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Public Health Indicators to be Published to Enable Public to Track Health Outcomes and System Pressures 1 Mr Pritam Singh asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health beyond bed occupancy rates, ward admission waiting times and emergency department attendances, what additional public health indicators the Ministry will publish on a monthly or bi-weekly basis to enable the public to better track health outcomes and system pressures, in light of Singapore’s transition to a super-aged society.
Public Health Indicators to be Published to Enable Public to Track Health Outcomes and System Pressures Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Health (MOH) publishes various public health indicators related to the health system and population health outcomes. For example, several capacity related indicators are available on the MOH website. The annual National Population Health Survey covers lifestyle risk factors and practices such as smoking, screening and vaccinations. The National Nutritional Survey informs us of the dietary patterns and nutritional status of the population. The annual MOH Revenue and Expenditure Estimates – that is, the Budget Book – also published various key performance indicators, such as life expectancy, mortality rates from diseases, disease prevalence, medical resources and so on. In addition, indicators on cancer, chronic kidney failure, stroke and heart attack are also published by the National Registry of Disease Office annually.
Public Health Indicators to be Published to Enable Public to Track Health Outcomes and System Pressures Health outcomes take time to shape and evolve, and it would not be appropriate to report fortnightly or monthly.
Public Health Indicators to be Published to Enable Public to Track Health Outcomes and System Pressures Mr Singh.
Public Health Indicators to be Published to Enable Public to Track Health Outcomes and System Pressures Mr Speaker, thank you and I thank the Minister of State for the reply. My question really starts from the debate at the Committee of Supply. The Minister of State referred to the Budget Book. There are two particular key performance indicators (KPIs) there, for example. One is "the percentage of patients who wait less than or 100 minutes for consultations at polyclinics". There is another one which says "the percentage of patients who waited more than or equal to 60 days for new subsidised specialist outpatient clinic appointments".
Public Health Indicators to be Published to Enable Public to Track Health Outcomes and System Pressures My question was framed with regard to our super-aged society. The consideration that I am suggesting that MOH looks into is whether there could be a public health dashboard for Singaporeans that gives us a one-stop identifiable datapoint on what our public healthcare outcomes are looking like on a bi-weekly or monthly basis. So, these two KPIs in the Budget Book, for example, could potentially be on that dashboard. There are other Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries which also have public health dashboards.
Public Health Indicators to be Published to Enable Public to Track Health Outcomes and System Pressures My query ultimately is, how is MOH going to look at improving reporting of these public health outcomes in the context of a super-aged society and not prior to this Rubicon that we have now crossed?
Public Health Indicators to be Published to Enable Public to Track Health Outcomes and System Pressures Mr Speaker, I appreciate the input and insight that the Member has raised. Perhaps I could just give some insight also as to how we have framed this.
Public Health Indicators to be Published to Enable Public to Track Health Outcomes and System Pressures When we look at how we are tracking and measuring, we look at an end-to-end and a full suite approach to things: we look at the preventive efforts that we are doing, and that is why we are tracking screening rates, enrolment to Healthier SG; we look at the aspect of the systems and the pressures on that; the access to care is also one dimension; we also look at the larger health outcomes. There is actually a full range, and in that sense, many of these are already available, that datapoint is already available to the public to scrutinise and look at.
Public Health Indicators to be Published to Enable Public to Track Health Outcomes and System Pressures Secondly, I think in deciding what are some of the KPIs or items for us to track, there needs to be an appreciation as to whether or not that is meaningful. I take note of some of the items that the Member has raised. There needs to be a balance in what we are tracking, because just providing the information may not provide any meaningful insight or will necessarily encourage the right behaviours.
Public Health Indicators to be Published to Enable Public to Track Health Outcomes and System Pressures For example, when we look at Emergency Department timings, the point of it is really that at the end of the day for Emergency Departments, if it is an emergency case, it will be attended to immediately. Regardless of the median waiting times or whatever, there is already a protocol that is in place. The point is, we also want to then nudge behaviours. That particular measure may not necessarily reflect the efforts we are taking in that space.
