Second chance for late bloomers
AUG 23, 2004Second chance for late bloomers
Many students from neighbourhood schools are securing places in integrated programmes
By Ho Ai Li and Maria Almenoar
WONG Jia Jun is glad for a second chance.
Two years ago, the Nan Chiau Primary pupil was expected to ace his Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), but his aggregate score of 223 was not good enough for him to get into a top school.
'I was a bit nervous and overconfident. I didn't prepare fully for the PSLE,' said the eldest of three boys. 'My mother was telling me every day to revise, but I didn't care.'
Now, the Secondary 2 student at Serangoon Secondary has redeemed himself by qualifying for a place in the integrated programme at the National University of Singapore (NUS) High School Of Mathematics And Science. The four-year programme leads to a diploma issued by the school.
Like Jia Jun, a significant number of students from lesser-known schools are making it to integrated programmes, where they will bypass the O-level examinations and go straight on to do their A levels or the International Baccalaureate.
The head of National Junior College's integrated programme, Mr Brian Ang, estimates that 20 to 30 per cent of the college's first batch of 129 Secondary 3 students in the scheme are from neighbourhood schools like Admiralty Secondary.
The 70 to 80 Secondary 2 students who have a place at NUS High are from more than 25 schools and not just the top ones.
Eight schools are offering what is called the through-train scheme - the three Raffles schools; Hwa Chong Junior College in partnership with Nanyang Girls' High and The Chinese High; National Junior College and Anglo-Chinese School (Independent).
Four more - Temasek JC, Victoria JC, Methodist Girls' School (Secondary) and Dunman High - will do so in the next two years.
Last week, ACS (I) an nounced that besides its existing four-year programme, it will also offer a six-year scheme next year leading to an International Baccalaureate, where students join at Secondary 1.
This brings the number of places available in integrated programmes next year to more than 2,500 at Secondary 1 and more than 800 places at Secondary 3.
The prospect of losing their best students to other schools has made others, like St Joseph's Institution and Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus schools, consider having the scheme too.
MGS, which is starting its integrated programme in 2006, is not stopping there. It will unveil an in-house gifted programme for selected Primary 4 and Secondary 1 students next year to stem the loss of bright students.
Having a student make it into one of the integrated programmes is something neighbourhood schools are proud of.
Said Serangoon Secondary principal Dilbagh Singh, who beams when he talks of Jia Jun: 'It gives a boost to students from neighbourhood schools because now they see it's possible to excel and move in a direction they want to.'
He added: 'These programmes give students who are late bloomers a chance to prove themselves at a later stage.'
Principals of other neighbourhood schools said they will encourage their students to try for one of these schemes. Explained Changkat Changi principal Goh Aik Choon: 'It will help them stretch themselves.'
Tampines Secondary principal Neo Teck Watt intends to actively encourage his students to aim for these places, and is also considering helping them prepare for the selection process. 'We just want our students to have the best and encourage them to achieve it if they can,' he said.
As for Jia Jun, he intends to work hard to excel in maths and science at NUS High.
He said: 'I want to be like my father, a physicist, or a marketing manager, like my mum.'
WHERE TO APPLY
SEVERAL schools are admitting Primary 6 pupils ahead of the Primary School Leaving Examination, with Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) the latest to do so. They are:
1) NUS HIGH SCHOOL OF MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE Six-year course for those good in science and maths. They will also study languages, literature and national education, and graduate with an NUS High diploma and a detailed student portfolio of their test scores as well as achievements in competitions and project work.
Update: More than 120 applications so far for 125 Secondary 1 places. Applications close by Oct 15.
2) RAFFLES GIRLS (SECONDARY), RAFFLES INSTITUTION, RAFFLES JC Secondary 1 entrants will spend their first four years in RGS or RI and, without taking the O levels, go on to RJC for their A levels.
Update: No figure available for number of applications. Admissions close by Sept 7. Open house for Primary 6 and Secondary 2 students on Sept 4.
3) THE CHINESE HIGH, HWA CHONG JC The two have merged to offer a six-year programme culminating in the A levels. The curriculum covers English language and the humanities; Chinese language, values and cultural studies; maths and the sciences; and creative arts and information technology. Nanyang Girls' admits students for the integrated programme only at the Secondary 3 level.
Update: More than 160 applications have been received. A third selection exercise will be held on Oct 22. Applications should be received a week before that.
4) ACS (I) Six-year programme leading up to the International Baccalaureate, which requires youngsters to take six subjects, as well as Theory of Knowledge, a critical thinking course involving all the programme's subjects.
Update: Applications for 100 Secondary 1 places are now open until the middle of next month. Open houses will be held on Sept 3 (for students from affiliated schools) and Sept 4 for others, to find out more about the integrated programme. Results will be known by Oct 18.
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
S'pore shows it can bounce back from setbacks
AUG 23, 2004S'pore shows it can bounce back from setbacks
People here adaptable in crises, says DPM Tan
THE Asian financial crisis and Sars provided Singapore with true tests, and the country has proved it can pick itself up when the chips are down.
This shows that Singapore is an adaptable and determined society, said Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan yesterday, because the true test of a society is not just how well it does, but how it recovers from setbacks.
Dr Tan, who is also Co-ordinating Minister for Security and Defence, was speaking to reporters after talking part in a brisk walk organised by the North West Community Development Council.
Over 30,000 people, including 12 other ministers and Members of Parliament, took part in the North West Big Walk, which was staged in the Woodlands area.
After the event, Dr Tan warned Singaporeans not to be complacent.
'We are doing well at present. The economy is expanding, people are happier, we have recovered from Sars.' But, he added, 'we have to be prepared for setbacks from time to time'.
If these setbacks do happen, however, he was confident that Singapore would deal with future crises.
'We are adaptable and we are determined. Not only the young people but also the whole of society, including parents, older people, hawkers and taxi drivers.'
In closing, Dr Tan reminded those present that Singapore was unique, and that it had a bright future.
He said: 'We may not be a big country in terms of size or population, but we can be a great country through our values, our achievements, through the quality of life which we can give to all our citizens.
'Singaporeans have a great future. We should just have the determination and the dare to seize it in the coming years and we will continue to progress.'
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
Govt to set aside more goodies for older S'poreans
AUG 23, 2004
SPEECH IN MANDARIN
Govt to set aside more goodies for older S'poreans
By Clarissa Oon
WHEN the Government redistributes surpluses in good years, it plans to set aside more for older citizens, especially to help them top up their Medisave accounts.
In making the pledge that asset-enhancement schemes will continue in good years, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong added that he intends to look out for older Singaporeans.
He made the point in his National Day Rally speech in Mandarin and repeated it in his English speech.
Speaking in Mandarin, he stressed that his Government would not forget senior citizens 'because we owe them an obligation. They helped to bring us here, and are respected members of our society'.
In his English speech, he noted that some people had thought that because in his swearing-in speech on Aug 12 he had talked about the younger generation, he was leaving out the older Singaporeans.
He quoted how one MP had e-mailed him and said that he wished to 'to point out that there's a large representation of Singaporeans in the 45-to-60 age group whom we must continue to engage and attend to'.
The MP said: 'This group has suffered and borne the brunt of the downturn mostly in stolid silence. They need to be nursed to regain their self-confidence and pride.'
Said PM Lee: 'He's right. But let me say I haven't forgotten because I'm in this group.
'I know what the concerns of the older Singaporeans are: job security, medical costs... financial security in old age.'
In his Mandarin speech, he noted that while the cost of living has gone up, including medical costs, the MediShield scheme would be improved 'to give greater protection against high medical bills' and to reduce the risk and the worry among older citizens.
In the same speech, he noted that with economic restructuring to stay competitive, older and less well-educated workers would be helped in their efforts to acquire new skills and switch industries.
He cited the example of Ms Cheong Leng Sin, a winner this year of the Workforce Development Agency and Lianhe Wanbao's Working Heroes award. A bank supervisor who was retrenched last year after working for 23 years with the same bank, she took up a part-time nursing course and 'did so well that the National Heart Centre offered her a scholarship for a full-time nursing course'. Now, she has a new job.
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Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
Looking for leaders with "less white hair"
AUG 23, 2004Looking for leaders with 'less white hair'
AT AN HDB block party recently in his Teck Ghee ward, a little boy walked up to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and chirped: 'I know you, Lee Hsien Loong'.
The Premier toyed with his young resident, asking: 'How do you know?'
'From the TV, Channel 8,' the boy shot back.
Mr Lee continued to tease: 'You made a mistake, that's my younger brother.'
But the boy had the last laugh: 'No, it's you. White hairs.'
Mr Lee recalled this anecdote last night during his maiden National Day Rally speech, as he emphasised that one of his chief tasks is to launch an early search for his successor.
'I think the little boy wants somebody with a little less white hair,' he said to much laughter at the University Cultural Centre.
He said that among Singapore's three premiers, he is the oldest when assuming the office. Mr Lee Kuan Yew was 35 when he stepped up to the top post, and Mr Goh Chok Tong was 49 in 1990.
Mr Lee is 52 this year, and stressed that for the next prime minister, 'we have to try harder'.
