Learn for Life – Confidence for a New Tomorrow
Mr Chairman,
1. As we work towards our vision of Confident Singaporeans, a Competitive Singapore and a Cohesive Society, we remain committed to supporting students with different needs, to enable them to develop confidence in their future, and the skills and resilience to do well in life.
Enhancing Support for Students with Special Educational Needs
2. I thank Ms Denise Phua and Mr Shawn Huang for highlighting the importance of supporting students with Special Educational Needs (SEN).
3. MOE has developed our landscape of support significantly. We will continue to enhance support for students with SEN throughout their educational journey.
4. I agree with Mr Gerald Giam that some children with SEN need more intensive interventions. I will say more about the early intervention provided for pre-schoolers at MSF's COS.
5. In our mainstream schools, all students with SEN, with or without a diagnosis, can get support. As part of our whole-school approach, support is provided through inclusive classroom practices by all teachers, guided by Teachers Trained in Special Needs and Allied Educators in learning and behavioural support [AEDs(LBS)].
6. A small number of students may need individualised therapy delivered in clinical settings, or they may need a customised curriculum in a SPED school. For these students, schools work with MOE Educational Psychologists and parents to facilitate referrals.
7. MOE is constantly innovating to develop evidence-based interventions for the skills development of students with SEN. School-based Dyslexia Remediation, Circle of Friends and Facing Your Fears are examples. I would like to share more on another one, TRANSIT.
Update on TRANSIT
8. Entering Primary 1 can be a major transition point for our students. Some students may need additional support in developing social and behavioural skills to cope with this transition.
9. Last year, I shared that MOE was implementing TRANSIT, for P1 students with social and behavioural needs.
10. With TRANSIT, students receive support from AEDs(LBS) and teachers at P1 to learn and apply self-management skills, to get ready to learn independently.
11. Since the introduction of TRANSIT, about 180 students have made encouraging progress in developing their self-management skills.
12. I visited North Vista Primary recently and saw how students in TRANSIT had dedicated teaching resources to support them in their management of their social emotional needs, as well as in their abilities to interact with others.
13. There are currently 66 schools implementing TRANSIT. Each can support up to 10 students in TRANSIT, and we are preparing to support this number in every primary school by 2026.
Update on St. Andrew's Mission School
14. Mdm Rahayu Mahzam spoke about enhancing accessibility to SPED schools. We had announced in 2019 that we are working with SSAs to set up three new government-funded SPED schools that can support students with Autism Spectrum Disorder who can access the national curriculum but need to learn in a SPED setting due to their moderate level of SEN.
15. One of these schools is St. Andrew's Mission School (SAMS), which began operating in January 2022 at Bukit Batok. With SAMS, there are currently 22 SPED schools distributed across Singapore to serve students with moderate-to-severe SEN.
16. SAMS' permanent site will be located next to Nan Hua High School. It will provide 500 primary and 350 post-primary level school places.
Opening of New SPED School by Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore
17. As part of our continued efforts to plan ahead and improve SPED school capacity, I am pleased to announce that MOE will be working with Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore to set up a second school in the West, for students with multiple disabilities. These students have complex needs which can affect their learning and mobility, and may also face medical challenges.
18. Families can look forward to strong support for their child's holistic development with SPED educators, Allied Professionals and parents working closely together.
Partnering Key Stakeholders to Achieve MOE's Vision
Partnerships in Support of Our Students with SEN
19. We wholeheartedly agree with Ms Denise Phua that our vision to develop the full potential of our students with SEN should be a shared vision, requiring close partnerships with key stakeholders.
20. MOE works closely with schools, Early Intervention Centres, the Department of Child Development in hospitals, sister agencies and organisations such as ECDA and SG Enable, as well as very importantly, SSAs, to meet families' needs at different stages of their journey.
21. We thank Ms Phua for her vision of the impact that SPED schools should have. We believe in the SPED schools and in our SSAs which run them. We are committed to resourcing them well, financially and through co-developing quality SPED curriculum and investing in SPED teaching.
