NTUC Back to School Programme
1 December 2007
Media Release
1 In the spirit of caring and sharing this December, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) family has come together to bring joy to union members and their children during the 3-day NTUC Back to School Fair[1] held at Downtown East and Yio Chu Kang Community Club. With NTUC FairPrice distributing free textbooks through the FairPrice Used Textbooks Project and NTUC Club providing the venue and logistics at Downtown East, the Back to School Fair saw more than a thousand union members and their children using their Back to School vouchers to stretch their dollars on the first day of the fair. A total of $2.5 million worth of Back to School vouchers, contributed by NTUC and the Singapore Labour Foundation (SLF), were issued to low-income union members who had applied for them from 24 October to 16 November 2007.
A Fruitful Day at the NTUC Back to School Fair
2 Low-income union members and their families who have successfully qualified for the Back to School vouchers, FairPrice Used Textbooks Project and the recently distributed NTUC Club Family Recreational FUNd (FRF) vouchers can expect a meaningful and fun-filled day. For instance, needy children can collect used textbooks from the FairPrice Used Textbooks Project, visit the Back to School Fair to exchange for school-related items with their Back to School vouchers, and finally recharge mentally before they start the new school term by enjoying NTUC Club-sponsored activities with their FRF vouchers.
3 A total of nine vendors are participating in this year’s fair, giving discounts of up to 70% and free services such as eye screening and haircuts. Apart from familiar faces of Bata Shoe, Kimage School of Hairdressing, Spectacle Hut and NTUC FairPrice, new fair participants such as PowerKIDz ERGOcare Global and Standard Photo will retail ergonomic bags that help reduce back strains for children and provide photo-taking services for use in school report cards respectively. Singapore Asian Publications (S) Pte Ltd and Popular Book Company have also joined the fair to expand the selection of assessment books, English books and stationery. As a gesture of support, Popular is offering a complimentary 6-month student membership card for needy students, aged seven and above, who chalk up a minimum sum of $50 with their vouchers. The student membership card will entitle them to 10% discount off regular purchases and a one-time 20% discount[2] during December 2007. (Please see Annex A for full list of participating vendors and discounts offered during the fair).
4 Parents of needy children can also opt for complimentary health screening tests such as chest X-Ray[3], Body Mass Index, Blood Pressure, and Blood Glucose levels provided by SATA (Singapore Anti-Tuberculosis Association) at both Back to School Fair locations. In line with the labour movement’s support for the re-employment of older workers, the basic health checks encourage parents to start adopting a healthy lifestyle so that they have the option to work longer for greater financial security in old age as well as to provide for their families for a longer term.
5 At the fair, identified needy children of union members, and from schools and welfare organisations, with official entry letters were given priority to collect donated textbooks at the FairPrice Used Textbooks Project on 1 December. About 8,000 students are expected to benefit from the collection of more than 80,000 books this year. Members of the public can collect the textbooks on 3 December (FairPrice Used Textbooks Project will be closed for book sorting on 2 December).
6 NTUC Secretary-General Lim Swee Say, who was the Guest-of-Honour for the NTUC Back to School Fair at Downtown East, said, “A good education is the best way to prepare our children to earn a better living and live a better life in the globalised world of tomorrow. We must do what we can to support children of lower-wage workers and lower-income families as they get ready to go back to school in January. Thanks to the strong support of the Singapore Labour Foundation, I am happy that the labour movement is able to increase the total amount of Back-to-School vouchers from $2 million last year to $2.5 million this year to reach out to more students and families. With the FairPrice Used Textbooks Project still going on strong, the spirit of caring and sharing is growing as we strive for a more inclusive workforce and society.”
7 NTUC FairPrice Group Chief Executive Officer Mr Tan Kian Chew said: “This year marks the 25th anniversary of the FairPrice Used Textbooks Project. The community programme was started to help financially-stretched families by providing them free used textbooks and has evolved to also promote environmental friendliness and the value of thrift among the young. We are grateful that the project continues to garner strong support from the public, having collected more than 1.43 million books and helped over 100,000 needy students save more than $7 million in textbooks expenses over the past 24 years. The response shows that the FairPrice Used Textbooks Project continues to be relevant after more than two decades, and many Singaporeans have grown to regard it as a regular occasion on their calendar.”