He emphasised that political self-renewal is critical to Singapore, noting that Mr Goh started scouring for talent even before he assumed the premiership.
That was how he came into politics, said PM Lee. And all the people who came in with him then were also in their 30s.
But in recent years, it has become harder to get people in their 30s. In the last General Election in 2001, although the People's Action Party brought in many young people, the average age of the seven who became ministers of state was 43.
'So we need people coming in in their 30s,' said PM Lee. 'Then they have time to learn. At 30, you are not ready to take charge. But you are ready to learn and absorb.
'By 40, you are tested, experienced and ready to take charge.'
Added PM Lee: 'I can connect with the young people, but the generation after that, the five-, six-year-olds, they will need new leaders by the time they are 21.
'We've got to find the people'.
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
Cost of living: Govt aware of concerns
AUG 23, 2004Cost of living: Govt aware of concerns
PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong last night showed that he was well aware of Singaporeans' concerns about the cost of living.
He promised practical ways to help the poor, including a suggestion to install CashCard-operated electricity systems so struggling families could pay for electricity according to what they use.
It could be a better option than periodically getting their electricity cut off, he said.
He conceded yesterday that some prices had risen over the years.
Electricity prices were up because of rising oil prices. Service and conservancy charges were up because they had not be adjusted for many years.
But overall, prices have been stable, he noted.
But people are still worried and for most, he said, it is because wages are down, along with bonuses. As such, Singaporeans have had to tighten their belts and every small increase hurts.
Another source of anxiety: rising medical costs.
Singaporeans have Medisave, which is a good scheme, said PM Lee.
But MediShield insurance, which is meant to help in unexpected medical situations, may not be adequate. 'We need to improve MediShield to make it more effective. Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan is working on this,' he said.
Mr Khaw's plan includes executing a long-overdue hike in MediShield premiums and payouts proportionately to better reflect current health-care costs.
Anxiety about the cost of living is also due to rising expectations, PM Lee said. For example, many struggling individuals still use air-conditioners at home and own mobile phones.
'Nothing wrong in wanting these comforts and conveniences, but one must realise their cost,' he added.
The low-income households were especially anxious - for them, every increase, however small, is unwelcome. For them, PM Lee pledged financial assistance and job-matching schemes, among other moves.
'But the best solution to rising costs,' he concluded, 'is to raise income through growth.'
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
The man connects, with empathy
AUG 23, 2004The man connects, with empathy
By Chua Lee Hoong
OKAY, first a few moments to blow my own trumpet. In an article published on Jan 5 this year, I said: 'A question I am often asked is, 'When will Mr Lee take over?' I have no idea but my guess is some time between late June and early August. The reason is simple: If I were him, I would want a major platform from which to address the nation soon after taking over and that, without doubt, is the National Day Rally, which is held traditionally in the second half of August.'
No inside knowledge, no clairvoyance, just brute political logic.
Well, there he was. Mr Lee Hsien Loong, born on Chap Goh Mei (the 15th day of the Chinese New Year) in a Year of the Dragon, a date which my elders tell me is very auspicious, made his first extended public appearance as Prime Minister last night.
How did he fare? In this limited space, three observations:
First, he certainly gave people who had thought he was just a nerdy 'ace policy wonk' something to think about. There was no doubt that he connected with the audience - he connected through empathy, he connected through honesty and candour, and he connected through great good humour, his expressive eyes gleaming and glinting kaleidoscopically behind those glasses throughout. And yes, that ever-ready grin.
Like when he recalled a newspaper survey of people in Orchard Road, many of whom couldn't name the present PM. 'What to do?' was his philosophical shrug.
Or when talking about the option of casinos opening in Singapore: 'Many people told me, 'Don't mention this subject', but I'm going to do it anyway.' (A remark which incidentally also betrayed a relish for controversy.)
Second, Singapore's new PM has demonstrated a clear ability to inspire, not unlike that which his father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, used to demonstrate. It came not just from his natural ebullience or forceful personality but also from the sense that he genuinely enjoyed challenges, solving problems and making Singapore better.
But where Mr Lee Kuan Yew conveyed a do-or-die sense of mission, Mr Lee Hsien Loong brings with him an upbeat view of the future, making nation-building sound fun and exciting. Lee Hsien Loong is Lee Kuan Yew with a grin.
Says a colleague who turned 26 yesterday, and who used to contemplate migration: 'Whether it's sincere or he's just more politically savvy on how to get buy-in from the younger generation, I haven't felt this optimistic about this country in quite a while.'
The third observation: Mr Lee connects with and inspires people but he also has clear and strong views of his own. Where policies have been changed, they have been changed not necessarily because the new PM's personal preferences are in that direction but because brute political logic dictates that that is the way to go.
He has allowed medical benefits to be equalised between men and women in the public sector, for instance, but his outlook, I wager, remains patriarchal at heart.
Similarly for the five-day week in the public sector: This is no weakening of the work ethic but a re-ordering of work time. E-mail means that civil servants can get quite a lot of work done from home nowadays. And, of course, they are to produce babies in between those e-mail messages. Indeed, Mr Lee's premiership will probably be marked by a great leap online, with more and more interaction and policy discussion taking place via the personal computer.
This brings efficiencies but it can also bring pitfalls.
The Net is an ascetic place; there aren't the sights and smells that come with living in an HDB flat in close proximity to sweltering humanity. There also remain many Singaporeans who have never gone near a keyboard, let alone composed an e-mail, whether in English, Malay, Chinese or Tamil. Cyberspace can be a complement to, but can never be a substitute for, the hustle and bustle of politics on the ground.
Fortunately, Mr Lee appears to have been aware of that danger: He promised that his grassroots workers - at least those who got to enjoy the new five-day work week - would spend the remaining two days giving more time to constituency work.
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
Economic revamp a must to stay in global marathon
AUG 23, 2004
Economic revamp a must to stay in global marathon
By Soh Wen Lin
RESTRUCTURING the economy must continue as Singapore cannot stop the global marathon it is in, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said last night.
No one is being spared from the race - both developed and developing countries face ferocious competition, he said.
'So, we are afraid of 1,300 million Chinese. But the Chinese are afraid of 1,299 million Chinese too.'
Inevitably, developing countries with the right mix of infrastructure, rules and upgrading will see incomes rise. Developed countries which have overblown social welfare or wages will see incomes fall.
Singapore, which is in the middle, can continue to grow wages if the labour market is more flexible and continues to restructure and upgrade.
And there is no better time than the present, when the economy is improving, to work on areas such as wage reform. This is because the recovery provides the buffer to introduce variable bonuses into pay packets.
Many firms are implementing wage reform, he acknowledged, but more, especially the small and medium-size enterprises, should follow.
Firms need to redefine jobs, goals and rewards, raise productivity and consider restructuring if need be.
'PSA and HDB did it last year. Particularly, PSA successfully restructured, dealt with the competition and is now growing again.'
Port operator PSA Corp did a landmark retrenchment and cost-restructuring exercise to fend off competition from its Johor rival, the Port of Tanjung Pelapas.
The Housing Board (HDB) corporatised its building and development unit. Others such as Singapore Airlines (SIA), must undergo similar restructuring to stay competitive, said PM Lee, adding that the unions in SIA which are affiliated to the NTUC understood the need to do so.
SIA's management and unions are currently negotiating issues including medical benefits and seniority-based wages.
The success of those negotiations are crucial, PM Lee said, because SIA's competitors in the region are quickly catching up.
Using an example from his own experience, PM Lee recounted a flight on a Chinese airline 20 years ago where the only special treatment he got as a first-class passenger was two boxes of 'cold, greasy, salty, unappetising' dimsum, compared to the economy-class passengers who got one box each.
Today, its flight attendants offer wine, newspapers, blankets and weather updates, among other upgraded services, he said.
'I hope SIA executives and workers ride other airlines regularly to know what's happening.'
Lower-wage jobs could also gain from a makeover, so that the pay for them could be increased and they would then be more attractive to Singaporean workers, said PM Lee.
For example, if town council cleaning contracts could be extended to 2pm instead of 10am, the cleaners could be paid more, he said, elaborating on former Environment Minister Lim Swee Say's mission to upgrade cleaning jobs.
PM Lee added that workers, including civil servants, could benefit from a skills makeover as well.
Here, he paid tribute to the guts and spirit shown by Madam Hafidah Maaruf, a widow with five children and a retrenched cook. She attended a reflexologist-masseuse course, persevered, and has since set up a business in a fitness and health centre.
For such displaced and older workers, he promised that the Government would do its best to provide job training and matching services. But the key, he said, still lay in them putting in effort too.
'I know some Singaporeans worry that the new PM may be very fierce, and will push them to run even faster,' said PM Lee.
'I can't promise air-con coaches to take us to the destination in comfort. But we can provide everyone with good coaching, running shoes, water to drink, and first-aid stations along the way.
'Even those in wheelchairs, we'll bring them along and run together as a team and get to the ending point together.'
But ultimately, running the race boiled down to the determination of the runner, he said.
Citing a character from moviemaker Jack Neo's film Home Run, PM Lee said: 'Ah Kun wore old shoes and eventually finished the race barefooted. But he won, because he wanted the prize more than the others did.'
