, for pre-school children, moving to P1 can be a major transition, as Mr Patrick Tay had mentioned. To help them along, MOE’s Nurturing Early Learners framework, which is used by MOE Kindergartens (MKs) and other pre-schools, focuses on nurturing children’s curiosity, socio-emotional and motor skills and love for learning, alongside basic literacy and numeracy goals. But we recognise that some students with SEN need further support.

MOE is, therefore, introducing a new targeted intervention, called TRANSIT (or TRANsition Support for InTegration), to all Primary schools by 2026 for P1 students with social and behavioural needs. These students will receive support from Allied Educators (Learning and Behavioural Support) and teachers to develop foundational self-management skills, in small groups and in their classrooms during their P1 year. By the end of P1, students should be able to learn independently in class, with occasional help.

One of the first pilot schools is Elias Park Primary. One student, let us call him M, had a difficult time adjusting when he entered P1. He would lie on the floor and shout in class. Through TRANSIT, our teachers and Allied Educators (LBS) taught M self-management skills, such as working within his personal space and communication. He was prompted to apply these skills throughout the school day and his parents reinforced them at home. Today, M has a positive learning attitude and he interacts well with his peers.

By end 2021, MOE would have piloted TRANSIT in about 40 schools – or one out of five Primary schools. As the pilot outcomes have been promising, MOE will roll out TRANSIT in all Primary schools by 2026, benefiting around five to 10 P1 students in each school per year.

For adolescents, entering Secondary school is another milestone. Through school-based interventions, such as "Circle of Friends" and peer support structures in every school, schools are building an inclusive culture where peers actively look out for one another and those with Special Educational Needs.

Ms Denise Phua and Mdm Rahayu Mahzam have asked about MOE's plans to support the students with Special Educational Needs in mainstream schools to better prepare them for the next phase of their lives. We have increased the number of Allied Educators (LBS) in our schools who work alongside teachers and ECG counsellors to prepare students with Special Educational Needs further studies and work. We agree with Mdm Rahayu on the importance of promoting interaction between students with and without SEN.

Mr Mark Chay has pointed out the benefits of parasports. One key way to sustain relationships between mainstream and SPED schools is through Satellite Partnerships. MOE will strengthen these partnerships and work with Ms Denise Phua and other sector leaders to increase opportunities for meaningful interaction. We will continue to work with schools and partners to develop more inclusion opportunities, including parasports that meet our diverse students' needs, develop their strengths and forge mutual understanding and respect.

As students progress to IHLs, they can receive course guidance, access arrangements, SEN-related funding for Assistive Technology devices and support services, and also internship support.

Finally, Mr Patrick Tay and Ms Denise Phua have asked about SPED students’ transition from school to work. SPED graduates can take up certifications, like ITE Skills Certificate or Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) or participate in the School-to-Work (S2W) Transition Programme by MOE, MSF and SG Enable, which provides customised training pathways, job matching and work options. I salute the SPED schools for their personalised approach to finding job opportunities and matching their students to jobs. Overall, about half of SPED graduates are successfully employed or progress to post-Secondary educational institutions like ITE and other further training. MOE affirms its strong commitment to the SPED sector. As Ms Denise Phua has observed, we build schools, provide significant funding and send personnel to work with social service agencies and also to contribute their expertise.

I would now like to share about the expansion of capacity of SPED schools. We will be expanding Grace Orchard School (GOS). This is to help meet the demand for places in the west region and enhance the accessibility of SPED schools serving students with Mild Intellectual Disability (MID). With the expansion, GOS will cater to 600 students aged seven to 18, from 450 today. In our work to expand GOS, as with the other seven new SPED schools, we work in consultation with the social service agencies' staff to improve students’ educational experience. Our students can look forward to (a) new vocational training facilities; (b) larger classrooms and modulation spaces to cater to students who also have ASD; and (c) facilities for PE and sports, like sheltered playgrounds and outdoor fitness areas.

Alongside enhanced infrastructure, we will develop the skills of all school personnel in both mainstream and SPED schools through coaching, pre-service training and in-service courses. Our teachers frequently come together across schools, sharing and innovating with their practices. We seek to build on the strong spirit of collaboration which we are seeing amongst the SPED schools. Thus, we agree wholeheartedly with Ms Denise Phua's call that MOE, together with other agencies, stakeholders and SPED staff, should work together to envision a brighter future for our SPED graduates and their families.

