Committee of Supply – Head X (Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth)

The Chairman: Head X – Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. Dr Lim Wee Kiak.

Providing Opportunities for All

Dr Lim Wee Kiak (Sembawang): Mr Chairman, I beg to move, "That the total sum to be allocated for Head X of the Estimates be reduced by $100".

Today, the global environment is more fractious and societies are increasingly polarised. Disruptive technologies are changing our economies, our jobs, our way of life and challenging our norms. Singapore is a global city state that is multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi-religious and in some way multinational is at the epicentre of these forces. If we are not careful, these global forces can exert tensions that will threaten, disrupt and test the strength of the fabric of our society.

While MCCY has done well in fostering a strong sense of national unity and pride through sectors of arts, youth, community and sports, new challenges such as the COVID-19, regional political turmoil and international trade tensions are always emerging and we must be prepared to remain resilient and stay united as one Singapore.

MCCY must continue to strengthen the social fabric and the solidarity in the face of these forces. Are the current MCCY's strategies still relevant in the building an inclusive home where everyone feels that we are equal members of the same community, and are given equal opportunities to thrive and to pursue one's passion and interest? Given the increasing diversity and fractious state of our society, can we continue to progress together as a people?

What unites us as one people, one nation? Is it the Kallang Roar and Kallang Wave when Singapore Lions beat Pahang during the 1994 Malaysian cup? Or the 50.39 secs that Joseph Schooling swam while we all held our breath in front of our TV screens during the 2016 Olympics? Or the nail-biting table tennis finals during the 2008 Olympics when our paddlers brought us a silver medal?

We wept as a nation as we mourned together during the passing of our beloved founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in 2015. People of all walks of life regarding of race, language or religion came together to queue for hours under the weather, rain or shine, day or night, to pay their last respect.

We faced fear and death together during the 2003 SARS crisis which infected 238 people and killed 33 in Singapore. Today, we are again tested and challenged and tested with COVID-19. We are tackling these challenges together and collectively with resolute and resilience.

As we continue to progress, the natural fault lines in our society – socio-economic divide, racial and religious divide, ideology divide, sexual orientation divide, e-literacy divide and many more – will continue to exist and may surface from time to time to threaten our resolve and unity. Will we be able to rise to the occasion like previous challenges and emerge stronger or will we be divided and withered?

MCCY needs to intensify the efforts in building a home that provides opportunities for all. It is important while we embrace our diversity and differences as strength of our nation, we need to work hard to create and expand common spaces and experiences that is unique to Singapore. To do this, I have three suggestions.

One, use arts, culture and heritage unique to Singapore. Make of arts and cultural programmes more accessible and affordable to Singaporeans. Similar to the $100 Active SG credits for sports facilities, MCCY can consider giving all Singaporeans $100 Active Arts and Culture credit to attend arts and cultural courses or attend local arts & cultural performances.

Two, renew and remake of community clubs to remain relevant so that more Singaporeans will visit and use the CCs. Our CCs should be the Community Centre for arts, culture, wellness and health, social interactions and skills upgrading.

Three, expand and build up community sports that can unite and bring people together. Top up the Active SG credits on a regular basis to promote community sports and expand the use of Active credits to sports events attendance, including our SG football leagues and national sports events.

Chairman, building a home that provide opportunities for all is not just an ideal. It is a reality. It is a basic right for all Singaporeans. I would like to thank MCCY for their hard work and invite all Singaporeans from all walks of life to join MCCY to make this arduous task a reality.

Question proposed.

10.30 am

The Chairman: Mr Amrin Amin, please take your two cuts together.

Support for Youths

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministers for Health and Home Affairs (Mr Amrin Amin): Mr Chairman, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Our youths play a vital role in developing our community. MENDAKI has focused its efforts on providing educational support for youths. Some of MENDAKI's programmes include the MENDAKI Tuition Scheme and the Future Ready programme. Emotional support is also important to prepare our youths for the future. How is MENDAKI supporting our youths in their emotional development?

Building a Community of Success

(In English): Next cut. Singaporean Muslims live in a diverse multi-racial community. We face unique challenges that are different from Muslim majority countries. Asatizah play a crucial role in guiding our community to live a rich and confident social religious life in a multi-religious Singapore.

Our asatizah have a profound impact on the outlook of Singaporean Muslims including how we practise Islam and how we interact with people of different faith. Almost all our asatizah are trained overseas in Muslim majority countries. MUIS is developing Post-Graduate Certificate in Islam in Contemporary Societies to socialise our returning graduates to our local needs and context.

Could the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs provide an update on this programme? How else is MUIS preparing our asatizah to guide Singaporean Muslim community to live in a multi-cultural modern society?

Asatizah Development

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education and Minister for Social and Family Development (Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim): Mr Chairman, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] To effectively guide the Muslim community who live in a multi-cultural society, the community depends on the asatizah to dispense religious knowledge that is based on lived reality and are able to address emerging issues, such as cryptocurrency and plant-based food.

It is important that the asatizah are equipped with the necessary skills to engage the community effectively. How can our asatizah further engage and contribute to the community’s needs, beyond that of a religious teacher? Will MUIS provide assistance and support so that the asatizah are better equipped to contribute in the fields mentioned earlier?

The Chairman: Mr Mohamed Irshad, take your two cuts together.

Nurturing Inspiring Religious Graduates

Mr Mohamed Irshad (Nominated Member): Chairman, for the first cut, I wish to congratulate the Committee on Future Asatizah or COFA, led by Senior Minister of State Dr Maliki Osman, for completing its work. In the report submitted to the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, COFA proposed a bold vision accompanied by 10 key recommendations based on three key thrusts. What can the asatizah fraternity expect from the recommendations?

The Singapore Muslim community is a highly diverse one that speaks a multitude of languages. In addition to a significant number of Indian Muslims who speak a myriad of languages, there is a growing resident community of Muslims who speak Tagalog, Mandarin and other north Asian languages. We also have a large population of Muslim foreign workers who speak Bangla, Urdu and other South Asian languages.

Since 1998, when the first MUIS scholarship was awarded, we have groomed a generation of Malay asatizah who are highly educated and doing some amazing work on the ground. I would like to ask the Minister if there are similar plans to build upon this foundation to groom a generation of non-Malay asatizah who can guide the local non-Malay Muslim communities?

Uplifting the Asatizah Workforce

For my second cut, Chairman, the Greek philosopher Heraclitus' statement "Change is the only constant in life" is applicable to all of us and all our situations without exception. For our respected asatizah fraternity, this statement is especially important as they have donned the robes of responsibility of guiding fellow Muslims in their faith.

In order to be effective torchbearers and shepherds, our asatizah need to remain relevant by constantly updating themselves with knowledge, skill sets, contemporary issues, and even vocational skills.

Sir, the recently submitted COFA report appears to have set a direction for tuture asatizah. I also note that the current generation of asatizah have the MUIS Academy which offers a range of courses and training as part of their lifelong learning ethos. There is also the SkillsFuture initiative for those asatizah who wish to acquire new skills.

In order to benefit from these effectively, our asatizah need to be more aware of the competencies they ought to possess. This will then enable them to make informed choices about improving themselves. Can the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs share how MUIS will support the asatizah in this regard and the competencies they should acquire in order to stay relevant?

Mr Zainal Sapari (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Chairman, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Asatizah play an important role today in guiding the Singaporean Muslim community to help us thrive in a multi-religious and multi-cultural society, as well as globally, in addition to upholding our religious values.

MUIS will also focus on efforts to enhance the professional development of our asatizah.

There are many ways for an ustaz or usatazah to contribute to society, but one of the common grouses amongst this group is that this sector appears to have limited employment opportunities.

What has MUIS done to ensure that the religious sector can become an attractive sector for employment, especially for the talented ones who can make good contributions?

It was also reported that a revision will be made to asatizah's wages. What are the strategies that our community will support in order to ensure that our asatizah’s wages are aligned to market rates?

The Chairman: Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap, you take your two cuts together.

Muslim Marriages

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap (Aljunied): Chairman, Sir, in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Sir, I would like to ask the Minister how many applications were received by the Syariah Court of Singapore for; firstly divorces, and second, obtaining counselling, between 2017 to 2019. And from these applications, how many applicants eventually divorced.

Second, I hope that the Minister can also share three main reasons or factors that are the causes of divorce in the Malay/Muslim community in Singapore within the time period I mentioned earlier.

Sir, The Registry of Muslim Marriages (ROMM) launched the "Bersamamu" programme in May 2019. This programme aims to provide holistic support to Muslim couples before and after marriage.

I would like to seek an update on this programme from the Minister.

MUIS Appeal Board

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I would like to get the following facts from the Minister. How many appeal cases does the MUIS Appeal Board receive annually in relation to the decisions of the Syariah Court of Singapore for divorce cases in 2017, 2018 and 2019, and what are the main reasons for these appeals?

From this number of appeal cases that were reported, how many cases were reported by the ex-husband and how many by the ex-wife?

Sir, in my four years as a counsellor handling counselling sessions for the Syariah Court's Marriage Counselling Programme (MCP), I received feedback from some husbands as well as ex-husbands who felt that the Syariah Court seem to place emphasis on the Women's Charter in their deliberation process when making a judgment. In fact, until today, I still receive similar feedback from time to time from some of my residents as well as the public.

Sir, may I seek the Minister’s view and clarifications on this issue?

The Chairman: Mr Saktiandi Supaat, take your two cuts, please.

Pre-school Education for Malay/Muslim Children

Mr Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh): Chairman, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Preschool education plays an important role in the early years for better development and learning in the later stages of life. In the last few years, there has been a growing emphasis on preschool education.

The Early Childhood Development Agency has been pushing for more children to attend pre-school regularly so that they will not fall behind in their studies compared to their peers when they enter primary school. This is because the early years of childhood are important towards shaping social and communication skills as well as attitudes towards learning. It is a platform to give all children an equal start in life regardless of their backgrounds.

How is MENDAKI supporting preschool learning for the Malay/Muslim community to ensure that our children have access to quality education and other learning opportunities?

MENDAKI's Support for Career Mobility

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] MENDAKI has been playing a crucial role in supporting career mobility among the Malay/Muslim community. Last year, MENDAKI held its first Raikan Ilmu (Celebrate Knowledge) campaign, which celebrates the diverse bodies of knowledge in our society. The campaign saw activities that encouraged both children and adults to explore knowledge in new areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics. I was very impressed by it and I hope to see further extensions of it soon. Such campaigns are important and engaging reminders to the community to be open to learning new skills, especially in today’s economy where the rapid pace of growth has disrupted traditional industries and business models.

Can Minister share how will MENDAKI continue to support and encourage the community to explore and gain competencies in new skills, so that they can remain relevant and have the confidence to seek employment in new industries?

Nurturing Asatizah for the Community

Ms Rahayu Mahzam (Jurong): Chairman, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I had the opportunity to speak to several groups of asatizah at dialogue sessions organised by Berita Harian last year. In the discussions with them, one of the issues raised was the challenges faced by the asatizah when they perform their duties to educate and provide guidance to the community. Among other things, the asatizah shared that our community members approach them to ask about new issues that they face, and therefore, the asatizah must have knowledge and a fresh approach to manage such issues.

Our living environment has certainly changed. The Malay/Muslim community needs to adapt religion within a new context that is different from the context long ago. From the way we connect in the cyber world, to the way we do business, to our medical treatments; much has changed. For example, MUIS has produced a compilation of fatwas (Islamic legal ruling) on issues related to science, medicine and health. There have been many new scientific procedures and developments, and our community requires proper guidance. What is certain is that, with rapid global developments, there will always be new issues that our community must face.

Due to the ever changing needs of the community, our asatizah must also be equipped with the relevant knowledge to manage current issues. Our young asatizah must have a very strong foundation in Islamic education as well as other relevant fields such as science and technology. We must begin preparations as early as primary school. We must develop a younger generation that is well-versed and comfortable with current issues so that they are able to handle future challenges. They may also join other fields apart from Islamic education and therefore they should be prepared. Investment on our madrasah students’ development is highly important.

I would therefore like to ask what are MUIS' plans to ensure that our madrasahs have the resources and capabilities to fulfil the developmental needs of students in current and new fields?

Managing Diversity in Muslim Community

Mr Mohamed Irshad: Chairman, as I previously mentioned in the House, the Singapore Muslim community is a highly diverse one. In addition to the racial diversity, we have Muslims from all around the world coming to study, work, marry and settle in Singapore. Like a garden of flowers, this diversity adds to the beauty and richness of the Singapore Muslim Community, in particular, the Singapore society at large.

Sir, it is vital that these Muslim foreign workers, expatriates, migrants are able to intermingle seamlessly with the larger body of resident Muslims, so that they do not end up creating inward-looking enclaves.

We have seen the introduction of Friday sermons being translated and at times being delivered in English and other languages. In addition to this. I would like to ask the Minister what efforts are being undertaken to reach out to these groups of Muslims, so that they are better integrated with fellow Muslims in Singapore and the wider Singaporean community, and that they are aligned with our Singapore Muslim identity and values.

Singapore Together – Partnering the Community

Mr Zainal Sapari (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Mr Chairman, in Malay, please.

10.45 am

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The 4G leadership recently expressed the Government’s strong commitment to partner Singaporeans of all races, cultures and religions, and working together with them in nation-building.

For the Malay/Muslim community especially, what are the new methods of engagement in which the Government is prepared to partner the Malay/Muslim community to co-create and collaborate in co-solutioning for issues faced by our community?

Minister had also mentioned about M3 launching a new series of dialogues, Ciptasama, this year. Could the Minister elaborate on the aim of Ciptasama, and provide us with an update on the engagements with our community so far?

MENDAKI's End-to-end Education Support

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar (Ang Mo Kio): In Malay, please, Chairman.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] In recent years, there have been many changes to the education system and landscape in Singapore. Some of the changes include an increased number of places for Direct School Admission (DSA), Subject-Based Banding (SBB) in lieu of streaming, the removal of mid-year and year-end examinations for Primary 1 and 2 students, changes to the Primary School Leaving Examinations grade banding, and work readiness initiatives in post-secondary institutions.

Prior to this, most of MENDAKI's programmes and initiatives often focus on academic excellence and this has resulted in an increase in post-secondary passes, scholarship holders and white collar workers in our community. Now, with a shift towards providing education with multiple pathways to success that is not solely based on academic excellence, as well as collaborations with the industries to ensure work readiness and lifelong learning, MENDAKI's programmes, initiatives and approach must also transform so as to remain relevant.

In light of these changes to our education system and landscape as well as schools, what are MENDAKI's plans and progress in reviewing its education programs so as to be in line with these changes that were made to our education system and schools, to ensure that relevant and useful support is given to our community?

I would also like to ask the Minister for an update on whether MENDAKI has plans to venture into the pre-school sector as well, and whether Mendaki will implement initiatives or programs for this sector, in light of the rapid changes to the pre-school sector in recent years.

The Chairman: Minister Masagos.

The Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M): Mr Chairman, last year, during my Hari Raya speech, I said that our Malay/Muslim community is a Community of Success, or in Malay, Masyarakat Gemilang.

While we are part of the Malay diaspora in the region, there are three things that make our community unique – character, competence and citizenry, or what I call the 3Cs. The first "C", character, is about the outlook of the community and the values that it cherishes. The second "C", competence, is self-explanatory. We cannot be successful if we are liabilities. The third and final "C" is citizenry, a sense of responsibility towards nation-building and society. We cannot be satisfied merely with being equal in rights, we must also be equal in substance as citizens. Singapore is our home and we have a duty to it.

Mr Chairman, in the midst of our fight against COVID-19, I want to start by talking about citizenry. In a number of dialogues with the community, we received feedback that the community is happy with the support that the Government is extending to citizens in response to COVID-19. I am happier to see that the community is contributing where it can in the fight against the virus, not just happily receiving help.