Public Health Indicators to be Published to Enable Public to Track Health Outcomes and System Pressures There is also cost to tracking and the measuring, so we want to make sure that whatever we decide on to measure must be meaningful, must then lead to better behaviours and the correct approaches to then respond to some of those indicators.
Public Health Indicators to be Published to Enable Public to Track Health Outcomes and System Pressures But I do take the point and we are actually reviewing to see what is a meaningful way to put out this information so that the public can understand, so that we can all track properly whether the good health outcomes are a result of the efforts that we are making. I will take the feedback back and we will continue to review this.
Public Health Indicators to be Published to Enable Public to Track Health Outcomes and System Pressures Mr Singh.
Public Health Indicators to be Published to Enable Public to Track Health Outcomes and System Pressures Thank you, Speaker. The Minister of State mentioned meaningful impact a few times, so I will give an example. The KPI in the Budget Book, "the percentage of patients who waited less than or at least 100 minutes for consultations at polyclinics", for example, for each fiscal year, 2023, 2024, 2025 – the number is 99%. So, it is very high degree in terms of hitting the KPI. But at some point we have to ask, is that a meaningful representation of what constitutes a good public health outcome? Is 100 minutes too lax or two permissive a KPI?
Public Health Indicators to be Published to Enable Public to Track Health Outcomes and System Pressures So, I think if you have a public health dashboard, for example, with a little bit more granularity, I believe the public would have a better sense of the stressors on the healthcare system and where improvements can be made, and where changes also can be advanced in Parliament and out of Parliament to achieve better outcomes for the population at large.
Public Health Indicators to be Published to Enable Public to Track Health Outcomes and System Pressures I appreciate the Member's feedback. As I said earlier, this is something that we will continue to consider. But we do also have to appreciate that the information that we get is live, in terms of waiting times and all that. So, the Member is right in that we will constantly review as to whether that measure is actually a good reflection of the state of the health systems. But as you know, we give feedback all the time to MOH and we do respond quite immediately to some of these issues, especially with, say, waiting time at the polyclinics, how they are utilising the online systems. And on the go, our public healthcare providers are constantly trying to improve and adapt.
Public Health Indicators to be Published to Enable Public to Track Health Outcomes and System Pressures So, I want to give that assurance that we do take note of these: one, in respect of making sure that whatever we are measuring is meaningful; two, there is always a quick response to immediately and promptly respond to the needs on the ground as to the healthcare utilisation and to respond to the changing landscape with regard to ageing.
Haj Arrangements and Contingency Plans for Singapore Pilgrims Given Present Security Situation and Travel Disruptions in Middle East 2 Dr Wan Rizal asked the Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs in light of the volatile security situation and travel disruptions in the Middle East (a) what is the current status of this year’s haj arrangements for Singapore pilgrims; and (b) what contingency plans are in place to safeguard pilgrims and support them should the situation deteriorate further.
Haj Arrangements and Contingency Plans for Singapore Pilgrims Given Present Security Situation and Travel Disruptions in Middle East Mr Speaker, to date, preparations for Haj 2026 are proceeding as planned. The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura or MUIS) remains in close contact with Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah on the arrangements, and will continue to monitor the latest developments in the Middle East.
Haj Arrangements and Contingency Plans for Singapore Pilgrims Given Present Security Situation and Travel Disruptions in Middle East MUIS is working closely with the Association of Muslim Travel Agents Singapore (AMTAS), and the appointed haj travel agents and service providers to support our pilgrims for a safe haj journey. These include using direct flights to and from Saudi Arabia, choosing ground transport options less susceptible to disruption, and closer coordination of pilgrim movements in Madinah, Makkah and Jeddah. MUIS is also developing contingency plans with AMTAS and haj travel agents, to plan for potential travel disruptions and unforeseen incidents during the pilgrimage.