22. The development of the SPED sector is situated within the larger Enabling Masterplan 2030. MOE is committed to co-creating solutions in the range of areas beyond SPED, across the lifespan of the children and families that we serve.
Shifting Mindsets through Strong Partnerships with Parents
23. Both within and beyond special needs, MOE has been strengthening our partnerships with parents to equip our children so that they have the resourcefulness, resilience and confidence to meet challenges in the future.
24. Ms Phua and Ms Carrie Tan have brought across the critical role of parents, as what happens at home complements what happens in schools. We will support parents in the following ways.
25. First, we will strengthen our partnerships with parents through the COMmunity and Parents in Support of Schools (COMPASS).
26. The COMPASS council has embarked on efforts to support parents as we continue to encourage broader definitions of success.
27. For example, COMPASS has organised a series of Facebook Live sessions to create awareness of different pathways of excellence. The first session was held with industry leaders to discuss the qualities that make for a future-ready individual and the need to broaden definitions of success for our children. The next two sessions will share perspectives from parents and individuals.
28. Recognising the impact of social media and online behaviour on our children's mental well-being, the COMPASS team is also working to encourage a culture of cyber kindness in parents and children through creating a set of cyber kindness best practices. They are partnering the Singapore Kindness Movement to provide resources to raise parents' awareness and understanding of cyber wellness and kindness and how they can support their children in it.
29. COMPASS has also started capability building sessions to equip Parent Support Groups (PSGs) to support their parent community to build good relationships with their children and enhance their overall mental well-being. This is carried out through a series of "Let Us Chat!" training workshops for PSG Leaders which was recently completed across 14 schools.
30. Second, MOE is working closely with PSGs so that they can connect with and support fellow parent communities. I recently met with the 25 PSGs who are leading the charge in their own ways to support parents, through understanding their parents' needs and being creative and resourceful in meeting those needs.
31. One example is Presbyterian High School's PSG. By providing a listening ear and being a befriender, the PSG builds a strong circle of support for parents and provides different avenues for them to reach out and seek help, such as through level group chats and parent engagement sessions.
32. Another example is Victoria Junior College's PSG. The PSG has been tapping on their student alumni to share their education and career journeys with their student and parent communities, and provide tips on coping with stressors that students may face. Parents could hear from alumni about their aspirations and struggles, which helped them to better support their children.
33. Over the next two years, we will have more PSGs coming onboard these efforts.
34. MOE has launched a Mental Well-being Resource Guide and an online repository of resources for PSGs. Developed based on suggestions and feedback from PSGs, the Guide provides tips and resources that can inform PSGs' efforts to support parents. The online repository is a live document, and we will work with PSGs to enhance its contents over time to cover other issues.
35. Lastly, we share useful resources and tips with parents via MOE's social media platforms and the Parents Gateway, which has a new feature called "Parenting Resources", to guide them in supporting their children's education journey. We are also working with partner agencies to incorporate more resources into the portal.
36. Our partnerships with parents, via COMPASS and PSGs, extend MOE's efforts to build students' confidence and resilience beyond the school environment.
Coordinating Efforts to Support Students' Mental Well-being
37. We are also stepping up partnerships with other stakeholders in society. This is particularly pertinent in the area of mental well-being. Dr Wan Rizal asked how students with mental well-being concerns can be provided with stronger, coordinated care and support.
38. Second Minister Dr Maliki had spoken about our strengthened support for students' mental well-being in schools through the refreshed Character and Citizenship Education curriculum.
39. We recognise that the issues that affect student mental well-being are multi-faceted and stressors outside of school can have an impact.
40. MOE is part of a whole-of-government effort to support youth mental well-being, through the Interagency Taskforce for Mental Health and Well-being, which is being led by Senior Minister of State for Health, Dr Janil Puthucheary.
41. As part of this Taskforce, MOE and MSF are working together to provide greater support for families, children and youths to enhance mental well-being. Parenting is one key area we are looking into.