For example, Masjid Assyakirin teamed up with Bo Tien Temple, representatives of the Baha'i faith, the Calvary Bible-Presbyterian Church and Jurong Christian Church to prepare lunch boxes and notes of appreciation for healthcare workers in Jurong Polyclinic. In support of their initiative, Al Ayza Restaurant sponsored half the food and helped with delivery. Other Muslim-owned restaurants, such as Kinamaya, Rumah Makan Minang, Hajjah Maimunah Restaurant and Positano Risto, also stepped up. They teamed up with the riders of Dadah Itu Haram, who delivered the food to frontline healthcare workers in Singapore General Hospital.

Over the past week, MUIS raised money in the mosques to contribute to the Courage Fund. Mendaki, too, organised a walk to raise funds. MESRA Youths made and distributed 1,000 ribbon flowers to our frontliners to tell them – we remember you.

Many Malay/Muslims have been at the frontline in the healthcare sector, home team and even the passenger transport sector. I am proud they are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow Singaporeans in this fight. During this crisis, we see that citizenry is genuinely demonstrated.

Standing bravely at the frontline and stepping forward to help, exemplify character, the second "C" and one of the three qualities that our community wants to be known for. As Muslims, character is closely intertwined with our religion, culture and therefore our identity. There are many minority Muslim communities around the world that struggle with the practice of Islam in secular jurisdictions, multicultural societies and against contemporary challenges. In Singapore, we are fortunate to have a strong fraternity of asatizah, who are also fellow Singaporeans and their guidance has made all the difference for our community.

Our asatizah bear significant responsibility in guiding the community on how to thrive in our multicultural society, live in harmony with others and navigate contemporary and future challenges. This is why we formed the Committee on Future Asatizah (COFA) last year, to better understand what our community would like to see in our asatizah, and in turn, how we can better support the asatizah fraternity.

After extensive engagements, COFA found that the community would like to our asatizah to guide them on issues of the modern world and to see them connecting with other communities to build a cohesive society and contribute to Singapore. My colleague, Senior Minister of State Maliki, will elaborate further on what we intend to do with COFA's recommendations.

I agree with Senior Parliamentary Secretary Amrin Amin, who spoke about the importance of being able to address Muslims who live in our multicultural society. And as Mr Irshad said, there is diversity not just in our society, but also within our community. We can look into grooming more religious leaders who can engage in various languages.

MUIS will also work with our asatizah to develop a body of knowledge and practice to guide Muslim life in multicultural societies. Singapore is not alone in this challenge. There are other minority Muslim communities around the world that share our belief that Muslims can thrive in plural societies. We want to learn from these communities, we want to learn from each other and this is why MUIS will organise an International Conference on Communities of Success later this year.

We must also re-think the role of asatizah. Over the past two years, the work of M³ has shown us that asatizah are well-placed to provide spiritual guidance and support in various facets of Muslim life, beyond the mosque and the madrasah. They can provide pastoral care to the incarcerated, the sick and the aged. They can be spiritual guides to couples, whether they are trying to build a new family or overcoming trials and tribulations to preserve the home.

Mr Faisal Manap asked how the Syariah Court has handled the divorce cases that has come before it. In my view, the more pertinent issue is to work with the community upstream in strengthening families and preventing divorces. Through M³ flagship programmes like Bersamamu and FITRAH, our asatizah volunteers have helped close to 3,000 soon-to-wed couples as well as 40 families where at least one parent is incarcerated.

There are many ways an ustaz or ustazah can contribute. The Muslim community needs religious curriculum developers for our madrasahs, specialists to administer religious programmes in MUIS, ROMM and our mosques and jurists to support our Syariah Court and Fatwa Committee. These institutions need able asatizah.

Importantly, we need asatizah who do not shy away from grappling with contemporary issues. As a Muslim Singaporean, I feel proud that our asatizah have risen to the occasion. For example, when NEWater was introduced, our asatizah sought to understand the water technology used and were quick to recognise that the end-product was clean and that means, also Halal.

Such clear-minded, progressive thinking is even more important in exceptional times, like now. To minimise the risk of transmitting COVID-19, our asatizah gave guidance on bringing our own mats when we pray in the mosque and refraining from shaking hands for now. Singapore is probably the only place in the world where Muslim religious leaders give practical, medically-sound advice with such speed.

If we can train and enable more asatizah to support our community in these ways, our community will be better for it. The job of an ustaz is not easy. To perform his job well, an ustaz must not only be well-versed in Islamic knowledge, but also be au fait with psychology, sociology, social work, comparative law, science and technology and more.

As several of our Members of Parliaments pointed out, we must support our asatizah in this journey. We are therefore making an investment not only in asatizah training but also to transform the formal religious sector. To facilitate this transformation, MUIS has developed the Asatizah Workforce Development Plan (AWDP), on which Senior Minister of State Maliki will elaborate later.

Mr Chairman, how effective our asatizah are in nurturing the character of our community therefore hinges on their competence. But for our community to succeed, we must also encourage every Muslim to aspire towards excellence and contribute to the community and Singapore. Inasmuch as the camaraderie amongst our healthcare workers and home-team members matters, it is also their competence that earned them the trust of Singaporeans in the fight against COVID-19.

As a community, we have come a long way. In 1980, only 16% of Malay/Muslim students achieved five GCE "O" level passes. We marshalled community resources to form MENDAKI, which then worked with MOE as a partner to develop a support system for Malay/Muslim students. By the end of the decade, we doubled the proportion of Malay/Muslim students who achieved five GCE "O" Level Passes. Today, this proportion is four times that in 1980. Last year, our students outperformed their OECD peers in Mathematics and have made substantial improvements in reading.

Today, nine in 10 of Malay/Muslim students in a P1 cohort make it to University, Polytechnic, ITE or other post-Secondary education institutes. As we move forward, we must try to make sure that all our students are able to acquire at least a Nitec – this is the "red-line" that MENDAKI must ensure no one falls below. Concurrently, we must grow the numbers of our youth who can graduate with a University degree. During my Hari Raya speech, I called this our "blue line" and MENDAKI must help as many as possible across it.

The truth is, addressing dropouts and failure rates are already problems of yesterday. We need to prepare our young for a tomorrow that will be challenging and volatile. In today's economy, ITE, Polytechnic and University qualifications are merely hygiene factors. MENDAKI's efforts are only as good as it keeps pace with the changing educational, social and economic landscape.

Thus, we have started a comprehensive review of MENDAKI's policies and programmes, to ensure that MENDAKI can be an effective partner to MOE and our educational institutes. Beyond that, there must be an equal emphasis on lifelong learning in our community, much like in the past, when we emphasised the importance of educating our children well.

We cannot just be focused on tax-rebate vouchers to manage today's cost of living. Our community must also take advantage of other forms of support like the SkillsFuture Credit, to acquire new competencies and qualifications for better-paying jobs, especially when their current skills run the risk of being irrelevant in the near future.

The same applies to Malay/Muslim SMEs and funding support for digitalisation and venturing overseas for them to grow. Minister of State Zaqy will speak on the shifts MENDAKI will be making and how we are encouraging lifelong learning. Mr Chairman, allow me to conclude in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Our community can do more to contribute in various areas and sectors. Many initiatives have been rolled out by our volunteers at M³@Towns with the close cooperation of MUIS, MENDAKI and MESRA. In line with this measure, a series of conversations called CiptaSama@M³, was formed to hear the views of the Malay/Muslim community on national issues that are of greatest concern to them and to co-create solutions that can be implemented so that we can prosper together as a nation. We have started the conversation with the leaders and volunteers of the M³@Towns and we look forward to engaging members of the community from all walks of lives in the coming months.

In building a Community of Success, we must continue to uphold the three key values of the community – Character, Competence and Citizenry. As our asatizah shape the community’s character and identity, we must be committed in our investment to enhance our asatizah’s competencies.

We will also invest in the future of our children and youth by providing educational support to develop a future generation that is competent and capable in contributing back to society. And we are determined to work together with the Malay/Muslim community, not just to build a Community of Success, but also to build a prosperous future together for Singapore.

11.00 am

The Senior Minister of State for Defence and Foreign Affairs (Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman): Mr Chairman, our asatizah anchor our community to values and traditions in a rapidly evolving world. Increasingly, they are expected to dispense religious guidance on matters not limited to faith and rituals, but also on finance and estate matters, science, medicine and family.

Socio-religious issues are becoming more complex. Bio-scientific developments pose new ethical questions. Demographic shifts, such as an ageing population, evolving concepts of gender roles and challenges brought forth with the Internet of Things, require clearer religious guidance.

In March 2019, we formed the Committee on Future Asatizah (COFA) and I led the engagements on the vision for future asatizah. COFA members included representatives from the asatizah fraternity, Malay/Muslim community leaders, professionals and academics from different fields. The diversity reflects the expanded role expected of future asatizah. We held 16 engagements sessions over nine months, involving over 1,900 stakeholders. These engagement platforms include focus group discussions, round tables, online surveys, street surveys and interviews. COFA concluded its deliberations with the following vision for future asatizah:

(a) As religious leaders in a multi-cultural and diverse society, our asatizah must proactively engage on issues of the modern world and connect with other communities to build a cohesive Singapore society.

(b) As professionals, our asatizah are advocates of lifelong learning, acquiring new knowledge and skills in guiding Singapore Muslims to respond to contemporary challenges.

(c) As role models, our asatizah are rooted to Islamic traditions, resilient, adaptable, compassionate, driven and committed to the betterment of Singapore society.

COFA proposed to realise the vision through three strategic thrusts: first, we will professionalise the asatizah sector; second, we will strengthen key religious institutions; and third, we will do more to nurture inspiring asatizah.

First, on professionalising the asatizah sector. Today, a significant proportion of jobs in the religious sector are unstructured and, as Mr Zainal Sapari highlighted, this results in limited opportunities to progress. To transform and professionalise the sector, I am glad to share that MUIS is developing an Asatizah Workforce Development Plan (AWDP) to enhance the attractiveness of the religious sector and the skills and competencies of our asatizah.

This year, asatizah can look forward to the first initiative under AWDP, which is the Career and Competency Framework (CCF). This framework articulates the different roles and pathways within the formal religious sector and provides information on the respective skillsets needed. With this framework, asatizah can better plan their careers and proactively learn about skills and competencies required for the various career pathways.

In the next three years, MUIS will develop more initiatives under the AWDP. This includes salary guidelines, a religious talent programme to identify and develop future religious leaders and more opportunities for skills upgrading. The religious talent programme, like the Muis scholarship that Mr Irshad mentioned, will be open to deserving applicants on the basis of merit, regardless of race.

For asatizah who are interested to upgrade themselves on emerging issues, Muis will organise relevant courses on digitalisation and the use of social media. Lifelong learning is crucial and critical for all Singaporeans who want to stay relevant, and our asatizah are no exception. The top-up to their Skills Future Credit announced in Budget 2020 will be an additional boost for them to explore new frontiers of skills and opportunities.

The second strategic thrust is strengthening institutions. As we nurture a stronger, more adaptable asatizah workforce, it is also important to strengthen religious institutions. I agree with Mdm Rahayu Mahzam that madrasahs play an important role in developing future asatizah. MUIS has been working closely with our madrasahs to support the development of teachers, improve programmes and curriculum and enhance the facilities of madrasahs. For example, Madrasah Al-Arabiah has a new campus. The campus is equipped with better lab facilities and resources for students, so that our young asatizah can build a strong foundation in both religious and secular subjects.

The Registry of Muslim Marriages (ROMM) and Syariah Court also play key roles in the lives of Singaporean Muslims. While overseeing the registration and solemnisation of marriage and managing divorces will remain their core roles, these institutions can play a bigger part in shaping community life. For example, to further enhance Bersamamu, ROMM has been working closely with MSF to train Kadis and Naib Kadis to better engage and support soon-to-wed couples. Thus far, Bersamamu has benefited close to 3,000 couples since its launch in July 2019.

The third strategic thrust is to nurture inspiring asatizah. COFA saw potential for asatizah to contribute to adjacent sectors, such as social work, and to provide Singaporean Muslims with advice on how to navigate contemporary developments in the use of technology and finance. To help our asatizah step up to this role, the Postgraduate Certificate in Islam in Contemporary Societies (PCICS) will also expose them to social sciences, develop counselling, social work and other vocational skills to prepare them for an exciting and promising future. In addition to partnerships with renowned Islamic institutions like Al-Azhar University and the University of Jordan and our local publicly-funded Universities like NUS and SUSS, PCICS will include a practicum component to equip students with on-the-job training, exposure and experiential learning for their future roles in the workforce.

Mr Chairman, allow me to continue in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Our asatizah shape the character of our community. This is an important responsibility. The role of an asatizah has evolved from only functioning as religious teachers to religious leaders who contribute their expertise in the religious and non-religious sectors. Our long-term vision is to develop our future cohorts of asatizah as religious thought leaders who are highly regarded locally and internationally.

(In English): Mr Chairman, our young asatizah can be great assets to the community, beyond the mosque and the madrasah. We must continue to invest in their development. In turn, I hope that our young aspiring asatizah will rise to the occasion, be the confident guides that the community needs to navigate future challenges and contribute to the vision of a Muslim community of success and help us build a strong and cohesive Singapore.

The Minister of State for Manpower and National Development (Mr Zaqy Mohamad): Mr Chairman, let me touch on our efforts to strengthen our community’s competencies through MENDAKI. There are three drivers in today’s education landscape to provide the impetus for transforming MENDAKI.

First, good pre-school education is critical to the development of our children. Every child should have access to this, regardless of background.

Second, as Dr Intan Mokhtar has highlighted, our education approach in schools is changing and MOE is catering for greater flexibility in education for students with different abilities and interests.

Third, in a fast-changing world, lifelong learning is a must.

Sir, in response to these changes, MENDAKI will enhance its mission to provide end-to-end educational support for our Malay/Muslim community. As Minister Masagos has mentioned, the community has shown significant progress in school dropout and failure rates. We can now focus on new challenges to take the community forward.

Completing school today is not enough. We want our children to succeed in school and be equipped to achieve successful careers.

Dr Intan and Mr Saktiandi asked about our plans to support the pre-school sector. For our young children, we want to equip them with a strong foundation so that they can achieve in life. While initiatives, such as the Preschool Outreach Programme, have paid off, there are vulnerable families in our community who need extra support. Thus, MENDAKI and MUIS have set up the MENDAKI MUIS Preschool Grant (MMPG) which builds on existing Government initiatives to provide additional financial support for our low-income parents.

Sir, with MMPG established in January this year, beneficiaries can see a quadrupling of their CDA savings. For example, if you put just $1 a day in your child’s CDA account, you will have $30 in a month. MMPG will double that amount to $60 and the Government’s CDA co-matching initiative will double the $60 to $120 a month. The money can then be used to pay for your child’s education and medical needs. So, contribute $1 and you get another $3 to support your child.

On the academic front, MENDAKI also started moving to pre-school last year with KelasMateMatika(KMM)@CC with the support of our M³ partners for Malay pre-schoolers. This programme reinforces basic numeracy skills and help parents to be more involved in their children’s development. Last year, more than 1,200 children and parents benefited from KMM.

Over 90% of parents who attended KMM said that they now recognise the importance of pre-school education and are confident on how to develop their children’s numeracy skills. MENDAKI is planning to scale up KMM to benefit more families this year.

As our children progress into schools, MENDAKI Tuition Scheme (MTS) and MOE's UPLIFT programme step in to help those who need extra coaching and motivation to attend school more regularly. This year, so far, more than 7,500 students have enrolled in our 85 MTS centres. By next year, we intend to introduce 15 more centres to make it 100.

The academic performance of our MTS students has been encouraging. In 2018, 60% of MTS students who took Standard Mathematics achieved at least one grade performance in their PSLE result, compared to their year-end result the previous year.

However, like Dr Intan said, we recognise the need to improve MTS, given our evolving education landscape. This is why MENDAKI will review the MTS in five areas: (a) governance and leadership; (b) curriculum; (c) pedagogy; (d) professional development of our tutors; as well as (e) outreach.

Beyond educational support, I agree with Mr Amrin Amin that it is also important to provide emotional support and career guidance for our youths. With the support of other M³ agencies, MENDAKI has set up a Youth Mentoring Office (YMO) to grow a culture of mentoring in the community. We now have over 700 volunteer mentors and 200 of them are already on the ground to support our work with the community.

