Assistance for Needy Students on School Meals Programme and for Home-Based Learning during COVID-19 Outbreak

1 Assoc Prof Walter Theseira asked the Minister for Education (a) how many students currently benefit from the School Meals Programme; (b) whether equivalent financial assistance will be provided to students in lieu of the School Meals Programme subsidy if schools are closed or students are required to stay at home during the COVID-19 outbreak; and (c) whether the Ministry will study expanding the School Meals Programme to provide financial assistance for students during school holidays to avoid "holiday hunger".

2 Assoc Prof Walter Theseira asked the Minister for Education what plans have been made to ensure that all students, particularly those on the Ministry's Financial Assistance Scheme and Independent School Bursary Scheme, have the computer and broadband Internet resources to access online learning from their homes in the event of school closure or stay-at-home requirements due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Minister for Education (Mr Ong Ye Kung): Mr Speaker, can I take the first and second questions together, please?

Mr Speaker: Yes, please.

Mr Ong Ye Kung: The Member first asked about School Meals. In 2019, about 49,000 Primary and Secondary school students on Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) benefited from Schools Meals programme.

As the School Meals Programme provides subsidies for meals purchased from the school canteen, the students will not be able to benefit from it if they are not in school. When schools move to full home-based learning on 8 April 2020, this Wednesday, two things will happen for us to continue to assist them.

First, some of the students will continue to come to schools. Last week, we had already done that. But today and tomorrow, schools will reach out to these students to see who would still need to come to school because they do not have support at home to do home-based learning. We will register them and continue to let them come to school during this circuit breaker period.

Secondly, MOE will work with MSF and through our community partners, such as the Social Service Offices (SSOs), to provide financial and other support for their families. This is what we currently do for low-income households facing financial difficulty throughout the year, but the SSOs will do more to help needy families access financial assistance schemes rolled out as part of COVID-19 support measures. I should also add that other than the SSOs, there are also other community partners such as the Community Development Councils (CDCs), donors who are coming forward to try to support these students, often through food vouchers for example, so that they continue to get their meals. The CDCs are studying this and once the details are worked out, they will announce the new measures.

On Assoc Prof Walter Theseira's second question on home-based learning and the availability of devices and Internet resources, let me first clarify that home-based learning is not solely done through online learning. The two are not similar. A substantial part of home-based learning is also in the form of readings or assignments to be done offline. Schools will plan and implement a home-based learning programme that best suits the context of their curriculum and the profiles of their students.

But the Member is rightfully concerned about the availability of devices and Internet access. This is an issue that MOE has been very preoccupied with, ever since we were planning home-based learning. Based on a 2018 survey by IMDA, fortunately, 98% of our households with school-going children have access to a computer, and almost 100% have home Internet and broadband. Of course, this is a national survey. When you go to the community, to the households, many of them still encounter challenges.

So, most students are reasonably equipped, but there will always be a minority that we must take care of as we move to home-based learning. We have a few responses.

One, for the students without computer and Internet access at home, schools will loan devices to these students. As of last Friday, we have loaned out about 3,300 devices, tablets as well as laptops; and over 200 dongles loaned out to students without Internet access at home. Today and tomorrow, we expect more students and parents to come forward, and we will loan them more if need be, so that everyone is properly equipped. This is why we are starting out home-based learning on Wednesday and not immediately. It is one day later than the companies, because we need to get this done properly.

We are also thankful to corporate sponsors who have stepped forward to provide free dongles and Internet subscriptions to many of these students. In addition, our schools can also provide students with safe spaces within the school premises so that they can come to school to use computers and the Internet in school, doing their home-based learning with supervision from the teachers.

Those from low-income families can also apply for a subsidised computer and free broadband through IMDA’s NEU PC Plus programme. I think they have recently enhanced it.

There is no doubt – as the Member has pointed out or implied in his questions – that when schools move to home-based learning, students from the lower income group will be the most adversely affected. And that is why we are moving to full home-based learning only now, and not earlier, because we know it creates a lot of disruption to people's lives. Children from lower income families, from vulnerable families are most affected.

But we are doing it now in support of the circuit breaker measures that will come into force this week. This is really part of our psychological unity – students, teachers, parents, all being part of it. And as the Speaker just said, we all rise to the call as one united people in tackling this crisis.

As it is, we are seeing long-term absenteeism starting to creep up in schools because of all the restrictions that have been implemented over the past weeks and due to the COVID-19 measures at schools as well. But now that we have taken the decision to move to full home-based learning, let us now make the best out of the situation. MOE will mobilise the necessary resources to support this group of vulnerable students.

Mr Speaker: Assoc Prof Walter Theseira.

Assoc Prof Walter Theseira (Nominated Member): Mr Speaker, thank you. I thank the Minister for Education. I think we are all reassured that the Ministry is monitoring the situation closely, especially how to help low-income families and students transit to home-based learning.

This clarification may not be within his purview, but I wish to ask it anyway. I would like to have an assurance that family support funds will be provided to top up for those children from low-resource families who are now going to lose their School Meals subsidies and now have to study at home, because it is a considerable sum for their families. It is $50-plus a month in subsidy, and of course, if they eat at home, then that is going to cost the family more expense. I understand it is not within his purview, necessarily, but I think it is important to have that assurance given by Government.

Mr Ong Ye Kung: Actually, it is within our purview. In fact, for financial assistance schemes today that the schools administer, we do give the students allowances and they typically use their EZ-Link cards to purchase meals in the canteens. Of course, now, some will still go to school and continue to purchase in the same way as it is today. But those who do not and are at home, that is what I mentioned earlier, we are working with MSF and the SSOs to provide additional financial cash assistance, given to the families so that they can continue to purchase the meals.