Haj Arrangements and Contingency Plans for Singapore Pilgrims Given Present Security Situation and Travel Disruptions in Middle East Above all, the safety and welfare of our pilgrims remain our utmost priority. MUIS will continue to keep all pilgrims and the wider community informed of the latest haj arrangements.
Haj Arrangements and Contingency Plans for Singapore Pilgrims Given Present Security Situation and Travel Disruptions in Middle East Dr Wan Rizal.
Haj Arrangements and Contingency Plans for Singapore Pilgrims Given Present Security Situation and Travel Disruptions in Middle East Sir, I thank the Minister for the reply. I am glad to hear that the haj will continue this year as planned. Given the continuing uncertainty in the Middle East, I think many pilgrims and their families are rightly so concerned about this year's arrangements, and perhaps also what happens if they are disrupted at very short notice. Some have also shared that they might want to withdraw for safety reasons.
Haj Arrangements and Contingency Plans for Singapore Pilgrims Given Present Security Situation and Travel Disruptions in Middle East My first supplementary question is, if haj arrangements are cancelled or significantly disrupted this year, or if some pilgrims choose to defer due to security concerns, will pilgrims who were due to travel this year be given priority in the following year or subsequent years? And how will this affect others who are already in the queue?
Haj Arrangements and Contingency Plans for Singapore Pilgrims Given Present Security Situation and Travel Disruptions in Middle East My second supplementary question is, if that happens, can the Minister also clarify is there some way that they can get a refund or deferment or financial assistance that could be provided and arranged for them, so that the affected pilgrims are not unfairly penalised for circumstances that are beyond their control?
Haj Arrangements and Contingency Plans for Singapore Pilgrims Given Present Security Situation and Travel Disruptions in Middle East Sir, I thank the Member for the supplementary question. The answer is yes, the affected pilgrims will be given priority, but this is subject to the annual quota allocated by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah. And when that happens, MUIS will work closely with AMTAS to make the necessary arrangements.
Haj Arrangements and Contingency Plans for Singapore Pilgrims Given Present Security Situation and Travel Disruptions in Middle East On his second supplementary question, we understand that pilgrims will be concerned about the financial impact in event that haj is cancelled or disrupted. As I shared earlier, we are in close contact with Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and AMTAS to ensure that the affected pilgrims receive the necessary support and financial assistance. Also, the type of support that we provide depends on the prevailing circumstances. Should haj be cancelled or disrupted this year, we will work closely with AMTAS to allow the affected pilgrims to defer to the subsequent haj seasons. MUIS will work with the travel agents and the Saudi-based service providers to explore possible refunds, given the situation.
Haj Arrangements and Contingency Plans for Singapore Pilgrims Given Present Security Situation and Travel Disruptions in Middle East So, as I shared earlier, we will continue to monitor the situation. We will keep all the pilgrims informed on the latest arrangements and support measures in a timely manner. We know the haj is a very significant milestone for Muslims and we want to make sure that while we facilitate, we also want to take care of the safety and the welfare of our pilgrims, and we seek the community's understanding and collective effort to stand together during this time of crisis.
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering 3 Dr Neo Kok Beng asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether the Ministry has any plan to issue guidelines for co-parenting arrangements between foster and biological parents; and (b) if so, when will these guidelines be issued.
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering 4 Dr Neo Kok Beng asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what the present estimated shortfall of foster parents is; and (b) what additional programmes are planned to address this shortfall, if any.
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering 5 Dr Neo Kok Beng asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what has been the attrition rate of foster parents in the last three years; (b) what are the reasons or issues for such attrition; and (c) how can these issues be resolved.
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to take oral Question Nos 3 to 5 filed by Nominated Member Dr Neo Kok Beng in today’s Order Paper together, as they pertain to matters concerning foster parents.
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering Please proceed.
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering My response will also address a related question filed by the Member Dr Neo Kok Beng1 for a subsequent Sitting, and if the Member is satisfied with the response, he may wish to withdraw the question after this session.
