Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Ms Joan Pereira, Tanjong Pagar GRC
Question
To ask the Minister for Education how many students have been referred to the Health Sciences Authority for vaping in the last five years.
Response
1. The number of students from schools and Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) referred to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for vaping offences was less than 50 before 2020. Our schools and IHLs have stepped up checks in recent years, and the number of students referred to HSA increased to about 800 in 2022. Still, it is likely there is under-detection.
2. The Ministry of Education (MOE), Ministry of Health (MOH), Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and Health Promotion Board (HPB) are concerned about the vaping situation, not just among students, but in the wider community.
3. MOE is working with MOH, HSA and HPB to strengthen detection, enforcement and education. Besides enforcement checks, our schools and IHLs have stepped up preventive education to convey the harmful effects of vaping on one's health. We seek the cooperation of families and the wider community to reinforce these messages strongly to stem this worrying trend.