Louis asked the Acting Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) in light of the need to cultivate a safe and harassment-free environment in tertiary institutions, whether the Ministry will consider (i) providing anti-harassment training to staff in tertiary institutions similar to the recommendation of the Tripartite Advisory on Managing Workplace Harassment and (ii) adapting the Advisory to formulate guidelines for tertiary institutions on student-student interactions.

Mr Ong Ye Kung: The Tripartite Advisory on Managing Workplace Harassment issued in December 2015 encourages all employers to adopt measures that ensure a safe and conducive workplace. Specifically, the Advisory proposes that employers develop a harassment prevention policy, provide information and training on workplace harassment, and implement reporting and response procedures.

Our tertiary institutions agree with the principles and core values articulated in the Advisory.

All our tertiary institutions have harassment prevention policies and guidelines within their own institution-specific Codes of Conduct for staff and students. In addition, institutions have in place guidelines to govern staff-student relationships. These policies and guidelines are explained to staff and students during staff inductions, student dialogue sessions and other internal events.

When harassment incidents occur, there are various reporting channels available to persons who are affected. For instance, students can report incidents to their teacher-mentors. Some institutions such as the Institute of Technical Education also have a hotline for victims to report the incidents.

Our institutions will continue to adopt best practices from the Advisory to improve their HR policies, training and communications so that they can maintain a safe and harassment-free work and learning environment for staff and students.

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)

Louis delivered his budget cut on School Attendance of Neglected Children at Committee of Supply 2017.

Louis: Teachers I have spoken to report the number of cases where students do not attend school for a long period of time without valid reasons. There have been cases of parents or guardians brought to court for neglecting to send their children to school, but it is understood in incarcerating the parent or guardian may put the child in further jeopardy. How then would the Ministry ensure that the Compulsory Education Act will be an effective deterrent for neglectful parents? How will the Ministry ensure that children are sent to school?

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)

Dr Janil Puthucheary (The Minister of State for Education): Mr Louis Ng had asked how MOE acts against negligent parents who do not ensure that their child attends school. He mentioned the Compulsory Education Act, which holds parents responsible for their children's attendance at school.

Imposing penalties, as provided for under the Act, does not necessarily solve the root problems of non-attendance. MOE takes a holistic approach by working together with parents, schools, the Family Service Centres and relevant agencies to counsel and support the family and help all students attend school. Legal enforcement should be the last resort, considered only if all possible interventions and counselling efforts have been exhausted. To date, we have not found it necessary to resort to prosecution.

Beyond formal curriculum hours, Student Care Centres or SCCs, as Dr Lim pointed out, play an important role in providing a conducive after-school environment for our students, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Over the last five years, we have increased the number of school-based SCCs to 147, supporting more than 18,000 students. The provision has largely kept pace with demand and we remain on track to open SCCs in all Primary schools by the end of 2020, and will continue to work with MSF to monitor the demand for SCC places in our schools and in the community.

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)

Louis asked the Minister for Education in each of the past five years, how much funding has the Ministry provided on a per-school basis and a per-student basis respectively to (i) secondary schools offering the Special Assistance Plan and (ii) secondary schools not offering the Special Assistance Plan.

Mr Ong Ye Kun (MOE): The baseline average funding per secondary school student is about $15,000 a year. In addition, MOE resources our schools based on the needs of the students and the additional programmes that they offer.

For example, Crest and Spectra Secondary, and schools with Normal (Technical) students receive 30% to 50% more resources per student than the baseline provision.

Additional resources are also provided for various specialised programmes for students across schools, such as English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil language elective programmes. MOE provides over $3,000 per student per year for the Elective Programme in Malay Language for Secondary Schools (EMAS).

Within this framework, Special Assistance Plan (SAP) Schools at the secondary level also receive additional resources, at about $300 per student each year to develop students' proficiency and interest in Chinese language-related studies. The resourcing per student is lower due to the economy of scale derived from larger student participation numbers.

There has been much attention paid to SAP Schools lately. We need to see SAP Schools from the broader perspective of an evolving, multi-cultural Singapore. SAP Schools were established after the Chinese medium schools were closed due to falling enrolment. They will continue to be relevant, as part of Singapore's approach for every community to preserve and practice their cultures, religion and languages, while ensuring there is enough common space to develop a unique Singapore identity. Countries around us are catching up or surpassing us in teaching their people multiple languages. We should preserve our programmes and institutions to develop bi-literate and bi-cultural talent at this crucial point in history.

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)

Louis delivered his budget cut on Making CCAs Available to All Students at Committee of Supply 2019.

Louis: Sir, CCAs are an integral part of our students’ holistic education and play an important role in reducing social stratification. As MOE has stated “CCA also promotes friendships among students from diverse backgrounds as they learn, play and grow together.”

