Hansard, 1976-03-23

Order read for resumed consideration in Committee of Supply [6th Allotted Day]

Head V --

Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to he allocated for Head v be reduced my $10 in respect of subhead AAA 1004*. (* The same amendment also stood in the names of Messrs L. P. Rodrigo. Hwang Soo Jin. N. Govindasamy. Sia Khoon Seong. Ng Kah Ting. Ho Kah Leong, P. Govindaswamy and Ch'ng Jit Koon.) No ministry in our Government has been as riddled with problems as the Ministry of Education. Only last year one of the previous Ministers for Education came out with a restructured system which he claimed was not an exercise on paper. A warning was sounded in the House that what seemed to have started with a bang might end with a whimper and actually this seems to have come to pass, because new directions have this year been laid down. How is ii that all these things have happened in education? The basic education policy of the Government was laid down in the chapter Spring Source of our Nation, incorporated in the Party manifesto The Tasks Ahead, in 1959. I agree with the previous Minister, who is now the Minister for Science and Technology, that basically this policy has not changed. Throughout the years of PAP rule. this policy has been assiduously adhered to because it was shown to have continuous relevance and to be grounded in a clear-sighted understanding of issues. So we have trained teachers and built schools to give everybody a place and a chance for primary education. We have given places in secondary school to all who have qualified for it. We have established the Institute of Education to provide for more varied and better quality of training of teachers; although here presently a constituent has written to me commenting upon the alarmingly small output of teachers from the Institute of Education. We have established the Industrial Training Board in response to an important article in our education policy, namely, that of contributing towards a better and more productive economy. We have done our best to take care of the material aspects of our policy with emphasis on science and technology. technical training, a chance for everybody to prepare himself for a job for which he may be well fitted. We have encouraged bilingualism and multi-lingualism in response also to the needs for integration in a multi-racial community. These lines of policy direction are as relevant today as they were in 1959. Yet we seem to have missed out on some important ingredient. I am not talking about the changes which have been many indeed: for example, we have had three or four Ministers of Education within the space of less than 1 5 months - a high turnover rate indeed. Changing directives have been freely issued but these switches, modifications and variations are not basically the ailment, they seem to me to be symptoms. They indicate that we have been more concerned with the educational outcomes that we wanted or thought we could contrive. The point is we were so concerned with objects and objectives that we lost sight of the fact that we were dealing with children and people. Let us just consider the following scenario relating to the early education of our children. At a pre-school stage our children are brought up in an atmosphere of care and attention. Parents show their great affection for their children by looking after them well, and even by indulging them. Our children respond with a freshness. We can see it in the kindergarten classes in the community centres when we organize little occasions for children. They respond with a freshness. That, however, seems to be a little dimmed when they enter into school. Once our children go to school they become enmeshed, geared into a system that is heavily influenced by a compulsion to achieve, initially in a superficial way, namely, the examination. Towards the aim of passing examinations, pupils will obediently lap up even a surfeit of information (I think our school curricula are over-loaded), and regurgitate what is appropriate for examination purposes. Generally our children give the appearance of being obedient and well disciplined. Or is it that they are subservient and subordinate to the petty needs to achieve in examination. Of course, many do not achieve. The normal distribution of talent would exclude them from the meritocratic upper strata. Emphasis on competition has resulted in the inculcation of some very good virtues -for example, a willingness to work hard and to strive after set objectives. But because of the need to achieve distinction in schools, teachers too have been tempted to Orientate their teaching simply to those factors that are tested and are revealed by examinations. In the process a fundamental educational principle is ignored. The system becomes subject-oriented, not pupil-oriented. The basic principle that you learn when you are at the Teachers' Training College or normal classes or at the Institute of Education is that you care for the little children. You orientate your effort towards the children, not towards what you want to teach them. They are not bottles into which you fill little things. It is no wonder that we have discovered in dismay lapses into illiteracy in fact possibility that literacy may never have been achieved by some who have gone through the primary stages of our school system. The system has significant characteristics of being an impersonal one. Even in the treatment of teachers, much has been said time and again about the impersonality of directives and poor communication between the Ministry and the people in the field. This impersonality can be further illustrated by the way a very senior Ministry official, in addressing school principals, likened a school to a factory, principals to managers, and pupils to factory products. With that kind of attitude characterising the thinking of a very senior man, what sort of human component do you expect to be worked in to the attitude towards children? This sort of attitude has led to the notion that the school can provide the inputs that will result in a pupil endowed with the right knowledge and attitudes. We have not thought too often about the fact that the child's environment also determines the way he behaves. We have changed the physical environment for thousands of our children as a result of our successes in the housing field. But is it not possible for us to try, through the mass media especially, to reach to the home and community environment, to the parents and adult citizens, to show them how they might reinforce what we teach our children in schools. However, even what we teach our children in schools in respect of their cultural, historical, geographical environment becomes subordinate to other considerations as, for example, Education for Living having to be in the second language. Education for Living should be taught by Education-for-Living teachers, not by second language teachers. Frequently the two specialisms do not coincide. In the end, where community influence and school influence have combined to sharpen the competitive instinct in our young people, we get what is exemplified in the following. When a team wins a school debate on television, the members of the winning team are so completely overcome with elation that they have no care for how their opponents feel as a result of their unseemly jubilation. When results are announced at an interschool band competition at the National Stadium, the same unseemly jubilation results in near chaos on the field. Ranks are broken, nearly all semblance of order and discipline become vapourised. Where is the spirit of the game? Where is the vying in friendly competition? Where is the consideration of one young person for another in these hysterical circumstances? All this is the result of the emphasis not on individuality but on individualism. And talking of individuality, let me hark back to the odious comparison of the school to the factory. It is important that all should realise that the child at whatever stage he leaves school is never a finished product. He is a developing person. You cannot produce finished products from schools. The child is a developing person, moving to the next stage of his life, growing, changing with a personality blossoming and in some sad cases withering. I do not think our teachers are interested in producing stereotyped finished products, duly labelled and set out on the assembly line. On the whole, I think our teachers are concerned for their charges, that is why they find all the administrative and clerical work that is sometimes imposed upon them irksome. I think we want to give our teachers all the support possible in the development of individuality in our young citizens, and we want, if possible, to encourage schools to bear the stamp and impress of each school's particular personality.

Mr Speaker, Sir, at the outset I wish to stress that the observations which I will make under this head are made with the knowledge that the Minister of State has a difficult job on his hands. But at the same time I want to say that he must grasp in perspective the problems that have bedevilled the Ministry, and in this regard I will make references to specific issues which I have raised in this House. In doing so, I also wish to indicate to the Minister the existence in his Ministry of a professional mechanism which appears to obscure fundamental errors of decision in education policy or implementation of policy. I would warn the Minister of the propensities of this mechanism and to ask him to be alert in issues of education at all times. If there is one Ministry the successes or failures of which determine the successes or failures in other Ministries and ultimately in the performance of the nation, it is the Ministry of Education. Education makes the kind of manpower which will fill the Ministries and which man the nation. It determines the kind of young people you have, the workers, the soldiers, the managers, the leadership you have; and then it also determines the kind of teachers you have. And if these teachers are 30% below par, then their pupils will probably be 30%-plus below par; and if some of these pupils themselves become teachers then these teachers will probably be 3O%-plus-3O% below par, and so on. Finally teachers will not be able to give much of value to the pupils because they have not got the stuff themselves. On this, I said in 1968 Hansard, Vol. 28, col. 364): `The reason why I am concerned with the subject of education is my belief that it will take a new society, a society with radically different responses and reactions, if we are to achieve national security and prosperity in the years ahead. And in the final analysis, it is the content of the education that we provide our young today which will determine their responses and reactions tomorrow.' Today we have improvements of the recently restructured system. The recently restructured system was a restructure of the system restructured in 1968. At that time I said [Hansard, Vol. 28, col. 365]: But today we have restructured our education system. The restructuring is extensive in scope, involving primary, secondary, technical, tertiary and teacher education which I hope is a final restructuring, and is intended to describe in perspective our education system.' 2.45 p.m. I was a little optimistic. Today we have identified certain basic difficulties in our system, one of which is the non-retention policy by which pupils get promoted upwards irrespective of their performance in the year. This difficulty, we all seem to agree, is partly responsible for the slide into illiteracy. But the Backbench identified it in 1968. In the debate on the President's speech in May that year I said, after analysing the defects of the non-retention policy [Hansard. Vol. 27, col. 89]: `The non-retention policy by which the student of maximum age for that class is promoted to the next grade at the end of the year, despite his failure in the terminal examinations, progressively worsens his inarticulateness apart from his overall ability. Sir, this is a decline which must be arrested immediately.' Even at this time I was already aghast at the kind of effects that the non-retention policy was producing. The non-retention policy was introduced in 1956 by the Ministry of Education to correct the inability of the administration at that time to build schools sufficiently fast enough to accommodate a backlog of children due to commence schooling. Today the Ministry has also discovered the meaninglessness of the Primary School Leaving Examination and has initiated the assessment system at the end of six years' primary education. This is also done at the end of the third year of primary education as described in the restructured system. This is intended to divert pupils at an early stage so that they will be able to learn at their own rate of capacity. In the debate in 1968 after underlining the adverse effects that the Primary School Leaving Examination was having on our primary and secondary education I said [Hansard, Vol. 27, col. 89]: `Sir, as suggested, the Primary School Leaving Examination may be suitably modified or even abolished and in its place a system of annual assessment set up.' I also said in that debate [Hansard. Vol. 27, cols. 87-8]: `Sir, diversion of academic potential, which is the end product of six years primary education, to technical education and vocational training is short of what is ideally correct. Diversion of primary school students to vocational training as it is being done today must cease. It is a diversion of primary school students who have failed in the Primary School Leaving Examination. notoriously, abbreviated as PSLE, and who are over-aged. It operates on the inscrutable theory that the overage rejects of this examination have an aptitude for vocational training. I would suggest that the Government consider making the diversion at the early secondary school sta9e.'

Mr Rodrigo, could you slow down a bit because the interpreters cannot catch up with what you are saying.

Sir, I am trying to hurry between the interpreters and your ten- minute guillotine.

That is too bad. You are so long-winded.

In this case the Ministry did rearrange the diversion to take place at the end of Secondary II in 1969. But I am sure it was not as a result of my having raised it. Suffice it to say that my anxieties have been confirmed by the initiative of the Ministry. I have made these flashbacks with the intention of indicating to the Minister that on education the Backbench has searched the subject and articulated on it extensively in Parliament. Contributions have come from the Members for Jurong. Paya Lebar. Jalan Kayu and Telok Blangah. I hesitate to include the Member for Moulmein. I think he holds a watching brief for teachers in this House. If I have omitted quoting all Members it is purely because of a lack of time. We are realising today that the traditional media in which the education of pupils is undertaken, i.e, the classroom, has lost its effectiveness as the form at the primary level. The classroom has always been a grouping in which there quickly developed a relationship between teacher and pupils that made education possible and effective. This form dissipated as soon as subject teaching was liberally used in the primary schools. If four subjects in the class time-table draw into the classroom four different teachers of the subjects, then the close intimate relationship between one teacher and 35 pupils is lost and in its place there is only the indifferent communication link between one teacher and 140 pupils. What happens then is that you no longer tend to have education but instruction and therefore you no longer have schools but centres of instruction. Subject teaching may be suitable as a method of instruction, but is it suitable as a form of education? I expressed this worry in 1968 where I insisted that quality in education can be achieved only when the classroom retains the intimacy of the teacher-pupil relationship. I would urge the Minister to explore the desirability of once again recovering what we formerly had, that is, the true form teacher. But let me say that our education system has not collapsed. There are major defects. If we are to attempt the correction of these defects we must be realistic. These defects cannot be solely attributed to the system. The failure in or the non-performance of teachers has helped to bring about these defects. The bull in the china shop is all right. Sir, but teachers are not china wares also. If I am the Backbencher to say these unpopular things, let it be so. But to what extent the system has been responsible in stifling the performance of teachers so that their performance as the teacher has been aborted or retarded by the system, is a matter for the Minister to find out and correct. Here, I wish to make the point that the Ministry in charge of half a million pupils and the teacher unions representing approximately 20,000 teachers determine much of the future of our society. While I realise that parents in their homes owe it to themselves and their children to begin laying the basis for the development of character and ability, many parents still depend and, in fact, expect the institution of the school to nurture their children into citizens useful to parents and society. This in itself calls for a re-education of parents. In this co'inection, what does the Minister think about reactivating on a mass scale parent-teacher association? Teacher unions have grave responsibilities in the effort to make our education, system successful. On the question of education policies and their implementation, teacher unions cannot afford to posturise or compromise to achieve administrative convenience at the risk of a deterioration in the content of education. Principals of primary schools had their post allowances withdrawn. This change removed administrative difficulties in selecting senior teachers as principals of primary schools At the same time, the professionals in the Ministry are prepared to admit that the system should assist in achieving the correct motivated principal for the school in order that the entire school functions. If the restoration of post allowances for such principals is necessary I would urge the Minister to do so.

Mr Rodrigo, your time is up.

Sir, travelling in an elevator one day recently, I happened to overhear a conversation between two school children. They were arguing as to who was the Minister for Education. Neither of them was obviously in the right and they would appear to realise it too, as they finally compromised by agreeing that what difference did it make whether it was Lee, Chua or Chai. Sir, this little incident, amusing as it may be, illustrates very well the state of confusion we are all in as a result of regular changes in our education policy in recent years from Ministry officers to school principals, teachers, pupils and parents. It would seem to me that very few people really know what is happening at any one moment. Take, for example the subject of the use of the School Funds. More than a year ago, the attention of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament was drawn to the fact that all the schools in Singapore had among them accumulated a total sum of close to $10 million under their School Funds and this large sum of money was left lying idle in banks. The reason, as the Committee discovered, was apparently that principals were at a loss as to how to go about obtaining the necessary approval from the Ministry to use their School Funds. The Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, under the chairmanship of the Hon. Member for Katong, then recommended that the money should be used for the purposes intended, since they were collected from the pupils. Subsequently, in March 1975, a Notification No. 73 was issued by the Ministry authorising the principals to incur any expenditure not exceeding $200 from their School Funds. This partial relaxation obviously was not too successful as on 1 7th December, 1975 a further Notification No. 150 on the same subject was issued, removing all restrictions in the use of School Funds. On the one hand, this news was enthusiastically welcomed by the teaching profession and hailed as a significant step taken in the right direction, and yet in an article entitled "School Funds, a New Look", appearing in the latest issue of the Teachers Rostrum, the author urged that principals would appreciate it very much if some guidelines could be provided for them. This, to my mind, suggests that principals are still at a loss as to how they should go about using their newly delegated authority. Incidentally, Sir, you would have noted that the first Notification No. 73, referred to by me earlier, was issued in March 1975 but by December 1975 the second notification on the same subject has already reached the number 150. In other words, altogether a total number of 78 notifications were issued by the Ministry to schools in a matter of nine months. I do not know what is contained in the other 76 notifications. All that I can say is that I sympathise with the poor principals and teachers in trying to comply with whatever the nature of the numerous notifications, not to mention the poor pupils who obviously suffer in the process. A more recent example is to be found in a seminar conducted by the Ministry. According to the press, at the opening of the Seminar the Senior Minister of State emphasised the need to educate school children on population control. There were, I gather, subsequent speakers from the Ministry. After listening to the various speeches, some primary school principals, I was told, went away from the seminar feeling rather confused as to what they were expected to do. One expressed rather grave concern to me that principals were asked to borrow films and illustrations from the Family Planning and Population Board to show to their children. His interpretation was that primary school children were to be taught sex education or birth control. These two examples only serve to illustrate a rather sorry state of affairs in the implementation of our education policy. It would seem to me that a very serious communication gap exists in all levels of our Ministry and the schools. The gap would appear to be much worse between the Ministry and the schools. Sir, unless there is greater and constant awareness of the need, on the part of those implementing the policies of Government, for proper dialogue to be maintained between Ministry officers and the schools, policy decisions are unlikely to be correctly interpreted and translated into suitable administrative actions to attain the desired objectives. We have emphasised on greater qualitative improvement in our education system but until and unless the very fundamental problem of communication gap can he satisfactorily resolved. I have my doubts as to the extent of improvement that we can hope to achieve.