8 Many union members benefited from the NTUC Back to School Programme last year and are looking forward to more great deals this year. Mr Rani Bin Osney from the Building Construction & Timber Industries Employees' Union (BATU), who participated in last year’s NTUC Back to School Fair and FairPrice Used Textbooks Project said, “I made very good value-for-money exchanges and purchases last year because most items at the Back to School fair were going at discounted prices. My three children were also very lucky to have picked out most of their textbooks from the FairPrice Used Textbooks Project so that we could spend our Back to School vouchers on other items such as uniforms and school shoes. I really think that we had fully maximised the $100 voucher.”
9 After the fair, the Back to School vouchers can be used to purchase school-related items from the schools’ bookshops and authorised suppliers for uniforms at 40 NTUC Childcare centres, 362 Government and Government-Aided schools, 15 Junior Colleges and one Centralised Institute under the Ministry of Education. All ITE Co-op Shops and special schools such as Metta School and APSN Tanglin School will accept the use of the vouchers as well. Union members can also redeem their vouchers at participating retail outlets such as Pacific Bookstores, Bata Shoe, Spectacle Hut, Popular Bookstores, selected FairPrice Homemarts and FairPrice Xtra hypermarkets until 31 January 2008.
Mr Ong Ah Heng
Director
Care and Share
National Trades Union Congress
*****
Frequently Used Chinese Terms
About NTUC Back to School Programme
The NTUC Back to School Programme aims to help lower-income union members meet expenses of their school-going children at the start of the new school year. The NTUC Back to School Programme is usually held in conjunction with the NTUC FairPrice Used Textbooks Project, where needy students can pick out and collect used textbooks. Students can then use the NTUC Back to School vouchers for other items such as assessment books, uniforms and shoes at the NTUC Back to School fairs. After the fairs, students can continue to purchase these items from authorised suppliers and participating retail outlets in preparation for a new school term until 31 Jan 2008.
About the FairPrice Used Textbooks Project
NTUC FairPrice started the Used Textbooks Project in 1983, as part of its community service initiative. This evergreen project had a humble beginning, starting with a small scale of 33 FairPrice supermarkets collecting a few thousand books. Today, 81 FairPrice supermarkets and hypermarkets island-wide serve as collection points for used textbooks donated by the public. These books are then sent to the distribution centres where student volunteers sort them according to academic levels and subjects. Besides helping needy students, the Used Textbooks Project also helps to promote a greener
About National Trades Union Congress (NTUC)
The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) is a national confederation of trade unions in the industrial, service and public sectors representing 500,000 workers in
About NTUC Fairprice Co-operative Ltd
NTUC Fairprice Co-operative Ltd was founded by the labour movement in 1973, with a social mission to moderate the cost of living in
Today, with its multiple retail formats serving the varied needs and interests of people from all walks of life, the social mission of NTUC FairPrice has evolved to make the dream of living well accessible to everyone by moderating the costs of the good life.
About NTUC Club
Established in 1986, NTUC Club provides value-for-money entertainment and recreational facilities to all. Today, the NTUC Club has grown into one of the largest entertainment and leisure group in
About
Founded in 1977, Singapore Labour Foundation (SLF) was set up with the mission to improve the welfare of union members and further the development of the trade union movement in
Annex A
LIST OF PARTICIPATING VENDORS AT THE FAIR
[1] The NTUC Back to School Fairs open from 10am to 6pm daily (1 to 3 Dec), while the FairPrice Used Textbooks Project open from 9am to 5pm (1 Dec and 3 Dec).
[2] One-time 20% discount available only with cut-out coupon from Nov/Dec Issue of POP Club Magazine
[3] Chest X-Ray is only available on 1st Dec 2007