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) will continue to grow our pool of foster parents so that more children in state care can be placed in safe and stable family-based settings, which generally provide better social, emotional and developmental outcomes than institutional care.
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering MSF has partnered fostering agencies, community organisations, religious groups and private organisations to raise awareness and recruit more foster families. We have also strengthened support measures, such as increasing the fostering allowance for those caring for teenagers from October 2025, and removing the minimum household income and educational requirements for applicants from July 2024. On co-parenting, we are open to considering arrangements between foster and biological parents where appropriate, particularly to facilitate reunification of the child with the biological parents and where it is in the child’s best interests.
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering On attrition, about 6% of foster parents have been deregistered each year on average over the last three years. The reasons include new family commitments, health or age-related factors and relocation. We will continue to strengthen support, training and engagement with foster families to improve retention, and build a strong fostering ecosystem. The Member may wish to refer to Parliamentary written answers on "Increasing Enrolment of Foster Parents" at the 18 February 2025 Sitting to learn more about earlier enhancements to foster care.
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering On Child LifeSG Credits, they are credited to the Child Development Account (CDA) trustee of an eligible child to ensure that support is directed to the individual responsible for the child’s care and upbringing. While it is possible for the trustee to change the CDA trustee through the bank’s portal or mobile application, I would like to point out that in designing the foster allowances, MSF does not assume reliance on these credits.
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering Foster parents receive a monthly fostering allowance ranging from $1,100 to $1,800, depending on the child’s age and needs, to help defray childcare and other out-of-pocket expenses. In addition, foster children are eligible for childcare, student care and medical subsidies.
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering Dr Neo.
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering Thank you, Speaker. I have two supplementary questions. Firstly, we acknowledge that MSF has done a very good job in reintegration, the percentage is very high, for the foster children with their birth families. What I would like to ask is, what is the long-term reintegration rate? How long and how do we measure success of the reintegration? This is to ensure the long-term safety and well-being of the child.
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering The other supplementary question is on, again, I want to follow up on the rights of the foster parents. What is the status right now for them to access the information of the foster children, especially in education, where they need to monitor but now they do not have access to. Also, they need to book the medical appointments online for the polyclinics or hospital and they do not have access. So, what is the status of this right now, as the focus is really for these foster children to be in the care of their foster parents for a couple of years?
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering Mr Speaker, I will take the Member's second question first. Once a child or young person has been assigned to a set of foster parents through a Court Order or a Voluntary Care Agreement, foster parents will be issued a letter from MSF that identifies them as the caregivers under the Ministry's fostering scheme. This letter facilitates communications between the foster parents and the healthcare professionals to ensure that the medical needs are addressed. It also allows them to communicate through the school system to take care of the schooling and educational needs
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering However, I acknowledge the Members point. Many of the public agencies' services have gone digital and therefore, we do want to provide this digital access as well. This is also the feedback consistent with what we have gotten from many foster parents. Therefore, MSF is currently working to further enhance our foster parents' experience by providing them access to the foster child's education and healthcare information through HealthHub and Parents Gateway. This is in progress and we will hope to update the Member at a later date, once these are ready.
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering On the second question, in terms of the long-term success rate, it is not a single percentage or single metric that we measure by. What is more important, success is measured by whether the child is able to safely and sustainably stay with the birth family over time.
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering Some other factors we look at when we evaluate whether this is safe and sustainable, include whether there is further abuse or neglect, the absence of it, is useful, stable caregiving arrangements within the family to care for the child, the overall well-being and functioning of the child, especially if the child is in school, as well as health and behavioural aspects.
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering To safeguard the child after reintegration, MSF has post-reunification monitoring protocols. This includes safety checks at least monthly by MSF case officers, complemented by inputs from community partners, such as schools, social service agencies who know the family well to ensure that if there are any risk or any concerns, these are picked up early. Children are also monitored for at least 12 months after reintegration and longer if we need to, depending on the family circumstances and the overall assessed level of risk. Where concerns arise, MSF will not hesitate to intervene promptly to provide additional support to take further protective actions when needed.