Sir, since 1959 our education policy has undergone many and varied changes. Two features stand out for commendation and condemnation. Let us take the commendable feature first. We have diversified the educational structure from a purely academic type of education given to pupils in the past to one with a science and technology bias. Our emphasis on technical schools. vocational institutes, etc, is a complimentable feature. Other than that, we have left a string of failures. Our education policy is still examination-oriented. Let us take the Primary School Leaving Examination first, the six to seven-year primary education controversy. What happens to the thousands of children who have failed the Primary School Leaving Examination? About 10 or 12 years ago, we started post-primary classes for Primary VI failures and advocated the setting lip of post-primary vocational classes for pupils who did not make the grade for a regular secondary education. The Ministry of Education was not prepared nor equipped for the vocational classes and the programme was a failure and the post primary vocational classes closed down. 3.00 p.m. Now we are talking in terms of allowing pupils who failed the PSLE to repeat and to keep them in schools until they are 1 5 years old. What kind of instruction are the 1 5-year old backward pupils going to get? I should not have called them "backward pupils". In the new educational parlance, they are ESN, Educationally Sub-Normal. Are they going to be grouped with the other students who have failed? Are there still going to be 40-odd backward overaged pupils in the same class? Does the Ministry seriously expect the 1 5-year olds who fail year after year to really make good with 40 such pupils in any one class? What attention is going to be paid to them to actually make them useful citizens? Are remedial teaching methods advocated? If so, has any thought been given to remedial education, and are answers available? These are questions for which answers must be found before action could be initiated. Let us take our second language policy. From normal second language teaching, the Ministry of Education advocated additional exposure for the second language. When they found that the children were not effectively bilingual, they decided they could solve the problem by increased exposure to second language for all. Subjects normally taught in the first language had to be :aught in the second language. As a result, we found that many of our pupils who were not effective in the second language earlier became ineffective in both the first as well as the second languages. What we are now, therefore, advocating is back to square one, and that is, an under-exposure for those who are not able to cope up with the two languages. We gave another name for Civics. We did away with History and introduced Education for Living to be taught in the second language. This has really become neither a civics lesson, nor an Education for Living lesson but in many schools, it has bec3me a second language lesson. Again, a failure. Activity method advocated by one of the seven Education Ministers (we have had seven Ministers since 1959) became PPP. For those who are uninitiated in the educational jargon of these days, it means the Primary Pilot Project. An Hon. Member: Play, play, play!

Yes. A big boo-ha was made. Special classes for teachers were conducted. Special teaching aids were made. Instruction manuals were printed. Thousands of dollars were spent by individual teachers as well as schools. After a few years' trial, even as late as last year, we were told that the PPP programme has come to stay. Now I hear it is out. Why? Only last year we were debating in this Chamber on another new education policy, namely the Restructured Education System. There were considerable criticisms as well as apprehension about this policy. The Education Minister then, tried to explain the system, not too successfully, I am afraid. He also sang praises for such a system. Sir, now the rumour has it that the Restructured Education System is still-born. Every child was forced to participate in extra-curricular activities. Special record cards were introduced for ECA. The points system was introduced. Parents kicked up a row. Members of Parliament made speeches in this House and ECA cards were withdrawn and insistence on participation in ECA has been relaxed and forgotten. Another change in policy or a failure? Our teachers, while keeping tab of the numerous changes and trying to understand and implement them, have also to be Anti-Narcotics Counsellors and, of late, as has been mentioned earlier by the Member for Jalan Kayu, family planning experts. An Hon. Member: Post Office Savings Bank.

Yes, Post Office Savings Bank. I read in the papers that family planning or population education is to be given even in primary schools. Do we seriously expect primary school students to understand family planning concept? The shortage of teachers in our schools is phenomenal, especially graduate teachers in secondary schools. Even from the Government's own statistics, in Division I alone, there is a vacancy position of 45.3%. Secondary school pupils even up to Secondary IV levels are being taught by non-graduate teachers, in some cases, even by those who themselves only have a School Certificate. The Ministry of Education ought to be grateful to these teachers who teach Secondary IV classes far beyond their call of duty. There was some talk earlier on of upgrading these teachers by inservice classes in the Institute of Education. What has happened to this scheme? How does the Ministry hope to recruit graduates for secondary schools? Ordinary teachers, principals and inspectors have now been classified differently. Just as a jaga these days calls himself a Security Officer, and a door-to-door salesman calls himself a Sales Representative, our teachers, principals, inspectors, etc, have become EOs, SEOs, PEOs, EDOs, ADs and DDs. Very soon we may run out of alphabets! This euphemism has become some kind of a status symbol among our educators. The need for promotion prospects for teachers was understandable. In fact, I was one of those who advocated for more promotion posts in our Education Service but never did I dream that the Ministry would be creating so many grades of teachers. It appears as if there are no more teachers in our Education Service. Are all the failures that I have enumerated necessary? Sir, a study of the Hansard, as pointed out by the Hon. Member for Serangoon Gardens, would show that numerous criticisms were made in this Chamber. Some of the pitfalls of the education policies were pointed out and they could have been avoided. If only the gods at Kay Siang Road had genuinely discussed with the organisations representing the teachers and the people who have to implement the policy before proposing any new scheme, many pitfalls could have been avoided. When I say "discussions and consultations". I mean genuine discussions and consultations and not some little dictator from the Ministry of Education calling up principals and organisations representing teachers and giving them a lecture on the latest policies. Is there a moral to be learnt from the past failures? I would say `yes. If the education planners in Kay Siang Road take heed and accept the fact that there are also others outside the Ministry who are also interested in the education of our young, we will not be in the mess that we are in now.

Mr Speaker, Sir, education has always been a subject of interest both within and without this House. This is to be expected considering the fact that in our society so much depends on the proper development and utilization of our human resources. Criticisms on our educational system as well as on our educational standards have been galore. No doubt, these criticisms have been made with good intentions, but unfortunately quite a lot of them have been misdirected against the teachers, maligning them for so many of the ills in our educational system. Teachers have been made convenient whipping boys for any failings in our educational endeavours. This can only engender a feeling of malaise and dejection among teachers, especially when so many of our criticisms on our failings have been misdirected against the teaching profession. It is time we stopped making scapegoats out of the teachers whenever something goes wrong in our educational system. It is about time we directed our volleys of criticisms at the right places where the sins of commission and omission in education have been committed. I am referring to the source where many of the ills of the educational system originated. This is where many of the "bright" ideas were conceived and then turned into educational Policies which must be implemented at all costs. Changes in our educational policy are desirable as we must keep up with the times and new demands, provided such changes are made after very careful consideration of the impact and the implications these changes would have in the total context of our educational, policy In some instance, corrective measures will have to he taken in order to reduce any ill effects resulting from any shift of our educational policies. Changes in our educational policies must be few and gradual as the educational process is a long-term one. Time and care in nurturing the new ideas are important elements that will determine whether the new ideas will blossom or wither. But when changes were made and then retracted at some future time, they not only reflect the haphazard manner in which some of these changes were made, but also caused so much confusion among school principals and teachers as to what the educational policy-makers really want, apart from causing a dislocation of existing educational programmes in our schools. In determining educational changes, one cannot be as fickle as a vain woman in her dressing room, changing her mind now and then about what she ought to wear for a party. A case in point of this fickleness in policy adjustments is the recent announcement by the present Minister for Home Affairs and Education that primary education will now be extended up to a maximum of nine years for a slow learner and that automatic promotion in primary schools will now cease. This announcement represents a total reversal of the announcement made by the ex-Minister for Education (who is now the Minister for Science and Technology) in 1 975 concerning the restructured education system. Following the ex-Education Minister's announcement on the restructured education system last year, the whole Ministry was geared to prepare for the implementation of the restructured education system. Evaluation and assessment courses for teachers and meetings of principals were arranged to work out the details to implement the ``brainchild'' of the ex-Education Minister. It now appears that with the changing of the Education Minister, there also goes the "brainchild" of the ox-Education Minister. But what remains still is the hullabaloo arising out of the restructured education system. Instructions to principals and teachers concerning steps to be taken to implement the restructured education system have not been withdrawn, although the Education Ministry now adopts a completely new set of ideas. Ministry officials when contacted by the principals for guidance are bewildered and are not sure which is the latest "fad" in the educational policies. In the midst of these confusions, not to mention the entire efforts put in by teachers and principals over the implementation of the restructured education system going up in smoke, how in the name of fairness can we point an accusing finger at principals and teachers for the misdeeds originated and perpetuated by the Education Ministry itself? For goodness sake, can the Hon. Minister or his Senior Minister of State inform this House whether the policy regarding the restructured education system and what it entails are thrown overboard or are still operative, in the light of the recent announcement by the present Minister for Home Affairs and Education that primary education will now extend up to a maximum of nine years for the slow learner with no automatic promotions? 3.15 p.m.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I share the sentiments so ably expressed by my colleagues on the Backbench who spoke before me just now on matters concerning the policy of the Ministry of Education. I would like to make reference only to two issues. Firstly, I refer to the announcement of the Ministry of Education with regard to what is termed as "New rulings of priority for Primary I admissions" which amongst other things stated that: `only children whose parents were sterilised before they reach 40 years of age will be given priority for admission to Primary I from this year. Previously there was no age stipulation'. (Straits Times. Thursday, 18th March, 1976). Hon. Members are well aware of my personal feelings towards abortion and sterilisation. But I am extremely disturbed about ground reports voicing not only concern which is growing with increasing intensity of unhappiness and snowballing into resentment, but also posing questions such as: is it really necessary for Government to push the education policy so far as to compel aided schools to conform to it when such rulings handed down are against their moral principles? If Government can push such a policy down their throats, what is to follow next? These questions cannot be lightly treated. Morally it is wrong to do likewise. I believe that the question of sterilisation is not something which is directly connected with education. By so doing, the Government is taking it too far. I would suggest that this matter ought to be reviewed. The other point I wish to touch on concerns the requirement of Secondary I and II students, boys or girls, to attend a 3-hour workshop session once a week. I have received complaints from parents whose daughters have to attend such sessions. They complain that there is little time for their daughters to have their meals before they catch a bus to go to their workshops or schools. I believe there is a point in their complaint. Moreover, the parents also point out that they would prefer to see their daughters take up Home Economics instead of attending workshop sessions. This is because they feel that their daughters could learn something more meaningful for their future lives than to spend three hours a week in the workshops for two years and at the end of which a basic knowledge of technical skill is picked up by them and which will not be of any benefit if they should go to non-technical schools to complete their secondary education. I would strongly urge the Hon. Minister to look into this matter.

(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, the fact that so many Hon. Members have spoken on the problems of education shows the concern we all have for education which directly affects one-quarter of our population and indirectly affects the whole of our population. It is only natural and it is good, because it is an important matter affecting our future. In discussing the problems of education, we must recognise that on the whole there is nothing fundamentally wrong with our education system. Otherwise we would not have a society as stable as we have now, or we would not be here either. With changing times and social progress, our education policy, system, syllabuses and teaching materials, have to change accordingly in order to meet the requirements of our nation and our society. Education is not something that cannot change. However, the more conservative group do not like to see any changes or innovations in our education system. On the other hand the innovators are impatient to see that education is being changed with quick results. Therefore, there is inevitably a conflict between the new and the old. In the past, there have been many changes in our education system. From my observations and experience over the years, frankly speaking all these have been quite well motivated. If there had been any aberrations, they could be due to the decision makers not having thoroughly examined our education policy. They could also be due to the inappropriate moment of its implementation. However, there has been one shortcoming, that is to say, in the process of formulating our educational policy those organisations representing the teaching profession had not been given a say. I have always held out that teachers are the actual implementors of any education policy. Since the teachers come into direct contact with the students in the classroom, they should know the feelings and response of the pupils and they should also know what is receptive and absorbable and what cannot be acceptable to the pupils. We have 20.000 teachers represented by five teacher-organisations. I think if the teacher-organisations were given some say in the educational policy-making process, then there would be fewer changes due to education theories which might sound very grand but are not practicable. Sir, education affects the future of our country. The chief implementor of education is the teacher. So we can see that the teachers are very important in the process of education. I regret to say that in our mercenary society, teachers are losing their status and are less and less respected. The respect for the teacher and the teaching profession seems to have become a historical relic. Therefore, it is important to enhance the status and respect for teachers, and the Government can do a lot in this matter besides the efforts by the teachers themselves and their organisations. Sir, doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers are all professional people. They have professional bodies which are given considerable statutory power in respect of admission for practice and disciplinary codes to exercise control over them. The teachers should also be regarded as professionals, as they have gone through professional training. However, unlike the other professional bodies, the teachers' organisations are not given statutory power with disciplinary codes to control their members. Teachers are not required by law to join their representative body. So the teachers' organisations are not able to exercise authority over the teachers, neither can they raise the social status of the teacher. If teachers' organisations are given such a statutory right and if we also enhance the status of the teachers, it does not follow that all problems will be solved. But at least we will be able to help them to better honour their professional duties and to be more contented in their profession. At the same time, we would be able to attract more talent into the teaching profession. Now all those who are engaged in the teaching profession are basically given three categories of salary scales with nine grades. The intention is good and it is good 10 give them yearly increments. But, there is no special salary scale for the principal. This seems a bit unfair. Very often, there are principals who are only Education Officers whereas some teachers are Senior Education Officers. Sir,I have said in this House many a time that a principal's appointment is due to his superior merits. He has to be responsible for the affairs of the whole school, including school administration, the arrangement of the school curricula, time-table, and he will have to take charge of the school finance, personnel control and the discipline of the students. Whatever matter, big or small, will have to go through the principal. However, his salary is sometimes not compatible with his heavy responsibility. No wonder some principals on their appointment seem to accept it with a feeling of drudgery. I wonder whether the Ministry of Education has noticed this problem and will consider giving the principal a more adequate and significant salary.