A key aspect of the Budget this year was about supporting Singaporeans in lifelong learning. The ability to upskill, adapt to industry shifts and be ready for new opportunities is key to staying relevant. Mr Saktiandi asked how MENDAKI will be supporting the community in this area.

We want to encourage our adults to take up various initiatives to support their learning, such as the SkillsFuture Credit top-up announced in Budget 2020. This is especially useful for our mature workers who are looking to improve their career prospects.

MENDAKI SENSE will continue to guide jobseekers and workers on how to make full use of these opportunities provided by the Government so that they can access desired jobs. MENDAKI SENSE has also helped over 2,000 Malay jobseekers who come to its doors to find employment through their programmes in the last five years and we will continue to strengthen its efforts.

Sir, this year, Bulan Raikan Ilmu will continue to champion Lifelong Learning. Our first Raikan Ilmu month reached out to about 30,000 participants and we hope to further our outreach to 40,000 this year.

Mr Chairman, allow me to conclude in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] We are committed to providing end-to-end support, at every stage of life, for our community. MENDAKI is enhancing their initiatives in response to the changing education and employment landscape.

This starts from efforts that encourage the learning and development of young children, to supporting the aspirations of youths, and building a culture of lifelong learning for adults. In turn, we hope that the community recognises the importance of enhancing our educational standards and embracing the spirit of lifelong learning.

Come, let us double our efforts to become a highly competent community and continue to contribute to the success of Singapore.

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The Chairman: Clarifications, if any. Mr Saktiandi Supaat.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: Chairman, I have two clarifications. Can I ask the questions in Malay?

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I would like to ask the Minister or Minister of State whether they can provide more information about the MUIS-MENDAKI Preschool Grant (MMPG). I welcome the support that will be given to Singaporeans. How will it benefit low-income Malay/Muslims families? More importantly, how can they apply for the grant? Can details be given, if available?

Second, what will the Youth Mentoring Office (YMO), that Minister of State mentioned earlier, do for Malay/Muslim youths in Singapore?

Mr Zaqy Mohamad (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Thank you for those questions. MMPG will help families with children who are six years old and below. The grant can be used to quadruple their CDA savings. This money can be used for the pre-school fees, medical expenses, enrichment programmes and even prescriptive glasses for their children. Therefore, for Malay/Muslim families with a per capita income (PCI) of $650 and families with children who are six years old and below, they can apply through MENDAKI.

As for the second question – YMO was set up by MENDAKI, with the support of M3, to grow a strong culture of mentoring within our community. Its objective is to provide career guidance which is a key aspect of this mentoring project. It provides useful guidance for our youths especially those who want to pursue a career in new areas like AI, cybersecurity and others. Although there are good career prospects in these areas, they may not know any role models who can help them to explore these pathways. So, we hope that, with this Youth Mentoring Office programme, we can help them to find jobs and careers in new areas.

The Chairman: Dr Intan.

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: Chairman, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Minister or Minister of State Zaqy, what are the plans for MENDAKI's Tuition Scheme to ensure that our children are ready for a more dynamic environment and also to seize opportunities to excel in various areas apart from academic excellence?

Mr Zaqy Mohamad (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.]Thank you, Dr Intan. Firstly, MENDAKI conducted a review last year. From there, we obtained all kinds of feedback from the community and we have revamped our programmes. We will restructure the MTS centres and introduce Cluster Principals. This will further strengthen the leadership and administration of these centres.

Second, we will also update the MTS curriculum and introduce the Science subject to Primary 3 students instead of Primary 4 currently.

Third, MENDAKI will also make pedagogical changes to further improve our children’s experience at the MTS.

For Primary 1 to 3 students, MENDAKI will explore various learning techniques, including experiential learning or modular learning outside the classroom. Hence, learning should not only be conducted in the classroom but also outside the classroom. This will transform our children’s learning experience.

For Secondary school students, MENDAKI will introduce Subject-Based Banding. Therefore, we will be aligned with MOE by transforming the way we provide support, which will be tailored to our children's abilities.

To help students who require more guidance, MENDAKI will upgrade its intensive guidance programmes that it piloted last year. The results of this pilot programme has been encouraging so far. MENDAKI will also look into the professional development of its 830 MTS tutors and also explore ways to empower parents so that they can be more involved in giving motivation and support to their children.

Lastly, MTS will further enhance its outreach strategy to engage students who need more support and this includes strengthening MENDAKI's involvement in schools with a percentage of Malay/Muslim students who are not performing.

MENDAKI will collaborate with MOE in the UPLIFT programme so that more of our students who need academic support will receive a more comprehensive assistance. By 2021, MENDAKI hopes to work with 15 more schools so that we can increase the number of MTS centres to 100.

The Chairman: Mr Zainal Sapari.

Mr Zainal Sapari: Chairman, in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] So far, there has been no cases of COVID-19 that came from the mosques in Singapore, even though many Muslims of different nationalities visit the mosque daily to perform congregational prayers. Can the Minister share what steps have been taken by MUIS and the mosques to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 infection among mosque congregants so that everyone can pray safely and peacefully?

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: Mr Chairman, in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Thank you, Mr Zainal, for the question on COVID-19, especially in relation to our community. Obviously, when we congregate, for example, in mosques or during festivities, infections can occur. At the mosques, for instance, we will shake hands with each other. Sometimes, we hug each other. In the past, our ladies used the praying veils provided by the mosques. Or our foreheads will touch the mosque’s carpeted floor during prayers.

MUIS and the Mufti have given guidance so that we can momentarily change our normal practice. For instance, please bring our own prayer mats to use during prayers because COVID-19 can be spread when someone coughs on the same carpeted floor that come into contact with our foreheads during prayers.

We can also cut down on handshakes. If we want to shake hands, make sure that we have washed our hands first with soap, and after shaking hands, wash them again. But I think if we are often seen washing our hands every time we shake hands, we will perhaps be seen as being disrespectful. So, my suggestion is to greet each other this way (Minister places his hand on his chest) while we deal with this COVID-19 situation.

But in time to come, as I said earlier, we must also further improve our level of hygiene, personally and for the individual, so that we take care of our health as well as our loved ones’ health. This is how we manage the COVID-19 issue for the long-term.

The Chairman: Any more clarifications? Next cut. Mr Darryl David.

Mr Darryl David (Ang Mo Kio): Mr Chairman, I have three cuts, may I take them together?

The Chairman: Yes, please. Take your three cuts together.

Opportunities for Children and Youths

Mr Darryl David: Mr Chairman, our children are our country's future. The environment that our children are living in and growing up with is very different from ours, as will be case from generation to generation.

But the world today is economically more uncertain and is more polarised and fragmented with opposing camps holding deep, uncompromising views. Disruptions, dis-intermediation and shifting of economic powers globally have threatened the existing world order and has triggered the competition for hegemony among global nations.

Our children and youth have a stake in Singapore's future as influencers for change. As the Government, we must ensure that we provide opportunities for our children and youth to grow and develop holistically. How is MCCY supporting equal opportunities and holistic development for our children and youths?

Arts and sports, for instance, are crucial ways to nurture the young. And studies have shown that participation in arts and sports can bring about positive cognitive, behavioural and social outcomes. How will MCCY ensure that all children and youth, regardless of their background and ability, have access to arts and sports opportunities?

As our youths enter the workforce, we must also ensure that they are equipped with the skills and knowledge to thrive, especially when the future of work has yet to be defined. How can MCCY work with the other relevant Ministries to ensure that we prepare our youth adequately for future workforce challenges?

Preserving Our Cultural Heritage

Second cut, please. In 2015, the Singapore Botanic Gardens was successfully inscribed as Singapore's first UNESCO World Heritage Site and in 2019, we submitted the nomination documents to have "Hawker Culture in Singapore: Community Dining and Culinary Practices in a Multicultural Urban Context" on the UNESCO's Representative List.

Mr Chairman, culture is a way of life. It is the social glue that binds different communities together. It creates shared beliefs among people and a common identity that helps define the character of the nation. And in many ways, the Botanic Gardens and our hawker food are part of our cultural and national identity. We grew up with hawker food and everyone has our own favourite hawker stalls and, of course, we would always remember strolling through the Botanic Gardens with our loved ones. Some of us here in the House might even remember strolling through the Botanic Gardens and then going to the hawker centre across the road for some excellent murtabak, dessert and drinks.

Yet, culture is not only defined by UNESCO titles, neither can culture be created by attaching labels to empty physical spaces. Culture exists only when people attach special meaning and importance to places or to practices, and only when places and practices hold personal memories to people. So, the places where we live, work and play hold many memories about our traditions and way of life, which make us uniquely Singapore.

Mr Chairman, Singapore's cultural heritage belongs to us all. Singapore is a multi-ethnic and multi-racial society. The different communities living and working in Singapore are all part of our cultural fabric and the different communities need to define for themselves what is culturally important to them, while also celebrating the aspects of other communities. That is what makes Singapore special. As the Government, we need to empower our community stakeholders to celebrate their heritage, promote their heritage in everyday spaces, and more importantly, facilitate its transmission to the next generation.

Can MCCY share how it intends to continue to engage the community to sustain interest in, and deepen appreciation for Singapore's cultural heritage?

High Performance Sports

My final cut, Mr Chairman. The 2019 SEA Games was a mixed-bag of results for Team Singapore. While we had a number of hits, such as winning our first-ever gold in softball and making a clean gold medal sweep in underwater hockey, we also had a number of misses. For the first time in 50 years, we did not win a gold for water-polo and did not do as well as we thought we would in women's table tennis doubles.

With less than five months to go before the Tokyo Olympics, can MCCY provide an update on how Team Singapore athletes, especially the up and coming ones, are faring regionally and internationally?

Mr Chairman, the uncertainties surrounding COVID-19 and the high rates of infection in Japan have also thrown a bit of a spanner in the works. There is the possibility of COVID-19 being declared as a global pandemic and there is thus the possibility of the Tokyo Olympics being significantly affected by this as well.

How is MCCY supporting Team Singapore's preparation in the lead up to the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics? And how does MCCY plan to support Team Singapore athletes if they were to compete in a host-country where the rate of COVID-19 infection is high?

SG Youth Action Plan

Mr Alex Yam (Marsiling-Yew Tee): Last year, the Ministry and the National Youth Council (NYC) launched the SG Youth Action Plan, an ambitious effort to envision the future of Singapore in 2025 and provide a platform for Singapore's youths to shape their vision for the country, develop plans for youth, community organisations, businesses and the Government to realise this vision together.

With the kick-off in May 2019, can the Ministry provide a progress update on the discussions so far? What are the aspirations and ideas from our youth, resulting from this engagement and what can youths look forward to in 2020 and beyond?

The transformation of the Somerset Belt designated as an area with a strong youth focus as part of the longer term plans for Orchard Road is also a key project under the SG Youth Action Plan. What has been the progress of discussions and how will the slowdown in the economy impact its development?

Support for Ground-up Partnerships

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: Mr Chairman, at Budget 2016, the Government introduced Our Singapore Fund to encourage and support active citizens that are taking the initiative to solve ground problems, strengthen community spirit and contribute to nation-building.

11.30 am

It is gratifying to note that in the recent years, more Singaporeans, particularly youths, have been coming together to form ground-up initiatives ranging from upcycling to urban farming to evolving traditional arts and so on.

What is the status of the Fund? How many benefited from it? Will MCCY continue to support these ground-up initiatives through Our Singapore Fund? Besides enabling ground-up initiatives, how is MCCY supporting the Government’s efforts to partner Singaporeans in shaping our future Singapore together?

SG Cares Volunteer Centres

Volunteers play an important role alongside social service professionals to shore up the social safety networks and reduce the number of cases of people falling through the cracks. But, of course, volunteer work can be a lot more than helping the needy. Volunteers are also needed to run community gardens, do befriending, look out for the interests of the environment and wildlife, and so on. In short, they are crucial towards building up the resilience of a nation through encouraging cohesion and compassion.

During COVID-19, we saw how volunteers are playing crucial roles in facilitating mask distribution efforts, including that in Toa Payoh, and ensuring attendees of community events partake in hygiene measures as well.

Last year, MCCY rolled out SG Cares Volunteer Centres in seven towns to grow and coordinate volunteer supply, facilitate partnerships between community partners and build capabilities in these towns. Can the Ministry provide an update on these Volunteer Centres, and whether there are plans to roll out more Centres to more towns?

The Chairman: Mr Henry Kwek, take your two cuts, please.

Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry (Nee Soon): Sir, my first cut. Singapore’s caring and kindness, along with progress in our society’s civic, culture, and sports arena, are fuelled by the passion of our country’s volunteers. MCCY has done an excellent job to identify, nurture, and empower them. We need to look no further than Team Nile, our Museum Volunteers. MCCY also rolled out an excellent cloud-base volunteer portal, Volunteer.sg, that is a game-changer on how VWOs engage volunteers. I am deeply appreciative that MCCY has included Kebun Baru as a pilot within PA.

Last year, MCCY rolled out Volunteer Centres in seven towns to grow and coordinate volunteer supply, facilitate partnerships between community partners and build capabilities in these towns. Can the Ministry provide an update on these Volunteer Centres, and whether there are plans to roll out the Centres to more towns?

Additional Support by MCCY and NAC

My second cut. Most arts and culture institutions rely on a combination of ticket sales, grants, donations and endowment income. For those with NAC grants, the Government usually ties the grants to public attendances and projects that benefit Singapore, and rightfully so.

In view of the current circumstances regarding COVID-19, donations from some parts of the business community may be down and there can be reduced demand for large scale public performances.

Some institutions without deep reserves or large endowment could face significant challenges.

Can MCCY share how MCCY and NAC can better support these institutions in this difficult times? For example, can NAC provide additional support or convert existing grant by getting these institutions to invest in capability development, so that they can emerge stronger from the crisis?

Expanding Partnerships for Singapore Together

Ms Anthea Ong (Nominated Member): Sir, I declare my interest as founder of A Good Space, a community of citizen change makers and Hush, a social enterprise. In light of the $250 million top-up and the spirit of Singapore Together, would the Ministry consider the following.

One, increasing the maximum funding in Our Singapore Fund and other funds to minimise the need to apply for multiple grants by ground-ups who are made up of citizen volunteers.

Two, revising the framework in disbursing grants such that projects which are longer-term in nature or design, for example research, or projects which are seeking to be more sustainable, can receive longer term funding required in line with the time required for community development.

And three, removing the cap on the amount or percentage of budget that can be spent on paying project owners, since they are often the ones putting in the most time and effort into the project, and for manpower needs to be assessed on a case-by-case basis?

Community Engagement on LGBTQ+Issues

Assoc Prof Walter Theseira (Nominated Member): Mr Chairman, since 2009, the annual Pink Dot SG has attracted tens of thousands of Singaporeans to attend in support of the LGBTQ+ community. However, many Singaporeans have also expressed concerns about Pink Dot SG and some have organised counter-events such as Wear White.

A 2019 IPS study found that there have been "steep drops" in opposition towards LGBTQ+ issues. Unfortunately, divisions along this fault line may nonetheless deepen, given the role other social divides, such as religion and age, play in shaping attitudes towards LGBTQ+ issues. If these divisions were left unchecked, it increases the potential for acts of violence and discrimination to be committed against vulnerable groups, including hate speech and online harassment.

The Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles or IRCCs have served an important role in strengthening social cohesion through dialogues, workshops and other programmes, amongst various religious and racial groups. In light of the friction concerning LGBTQ+ issues, one way to foster social harmony would be to include vulnerable and marginalised groups, such as the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities and migrant workers and other groups, to be a mainstay in initiatives similar to IRCCs.

The purpose of such initiatives is not to convert anyone to any particular viewpoint on these issues, but to mitigate polarisation by strengthening social cohesion and fostering understanding and respect across differences.

Given the contributions of IRCCs in promoting social harmony, could the Ministry convene similar community engagement initiatives that aim to bridge gaps between religious groups, the LGBTQ+ community and other stakeholders, with the aim of fostering mutual understanding?

The Chairman: Ms Yip Pin Xiu, you can take the three cuts together.