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Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
Kudos for educators who go the extra mile for students
AUG 23, 2004
Kudos for educators who go the extra mile for students
PRINCIPALS and teachers who go the extra mile so their students get the most out of their time in school came in for special mention last night.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said: 'Teachers have a most challenging job.' They not only have to teach, mark assignments and run the school, but they also have to know every student and provide individualised coaching where needed.
'Good, dedicated principals and staff are the critical X-factor' in schools, he said, citing examples to show how they have made a difference in their students' lives.
Two schools found ways for their students to learn through new experiences.
Tanjong Katong Girls' School put its Secondary 3 cohort through a five-day camp at the Outward Bound School so they could experience the ruggedness of camping life, challenge one another and test their leadership skills.
Hougang Primary School bought old pianos and placed them around the school so some students could play and others listen to them.
Some students of Shuqun Secondary School went to see their principal as their schoolmates visited a nearby video-game centre and mixed with bad company. They asked for an empty classroom, got the school to buy a PlayStation and an Xbox set, and now run an entertainment centre in the school.
By encouraging them, the school taught them initiative.
Mr Lee also spoke of the importance of helping weaker students believe in themselves. He highlighted the example of a student from the Normal (Technical) stream, who was served a home quarantine order during last year's Sars outbreak.
He spent the 10 days at home computerising his hawker father's accounts.
'So Normal (Technical) doesn't mean bodoh (stupid). These are kids with some aptitude,' he said.
Naval Base Secondary School helped some students from the Normal (Academic) stream sell their artwork to raise money for 20 of them to go on a field trip to Paris.
They competed for the 20 places and one of the benchmarks was to quit smoking.
'Such an experience changes the students' lives,' said Mr Lee.
It is these activities that build character, team spirit and leadership, as well as root students to the country.
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Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
Civil servants to get 5-day week, equal medical benefits
AUG 23, 2004
What civil servants will get:
Five-day work week
Equal medical benefits
CIVIL servants will now work a five-day week, a change that had long been resisted by the Government.
However, working hours will not be reduced and public counters will remain open on Saturday under the new work week, which applies to those who work in schools and army camps as well.
Female civil servants will also be given the same medical benefits as males in the civil service, a change Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said reflects changing societal norms.
'Ten years ago, I don't think you could have imagined a women's team wanting to climb Mount Everest. But today, there is,' he said.
These two recommendations were among 74 presented by the Remaking Singapore Committee in July last year.
Of these, the Government accepted 60, rejected 12 and agreed to review these two proposals.
As recently as middle of last year, however, the Government had turned down calls for a shorter work week.
Responding to the suggestion from the Remaking Singapore Committee, then trade and industry minister George Yeo said Singapore needed to march to the beat of the world economy and envisioned the country humming seven days a week.
The nod to equal medical benefits for male and female civil servants comes five months after the Constitution was amended to grant citizenship to children born overseas to Singaporean women, just like those born overseas to Singaporean men.
The existing policy allows only men to use up to 60 per cent of the annual outpatient subsidy for their dependants.
This is despite the fact that women make up 54 per cent of the civil service, Mrs Lim Hwee Hua pointed out last year.
The newly appointed Minister of State for Finance and Transport chaired the group looking at women's issues in the Remaking Singapore Committee.
Unequal medical benefits for civil servants have led to the perception that women contribute less in the public sector, she had said, urging the Government to amend the policy.
After saying 'no' for a long time, Mr Lee said it is time to change.
However, he added to much laughter from the audience: 'I wanted to say I was going to go to work on Saturday, but the civil servants told me: 'Please don't say that.'
'But I can tell you I will be checking my e-mail on Saturday.'
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Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
Govt foots bill for longer maternity leave
AUG 23, 2004
Govt foots bill for longer maternity leave
By Tee Hun Ching
LONGER maternity leave, lower maid levy and an enhanced baby bonus scheme are among the long-awaited package of pro- baby measures outlined last night.
Noting that childcare is a key concern of parents, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said maternity leave will be extended from eight to 12 weeks for working mothers.
The Government will pick up the tab for extra expenses incurred by this new benefit, which will apply to the fourth child as well.
The baby bonus scheme, which now applies only to the second and third child, will be extended to the first and fourth child. The scheme was introduced in 2000 and provides for a yearly allowance of $500 for the second child and $1,000 for the third, for six years.
Families with children younger than 12 will also enjoy lower maid levy, but the amount was not announced last night.
Full details of these and other baby-friendly perks, such as infant-care subsidy and enhanced tax breaks, will be unveiled on Wednesday by Mr Lim Hng Kiang.
The newly appointed Trade and Industry Minister chairs a steering committee of ministers and MPs set up earlier this year to address Singapore's baby woes.
The country's birth rate hit an all-time low of 1.26 last year with just 37,600 births, well below the population replacement rate of 2.1.
Calling the baby dearth a 'serious problem' that also plagues places like Hong Kong, developed countries such as Japan and South Korea and states in Europe, Mr Lee noted that this 'delicate' issue has been raised in past National Day Rally speeches.
'My people tell me, 'Mr Lee (Kuan Yew) raised it in his 18th National Day Rally'.
'What about Goh Chok Tong? He waited for his 10th National Day Rally. This is my first one. So new babies, please be understanding.'
In line with the 'holistic' approach that was promised, the slew of procreation policies include family-friendly measures such as equal medical benefits for men and women civil servants.
Acknowledging that starting a family is an issue about values and not incentives, PM Lee took time to paint parenthood as a fulfilling task that transcends dollars and cents.
'You can have the most successful career, you can be the richest man on earth or the most powerful man or woman on earth.
'But if you don't have a family and don't have children, I think you're missing something.'
Even when his children are 50 years old, 'if I'm still around, I will still be fussing, 'Drink your pao shen (ginseng), take care of yourself, don't overstrain',' he added, as laughter broke out.
Mr Lee also took pains to stress that the decision will be left to the individual.
'It's a national problem, it is also an intensely personal business... We are not going to micro-manage your lives,' he said.
The package alone will not solve the baby shortage, he conceded. 'But if it changes Singaporean mindsets towards marriage, family and children, and causes people to think again and reorder their priorities in life, then I think it will contribute to turning the situation around.'
Couples interviewed by The Straits Times appreciated the new measures.
For business development manager Patricia Tan, 30, and her account manager husband Hanick, 32, the lower maid levy is especially helpful. The couple, who pay about $700 a month in salary and levy for the maid, have a one-year-old daughter.
Said Mrs Tan: 'A lower levy will really help lighten our load and encourage us to plan for more children.'
Mr Sonny Lee, 31, an associate in a broking firm, hoped for longer paternity leave as 'the mother and child are especially dependent on the father in the first month'.
But his wife, Felicia, 29, who expects their first child next month, said they are grateful for whatever goodies the Government dishes out.
'Baby incentives are nice to have. But to us, the biggest bonus we are getting this year is the child,' said the civil servant.
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Pro-family perks at a glance
Maternity leave to be extended from eight to 12 weeks, and to the fourth child.
Lower maid levy for families with children below 12 years.
Baby bonus scheme to be extended to the first and fourth child. Currently, this applies only to the second and third child.
Centre-based infant-care subsidy, similar to the existing childcare subsidy, but higher - $400 a month. Now, working mothers get a $150 subsidy and non-working mothers, $75.
All working parents with children aged below seven to get two days' childcare leave per year. This can be used not only when the children fall ill, but also for other purposes. Currently, civil servants get five days' unrecorded full-pay leave a year to look after a sick child aged below 12.
Incentives for families living with grandparents
Enhanced tax breaks
Five-day work week in civil service
Equal medical benefits for male and female civil servants * Note: Full details of these measures will be unveiled on Wednesday by Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang, who heads a steering committee formed to craft pro-baby measures.
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Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
Casino: Govt to seek middle ground
AUG 23, 2004Casino: Govt to seek middle ground
WHETHER to set up a casino here is one issue on which the Government can try to find a middle ground.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong raised the subject last night in his National Day Rally speech and asked: 'Can we have the casino and still contain the social problems?'
The idea to have a casino, first raised in Parliament earlier this year, had drawn criticism from some, especially religious groups.
PM Lee acknowledged their 'strong concerns' about the social implications of having a casino.
In fact, the Government also had said 'no' to having a casino quite recently, when the idea was put forth to the Economic Review Committee, chaired by Mr Lee himself.
'But the subject didn't die. And we have to reconsider because the argument comes up, the situation changes,' he said.
For instance, Singaporeans are already going to Batam casinos.
Also, tourist groups often want to visit casinos, and Singapore had to consider opening up this option if it can help increase the tourism traffic.
Thus, the Trade and Industry Ministry has submitted a new proposal for a casino to be built as part of an integrated resort with an entertainment centre.
Urging Singaporeans not to reject the idea outright, he said restrictions could be set in place to prevent lower-income Singaporeans from patronising casinos.
'We will not make it easy for people to go broke and ruin their families in Singapore.'
But if the assessment was that a casino was not worth the downside risks, 'we will call it off', he promised.