Mr Speaker, Sir, the Ministry of Education is in some ways comparable to our bus services. During the last 15 years, at least five ministers have been given this portfolio. It has gone through so many changes that it produced nothing but only confusion, not only among the officials in the Ministry but also among the teachers, students and parents. Nobody knows what is going to happen next. Nobody knows what is the aim of education. The situation seems to be `the blind leading the blind'. It is time a commission of inquiry was set up to look into the question of why many teachers are resigning and are disgruntled with their duties. We have to prevent our education system from going down the drain. It appears that our young citizens have been turned into guinea pigs to satisfy the fancies of some administrators in this Ministry. Whenever some senior officials want to impress the public with their ability, they think of changes and then introduce them through trial and error, literally bulldozing the system by virtue of their seniority. School principals and teachers are not given a chance to question these changes but simply told to carry out instructions. We have seen the failure of the Primary Pilot Project. Sometime ago bilingualism was emphasised. To a certain extent the classes became dramatic. Schools were told to increase the exposure time for the second language. Then, all of a sudden, principals were given the discretion to reduce exposure time as they see fit. Why this about-turn? Obviously very little thought has been given to planning this policy in stages. 3.30 p.m. The introduction of six or seven-year primary education is another fiasco. The criteria for guiding the pupil's ability are so confusing. There is so much doubt that very few people are really convinced that it will really work. The simple reason is this. The judging of the individual student's potential is left in the hands of the young teachers, some of, whom have very little experience in teaching. What is the position of this system now? Is it still in force? Sir, we have also seen another move whereby pupils are allowed to take care of their schools by doing some kind of work in the schools. The danger is that principals may become over-enthusiastic and may use the pupils as substitutes for school servants. Some principals are only interested in creating all image to the Ministry at the expense of teachers and students. Many parents have complained that their children have been made to sweep the school floors. Why is this so? Sir, it has become a tradition with the Chinese schools to conduct classes on Saturdays. Of late, many English school teachers have been seconded to these Chinese schools because of bilingualism. Many of these English language teachers have expressed dissatisfaction with these Saturday classes. They say that during the weekdays after every subject period there is a short break and it has to be made up by the Saturday classes. I wonder why the Chinese stream does not follow other streams and leave Saturday for extra-curricular activities only. The standard of Tamil education is rather "high". I am told the teachers themselves are not familiar with the text books. They are not given proper training. If so, how are they going to teach? I hope the Ministry will recruit, more qualified Tamil teachers. In some schools the teachers themselves do not know what they teach. There was a case where a father checked his son's books and found an answer to a mathematical problem marked as wrong when it was, in fact, correct. So to seek clarification, the father wrote a note to the teacher through his son. The teacher in turn scribbled a note to the father in pencil admitting the mistake, and he also told the boy to erase the scribbled note after showing it to the father, Again, time-tables in some primary schools are not strictly followed. Quite often, the time-tables are changed all of a sudden. so much so that the students do not have the required books. Sir, in some primary schools teachers request pupils to pay for something which they do not properly explain. There was a case of a student who had to pay 50 cents for something which he could not explain to his parents. When the parents asked the teacher the reason for this collection, the reply was for a curtain. I wonder what has happened to the school's miscellaneous funds. Why are teachers collecting donations from students? Is this the type of education for our children? Sir, of late principals have been given the discretion to spend money collected from pupils. However. I wish to point out a certain anomaly. The schools are still allowed to spend only a certain sum, a sum specified several years ago. Let us take, for example, a school with an enrolment of 2,000 pupils. Tile collection from these 2,000 pupils will come to $7,000 a month and the school is allowed to spend only $3,000 a month. Any further expenses will need special permission to be sought every month. The figure is unrealistic, for the simple reason, that it was decided long before the fantastic price inflation occurred. I feel that the rate of expenditure should be revised to a higher proportion of the total collections from the school. I suggest a commission of inquiry be set up to look into what has gone wrong because most of our teachers are now disgruntled with their duties. This inquiry could correct the defects in the education system so that our students would not be made guinea pigs where at the end of 1 0 years of schooling they would be more illiterate than literate. Sir, the education policy with regard to sterilisation is unfair. Most of the mission schools give preference of allocation to those who already have brothers or sisters in the school. The introduction of this new priority for children whose parents have been sterilised will seriously affect these mission schools. Therefore, could the Minister review this policy?

(In Mandarin): Sir, many times I have criticised the Ministry of Education as a Ministry which has changed its policy most frequently. Last Monday when we were debating the Budget statement, a number of Members in this House expressed their concern over the confusion caused by the frequent changes of policy in the Ministry of Education. Even a few moments ago, some Members have also touched on this subject. Some senior officers in the Ministry of Education, in order to show off that they know more than the others, try to copy whatever they have gathered from overseas for implementation in Singapore. But they have not made a thorough study of local conditions to see whether what they have copied would fit into our education system. So what they have copied was implemented. The moment they found that something has gone wrong with such implementation, they changed their policy. So we had a situation in which instructions issued in the morning were changed in the evening. As a result, teachers and principals were completely at a loss. Sir, I have been given to understand that the various specialist inspectors in the Ministry of Education have called up teachers in charge of various subjects to discuss invariably how to improve the teaching standard of those subjects. This is, of course, a good move since the aim is to improve. But in such a discussion they invariably say that the teachers must do more work to bring about an all-round improvement. So they must do this, do that, and everything else. As a result the teacher's work-load is increased and the students also have their increased burden. But if the students have very few subjects to study, then the situation is different. But we all know that the present secondary students, particularly those in Secondary I and II, have to take as many as ten subjects. On top of that, they have to attend technical lessons and go for workshop practice and a host of ECA activities. In the case of school girls, they have to learn domestic science as well. If various specialist inspectors intend to show off their performances by way of increasing the workload and lessons of the teachers and students, in the end, the students will suffer more. The obvious consequences would be that, they fear to attend school and will not know a subject well. A friend of mine told me that he has two children in the same secondary school, one in Secondary I and the other in Secondary II. In order to teach the students how to read newspapers, the language teachers make the students do press cuttings on editorials. The civics teachers also want these two students to cut out items on civic news, The music teachers also want them to do the same thing but on musical events. As a result, my friend finds a lot of holes in his newspapers, and that one set of newspapers is not enough to share between the two sons. He has to buy another set of newspapers for them to cut out. He also says that, as marks are given for newspaper cuttings, his sons have to spend some time to cut them out and paste them up properly and show them to the teachers for marking. In fact, they have no time to read the newspaper cuttings, some of which they might not even comprehend. If the example I have quoted is the cause for an increased sale of newspapers, which may be misinterpreted as the rise in our cultural standard, then it is a travesty of the truth. Just to require the students to cut out and paste newspaper cuttings mechanically is to achieve nothing for the teachers and the students themselves. It is deceiving oneself as well as others. So I feel that this practice of the specialist inspectors vying for show should stop. I would go so far as to suggest that there should be a coordinating committee in the Ministry of Education to ensure that there will be a fair distribution of time among the various subjects for secondary school students, so that there will be no more stereotyped method of teaching. Recently some parents are vexed about the use of simplified Chinese characters because their children now write a number of simplified characters which many people do not understand. The simplified Chinese characters initiated by the Ministry of Education have increased from 502 to 2,248 characters. Some of them have been considered not suitable for use are still being used in the magazines and newspapers. Some new locally created simplified Chinese characters are not to be found in any Chinese dictionary. This gives rise to a greater problem for the students studying the language. Our history is very short and our new culture is still in the making. We should not create a Picasso-type of simplified Chinese character experts. Sir, language takes a long time to develop. It is also a common fact that language develops with the history of a country. It is my hope that the Ministry of Education in promoting the use of simplified Chinese characters could accept and pay attention to the new development of Chinese culture in this field. We should not be narrow-minded and obstinate.

Sir, much criticism has already been levelled in the House against our educational system in general as well as in specific terms. Both the educational administration and the teaching staff in our schools have been in the line of fire. This identification of weaknesses in the system is entirely constructive and to the point in the present context of our rapid progress. It is wholly relevant to stop and ask ourselves seriously just where we are going with our educational innovations and reforms, and what exactly are the ultimate goals we hope to achieve within the framework of our national aspirations. Mistakes in education are too expensive in human terms for us to delay any further in attempting to locate the trouble spots and areas of vagueness in our educational policies and administrative approaches. Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to suggest practical action in three areas for consideration by the Minister for Education. First, I would like to suggest the restoration of a special allowance for principals in view of the important role they are called upon to play in our educational sphere. In this respect, I share the view of the Member for Jurong expressed earlier on. The present scheme is quite ludicrous, for it is based on academic qualifications. It is quite common in many schools for a principal to be earning far less than his teachers merely because he is not a university graduate but has come up the ladder by dint of hard work, skill and experience. In rational terms, it would seem that this is all the more reason for appreciation to be accorded him in concrete money terms, thus acknowledging the special status he has won for himself. 3.45 p.m. Clearly, a principal who does not have his special position acknowledged and safeguarded in some definite way is going to suffer from a certain sapping lack of morale. He thereby stands in danger of having his very authority undermined. He has every right to expect a special allowance by virtue of the fact that he is the man who is at the top and responsible for the- coordinated running of the entire school. If we deny him this right, we are in actual fact and by definition denying his special authority and thus condemning him, in psychological terms, to a mediocre performance. The second point I wish to make, Mr Speaker, Sir, concerns our policy of bilingualism, which has, to-date, produced innumerable casualties from the point of view of the fact that some of our students are not even proficient in one language. The policy has been implemented inflexibly so far, and it is high time that a thorough study and review be immediately initiated, before we proceed any further. Only after such an assessment has been made, should there be any decisions made on the degree of bilingualism, could we then impose it on our students. It is a psychological fact that some students are fast at learning languages while others are impossibly slow, though they may excel in other areas of the school curriculum. We should manifest our educational realism by adapting national goals to the facts of an existing situation. In most of the developed countries a careful study is made before educational policies are implemented. Pilot schemes are usually introduced and the results fully tested before any policy decision is taken. Here we seem to specialise in the "instant change" method, change being introduced according to the whims and fancies of a few educationists who thus far appear to have betrayed their appalling detachment and lack of comprehension of existing realities. I submit. Mr Speaker, Sir, that on such an important matter as bilingualism a careful study should be made on the implications of any change in implementing methods. We are not quarrelling with the bilingualism policy. The introduction of the exposure time and Education for Living have resulted in a lot of unhappiness and confusion not only for principals, teachers, students but also parents. I do not intend to go into detail as other Members have already aired their views. The last point I wish to bring up, Mr Speaker, Sir, is the fact that we have a vast reservoir of educational expertise that we can profitably tap, instead of having to rely so heavily, and in some cases, blindly, on expensive foreign expertise. I refer to our retired educationists, among whom we have some truly notable talents. This is available for the harnessing at our very doorstep. I suggest that the Ministry of Education seriously look into the possibility of reemploying as advisers or consultants men who have already proved their eminence in the field of education. The Health Ministry utilises the services of consultants many of whom were formerly in Government service or in the university. It is both foolish and dangerous to maintain the notion that the more money one is called upon to shell out to a foreign expert. the greater the quality of his expertise and wisdom. More often than not, the expertise of these foreign experts have proven to be wide of the mark simply because they are not familiar with existing local situations, and the net result is often a precious waste of both time and money. A pool of wisdom created from among our own citizens should prove a source of inspiration that can fuel many worthwhile policies, innovations and reforms of real practical value. Let us not waste any time in creating such a source for dynamism in the education mill, Now that we have started to look closely and critically at our educational system, we can hope to make some real progress. I hope that the new spirit of criticism and inquiry is viewed in a positive and optimistic light by all concerned. What we need for the future may be education "in questions rather than answers" as one educational sociologist puts it. For teachers, administrators and students it sounds a workable philosophy, for education in questions pre-supposes education in the right answers.

(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, in the middle of last year the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence revealed a piece of very alarming news that over the past 10 years more than $1,000 million had been spent by the Government just to create a large number of educated illiterates. According to the Deputy Prime Minister, these illiterates mainly came from English schools with a non-English speaking family background. If this is so and if in future more and more parents send their children to English schools, will it not result in a situation in which more and more money will have to be spent to create still more illiterates? This is the state of affairs which is causing alarm and concern among the people. Sir, that parents expect their children to grow up into celebrities is understandable. If there could be a Muhammad Ali in Singapore, I believe our parents would also want to send their children to some boxing school. What corrective measure does the Ministry have to rectify such an incorrect choice by parents? Sir, UNESCO conducted a certain survey of certain countries which were ex-colonies. The report of the survey revealed that those countries which, since their independence, still continue to adopt the language of their former suzerain power as a medium of education, despite spending millions of dollars are still lagging far behind in social and economic development as compared with other countries whose educational medium is their mother tongue, or with countries which pay equal importance to their mother tongue and the former colonial language. They opined that modern educational system should contribute towards the economic, social and cultural development of a country. They criticised the educational system left behind by the colonial power as "Schools meant only to produce civil servants who could not engage themselves in productive work." "Such educational system has destroyed the national cultural values and character of those countries and created a group of foreigners out of their own nationals". Such observations are also to be found in the speeches of our political leaders. Why is this so? There was an African scholar, Abdou Mounouni, who said that in the past the Education Ministry in the African state defended and implemented the colonial system of education left behind by the colonial power. They argued that if education was based on their mother tongue, complicated problems would arise. Although they advocated educational reforms, they never interfered with the sole use of the colonial language as a medium of instruction. literacy and the mass media. Therefore, the colonial type of educational relic developed into the foundation of the education system of an independent nation. Sir, if we care to study what I have quoted, we would know that the cause for anxiety and confusion which exist in our education system at present could be attributed to the neglect of our national culture and mother tongue. That is why our political leaders have today once again emphasised that education must be relevant to production, that the incidence of juvenile crimes must be reduced, that our young people should be instilled with the correct work ethics, and that we should return to our mother tongue and writing at once, and so on. When talking about the values of the languages and the cultures of the various races and the importance of English, the Prime Minister has clearly indicated that for our economic reasons English is most important. However, in our multi-racial and multi-cultural context, if we only study English it is a great folly because it will separate ourselves from our cultural roots. He also emphasised that we must let our younger generation strike root in their respective languages and cultures and at the same time arrive at the largest common ground through a second language (i.e. English), in the context of living in a multiracial and multi-cultural society. He also frankly pointed out that after 15 years of heart-searching for a solution, we have come to adopt the policy of bilingual education -the mother tongue and English. The Prime Minister has said that our ultimate decision and objective is to have a bilingual education policy. This will be a foundation for our future education policy as well as the ballast for our multi-racial society. 4.00 p.m. I would like to make two points here. I believe that we must resolutely proceed with our bilingual policy thoroughly in spite of difficulties. We should not give up such a policy as a failure merely because of some minor drawbacks in the way. I would like to remind the Minister that our bilingual policy has been implemented only two years ago. So we should continue to carry it out to a successful conclusion.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the views expressed by the Member for Punggol and the Member for Anson against the priority admission of a child into a primary school through the sterilisation of a parent. This is an immoral incentive. Sir, the Archbishop of Singapore has expressed his views as follows: `The proposal to grant privileges on admission to a Catholic school to children one of whose parents has been known to be sterilised is not acceptable to the Catholic church on grounds of conscience. To accord such privileges is incompatible with the moral teaching which specifies our Catholic church. At no time has the Catholic church, either directly or indirectly, approved of the granting of privileges on admission to a child one of whose parents is known to have been sterilised. This is for us a matter of conscience.' Sir, since the Archbishop of Singapore has expressed his disapproval of the sterilisation of the parents so that their child could be admitted into a Catholic school, may I suggest to the Minister for Home Affairs and Education to review this policy and to accord a discussion with the Archbishop of Singapore and other Christian leaders on this moral issue?

(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, we have heard a number of Members speaking enthusiastically on education. I endorse their views in many respects. But I feel that education in Singapore is not entirely a fiasco. I feel that we have been successful in our education insofar as providing primary education for all our children is concerned. We have also increased the provision for education to $390 million for this year and it now takes the fourth position in the entire allocation of Government expenditure, This vote is to maintain as well as develop various stages of our national education. This is only right. It also shows how much importance our Government has given to the question of education. Undoubtedly education occupies a very important place in nation building. It is only with universal education and the development of talents of our people that we are able to proceed with nation building. Mr Speaker, Sir, over the past few years there have been far too many changes in our education policy, as has been mentioned by other Members in this House. The main changes relate to exposure time for second language and the extension of primary education from six to seven or nine years. These issues have caused much confusion in educational circles. Even those in the school inspectorate are confused because when questions are asked of them, the school inspectors are not able to give a clear answer. They just give a very vague answer on these matters. In this regard I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State to clarify the whole position. Next, I would like to touch on the question of emphasis on teaching the second language. On 23rd October, 1972 a circular was issued by the Ministry of Education to all primary schools to the effect that from 1973 the exposure time for second language should be increased from 18% to 25% of the total curriculum, and that by 1974 such exposure time was to be increased to 33.3%. Again, it also says that by 1975 the exposure time should be increased to 40%. But surprisingly, on 19th September, 1974 another circular was issued to all principals of primary schools saying that, dependent on Circumstances in each school, principals would be allowed to adjust the exposure time for the second language so long as it would not drop below 25%. Mr Speaker, Sir, does the second circular signify a relaxation of the policy on second language? I would also like the Senior Minister of State to clarify this. Next, I would like to refer to the question of redundancy of teachers in Chinese schools. I understand that in the first semester of this year there are a number of redundant teachers in some Chinese schools. I would like to know how many Chinese school teachers in the primary and secondary schools have become redundant, and what is the Ministry of Education going to do about them? I would also like to know how many English schools are under-staffed. According to my understanding these vacant posts are manned by relief teachers. This is an abnormal situation. I would also like the Senior Minister of State to answer this and inform the House how is he going to tackle such problems.

