Disabled persons face challenges fitting into society for work, recreation and social interaction. Travel is a necessary step towards integration, to work, to socialise and to be consumers.

There are currently no public transport concessions for the disabled.

The disabled here have low earning capacity. Many do not work; those who do, earn a few hundred dollars per month, spending up to a third on travel expenses.

The government has often said that we should build an inclusive society. It therefore should not take a back seat on this issue.

Other governments are proactive. In the UK, disabled persons qualify for a special “Railcard” which entitles them to travel throughout the UK at one-third off from the normal fare. In addition, disabled persons in London can travel off-peak for free on buses, the Underground and trains.

The government cannot wash its hands off the matter by saying that the public transport system is operated commercially and it is up to the public transport operators (PTOs) to decide. The disabled have no bargaining power against the big companies.

For instance, the Land Transport Authority, as regulator, can make it a licensing condition that the PTOs recognize disabled passengers for concession travel.

According to a 2001 MOH survey, less than 2 per cent of Singaporean adults below 60 have some sort of disability. Is the number of disabled too much for the PTOs? The PTO’s operations are reaping profits of tens of millions of dollars annually and this is part of their corporate social responsibility.

(Note: this speech was delivered in Parliament on 11 Mar 2010.)

Currently, the proportion of Primary One cohort admitted into the local subsidized universities is targeted to rise to 30% by 2015, with the new university and institute coming up.

I would like to ask if MOE will review this 30% target with a view to increasing it.

I note MOE’s concerns that we should not have sudden increases in graduate numbers which may leave many unemployed or under-employed.

However, since Singapore is prioritising innovation and greater productivity, the population as a whole has to raise its game, and the jobs of the future will require different educational qualifications from currently. We are also trying to encourage the growth of entrepreneurs to find their own niches. With globalization, Singaporean graduates also have more opportunities overseas, which will still benefit their families and Singapore, directly or indirectly.

As a matter of interest, according to the OECD Factbook 2009, the 25 OECD countries were expecting to graduate on average about 37% of an age cohort from Tertiary-Type A (typical degree level) education in 2006. It was stated that there was a strong trend in increasing their cohort participation rates in the last 15 years in line with producing highly-skilled labor forces.

I agree that we need to maintain standards in university admission. However, over the years, many students who were rejected by our local universities were admitted to reputable foreign universities and did well. But this route is available only to those whose parents could afford it.

I hope the Ministry will look into revising the cohort participation rate at our local subsidized universities beyond 30%.

(Note: this speech was delivered in Parliament on 10 Mar 2010.)

主席先生，

华文B课程在2001年开始推行，之后在2004年接受了华文课程与教学法改革报告书的建议，做了一些更改。

政府在1999年宣布这项课程时，主要是针对学习华文有困难的学生，避免这些学生因为被强逼学习华文，反而对华族文化产生厌恶感。请问教育部长，华文B实施至今，有没有达到当初的预定目标？我也想知道从2001年开始至今，历年来修读华文B的学生人数是多少？及格率又是多少？

我所担心的是华文B是否会在一些情况下被滥用呢？例如，原本华文程度并不是太差的学生因为心理上排斥华文而不愿意认真学习，宁愿选择华文B这条捷径；或者为了不让学校普通华文的及格率降低而建议某些华文成绩不佳的学生选修华文B。我想知道教育部是否审查过华文B课程是否存在可能被滥用的漏洞？

国立大学中文系教授王昌伟发表过一篇文章，他说：
“利用富有创意的教学方式提高学生对华文的兴趣当然非常值得鼓励，但我们的错误，就在于以为降低要求是提高学生学习热忱的先决条件。从第二语文到华文B、到用英语教华文、到只需认字不必写字，这样一步步退让，也许当下能讨好学生，但等到学生日后需要运用华文的时候，他们是会恨我们耽误了他们的。“

我同意他的看法，也希望教育部重新检讨华文B课程的内容及其存在的利弊。

（2010年3月9日发表于国会拨款委员会辩论）

Chairman Sir,

I understand that myopia is the leading eye disease in Singapore.  We have among the highest cases of myopia in the world.  

There is a growing concern that blindness from myopia would become a substantial public health problem in the near future. It was projected that more than 80% of the entire adult population could be myopic within two to three decades. I would like the minister to share his view on the problem and whether it is indeed a public health concern.

It is observed that increasing myopia is related to the heavy amount of reading and near work that the children are exposed to in school and at home.  Such activities are definitely on the rise with advent of the Internet.  I would like to know what new initiative MOH has embarked on to prevent the onset of myopia on the younger generation and what is the outcome of the vision care program?
Read the rest of this entry »

Chairman Sir,

Budget Book serves as a public document on the proposed government revenue and expenditure for each financial year. It provides accountability to MPs and members of the public in the usage of government funds.

However, the information provided in the Budget Book seems to be getting lesser with each financial year.

For example, there were 728 pages in the budget book for financial year 1994/95 and only 593 pages for financial year 2000/2001. For this year, the Budget Book has 417 pages.

I am not suggesting that the more pages in the Budget Book, the better it is, but I find the current Budget Book not useful enough for one to understand the individual program function and major changes in expenditure, if any, on major item of a ministry.
Read the rest of this entry »