Even so, Singapore would have benefited from 'a valuable debate in our society', and 'sent a strong signal that we are prepared to discuss all sorts of things and reopen long-settled issues', he noted.
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
No licence needed for indoor talks
AUG 23, 2004No licence needed for indoor talks
IT IS a promise he has made before - to keep on opening up society, encouraging diversity and more participation from the people.
Last night, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong took concrete steps to realise this pledge when he announced two measures that would make it easier for Singaporeans to express their views in different ways.
The first: all indoor talks can now be held without a licence from the police.
Where previously all public talks required a public entertainment licence, those taking place indoors are now exempted, 'unless they touch on 'sensitive issues such as race and religion' '.
Another relaxation: People can now hold performances and exhibitions at the Speakers' Corner without having to apply for a licence.
After all, as PM Lee noted, Singaporeans are free to air their views at the open-air area, set up four years agoin Hong Lim Park.
In fact, using the space for exhibitions is not a new idea. Civil society group Think Centre obtained permits to hold doll displays there last year, after failing to get police permission for the events to take place before the Raffles Place MRT station.
Referring to their initiative, PM Lee said: 'Once in a while, Think Centre says they want to go to the Speakers' Corner and they want to plant 100 flowers there, let the hundred flowers bloom.
Well, I think go ahead.'
It's free expression 'as long as you don't get into race and religion and don't start a riot', he said.
This, he said, was a signal for Singaporeans to 'speak your voice, be heard, take responsibility for your views and opinions'.
It was a theme he had touched on as early as January, before he became Prime Minister.
Speaking at a Harvard Club function, then deputy prime minister Lee set out for the first time how he planned to conduct government-people relations as Prime Minister.
'I have no doubt that our society must open up further,' he had said, describing the growing participation and diversity over the past 20 years as 'vital pluses for Singapore'.
Ten days ago, he renewed the pledge when he was sworn in as Prime Minister. He presented a vision of a government that would be open and inclusive in its approach.
'Our people should feel free to express diverse views, pursue unconventional ideas, or simply be different,' he had said.
Last night, as he reiterated this pledge, he noted that 'as a society also we have to be forward-looking'.
'We have to be prepared to accept the diversity of views and to listen to the debate, and to have this discussion always with a view to moving Singapore forward,' he said.
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
Multilingual signs to help elderly
AUG 23, 2004Multilingual signs to help elderly
TO HELP older Singaporeans find their way around the island, all MRT stations will soon have multilingual signs.
Announcing this in his Mandarin speech, Mr Lee Hsien Loong said that, where possible, efforts should be made to help older Singaporeans feel at home.
He noted that some Chinese- speaking older Singaporeans have difficulty finding their way around given the pervasive use of English.
Currently, only Chinatown station and a few other stations have Chinese signs.
Making the signs at all stations multilingual will help this segment of the population who can read only Chinese, he said.
It is understood that the Land Transport Authority will issue more details on the multilingual signs, which will cover all the official languages.
In his English speech, Mr Lee added that the Government will look at creating an 'elder-friendly living environment'.
These include addressing concerns such as lift doors closing too quickly. 'You're walking in and before you know it, your tongkat (walking stick) gets stuck,' he said to laughter.
Traffic lights that change too quickly for older pedestrians will also be looked into.
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
They are life partners, not TV sets
AUG 23, 2004They are life partners, not TV sets
HIGHLIGHTING three real-life examples which had the audience roaring with laughter last night, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong urged singles to have more realistic expectations of their future life partners.
He said that a grassroots leader who was counselling his niece some years ago told him of her expectations.
She wanted a husband who would tell her jokes, entertain her, pamper her, and so on.
The community leader's advice to her: 'You don't need a husband, you need a TV set!'
The woman had since adjusted her expectations, and is now married.
Then there was the case of a matchmaker with the Social Development Unit (SDU) who received a request from a man seeking a woman who 'is intelligent, fair, tall and has long hair', among other things.
The matchmaker ploughed through the database and found a match.
But after they met, the man told the SDU that everything about the woman was fine, except for one thing - she wore spectacles.
'The matchmaker said it was okay because she could wear contact lenses.
'But the guy said no, if she wears specs, bad genes - children will also wear specs.'
The irony is that the man also wore spectacles.
And he is reportedly still single.
The second SDU case involved an equally fussy man staying in Bukit Timah area who gave the matchmaker detailed specifications on what he looked for in a girl.
'One of the requirements was that she must be from a compatible social background.
'The matchmaker found him someone nice and suitable, with one snag - she lived in Bukit Merah. The wrong 'Bukit',' Mr Lee said to laughter.
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
Less rote-learning and more time for teachers to bring out the best in students
AUG 23, 2004
3,000 more teachers in schools by 2010
The aims are less rote-learning and more time for teachers to bring out the best in students
By Lydia Lim
MORE teachers, smaller syllabus.
The Government will deploy an army of almost 3,000 additional teachers to schools right up to junior college level and cut back the syllabus so they can achieve this unusual mission: less teaching, more learning.
Describing education as the 'most important gift to the young', Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last night set out his plans to achieve a 'qualitative leap' in standards.
There will be a 15 per cent increase in the number of teachers per student by 2010, he announced.
Primary schools will get 1,000 more teachers, secondary schools 1,400 more teachers and junior colleges another 550. And it will be up to each school to decide how it wants to employ its additional teachers.
The change 'will make a difference in every school'.
The move comes on the heels of recent moves to make the school system more flexible and diverse, through new integrated programmes for those in independent schools and special schools for those strong in sports, arts and maths and science.
He explained that he focused on primary and secondary education because this was what all children went through and was a key issue to young adults starting families.
Although the number of teachers will go up, there will be no corresponding increase in homework or syllabus for that 'defeats the whole purpose of giving schools more resources'.
'In fact, we should cut down on the syllabus,' he said. The idea is to have 'less pressure on the kids' and 'less rote learning'.
'We've got to teach less so our children can learn more.'
There should also be more space for students to explore and discover their talents and for teachers to think, reflect and find ways to bring out the best in students. As for grades, they are important but 'not the only thing'.
Anderson Primary's principal, Mr Lawrence Chong, who was at the University Cultural Centre to watch the rally, welcomed the changes. He plans to lower the student to teacher ratio in his school and review its homework policy.
'We have to explain to parents that more homework is not necessarily better. Children need time to dream,' he said.
Last night, Mr Lee called on parents to support schools when they try new teaching methods, build up a child's character, or toughen him up.
They should stop comparing which school has more worksheets or sending their kindergarten-aged children for remedial classes.
Parents should instead learn to let go a little and take some risks.
'It's OK for children to get hurt. They fall down, they bruise their knees... that's part of growing up.'
He agreed with parents who wrote in recently to the press to say that children should get to play more and physical education periods should not be eaten up by homework.
Education Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam agreed too, Mr Lee said, adding that the ministry would be doing something about this.
Even as he addressed parents' concerns, Mr Lee also had words of encouragement for those in charge in the schools. Good and dedicated principals and teachers are the 'critical X-factor' in education, he said.
'We have a dedicated group of teachers and principals and quite a few outstanding ones.'
He cited examples of how teachers in Tanjong Katong Girls', Hougang Primary, Shuqun Secondary and Naval Base Secondary had enabled their pupils to learn through new experiences outside the classroom.
The principal of Shuqun supported a group of students who wanted to set up an entertainment centre in the school so their schoolmates could play games in a safe environment. Previously, they would visit a video-games centre where they mixed with bad company.
Naval Base got students from the Normal (Academic) stream who were good in art to sell their artworks and raise money for a field trip to Paris. While there, the students saw for the first time an original painting by Spanish master Pablo Picasso.
When they returned, all of them passed art and one third got distinctions.
He had been 'very encouraged by the vision, drive and ideas' of 10 primary- and secondary-school principals he had met two weeks earlier to discuss the changes.
It was best to let schools decide how to deploy the additional teachers, as each has different students and needs.
The principals he met each had different ideas. Some wanted to shrink class sizes, some to go into specialised teaching in arts, music or sports and others preferred to have more counselling or character-building programmes.
Whichever strategy they adopt, Mr Lee said having more teachers in schools 'will help ensure the next generation emerges confident and fighting fit'.
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Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
Giving our youth wings to soar
AUG 23, 2004Giving our youth wings to soar
By Peh Shing Huei
THE Prime Minister last night declared himself proud and confident of the generation of younger Singaporeans, saying they are articulate, have idealism, ambition, a social conscience and are growing up to be responsible adults.
So Mr Lee Hsien Loong's challenge to them, a reiteration of the call first made at his Aug 12 inauguration: Step forward and contribute to the Republic.
He made clear his Government would smooth the way - not just through the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, but by empowering them and making them feel they can make a difference.
'By and large, we have groomed a strong generation ready for the future,' he said confidently, after outlining the range of unusual, interesting and out-of-the-box activities they have been involved in.
The related challenge, he said, was 'to give them wings and to give them roots'.
'We need to give them wings, expose them to the world, build their character, let them set their own goals and choices, let them learn from their own mistakes, let them grow and blossom and be themselves, guide them but don't constrain them,' he said, in an indication of what the authorities needed to do.