(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I would just like to express a fleeting thought that has crossed my mind, A number of Members have raised the policy of bilingual education in Singapore. I personally feel that the Government has got to give a review in this respect. When the Member for Paya Lebar spoke in Chinese just now, many students in the Strangers Gallery had to put on their earphones to listen to him. I suppose they must have come from the English stream, This goes to show that there is something wrong with our bilingual education policy as a result of which these "guinea pigs" (not guinea pigs as mentioned by the Member for Anson) in the public gallery have to use earphones.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I have the names of 14 Members on my list, the last one being the Member for Bukit Merah who has expressed his feelings on the failure of our second language policy. Sir, as far as I know, 14 is the largest number of Members to have spoken on a single head in this Budget debate. In a way I am honoured but I am a bit nervous having to reply to so many questions. I have tried to take down as fast as I could the points raised by these 14 Members, but I am quite sure I have missed out quite a few of them. Before I answer the various questions raised by these 14 Members, I would first like to thank them for the interest they have shown towards our education system. Their speeches give me the impression that Singapore's education system has failed badly, although a few do not agree, saying that we have done not so badly. Is it true that Singapore's education has failed? Personally, I do not think so. Singapore's education system, like any other education system in the world, has its fair share of shortcomings. I accept that there is ample room for improvement in our education system. The question rightly should be, have we done enough? Could we have done better if we were given a second chance to do it again? I am not so sure. Sir, on the whole, we have not done too badly. Our education is regarded as one of the test in this part of the world. Sir, in the field of education everyone of us is an expert of some sort. We have at least gone through many years of school life. We have at least talked and read a lot about educational problems. In addition to school life, some of us have a few years of teaching experience. We are either the brothers or parents of some pupils in schools. Under these circumstances, it appears to me that the best line of defence is to receive all criticisms with a smile and proceed to analyse all the constructive criticisms for facts and figures that may help us to improve our educational efficiency. Education is teaching our young the proper values and knowledge and preparing them to face the real life situation some 15 or 20 years later when they grow up. So in the process a lot of unknowns have to be faced. When we are solving unknowns, the chances of making mistakes are very much greater and changes are unavoidable in order to achieve better results. Sir, since Singapore attained self-government, there have been a lot of changes in our society in the political, economic and social fields. Under such circumstances, it is unavoidable that some corresponding changes in our education system have to be made. We all know that no matter how accurate our prediction is, we can hardly be sure of what is going to happen, say, five years from now. So it is not possible for an educational system to remain static all the time. Sir, we inherited from the colonial days four separate educational systems. So at least the first change which we should do is to try to form them into a single system and, of course, this change is unavoidable. 4.15 p.m. Coming to the various questions, especially the communication gap raised by the Member for Jalan Kayu, I would like to inform the House that the Ministry of Education has recently undergone some changes. The Permanent Secretary and his three deputies were newly appointed. The Permanent Secretary has made it a point to visit the schools every week together with his deputies. I am sure that this will at least improve the understanding between Ministry officials, school principals and teachers. So let us hope that the communication gap will be narrowed as much as possible. The Member for Telok Blangah raised a few questions on primary school dropouts, second language policy, the PPP system, the population education seminar recently conducted, teachers with "0" level qualifications teaching in Secondary IV. On the question of teachers with "0" levels teaching in Secondary IV. I would like to say that this is true. We do not like then to do that. But it is a fact that the Ministry is faced with the problem of shortage of graduate teachers. These shortages are felt in the area of English. Mathematics and Physical sciences. The teachers with "0" level qualifications teaching in Secondary IV are those who mainly teach the languages. They are normally teachers with more than 10 years' experience. Sir, I have some figures here which indicate that teachers with "0" level qualifications are mainly teaching English as a second language in Chinese schools. There are also a few Mathematics teachers with "0" level qualifications teaching Mathematics. These are the two main areas. But as I said they are teachers with long years of experience who have picked up sufficient knowledge and the decision to allow such teachers to teach in Secondary IV rests with the principals. The principals must have found that such teachers are capable of teaching the subjects. Sir, on the question of primary school dropouts, primary school pupils who sit for the PSLE when they have reached the age of 1 4 years are those who have been retained twice during the primary stage of education. Under our existing' system when they are superannuated they are encouraged to enrol in vocational preparatory classes organised by the Adult Education Board. The latest change of providing a maximum of nine years in Primary means all those who fail again in the eighth year will receive a ninth year of education. The curriculum for the ninth year will be a mono-lingual one, and it will consist of the learning of one language, basic arithmetic, craft work and workshop practice for boys and handwork or home economics for the girls plus civics and moral education, some physical education, health education and singing, to make it more interesting. The purpose of craft work and workshop practice, hand work and home economics is to prepare the pupils concerned for employment. The details of these courses are being worked out in collaboration with other Ministries, statutory bodies, industries and commercial organisations. We believe that this strategy will help pupils to become literate and to become useful citizens. On the subject of Education for Living, this subject is aimed to inculcate moral and ethical values in our young pupils. From Primary Ill upwards, apart from Civics and Ethics, the curriculum also comprises History and Geography. At Primary IV, V and VI levels, it includes topics on the preparation of working and living in the adult world, such as the fostering of right values and attitude towards honest labour, family budgetting, habits for saving, consumer education, population education and knowledge about the functions of the various occupations in our society. This is done with the object of educating those who can make the grade and those who have to leave school after the primary stage. It must be recognised that at the primary stage when children are still rather young and physically undeveloped, physical skill training is not provided. On the question of exposure time for the second language, may I inform Hon. Members that the rationale for bilingualism remains as relevant in our present context as it did when the policy on compulsory learning of a second language was first announced more than 10 years ago. There is no intention whatsoever to change this policy. In the implementation of this bilingual policy, however, flexibility in respect of exposure time and the rate of learning must be accepted. This is because a number of factors such as the availability of properly qualified staff able to teach a second language competently and to use it effectively as the medium of instruction, the availability of suitable instructional materials and the availability of suitable general reading materials must be taken into account. Thus the trend is not towards under-exposure but is a realistic response to the situation as it exists in our schools. It is the policy of the Ministry that those who aspire to pursue higher education are expected to know a second language well. Those who are unlikely to go beyond Primary VI may, therefore, concentrate on one language as it will be unrealistic to expect them to know a second language. On the question of the Primary Pilot Project, the PPP as it is commonly known, is a child centred approach towards achieving the outcome as spelt out in our national syllabus. All the materials which include the teaching-unit, readers and work-cards have been tried Out in some schools and revised and, based on feedback from these schools, they are then released for publication. Principals and teachers have the professional prerogative to scrutinise, to evaluate and hence to adopt, adapt or reject the use of these teaching units, each according to his own professional judgment. 4.30 p.m.

Mr Chai, I am giving you 10 minutes more than you are entitled. Perhaps if you could hasten a bit you might be able to finish your reply.

Yes, I will try, Sir,It has been found that PPP is very useful in terms of language development but it is very demanding for teachers to adopt the system. So the Ministry in reviewing the system realises that not as many teachers as we thought like to teach under this system. As it is very demanding, the Ministry has no objection to those principals who wish to carry on. We also have no objection to those who want to revert to the traditional system. The materials developed by PPP so far-have been found to be very useful and it will be used by schools, if not as teaching materials, then as supplementary materials. A few more matters which I want to clarify concern population education. It is definitely not the intention of the Ministry to teach birth control or sex education in primary schools. It is essential to teach our younger generation the broad concept of a small family so that when they grow up and become parents themselves they will keep their families small. Sterilisation is an issue raised by a few Members. I would like to say that this policy is not new, It is actually a revision by the Ministry after having taken into account the various representations. It is true that one of the churches does not agree to it but we do see representatives from churches and the majority of them do not object (if not agree) to this national policy. It is actually a revision taking into account the various suggestions made by members of the public. We have definitely no intention to meddle with the religious beliefs but national policy should take precedence over any other policy. I would like to thank Members again for their interest and if there is anything which they would like me to answer. I shall be glad to do so.

I propose to take the Suspension now. Thereupon Mr Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House,

I will suspend the Sitting now and take the Chair again at five minutes past Five o'clock. Sitting accordingly suspended at 4.33 p.m. until 5.05 p.m. Sitting resumed at 5.05 p.m.

Sir, may I have your consent and the general assent of Members present to allow me and my colleague, the Minister for National Development and Communications, to make statements now to clarify further the reply that I made yesterday in the matter of high-rise fires raised by the Member for Kim Seng?

I give my consent. Do I have the general assent of Hon. Members? Hon. Members indicated assent.

Mr Speaker, Sir, due to insufficient coverage in press reports concerning the reply I made to a question raised by the Member for Kim Seng on high-rise fires, I wish to clarify some of the points I made on fire safety in HDB flats. What I have stated is from the point of view of the Fire Brigade in terms of overcoming some of the difficulties faced by firemen in having to carry the fire hoses and other equipment with them when climbing up the stairs where the lifts are rendered unusable. From the point of view of fire safety, the HDB flats are quite safe. Such flats are constructed of non-combustible material. There is also little danger of a fire-spread since the flats are separated by fire-resisting walls and floors, and hence a fire originating in one flat will be confined to the affected flat. Like the private high-rise flats, :here are staircases in addition to lifts in HDB flats. Modern and sophisticated fire protection equipment, like sprinklers and smoke detectors, are only required in office and commercial buildings because of the greater amount of combustible material used and stored. Furthermore, in these commercial high-rise buildings, the installation of central air-conditioning enhances the chances of fire and smoke spreading through the air-conditioning ducts. For the HDB flats and other private high-rise flats, it is not necessary to install such expensive equipment which are intended as warning and automatic devices to deal with fires which might have started in portions of office and commercial buildings which are not always occupied. The Singapore Fire Brigade has experienced no difficulty at all in dealing with fires occurring in HDB flats, The few fires that occurred were put out within minutes of the arrival of fire engines. For example, a fire which broke out on the 10th floor flat at Chin Swee Road on 22nd October, 1975 was immediately put out by two jets of water without difficulty. Similar fires which occurred in HDB flats at Outram Park, Toa Payoh and Bendemeer Road. were also quickly extinguished. The Brigade has conducted regular fire drills in high-rise buildings. Fire exercises have been conducted in selected HDB flats as part of the pre-fire planning which is being carried out by the Brigade to familiarise their men with the layout of the premises, and to give them on-the-spot training in tactical fire-fighting and rescue operations in HDB flats. To increase the operational efficiency of the Fire Brigade, recently three new water tenders, one emergency tender, one 30-metre hydraulic platform, a dry chemical truck, and six light water tenders have been acquired, and orders have been placed for two more water tenders. The Brigade has also acquired a mobile control unit for facilitating effective communication in the event of a high-rise fire, and a breathing apparatus vehicle equipped with breathing apparatuses for use at the fire ground. Ultimately, fire safety in HDB flats, for that matter, any building, will depend upon the residents themselves, for they must cultivate good fire safety habits and understand the need to exercise greater caution and be more fire conscious. Our experience has shown that fires are often caused by carelessness and complacency. We must inculcate the habit of exercising constant vigilance against any fire hazard in our homes and daily life. Simple measures like forbidding children to play with matches and inflammable substances, or making sure that naked flames are not left unattended, or that cooking and electrical appliances are switched off after use, can be easily observed, and do not require much time or effort. In addition, residents should also learn to handle simple fire-fighting equipment, such as extinguishers, so that they will be able to put out a fire in its initial stage and thus help to prevent fire-spread and unnecessary damage. The Brigade conducts short courses in fire-fighting and fire protection for occupants of high-rise buildings, industrial workers and members of the public. Every year, a Fire Brigade Week is also organised. Exhibitions to educate the public on fire safety measures are also held in conjunction with the campaign. Pamphlets and brochures in different languages such as Fire in Your Home and Check list for Fire Safety in Homes are distributed to members of the public. I hope more people will take advantage of these educational programmes so that collectively we can help to promote fire safety in the Republic.

Sir, I am glad to have this opportunity to correct any misconception that may arise out of the observations made by the Member for Kim Seng yesterday with regard to fire safety precautionary measures in Housing Board flats. In this House, the Housing and Development Board has been accused of many things, some of them deserved, most of them undeserved. The implication made that the Housing and Development Board does not provide minimum fire safety precautions or does not incorporate safeguards against fire in HDB flats is most undeserved and unfair. The HDB has made a thorough study of the fire prevention aspects in the design of its flats and as a result the flats are designed and built so that there is a relatively lower fire risk, Fires in homes are mostly caused by short-circuit of old electrical wires concealed in ceilings; often they start in the kitchen. There are no concealed ceilings in HDB flats and all wirings are exposed enabling easy identification of faults and rectification. Any electrical point to be installed and any renovation or change in design of the flat have to be approved by the Board. The wirings are renewed at intervals of 15 to 20 years. There is therefore less chance of fire occurring due to old wiring or short circuits inside the ceiling. HDB flats are built of reinforced concrete, bricks or hollow bricks which are also non-combustible. The risk of a major fire is greater in hotels, departmental stores, commercial buildings and store houses where combustible materials are likely to be stored. The combustible material in HDB flats are limited to a small amount of furniture and furnishings. The HDB is very strict in ensuring that commercial and industrial activities are not carried out in its flats. The use of charcoal and wood for cooking is also prohibited. We know of one instance where a goldsmith made illegal use of his flat and he probably used an oxy-acetylene torch to design his jewellery. There was an explosion but the fire did not spread. Many casualties in a fire are due to the victims being overcome by smoke, But staircases in HDB flats are made of concrete and will not burn. These staircases are not enclosed. They are open and smoke cannot build up to impede access. In slab blocks, several concrete staircases with access to common corridors which are fully ventilated are provided. So the chances of being overcome by smoke in a HDB flat in a fire are almost negligible. The flats are designed in such a way that fire occurring in one apartment is unlikely to spread to another. Our experience has shown that the design to contain fire is successful for fire occurring in 2, 3, 4 and 5-room flats had not spread after burning up the contents within the flat itself. However, in 1 --room flats, fires have spread from one flat to the adjoining flat through open BRC wire-mesh below the ceiling. Hon. Members will remember that complaints were made against sealing these openings in the present debate and the reply given was that they have to be closed in order to prevent fire from spreading. It is not fortuitous that there have been no raging infernos in HDB flats. It is by design that the Fire God has not been given the opportunity to vent his fury there. The HDB is fully aware of the danger of fire occurring in high-rise buildings and has minimised fire risks in the design and structure of its flats. There is a relatively lower fire risk in HDB flats and the anti-fire measures mentioned by the Member for Kim Seng need not be installed. For his information and for the information of Members, even luxury high-rise flats built by private enterprises are not required to instal them. To prevent alarm among flat dwellers, let me say that sprinklers, or the smoke or heat detecting systems, are required by law to be installed in hotels, commercial and industrial buildings only. Residential buildings are not required to instal them. Sprinklers are very expensive items and need only be installed where necessary. Smoke and heat systems are not practical in flats and homes as smoke and heat are generated in the kitchen and will set them off. Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to assure Members that the safety, comfort and wellbeing of its tenants are uppermost in the minds of HDB and the Board will continue to improve on the design and structure of its flats not only to prevent occurrence of raging infernos but also to enable Singaporeans to build a comfortable home.

Mr Speaker, Sir, may I ask a supplementary question?

Is the Minister willing to reply to the supplementary question?

Yes.

Sir, the fact still remains that fires do occur in Housing Board flats, Therefore some sort of preventive measure is necessary, as prevention is better than cure. Sir, does the Minister not think so?

Mr Speaker, Sir, fire has also occurred in my home. But what is the Member implying when he says that the Housing Board flats are a fire hazard and they are dangerous? I have already explained that having studied the occurrence and the whys and wherefores of fire in Housing Board flats, these flats are so designed that they have a relatively lower fire risk.

(In Mandarin): Sir, I do not quite agree with what the Minister has said in his reply to the Member for Bras Basah. As we all know, our schools are built of incombustible materials, They are built of concrete and solid bricks, unlike Housing Board flats which are built of hollow bricks. If my memory is right, there is the requirement that a fire hose must be provided in every school. I do not mean that in every school floor there must be one fire prevention equipment but there should be one in the building.