As we strive to make our education system more inclusive where each and every child is recognised, appreciated and supported for who they are, I call on everyone to play a part in making this reality possible. Mr Chairman, Sir, in Chinese, please.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] In a rapidly changing world, having the resilience and perseverance to surmount challenges is critical, hence, we need to place more focus on the character development and education of students.

We are thus launching a new Centre for CCE to enhance professional development for CCE and also develop pedagogies which will best help our students. We also recognise that CCE has to be founded on values, and this requires schools,Mother Tongue teachers, families and the community to work closely together.

We are also rolling out new programmes such as TRANSIT which will benefit Primary 1 students with behavioural and social issues.

Such targeted interventions during an important phase, when our children have just embarked on their primary education, can help ensure that they can better adapt to their schooling environment. We firmly believe that these little steps all add up to build a more inclusive learning environment. Thank you.

The Minister of State for Education (Ms Gan Siow Huang): Mr Chairman, as a small country with no natural resources, Singapore’s most valuable assets are our people. Hence, developing our people is a national priority, starting from early childhood, to tertiary education for our youths, and continuing education and training (CET) for adults to support their careers and aspirations.

Lifelong learning empowers each Singaporean to chart his or her own journey in life and gain fulfilment at work.

The SkillsFuture movement was started in 2014 to take lifelong learning to the next level. It creates multiple pathways for our people to upskill and reskill, either to develop mastery in their skills, or pick up new skills to start a new career path. SkillsFuture supports Singaporeans to learn for life, for lifelong employability.

One of the points highlighted in the Emerging Stronger Conversations is that lifelong learning is necessary to keep our workforce resilient. We have built a comprehensive eco-system of training support and skills pathways over the years. When COVID-19 struck, we were able to tap on the eco-system to support our graduating students and workers.

We have taken great care to support fresh graduates from ITE, Polytechnics and Universities as they make the transition into working life. And in my MOM speech just now, I spoke about the SGUnited Traineeships.

In addition, our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) have stepped up career facilitation assistance to the graduates, and provided free CET modules to help boost their employability. Many of our graduates have taken courses in areas, such as data analytics and finance.

I agree with Mr Darryl David on the benefits of Work-Study Programmes. Our SkillsFuture Work-Study Programmes bridge fresh graduates’ transition into the workforce. Such opportunities are available at the diploma, post-diploma and degree levels, providing an applied learning pathway for our graduates to continue developing their skillsets in their chosen industry.

To ensure continued availability of such opportunities during this period, we have introduced wage support to employers that are participating in Place-and-Train Work-Study programmes. To support more students who are graduating this year, we will extend this measure to 31 March 2022. The companies will receive wage support of 45%, on top of the wage support under the Jobs Growth Incentive.

Ms Foo Mee Har highlighted the need to evolve our reskilling pathways to address job opportunities in the care, digital and green economy. This has been a key focus in our efforts to support mid-career Singaporeans whose livelihoods have been affected. We engaged key partners to provide training through the SGUnited Skills programmes and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways, a company training programme, to help jobseekers move into new jobs, particularly in the growth areas.

For the healthcare sector, one such training partner is the HMI Institute of Health Sciences (HMI Institute). As part of the SGUnited Skills Programme, HMI Institute provides employment facilitation and career advisory services to its trainees. Since August 2020, HMI Institute has enrolled 360 individuals, many of whom are mid-careerists, contributing towards the much needed pipeline of manpower for our healthcare-related roles. Altogether, close to 10,000 other trainees have enrolled in SGUnited Skills and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways – Company Training programmes, with the first courses having just completed in February.

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The SGUnited Skills and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways – Company Training programmes will be extended by an additional year to 31 March 2022. This will provide continued support for Singaporeans to learn and thrive, as our jobs and workplaces change, and as businesses transform.

In the next phase, we will expand the capacity of in-demand courses courses with good hiring opportunities in sectors such as infocomm technology (ICT) and media, professional services, healthcare and advanced manufacturing. We will keep the duration of most courses to no more than six months, so that the trainees can transition to employment quickly, with the support of the training partners.