Disability Sports Masterplan

Ms Yip Pin Xiu (Nominated Member): Mr Chairman, I declare my interest as a current athlete. The Disability Sports Master Plan, otherwise known as the DSMP, started its implementation in 2016. It was formed after the Vision 2030 exercise to redefine the role of sport in Singapore. One of the four Strategic Themes in Vision 2030 is ‘Sport without Boundaries’ where sports should be inclusive, with opportunities for people of all abilities to participate. DSMP was born to address gaps in the existing ecosystem to provide support for disability sports.

For the past three years, DSMP has been able to react and address some of these gaps. I am highly appreciative of the planning and investment. Perhaps it is timely that we now do a stocktake, and review what had worked, and what are new opportunities that may not have been available when DSMP was first implemented.

After research done in 2015, the DSMP had identified the barriers to participation and had three broad recommendations then; which was to expand access and opportunities for sports participation by PWDs, develop organisational and professional capabilities in disability sports, and build public awareness of disability sports and strengthen affinity with Team Singapore athletes.

So far, the DSMP team has come up with three disability sports programs which is the Play-Ability, Yes! I Can and Intro a Sport, There are plans to make sports complex more accessible. Currently there are seven inclusive gyms and pool wheelchairs have been put in place at five Active SG pools where there are ramps into the pools. Para Sports Coaching courses have been organised and there has been outreach and engagements, opportunities for volunteers. I would like to know if measurable outcomes were set in relation to the intended broad outcomes of the DSMP.

From an initiative started out to fill gaps, we should now look at the whole landscape and think of how to build bridges of opportunities with other sectors that work closely with PWDs, to maximise the potentials of the DSMP, with strategic execution. I firmly believe that this plan has the ability to determine the speed of success for Sports Without Boundaries in Singapore in the long run. Is a second version of the DSMP in the works, to review the landscape, and build bridges of opportunities, and support more aspects of disability sports? While programmes and infrastructure are improving, we should also leverage existing investments to promote access and build affinity for inclusion.

Firstly, while PE teachers have undergone training in inclusive PE, have we evaluated whether they are now confident in carrying out inclusive PE? How many students with disabilities are still not participating in PE? My peers and I have gone through the exact same experience during our school days. I have been told to sit out and look after school bags while the rest of my classmates were in PE class. We were looked at differently, as if PE was something that did not matter to us, yet somehow essential for able-body students to gain different benefits, like teamwork and social networking.

Secondly, if we look at engagements in schools, CCAs form another channel where we can layer on our investments to promote inclusion through sport. Schools can be supported to convert existing CCAs to welcome suitable students with disabilities, while specialised CCAs on para sports can provide a setting for students with and without disabilities to increase interaction and develop inclusive partnerships. If the children of today are exposed to this I believe that there is a higher chance they will grow up thinking that being inclusive is normal. The students will learn that it is possible to adapt, to include the people around them. and people with disabilities are not that different from them. The landscape will change not only for our youth with disabilities but will also lay a strong foundation in our young for a caring and inclusive society.

As a model, the DSMP should also encourage inclusive partnerships at a higher order, such as having Special Education Schools included in the School Sports Council.

Third, in a study highlighted by the DSMP, most VWOs, now called social service agencies, overlook the benefits that sports and physical activity can bring to PWDs and their overall well-being, due to the sources of their funding. An example is a recent Community Chest Charity Support Fund call, where it was informed that "agencies that support programmes that contribute to the psycho-socio well-being of target clients" would be eligible for funding, but such programmes would exclude "sports". It confused me that sports were not considered to contribute to psycho-socio well-being, where in fact an annex in the DSMP was dedicated to this. Are we able to review programmes and capability funding to social service agencies to promote sports, and reduce “oversight” of such benefits?

Fourth, with transportation being highlighted as a critical factor preventing sports participation, can we explore expanding the current transport subsidy schemes and assistive technology schemes to support PWD in pursuing Quality of Life activities, such as sports? While most employers are benefiting from grant schemes to redesign jobs and work environments to employ PWDs, soft skills are equally important to PWDs for employability.

Finally, the DSMP currently focuses mainly on outreach, and not on future development. However, if one of the aim is to build awareness and strengthen affinity with Team Singapore athletes, is there a possibility for DSMP to look at the entire spectrum of disability sports, from outreach to development to performance, and work with the current existing stakeholders in the respective areas to maximise efficiency of the resources?

In the last COS I raised the topic on Integrating National Sports Systems. To date, while there have been national sport systems that have voiced their interest in inclusion, concrete steps are still missing to support this progression in a systemic manner. We can have a challenge fund under Sport Singapore to encourage NSAs towards integration.

The Disability Sports Master Plan plays a big role in increasing participation and making Singapore a more accessible, inclusive and caring community. I am very eager to be a part of this ecosystem while we move towards our vision of Sports without Boundaries. The next phase of the DSMP can help to build bridges with various ministries and partner social service agencies to enable Singaporeans where they can have a better quality of life and lead an active and healthy life through sports.

Mental Health Support for Athletes

Sir, I will now take my second cut on Mental Health Support for Athletes. As an athlete, I have seen many of my peers face pressures from their sport, academics, work, and different aspects from their life. These pressures can sometimes affect their mental well-being.

Athletes retiring and transitioning out of sports can also find it difficult mentally and emotionally as most athletes have been doing this sport their whole life and it is their identity.

Currently, the support for sports psychology is excellent. However, the support is for athletes to perform at a highest level and they may not be trained to help athletes with their mental well-being or any mental health issues. The programme, Mind Matters, was created in 2017 to develop the mental health framework but the reach in this programme has been very limited with only five full sessions being conducted to 55 participants.

Would the Ministry consider providing mental health support as a strategic priority, and clarify what measures are in place for current and retiring athletes in this regard?

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One Team Singapore Fund

Sir, onto my third cut for our One Team Singapore Fund. The One Team Singapore Fund serves as a multiplier to help sporting organisations level up their high performance. Most National Sports Associations (NSAs) are small outfits and work very hard to source for funding. One way is to market the NSA or its athletes to secure sponsorships, where it then becomes a win-win situation for both the NSA and the sponsor.

While such sponsorships may be geared towards high performance, the One Team Singapore funding mechanism only allows donations to be matched and not sponsorships. This regulation appears to penalise the NSA for their efforts, rather than the sponsor. If the concern is sponsors receiving "double" benefit through "doubled" recognition for the matched funds, can this be mitigated by imposing a condition on the matched funds, rather than rejecting such matching altogether? If this Fund can apply to sponsorships as well, it can encourage corporates to play a bigger part in supporting local sports.

FIFA World Cup 2034

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap: Sir, in August 2019, it was reported in the media that Vice President of Football Association of Singapore (FAS), Mr Edwin Tong mentioned that, I quote, "FIFA World Cup 2034 will be a realistic goal for Singapore."

Following this good news, I had failed a Parliamentary Question in September 2019 on the matter. I asked MCCY what are the Football Association of Singapore (FAS)'s plans in working towards achieving this goal for Singapore's Football National Team to qualify for FIFA World Cup in 2034.

Sir, the Ministry replied as follows, I quote, "The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth welcomes our Team Singapore athletes and sports association to strive for excellence and support them in realising their goal. We look forward to hearing from the FAS on their plan to achieving their stated goal and how the football fraternity, community and the Government can support them in their efforts."

Sir, I have been looking forward and waited since September 2019 for updates from the Football Association of Singapore or MCCY. This time around I do hope to hear some positive sharing from the Minister on the matter.

Sporting Singapore

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon): Sir, in the midst of COVID-19 affecting Singapore and the rest of the world, the subjects of "national resilience", "community bonding" and "national pride" in how Singapore manages the epidemic is popping up. Coincidentally, true sporting nations typically display such positive attributes. In fact, I recall that the Committee of Sporting Singapore report in 2001, championed by Mr Goh Chok Tong, articulated these three desired outcomes of a Sporting Singapore, the other two being "vibrant society and economy" and "international friendship".

Minister Grace Fu was quoted by Straits Times on 16 January 2020 that: "There’s so much more that we can do before we can really call ourselves a sporting country”.

But we have made progress, and I cite the example raised by Senior Minister of State Sim Ann in Parliament on 5 November 2019 that more people with disabilities (PWD) are participating in sport, with the Government exploring how a related master plan can make more progress.

Rewinding back the clock: in 2010, Singapore was awarded: the Gold for Sports City Award at the 2010 International Sports Events Management Awards, and Runners-up for the 2010 Ultimate Sports City at the Sports Accord Convention. The international sporting community took notice of this little red dot’s sporting achievements during the 2001 to 2010 period.

GDP contribution from the sports industry grew from $300 million in 2000 to $1 billion in 2008, including the hosting of the 2005 International Olympic Committee Session, 2008 inaugural F1 Singapore Grand Prix, 2009 inaugural Asian Youth Games, and 2010 inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG).

The job creation objective was catalysed by the startup of Singapore Sports School in 2004, the launch of UK Loughborough University’s sports science degree in partnership with NTU, the emphasis of sports health leisure by Republic Polytechnic, ITE, and other private institutions.

Working under MOU partnerships, the EDB, the previous Media Development Authority and Singapore Sports Council successfully courted international companies to relocate to Singapore and thereby created new jobs, for example, ASICS, Decathlon.

In 2008, the former MCYS Minister, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, announced a target for the Singapore sports industry: $2 billion annual contribution to Singapore’s GDP and the creation of 20,000 jobs by 2015. Sir, the sporting fraternity seeks an update on the GDP contribution and jobs created.

Next, Singapore Sports Hub. For this national iconic project, much has been said about the Public Private Partnership model; however, the sporting fraternity has yet to see positive changes that will convince Singaporeans that we have the right private sector partner running this national project.

Instead, we have witnessed a continuous exodus of staff last year and this year, including the majority C-suite of SportsHub: CEO, CFO, COO, Chief Commercial Officer, and General Counsel. From public reports, there has also been critical changes to the shareholders and key partners: for example, the 83% majority shareholder Infra Red Capital Partners has been acquired by Sun Life. Is this a material change? Will it further impact negatively the desired outcomes of the project.

Sir, it would be timely for Minister to provide us with an update on the situation at Singapore Sports Hub, given that we are approaching the end of six years of full operations.

Please also update how we will keep our sporting calendar vibrant, given the non-performance of the contractual promise by SportsHub Private Limited to host 90 sporting event days per year at National Stadium. Are we getting value for money for this national project.

On this subject, I would like to appeal to MCCY once again. Tampines has Our Tampines Hub; Bedok has Heartbeat @ Bedok; Sembawang has Sembawang Integrated Hub.

What does Yishun have? A rundown swimming complex opened in 1988 and an old sports stadium opened in 1992. The remaking of our sports facilities is to remain relevant and affordable, and to meet demands of the community. I am sure that the population of Yishun town has grown, and Yishunites deserve more and better sporting facilities.

The Chairman: Mr Terence Ho, you can take your two cuts together.

Championing Arts Giving

Mr Terence Ho Wee San (Nominated Member): Chairman, arts giving. Amid the evolving of the COVID-19 outbreak, the arts community brings people together, spreads love and positivity. In my previous speeches, I mentioned that I believe that a more targeted and well-defined Culture Matching Fund (CMF) policy can help small, medium arts groups in Singapore enjoy the benefits.

To battle the economy downturn, I propose to review and reconsider the CMF.

One, can the Government consider launching a Relief and Recovery Measures to Arts Group by providing 1:2 matching grant instead of 1:1? This is a period for all arts groups; with the sudden cancellations and postponement of shows, arts groups are predicted to experience a deficit within the period.

Two, will the Government also consider providing more for the project and production grant, such as the Tote Board Arts Fund so as to allow the arts groups to work on recovery plans to bring back audiences and call back artistes for future performances? More help is definitely needed to bring back audiences and assure them that the shows will go on. The COVID-19 outbreak has an impact on the worldwide economy and it takes time for the outbreak to settle down. I believe that there is a need to path a recovery route for all arts groups and is vital and to make the arts vibrant and accessible to the public again.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] During this trying period, operations of arts groups have been seriously affected. The sustainability of arts and cultural groups require strong Government support, and also sponsorship and donations from corporates, foundations and individuals who recognise the importance of arts and culture.

In my previous speeches, I suggested that the Government exercises greater flexibility and adopt a more targeted approach in the administration of the Cultural Matching Fund (CMF).

For example, aside from providing matching grants according to the amount of funds raised, the Government could perhaps consider providing matching grants according to performances and ticket sales.

To help arts groups tide over this difficult period, I hope the Government can review the disbursement of CMF by:

First, the Government can consider launching a relief package to help arts groups overcome the current difficulties by increasing the ratio of CMF from 1:1 to 1:2. This will help to increase funding for cultural and arts groups, who can then use the funds to tide over this period.

Second, the Government can consider increasing project and production grants for arts groups, so that they can come up with exciting programmes to attract audiences. Bringing back audiences to performances cannot be done overnight. However, I believe that if arts groups unite together and go all-out to attract audiences, the crowd will come back, and the entire arts scene will be rejuvenated.

How to canvas for donations and sponsorships beyond Government funding is the greatest challenge faced by most arts groups. We hope to nurture more fans of the arts, including those who appreciate the arts and those who are willing to sponsor arts activities.

This is the hope of many arts groups. I also hope that arts groups can attract new audiences, who will eventually become advocates for the arts, and that all arts performances will enjoy such good ticket sales that only standing room will be left.

Space Synergy for the Arts

(In English): My second cut. Arts groups now and in the future will require a significant amount of space to express their creativity and store their props and sets. The arts space will help artistes and arts groups to grow and we need to keep up the growth of the arts group. With limited land space in Singapore, it is increasingly difficult to increase the gross floor area (GFA) of the arts community. Do we have a short, mid and long-term plan to cater to the growing needs and create space synergy for the arts?

Earlier on in September 2019, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng announced that arts freelancers will have an arts resource website, and will also have dedicated working spaces. In my previous speeches, I proposed that the Government can consider a central shared warehouse for the arts community, where props and sets can be stored, shared or reused. This is one of the ways we can do our part to save the Earth from climate change, reducing wastage and disposal issues.

In addition to that, perhaps the Government can consider including shopping malls and even unused national monument space, to cater for arts use. For instance, Wild Rice is housed within Funan and Singapore Dance Theatre is housed within Bugis+. We can integrate arts and culture within malls, to further increase the audiences’ reach.

Furthermore, as the world continues to face challenges during this outbreak, the local arts community is doing their part to rally Singaporeans. For example, the Theatre arts groups came together, to promote and share about each other’s’ upcoming productions. These are heartwarming gestures.

To battle the virus together, I propose the following.

One, can the National Arts Council help provide rental rebates, for arts group housed at Goodman Arts Centre and Stamford Arts Centre, to name a few. This will help to tide the arts groups through this difficult period of low attendance and cancellation of their shows.

Two, can there be introduction of shared services among the arts groups, in terms of Professional Services such as legal advice, audit and accounting services? This can help reduce the expenditure of the arts groups.

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The synergy of arts space can integrate, interest and ignite the collaboration among arts groups and utilise resources to the fullest. The arts bring diverse communities together. Amidst the challenging periods again, I am certain that the local arts community will continue to do their part to rally Singaporeans.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] As arts groups grow, they will need more space for practice, rehearsals, and storing props and stage sets. With limited land space in Singapore, there are not many places that can be used for arts groups. I hope we could do the following:

First, Government Ministries can engage in inter-Ministerial discussions on how to increase space allocated for culture and arts.

Second, during the current COVID-19 outbreak, I hope that we can consider granting rental rebates to arts groups, so that they can focus on rehearsals as usual, and not lose the drive to perform due to loss of income because of cancellation of performances. My wish is that the dance will continue, the music will not stop playing, and we can live life as per normal.

Quality Arts Productions for Underserved

Ms Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar): Sir, culture and the arts help build a sense of community, bringing people together by providing a common experience and shared worldview. They also provide opportunities for learning, communication and entertainment. Therefore, it is important to ensure that culture and the arts are accessible to individuals from all walks of life. Every segment of our society, including the less privileged, should have access to a wide range of quality arts performances.