Sir, will the Minister please consider a sustained and intensive national campaign of public education through schools, community centres, commercial enterprises, the press, radio and television, on the Dos and Don'ts of fire prevention and fire-fighting?

Sir, the reason which led me to ask the question just now is that the Minister was so confident and proud of the fact that it is not fortuitous but by design that there have been no raging infernos in H DB flats. But the fact is, by his own admission, that fire still occurs in Housing Board flats. If this statement is not corrected, he may be giving misleading information to the public that the Housing Board flats are really fire-proof. They are not fire-proof.

Sir, the fire that has occurred was due to human frailties. No matter how fire-proof a building is, fire can still occur as there may be children playing with matches or fire may occur due to acts of mischief. But the fact is that fire is contained in Housing Board flats. I am proud of the fact and I think we should all be proud of the fact ----- that during the last 16 years there has not been a raging fire in the 1 20,000 units of HDB flats. This is a tribute to the architects in the Housing Board who have designed to make the flats fire-proof.

As the Minister has said, there is an element of human frailty.

Sir, I want to stress to the Minister the importance of a sufficiency of fire hydrants in all housing estates. I wonder if there are sufficient fire hydrants in all HDB estates.

Sir, in answer to the question by the Member for Mountbatten, the answer is "yes". I have stated that the fires which have occurred in Housing Board flats were all put out quickly because there are enough fire hydrants. In answer to the question by the Member for Kim Seng, we will sustain the campaign on fire prevention. We have carried Out this campaign for many years at community centres and Housing Board estates. We also have a national campaign at the Victoria Memorial Hall a couple of years ago.

Debate in Committee of Supply resumed.

5.29 p.m. Head V (cont.) --

Mr Speaker, Sir, I was expecting the reply of the Senior Minister of State for Education to be more elucidating and encouraging. However, I must say that his reply has been most pathetic. It was nothing more than a pathetic mitigation. Parliament is the last place for us to plead for mitigation. What the Hon. Members wanted are firm commitments as to what the Minister would direct the Ministry to do. What we heard from the Minister of State was a mere restating of the various policies. He gave us a very good lecture on the contents of the various subjects. These are not what we want. We want a firm commitment from the Minister in categorical terms as to what line of action he would take to correct all these mistakes that have been plaguing the principals, teachers, parents and students. 5.30 p.m. I do not know how many sinecures there are in the Ministry of Education, perhaps the Minister can tell the House. He told us that as a result of reorganisation some senior officers have been removed. But he did not tell us why these senior officers were removed. The most unsatisfactory reply I have heard is that on the PPP. This is only one of the minor problems. In fact, there were many other problems mentioned by Members. In areas where teachers and principals should be given some free hand to decide, they were not given. But in the matter of "tried failure", as I have said in my speech in the debate on the Budget statement, the Minister suddenly became so generous that he said. "We will leave it to the principals and the teachers to decide whether or not to adopt the PPP." Why this sudden generosity? This is not the way to cover up a mistake. If it is a mistake, let us acknowledge that it is a mistake, Let us be brave or bold enough to declare that we will discontinue with the PPP, But no, that was not to be the case. So in the end, if all the principals were to decide to drop the PPP, there would not be any more PPP classes in Singapore. And then quietly the Ministry will say, "There you are. There are no more PPP classes." The Ministry can thus achieve its objective without having to admit in this House that it was a failure. I want to hear from the Minister whether or not the PPP was a failure, and whether or not the Ministry is going to discontinue with the scheme. May I refer the Minister to Hansard. Vol. 34, No. 18, col. 1317, dated 20th November, 1975 where at that sitting of Parliament the Senior Minister of State committed himself that the PPP would be incorporated into the education system. I would like to know from the Minister since when this change of heart took place, that is, between November 1975 when he gave the answer to a question from the Member for Serangoon Gardens and now. He made a firm commitment that he would incorporate the PPP into our education system, And yet today the principals are given a free hand. I can assure you, Sir, that this is one free hand which the principals would not want. There is another question on the six or seven-year primary education in the restructured education system which many Members have raised. We have not heard from the Minister up till now whether this system is on or off. My understanding is that the restructured education system, as has been pointed out by the Member for Telok Blangah, is still-born. I have also stated in the debate on the Budget that it is still-born. Yet the teachers are still required to attend the evaluation courses. God help us as to what is going on in the Ministry of Education! They have been playing with guinea pigs long enough. We do not want to continue to be guinea pigs.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to voice my deep regret that the Government has chosen to retain the use of sterilisation as an incentive for admission to schools. Sir, there is no disagreement on the need for population control; neither have I strong objection to preference being given to a two-child family, though one could argue reasonably about the human rights of every child born into this world by mistake or by intention. There are some questions that Government should consider carefully. Is it necessary at all to use sterilisation to achieve population control? Are there no other less objectionable means? In any case, how many babies are thereby prevented from being conceived? Is it right at all for the majority to ignore the strong convictions of a minority? What will it cost to the majority to reject the use of sterilisation as a means of obtaining priority of admission? Sir, let me emphasise here that the right to govern is not in question at all here. What I question is whether the same objective, namely, population control, cannot be attained by less objectionable means. Surely Government should try to accommodate as many points of view as possible without having to sacrifice its basic good objectives. And here, Sir, Members are aware of the valuable contributions that the Catholic schools have made in Singapore -contributions to the stability, growth and well-being of Singapore by producing good citizens with the right values and attitudes. People may choose to question about values and systems of values, but I think there are boundaries beyond which the Government should not intrude upon, unless there are good rational reasons for doing so. In the case of population control, why take on sterilisation and use that as a lever to get people to practise population control? Even in the case of abortion, it is clearly a very objectionable measure. The Catholic stand is very simple, namely, that human beings are more than mere animals, I can bring my cat or dog to the veterinary department for sterilisation because I do not want the cat or the dog to proliferate, but human beings are totally a different matter altogether. The Government is only a temporary guardian of the land. It is made up of individuals who are mortal and all are subject to the same law of God.

Mr Speaker, Sir, on the specific point of the PPP raised by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Labour, I did say that it would be incorporated into the education system. But that was on the understanding that it is workable. As I understand it, and I still maintain, the PPP itself as an approach to teaching is good. But unfortunately, although it is theoretically good, in practice it is highly demanding on our teachers, We do not have that many suitable teachers and, as a result, we have to say that if the principals and teachers feel that they can cope with it they can carry on. This is in line with our latest change of policy whereby principals were given more authority to decide what is best for their schools, basing on the overall concept of the policy decided by the Ministry. As for the six or seven years of primary education, I would like to clarify to the House that with the re-introduction of the retention system, the question of seven years does not arise at all. Basically, our primary education is still six years. Whether one wants to call it a still-born restructured education, or by whatever name, the question of seven years does not arise now. On the question of sterilisation, I fully agree that this is something which is very personal. I did say just now that this is a condition for a privilege. We are not forcing it on anyone. If any one feels that sterilisation is against his religious belief, I am not asking him to undergo sterilisation. A policy may sometimes be unpleasant, but I suppose a certain amount of tolerance is expected of citizens.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I am still a little confused. Would the Minister of State categorically state in this House whether the restructured education scheme is on or off? Even the teachers and the principals are arguing among themselves whether the restructured education scheme is on or off.

Mr Speaker, Sir, an education system, unfortunately, may be called by many names. When we make some modifications, then another name is given. If we were to say that the restructured education system is off, I would agree that the name is not in use any more. Regarding the six years' primary education, there have been modifications and changes. It is not true to say that all changes are entirely off and that there is no value in training the teachers. But if Members refer to the specific term, yes, I agree that it is not used any more.

Sir, in the restructured education system, as announced by the ex-Minister for Education, I think the fundamental feature of that system is that children in Primary VI need not have to sit for the PSLE, The question now asked by parents and teachers is this: with the recent announcement by the present Minister for Education, are we going to introduce or reintroduce the Primary VI School Leaving Examination?

Sir, there will be an annual assessment. Therefore, the PSLE, or whatever name it is called will be different in nature, In the annual assessment, the child has to pass at every level. And when he reaches Primary VI, of course, there will be an examination. If Members still want to call it the PSLE. then it will be so.

Sir, I think the Senior Minister of State has missed my point. In the restructured education system, it has been pointed out that there will be no Primary VI School Leaving Examination of the old system to determine whether the child will proceed to the academic stream or the technical stream to do his secondary education. And if the child failed the PSLE, he would be considered a dropout. The restructured education system therefore abolished this criterion or assessment to determine whether or not the child could proceed with his secondary education. The impression given by the announcement of the new restructured education system is that every child irrespective of his performance in school (although it will be based on assessment) will go to a secondary school according to his aptitude. But then every child is assured of a post primary education. That was the impression given. Nobody should worry about PSLE any more. But now with the recent announcement, do we take it that there will still be a weeding out of the failures? In other words, those children who pass the PSLE examination will go to secondary schools, and those who fail will have to grope around and find whatever education is available in the Adult Education Board and other private schools. This is quite an important question but we are not able to get a definite answer.

I fully understand the question. The PSLE was based on the non-retention or partial retention system. It means that when a child reached Primary VI he would sit for the PSLE, and having passed he would then go to the secondary schools. Therefore, once the retention system is introduced, there will have to be an annual assessment including Primary VI. If the children pass the Primary VI examination they will go to secondary schools. If they do not pass the examination then, as I have mentioned just now about the so-called nine years' schooling, they will be channelled to do various courses of training. This is actually the difference. Whether we like it or not, we cannot do away with the examination system at the moment. We need the examination to assess and select which children will go to secondary schools and which children cannot go to secondary schools. 5.45 p.m.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I think the Minister of State has improved somewhat from omission to ambiguity. He has made all of us more confused. My understanding of the restructured education system was that it would do away with the PSLE which was a kind of objective examination that allowed the pupils during examination to gamble as to whether or not the answer provided was right or wrong. We realise the adversities and the weakness of this system and therefore the restructured system introduced an assessment at Primary III to cause a diversification of two streams, one towards six years' primary education and the other towards seven years' primary education. At the end of six or seven years, there would be a second assessment. But the understanding was that such an assessment would not be on the lines of the PSLE where a student ticks away answers to questions. It would be an assessment based on the yearly performance of the pupils as they proceed upwards. Let us for the time being forget about the non-retention of students. This is going to complicate things much worse if we start talking about it at this stage. I agree with the Member for Moulmein that what is necessary at this stage is a categorical statement by the Ministry of Education on what is happening now with the restructured system. Are we having a seven-year primary education and would there be a selection process undertaken at that point to stream some pupils to the nine-year primary education? And what kind of selection process is going to be held at that point? Sir, can the Minister answer my questions before I ask more questions?

Mr Speaker, Sir, when I answered a question just now. I said that there is no such thing as a seven-year primary education. There will be no seven-year primary education. It is still Primary VI and there is assessment. It is true that the PSLE, or by whatever name it is called, will most likely remain the same because we need a selection examination and so we have to continue with the PSLE. So the Member for Moulmein can rightly say that the PSLE will be reintroduced.

Mr Speaker, Sir, the Hon. Minister of State has not replied to the second point that I raised. It is with regard to girls in Secondary I and II having to attend a three-hour session at the workshop once a week. In that respect, would the Ministry consider scrapping it or give the parents an option? I pointed out that the parents wanted their daughters to take home economics because it would be beneficial to them in their future years when they marry and have their own families. Home economics is a good course for them to learn in their teens, especially when they are in Secondary I and II. At the moment. I am given to understand that at the end of a two-year stint at the workshops, the girls are given an aptitude test. I am also given to understand that many girls prefer to fail rather than pass the test because they do not like to pursue technical education. On that note, will the Minister of State consider this point? Because many parents are not only concerned with this matter but they are sending their daughters to do workshop practice with some dissatisfaction over this question because the girls are not given an opportunity to opt for home economics. At the same time, they feel that this two-year stint at the workshops is just a waste of time, because after all their children would only acquire a basic technical skill, maybe filing, woodwork, metal work or electricity.

Mr Ng, there is no need for you to repeat. You have been saying that many times over.

Sir, I have to repeat because the Senior Minister of State has not taken note of what I have mentioned, and I want an answer now.

Sir, I could not reply to the Member for Punggol just now because I did not have enough time. As regards Secondary I and II students who are required to go through three hours a week of workshop practice, this applies to 100% of the boys and 50% of the girls. It is true that some of them may have to travel some distance to the central workshops as we cannot afford to have the facilities in each and every school. This is for economic reasons. The origin of getting these girls exposed to workshop practice was that eventually when they become mothers they would have a better understanding of the importance of industrial training. And besides this workshop training, they are also required to attend home economics classes. Sir, I agree with the Member for Punggol that most girls drop out from workshop training after completing Secondary II because it could be that they do not want to go into the technical stream. He has a very good point. We are reviewing this matter with a view to allowing the girls an option whether they want to carry on with the workshop practice. But at the moment though they are doing workshop practice, they are also doing home economics.

(In Mandarin): Sir, I would like the Minister of State to reply to some questions I raised just now. I want to know whether the teachers' organisations would be consulted in the formulation of education policy.

Sir, we will consult the teachers, including the teachers' organisations. In fact, it was announced by my Minister in his speech that we will consult as much as we can and as far as possible. Of course, consultation does not necessarily mean that it will end up with accepting the representation from the teachers' bodies or from principals, because all aspects have to be taken into consideration.

Two questions, Sir. First, whatever you call it, whether it is the restructured education system or ill-structured education system, it is no longer of interest to us now as the whole thing has been dropped. But since the six- or seven-year system has been dropped, why are teachers still required to attend so-called evaluation courses? I have got a letter from a group of primary school teachers in the Stamford Constituency saying that they are still attending evaluation courses. Why is this going on? On the second question, the Minister has given a free hand to principals to adopt or to do away with the PPP. Will this free hand be given to principals on other policy matters too?

Sir, I am not aware that teachers have to attend evaluation courses. If the Parliamentary Secretary can refer the case to me, I will look into it. As regards giving the principals a free hand, of course, this has to be within the policy of the Ministry. Otherwise we will have many different policies.

The principals have a free hand on policy. Is this true or not?

It is within certain guidelines. The Ministry issues certain guidelines and the principals use their discretion in the implementation of that policy. They do not decide on policy.

(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister of State's answer to the question of six- and seven-year primary education seems to be wrong. According to my understanding, the curriculum committee has already revised the six-year syllabus to a seven-year syllabus. For example, there is a textbook graded Book Seven. If it is true that the seven-year system has been abolished, why should there be a Book Seven textbook?

Sir, at the time the restructured education system was introduced, there was a move to publish a textbook for the seventh year. But as far as I know no such textbook has been published. As I said, we are not having any seven-year primary education; so there is no need for that textbook. The Ministry of Education definitely has not published a Book Seven textbook. There may be some arrangement during the interim period to redistribute the curriculum into seven years, but no such book has been published.

(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister of State answered that this book has not been published or issued to the public. In fact, the schools are using this Book Seven textbook.

Sir, not as far as I know.

Sir, before I ask leave to withdraw my amendment, may I just make two points. I think there is a great deal of confusion about six years and seven years primary education. If there is confusion in this House, I think a clear statement from the Ministry to the public, to the parents aid to the teachers is called for. I myself have received a letter along the same lines. It seems to indicate quite clearly that we need a very, very clear statement about what is going on. An Hon. Member: Hear, hear!

My second point is this. I would like to follow in the footsteps of my Hon. Friend from Whampoa in regretting that in Catholic schools, it is being insisted that sterilisation certificates will have to be accepted for priority to be given to holders of such certificates in respect of admission of their children to schools. It would seem, Sir, not unreasonable for consideration to be given to the sensibilities of authorities in Catholic schools in this matter. The Senior Minister of State has not once, but more than once, referred to ethics, sense of values, moral aspects. It is this concern that has led to the position stated by the Catholic Archbishop of Singapore. It seems anomalous when you pronounce an article of moral belief in the classroom to act against this belief in the schools' administration office. We also talk of a special personality given to schools. We want to develop certain characteristics. Some of the schools have for such characteristics certain stated beliefs and I think it is not unreasonable to take these into consideration. With that, Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the name of Mr Teong Eng Siong -

Mr Teong, amendment (2).