While the pandemic has created a challenging operating environment, it also presents opportunities for employers to upskill their workers during the downtime, thereby getting them ready for new business processes.

We have supported employers in sending their workers for training through the Enhanced Training Support Package (ETSP). The ETSP supports eight sectors that have been more severely affected by COVID-19. About 155,000 training places have been taken up in these sectors, benefiting more than 72,000 employees across 1,300 companies. ETSP has been particularly well-utilised by the tourism and aviation sectors. We will extend the ETSP to 31 December 2021. This will allow the firms to send more workers for industry-relevant training to help their workforce emerge stronger post-COVID-19.

Due to the pandemic, a much larger proportion of training last year was delivered in a blended or online modality. Indeed, online training can provide greater convenience and reach. SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) is working with training providers to assess how this can continue to be enhanced while ensuring that the learning outcomes are met.

Ms Mariam Jaafar noted that while COVID-19 has limited opportunities for overseas exposure, leading global companies could be tapped to provide this in virtual formats for Singaporean workers and students. We agree and have been finding ways to do so. Some of our IHL students have been able to take on internships with overseas start-ups under the Global Innovation Alliance (Innovators Academy) programme via "remote internships". We will continue to explore how we can engage our partner companies and Queen Bees to expand such opportunities to more individuals.

Even as we tackle the near-term challenges that the pandemic has brought about, it is important that we continue to keep an eye on the future that lies beyond. We are therefore pressing on with our plans for the Next Bound of SkillsFuture, which Mr Yip Hon Weng asked about.

A key thrust of the Next Bound of SkillsFuture is enhancing the role of enterprises in developing their workforce. Ms Foo Mee Har has emphasised the importance of this and I fully agree.

We continue to help employers invest in the skills development of their workers. We have onboarded 22 SkillsFuture Queen Bees and supported more than 400 enterprises, most of which are SMEs. The Queen Bee companies include private sector leading firms, such as IBM and Prudential. They form business communities with enterprises to address common skills needs and co-create solutions in their sectors.

Ms Janet Ang asked how our IHL educators can strengthen support for our SMEs' training efforts. Today, our Polytechnic lecturers do industry attachments with companies, including SMEs. We have been ramping this up to ensure that they remain in touch with industry developments. As they undergo such attachments, they could use their institutional knowledge to help bring technology solutions to enterprises and also help their host companies strengthen their training plans. So, it is a win-win situation.

In addition, companies can benefit from consultancy services provided by the National Centre of Excellence for Workplace Learning or NACE, for short. NACE was established in 2018 to strengthen the capabilities of companies to deliver training at the workplace. Thus far, NACE has supported about 530 companies in building workplace-based learning capabilities.

To support employers in pursuing enterprise and workforce transformation, we launched the SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit in 2020. So far, about 3,400 eligible employers have sent their workers for SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit-supportable training programmes.

SSG's skills frameworks serve as an important common reference point across training providers and employers, as they provide key information on career pathways, job roles, as well as existing and emerging skills required for the job roles in different sectors. I agree with Mr Patrick Tay that we need to encourage the adoption of the Skills Frameworks.

That was why I was happy when the Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES) established a National Engineering Career Progression Pathway, in alignment with the Skills FFramework. The scheme opens a non-academic route for engineering technicians and technologists to move towards the Chartered Engineer status, hence promoting employee recognition and career development based on technical skills and work experience. IES has set a strong example of how industry associations can take the lead in building new skills-based pathways. I hope to see more associations drive such change in their respective domains.

Complementing the focus on enterprises is our effort to encourage individuals to take ownership of their skills development. Mr Yip Hon Weng asked for the latest statistics concerning SkillsFuture Credit usage.

More than 188,000 Singaporeans utilised their SkillsFuture Credit in 2020, up from about 156,000 Singaporeans in 2019. The number of claims also increased by about 30% from 2019 to 2020. We will continue to provide personalised guidance, in the form of SkillsFuture Advice workshops and seminars and Skills and Training Advisory at job fairs and community events, many of which are actually organised by the CDCs.

I thank Ms Denise Phua for highlighting the lifelong learning needs of persons with disabilities (PwDs). For this group, besides the common course offerings, they can also choose from 30 SkillsFuture courses customised for them, covering areas such as ICT, food and beverage and customer service. We will continue looking at how to strengthen the training eco-system to support their needs.