I would like to commend MCCY for doing much to bring the arts to the less privileged. One example is the WeCare Arts Fund, a year-round funding scheme that supports artists and Social Service Agencies in developing participatory workshops for beneficiaries.

In Singapore, free, non-ticketed arts events are widespread and easily accessible. In fact, non-ticketed arts attendance has been climbing over the years, reaching an all-time high in 2018.

Last December, the Singapore Chinese Orchestra gave a free performance in an open area at my market/hawker centre. My residents, especially the seniors, were delighted to have a wonderful concert at their doorstep. They spent a memorable evening singing along with the evergreen hits and nostalgic tunes. It was a most heartwarming sight and I really want to thank our hon Nominated Member Mr Terence Ho and Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) for making this happen. Our seniors are really looking forward to the next one, which is coming up soon.

Quality arts performances can be expensive to produce and affordability would be an obstacle for the less privileged. They may require interlocutors to provide context to the performances and may need to attend such events with friends and family to feel comfortable and to enjoy the performance. How would MCCY address these issues?

Access to Arts

Mr Yee Chia Hsing (Chua Chu Kang): Chairman, I would like to echo Ms Joan Pereira's call for arts to be accessible to all, regardless of socio-economic status. Besides looking at the issue from the perspective of consumers of arts and culture, is MCCY also looking at the issue from the perspective of the providers of arts and culture? Do our artists have the physical space as well as the platform to practice as well as showcase their craft. This is important to ensure that we have a diverse and vibrant arts scene.

Back in 2017, I asked the same question during COS and the Ministry indicated that it has opened up Gillman Barracks for artists to showcase their craft. However, anecdotally, the awareness of Gillman Barracks is not high and the tenants there are not doing well as a result. Are there plans to rejuvenate Gillman Barracks and also open up other locations for our local artists?

Bringing Arts and Culture to Community

Mr Lee Yi Shyan (East Coast): Sir, as a First World economy, we strive to be a First World people – charitable and gracious, considerate and compassionate. Apart from pursuing economic goals, we should also have room for the intangibles of life: to understand our history, appreciate our heritage, celebrate our diversity and participate in artistic expressions of various forms.

Thanks to years of consistent investments, we can be proud of having world-class venues in performing theatre, museum and art gallery. Singaporeans have ready access to world-class concerts, performances and exhibitions. We have a vibrant arts scene.

Arts and culture, however, should not be confined to the premises of museums and concert halls. Instead, they should flourish in the daily lives of our people. Visitors to Italian cities such as Florence would see amazing sculptures and magnificent architecture at piazzas, along streets and on their buildings.

In my constituency, we work hard to bring arts and culture into the community. Since its opening two years ago, Heartbeat has held more than 250 workshops on arts and crafts, painting, sculpturing, calligraphy. Our choir, orchestra and interests groups put up pubic performances. We are grateful to PA, NHB and NAC for their support and partnership.

Sir, may I ask for your permission to display a picture on the LCD screens.

The Chairman: Yes, please. [A slide was shown to hon Members.]

Mr Lee Yi Shyan: When Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong opened the Heartbeat@Bedok on 4 February 2018, we unveiled a locally-installed art work named “Pulses”. Singapore is no Florence but we could still envision our version of renaissance.

Given this context, would the Minister enlighten us how MCCY views arts and culture development in the community? Would MCCY support more ground-up initiatives on visual arts including installation of art works at public places, with programme akin to URA's "The Art Incentive Scheme"?

The Chairman: Minister Grace Fu.

The Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien): Twenty-twenty marks the beginning of a new decade. For MCCY, we ended the last decade on a strong note across our domains, where Singaporeans came together to celebrate our heritage, our unity and our sporting achievements.

We commemorated our Bicentennial, recalling our history and how together we built a nation. Our religious leaders came together to affirm their Commitment to Safeguard Religious Harmony at the inaugural International Conference on Cohesive Societies. Our country rallied behind Team Singapore athletes at the SEA Games, who brought home 53 gold medals, 46 silver medals and 68 bronze medals.

We have become a more caring nation through voluntary acts of spontaneous and everyday kindness. There have been many accounts of how Singaporeans have looked out for each other in recent weeks during the COVID-19 outbreak. Many of us desire to do more for the community, from donating to volunteering.

As a people, we have become more confident about our identity, what we can offer and showcase to the world. With strong public support, we submitted our nomination to inscribe Hawker Culture in Singapore on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. We look forward to the outcome in December 2020.

Making Singapore our home together is the heart of MCCY's work. We believe in collectively shaping the society we want to be – a caring people, a cohesive society and a confident nation. We work closely with partners to support the Singapore Cares movement. We encourage our citizens to step forward to serve, through Team Nila and Youth Corps Singapore. We have expanded opportunities for Singaporeans to engage in honest dialogue and understand each other better, through programmes such as BRIDGE. We partnered stakeholders to support the expression of national pride through Our SG Arts Plan and Our SG Heritage Plan. We empower our citizens through Our Singapore Fund, Our Harmony Fund and the National Youth Fund, to start ground-up projects that can inspire others and strengthen our identity as one people.

With the Singapore Together movement, MCCY will do more to partner Singaporeans. In a world where people are increasingly tribal, divided and disconnected from each other, we will ensure Singapore’s social fabric remains strong, by working together to offer opportunities, community and inclusion to every member of society. We will enhance access to opportunities, foster a more caring and gracious community, and build an inclusive city of possibilities.

For a society to be united, it must work for everyone, not just a few. There must be equal conditions for all to thrive. I am glad Dr Lim Wee Kiak raised this. We will enhance access to opportunities in the sports, arts and youth sectors for all Singaporeans at each stage of their lives.

Mr Darryl David asked how MCCY will provide such opportunities for all children and youths. In the early pre-school years, a child's main way of learning and developing is through play.

Under our Children and Youth Sport Framework, we will provide more in- and out-of-school play opportunities for our children to support their physical and intellectual growth. In 2017, SportSG initiated the Nurture Kids programme to complement ECDA's development framework for our young children. Last year, we partnered 125 pre-schools and introduced fundamental movement skills such as jumping, throwing and balancing in a safe and fun way to more than 5,000 children. This year, we will double efforts, and make this available to 250 pre-schools. We will also partner MOE to ensure all pre-school teachers graduating from the National Institute of Early Childhood have the skills to help our children develop their fundamental motor skills.

Complementing these initiatives, an "Active Parents" movement will be launched this year, to encourage and equip parents to play an active role in our children’s sporting journey.

At our Primary and Secondary schools, we will continue partnering MOE to provide our students with opportunities for a well-rounded education through sports and culture. In 2020, we will expand the School Sports Partnership and introduce "Active Play". Primary schools can tie up with SportSG to conduct different sports, so students can pick up these sports conveniently – during recess, school sports days or at nearby sports centres. These non-competitive arenas can encourage students to try more sports and bring them enjoyment while fostering confidence, teamwork and cohesion.

We are also exploring more offerings under the Strategic Partnership CCA pilot formed last year between MOE, the National Arts Council (NAC) and SportSG. This allows students to pursue their interests, even if these are not offered as CCAs in their schools. They will be able to represent their schools in national competitions and platforms. Athletics and Ethnic Dance are currently offered under this programme. This year, where there is demand, SportSG is ready to open up more locations to support Athletics training. On its part, NAC will work with LASALLE College of the Arts to provide Ethnic Dance experiences for interested students.

We will nurture creativity and expand horizons of our children by celebrating our history and igniting their love for our heritage. The Singapore Philatelic Museum will be revamped as a dedicated children’s museum where children can learn about a wide range of themes, including the heritage and culture of Singapore and the region, by playing with interactive and immersive exhibits. For instance, there will be a permanent exhibition on "Singapore, Our Home", where children can learn how early pioneers lived and worked, and role-play as hawkers, coolies and merchants. The museum will re-open in 2021 and add to the current offerings for children, such as the Children’s Biennale at National Gallery Singapore.

Our museums will also provide our students with shared experiences of learning together and appreciating Singapore's history. In 2020, the National Heritage Board will introduce Museum-based Learning (MBL) as part of MOE's Learning Journeys for students.

All Primary 6 and Secondary 2 cohorts will visit the Asian Civilisations Museum and National Museum of Singapore respectively. Students will travel through the museums in small groups, interact with museum educators and complete hands-on activities with their friends.

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For instance, at the National Museum, students can learn the struggles of the Japanese occupation by choosing artefacts they are interested in and having conversations around those artefacts. One such artefact is Elizabeth Choy's dress, which she wore while held captive.

Through this experience of exploring our history as a cohort, we hope our students will form shared memories together, and learn important values such as self-determination and helping one another during difficult times. These initiatives will make learning more meaningful and come alive for students, as they go through their Character and Citizenship Education syllabus and subjects such as Social Studies in Primary school and History in Secondary school.

In an age where Asia's economy is growing in significance, our youths need to understand regional markets to thrive in the future economy. Our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) already provide youths with opportunities to build their economic, social and cultural awareness of the region. Youth Corps Singapore piloted the enhanced Youth Expedition Projects (YEP+) in 2018 to provide youths with deeper understanding of the region. The YEP+ comprises not only of community service, but also visits to multinational corporations and start-ups.

Our participants have made their marks in Indonesia, Laos, Vietnam and China. Currently, the YEP+ provides about 5,000 opportunities for regional exposure.

In 2020, we will increase opportunities for youths to engage the region. The National Youth Council (NYC) will partner IHLs to expand short-term immersion opportunities to ASEAN, China and India for ITE, Polytechnic and University students, through the new Asia-Ready Exposure Programme (AEP). The AEP will curate industry-focused experiences in the region for our youths to be more aware of the economic opportunities in these countries.

By 2022, NYC's regional exposure programmes, including the AEP, will support up to 10,000 youths each year. This is double the current number of youths benefiting from NYC's programmes. This will contribute to the "70-and-70" target for students, announced by the Finance Minister in his Budget Speech and enhance the Asia-readiness of our future workforce.

Not forgetting those who are less youthful, we will ensure everyone has opportunities to lead full and active lives. By 2030, one in four Singaporeans will be at or above the age of 65, and we will have 900,000 seniors. Sports and physical activity allow our seniors to sustain their health and mobility longer and continue to be engaged in the community.

From this year, we will make public gyms and swimming pools free for all Singaporeans aged 65 years and above. We will review the age criterion from time to time, in keeping with the trends and life expectancy of Singaporeans. SportSG will also partner the Agency for Integrated Care to bring programmes for seniors to their doorsteps, at Senior Citizens' Corners and Senior Activity Centres.

I have touched on new initiatives for Singaporeans at each stage of life. Equally important, we must ensure that access to the things that make a full life – the beauty of the arts, the rigour of sports, the knowledge of our heritage, the support of our community – is open to all, regardless of background.

We will continue to increase access to sports facilities around the island, under our Sports Facilities Master Plan. This year, we will break ground for the new Punggol Regional Sport Centre. We will bring new Sport-in-Precinct facilities to Sengkang South, Pasir Ris East and Dover, achieving our target of initiating 20 Sport-in-Precinct projects by 2020. We will rejuvenate another five ActiveSG facilities, from swimming complexes in Ang Mo Kio, to, Er Dr Lee Bee Wah may like to know, sport centres in Yishun.

In partnership with MOE, over 90% of suitable Government Primary and Secondary schools' sports halls and fields have been converted for public use under the Dual Use Scheme. We will work with MOE to convert all remaining suitable facilities by this time next year. These initiatives will help realise our aspiration of having sports and recreational facilities within a 10-minute walk from our homes.

Ms Joan Pereira and Mr Yee Chia Hsing asked about broadening access to the arts. Dr Lim Wee Kiak and Mr Terence Ho made similar suggestions in this House. We will ensure that all Singaporeans have access to quality arts productions. This year, we will enhance the WeCare Arts Fund by launching the WeCare Arts Experiences, in partnership with the five Community Development Councils (CDCs). This will enable less privileged families to attend ticketed presentations for free at our cultural institutions such as the Esplanade, SSO and NHB museums, through a subsidy of up to $40 for a ticket.

By 2022, the National Arts Council and CDCs aim to reach up to 20,000 beneficiaries and volunteers under the scheme. As Mr Terence Ho noted, everyone has a part to play in enhancing access to the arts and we encourage volunteers to step up and work with Social Service Agencies to see how they too can contribute their time. Mr Chairman, I would like to speak in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] We will enhance access to opportunities for all. For our preschool children, we will help train the teachers to stimulate their physical and intellectual growth through. For our school-going children, we will provide a more holistic learning journey, by expanding avenues for them to try new sports. We will also provide more opportunities in building shared experiences through learning our national history together. For post-secondary youths, we will increase opportunities for them to gain cultural literacy and a deeper understanding of the region.

We will ensure our seniors can lead full and active lives. We will ensure that everyone has convenient access to sports facilities. We will also ensure that our lower income families will be able to enjoy quality arts productions, so we can all flourish as a society together.

However, such opportunities alone do not make a good home. We must enable and help one another to succeed. Every Singaporean counts, we will only by progressing together. As a people, we need to recognise and act on our mutual obligations to our fellow citizens.

(In English): Beyond providing opportunities for all, we wish to build a strong community spirit where we care and help one another. There is more each of us can do to give and to lift the less fortunate and more vulnerable among us. Senior Minister of State will provide more details on these initiatives.

We will deepen our commitment to one another as one people and to Singapore. In 2020, MCCY will partner Singapore citizens to create content on what makes us Singaporean and this content will be used to update our Singapore Citizenship Journey. Through this process, Singaporeans will articulate and affirm who we are as a people, while co-creating content to enrich new citizens' understanding of Singapore.

After an open call in January, we will convene a Citizens Workgroup comprising of interested persons from diverse fields and organisations. Over the next few months, they will discuss what unites us as Singaporeans and research topics close to our hearts. This would include our values and obligations as Singaporeans, social norms and our culture and national history. Their recommendations will be published by end-2020.

When we affirm our common fate, support one another and work and progress together side by side, we live a democracy of deeds. A clear manifestation of this has been the crafting of the SG Youth Action Plan, where more than 70,000 youths proactively shared their ideas and views on Singapore in 2025. Senior Minister of State will share more on this.

Ms Anthea Ong and Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked how we will support ground up efforts better. Finance Minister has shared in his Budget Speech that the Government is prepared to invest up to $175 million from now to 2025 to engage active citizenry and develop partnerships.

To support more projects, we will put $20 million of these funds into Our Singapore Fund and extend it to SG60 in 2025. Government will co-invest the balance in partners across all domains to support projects that address shared priorities. This enhanced support will help partners develop capacity and capabilities to sustain impactful initiatives. More immediately, Senior Parliamentary Secretary will also speak on our measures to support the arts and sports communities in view of the ongoing COVID-19 situation.

To grow an inclusive society that embraces diversity, we will expand pathways to success that celebrate our diverse talents, skills and cultures. This year, we will provide more support to our athletes and artists, so they can excel and succeed and make Singapore a place of opportunities. We will support promising athletes representing Singapore who are not covered by our High Performance Sports system. We will work with individuals and groups to preserve our heritage in innovative ways and keep it alive so we can transmit it to future generations. Senior Parliamentary Secretary will share more details.

Even as we celebrate what makes us different, we need to emphasise and protect what we share in common. A major reason for Singapore's success is that we stay open to the world while remaining cohesive as a nation. We combine unity with diversity, harmony with difference. We can do this because our communities hold our differences not in opposition to each other, but in a relationship of mutual respect. Diversity ensures we have the range and breadth of ideas, perspectives and resources to thrive globally. Because we come from different lands and cultures, the possibilities of what we can make together are so much richer. We see a common good and are committed to building something better. We rely on one another for security, stability and prosperity.

Assoc Prof Walter Theseira asked how we will foster mutual understanding on LGBTQ. In many of our discussions with citizens, the issue of sexual orientation has often been raised. It is grounded on personal values and beliefs and consensus is not always possible. However, we agree with Assoc Prof Walter Theseira, that we do not shy away from discussing it and it is important that we have platforms where we can engage on our differences on the basis of mutual respect.

For instance, at the Youth Conversations and SG Youth Action Plan engagements, youths had a safe space to express views, on their aspirations, concerns, fears and disappointments. Participants voiced their opinions, including on LGBTQ issues, while others listened with civility and respect.