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering Mr Dennis Tan.
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering Thank you, Mr Speaker. Relating to one issue of co-parenting, I would like to ask will the Ministry consider granting foster parents synchronised access to the child's Health Buddy app? Currently, foster parents have no access to the app and require the cooperation of biological parents. Sometimes, the cooperation may not be given for various different reasons. I believe the Ministry can help to bridge this gap to ensure better healthcare continuity for our foster children, and also better coordination between the foster and biological parents.
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering If it is not possible to grant access across all fostering cases due to the temporary nature of some of the fostering arrangements, then, given that many foster placements last for several years, will MSF at least consider enabling Health Buddy access to at least the longer-term foster parents, for example, those who are at least two to three years or upwards?
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering I thank the Member for his concern for foster children. I think the question is similar to my reply given to Nominated Member of Parliament Dr Neo. In particular, we recognise that it is important to give foster parents access to health information, and those may be on Health Buddy. Like what I mentioned earlier, we are working on providing digital access to foster parents.
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering In terms of what data fields and what information is provided to the parents, these are being looked at, because, like the Member said, the situation for every child, the length of foster care differs. And in some cases, depending on the circumstances under which the child is placed under foster care, and the relationship with the biological parents, things can be sensitive, and therefore we have to consider all that when we arrange for what data fields are available to the foster parents.
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering But ultimately, the primary consideration is that we want to make sure that foster parents have the information required to provide the necessary care to the child and make sure that the child's best interests are addressed.
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering Mr Tan, a short one, please.
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering Yes, just a quick clarification. I thank the Minister of State for the answers and the details. The feedback I receive is pertaining, especially to making appointments, because there have been instances where foster parents experience appointments being cancelled without their knowledge, and then having to arrive at the hospital unnecessarily wasting their time.
Reasons for Attrition in Foster Parenting Scheme and Proposed Guidelines for Co-parenting Arrangements for Fostering Yes, indeed, so, the digital access that we are working on will allow for the appointment booking system and updates to be made available for foster parents to access.
Help for Students Registering for Primary School when Schools Nearest Their Homes Do Not Offer Their Mother Tongue Language 6 Dr Haresh Singaraju asked the Minister for Education given that not all primary schools offer Tamil and Malay as mother tongue languages, how does the Ministry ensure that children from these language communities are not disadvantaged under the Primary 1 registration framework when the schools nearest to their homes do not offer their mother tongue language.
Help for Students Registering for Primary School when Schools Nearest Their Homes Do Not Offer Their Mother Tongue Language Sir, in the planning of schools, the Ministry of Education ensures that our students can access a primary school near their homes. Except for a small number, 15 of Special Assistance Plan schools, all primary schools offer the three official mother tongue languages.
Data on Victim and Perpetrator Profiles in Rape and Molest Cases 7 Ms Gho Sze Kee asked the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs given that more than half of rape and molestation cases involve offenders known to victims (a) whether the increase in such crimes in 2025 was primarily driven by this category of offenders; (b) what are the contextual breakdown of the cases such as, in domestic, workplace, or educational settings; and (c) whether targeted interventions are being strengthened in these environments.
Data on Victim and Perpetrator Profiles in Rape and Molest Cases From 2024 to 2025, there was an increase of 104 cases of outrage of modesty, from 1,427 to 1,531 cases; and an increase of 78 cases of rape, from 401 to 479 cases. The majority of the rape cases and more than half of the outrage of modesty cases involved offenders known to the victims. The proportions of rape and outrage of modesty cases involving offenders known to the victims has remained stable over the last five years.
Data on Victim and Perpetrator Profiles in Rape and Molest Cases In 2025, of the total number of rape and outrage of modesty cases, approximately 33% took place in residential premises, 18% took place in commercial premises and 3% took place in educational institutions.