 Students can choose the CCA of their choice but I understand that for “Physical Sports” and “Visual and Performing Arts Group” CCAs, places are often limited and given to those who do well in those areas and can represent the school.

My concern here is that this again might lead to social stratification if only students who do well in certain areas can pursue those CCAs. A student who loves basketball and wants to pursue this interest should be allowed to, rather than be told that he or she is not good enough and should choose another interest to pursue. 

Can Minister share what plans the Ministry has to ensure that places for CCA are available to all students and not just those who represent the school in competitions?

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)

Ms Low Yen Ling (The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education): Mr Louis Ng and Miss Cheng Li Hui asked about the allocation of CCA places. All CCAs are designed to provide students opportunities for growth and self-discovery. When allocating CCA places, all schools carefully consider the students’ interests and options within their available resources and facilities, as well as the CCAs’ optimal size for meaningful engagement between the teachers, instructors and the participants. With these considerations and limitations, some CCAs are allocated based on the students’ strengths, besides their interests. We understand the concerns behind the CCA selections and MOE is studying the current school-based CCA selection process for ways to improve and better support the potential of our students.

To support students in CCAs with few members, some schools have come together to pool resources through combined CCA sessions. For example, Greenridge Secondary, Fajar Secondary and Zhenghua Secondary have made arrangements for their Scouts to train together, as a combined inter-school troop. And starting this year, MOE will also be working with Sports Singapore (SportSG) and the National Arts Council (NAC) to offer Athletics and Ethnic Dance to Secondary school students whose schools do not offer these CCAs. Now, depending on the outcome of this pilot, we will explore offering this in other CCA areas.

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)

Louis asked the Minister for Education what new efforts is the Ministry launching to address attitudes of students and educators towards the sexual objectification, harassment and abuse of women in light of serious concerns over voyeurism cases at the institutes of higher learning.

Mr Ong Ye Kung (MOE): MOE and the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) are strongly against all forms of sexual misconduct, including voyeurism. 

Over the past year, the IHLs have reviewed and stepped up their efforts to tackle the issue of sexual misconduct holistically. They have implemented enhancements in four key areas.

First, they have enhanced their education efforts for students and staff, emphasising what constitutes harm and violation, and the importance of respect for each other. These include briefings for students during orientation, online modules, face-to-face workshops, and regular outreach and awareness-building campaigns. 

Second, they have strengthened their disciplinary frameworks to impose tougher penalties for sexual misconduct, including expulsion where warranted.

Third, they have enhanced campus infrastructure, including by expanding CCTV camera coverage and installing full-height partitions in restrooms.

Fourth, they have strengthened support for victims by enhancing training for first responders and front-line staff, to equip them with the skills to support victims sensitively. They have also established 24-hour helplines for student care and dedicated victim care units at some IHLs, and enhanced counselling services.

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)

Louis asked the Minister for Education (a) whether the Ministry has conducted a study on students from Special Assistance Plan (SAP) schools for their attitudes towards inclusivity and respect for people of different cultural backgrounds; (b) if so, to what extent do the results of these studies diverge from those of students from non-SAP schools; and (c) if not, whether the Ministry will consider conducting such a study.

Ms Low Yen Ling (for the Minister for Education): Mr Speaker, Sir, before I answer the Member’s Parliamentary Question (PQ), it is useful to remind ourselves about the origins of SAP schools.  

We are a diverse, immigrant society. In the early years of our Independence, we established English as the common working language for multi-cultural Singapore, as a practical arrangement, to access global economic opportunities and create jobs for Singaporeans. 

Recognising this, parents started sending their children to English schools and as a result, enrolment for Chinese-medium schools fell drastically in the 1970s and 1980s.

Hence, in 1979, the Government established SAP schools, to preserve the ethos of Chinese-medium schools and promote the learning of the language and its culture, while still using English as the primary language of instruction.

Mr Speaker, Sir, SAP schools did not start as popular schools. On the contrary, they were established as part of a struggle to preserve the Chinese language and culture. But over the years, with the dedicated efforts of the schools and the support of the community, and helped by the rise of China, they have become more popular.

Education in Singapore reflects the diversity of our society. We make bilingualism a cornerstone of our education policy. We offer opportunities for students to pursue MTL at a higher level – not just through SAP schools, but also through the Elective Programme in Malay Language for Secondary Schools (EMAS), Language Elective Programmes for Chinese, Malay and Tamil, and the National Elective Tamil Programme. Government schools, clan-based and religiously-affiliated schools, SAP schools and designated schools like the madrasahs all co-exist in our education landscape.