'But, also, we have to give them roots, emotional experiences; we should bind them here ... so even with wings, they will fly all over the world but come back and be a Singaporean in Singapore.'
One critical aspect of rooting Singaporeans here, he believed, 'is to empower them, to give them a say in their lives, to make them feel that they can make a difference'.
He argued that they had a far better chance of making a difference here as compared to countries like China and the United States: 'If you are in China or in America, you can't do that. One person out of 1.3 billion, can you change China?... If you were one person out of nearly 300 million in America, can you become the President and change America?
'But in Singapore you can, and you must,' he said, adding that his generation felt that way, which is why they stepped forward and decided to make a contribution.
Mr Lee made his pitch directly to his intended audience, telling the post-independence generation of Singaporeans: 'Don't ask what the Government is going to do. Get up, do it!
'Engage your ideals, your ideas, your energies; build a new generation, build tomorrow's Singapore. Don't wait or depend on the Government. Find your own leaders, organise your own solutions, move.'
It need not be through politics, he said. There was community service, social work, education, or even through the arts.
But politics is one way and it is important that enough people enter the political arena so the country can continue to have self-renewal and a new leadership team, he added.
'Don't wait to be asked,' he said.
'If you know someone who's capable, put his name up. We will take a look. We want you to be a part of our team. We don't mind if you have separate views but you must have some views.'
He added that even if they had different views, 'we can talk about it. Let's come in and let's do something about it together'.
Mr Lee said he was encouraged by the successes that Singapore youths had already achieved.
'The world SMS champion is a 23-year-old Singaporean girl,' he said, to loud applause for student Kimberly Yeo, who thumbed her way to the Guinness World Records after clocking 43.24 seconds for keying in 26 words in June.
RoboCup Soccer champions Gerald Ser and Erin Tan, 10 and 12 respectively, were also mentioned for snagging one of the largest robotics soccer events in the world.
And he was also happy to see a younger cohort with social conscience and willing to experiment with different paths.
He recounted seeing at the Esplanade recently, 'people drawing beautiful pictures on the pavement using chalk'.
He thought to himself that '15 years ago, we might just cane them'.
The audience roared with laughter.
Mercy Relief was another endeavour. Started by the Malay group, Perdaus, it has been undertaking work internationally, with 700 young volunteers of all races - students, professionals - organising themselves, raising funds and doing humanitarian work in places such as Cambodia, Afghanistan, and for flood and other disaster victims.
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
Chinese classes to be more varied
AUG 23, 2004Chinese classes to be more varied
By Rebecca Lee
THE teaching of Chinese in schools will move away from a one-size-fits-all approach and will be adapted to suit the varying abilities and family language background of students.
A modular approach, rather than one based on an across-the-board curriculum, will be introduced from Primary 1.
By doing so, the hope is that each and every child will be motivated to study and use the language, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
At the same time, a group of bicultural elite, who will delve deeper into the language and culture, will be groomed to sustain and pass on Chinese culture in Singapore and to engage China.
However, for the majority of Chinese students, the aim is for each to have at least a basic competency in the language and to arouse an abiding interest in it while encouraging those who can, to take it to their full potential.
The new approach, which will focus on listening and speaking, will require all students to take specified core modules.
In addition, those with less exposure to the language at home will take foundation modules. Those able to learn more can take enrichment and advanced modules and it will not be restricted to the top 10 or 20 per cent.
PM Lee, in announcing these measures yesterday, pledged that bilingualism would remain a cornerstone of Singapore's education system.
In recent months, revisions to Chinese language policy had caused concern among stalwarts who expressed a worry about falling standards.
Moves such as the introduction of an easier Mother Tongue B syllabus and a relaxation in the mother tongue requirement for university applications had been the subject of much debate in the Chinese press.
But Mr Lee noted that the latest changes he announced were meant to enable each student to take the language to as far as his abilities permitted.
Learning languages was not easy and neither was maintaining fluency, he noted.
Although he had spent 12 years in a Chinese school, he would get 'rusty' if he did not use the language for a few weeks or months. He would have to brush up on it but it was 'worth the effort', he said.
Mr Lee took pains to stress that the learning of the mother tongue was necessary to preserve Singaporeans' cultural identity and to engage Asia.
'The Europeans are learning Asian languages. If we don't, we are fools!' he said.
Mr Lee recounted meeting an Italian woman in Shanghai who spoke perfect Beijing-accented Chinese. Putting on his best Beijing accent, Mr Lee said, to laughter from the audience, that he asked her where she had learnt it. Her reply: Venice and Beijing.
He also pointed out that there are 35,000 Koreans studying in China.
Explaining the need for changes in teaching methods, he said there was a 'tremendous difference' in starting points between students from Chinese- and English-speaking homes.
Students also have different language abilities.
He said: 'If we force pupils to memorise strokes, characters and proverbs, regardless of their aptitude, then they will be turned off.
'But if we help them learn the language, help them use it in daily life... know the stories behind the proverbs, then we can arouse their interest to learn more and lay a foundation which is permanent.'
The aim is to teach Chinese as a living language - not an academic or dead subject such as Latin - with the focus on speaking and listening and with less emphasis on writing but a little more on reading.
Students taking Higher Chinese will focus on all four language skills.
A conducive environment outside the classroom is also needed for students to speak and read Chinese to reinforce what they learn in class.
Recognising the need to develop a group proficient in both English and Chinese for Singapore's upper echelons, the Government will introduce a bicultural studies programme.
It will turn out a core of about 200 students annually with more advanced knowledge of Chinese language, culture and contemporary China. They will be sent for immersion in China.
There will also be a new Special Assistance Plan scholarship scheme, akin to the Promsho scholarships for the humanities.
Stressing that Singapore was a multiracial society and the need to keep links with not just China but Southeast Asia and India as well, Mr Lee said a similar approach would be taken in the teaching of the other mother tongue languages.
Some students learning Tamil face similar obstacles as their Chinese peers but the problem is less severe among Malay students.
Still, there is now 1 to 2 per cent of Malay parents who speak English at home and for their children, Malay is like a foreign language, Mr Lee said.
'So what we do for Chinese, where there's a demand, we will also do for Malay and Tamil. And it is not just to be fair but to do the right thing to make sure Singapore stays multicultural.'
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
Clear goals for Singapore
AUG 23, 2004LeaderClear goals for Singapore
ACHIEVEMENTS need goals. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's list of priorities, listed in yesterday's National Day Rally speech, clarifies the external and domestic realities that the new Government has to deal with, and outlines the goals towards which it intends to carry all Singaporeans. On the domestic front, building the economy expectedly remains a key requisite, but there are other pressing issues as well. Engaging the new generation, a theme which has emerged as an important concern of the new leadership, is one of them, as is the need for an education system that helps every child to achieve his potential. And, of course, there is the urgent need to get more babies to be born in Singapore because, without them, what awaits this country is demographic attrition. 'Attrition' is the last thing that would come to anyone's mind after listening to the new leader make the premier political speech of the year. Mr Lee's vision for Singapore is that of a vibrant and stimulating country which anchors citizens not just with its high standard of living but also with its quality of life. In his goals for Singapore, citizens believe in the future because they have benefited from the past, from priorities and policies that have transformed the ethic of survival of Singapore's nascent years into an ethic of confidence and success. In an upbeat speech, Mr Lee based his optimism on the country's record of achievement even as he went into higher gear, pushing Singaporeans towards larger goals.
He was realistic on the economy. He underlined the crucial point that globalisation makes restructuring inevitable for Singapore. As competition increases, not only among countries but even within them - China and India not excluded - the best way to keep pace with change is to hit the ground running. Singapore's challenge is an interesting one. As globalisation pushes up wages in developing countries and pulls them down in developed nations, Singapore has the choice of going the way of societies with uncompetitive economic policies and archaic labour laws - or reforming itself so as to keep up wages and living standards. The right choice is not in doubt: The issue is how to develop in citizens a mindset that embraces challenges. Mr Lee's speech reveals his confidence that Singaporeans will not lose sight of the opportunities that await them beyond the pain. Yes, there will be costs as companies restructure, but the end result is renewed growth and the opportunities that it brings.
Will Singapore be able to embrace the opportunities? Education holds the answer. Mr Lee's decision to deploy 1,000 more teachers in primary schools, 1,400 more in secondary schools and 550 more in junior colleges by 2010 is a policy that reveals the Government's determination to give the young the head start they need to move up the value chain in a relentlessly competitive world. His insistence on Chinese being taught as a living language, and his call to develop a core of students with advanced knowledge and understanding of China, are further instances of his desire to align the education system to a world of new challenges and opportunities. The goal of these and other initiatives of his is to spur on a new generation of Singaporeans who are hungry and able to take on the world, but who remember their roots in a land nurtured with the toil and sweat of their forefathers. Drawing on the best of the old and reaching out to an emerging world of possibilities, his speech was himself writ large. Now begins the work of citizens joining him and his team to translate vision into reality.
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
Be bold, dare to take risks
AUG 23, 2004Be bold, dare to take risks
By Laurel Teo
TAKE a fresh, bold approach. Mine new fields for opportunities instead of worrying about challenges.