Data on Victim and Perpetrator Profiles in Rape and Molest Cases The Government takes a firm stance against all forms of sexual offending and Ministries have implemented a suite of measures to prevent offending, encourage reporting and improve victim support, regardless of where the offence occurs.
Data on Victim and Perpetrator Profiles in Rape and Molest Cases For example, in educational settings, students are taught to report their concerns and to seek help from trusted adults. In domestic settings, specialist agencies, such as the Protection Specialist Centres and Child Protection Specialist Centres, provide social and emotional support for victims of intra- and extra-familial violence, including sexual violence. The Police, on their part, also provide victim care services when investigating sexual offences.
Research on Correlation of PSLE-based School Placement and Socio-economic Status Performance Gap 8 Assoc Prof Kenneth Goh asked the Minister for Education regarding the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) findings linking earlier academic sorting to stronger socio-economic status (SES) performance associations (a) whether the Ministry has assessed whether PSLE-based school placement at age 12 amplifies the SES-performance gap; (b) if so, what that assessment found; and (c) if no such assessment exists, whether the Ministry intends to conduct one.
Research on Correlation of PSLE-based School Placement and Socio-economic Status Performance Gap Mr Speaker, globally, our students from higher socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds tend to perform better academically than students from lower-income backgrounds. We have not studied, nor do we plan at this time to study, whether secondary school placement based on the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) results amplifies this skew, as there are many factors that influence the academic performance of our students.
Research on Correlation of PSLE-based School Placement and Socio-economic Status Performance Gap Instead, our focus is to help all our students achieve their full potential, regardless of background. This includes providing more support to students from more disadvantaged backgrounds and also providing porosity in our education pathways, such as through Full Subject-Based Banding at the secondary level, to strengthen their education outcomes.
Research on Correlation of PSLE-based School Placement and Socio-economic Status Performance Gap Assoc Prof Kenneth Goh.
Research on Correlation of PSLE-based School Placement and Socio-economic Status Performance Gap Thank you, Speaker, and I thank the Minister of State for the response. Given that the SES educational performance gap and the economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) index slope are indicators of educational inequity, and also given this House's commitment to educational equity, especially where we have stated that where you start does not determine where you end up in life, would the Ministry of Education (MOE) consider tracking and targeting these indicators? And if not, why not? Especially since these indicators can give us a sense of whether the measures that have been undertaken by MOE are working.
Research on Correlation of PSLE-based School Placement and Socio-economic Status Performance Gap I thank the Member for his question. We will continue to monitor this trend closely as part of our overall efforts to ensure that all of our students are able to maximise their full potential.
Research on Correlation of PSLE-based School Placement and Socio-economic Status Performance Gap Mr David Hoe.
Research on Correlation of PSLE-based School Placement and Socio-economic Status Performance Gap Thank you, Mr Speaker. I have two supplementary questions on social mixing as a leveller.
Research on Correlation of PSLE-based School Placement and Socio-economic Status Performance Gap Could the Ministry share how it is actively strengthening social mixing across different SES within and across schools, and whether do we track the effectiveness of it? That is my first question.
Research on Correlation of PSLE-based School Placement and Socio-economic Status Performance Gap The second one is, I would like to check if there is a progress update to my previous Parliamentary Question, where I asked whether MOE would consider a tie-breaker mechanism that gives students of lower SES background some priority for schools that are over-subscribed?
Research on Correlation of PSLE-based School Placement and Socio-economic Status Performance Gap I thank the Member for his question. In response to his first question, yesterday, I did explain how our system of Posting Groups and Full Subject-Based Banding now do allow many more of our students to experience social mixing in our schools. Outside of formal curriculum, we also have co-curricular activities and Values in Action projects that our students can participate in.
Research on Correlation of PSLE-based School Placement and Socio-economic Status Performance Gap On the Member's second question, we are reviewing. We will also engage the public in our education conversations, and update when ready.
Research on Correlation of PSLE-based School Placement and Socio-economic Status Performance Gap Assoc Prof Jamus Lim.