Through such platforms, we listen to those different from us and seek to understand them on their terms, even with our disagreements; we expand the common space to engage one another and work together on the things that we want in common. When we drop the mindset of "us versus them" and see ourselves as a collective "we", Singaporeans with different points of view can sit together and work on issues important to our shared future, such as jobs and economy, the environment, the vulnerable and the disadvantaged.

We will continue to support partners and agencies to build capacity and capabilities within the community for more inclusive civil discourse. We will support platforms that bring together people who hold different perspectives. And we will partner ground-up efforts to promote social harmony. In Mandarin, Sir.

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(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Apart from the recent COVID-19 situation, racism, religionism, and protectionism are also on the rise globally. People are increasingly tribal, divided and disconnected from each other. As such, we will ensure Singapore's social fabric stays strong, by working together to offer opportunities, community and inclusion to every member of society. Bearing in mind our vision, we will build a home that provides opportunities for all, by enhancing access to these opportunities and allowing people to develop their full potentials.

We will also foster a more caring and gracious community, where we do not forget to help and enable one another to succeed. We will build an inclusive city that celebrates our diverse talents and cultures. Finally, with the Singapore Together Movement, MCCY will do more to partner Singaporeans to build a caring, cohesive and confident Singapore.

(In English): To conclude, Sir, we in MCCY often ask ourselves if we are making progress towards our vision of a caring people, cohesive society and confident nation for Singapore. We are aware that the strength of our society is not measured by, say, the number of art events we hold, or the amount of grants made. The answer lies in our responses when we face a major crisis as a nation. COVID-19 is the moment that allows us to search for the answer. To get through the crisis, we must unite around our values of multi-racialism, openness and self-determination. We must not let fear and anxiety come between us. That it is a worldwide crisis gives us a good basis of comparison with others.

Sir, I would put to this House that Singapore and Singaporeans have come up well as a caring people, cohesive society and a confident nation.

Singapore has united as one, and acted and applied our minds to help one another. Many have stepped up to show what it means to be Singaporean. Those working at the frontline of our defence are standing tall and stoically in their positions despite shouldering risks to themselves and their families. Some, like the pilots and crew of Scoot and the MFA officers who flew into Wuhan to retrieve Singaporeans there, showed courage, sense of duty and self-sacrifice, and made the nation proud. Some contributed time and resources to those in need, going deep into the community to reach out to seniors and the vulnerable in their homes. As the situation developed, more of us have come forward to help, in whatever way we can to anyone, regardless of race, language or religion.

This is a testament to the strength of our society and our progress as one people. And I think years of developing that support on the ground whether it is through PA, whether it is through Team Nila, our Youth Corp Singapore, have shown us we have the strength, a very strong and firm layer of volunteers that is out there that will support us, the Government, in reaching out to the ground and helping the ground. While other countries see their citizens standing in line in the cold for hours for two pieces of masks per person, we have distributed four masks per household within days, without queues. And I think this is the day we have been practising so hard, that we are preparing so hard for. And I think Singapore has really come well.

And through our actions, we demonstrate that we are in this together, with trust and confidence in the Government and in one another. Together, we are working out solutions to new problems. We will emerge a stronger nation. This is the Singapore Spirit and the heart of our nation. [Applause.]

The Senior Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth (Ms Sim Ann): Mr Chairman, Singapore Together is our commitment to partner Singaporeans to build a "democracy of deeds", as Deputy Prime Minister Heng shared last year.

The past weeks have shown how much we have grown as a democracy of deeds, with many rising to the occasion and having contributed to the common good amidst our ongoing fight against COVID-19.

Last month, Team Singapore bowlers packed and distributed masks and hand sanitisers to seniors in Clementi. Others showed appreciation for our unsung heroes. Ms Lim Sio Yen and Mr Ernest Koh Jun Ming set up video booths at various malls inviting people to record messages of support for those working in sectors such as healthcare, transport and security. We are heartened by such initiatives, and want to inspire more. This is why we introduced SG United, a one-stop portal to volunteer, donate, start and share community-led initiatives in response to COVID-19.

We believe that many who have made the first step of giving will continue to do so, inspiring others along the way. Over time, our society will grow as a community of open hearts and helping hands. This matters because no one – not the Government, the private sector, or people sector – has a monopoly on good ideas. We can only find the best solutions to build a better future we all share, through partnership.

Let me start with our youths.

In 2019, youths such as Greta Thunberg, made global headlines. In Hong Kong, Chile, Lebanon, Sudan, young people were at the forefront of civic protests and calls for change. Policy-makers and thinkers pondered how youths are different and what that means for the future.

In Singapore and at MCCY, we began the process of engaging youths in 2018, with the Youth Conversations, a safe space for youths to talk about their aspirations and concerns. Like their elders, youths care deeply about their families and have the drive to succeed. There are also topics where they have a different outlook. If we do not listen to or work closely with our youths, these differences will lead to miscommunication, frustration, and divergence. Youths are also keen to move from conversation to action. These insights spurred us to refine our engagement approach to emphasise scale and more tangible impact. Our new approach has three key aspects.

First, we supported youths in envisioning and actualising their ideas. Last May, we launched a national platform for youths to articulate and achieve their vision for Singapore in 2025: the SG Youth Action Plan. Mr Yam asked for a progress update on the SG Youth Action Plan, and what youths can look forward to this year. Since SG Youth Action Plan’s launch, we reached out to over 400,000 youths, and engaged close to 70,000 of them through digital engagement, public roadshows and focus group discussions. This is our most ambitious youth engagement exercise yet.

A diverse panel of youth leaders compiled thousands of youth voices into a draft vision of what youths hope to see in our near future. And here is what it says:

"Before we change the world, we must first change ourselves. We may not always get it right, but with hard work, compassion and determination, we will foster an inclusive, sustainable and progressive Singapore. We will create a home where Singaporeans care for one another, and have a fair shot at their dreams. Twenty-twenty five, we are coming for you!"

The draft youth vision conveys youth priorities, and provides us with a positive sense of what Singapore’s future will look like when the youths of today become the movers and shakers of tomorrow. We invite youths to help us refine this vision further.

We have already begun empowering youths with information, resources, and networks to turn their ideas into reality. This is the purpose of the Youth Action Challenge or YAC. The inaugural YAC saw 250 youth participants in 57 teams consult industry experts and policymakers to prototype ideas on the themes of environment, society and jobs. I witnessed some of these teams’ pitches in January, and was impressed by their passion. Allow me to share two examples:

Team Movement of Inclusivity is keen to help frontline staff in public spaces better assist persons with hidden disabilities. Another team, Team ASEAN Business Youth Association, wants our youths to become more ASEAN-savvy. So, they built a prototype platform offering regional networking opportunities for youths.

While the top teams will present their proposals at the YAC Summit next month for up to $50,000 of funding, NYC will help all 57 teams to implement their ideas. There will also be further editions of the YAC for youths to drive change on new themes that they care about.

The SG Youth Action Plan will also focus on championing youth concerns. The Panel partnered the Youth Alliance on Mental Health to call for more whole-of-society action in reducing stigma, strengthening peer support, and tackling workplace discrimination. Following such feedback, TAFEP has taken steps to advise employers against asking job applicants about their mental health history when there is no relevance. The recently announced Youth Mental Well-being Network will build on the work of the SG Youth Action Plan to co-create solutions with our youths and different segments of society.

I am excited by the progress made and I look forward to more areas in which our youths will make a difference.

The second aspect of our new approach is to create more opportunities for youths to re-shape Singapore’s spaces. Youths have helped to co-create the Somerset Belt Masterplan, which Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey will share more about later this month, including how youths can enliven the Belt through their own initiatives.

Youths can also look forward to co-creating and co-owning the youth hub within Kallang Alive!, a sporting and lifestyle destination from our sports blueprint, Vision 2030. Our youths are energetic, and have an edgier take on sports and the arts. The youth hub will be a space for such dynamism. Details of engagements with youths will be shared later this year.

The third way we are approaching youth engagement differently is through NYC. NYC will be a conduit for youth voices by expanding its digital engagement channels so more diverse segments of youths can provide candid feedback. It will also build its capabilities to support public agencies in identifying emerging youth needs. We are also experimenting with ways for youth leaders to directly engage agencies on specific policy issues where they have relevant expertise.

NYC will also be an incubator of youth action. Youths will receive greater support, through NYC’s curated leadership development and business exposure opportunities. Mr Chairman, in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The year 2019 was shaken by the youth. Youth made global headlines, as they were at the forefront of protests and calls for change in cities around the world. Is this an indication that the next generation is better than the previous one, or, are they causing trouble for the world?

This led many policy makers and thinkers to ponder how youths are different from their elders and what that means for the future. Here in Singapore, we began that process in 2018 with the Youth Conversations, where we provide youth a safe space to share with us their aspirations and diverse viewpoints. The Youth Conversations showed us that there are areas where youths bring to the table a different outlook. We should work together with them to cultivate this as a strength and move from conversation to action.

That is why we embarked on a new approach of engaging our youths for greater scale and a tangible impact. In May 2019, we launched "SG Youth Action Plan" for youth to articulate their vision for Singapore in 2025 and to take action to achieve that vision.

We reached out to over 400,000 youths and engaged 70,000 more closely, compiling thousands of youth voices into a clear statement on what young people hope to see in Singapore in the near future: a society that embodies the values of inclusiveness, fairness, care, sustainability and progress.

To support youth to realise the vision, we started the Youth Action Challenge which empowers them with the information, resources and networks to co-create projects on issues they care about. The youth teams have come up with 57 exciting proposals on the themes of environment, societal issues, and jobs and future of work, and I look forward to seeing the top 12 teams pitch their proposals at the YAC Summit in April.

We will continue to expand opportunities for youth to take actions and be heard in sustained manner, so that they can play an active part in building our home.

12.45 pm

(In English): Back to English, Mr Chairman. Volunteerism is an important means of realising our youths' vision of a caring and inclusive society. Everyone has a part to play, not just youths, but seniors, corporates and Government. Let me update on our efforts under each sector.

I will start with youth volunteerism.

Last year, YCS launched Programme X – X standing for multiplier – to equip youths to start impactful community projects and lead their peers in turn. Over 400 youths from ITEs, Polytechnics and Universities have taken part in Programme X.

Sky Tai, a student from ITE College West, was one of them. Following the programme, he designed and ran eight weekly arts sessions for seniors at SASCO Home in Hong San together with his teammates. Programme X enabled him to hone his leadership capabilities and deepened his resolve to serve the community. YCS is also working with our SG Cares Volunteer Centres to promote youth volunteerism and grow youth volunteer networks in the neighbourhoods.

Seniors also wish to remain socially active and engaged in their retirement years. To reach out to more pre-retirees at their workplaces, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with RSVP Singapore last year. With the MOU, RSVP aims to reach out to 30,000 seniors in its first year and match them to suitable volunteering opportunities.

A new Team Nila Silver Champions Scheme will also provide seniors with regular volunteering opportunities at Active SG Sports Centres. This includes training alongside Team Nila youths to serve as ActiveSG ambassadors to promote sport and exercise together. Seniors will also receive training through SportSG and WSQ courses.

On the corporate volunteerism front, NVPC and ComChest formed a closer partnership last year to help corporates access resources more easily and find better matches to volunteering opportunities. Over 30 corporates have been referred to our SG Cares Volunteer Centres to link up with community organisations for volunteering opportunities.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat and Mr Henry Kwek asked for an update on our SG Cares Volunteer Centres. Last year, four were established in Kreta Ayer, Toa Payoh, Boon Lay and Woodlands. This year, eight others will be appointed at Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Merah, Choa Chu Kang, Clementi, Geylang, Jalan Besar, Tampines and Yishun. Our aim is to establish an SG Cares Volunteer Centre in each town.

As "community brokers", our SG Cares Volunteer Centres form partnerships with organisations, such as schools, to channel their volunteers to community organisations in a mutually beneficial way. They also assist community partners with volunteer management, through efforts such as holding joint volunteer training sessions for community partners that may not have the capacity or the know-how to do so.

We have been working closely with several SSAs, such as Loving Heart Multi-Service Centre and Filos Community Services to helm our SG Cares Volunteer Centres in Jurong East and Bedok respectively. Over the past two years, these SSAs forged over a hundred partnerships with corporates, schools and other SSAs. We commend their hard work and invite more community-based organisations to partner us.

Care is also manifested by ensuring that spaces are inclusive and providing opportunities for all to enjoy pursuits such as sports. Ms Yip asked about updates to our Disability Sports Master Plan (DSMP). She shared suggestions to expand play opportunities for persons with disabilities (PWDs) and build partnerships to promote inclusivity in sport.

The three key thrusts of the DSMP remain relevant and we are making progress on its recommendations. We currently have eight inclusive and senior-friendly gyms with equipment suitable for use by all, including PWDs. SportSG plans to retrofit three more gyms each year over the next three years. By 2026, all ActiveSG gyms in Singapore will be inclusive and senior-friendly.

We will continue to work with community partners on inclusive programmes. We are expanding events, such as Play Inclusive, an inclusive sports competition, to offer more opportunities for persons of different abilities and special needs to train and compete in sports together. We are also supporting Goalball Singapore to bring sighted and low-vision students to play sports together.

A Communities of Care grant has been introduced to support ideas to uplift the vulnerable and under-served through sport. We are disbursing $600,000 to support 18 community projects and 31 SportCares bursary recipients this year. SSAs are welcome to apply. SportSG also offers guidance to staff of SSAs to introduce inclusive sport activities.

We are developing two frameworks to guide Special Education schools and SSAs on cultivating a lifelong enjoyment of physical activities for their students and clients. The adaptive swim framework focuses on teaching basic swimming and water safety competencies and the Fitness 1-2-3 framework focuses on imparting strength and conditioning knowledge.

The DSMP also provides opportunities to participate in High Performance Sports, as Ms Yip suggested. Individuals with potential from ActiveSG and community sports programmes are referred to the Singapore Disability Sport Council and the National Disability Sports Associations for further development and training. The Singapore Sport Institute (SSI) also provides facilities, funding and specialist support for para athletes preparing for major games.

I thank Ms Yip for her suggestions to build on the momentum of the DSMP. We will follow up with her on her ideas.

We also want to support our charities and encourage giving through this time when we are all fighting COVID-19 as one. Donations to Institutions of a Public Character (IPCs) will continue to be matched via the Bicentennial Community Fund until December 2020, from March 2020 previously.

This year, we are also introducing sector-specific digital solutions for smaller charities to operate more efficiently and more securely. These solutions aim to reduce administrative burdens, improve productivity and provide higher protection against cyber threats. Charities will also receive a digitalisation toolkit to expand their digital knowledge and capabilities.

We are also simplifying the process of searching for charities' information on our charity portal to help donors make informed giving choices. Each charity's profile page, starting with those that are IPCs, will feature information about how well the IPC is governed, for example, its level of regulatory compliance. We will be engaging charities and the public on what information should be shared, and how it can be presented in a useful way later this year.

The giving culture is strong in Singapore, and we want to sustain it and grow it further by encouraging those interested to give through a new national legacy giving initiative, developed in partnership with CFS.

Legacy giving refers to a planned, future gift that designates a portion of a person's assets as a donation to charity. Examples of such assets include cash and insurance policies. Our goal is to foster a giving mindset, where planned gifts to charity become more common and more frequent.

This is not just about bestowing financial assets. Legacy giving also imparts values such as kindness, compassion and generosity, which are far more lasting than assets alone. Acts of care and contribution go a long way, especially in these challenging times.

Mr Chairman, MCCY will continue to pursue partnerships to uplift those in need and nurture an active citizenry. Together, we can build a democracy of deeds as our legacy to future generations.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (Mr Baey Yam Keng): Mr Chairman, the arts, heritage and sports play an important role in making Singapore a vibrant and liveable city. They bring people together, inspire them and root us as Singaporeans.

Earlier, Minister and Senior Minister of State spoke about our efforts to build a home that provides opportunities for all. This is exemplified through the celebration of different pathways to success for our artists and athletes and the nurturing of a vibrant arts and culture ecosystem.