I am not moving.

Mr Ang Nam Piau, amendment (3).

I am not moving, Sir.

Mr P. Govindaswamy, amendment (3). 6.00 p.m.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head V be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead BAA 1105. Mr Speaker, Sir, I wonder whether the authorities are aware of the hardship faced by parents in relation to the high cost of school books. Before the school term closed last year, some schools handed out to students book list with prices quoted for the books. But when schools reopened, the prices of some of the books went up by more than 100%. When the book sellers were questioned, they replied that freight charges had gone up and that their books were new stocks. How is it that these increases were permitted? Who authorised the sale of books, and who controlled the prices quoted in the price list issued by the school? Parents have been complaining about this, but nothing could be done about the increased prices. From the Budget estimates, there are 1 59 posts of non-teaching staff required by the Ministry of Education. I understand that at present most of the posts are filled by temporary clerks. I wonder why these temporary clerks are employed on a month-to-month basis. They have no incentive and they have nothing to look forward to. Therefore, their turnover rate is very high. How can a school work properly when the clerks are not emplaced on the permanent establishment? As a result of this, many school clerks have resigned and sometimes the teachers have to take over the duties. Another problem is that the relief teachers are employed on a day-to-day basis to fill the vacancies. These young school leavers are unqualified and inexperienced. They do not have any sense of attachment to the schools nor do they have any loyalty for the simple reason that they could become unemployed overnight. They take up the job because they want to get extra pocket money, and in the meanwhile they are looking around for some other jobs. We are leaving the future of our young citizens in the hands of these inexperienced, undedicated young relief teachers. Is this the right thing to do? Why cannot our retiring teachers be given an extension of two to three years to meet the shortage of teachers, instead of depending on relief teachers? I am sure that many retiring teachers would certainly accept this offer, if they are given a chance. Sir, it is my fervent hope that in future the senior officials of this Ministry would consider the views of the principals and the teachers first before introducing any change in education policy. I also hope the senior civil servants in the Ministry would contain their enthusiasm about certain ideas which have cropped up in their minds, probably in their wild dreams. Finally, I understand that in some schools, the Vigilante Corps members who are using the premises as their branches at times misuse the place. For example, they have been known to damage school property, like tuck-shop furniture, displacing classroom desks, throwing cigarette butts into toilets and choking the sinks, etc. I have also heard that some of them who come very early to the school showed no respect for the National Anthem. They were seen moving around while the National Anthem was being played. And in co-education schools some of them went to the classrooms and started to change into their uniforms openly. What I want to know is whether steps have been taken to discipline these inconsiderate members of the V.C. I do not blame all of them. But these complaints do come from some schools. I am told that some school teachers have reported the matter to the superiors in the V.C, who had promised to advise their members. But they seem to pay only lip service. Will the administrators see that remedial steps are taken in those schools with problems of this nature? 6.08 p.m.

Sir, on the question of prices of textbooks, I would like to inform the Member that principals are authorised to look after the sale of school textbooks. They are issued with lists of books and stationery with prices stated, well before the end of the school year. The price of textbooks is one of the main factors to be considered in the selection of textbooks for use by any school. Mindful of the price increase of certain textbooks, the Ministry has carried out a survey of textbook prices and at the same time held informal discussions with representatives of the Singapore Booksellers' Association and the Singapore Book Publishers' Association. It was found that 80.4% of our school textbooks had not increased in price, while the rest, comprising 19.6% of the textbooks, registered an increase in price from 1% to 20%. No textbook had gone up 100% in price. It should be noted that all-primary school textbooks are locally produced and imported textbooks are used for upper secondary and Pre-U classes only. The increase in price of imported textbooks is imposed by the publishers in the country of origin and we have no control over this. The Ministry of Education and school principals are very much aware of the hardship experienced by some parents in relation to the high cost of textbooks. Thus, a free textbook loan scheme is operated to help all needy pupils to be provided with textbooks. The Educational Publications Bureau, a non-profit organisation under the Ministry, is producing school textbooks and other educational materials at low cost as a means to stabilise book prices. The NTUC's Fairdeal is also doing its part by buying textbooks and stationery in bulk arid selling them to school pupils as cheaply as possible. On the question of temporary clerks, to-date the Ministry has only six temporary clerks. These six clerks are appointed on a temporary basis, as they fail to meet the requirements of the Public Service Commission for permanent appointment. As the number of temporary clerks is small, they do not pose a problem in the schools. As regards relief teachers, admittedly they have their shortcomings. These are to be expected. However, they are performing a useful service in the schools. We cannot entirely dispense with their services because they are required to fill casual vacancies arising from substantive teachers who go on leave, sick leave, etc. Relief teachers who possess the qualifications and are interested in making teaching their career may undergo training at the Institute of Education and be considered for a permanent appointment in the Education service. Touching on the question of extension of service for retiring teachers, this Ministry is already taking action to extend, wherever possible, the employment of retiring teachers. For 1975 a total of 119 teachers had their services extended or were reemployed. On the question of Vigilante Corps members using the school premises, the Member for Anson is correct in pointing out that some of them have caused damage to school property, littering classrooms and toilets, and other acts of indiscipline. When this was brought to the Ministry's attention by school principals, it was taken up recently with the Assistant Commissioner in charge of Police National Servicemen and the Vigilante Corps. The Assistant Commissioner has taken a serious view of this matter and the Ministry is given to understand that disciplinary action will be instituted against those found guilty. In addition, close liaison will be established between principals concerned and officers in charge of each of these training centres in order that problems of mutual concern, such as discipline of these uniformed officers, cleanliness and damages to school property may be resolved promptly.

(In Mandarin): I would avail myself of this opportunity to ask the Senior Minister of State a question, namely, the redundant teachers in Chinese schools, I shall be grateful if he will inform this House how he is going to deal with this problem.

(In Mandarin): Sir, just now when the Member for Sembawang raised this question, I did not have sufficient time to give him a full answer. According to the information I have here, there are 57 redundant teachers in the Chinese primary schools and only one in a secondary school. Altogether 58 Chinese school teachers are redundant. They will be sent to other schools to share in certain classes. It amounts to certain schools having one or two extra teachers. But when some teachers retire, they will fill up the vacancies caused, otherwise there will be some adjustment in posting.

(In Mandarin): I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State to answer the third question that I have raised. The question is: will he consider giving the principals a higher salary scale?

We recognise the importance of the work performed by school principals, and we are currently looking into how to accord recognition of this importance.

Will the Ministry of Education control the price of school textbooks?

We will do as much as we can to help, but I do not think we can really control, in the sense of the word.

In view of the explanation of the Senior Minister of State, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head V be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead CAA 1105*. (* The same amendment also stood in the names of Messrs Lai Tha Chai, Yeo Choo Kok, Sia Khoon Seong and Phey Yew Kok.) When we note that corrective and remedial measures to the education system have been taken to correct the defects which have persisted through the years before they are identified, I am led to the belief that there never has been an effective system of monitoring the effects of education policy and implementation. For instance, now we know that the additional learning load of bilingualism upon children was too much for them. If there had been a reliable feedback by the officers of the inspectorate, who are all professionals, the slide into illiteracy would have been apparent. What is wrong with the inspectorate of the Ministry? The inspectorate is the unit which should be able to quickly sense the effectiveness or otherwise of education policies. Assuming that this facility and expertise exist in the inspectorate, then the education and development officers (assuming that the education and development officers have fed back relevant information to a high level in the Ministry), the question may be asked, why then has there not been any impact on those people at the high levels in the Ministry who are in charge of policy? I feel that the inspectorate operates within limitations. Being a unit within the service (and they are constrained on educational development officers to make realistic independent views), to this extent the system of monitoring effects on education policies suffer. 6.15 p.m. Earlier. Sir, I referred to a professional mechanism which operates in the Ministry and I called upon the Minister to be alert towards the operation of this in-built mechanism in his Ministry. This mechanism is barely discernible most times, but once in a while it shows itself. Let me give an example. In the Budget debate last year when I stressed to the then Minister for Education that a lot was wrong with the system. I said that "pupils' performance was falling, that pupils cannot count, speak or spell correctly,' (Hansard, Vol. 34, col. 1021). And I asked the Minister for his views. The Minister obviously answered on the basis of what the professionals in the Ministry had advised him. So the Minister denied that there were these defects and referred me to the Bullock Report on Reading which applied to the situation in the United Kingdom. The Report denied that "the standard of English was going down but that the demand on the standard of English was going up." (Hansard, Vol. 34, col, 1024), Sir, I am still wondering how this Report is relevant in our situation, A few months later the Deputy Prime Minister revealed the extent to which our school leavers are illiterate and the fact that illiteracy is acknowledged by all today. This is the mechanism in the professional side, which I am alluding to, which operates very insidiously. The Minister of State himself has not been spared. He has unwittingly allowed himself to be ensnared by this similar mechanism. In my subsidiary question to him on the evaluation of the Primary Pilot Project last year, he endorsed the project and stated his intention to incorporate the project method into our education system. (Hansard, Vol. 34, col. 131 7). I do not think he said it with the kind of reservation that he has intimated to the House. I asked the Minister again whether he really intended to incorporate this project method into our education system because, frankly speaking, I am apprehensive. I made it a point to try and gather as much knowledge myself on the effectiveness and efficacy of this project method. It is an integrated system of learning where one learns the 3-Rs all at a time Arithmetic. Reading, Writing - on apparatus prepared by the teacher. When I asked the question it was still a pilot project at that time and it was known to the professionals who were advising the Minister that about 250 upward schools had already been operating this project method -- which is a strange kind of pilot system, if you ask me, Sir. I would imagine that a pilot system would be limited to a few schools and an assessment and evaluation made before a decision is taken as to its usefulness or otherwise for the purpose of improving the education system. I feel that the project method of learning is unrealistic and unworkable for our needs and does not suit our educational imperatives. Sir, I would like to touch on the need to stir some areas in the Ministry of Education. In the Estimates, the lay-out of the Ministry of Education is impressive. But the question is how coordinated are the efforts of these units in getting the system remedied as fast as possible and going. In fact, the Minister may not know it but complaints have reached me that some of his officers are still retaining foot-stools in their offices to rest their feet on as they undertake their work. Whatever be the merits of foot-stools arid their contribution to the grey matter, I think that these are work excesses which we can do without. Finally, I would ask the Minister to respond to two issues which I raised in my opening observation under the Minister's subhead but which I grant the fact that he did not have time to do so. First. I would like to have the Minister's response to the desirability of reactivating parent-teacher association for the purpose of jelling obligations in education on the parents and teachers and to stimulate an awareness of how these obligations may be effectively undertaken. I think that the approach to parent-teacher association by the Ministry has been a nominal approach and I see a scope for the parent-teacher association in Singapore to make a substantial contribution to education especially in the primary school. The other issue which I would ask the Minister to respond is the observation which I made: to try and recover in the system the form teacher situation and the reduction of subject teaching in the primary school which, as I maintained, is dissipating the intimate relationship between the teacher and the pupil.

(In Mandarin): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, before Parliament sat on this Budget debate the Education Minister announced outside this House a new education policy. Before I speak on the question of education here I would like to praise the Minister for having changed well and done well. I feel that over the past few years some educationists seem to be involved in a mountain climbing race, which is a favourite sport in the West. But our local mountaineers, however, are not as experienced as the Westerners. On climbing to higher and higher levels they have to work their way through a winding course, and in doing so they lose their bearing, and finally also lose their way. I have been musing to myself that this exercise in copying and aping educational development in foreign countries, without taking into account our local conditions and practical reality, what will it turn our teeming youngsters into? What will they become after this training? We know that in this multi-racial and multi-cultural society of variegated backgrounds, education is a very big and thorny problem to handle. But it does teach us one lesson, and that is, if administrative instructions issued in the morning are changed in the evening, and innovations of teaching methods are churned out every so often as described by my colleagues here, then this kind of ad hoc exigency measures is not the way to plan our education programme on a long term basis. Now the Minister for Education has decided to carry out a thorough reform as indicated by the Senior Minister of State in his reply relating to the six-year or seven-year primary education. One characteristic is that the principals are given certain power of discretion in respect of administrative matters. This enhances the social status of the teachers. This is a good beginning as it has strengthened the confidence of the principals and the teachers in general and the parents in particular. In this favourable atmosphere of confidence, those people who have leadership potential, those teachers who have administrative capability, and those educationists who are good teachers, will then come forward to give of their best in education and lead the teaching profession forward for the benefit of thousands of our school children. In this way, they will gradually get the respect of the people in our country. In recent years, we can see a strange tendency in Singapore. Good teachers are getting lax; good principals are resigning; and good schools are becoming fewer and fewer. As a result, parents are scrambling to get places for their children in good schools. If they succeed, they feel happy and have peace of mind, knowing that they have done something for their children. If they fail, they become dejected and constantly worry over the fact that they could not succeed in doing something good for their children, And for this, they spend sleepless nights. Sir, to my colleagues here in this House and to my friends outside, I say to them: as parents, do you not hope that your children will some day become important figures, endowed with rare attributes, and be superior to others? This is the common aspiration of all parents. From the educational point of view, I feel that if a school is able to train only a very small group of talented children and weed Out a lot of those with a low Ia, then education is a failure. On the other hand, if a school is able to train a lot of children and weed out only a few with low IQ, then true education would have been achieved. In fact, a good school will produce many more talents than stupid people. I can give some statistics on examination results achieved by some 20 schools over the past five years, 10 of which are good schools and the other 10 are not so good schools. I have categorised these 20 schools into five groups, and the percentage of passes for these five groups over the past five years is as follows: First Group of Good Schools Percentage of Passes 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 1971 94.8 93.4 95.3 98.7 98.2 1972 96.6 89.1 93.5 98.8 98.8 1973 97.8 98.2 97.1 99.4 97 1974 95.9 95.4 96.6 99.4 98.2 1975 94.2 96.4 93 98.9 100 I can give more statistics for the other five schools but I will withhold them for the time being. I now come to the list of poor schools. These are the results for the second group of poor schools: Second Group of Poor Schools Percentage of Passes 1st 2nd 3rd 1971 44.4 43.3 42.1 1972 40.7 41 39.2 1973 43.4 44.6 39.1 1974 36.5 40.9 32.2 1975 37.6 40.9 31.6

Mr Lai, are you going to read out the percentage figures of all 20 schools?

No. I am only giving the figures of five of each category of schools.

I think you have made your point, and there is no need to carry on giving your figures.

(In Mandarin): All right, Sir, I have a list of 20 schools and I have given some statistics to make my point. But if the Minister is interested. I can even give him the names of the schools, However. I do not wish to disclose the names of those poor schools and so put them to shame publicly. Sir, from the figures that I have given we can see clearly that the first category of schools is successful. There are more than 90% passes. These schools should be publicly commended. The second category of schools are failures because their school results average 40%. This is a serious matter that we should not overlook. I suggest that the Ministry of Education should draw up certain criteria for awards or reproaches to serve as guidance for the principals and teachers and to ensure that good principals be given at least some incentives of post allowance - 6.30 p.m. As regards those teachers or principals whose bodies are in the schools but whose hearts are in business, they should not be retained in the Education service so that no harm may be done to the school or to themselves. On the contrary, we should ask them to join the commercial sector to give rein to their ambition to make more money for the country rather than remain in the schools. On the other hand, we should totally reform the Institute of Education, raising both the quality and the quantity of its contents. so as to ensure a new breed of educators who will take over the task of education from us.

Sir, before I Come to the point which I wish to make, I would like to compliment the Senior Minister of State for having so valiantly stood up and defended the education policies that were formulated in the last decade or so, but which he has had no part in their formulation. I feel somewhat sorry for him in that today we have to crucify him for the misdeeds for which he is not responsible. Having said that, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I wish to -

Further crucify him?