Under the Next Bound of SkillsFuture, we will also focus on helping mid-career workers transition to new and emerging employment opportunities.

To this end, we have been ramping up our provision of training programmes and strengthening the partnership between SSG and WSG to improve employment outcomes of Train-and-Place programmes. From July to December 2020, we launched over 300 programmes, including SGUnited Skills and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways – Company Training programmes which I mentioned earlier on.

Looking beyond the pandemic, we expect to build on the groundwork and evolve these programmes into Career Transition Programmes. This will strengthen our slate of offerings to our mid-career workers in their steady state.

We constantly seek to ensure that our training programmes deliver outcomes. I thank Mr Sharael Taha for his suggestions. Our course fee subsidies are tiered, with the highest tier tied to those with work-related outcomes.

Given the tight fiscal environment, we are also mindful about how we resource the Next Bound of SkillsFuture.

First, we are continually reviewing existing schemes, to focus our funding on training that delivers strong employment outcomes.

Second, when the Enhanced Training Support Package ends this year, we will revise the absentee payroll funding to a more sustainable rate. This complements the SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit that will continue beyond 2021.

Lastly, in line with the SkillsFuture message for individuals to pursue their own training pathway and take up industry-relevant modular courses, we will phase out the SkillsFuture Qualification Award which is tied to completion of full qualifications. We will implement these changes from 1 January 2022 onwards.

I am heartened by the tenacity demonstrated by Singaporeans in the past year, from our workers to employers. As we set our sights on economic recovery, we will continue to support Singaporeans in their lifelong learning journey towards skills mastery. Through SkillsFuture, we will enable Singaporeans to strive for their goals, and emerge stronger together.

The Chairman: Clarifications? Ms Denise Phua.

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: Chairman, I have two questions for MOE for the Minister first.

I would like to thank the Minister for assuring us that he supports the need to re-imagine education because of the fast and furious changes we are seeing. And that there will be few sacred cows – or stones! – that he will be not willing to turn and look at. May I ask the Minister to provide some details on what is next in re-imagining education and how do we get the map to show that indeed, the sum can be larger than the parts? And what about stones like PSLE which we have discussed much in the past? And how to turn, for example, to build on strengths of some of the tuition centres so that parents, families and students do not have to rely so much on tuition centres. That is first clarification.

The second one is for the Minister of State Sun Xueling. I have three questions. One is, why would students with mild intellectual disability (ID) with no other conditions, why cannot they be included into mainstream schools, for example? So, that is one.

Two, can the Minister of State comment on my request for joint visioning for SPED schools of the future? And also, to ask whether MOE would consider looking into piloting lifelong learning SPED schools which might improve the landscape and the outcomes for students with SEN needs in SPED schools.

Mr Lawrence Wong: Chairman, our starting point is that we have a good education system today. It is not a system that is broken and in need of a complete overhaul. But at the same time, we keep an open mind. We are not satisfied with the status quo. We keep on improving and we continue to do so by experimenting, trying out new approaches, understanding what works, what does not work so well and then, step by step making careful systematic effective implementation to improve the system continuously. That is our approach.

Year-by-year, you may not see a lot of change but, in fact, it all adds up when you take a step back.

Just think about some of the things that have been happening over the recent years. The emphasis on 21 CCs and CCEs in schools. The change to aptitude-based admissions to Universities; is a very important step. The broadening of multiple pathways. The change in PSLE scoring system. The removal of streaming and the move to full subject-based banding.

These are not done in an ad hoc fashion. They are all part of a coherent reform to make our system better, to encourage students to pursue their strengths and interests, to instil the joy of learning in every child.

That is the direction of where we are heading. If you talk about a roadmap, what are we trying to achieve, basically, we want to continue this effort to instil in every child competencies and skills that will prepare them better for the future. It is an important effort.

We want to continue to build diverse and flexible pathway so that we can nurture diverse talent, so that people with differing abilities and strengths can pursue those passions and interests and excel across a whole range of different areas.

And we want to uplift every child, providing much more support to the disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, including children with special needs.

Those are our priorities and we will continue to lift every stone, look at every issue, potentially slay a few more sacred cows in order to ensure that we have an excellent education system to bring out the best in every child.