Research on Correlation of PSLE-based School Placement and Socio-economic Status Performance Gap Speaker, thank you for allowing me to join the debate. While I did not file a Parliamentary Question on this topic today, I had filed related Parliamentary Questions before and spoke on the issue during this year's Budget Debate.
Research on Correlation of PSLE-based School Placement and Socio-economic Status Performance Gap To follow on from Assoc Prof Goh's Parliamentary Question, I wonder if the Ministry has looked into how much the growing relevance of SES may be driven by access to tuition? After all, if a student from a poorer household falls behind in class, they are much less likely to be able to make up for this lost ground with private tuition, compared to a family with access to more resources.
Research on Correlation of PSLE-based School Placement and Socio-economic Status Performance Gap Relatedly, I recall that when I was going to school, our teachers would conduct remedial classes for weaker students. May I check how widespread such practice is in schools today, or has it become de-emphasised, perhaps because our teachers are already putting in between 47 and 53 hours a week, around 25% more than their Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development counterparts?
Research on Correlation of PSLE-based School Placement and Socio-economic Status Performance Gap Assoc Prof Jamus Lim, you are actually not entering a debate. You should be asking supplementary questions. I just wanted to make a point that we are not debating about an issue.
Research on Correlation of PSLE-based School Placement and Socio-economic Status Performance Gap I thank the Member for his questions. MOE does provide additional support to many students with higher educational needs. And we continue to do so in programmes, even though the names may have changed from those that we understood and knew when we were students and those that students experience today.
Research on Correlation of PSLE-based School Placement and Socio-economic Status Performance Gap For instance, primary schools do provide very targeted academic intervention for students who need more support to strengthen their foundational skills in reading, literacy and numeracy. This includes learning support programmes, reading remediation programmes and learning support for mathematics. So, we want to do this through our schools to ensure that all of our students do have access to support to improve their academic performances.
Singapore's Economic, Social and Cultural Status' Slope Ranking of Second out of 79 in PISA 9 Assoc Prof Kenneth Goh asked the Minister for Education (a) how the Ministry assesses Singapore's economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) slope ranking of second out of 79 in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) systems, given that comparable high-performing systems such as Japan and Korea rank significantly lower; (b) what specific measures target a reduction in this slope; and (c) what progress is expected.
Singapore's Economic, Social and Cultural Status' Slope Ranking of Second out of 79 in PISA Based on our Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results, Singapore has a steeper slope representing the association between the socio-economic status (SES) background and performance of our students, compared to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average and most other systems. This is because, while our students from our lower-SES homes, as a group, performed better than their OECD counterparts with similar SES, our students from higher-SES homes outperformed their peers by an even larger margin. This differential gives rise to the steeper slope.
Singapore's Economic, Social and Cultural Status' Slope Ranking of Second out of 79 in PISA One simplistic way to flatten the slope is to stop our higher-performing students from doing so well. But that is not educationally sound and goes against our education philosophy of helping all students to develop to their full potential.
Singapore's Economic, Social and Cultural Status' Slope Ranking of Second out of 79 in PISA The Ministry of Education (MOE) is committed to uplifting students who need more help, without capping the potential of those who can excel. We do so through targeted measures, such as providing additional support to students who come from lower-income households or who have higher needs, including school-based after-school programmes for students from more challenging home environments.
Singapore's Economic, Social and Cultural Status' Slope Ranking of Second out of 79 in PISA Assoc Prof Kenneth Goh.
Singapore's Economic, Social and Cultural Status' Slope Ranking of Second out of 79 in PISA Thank you, Speaker, and I thank the Minister of State again for the response. I think one of the concerns is, what the economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) slope implies or suggests is whether performance is driven by income or at least affected by income. I am not saying that it is caused by income, but whether there is a strong correlation between SES and performance.
Singapore's Economic, Social and Cultural Status' Slope Ranking of Second out of 79 in PISA So, it is not about capping potential, but whether or not the folks from higher SES backgrounds have more opportunities, and because of that, that leads to that increase in academic performance.