Yes. I wish to further crucify him, Recently, the present Minister for Education - - you will notice. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, that I have used the word "present" because of the frequent changes in the appointment of Minister for Education, and this clarification will indicate which Minister I am referring to the present Minister for Education made an announcement recently to the effect that principals and teachers will be consulted before new policies are formulated. I think the intention behind such an announcement is commendable. But what I am afraid of is this: how do we implement a good intention when we have 20,000 teachers? I think the fault with the Ministry of Education is not because there is a lack of good ideas, but very often the fault is that these ideas are not properly implemented. They are so badly implemented that even though they are good ideas, in the end they have resulted in a lot of ill-effects. Coming back to the point about consulting principals and teachers. I just want to say this. It is no use making a public declaration of intent. More important is, how will the Ministry of Education impose this policy on 20,000 teachers and principals? Is it the intention of the Ministry to call them up in groups and discuss the issues with them from time to time? Is there an organisation or machinery in which there are capable officers who are able to lead the discussions. A discussion must be a two-way affair. I feel that this is an idea which has not been given very careful consideration in its implementation. This is the impression I get just now when the Senior Minister of State, in replying to the Member for Jurong on the question of consulting unions, said that it need not necessarily end up with consulting the unions. This reflects the lack of consideration of what unions can do in these matters. This is an accepted practice in more advanced countries when there are organisations, especially if they represent members of interested groups. They are the best' representatives with whom one can consult. One can seek the views of the teachers' unions because through their organisation, experience and the feedback which they get from their members, they have a wealth of ideas which one can tap and fruitfully engage in discussions with them so that better decisions can be made in regard to many matters that will come up before the Ministry for consideration. Not to recognise the role of consultation that the teachers' unions can play is to ignore a very important channel of communication. It proves my point that very little consideration is given to the implementation of ideas. I do not know why there is a reluctance to accept the unions with open arms in matters like this. Is it because they are afraid that the unions are able to show up their faults and, therefore, as far as possible, it is better to keep them out? It is good public relations to consult. However, besides the declaration of intent, in actual practice there is no consultation. I saw the Senior Minister of State nod his head when I asked whether there is such an organisation for consultation. I say this is also another eyewash. How would you organise 20,000 teachers effectively, solicit their opinion, and make them understand the rationale behind some of the education policies? How would the Education Ministry get this done with 20,000 teachers if it intends to have a proper and effective consultation?

Meaningful consultation.

Yes, a meaningful consultation, as the Member for Bukit Ho Swee has kindly helped me with the correct word.

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the trade union movement in Singapore clearly recognises that the social and material well-being of our society is irrevocably linked with our total development. This is a lesson which we have learned, unlike trade union movements elsewhere, many of which have become enmeshed in economic, social and political concepts and practices which are irrelevant to the harsh and naked realities of today's troubled world. What we have built so far must be sustained and strengthened for the future lies in the hands of our young people who should be equipped with a deeper and more profound understanding of the facts of life. I would commend to the Ministry of Education to consider including in the curriculum of secondary schools, both at Secondary IV and pre-university levels, a subject on the trade union movement in Singapore, embracing such topics as its history, its economic role and function in a modern society, its responsibilities and obligations and on labour laws and our industrial relations machinery. Many of our youngsters after leaving school will find their way to industrial and commercial enterprises, while some of the more fortunate and bright ones will, after tertiary education, enter into business or become managers and executives. Whether they become workers or executives, they will be better able to understand and appreciate their respective roles in the world of commence and industry, develop a greater sense of industrial and social discipline through the subjects that I have mentioned and thereby be able to contribute to the betterment of our society by directing their ambitions and values to larger and higher social ends. If anyone raises his eyebrows in dismay or dismisses this suggestion as trivial. I would like to tell him that subjects on trade unions and labour laws are taught in high schools in some countries. For instance. I am told that in Japan high schools teach students these subjects and one of the end results is the well-known skill amid disciplined dedication of the Japanese worker. I believe that we can instil in our youngsters the right attitudes and values by including in the secondary school curriculum such subjects. For in the ultimate the value of a person, whether he is a worker or a business executive, is measured by what he can give in a disciplined manner to our economic and social progress and prosperity.

Sir, on the points raised by the Member for Serangoon Gardens, I would like to inform the House that the Ministry of Education is now in the process of setting up a feedback unit to monitor the results of any policy which has been implemented. This will also answer the question raised by the Member for Moulmein as to how to consult. Once this unit is set up, then of course it would be easier to monitor the principals' and teachers' views, especially the rationale behind the various objections or support for any policy. I fully agree that we need a feedback in order to make modifications to any policies. On the question of illiteracy, I would like to say that there will always be a certain percentage of people who are illiterate, even in a monolingual society in advanced countries where education is free and compulsory. The recent statements made by the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister merely drew the attention of the people, especially the Ministry of Education, to some aspects of illiteracy which we have not perhaps given sufficient attention We are now directing our attention to this problem so as to minimise illiteracy in our population. On the question of parent-teacher association raised by the Member for Serangoon Gardens, it is a good idea. We will encourage the setting up or such associations whenever possible. But It would appear that there are not many such associations being set up at the moment. The Member for Henderson has pointed out that a large number of good principals and teachers have resigned from the education service. I would like to give some statistics in case a wrong impression is created. In 1975 there were only 306 resignations, giving a total of 1.7%. In 1974 there were 350 resignations, giving a total of 1.9%. Members will notice that there were less resignations in 1975 than in 1974. In 1 973 there were 379 resignations. giving a total of 2.1%, which was even higher. In other words, the trend in resignation is coming down. It is not true that the teachers are running away. 6.45 p.m. Sir, I fully agree with the Member that good teachers and good principals should be remunerated or should be commended because sometimes it is not always possible to adequately remunerate a person in terms of money, especially in the field of education. Wherever possible and wherever we can identify, I fully agree that we must give them due recognition for the good work done. So if Members come across any particular principal or teacher who has done very well and has not been discovered, please let me know and I will personally look into it. I would like to clarify one point made by the Member for Moulmein. He quoted my words saying that when I replied to the Member for Jurong, I said that it v/as not necessary to consult the teachers' unions. I did not say that. I merely said that the consultation does not necessarily mean that it may end up with their views being accepted. I did not say that it is not necessary to consult the unions. Sir, on the question raised by the Member for Boon Teck whether we could include trade unionism as a subject in secondary and pre-university classes, I would like to say that it is not feasible at the moment, especially when there are so many complaints of overloading of the curricula on the students and whatnots. I would like to let him know that the general idea of trade unionism is discussed in current affairs and the study of economics, in the upper secondary and pre-U classes. But it is not taught as a subject.

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, it cannot be denied that the turnover rate of teachers has been high. This leads to a shortage of teachers, especially in the secondary schools. I do not know why, but it could be due to some mistake or due to the policy of the Ministry of Education. But the situation is that, on the one hand, while we are short of teachers with tertiary educational qualifications, on the other hand, we find that these teachers with tertiary educational qualifications have been asked to teach in primary schools instead of secondary schools. This is one question which I would like the Senior Minister of State to clarify. Another matter is that we have accepted professionals from Taiwan in the field of architecture, engineering and so on. But for teaching, our Government has refused to recognise the Taiwan graduate. I understand that a number of Taiwan graduates have not been allowed to teach in the secondary schools, and this has created a bad feeling among the Taiwan graduates who are now still teaching in the primary schools.

Sir, there are a few graduates, both local and foreign, teaching in primary schools. Most of these graduates have been accepted for training in the Institute of Education specifically for primary school teaching. As for Taiwan degree holders not being allowed to teach in secondary schools, this is the practice all along. Some of the graduates may have the ability to teach in the secondary schools but the point is how are we to select and get the right person to teach in the secondary schools, especially when we have an excess of Chinese language graduates. What we are short of is English language graduates who are able to teach the English language in secondary schools.

(In Mandarin): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would just like to request the Senior Minister of State to clarify certain matters in regard to bilingualism. I have already quoted the Prime Minister in my speech just now. The Prime Minister said that after 15 years' heart-searching he has decided on the bilingual education policy using English and Chinese or the mother tongue on equal terms as a policy for education in Singapore. Today, is the use of the bilingual education policy declining? The Senior Minister of State is now shaking his head.

No.

(In Mandarin): Of course, I am glad to hear that the answer is "No". Sir, I would like to ask, or rather make a suggestion. Can the two languages be given equal exposure time, i.e. 50% for the mother tongue and 50% for English? Perhaps only in this way can we eradicate the long existing barriers among the various types of schools in Singapore and mould a common type of Singapore school in the end. In my view, there should be no English schools. Chinese schools. Malay schools or Tamil schools as such, There should be no such distinction in our schools, but Singapore schools. Sir, we also understand that there are students who do not have the capacity to learn two languages, particularly English as a second language. Having accepted that, can we say that in the common Singapore schools we can set up a system in which emphasis will be given to learning the mother tongue but the second language, namely, English can be used as a common medium of instruction?

(In Mandarin): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, just now when I answered in English, maybe there was some distortion in the interpretation. So if I may now speak in Mandarin to answer the Member for Paya Lebar's questions. Basically, there is no change in our bilingual policy. There has only been some emphasis placed on certain aspects of the policy as a corrective measure. The Member for Paya Lebar asked whether equal exposure time could be given to both the mother tongue and the second language in pursuit of the Singapore type of school espoused by him. I must say that although the schools in Singapore belong to different language streams, they are, in fact, gradually moving towards one common type. We cannot enforce the change rapidly. The reasons are quite obvious. There is a shortage of suitable teachers: furthermore, the pace cannot be enforced just by making some regulations that cannot be carried out. But it is obvious that the trend is going towards that direction.

Sir, I regret to hear from the Senior Minister of State that at this moment he is not prepared to entertain my request, But I must say that if Singapore is to continue with our industrialisation, it is very important to us that our secondary school children should know the ABC of our Employment Act so that when they leave school they have the right attitude and are more disciplined. I would also say that I am sure that unless the Senior Minister of State thinks that the children in schools are really overloaded, as mentioned by quite a number of my colleagues here, I feel that this is more important than asking our school children to save in the Post Office Savings Bank.

Sir, I fully realise the importance of trade unionism. As I said just now, this is being discussed in schools in the General Paper because, among other things, they have to understand current affairs; but not to the extent of making it a separate subject as you need fairly seasoned minds to understand it. At upper secondary and pre-.U level, I feel that the curriculum is already overloaded. I realise the importance of trade unionism and whenever possible they should discuss it under current affairs.

Question on the amendment put, and negatived

(In Mandarin): Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head V her educed by $10 in respect of subhead CBA 1109. Sir, in order to further promote education, the Ministry has set up an Educational Media Service whose main function is to provide educational aids in the form of ETV programmes. The provision in the Main and Development Estimates for this Service is $2,131,500 which is not a small sum of money. Of course, to enable the students to better understand the teaching content, the use of these modern scientific teaching aids make up for what is lacking in teaching materials. This is something that I will not be up against. However. Sir, if we spend so large a sum of money every year and still do not know its effects, it is high time that the situation was reviewed. Sir, according to the representations which many principals and teachers made to me, the content and screening times of the ETV programmes are not exactly in keeping with the learning progress of the students. As a result, the students who attend ETV periods do not benefit. On the contrary, it is a waste of time. So many schools simply do not allow students to attend the ETV periods. Sir, I know that the ETV section has been very conscientious in producing educational films. The standard is also quite high. But having spent so much money and so much effort, if in the end the films produced are not effectively made use of by the students, it is really a waste of time and money. I do not know whether the Ministry of Education will make duplicates of the TV films produced by ETV section and loan them to schools which need them. 7.00 p.m. I understand that many schools have facilities like video tape recorders, So there will be no difficulty in the use of video tapes for such purposes. If we can do this, then the educational films produced by the ETV section could be screened in keeping with the pace and progress of teaching. In this way, the amount of money we spend will be the more worthwhile, and the students will also derive great benefits from these educational aids.

Sir, the Member for Jurong said that the content in the ETV programmes is not very suitable, as commented upon by some principals. I am not sure whether he is right or wrong, but the evaluation exercise carried out by the Ministry with the assistance of the Data Processing Unit of the Ministry of Finance indicated just the reverse. The programmes telecast by SEMS (Singapore Education and Media Service) were all intra-curricular programmes and directly related to the curriculum. At the primary school level they enjoy an acceptance rating of over 90%, that is, according to the evaluation. And at the secondary level, a rating of nearly 100%. So I am at a loss to know who is right. At the junior college/pre-university level, an acceptance rating of about 90% is indicated. Unless in the evaluation exercise the wrong information is fed into the computer, which I am sure is quite unlikely, these are all the indications. Maybe if the Member has any specific information, he can draw my attention to it so that I can make further checks on it. On the question of the frequency of its use, that is, the time of the broadcast, there were a number of inherent problems that make it difficult for some schools to utilise every ETV programme. Examples are the difficulty in the time-tabling, the large numbers of classes, and the difficulty in matching the ETV programme to the sequence of lessons taught. This is genuine. On the question of increased use of video tape, video recorders are, as he had rightly said, introduced to schools. Certain schools have their video tape recorders as well as television sets. SEMS send out Video officers to schools to assist them in the utilisation of the video recorders and, in addition, a special programme on utilisation of the video recorders was produced for schools. Schools are encouraged to video-tape the selected ETV programmes in order that the inherent problems mentioned above, such as the timing and the progress difference can be overcome. If SEMS is going to produce all the video tapes for borrowing, that may not be financially possible for the Unit. However, video taping is very easy. As long as you have the video recorder to play back, you can tape the programme from the television.

(In Mandarin): Sir, I did not suggest that the contents of ETV films are not very good. On the contrary. I said that this ETV section has been very conscientious in its production of educational films. However, because the programming times and the contents are not in keeping with the learning progress of the students, therefore, many schools do not find much practical use for them. Since the Minister of State said that as a result of scientific progress some schools have these video tape recorders and TV sets and so on, I hope he can allot more funds to more schools to buy such aids so that the problems I mentioned will be solved. In view of his reply, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move. That the sum to be allocated for Head V be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead CCA 1111. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is a must for teachers and pupils to involve themselves in some sort of extra curricular activities in the schools. This is in line with the policy of building a rugged and robust society. The different extra curricular activities are of varying degrees. Some may be tough and others may be easy or simple. The pupils and teachers have to carry out their ECA outside the normal school hours. This means that the time meant for studying is sometimes taken away because of these activities. The teachers who are involved in the uniformed groups like the Police Cadet Corps, Army Cadet Corps, St John's Brigade etc, find it difficult to resign from these groups after involving themselves for many years. It seems that once they are engaged in a particular ECA, they are unable to get out, though participation is voluntary. They themselves are in suspense and do not know exactly when they will be released. Are they to be released only when they retire from the service? May I ask the Minister why is this condition for release so strict? Because of this condition, the recruitment of new members to the uniformed groups is rather poor. Also one of the reasons for the poor response to join the Institute of Education is due to this move, as all new recruits must undergo training in one of the uniformed groups. Such conditions are obstructing the recruitment of teachers. May I get the Minister's view on the subject?

Sir, it is time for me to relieve my Senior Minister of State who has been working very hard since 2.30 this afternoon. It is not quite correct to say that officers of uniformed movements are not allowed to resign. In 1974 and 1975 alone a total of 1 63 officers of the National Cadet Corps and the National Police Cadet Corps were allowed to resign. These movements are accorded national importance and the demand for enrolment by the pupils is overwhelming. But these movements are seriously affected by a current shortage of 350 officers. All means of encouraging more teachers to join have been tried out. Training courses are held during term time, the parade and camp allowances have been raised, promotion within the movements has been speeded up, and the organisation has been revised to raise morale, but the demands on officers are heavy. As long as there is a shortage of officers, coupled with a high demand by pupils, it is not wise to allow any and every officer to resign upon request. However, a system is now being worked out by the councils of the National Cadet Corps and the National Police Cadet Corps on how officers may be allowed to resign. On the question raised by the Member that poor response from people to join the Institute of Education is due to the move that all new recruits must undergo training in one of the uniformed groups, I am sorry to say that I have checked with the Registrar of the Institute of Education this morning and learned that there is no such policy as far as the Institute of Education is concerned. What has happened is that, as part of their recruitment campaign, officers of the extracurricular activities centre have been to the Institute of Education to give talks and lectures to trainees in the hope that they would join the movement when they graduate from the Institute of Education and are selected to be teachers in schools. So it is not true to say that it is compulsory for the Institute of Education trainees to take up one of these movements as an activity.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary assure me that they can resign any time they want?