The partnership among the Government, arts patrons and arts community forms the basis of a sustainable arts scene. Mr Henry Kwek and Mr Terence Ho asked how MCCY will support the arts community during COVID-19. We want cultural performances to continue during this time as the arts inspire us and lift our spirits, as long as necessary precautions are in place. This is what MCCY agencies and institutions, including NAC, NHB and PA will commit to, where possible. We also want to encourage arts and culture practitioners to take this opportunity to develop their capabilities and better position themselves for the future. MCCY will therefore set aside around $1.6 million to support the arts and culture sector and to prepare the sector for the post-disease recovery.

MCCY will provide a new 30% subsidy for venue rental and associated costs at our national cultural institutions. including the Esplanade, Arts House Limited venues, and the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre. This subsidy will be for arts and culture activities, including productions and workshops taking place from 7 March, tomorrow, to 30 June.

In addition, NAC will provide a one-time, enhanced capability development grant for individuals and arts organisations, to promote upskilling and organisational capability development. The grant will be open for application from 16 March and will subsidise local courses and programmes.

These two initiatives are part of the Support and Stabilisation Package announced by Deputy Prime Minister in Budget 2020. Arts groups and practitioners, including those who already enjoy subsidised rentals under NAC's arts housing scheme, can benefit from both these initiatives. The package also the new self-employed persons' (SEPs) training support scheme recently unveiled by MOM. Under this, all SEPs will be paid an hourly $7.50 training allowance when attending eligible programmes. NAC will continue working with SkillsFuture Singapore on a curated list of arts and culture courses for arts freelancers. This will complement existing initiatives, like the Arts Resource Hub, which is working with partners to provide shared services in areas like legal and financial matters.

We encourage all eligible arts and culture professionals to tap on the available measures, including subscribing to the Arts Resource Hub, which is free, and prepare themselves for the post-COVID-19 upturn. As Mr Ho suggested, we encourage arts practitioners to support one another during this time.

SportSG is also engaging stakeholders, especially coaches and fitness instructors to use this time to retool and upskill through various courses offered by CoachSG and partner institutions, supported by SkillsFuture Singapore and SkillsFuture Credits. Sports coaches registered with the National Registry of Coaches (NROC) can apply for financial assistance under the Coach Development Grant to attend courses and programmes to upgrade themselves. MOM's SEP training support scheme will also benefit these sports freelancers.

We will also ensure that our arts spaces are effectively used. Mr Yee Chia Hsing asked for an update on the Gillman Barracks Art Cluster. Gillman Barracks provides Singaporeans and tourists access to high quality arts programmes through educational art and history tours, performances, as well as talks and workshops by long-term tenant galleries. This includes the current edition of the Singapore Biennale, which had tours led by seniors and concerts by students from Ngee Ann Polytechnic. Two successful editions of SEA Focus in 2019 and 2020 also enhanced Gillman Barracks' standing as a locus of Southeast Asian Art.

Mr Terence Ho asked if we will provide more shared spaces and resources to bring people together via arts activities. To facilitate networking and to optimise available spaces, arts practitioners will have access to our arts centres. In January, we opened two physical spaces under the Arts Resource Hub at Goodman Arts Centre and Stamford Arts Centre. Plans are underway to have a third physical hub at Waterloo Street by early 2021 that will offer incubation and presentation spaces for arts freelancers.

These plans complement schemes like the Community and Sports Facilities Scheme to provide artists with greater access to spaces. I encourage more arts groups to consider how they can pool their resources. Those with existing facilities, for instance, could share them with others.

Mr Chairman, technology will also be used to strengthen our arts eco-system. NAC is collaborating with NLB to develop a National Online Repository of Singapore Arts to facilitate access to information on Singapore arts and deepen the expertise of arts researchers.

This will complement other digital platforms, such as the Cultural Concierge and Offstage, which seek to widen the public's engagement with the arts.

Sports also plays a crucial role in strengthening our community bonds.

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked about our plans for a sporting Singapore. As part of Vision 2030, SportSG is partnering stakeholders to develop a strong sporting culture and grow our standing as a major sporting hub through local and international events, such as the Singapore Rugby 7s, FINA World Cup and the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon.

The GDP contribution of the sports industry has grown steadily, reaching $1.7 billion in 2018. This figure excludes growth areas like sports broadcast, infrastructure projects, sports events and conferences, as well as e-sports, which SportSG, Enterprise Singapore and Singapore Tourism Board and local and international businesses have been seen working together to develop the e-sports scene.

1.00 pm

Mr Chairman, the Singapore Sports Hub hosted 212 events last year. The precinct has seen increased footfall, with regular activities such as quarterly Community Play Days and a variety of programmes. Like many Singaporeans, we want to see it succeed as the integrated sports and lifestyle destination that we envisioned. Regarding the acquisition of majority stakeholder InfraRed Capital Partners by Sun Life, we recently sought clarification from Sports Hub Private Limited (SHPL) and we have obtained their assurance that this will not have any direct impact on the Sports Hub operations.

We have made our views and expectations known and SHPL agrees that Sports Hub should be a place that all Singaporeans can be proud of. SportSG is in regular communication with their top management and closely monitors performance to ensure that agreed standards for availability of facilities and performance are met. For example, SHPL is required to meet a minimum number of sporting event days at the National Stadium and Singapore Indoor Stadium each year. Where they have not met the standards, they have been held accountable and financial penalties have been imposed. We will continue to monitor and hold SHPL accountable to meet all their contractual obligations to deliver a first class and vibrant sports entertainment and lifestyle hub for all Singaporeans.

Mr Darryl David asked how our athletes have fared internationally, how we are supporting our younger elite athletes and athletes who are competing in locations with a high rate of COVID-19 infections. Twenty-nineteen was a busy year for our athletes. I attended the 30th Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines where we fielded 659 athletes and achieved more than 50 gold medals.

On the international stage, shuttler Loh Kean Yew beat two-time Olympics champion Lin Dan to win the Thailand Masters last year, and he defeated the world number two shuttler at the Badminton Asia Team Championships in February. Bowler Cherie Tan made history by becoming the first Singaporean to be named the World Bowling Athlete of the Year by World Bowling last year.

In para sports, swimmer Yip Pin Xiu clinched two medals at the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships while archer Nur Syahidah Alim became the first Singaporean to be named Para Women World Archery Athlete of the Year for 2019.

Looking ahead, we now have more than 10 athletes across six sports who have qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics; and nine para-athletes who have qualified for the Paralympics.

These athletes are supported through the spexScholarship programme or dedicated campaign funding for the games, as well as annual Government funding through the National Sports Associations. Specialised sport science and sport medicine support is also provided to help them achieve their best.

For athletes going overseas, SportSG, together with the Singapore National Olympic Council and the Singapore National Paralympic Council, have developed detailed contingency plans to ensure the safety of our athletes and officials. The contingency plans for Tokyo 2020 are being developed and will include measures and precautions for athletes and officials with regard to COVID-19.

We will also enhance our sporting infrastructure to support our youth athletes. The National Youth Sports Institute (NYSI) satellite facility will move to a bigger facility at the former Police Coast Guard Headquarters, next to the Kallang Basin in April. This will allow NYSI to scale up sport science support for more youth athletes. The new premises will be close to Singapore Sports Institute (SSI) and the Sports Hub where many athletes train, thus providing opportunities for interaction between the junior and senior athletes.

Ms Yip Pin Xiu shared that she has seen many athletes face mental pressures from their sport and their daily lives. This also applies to retiring athletes.

To ensure the mental well-being of athletes, the SSI sports psychology team has been equipping our athletes with skills to adjust to life post-competition and a post-sport career. They offer counselling services and a mental health literacy programme, Mind Matters, that helps athletes and coaches identify and understand mental well-being issues as well as when and how to seek help. We note Ms Yip Pin Xiu's comment on the programme's limited reach. SSI is working to expand the reach of this programme to benefit more athletes as well as partners under the spexBusiness network to offer professional development support and opportunities for retiring athletes.

Our athletes can also look out for one another. I encourage our retired athletes and veterans to take the lead to build circles of support, lend a listening ear, offer advice and help one another.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap asked about our plans for the Singapore national football team qualifying for World Cup 2034. The Government does not interfere with the management of our National Sports Associations, including the Football Association of Singapore (FAS). We were briefed by FAS on the plans for Goal 2034 and have given FAS feedback. We look forward to hearing back from them on their plans and how we can best support them.

Supporting our athletes and artists is a shared endeavour. We have funds to encourage private and corporate philanthropy for the arts and sports, reinforcing the Singapore Together movement. Mr Terence Ho and Ms Yip Pin Xiu asked about the Cultural Matching Fund (CMF) and One Team Singapore Fund (OTSF) respectively.

Since it was set up in 2013, the Cultural Matching Fund has benefited over 100 arts and heritage charities through one-for-one matching to over $215 million of private donations.

We recognise that smaller arts groups may need more help as they lack strong fundraising capabilities. We will help these groups with the new Sustain The ARTs Fund, or stART Fund for short. This fund will bring together donations from corporations and individuals, which will be matched by CMF where eligible, to support small arts groups in developing robust governance structures and attaining charity and eventually Institutions of a Public Character (IPC) status as well as programming. Over the coming three years till 2022, NAC plans to build the stART Fund to $10 million, which aims to support about 100 arts groups. All eligible donations will receive prevailing tax deductions. Interested donors can reach out to NAC.

In the sports arena, the One Team Singapore Fund (OTSF) complements the Government's investment in the high performance sports system by allowing individuals and corporates to make cash donations. The Government has set aside $50 million to match cash donations to encourage more to step forward. We wish to clarify that similar to other Government matching funds, the OTSF does not provide matching for commercial arrangements like sponsorships as the fund aims to encourage philanthropy to sport.

But we are mindful that there are athletes outside the high performance sports system such as our indoor skydivers, national dodgeball and tchoukball squads who have done well in internationally. We want to support their aspirations. So, with support from Temasek Foundation, $100,000 will be set aside annually for a Temasek Foundation Inspire Fund for Athletes that will provide campaign funding for such athletes. More details will be announced in the coming months.

Mr Chairman, I have spoken about how we are supporting our artists and athletes. Our efforts cannot stop here.

We agree with Mr Lee Yi Shyan that arts and culture should be accessible to Singaporeans. Since 2012, we have established 21 arts and culture nodes across the island to provide quality arts programmes in our neighbourhoods. Through programmes such as PAssion Arts, Arts in Your Neighbourhood and Artseen, we have co-designed community arts programming with the community and other partners. We have also brought arts and culture outside the confines of concert halls and museums and into public spaces during events such as the Istana open house. Through NAC's Silver Arts Programme, we have arts programmes designed for seniors.

To provide youths with opportunities to showcase their creative talent and energy, NAC has partnered *SCAPE to roll out the BUSKING@*SCAPE programme. Under this programme, Singaporeans between 15 to 35 years old are not required to go through auditions or be endorsed under NAC's Busking Scheme. Instead, they can register for time slots to busk at the prominent *SCAPE front-of-house which faces Orchard Cineleisure. The scheme was piloted from October last year. To date, more than 60 young buskers have showcased their talents.

To provide buskers with greater access to spaces, NAC will gradually introduce the concept of busking zones at Singapore River and Ang Mo Kio from April this year. Each zone comprises a cluster of busking locations, allowing buskers the flexibility to move between them. This offers a more varied busking experience for audiences and ensures equitable access to popular busking spots.

NAC will continue to engage venue partners and the busking community to review busking locations, manage busking activities and co-develop suitable programmes. I hope my fellow members will also offer your constituencies for buskers to perform.

NAC will also develop a digital scheduling tool for buskers to pre-book their performance slots. With this, members of the public and venue partners can look forward to more vibrant spaces and a diverse busking calendar.

Mr Darryl David asked about community engagement efforts to safeguard our cultural heritage. We will do this in partnership with the community, through public education and outreach, research and documentation. This year, there are two highlights – the Stewards of Singapore's Intangible Cultural Heritage Award and the outcome of the UNESCO Hawker Culture in Singapore nomination in December.

The safeguarding, promotion and transmission of our intangible cultural heritage (ICH) will not be possible without the contributions of our ICH practitioners. These individuals will be honoured at the inaugural Stewards of Singapore's Intangible Cultural Heritage Award ceremony held in conjunction with Singapore Heritage Festival this year.

Over the past year, we were heartened by the strong support from the community for our UNESCO Hawker Culture in Singapore nomination. We will continue to strengthen community support through platforms such as the Singapore Heritage Festival, community events and travelling exhibitions to schools to celebrate our hawker culture. We are lucky to have hawkers who continue to work tirelessly to serve Singaporeans amid this COVID-19 period.

Beyond shared stories, traditions and practices that are passed on from generation to generation, our heritage is also embodied in historical buildings and neighbourhood icons. We will partner local shop owners within Singapore's historic precincts to co-create Street Corner Heritage Galleries and highlight heritage right in our neighbourhoods.

NHB museums, heritage institutions and community galleries will partner local shop owners to create "mini museums" within their shops to showcase their history and heritage, trades and products through information panels, displays of historical documents, photographs and artefacts. The Street Corner Heritage Galleries may also develop programmes, such as tours and workshops, and participate in events such as Singapore Heritage Festival and the respective Culture Festivals of the heritage institutions.

Balestier will be the first precinct, with five Street Corner Heritage Galleries opening to the public from tomorrow. Loong Fatt Tau Sar Piah along Balestier Road will host one such gallery. With a history dating back to 1948, visitors to the family-run business can watch the stallholders mould the dough, stuff with mung bean filling and bake using traditional gas-fired ovens. We have prepared some tau sar piah for tea later.

By 2022, there will be Street Corner Heritage Galleries in four other historic precincts – Kampong Gelam, Kreta Ayer, Little India and Geylang Serai. These places will serve as reminders of our living heritage and anchor our memories as we move into the future together. Mr Chairman, I will continue in Mandarin, please.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Singapore's rich history and diverse heritage belongs to every Singaporean. To sustain a culturally vibrant Singapore, it is important that we safeguard and promote our nation's rich and diverse intangible cultural heritage, as this defines our identity as Singaporeans and it is a duty we must fulfil. Beyond our shared stories and knowledge, our heritage is also embodied in our neighbourhood icons. In order to bring our heritage to neighbourhoods where we live and play, museums, heritage institutions and community galleries operated by NHB will partner local shop owners to co-create Street Corner Heritage Galleries. These local shops will function as "mini museums" to showcase their history and heritage, trades and products through displays of historical documents, photographs and artefacts. We hope to encourage people to appreciate the heritage embodied in their daily lives through the lens of our heartlands.

While our efforts to preserve and promote our intangible cultural heritage are ongoing, we have also diligently planned for the future by working on the succession of our heritage. There are risks threatening our local cultural heritage, traditional skills and craft, such as a lack of awareness or lack of interest in learning and passing them down. Through the inaugural Stewards of Singapore's Intangible Cultural Heritage Award which will be held this year, we hope to acknowledge the recipients' contributions and encourage them to continue safeguarding and transmitting intangible cultural heritage in their respective fields to the next generation. Over the past year, we have been heartened to see strong support from the community for our UNESCO Hawker Culture in Singapore nomination. In the coming year, we will continue to build community support through different platforms to celebrate our Hawker Culture. We will continue to safeguard and promote our intangible cultural heritage through different channels and plans, ensuring that more Singaporeans may come to understand and appreciate it.

(In English): Mr Chairman, at MCCY, we are committed to providing opportunities for all, growing a democracy of deeds and nurturing a vibrant home. Our work covers a wide range of areas – arts, heritage, youth, sports, community relations and the strengthening of a giving culture. At its heart, our efforts seek to make Singapore a caring, cohesive and confident nation.

There is much we can achieve by working hand-in-hand and by encouraging individuals and groups to come together for the common good. Let us continue to celebrate our collective achievements and build a shared future together.

The Chairman: Clarifications. Er Dr Lee Bee Wah.

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: Thank you, Sir. I have five supplementary questions. I am very happy that this time Yishun is being mentioned by Minister. 我们终于榜上有名.