Issuing this call to Singaporeans last night, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told them this mindset change was necessary to take Singapore 'another step forward, another level higher'.
He assured them that the Government was also doing its part - by preparing to rethink all problems big and small. It will also support entrepreneurs who dare to do the unconventional and spontaneous.
In his speech, he acknowledged Singapore had been 'wildly successful' thus far. But it cannot stand still, and must break out of its comfort zone to keep pace with the changing world.
'We can never afford to be satisfied with the status quo, even if we are still OK; even if our policies are still working,' he said.
He added: 'People say, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it'. I say, 'If it ain't broke, better maintain it... inspect it, replace it, upgrade it, try something better and make it work better than before'.'
But pointing to a recent survey the Education Ministry conducted on what company chiefs and bosses thought of students from schools here, he said their observations boiled down to one key point:
'We are so capable, we are so efficient, we are so comfortable that we stick with what we have tried and tested and found working and we are reluctant to take risks and try new things.'
It is a weakness, he said. And the key to overcoming it was to have a mindset change at the individual, government and societal levels.
'We have to see opportunities rather than challenges in new situations; we have to be less conventional; we must be prepared to venture.'
By way of example, he mentioned a recent personal experience at Changi Airport.
Returning home, he decided to queue at the arrival hall's immigration counters to 'see what it's like'.
All the 'All Passports' counters - of which there were many - were empty, while the remaining two 'Singapore Passports' counters had long queues.
He wondered why no one crossed over to the empty counters, but thought: 'Maybe they know something I don't.'
He decided to join them, he said, sending the audience into uproarious laughter.
'I stood there for 30 seconds. I said it doesn't make sense, went across, sailed through,' he said.
His conclusion: 'The pressure to conform, to go with what we're comfortable with, is doing it - 'let's do the same'. It happens to all of us.'
And Singaporeans must combat this pressure, he said.
At the government level, 'we have to rethink all our problems, big and small. Nothing should ever be set in stone'.
Some changes it has made recently included the Goods and Services Tax, cuts in the Central Provident Fund, and now, wage reform.
It also has to support 'Singaporeans being spontaneous, being unconventional', he said, giving two examples where unconventional ideas got snarled in red tape.
When two reconstructed American military vehicles were first introduced as a new tour business, the coaches - called Ducks because they can travel on both land and in sea - confused the Maritime Port Authority (MPA) and Land Transport Authority (LTA).
'The duck took two years to get a licence - nearly died,' he exclaimed.
'Very difficult because they went to the LTA. LTA says, 'Your duck has a propeller, how can it be a car?' They went to the MPA. MPA says, 'Your duck has wheels!'
'So ding-dong they took two years. Eventually, we sorted the problem where ducks became a success,' he said.
Next came the hippo buses - double-deckers without tops - adorned with pictures of hippopotamuses, from which tourists can hop on and off as the buses go to various places of interest.
'Question: Is the hippo a bus? A very important question because if it is not a bus, it is not allowed to stop at a bus-stop,' he said, sending the crowd into stitches again.
He revealed: 'That one we did better. Six months, we solved the problem.'
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
Be bold, dare to take risks
AUG 23, 2004Be bold, dare to take risks
By Laurel Teo
TAKE a fresh, bold approach. Mine new fields for opportunities instead of worrying about challenges.
Issuing this call to Singaporeans last night, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told them this mindset change was necessary to take Singapore 'another step forward, another level higher'.
He assured them that the Government was also doing its part - by preparing to rethink all problems big and small. It will also support entrepreneurs who dare to do the unconventional and spontaneous.
In his speech, he acknowledged Singapore had been 'wildly successful' thus far. But it cannot stand still, and must break out of its comfort zone to keep pace with the changing world.
'We can never afford to be satisfied with the status quo, even if we are still OK; even if our policies are still working,' he said.
He added: 'People say, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it'. I say, 'If it ain't broke, better maintain it... inspect it, replace it, upgrade it, try something better and make it work better than before'.'
But pointing to a recent survey the Education Ministry conducted on what company chiefs and bosses thought of students from schools here, he said their observations boiled down to one key point:
'We are so capable, we are so efficient, we are so comfortable that we stick with what we have tried and tested and found working and we are reluctant to take risks and try new things.'
It is a weakness, he said. And the key to overcoming it was to have a mindset change at the individual, government and societal levels.
'We have to see opportunities rather than challenges in new situations; we have to be less conventional; we must be prepared to venture.'
By way of example, he mentioned a recent personal experience at Changi Airport.
Returning home, he decided to queue at the arrival hall's immigration counters to 'see what it's like'.
All the 'All Passports' counters - of which there were many - were empty, while the remaining two 'Singapore Passports' counters had long queues.
He wondered why no one crossed over to the empty counters, but thought: 'Maybe they know something I don't.'
He decided to join them, he said, sending the audience into uproarious laughter.
'I stood there for 30 seconds. I said it doesn't make sense, went across, sailed through,' he said.
His conclusion: 'The pressure to conform, to go with what we're comfortable with, is doing it - 'let's do the same'. It happens to all of us.'
And Singaporeans must combat this pressure, he said.
At the government level, 'we have to rethink all our problems, big and small. Nothing should ever be set in stone'.
Some changes it has made recently included the Goods and Services Tax, cuts in the Central Provident Fund, and now, wage reform.
It also has to support 'Singaporeans being spontaneous, being unconventional', he said, giving two examples where unconventional ideas got snarled in red tape.
When two reconstructed American military vehicles were first introduced as a new tour business, the coaches - called Ducks because they can travel on both land and in sea - confused the Maritime Port Authority (MPA) and Land Transport Authority (LTA).
'The duck took two years to get a licence - nearly died,' he exclaimed.
'Very difficult because they went to the LTA. LTA says, 'Your duck has a propeller, how can it be a car?' They went to the MPA. MPA says, 'Your duck has wheels!'
'So ding-dong they took two years. Eventually, we sorted the problem where ducks became a success,' he said.
Next came the hippo buses - double-deckers without tops - adorned with pictures of hippopotamuses, from which tourists can hop on and off as the buses go to various places of interest.
'Question: Is the hippo a bus? A very important question because if it is not a bus, it is not allowed to stop at a bus-stop,' he said, sending the crowd into stitches again.
He revealed: 'That one we did better. Six months, we solved the problem.'
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
Be bold, dare to take risks
AUG 23, 2004Be bold, dare to take risks
By Laurel Teo
TAKE a fresh, bold approach. Mine new fields for opportunities instead of worrying about challenges.
Issuing this call to Singaporeans last night, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told them this mindset change was necessary to take Singapore 'another step forward, another level higher'.
He assured them that the Government was also doing its part - by preparing to rethink all problems big and small. It will also support entrepreneurs who dare to do the unconventional and spontaneous.
In his speech, he acknowledged Singapore had been 'wildly successful' thus far. But it cannot stand still, and must break out of its comfort zone to keep pace with the changing world.
'We can never afford to be satisfied with the status quo, even if we are still OK; even if our policies are still working,' he said.
He added: 'People say, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it'. I say, 'If it ain't broke, better maintain it... inspect it, replace it, upgrade it, try something better and make it work better than before'.'
But pointing to a recent survey the Education Ministry conducted on what company chiefs and bosses thought of students from schools here, he said their observations boiled down to one key point:
'We are so capable, we are so efficient, we are so comfortable that we stick with what we have tried and tested and found working and we are reluctant to take risks and try new things.'
It is a weakness, he said. And the key to overcoming it was to have a mindset change at the individual, government and societal levels.
'We have to see opportunities rather than challenges in new situations; we have to be less conventional; we must be prepared to venture.'
By way of example, he mentioned a recent personal experience at Changi Airport.
Returning home, he decided to queue at the arrival hall's immigration counters to 'see what it's like'.
All the 'All Passports' counters - of which there were many - were empty, while the remaining two 'Singapore Passports' counters had long queues.
He wondered why no one crossed over to the empty counters, but thought: 'Maybe they know something I don't.'
He decided to join them, he said, sending the audience into uproarious laughter.
'I stood there for 30 seconds. I said it doesn't make sense, went across, sailed through,' he said.
His conclusion: 'The pressure to conform, to go with what we're comfortable with, is doing it - 'let's do the same'. It happens to all of us.'
And Singaporeans must combat this pressure, he said.
At the government level, 'we have to rethink all our problems, big and small. Nothing should ever be set in stone'.
Some changes it has made recently included the Goods and Services Tax, cuts in the Central Provident Fund, and now, wage reform.
It also has to support 'Singaporeans being spontaneous, being unconventional', he said, giving two examples where unconventional ideas got snarled in red tape.
When two reconstructed American military vehicles were first introduced as a new tour business, the coaches - called Ducks because they can travel on both land and in sea - confused the Maritime Port Authority (MPA) and Land Transport Authority (LTA).
'The duck took two years to get a licence - nearly died,' he exclaimed.
'Very difficult because they went to the LTA. LTA says, 'Your duck has a propeller, how can it be a car?' They went to the MPA. MPA says, 'Your duck has wheels!'
'So ding-dong they took two years. Eventually, we sorted the problem where ducks became a success,' he said.