At the same time, we ensure that our students get to learn about the languages and cultures of other communities. National programmes, such as Values in Action and the Outward Bound School, offer our students the chance to forge bonds across communities and social groups. 

Likewise, SAP schools make substantial efforts to encourage and build the students’ understanding of other cultures, through inter-school, cluster-based and community-based activities such as camps, festive celebrations and dialogues. Almost all SAP schools teach their students conversational Malay.

All these efforts have an impact. A 2018 study found that there is no difference in the attitudes of Secondary school students in SAP and non-SAP schools towards people from different backgrounds and cultures. 

MOE will continue our efforts in this area. So, regardless of what school we are from – be it SAP, independent, clan or mission-based – we must do our part to forge a united Singapore.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Thank you, Sir, and I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the reply. I understand that we teach the students at SAP schools about other cultures, other languages and that there is social mixing between the schools. But could I ask what would be MOE's efforts to ensure that there is social mixing within the school?

Ms Low Yen Ling: Mr Speaker, Sir, I want to thank the Member for his supplementary question. So, he is asking about social mixing within the school and not about across different schools. Mr Speaker, Sir, allow me to reiterate that SAP schools remain relevant and there is a reason why I am explaining this. 

SAP schools remain relevant from the broader perspective of an evolving multi-cultural Singapore, amidst a changing global dynamic. We all know Asia is the fastest growing region in the world and we all know China is our largest trading partner. We also know that as countries around us catch up in the learning of multiple languages, bilingualism may no longer be a unique advantage that Singaporeans possess. That is why we certainly would want to continue to preserve and improve on the programmes that promote the learning of Mother Tongue Languages as much as possible. I have cited what are the various types of schools in our very diverse education landscape.

SAP schools are uniquely positioned to immerse the students in an environment that is rich in Chinese language and culture, with the aim of developing effectively bilingual, bi-cultural talents, given the context that I have explained earlier. But I also want to re-assure the Member, that within the schools, the students do not just learn Chinese language and English language. If they want to learn the Malay language, they would be given as much support to do so. For example, they can learn Malay language or Bahasa Indonesia as a third language at the MOE Language Centre or take up the Malay Special Programme at the Zonal Centre or within the school.

I am happy to update the Member that within the school itself, for example, for the SAP Secondary schools – we have 11 of them – seven of them have their own in-house Malay Special Programme. So, seven out of 11 SAP Secondary schools implement their Malay Special Programme within the school. It also allows for social mixing as they learn the Malay language within the same school.

Furthermore, we have made Conversational Malay available in almost all SAP schools. This is important because it opens up the ability of our SAP school students to appreciate the Malay language and culture, and then, equips them with the skills to communicate, not just with students within the same school but also with peers from other schools and the community, and also, from the region.

I want to assure the Member that the SAP schools will continue to encourage their students to interact with peers within the school and peers from other schools as well as from the community, and give them multiple platforms to learn about and also to interact with other cultures, so that we can forge an inclusive and united Singapore.

Mr Ong Ye Kung (MOE): I think if we are honest and we just look around us, look around the world, in a country where there is a majority community, they will tend to insist that the language that the majority speaks becomes the national language and then, school instruction becomes in that language. You do not have to look very far – just look around us.

In Singapore, we have majority of one community but we have decided we shall be a multi-racial country. And therefore, we use English, that is neutral to all, a common language for everyone. But having done that, let us make sure we respect the fact that every community also values their own language, customs, culture. This is why within our education system, different kinds of schools – from SAP schools to clan-based, church-based ones, specially-designated madrasah schools, the Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre – they all exist as part of our education landscape.

This is how we reconcile as a country the fact that we all have multiple levels of identity. Two important ones are: first, we are all Singaporeans; second, we are also a member of our ethnic community. Therefore, there is a place for all these schools.

So, within SAP schools, there is a downside – as the Member mentioned – which is that there are less opportunities to interact with members of other races. But we live in Singapore! So, let us be realistic. If you are a student in a SAP school and you feel that you do not have the opportunities, come, volunteer for the Member of Parliament! We have plenty of opportunities. Just get into the community, visit the hawker centres – this is Singapore. You do not have to confine yourself to just revolving around your classrooms.

I think SAP schools can do more. I would say that they can do more and they have been doing more. Visiting several SAP schools, I am actually quite glad and amazed at the efforts they have taken to teach Conversational Malay. Many SAP school students – Senior Parliamentary Secretary Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim has met some of them – are speaking very fluent Malay, and are able to go out to the community and interact with people. 

So, be mindful that in Singapore, do not take extreme positions. We all have multiple levels of identity; they are all important to us, but we have always managed that and we are a society that is, a work in progress.

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)