The Chairman: Ms Sun Xueling.

Ms Sun Xueling: I thank the Member, Ms Denise Phua, for her clarifications.

MOE's overarching goal is to provide quality education for all students with special needs. But this must be balanced with ensuring that they develop educationally in a setting that best fits their needs.

5.45 pm

Currently, 80% of our students with special needs are already in mainstream schools. And where there are more specific needs that these children with special needs have, they are then supported in the SPED schools. Earlier, I have talked about expanding the range of SPED schools that are available to best fit and best serve the students that we have who have special needs. So, that is on the first point.

On the second point that Ms Denise Phua had about lifelong learning, we share her views and her aspirations and belief that our students with special needs should lead meaningful lives and they should continually upgrade their skills and be active in the community and also contribute to society.

With regards to supporting SPED graduates in lifelong learning, both myself as well as my colleague Minister of State Gan have talked about the variety of training supports available to our students with special needs. This includes broad-based training support such as course fee subsidies and SkillsFuture Credit for those aged 25 and above, and also just like my colleague Minister of State Gan has spoken about, SkillsFuture Singapore has also worked with SG Enable to roll out more than 30 SkillsFuture Credit-eligible courses that are customised for our fellow friends, residents with special needs, students, and they cover areas such as information and communications technology (ICT), F&B and customer service.

We are fully aligned with the thinking that Ms Denise Phua has, that there should be continuous lifelong learning opportunities for our students with special needs.

The Chairman: Assoc Prof Jamus Lim.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: Thank you, Mr Chairman. I thank the Minister for his considered reply.

Let me just start by respectfully disagreeing with the characterisation that I am devaluing the work of our teachers by pointing out the gap filled by private tuition. Let me state for the record that I have tremendous respect for the quality of our teachers and the efforts that they put in. But that said, I think we both can agree even the best and most hardworking teacher would generally be unable to assist their children as much as they would wish if they are hamstrung by heavy loads.

When I call for smaller class sizes, I am implicitly calling for MOE to provide our teachers with the environment such that their quality may be fully experienced by the children because they are not stretched too thinly.

If what we are concerned about is an ability to maximise the impact of this existing high quality teachers, if we are not going to have an outright reduction in class sizes, perhaps we will consider supplying teaching aides or assistants to the classrooms teaching the tuition-intensive subjects that I mentioned, namely mathematics and the languages.

Mr Lawrence Wong: Mr Chairman, I thank Assoc Prof Lim for acknowledging the hard work and efforts of our educators in schools. I think we are on the same page.

Number one, as I said, MOE will continue to ensure that we have a high quality teaching force and make sure that we have healthy pupil-teacher ratios. Already, our ratios today are comparable with OECD standards. So, it is not for a lack of teachers.

Second, we will do everything we can to support our teachers. Assoc Prof Lim highlighted that because of the heavy loads of the teachers, they may be hamstrung and may not be able to be as effective as they would like. We will continue to review with all our educators what is the best way to allocate their time across the different areas of work that they do, both in classrooms and outside of classrooms, bearing in mind that when you make these OECD comparisons, many other countries do not have the same kind of CCA provisions that we have in Singapore, neither do they have teachers spending time in these areas.

I have asked our educators before, "Would you like to cut back your time on CCAs?" Many of them said no. They value their time in CCAs because they recognise that this time outside of the classroom is important for holistic development of students.

We will continue this conversation and engagement with our teachers to give them our full support from the MOE headquarters and whatever they need to get their job done and, as I said, to provide holistic teaching and learning for every child.

The Chairman: Mr Don Wee.

Mr Don Wee: Mr Chairman, I would like to compliment and congratulate MOE and ITE management for improving the quality of ITE tremendously over the past decade. Like Mr Eric Chua, I have met many excellent ITE youths who help out at my constituency's events. Like what Minister Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman has said, many of these youths lack family support and guidance when they were much younger and therefore, they draw inspiration from their ITE teachers. Besides teaching, all these class advisors do general management, they facilitate social and financial assistance and they also perform the role of counsellor. Moreover, ITE is also admitting more and more students with special needs.

May I ask MOE if it will continue to pump in more resources to alleviate the workload of ITE teaching staff by introducing the likes of Allied Educators or the equivalent because we need happy and effective ITE teaching staff to produce happy and effective ITE talents.