The Chairman: Yishun is always mentioned all the time. [Laughter.]

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: My question is: what is budget for this Yishun Sports Complex project. I hope if it is not as gorgeous as One Tampines Hub, at least it is something comparable to our neighbour, Sembawang Integrated Hub.

Question number two, a master plan to grow the sports industry was developed during 2005 to 2010 thereby resulting in positive outcomes. It was developed with EDB, STB and so on. I would like to ask what is the progress of this master plan to build upon the past success, activate from a huge investment of the sports hub and capitalise on the new opportunities that exist in our shores.

And the third question, with the substantial monthly unitary payment paid by Government to Sports Hub Private Limited versus Sports Hub's contractual performance and ability to meet the expectation of Singaporeans, do you believe that this national icon is value-for-money so far? Please explain your rationale.

Question four, according to existing and potential hirers —

The Chairman: Is that a clarification or a question?

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: Yes, the clarification is that there is a lack of event in the Sports Hub calendar that attribute to the high rental cost and high variable cost, according to the industry feedback. Has Sports Singapore spoken to this group of stakeholders – that means those who wanted to rent the place – and conduct a benchmarking to assess whether the pricing charged by Sports Hub, is it fair or not?

And last question, what is the role of ActiveSG? Is it to generate and encourage mass participation at the grassroots level? If so, then why is ActiveSG stepping into the arena of elite sports? Example of this include football where ActiveSG is running elite programmes and also in tennis, where ActiveSG is running at elite academy with Voyager from Australia. These programmes undermine the role of the respective NSAs. So, why is ActiveSG involved in this?

Mr Baey Yam Keng: Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked about the sports industry. SportSG Vision 2030 seeks to inspire Singaporeans to live better through sports and as part of the eco-system there is indeed the industry's contribution to economy, as a culture of sports in Singapore. So, there are various platforms and initiatives including ActiveSG as the national movement of sports to engage our people and rally the nation, facilitate the master plan.

But you must also take note that the sports industry is also an evolving landscape. There are many new interesting developments in sports, like we mentioned e-sports. We have recently set up the National E-sports Association. That is also in response to the interest among young people, interest among the corporates, local and international businesses. So, we will continue to monitor the emerging trends in sports.

So, for example, sports development in Asia, its growing interest with China's growth as a global sports power, in the manufacture of sporting goods and the foray of Chinese companies into sports enterprises. So, we are looking into such opportunities for Singapore arising from these trends into developing an eco-system that can support sports business development and how we can further leverage on SportSG infrastructure and assets to nurture a market place for ideas and innovations with stakeholders.

At Sports Hub, there is a commercial contract that we have with SHPL. So, as mentioned, there are deliverables, there are penalties that are part of the contract. So, they have been taken to task over areas where they have not met the KPIs and we are in continuous discussion with them, monitoring their performance and having their assurance that they are committed to building a sports hub, as what we envisaged.

I would like to see that Sports Hub will have value-for-money for Singapore. It is our national sports icon and we hope that Singaporeans would also participate in activities at the Sports Hub to help build a strong sporting culture for Singapore.

ActiveSG's role is to promote the sporting culture. Member asked about the academies in football and tennis. These are academies' initiatives and programmes that SportSG initiated to bring sports to more people but working closely with the respective National Sports Associations.

I do not think it is a fair statement to say that when you have renowned or very established coaches involved in the academy, it means that it is just elite sports and, therefore, it is at the expense of high performance sports training and development. I do not think mass or public sports should be denied good coaches, people who have the ability to bring the sports to a higher level and also to cultivate interest among especially young people.

The Chairman: Dr Lim Wee Kiak.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: I have two clarifications. One for Minister is regarding our submission of the hawker culture to UNESCO for this December. We are all eagerly waiting for the results. Can I ask the Minister what are our chances of getting this as well as what can we do now, as Singapore together, to increase our chances?

The second clarification is on the ActiveSG Credits – whether MCCY will be considering topping of the ActiveSG Credit. Because some of my residents have used up their credit and they are looking forward to the Sembawang Integrated Sports Hub which is now called Bukit Canberra, just mentioned by Er Lee Bee Wah just now. They are hoping that they can use their credit there.

I am very happy to hear that those above 65 now will have free admission to the gyms as well as the swimming pool. But why 65? Can MCCY bring it lower, to 50? Because exercising early, from the doctor's point of view, is important for health.

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: The question on hawker culture, the process now is in the hands of UNESCO. To be very frank, they will go through their internal assessment. There is nothing we can do as a country to influence or affect the process. But I think there is a lot that Singaporeans can do to continue to support hawkers and hawker culture in Singapore. Many of them deserve our support, whether it is by patronising them or showcasing them or just giving them the kind of exposure that they so deserve. When there is good food, I am sure we will tell each other about it. So, continue to support and give them good business.

I think we are also trying to, in a way, make our hawker centres a lot cleaner, particularly in this period of time. That is also an important part of hawker culture – it is not just the food but also the place. How do we have a new standard of public eating spaces in our hawker centres? So, it is also something that Singaporeans should think about.

The second question about Active SG Credit, we had hoped the free admission will have addressed the Member's request. But I think why 65 – we thought that is a good age, timing with how we see our lives, getting into retirement age and having more time on your hands. It is really a good time to get into an active lifestyle and we hope that ActiveSG gym and swimming pool will be part of the lives of those 65 and above.

In general, I think we are looking at ways to encourage Singaporeans to adopt an active lifestyle. When they are young, we are doing as much as we can in the schools, starting this time round, as you can see, our efforts will go into the pre-school sector, getting the teachers involved, getting the programme instituted at the pre-school level, and also getting the parents at the pre-schools involved as well.

So, it is really to try to work along the wide range of ages to access sport opportunities, with customised and appropriate measures for each age range.

The Chairman: Yes, Mr Alex Yam.

Mr Alex Yam: Chairman, I have four supplementary questions.

The first one on the Orchard Youth Belt which I believe Senior Minister of State Sim Ann said that Senior Parliamentary Secretary would mention. I am not so sure I caught that part of the answer. Will there be delays because of the current economic situation and what are the broad plans forward?

In relation to sports, again to the Senior Parliamentary Secretary, yesterday there was quite a stark commentary on the state of sports in The New Paper, written by Leonard Thomas. I echo some of his concerns. I would like to ask what are the plans that SportSG and the Ministry have to increase attendance at sports events, especially for competitive sports, and to raise the support level overall, especially for our traditional sports?

I also heard the Senior Parliamentary Secretary say earlier that Ministry and the SportSG does not interfere in the running of the NSAs. Leonard also mentioned in his article that, and I quote, "I can't help but feel some undercurrent of distrust between NSAs and SportSG." So, I would like to ask what is the type of oversight that SportSG has over the NSAs, especially over drafting of their constitutions, rules and regulations on elections and renewal of their management committees.

Mr Baey Yam Keng: On the Somerset Belt, last year we went through a long process, engaging many youths on developing a master plan for the Somerset Belt as a place where youths can gather, realise their aspirations. We have completed the work. We were planning to announce it a few weeks ago. But because of the COVID-19 situation, we thought that it may not be a good thing to have that kind of announcement. So, we are planning for some time later this month.

Following that, we will also be doing some pilots for the type of programming, activities that would rejuvenate the Somerset Belt; programmes that are relevant and interesting for young people throughout the year. So, it is an evolving plan and we look forward to more youth engagement and participation to help us further develop and realise the master plan.

Mr Yam also asked about how we could increase the interest of the public in competitive sport events, especially with the attendance numbers. I think that is where we would first like to develop a strong sporting and interest in sports, as a whole, as a nation.

1.30 pm

For specific events, we will then have to work closely with the event organiser or the respective NSAs on how to make their sports spectator experience a meaningful and interesting one.

SportSG has worked at the national-level events, to institute a certain format of the venue atmosphere in terms of how athletes are introduced as they enter the courts or the match venue, in terms of the results announcement, and medal presentation – these have all helped to make it look more professional and also sustain the interest among public.

We also work with the schools because a lot of the students do enjoy the sporting competitions at the school level. So, we hope that we will continue to be able to work on this to make it such that going to sports, cheering for athletes would become a way of life for many of our Singaporeans.

As to the relationship between Sport SG and NSAs in areas where Sport SG provides funding for the NSAs to roll out their respective programmes, I think that is where we have the biggest interest because we are using public money, taxpayers' money for sport NSAs.

Therefore, things like governance where it is not reflected in the constitution or where there is a lack of rules and regulations or by-laws that does not assure the Government of a structure to make ensure proper accountability, that is where Sports SG will take a keen interest and even direct certain changes in the NSAs.

As to the other programmes, we would leave it to the NSAs to set the targets, to roll out the programmes as long as it is beneficial for the sports scene. In areas where public money is concerned, we would definitely take a much closer look.

The Chairman: Ms Anthea Ong.

Ms Anthea Ong: Thank you, Chairman. Could I ask the Minister to elaborate her response to my cut on OSF. On behalf of the many ground-ups, the many community builders, they would like to know if the Ministry would be keen to review OSF in the three areas that I mentioned earlier.

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: I would like to thank Ms Anthea Ong for their suggestions. Like we do here, we always listen to suggestions from Members carefully, and I am sure we will go back and take in these suggestions as we review the scheme.

Having said that, OSF is a fund that will encourage as many ground-up projects and groups as much as possible. So, the structure is set low, with low hurdles so that it is easy to get but the amount generally is kept low – for a purpose because we want to encourage as many as possible to access the funds.

If we were to have it for multiple years of a much larger sum of funds, then obviously I think the Member would appreciate that with the importance of being a custodian of Government funds, we would then impose more rules.

MCCY is also in the process of harmonising the rules of the grants. We are bringing several grants under the Government – not just MCCY but over several Ministries – under one umbrella. That is really to address some of these issues that the Member and Mr Irshad have raised earlier on about having to go to multiple agencies.

I would also like to explain that while OSF is the place to go to for Singaporeans if they want to start a ground-up or a new project, we are really not the domain experts for many of these projects. Very often if the project is going to take a longer life, if we are going to invest more time and effort into expanding or deepening the project, then it is inevitable that we have to rope in our sister agencies or Ministries to take a look on the efficacy of the project.

So, I would like to urge Members to bear with us when you see bureaucracy. We want to keep it as simple as possible. But if the project requires more funding over a longer period of time, I think it is only reasonable to expect more questions and more KPIs.

The Chairman: Mr Sitoh Yih Pin.

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: Thank you, Sir. Sir, I need to declare my interest as the immediate past President of the Singapore Wushu, Dragon and Lion Dance Federation. But my question is not on that. My question specifically is on football. [Laughter.]

I hear the Senior Parliamentary Secretary mentioned about FAS' Goal 2034 and he mentioned that Government does not interfere in NSAs and you appeared to say that the ball is in FAS' court. I think Goal 2034 – as a football fan myself and like many Singaporeans here – I find it awesome and most inspiring and I think many Singaporeans do look forward to the even to the old days where we can go back to the Kallang Stadium for the Kallang Roar. So, may I ask what is MCCY's position on Goal 2034? Whether you are supporting it and if so, how are you supporting it?

Mr Baey Yam Keng: Goal 2034 is a goal set by FAS. It is not a goal set by the Government. So, the role of the Government is to support NSAs where possible. We have asked FAS for a briefing on how they aim to achieve the goal. We are in a discussion and we have given some inputs that they may want to look at their mid-term and long-term development plans for youths in order to achieve Goal 2034.

I understand that FAS has taken the feedback and they are in the midst of talking to other stakeholders to further refine this vision. We look forward to FAS sharing plans on how it would achieve or aim to achieve Goal 2034.

The Chairman: Ms Yip Pin Xiu.

Ms Yip Pin Xiu: Thank you. I have three clarifications. The first one is with regard to the cut on mental health for athletes. Is it possible to consider having a trained clinical psychologist in the picture because some issues need a bit more than counselling or just general programme. And sometimes athletes need these professionals to also understand high-performance sports. So, it might be a bit harder for them to go outside and seek help.

Next, on the One Team Singapore funding, I understand that the Ministry wants to encourage philanthropy towards sports. However, is it also possible if a programme can be developed for corporates to see the value and potential in sports so that they can possibly allow sports in Singapore to thrive and be a bit more sustainable.

And lastly, referring back to my cut, is it possible for Sports Singapore to set up a challenge fund for NSA integrations for those NSAs that have already raised interest?

Mr Baey Yam Keng: I thank Ms Yip for her suggestions. On how we can better improve the mental well-being support for athletes or retired athletes, she suggested having a clinical psychologist to be part of the team to provide such services. Let us discuss with the team to see how we can further enhance the expertise so that our athletes can benefit from that kind of services. I thank her for that.

As for how we can help NSAs to develop fund-raising capabilities, beyond sponsorships, I think that is a key area of expertise that we would also like to see in our NSAs. Not only NSAs, our arts groups as well to have the ability to look for and retain their sponsors, their donors and how to promote philanthropy for their sector as a whole. So, our funds, CMF or OTSF is just a catalyst to encourage that and we would look at how we can provide more support to enable our NSAs to develop that kind of capability. The Member had one more.

Ms Yip Pin Xiu: NSA integration.

Mr Baey Yam Keng: Integration. Yes, integration between the main sports and the para sports. I think the challenge fund is something we could look into to promote integration. Ultimately, it is up to the respective associations, whether they want to work together, and I know that sometimes they also take guidance from their International Federations. But we would pay more attention to this.

The Chairman: Dr Lim Wee Kiat, would you like to withdraw your amendment?

Some hon Members: We still have questions.

The Chairman: Yes, but I have no time. Thank you. [Laughter.]

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: Mr Chairman, I would like to thank all 19 hon Members of this House for participating in this COS debate. On behalf of all Members of the House, I would like to thank Ministers Masagos and Grace Fu, Senior Ministers of State Maliki Osman and Sim Ann as well as Minister of State Zaqi Mohamad and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng for their replies. I would like to express our gratitude as well as appreciation to all men and women at MCCY, all stakeholders and partners in arts, youths, sports and community for their efforts in bringing all Singaporeans together as one nation, one Singapore. On that note. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $1,889,177,900 for Head X ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $390,036,800 for Head X ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.

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The Chairman: I shall now deal with the remaining Heads of Expenditure in respect of which no amendment stands on the Order Paper Supplement. In respect of the Main Estimates, they are Heads C, D, E, F, G and Z. I propose to take those Heads of Expenditure en bloc.

Question, "That the sums stated for Heads C, D, E, F, G and Z which appear in the last column of the schedule of estimated expenditure under the Main Estimates on page 6 of Paper Cmd 24 of 2020 stand part of the Main Estimates," put and agreed to.

The Chairman: In respect of the Development Estimates, they are Heads C, D, E and F.

Question, "That the sums stated for Heads C, D, E and F which appear in the last column of the schedule of estimated expenditure under the Development Estimates on page 7 of Paper Cmd 24 of 2020 stand part of the Development Estimates," put and agreed to.

Question, "That the sum of $108,398,100,400 shall be supplied to the Government under the Heads of Expenditure for the Public Services shown in the Main Estimates for the financial year 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021, contained in Paper Cmd 24 of 2020," put and agreed to.

Question, "That the sum of $32,539,083,600 shall be supplied to the Government under the Heads of Expenditure for the Public Services shown in the Development Estimates for the financial year 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021, contained in Paper Cmd 24 of 2020," put and agreed to.

The Chairman: Resolutions to be reported.

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

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The Second Minister for Finance (Ms Indranee Rajah): Mr Speaker, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has come to certain resolutions.

First Resolution reported –

That the sum of $108,398,100,400 shall be supplied to the Government under the Heads of Expenditure for the public services shown in the Main Estimates for the financial year 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021, contained in Paper Cmd 24 of 2020.

Second Resolution reported –

That the sum of $32,539,083,600 shall be supplied to the Government under the Heads of Expenditure for the public services shown in the Development Estimates for the financial year 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021, contained in Paper Cmd 24 of 2020.

Ms Indranee Rajah: Mr Speaker, I beg to move, "That Parliament doth agree with the Committee on the said resolutions."

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolutions accordingly agreed to.