42. I had earlier described MOE's recent efforts, through the PSGs, to support fellow parents in taking care of their own children's mental well-being. Through this Taskforce, we will engage and empower a wider segment of parents with evidence-based, bite-sized parenting strategies and mental health and well-being knowledge, so that parents can build stronger relationships at home and help their child effectively meet life's challenges. We will also explore effective ways to parent in the digital age.
43. Another area that we are concerned about is the potential impact of the digital world on students' mental well-being. We are working with Government Agencies, social media and technology companies, and SSAs to create awareness of positive ways to use digital technology, harness technology platforms to promote a healthy online peer support culture, and find practical solutions that mitigate online risks.
44. MOE is also part of whole-of-society efforts like the Youth Mental Well-being Network, which was set up in February 2020 by MSF, MOH and MOE to co-create ground up solutions to improve youths' mental well-being. SMS Janil and Minister of State Mr Alvin Tan will be announcing some updates on the Network later.
Partnering Society to Transform the Education System
45. I have shared about our work with parents, government agencies and the community to build an inter-connected network of care, support and opportunities for our students.
46. Dr Maliki had also spoken about our efforts, as part of UPLIFT, to build a strong network of community partners to support our disadvantaged students and their families.
47. Minister Chan has shared about our partnerships with industry to provide more workplace learning opportunities for IHL students, and with government agencies and companies to strengthen the employability and career prospects of our Polytechnic and ITE graduates in the future economy.
48. Together, these partnerships reflect our concerted, whole-of-society effort to transform the education system and achieve our vision of a confident, competitive, and cohesive Singapore.
MOE's Vision for Success
49. Mr Chairman Sir, in Chinese please.
50. 我们的学生面对的是一个科技日新月异、观念两极分化及碎片化的世界；社会上的看法、理念和价值观越来越多样化。
51. 要把握这个充满变数的时代所带来的机遇，我们必须准备好不断学习，重新学习，更要超越社会的断层线，保持凝聚力。
52. 因此，新加坡需要具备以下三个要素：
- 对我们自身和个人能力要有自信，这样才能不断成长，充分发挥潜能。
- 在世界舞台上保持竞争力，并抓住各种机会。
- 社会团结，保持凝聚力。
53. 我们要认识到，教育不应仅仅局限在校园里，而是终身学习的旅程。
54. 我们要为学生在年少时奠定坚实的基石，激发他们的好奇心以及终身学习的热忱。
55. 在学校里，我们会协助学生发掘各自的优点，培养面向未来的能力，同时具备爱国意识。
56. 校外，我们提供了一个完善的生态体系，让他们投入延续教育和培训。我们将从每年给三万到四万名学生提供培训，扩展到每年为三十万到四十万名员工 "重新装备"。
57. 推动终身学习需要整个社会共同努力。教育工作者、家长、社会和业界伙伴都是重要的一份子，我们需要携手并进。
58. 让我们一起为加强新加坡的教育体系，建设一个充满自信、具有竞争力、团结一致的社会而共同努力。谢谢。
[Our students face a future that is being shaped by rapid technological changes, a world that is increasingly polarised and fragmented, and a society with more and more diverse perspectives, ideas and values.
To respond to the opportunities presented by these forces of change, we must be prepared to continuously learn and relearn, transcend fault lines in the world, and stay cohesive.
Singapore must therefore embrace three characteristics:
- To have the confidence in our abilities and ourselves, so we can keep growing and maximise our full potential.
- To stay competitive with the world and seize opportunities wherever they may be.
- And, as a society, to stay cohesive.
We need to move beyond seeing education as just for schools, but as a continuous journey through life.
We will build a strong foundation for our students from an early age, by sparking an innate curiosity and desire for lifelong learning.
In schools, we will support our students to discover their strengths, and hone future-ready competencies, while gaining a sense of rootedness to Singapore.
Beyond school, we have an entire ecosystem of continual education and training, which will move beyond training some thirty to forty thousand students every year to 'retooling' some three to four hundred thousand workers a year.
This life course approach requires a whole-of-society effort. Educators, parents, the community and industry partners are our essential partners in this endeavour.
Let us journey together to strengthen our education system and achieve our vision of a confident, competitive and cohesive Singapore.]