Next came the hippo buses - double-deckers without tops - adorned with pictures of hippopotamuses, from which tourists can hop on and off as the buses go to various places of interest.
'Question: Is the hippo a bus? A very important question because if it is not a bus, it is not allowed to stop at a bus-stop,' he said, sending the crowd into stitches again.
He revealed: 'That one we did better. Six months, we solved the problem.'
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
Major changes ahead with PM's bold vision
AUG 23, 2004Major changes ahead with PM's bold vision
Sacred cows on five-day week, education, women's medical benefits slaughtered
By Chua Mui Hoong
PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong last night painted a vision of a Singapore brimming with promise and opportunity, and pledged a major overhaul of policies to get Singaporeans moving to that future.
He declared that 'fresh, bold' changes would have to be made to the way Singapore traditionally does things.
'It's a new generation and it's got to take Singapore another step forward, another level higher. To do that, we need a fresh and bold approach. We've been successful, wildly successful, otherwise we wouldn't be sitting here today.
'But we can't stand still because the world is changing, our people are changing and so must Singapore and so must the way we govern Singapore.'
The call for change was no mere rhetoric. Mr Lee chose his first National Day Rally address to announce concrete policy changes.
In education - 'the most important gift to the young' and long an unceasing worry of Singapore parents - nearly 3,000 more teachers will be deployed. The syllabus should be cut, to reduce pressure on children. 'We must teach less, so that our children can learn more.'
Changes will also be made to the teaching of Chinese language in schools.
Mr Lee slaughtered several policy sacred cows during his three-hour address at the University Cultural Centre, where he spoke in Malay, then Mandarin and finally English.
One was the notion - long upheld by government ministers - that since the man is the 'head of the household', medical benefits should be extended only to dependants of male, not female, civil servants.
Mr Lee announced this would change and the benefits would be equalised, to applause. As he noted, 'Norms are changing. Ten years ago, we could not imagine a young women's team wanting to climb Mount Everest.'
Also announced: a five-day work week for the civil service to signal the importance of a better work-life balance - representing another policy U-turn for the Government, which drew loud applause.
Another change: multilingual signs will now be put up at MRT stations nationwide, to cater to the many older Singaporeans who cannot read English, he said in Mandarin.
To encourage participation and debate, indoor talks will be exempt from licensing requirements unless they touch on race and religious issues. At free speech venue Speakers' Corner, performances and exhibitions - not just speeches - will now be permitted.
These small but iconic changes underscore the new PM's commitment to translate into action the pledge made during his Aug 12 swearing-in speech, to nurture an 'open, inclusive' Singapore.
It was Mr Goh Chok Tong, Singapore's second PM, who made an open, consultative style a priority of his government, bringing the nation beyond the economic focus that preoccupied its first PM, Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
Last night, PM Lee paid tribute to Mr Goh as some members of the audience gave him a standing ovation, saying Mr Goh had indeed brought Singaporeans closer as a people.
Judging from his maiden rally speech last night, the third PM wants to go beyond economics and social bonding, to build a dynamic Singapore that challenges past thinking and encourages greater diversity. This, he said several times, was essential to engage the young.
So even as the Government relooked long-held assumptions, so too must citizens change their mindsets, he said.
Try the impossible, do things never done before, take risks, urged Mr Lee.
He himself did so last night. He said he was advised not to raise a sensitive subject - whether Singapore should have a casino - in his first rally speech. But he chose to do so, to make the point that issues once considered long-settled will be up for review.
He came with a speech outline but no prepared text, letting the words flow spontaneously. He drew laughter and applause many times from the rapt audience of 2,000, with an anecdote here, an ad-libbed joke there, showing a more engaging, funnier side of himself than Singaporeans had seen in public.
He told many stories that underlined the need for mindset change: of a widowed cook who had the guts to become a reflexologist, the bespectacled single man who rejected a match because she too wore glasses, and the side-splitting story of how regulators took two years to figure out if the Duck - an amphibious vehicle - was a boat or a car.
As expected, Mr Lee also announced incentives to try to raise the fertility rate from its dismal 1.26 last year, including a widely-anticipated increase of paid maternity leave from two to three months - with the Government picking up the tab for the extra month.
Summing up, Mr Lee said Singapore had many things going for it.
It sits smack in the middle of the most dynamic region in the world. Recent painful restructuring measures have put the economy on a sound footing. Investments are flowing in and Singaporeans are well-set to take advantage of them.
Most of all, Singaporeans had a fighting spirit, the determination to succeed.
As he told table-tennis player Li Jiawei, who lost her bid for an Olympic bronze medal an hour before Mr Lee began his speech, she had tried her best and done well, and Singaporeans were proud of her. Agreeing with him, Mr Lee's audience applauded.
He ended thus: 'We may be small but we have high hopes and big dreams. And so long as we are a little red dot in the middle of South-east Asia, let people know that we are a people who will keep on trying and never say die. And with this spirit, the future is ours to make.'
MOVES TO BOOST FAMILY LIFEENCOURAGING COUPLES TO HAVE BABIES
12 weeks' maternity leave (up from eight weeks) for up to fourth child; Govt to reimburse employers
Those with children under 12 pay a lower maid levy
Centre-based infant-care subsidy of $400 a month
Two days' childcare leave a year for mums and dads with children under seven
Baby Bonus extended to first and fourth babies (now for second and third only)
More generous tax benefits
WHAT CIVIL SERVANTS WILL GET EQUAL BENEFITS
Equal medical benefits for men and women civil servants
FIVE-DAY WEEK
Civil servants to have five-day work week, including schools and army camps
(Details will be released this week.)
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
Great strides by new breed
AUG 23, 2004SPEECH IN MALAYGreat strides by new breed
A NEW breed of Malays has emerged in Singapore, committed to the country and 'proud of their achievements under our system of merito- cracy', said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Besides being well-educated, confident and capable professionals, they are actively involved in the 'mainstream of our society' and in social work, the arts and sports.
'They are role models for the community and hold their head high as Singaporeans, anywhere in the world,' said Mr Lee, speaking in Malay at his first National Day Rally speech last night.
But alongside the great strides made by this group is the fettered future of a growing group: broken families and workers with few skills. 'I worry especially for the children and their studies,' Mr Lee said.
He urged the community to help them and to encourage poor and lowly-educated parents to capitalise on the Hope scheme, which provides poor families up to $100,000 worth of benefits, on condition parents go for skills upgrading.
However, Singapore's progress over the years has helped many to advance and Mr Lee cited his 'old cikgu', Haji Mohammad Amin Shafawi.
His 67-year-old Malay-language teacher is a father of three children, all professionals and working overseas, and a grandfather of four.
'In one generation, Cikgu Amin's family went from being teachers of Malay in Singapore to be an international and globalised family,' Mr Lee said.
For these 'more successful Malays', he urged them to have more babies.
Mr Lee also highlighted the way the community had, with other Singaporeans, stepped forward during various crises, such as the Sars outbreak and the arrests of the terrorist members of the radical militant group Jemaah Islamiah.
Most recently, it was evident again during the collapse of part of Nicoll Highway.
During the dangerous search for men trapped in the cave-in, 'brave Singaporeans' such as Major Kadir Maideen Mohamed and Staff Sergeant Hamdan Tahir from the Singapore Civil Defence Force showed that 'we were one, regardless of race, language or religion', Mr Lee said.
'We should continue expanding the common ground between our races, and strengthening our shared Singaporean values and identity.'
Going forward, Mr Lee hopes to build on the community's achievements under the prime ministership of Mr Goh Chok Tong.
'Your close rapport with the Government, and particularly Mr Goh Chok Tong, has helped us to tackle difficult issues and brought progress for our society,' he said.
Making a pledge, he said: 'Together with our Malay ministers, MPs and community leaders, I will work with you to realise our vision of a Community of Excellence.'
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
S'pore Poly to add biomed, media courses
AUG 18, 2004S'pore Poly to add biomed, media courses
SINGAPORE'S oldest polytechnic looks set to keep up with the times by offering new diploma courses next year.
The new courses will most likely be related to the biomedical technology or media fields, said Singapore Polytechnic principal Low Wong Fook at its 44th graduation ceremony yesterday.
Keeping up with the times was also something Education Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam touched on in his speech at the ceremony.
Noting the growing opportunities in new fields such as media and the life sciences, he urged graduands to be versatile.
He said: 'What matters most in the job market will be your willingness to pick up new knowledge and skills, whichever industry you are in.
'And to keep looking for new applications and new ways of doing things.'
Among the 5,234 students graduating this year are the first batch of graduands from 14 new courses.
The polytechnic, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, offers 29 diploma and 30 post-diploma courses.
This includes two diploma programmes in creative media design and landscape architecture.
The creative media design diploma is so popular, the polytechnic had to turn away about two-thirds of the 151 applicants.
Mr Tharman said polytechnic graduates are known to employers for their 'perseverance and determination to succeed'.
He cited the example of Mr Sri Kumaran Raman, 22, winner of this year's Tay Eng Soon Gold Medal, one of the polytechnic's top prizes.
The former Yusof Ishak Secondary student did poorly in his O levels, scoring an aggregate of 27 points.