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman: Mr Chairman, first, let me thank Mr Don Wee for his recognition of the effort of ITE teachers in educating our students in ITE.

Indeed, ITE is more than just an educational institution. They acknowledge that they have a strong social role in supporting their students. ITE absorbs and takes in students from diverse backgrounds and with diverse abilities.

As Mr Don Wee mentioned, the teachers have done a tremendous amount of work in not only just providing training in terms of the skills required by the students to get better outcomes in terms of their work, but they also provide a lot of support emotionally. I have met many of the students, even those who have graduated. They tell me that the one thing that always makes them remember their ITE education is indeed their teachers. Sometimes, after they have graduated, after they finish their National Service, they come back and they want to speak to their teachers to get some career guidance. So, thank you so much, Mr Don Wee, for acknowledging the work of our ITE teachers.

Yes, we will continue to look at how best we can support our teachers. Given that we are also having more SEN students in ITE, we have also been increasing resources to support SEN students. For example, in 2019, we provided ITE with an additional six SEN support officers. These are officers that are specifically recruited to help students with special needs, the varying needs of these students. We have added six to augment the resources that ITE had as well as supporting the SEN support office. This brings the number to 19 in 2020.

We will continue to monitor the learning needs of our ITE students and we are prepared to enhance the support if necessary, including for our SEN students.

For those students who do come from other disadvantaged backgrounds, we also support ITE with social emotional counsellors to help them with some of their challenges. Today, ITE has 19 social emotional counsellors across the three colleges.

We will continue to assess. And Mr Don Wee is absolutely right. Many of the students come with very challenging backgrounds. They want to study. At the same time, sometimes, they get engaged in part-time employment because of the financial circumstances they are in. We provide financial support for them and we will continue to help them, because we want them to aspire to have higher qualifications. As I mentioned earlier, with the curricular structure review, we want all ITE students to aspire to attain their Higher Nitec qualification when they enter ITE.

One last point I want to add is that, in recognition of our ITE's staff, we introduced the ITE Staff Appreciation Day last year for the first time. Last year, it was on 6 November 2020. And we will recognise the first Friday of November each year as the Polytechnic-ITE Staff Appreciation Day, akin to Teachers' Day, but specifically for our teachers in the IHLs.

The Chairman: Mr Louis Ng.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: Thank you, Sir. I thank the Minister for sharing that MOE will review the appraisal system. But could I ask specifically whether as part of the review, we can look into removing the quotas and the punitive implications of the lower grades? I also thank the Minister for changing "sacred cows" into "sacred stones". That is much better because we do not need to slay the cows anymore.

Mr Lawrence Wong: Mr Chairman, we have had this discussion with the Member Mr Louis Ng before, where he filed some questions on the appraisal system. I have explained that we do have an appraisal system for our teachers. It is part of performance management.

In fact, if you look at the literature or if you look at education systems around the world, the quality of teachers, as I said before, matters a lot in outcomes. We are fortunate in Singapore to have capable, motivated, high quality teachers.

The performance management system we have in place supports this. We will continue to review how the appraisal system can be more effective and can be more supportive of our teachers.

The system is aligned with the rest of the Civil Service, so we will have to do this together with the Civil Service. But where it comes to some of what Mr Ng talked about – punitive consequences of getting a lower performance grade – that is certainly something that MOE can look at. As I said just now, we have been in discussion with the our teachers' unions on this matter. We will continue to engage them and work with them, taking in their feedback and suggestions to see how the system can be further improved.

The Chairman: Mr Patrick Tay, would you like to withdraw your amendment?

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: Sir, I would like to place on record our thanks to Minister Lawrence Wong, Minister Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, Minister of State Sun Xueling and Minister of State Gan Siow Huang as well as the MOE staff team for powering this year's Committee of Supply and also sharing the exciting plans and programmes as we try to ensure that our education eco-system stays ready, relevant and resilient.

I would also like to thank our educators, tripartite partners as well as stakeholders in the education eco-system because it is going to get tougher and we really need to stay ahead of the times and of course, ahead of the curve, particularly, with this next normal and a lot of disruptions, digitalisation and the drive towards continuing education and training. With that, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $13,310,388,800 for Head K ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $530,000,000 for Head K ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.