As long as there is a shortage. I am afraid it will not be so easy, if I may put it, until we have overcome the shortage. As far as I know, in these two movements, the National Cadet Corps and the National Police Cadet Corps, we are trying to build up a corps of NCO leaders at student level. Once this corps of NCO leaders at student level has been established, hopefully these NCO student leaders will overcome the shortage. When that time comes, I think resignation may be a little easier. But until then, we hope that the officers concerned would cooperate with the movements for a little longer.

Si-, the Parliamentary Secretary has assured the House that when they have overcome the problem of shortage, they will be allowed to resign. Is that right?

That is right. Sir.

Sir, in view of the explanation of the Parliamentary Secretary, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendments stood on the Order Paper Supplement - Mr J. F Conceicao: (7) That the sum to be allocated for Head V be reduced by $10 in respect of item (c) of subhead AAA 2420. (8) That the sum to be allocated for Head V be reduced by $10 in respect of item (c) of subhead AAA 2430 Mr L. P. Rodrigo: (9) That the sum to be allocated for Head V be reduced by $10 in respect of item (h) of subhead AAA 3020. Haji Mohd. Ariff bin Suradi: Mr Ho Kah Leong: (10) That the sum to be allocated for Head V be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AAA 3020.

Mr Conceicao, Mr Rodrigo, and Haji Mohd. Ariff are not here. Mr Ho, Amendment (10).

(In Mandarin): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head V be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AAA 3020. Sir, I would like to ask the Minister a few questions. First, can he inform the House the amount of allowance for each student in the Singapore University and the Nanyang University for FY 76? Secondly, as we know, Nanyang University has improved its standard and it is embarking towards the status of a national university, when it will take in students from all streams of education. The Singapore University is enjoying this status. I would like to ask whether the Government will amalgamate the two universities into one national university with two campuses, one at Kent Ridge and the other at Jurong. In this way, we can avoid the duplication of academic courses in these two universities as at present, and it will be better able to train our people for future manpower requirements. The third question concerns the Southeast Asian Research Institute. I do not know what has been done in the past year, but I would ask whether this Institute can be incorporated into one of the two universities, or whether it should remain an independent body. 7.15 p.m. The fourth question is in regard to Youth Associations. We know that the People's Association has embarked on an extensive youth movement and many community centres have set up their own youth sections or youth corps which also have extensive scope of activities. In these circumstances, should we allocate funds to assist the Youth Associations? Could these Youth Associations be incorporated into the People's Association so that they need not be an independent body?

Sir, on the question of the subsidy per student for Nanyang University and the University of Singapore for FY 76, I regret to say that it is not possible to provide information for FY 76 since the actual increase in expenditure for the two universities as well as the student enrolment are still not available. Similarly, the information for FY 75 is dependent on the finalisation of accounts due to be closed on 31st March, 1976. However, I can give the Member some figures for 1974. I am making a comparison of the Arts and Social Sciences, Commerce and Business Administration, and Accountancy because Nanyang University has place for only three departments and it is not comparable to take in Medicine, Law. Engineering and Dentistry. For the University of Singapore the subsidy per student for these three departments works out to an average of $4,279 whereas for Nanyang University the subsidy was $3,506. But I must hasten to add that subsidy means a deficit, and in Nanyang University there are other incomes to be taken into consideration. If we take the actual expenditure, not the subsidy, per student for 1974 for these two Universities the total sum for the University of Singapore was $4,729 whereas for Nanyang University the actual expenditure per student was $4,637. On the question of merging the two universities, I would like to say that the Government is not contemplating a merger of the two universities, There is no good reason to do so. On the contrary, because of their traditional academic organisational and administrative incompatibility, there is every reason to encourage them to develop their individual disciplines, each on its own, Even economically there is no benefit to be gained in the proposal. Furthermore, with similar courses being offered by the two universities, the spirit of competition will spur them on to greater heights of achievement. On the question of Youth Associations. I would like to inform the Member that the grant to the Youth Associations in question is meant only to supplement the shortfall in annual operating costs in respect of the Singapore Scout Association and the Singapore Girl Guides Association. The activities of these two associations form an integral part of the extra-curricular activities organised for students and are distinct and separate from other youth activities run by community centres. On the question of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. I would like to inform the Member that in the past year the Institute of South-east Asian Studies awarded a total of seven Research fellowships for research into various areas of current interest. These are: three Institute of South-east Asian Research Fellowships, three fellowships in conjunction with the Federal Government of Australia on South-east Asian relations, and one Fulbright Hays scholarship. In addition to these, the Institute received five Visiting Fellows. On the seminar and conference front, only one major international seminar was organised and this centred on the topic "Trends in Thailand" as a follow-up of the previous year's seminar on "Trends in Singapore". Occasional seminars held during the year numbered 20 and in addition to this, 28 in-house seminars were also organised. The research effort has resulted in a total publication of 17 new titles for the year. The existence of the Institute has brought about closer contact among scholars and specialists concerned with modern Southeast Asia and its development. Various research projects conducted by the Institute centre upon the socio-economic and sociopolitical problems of the South-east Asian region. The nature of the problem delved into and the contact developed with scholars of the region will also promote a better understanding between the nations of the region. The Institute is presently located within the campus of the University of Singapore. To absorb it into the University proper would cause it to lose its regional and autonomous character. Further, it exists to serve the region as a whole and its interest lies further afield than the more restrictive curriculum and research conducted at either of our universities. Therefore, to absorb it as part of either of the universities would stifle the original objective in the establishment of this Institute besides curtailing the freedom under which it may operate. There is no economic advantage too in the proposal.

(In Mandarin): Sir, I would like to thank the Minister of State for his detailed reply. Before I withdraw my amendment I would like to suggest that the term "Youth Associations" should not be used because it is misleading. He has said that the funds will be allocated to the Singapore Scout Association and the Singapore Girl Guides Association. Such allocation should not appear under `Youth Associations". I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head V be reduced by $10 in respect of item (d) of subhead AAA 3030 Sir, the South-east Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO) is to me an anachronistic organisation. It has been outdated by the new developments in Indo-China. I wonder if the new governments of Indo-China will continue to subscribe to the concept and to contribute to the various centres of SEAMEO. I do not think the programmes and activities of these centres have meaningfully helped member-countries in those fields in which these centres are purposefully engaged. The Regional English Language Centre (RELC) has recently been renamed. The letter "E" in the abbreviation RELC does not stand for "English" any more. This letter "E' now goes with the letter "R" to stand for "Regional". Sir, what does this change imply? I am sure Members in this House would like to know what the Centre has done, with or without the word "English", in helping this country to improve the teaching and learning of English apart from sponsoring the eye-wash type of seminars from time to time. Sir, everyone is complaining about the ever lowering standards of English in our schools from primary to tertiary levels. Has the RELC done anything to help solve the problem of poor English by designing a teaching or learning programme that is relevant to the context of this country? Sir, I would also like to ask the Minister the following questions: (1) Is there any change in the membership of SEAMEO? (2) What monetary contributions have the Indo-Chinese states made hitherto to SEAMEO? (3) What are the breakdown figures of our contribution to the Secretariat and the various centres of SEAMEO? (4) Does RELC intend to introduce new language programmes which are really regional? Sir, I think languages such as Thai and Tagalog of the Philippines should be studied at the Regional Language Centre, if we are really interested in promoting the concept of regionalism.

Sir, on the question of whether there is any change in the membership of SEAMEO. I would say at the moment "legally no" although the three Indo-Chinese states did not attend the meeting. As for our contribution to the Secretariat, it varies from year to year. Based on a formula, Singapore's contribution is approximately 4%, or slightly more, of the total expenditure. Touching on linguistic studies at RELC, the RELC is a regional institution with regional responsibilities. It has to concern itself with the varying needs of the South-east Asian member-nations in the improvement of English language teaching. These needs are expressed to RELC equally by each country through RELC's governing board. One of the means of meeting these diverse needs is through RELC's training courses for key personnel from the region. The courses are specially designed for teacher-educators rather than teachers, designers of research rather than researchers, supervisors, inspectors and curriculum specialists and other key personnel. It is, therefore, necessary to design the curriculum content of these courses to meet the needs of training personnel at this high level. The Centre nevertheless does offer short-term courses designed specially to assist teachers in improving their methodology in the teaching of English in schools. The Ministry of Education is aware of the need to review continuously the need of upgrading Singapore's English language teaching programme that can best be served by the RELC. These are being channelled to the Centre through the governing board. Our suggestions for change to meet the needs of Singapore, however, would have to be considered by the governing board in the light of the overall programme of priorities of the Centre. The Centre is, in fact, in the process of planning to upgrade the courses for senior English language teachers in secondary schools. These courses are specifically designed to meet the needs of Singapore. 7.30 p.m. On the change of the name of the Regional English Language Centre (RELC) to the Regional Language Centre (still RELC), I would like to inform Members that the first 5-year phase of operation of the RELC is scheduled to end in December 1976. During this phase of operation, the primary objective of the Centre was to improve the teaching of English as a second on foreign language in member countries of SEAMEO. The Centre will soon move into its second 5-year phase of operation. At the same time, its name will also be changed to the Regional Language Centre. Its emphasis will correspondingly shift to the undertaking of research and publication of the problems and needs of the region. While it will not be engaged specifically in training in the use of the different languages, it will delve into contrastic studies, cross cultural studies. social linguistic studies and other such related studies, all of which cut across language barriers. It will continue to assist member-countries in improving the teaching of the English language.

Sir, do the three states of Indo-China still send trainees to the RELC for training?

No.

Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the name of Mr J. F. Conceicao --

I am not moving, Sir.

(In Mandarin): Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head V be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AAA 8302. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, under this subhead, the sum allocated for Nanyang University Students' Hostel was $500,000 for FY 75 and $1.5 million for FY 76. And there is a revote of $237,800. For Nanyang Staff Quarters, the sum allotted was $100,000 for FY 75 and it is also $100,000 for FY 76; and a revote is also sought. Sir, I would like to ask why is there a need to revote on these two items. The second question I would like to ask is when will the Sports Complex for Nanyang University be completed. On completion, will the facilities be available also for use by, say, the villagers living in the vicinity of Nanyang University? My third question is in regard to the new canteen for the Library. I understand that at the moment there is a canteen on the top floor of the Library building. Why is there a need to allocate $80,000 for another new canteen? I would like the Minister to enlighten this House on the need for this provision. My last question is in regard to the provision of $120,000 for the Department of Student Affairs Building. At the moment the Department of Student Affairs has its own office. If it is necessary to shift the office. I feel that a better place for it will be in the students' building, that is, the Union House, because the Department has very close relationship with the students. I would like the Minister to enlighten this House on the need for an allocation for the Department of Students' Affairs Building.

Sir, the need to revote the provision for the Students' Hostel is due mainly to a change in the decision to resite the hostel from the site near the Sports Complex to the present site near the Auditorium next to an existing block of hostels. The delay has also been due to construction activities, such as boundary surveys, soil testing, earthworks, layout, drawing up of detailed architectural plans, and plan clearance by the relevant authorities. In the case of Staff Quarters, the delay was, in part, due to difficulties in finalising the policy of allocation and the actual number of units to be built. Formal clearance of the Development Planning Committee is also awaited before expenditure could be incurred. As for the Sports Complex, it is expected to be completed in mid-June or early July this year. When not in use by the students, I understand that the University is prepared to make its facilities, or pant of them, available to organised groups only. On the question of building a new canteen, I would like to inform the House that the present location of the canteen on the top floor of the Library has been found to be unsatisfactory. Those using the Library are disturbed by the students and staff members going to and from the canteen, as they have to pass through the Library. The present canteen, therefore, has to give way to expansion of the Library to cope with the increase in student enrolment and an increase in the collection of books. The new canteen will be constructed outside the Library building to replace the existing one. On the question of whether there is a need to put up a building for the Department of Student Affairs, the Member for Delta happens to be the Director of the Department of Student Affairs, and he may be able to substantiate or to add to my reply if it is not satisfactory. Although it would seem practical and convenient for the Department of Student Affairs to be housed in the Students' Union House, this is not feasible as it is fully occupied by the various student societies of Nanyang University. The existing premises of the Students' Union House is not adequate even to meet the requirements of the students. The various sections of the Department of Student Affairs are presently operating at different parts on the Campus due to a shortage of space. Besides, with the increase in the student intake and the corresponding increase in students' activities, the present general office of the Department of Student Affairs will be inadequate to cope with the day-to-day administration of the Department. This situation affects the efficiency and smooth functioning of the Department of Student Affairs. Hence, there is a need for a new building.

(In Mandarin): Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether he would ensure that construction of the Students' Hostel and Staff Quarters would not be again delayed. I hope we will not find it necessary next year to again ask for an allocation of funds for these buildings. On the question of building a new canteen for the Library, I feel that the provision of $80,000 is not enough. It will require about$200,000 to $300,000 to construct even an ordinary building. I wonder what kind of canteen can be built with this small sum of $80,000. As regards the office for the Department of Student Affairs, the Minister of State said that the canteen on the top floor of the Library will be shifted out and the space used for the Library. As far as I know, the Library has enough seats for the use of the students. When the said space is vacated, it could well be `used to accommodate the Department of Student Affairs. In this way, we can save the $120,000 meant for the Department of Student Affairs Building and add it to the provision for the building of the new canteen so that a better one can be built. I wonder whether the Minister would agree to this suggestion.

(In Mandarin): Sir, I understand the Nanyang University authorities have consulted some specialists on a comprehensive plan for development. I wonder whether the proposal to build the Students' Hostel, Staff Quarters and other buildings has been envisaged in the comprehensive plan for the development of Nanyang University.

May I first answer the Member for Tiong Bahru, Sir, It is most likely that the proposals would not deviate fan from the development plan. But I myself am not sure about this because the detailed operation of Nanyang University is under the control of the Council and not under the Ministry of Education as such. The Ministry of Education merely looks after its finance. The Member for Jurong wants an assurance regarding the building of the Students' Hostel and the Staff Quarters. I have just looked at the Budget estimates and I find there is no asterisk to these two items. I presume the plans have already been approved and it is now a matter of administrative expediency. I will convey the wishes of the Member to the Nanyang University authorities to see that they are built as soon as possible. On the question of the "New Canteen for Library", I see an asterisk against the provision in the Budget estimates. There is also an asterisk against the provision for the "Department of Student Affairs Building". This means that they are subject to sanction by the Development Planning Committee. The final approval still remains with the DPC. They have only been approved in principle. Regarding the canteen, I have said that the top floor of the building would be used as additional space for the Library. But I would like to inform Members that, as far as I know, the Department of Student Affairs is quite large. One floor in the Library building is not big enough to accommodate that office. In fact, it is quite far from the Students' Union House and, therefore, it would not be practical.

(In Mandarin): Sir, in view of the Senior Minister of State's assurance that he would convey our wishes to the Nanyang University authorities and hoping that the Students' Hostel and the Staff Quarters will be built soon. I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $391,843,670 for Head V ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $74,005,000 for Head V ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.

7.45 p.m. Resolved, "That notwithstanding the Standing Orders, progress be reported and leave asked to sit again tomorrow." -[Mr Chua Sian Chin] Thereupon Mr Deputy Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House.

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made further progress on the Main and Development Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 1st April, 1976 to 31st March, 1977 and ask leave to sit again tomorrow.

So be it.

Resolved, "That Parliament do now adjourn." [Mr Chua Sian Chin] Adjourned accordingly at Fourteen minutes to Eight o'clock p.m.