That performance jolted the oldest of five children into bucking up, and he has not looked back since.
He hit the books and finished among the top 5 per cent of his Institute of Technical Education cohort and also aced his electronic, computer and communication engineering course at the polytechnic.
Now, he is a second-year electrical and electronic engineering student at Nanyang Technological University.
Said his father, Mr Sri Raman Pillai, 53, a security supervisor: 'My son has made me so proud. He works so hard.
'I have a dream that someday, he will be somebody in Singapore society.'
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
Longer maternity leave but it will be flexible
AUG 16, 2004Longer maternity leave, but it will be flexible
MATERNITY leave will be extended but kept 'flexible' to avoid disruption for employers and uncertainty for employees, Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang said yesterday.
Details of the 'comprehensive and practical package' will be revealed in the Prime Minister's speech for the National Day Rally on Aug 22.
The package was put up by a steering committee of ministers and MPs headed by Mr Lim to look at ways to boost Singapore's fertility rate, and the decision was made after much consultation with workers, employers and unions.
'Although an extended maternity leave is very much welcomed, it may cause disruption to the employers and uncertainty to employees. So we've come up with a more practical arrangement; maternity leave will be extended but the arrangement will be more flexible,' he told reporters at a National Day Observance Ceremony organised by the Telok Blangah Citizens' Consultative Committee.
Longer maternity leave is one of the key strategies mooted to improve the baby dearth in Singapore.
Last year, Singapore's total fertility rate, which is the number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime, dipped to an all-time low of 1.26 - well below the population replacement rate of 2.1.
In March, Mr Lim laid out two options to kick off the discussions: extend maternity leave by another eight weeks, at full pay from the Government; or by 16 weeks that are not compulsory and at half-pay from the Government.
Under the Employment Act, employees are allowed eight weeks of paid maternity leave for the first two children.
For the third child, the Government picks up the tab for the eight weeks of maternity leave.
Asked if the package would include financial incentives, Mr Lim said it would, but that these were 'not the key part of the package'.
'Our main message is that having children is a very personal decision and we respect that.
'At the same time, the Government will facilitate and support the decision of parents to have and bring up children,' he added.
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
Discipline: the rights and wrongs
AUG 16, 2004Discipline: the rights and wrongs
Over the next few weeks, The Straits Times will feature a series of guides for parents on how to coach their children on various topics at home. The guides will cover topics such as teaching mathematics and computer literacy, and will be written by local and international experts. It begins today with techniques on imparting responsibility and discipline to children.
CHILD psychiatrist Clarice Hong is all for rewarding children, whether it is by giving them money, taking them to their favourite fast-food outlet or praising and hugging them.
'This is because all children seek approval from their parents, and when rewards are given out to children who have obeyed their parents' instructions, they will grow up understanding they have done the right thing, and will continue doing so, even if the reward is later removed,' said the mother of three.
This is one way children can distinguish between what is right and what is not, added the 36-year-old, who received her master's degree in psychiatry from the National University of Singapore.
Dr Hong, who works at Raffles Hospital Counselling Centre, has counselled numerous youngsters who have fallen by the wayside due to their inability to differentiate between right and wrong.
In her latest book, titled Responsibility And Discipline, she offers suggestions on why it is important that parents teach their children such values from a young age, and how to do so.
Set limits and stay united
BOTH parents must decide what is allowed and what is not - and stick to it.
Too often, said Dr Hong, one parent denies the child something, only to have the other give in to the child when he kicks up a fuss or begins to cry.
This tells the child if he makes enough of a nuisance of himself he will get his way. It can lead to his resorting to tantrums to get what he wants all the time.
When explaining the ground rules to the child, the parent's tone and what is said is important in explaining the parent's stand.
Dr Hong recalled a case of a young boy who insisted on his mother buying whatever he wanted at the supermarket. She gave in to his demands to make up for his father having abandoned them.
However, she soon found she was busting her daily budget because of this. After counselling, she realised she had to tell her son specifically before each outing she would buy only daily necessities.
To get her message across, she made the point while looking him in the eye and in a firm tone. Now he no longer badgers her to buy everything he takes a fancy to.
Don't hit, reason instead
THE natural tendency is for parents to get angry when children break rules, but hitting them should not be an option in such instances, said Dr Hong.
Beating a child signals to him it is okay to use violence to express feelings of anger, and he may resort to the same reaction if his friends upset him.
To show he is angry or upset, a parent can:
Remove rewards and privileges where appropriate.
If the child has not finished his chores, for instance, he can be told he will not be allowed to go out and play until the task is done.
If he has behaved badly, isolate the child for a period of time.
When her nephew bit one of his cousins while playing, Dr Hong had the 4 1/2-year-old sit in a corner for five minutes.
Explain why the behaviour is bad and should not be repeated.
For example, if a child lies, the parent can ask: 'How would you like it if I promised you we were going to the park but I didn't keep my word.'
When the child says he would be disappointed, the parent can reply: 'Well, that's how I felt when you lied to me just now. So, please don't do that again.'
Encourage timetables
DOING an activity he is good at and having a schedule to follow when he is at home allows a child to be responsible for his day-to-day life from a young age.
Let your child start on an activity of his choice, such as playing a musical instrument.
If it is something he enjoys, chances are he will not need to be nagged to practise but will do it of his own volition.
Take him to an outdoor concert, point out the musicians and say: 'This musician has to be responsible enough to practise constantly, and that's how he became good enough to perform in front of so many people.'
While not all children will become world-class musicians, they can still excel at their hobby and other things if they realise from young that practice makes perfect.
Similarly, if a child follows a timetable from a young age, there is less chance his parents will have to nag him about wasting his time when he is older, as he will be aware of the best way to apportion his time.
Start out by drawing up a daily routine in an exercise book or on the computer. Get your child to fill in the activities he must complete and those he wants to do within the day. As a parent, offer your advice on whether sufficient time is allotted to sleeping, revision of schoolwork, and playing and watching television.
Keep on eye out to see if he is following the timetable in the first few weeks. If he is, reward him with something he would like to do.
Dr Hong stressed that parents need to start disciplining their children and teaching them acceptable behaviour from a young age.
'This will contribute to them having a sense of self-esteem, the ability to get along with others and to undertake responsibility when they grow up.'
DO'S AND DON'TS
DO: Set limits for your child, such as when shopping, and stick to them.
DON'T: Hit your child for breaking the rules, but explain why you're unhappy.
DO: Keep to a timetable, for sleeping, homework, playing and watching TV.
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
Help! My daughter keeps hitting her classmates
AUG 16, 2004Help! My daughter keeps hitting her classmates
MY FIVE-year-old daughter has a habit of hitting her classmates. Her teachers have called us to complain several times about this.
Initially, my wife and I scolded her, but when we realised this was not working, we tried to explain to her why she should not be acting in such a way. Despite our efforts, she still continues to hit her classmates.
What we have noticed from watching her behaviour at home is she does not like to be disturbed when she is doing work or playing. If anyone disrupts her concentration, she reacts violently.
How can I help her control her anger?- Mr Jerry Koh via fax
I WOULD like to commend you for being brave enough to highlight your child's unacceptable behaviour. Too many parents nowadays leave their children to do what they like even though the youngsters' behaviour is unacceptable.
You have taken the first step to changing your child's 'bad behaviour' by accepting it is a problem and wanting to find a solution for it.
Research has shown a child who acts aggressively or is inconsiderate to others at an early age behaves worse when he is older. So it is important you help her change her behaviour as soon as possible.
From what you have said, it seems her violent reaction has become a habit.
She was probably not reprimanded in the correct way the first time she pushed or hit a classmate and so she now feels she has the right to be angry or violent towards others.
To help her understand it is wrong to hit others, show displeasure by either looking upset or through the tone of your voice. Do remember though, there is no need to shout or be aggressive. If you do, your child may mimic your reactions when she is angry.
Once she has realised what she has done is wrong, explain to her how she should behave when someone interrupts what she is doing.
Tell her how she can ask someone to move in a nice way, and remind her to share her toys.
Go through with her what she can say, asking her to repeat it after you.
Also, tell her the consequences if she hits another child again.
Do not threaten her with the cane. Instead, tell her it may mean having none of her favourite toys for a day or having to sit quietly in a corner for some time.
To ensure she fully understands why it is important to change her behaviour, spend time talking to her about what good behaviour is in general.
Lay the ground rules of what is expected of her at home and in school.
Do not nag or give her a long-drawn-out speech. Children can understand very quickly how they should behave, provided they are given a clear indication of what they have to do and learn.
I have also found a caring and assuring parent is more effective in disciplining a child than an angry parent.
It is important to work closely with her teachers and explain to them what you are doing at home, so they can help reinforce some of these things in school.
It may be frustrating to have to tell your child over and over again how she should behave, but it is important to continually reinforce such values.
Teaching young children good values may take a lot of time and patience, but in the years to come, you will see it was worth the effort.
- Mrs Patricia Koh has a master's degree in child development from the University of London and spent 10 years with the then Institute of Education. She started her own pre-school, Pat's Schoolhouse, in 1988. She spoke to MARIA ALMENOAR
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
