Story by Avelyn Ng and Jonathan Tan
Photo by Ministry of Communications and Information
Preschool
Stepping up from its investment in preschool education since five years ago, the Government will again double its spending on preschools.
It plans to add 40,000 places to a total of about 200,000 through three key initiatives – namely, adding of Early Years Centres (EYCs) for infants up to 4 years old in new HDB developments, scaling up Ministry of Education’s 15 kindergartens to 50, and establishing a centralised National Institute of Early Childhood Development to upgrade the profession and attract more to join.
The first four EYCs announced in February 2017 are currently under construction in Punggol by NTUC My First Skool and PCF Sparkletots, and expected to be operational in 2018. My First Skool was brought up as one of the preschool anchor operators that has raised its standards by piloting an arts programme at one of its 130 campuses island-wide.
CEO of parent company, NTUC First Campus (NFC) Chan Tee Seng said: “Quality pre-school education is a critical contributor to social mobility and we want to ensure that every child, regardless of his or her social, developmental or financial circumstances has access to it. Some 16 per cent of our enrolment are reserved for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. We are also a pioneer of the KidStart programme, partnering the Ministry of Social and Family Development in reaching out to lower income families.
“PM Lee spoke about the importance of the early years in developing language and other skills needed for long term success in life. It is an area that NFC believes strongly in. Since 2014, NFC has successfully implemented a ground-breaking Relationships-Based Curriculum for children aged birth to three. The curriculum emphasises the importance of relationships as the foundation for the child’s sense of well-being and active engagement and since the introduction, our children are happier, more engaged in their learning. This has given our teachers a great sense of satisfaction.”
Diabetes
While Singaporeans have one of the longest life expectancies in the world, PM Lee cautioned that we experience eight years of ill health in old age on average. Diabetes is a huge culprit, with one in nine Singaporeans, and three in 10 aged over 60 years old, suffering from it.
To this, PM Lee encouraged Singaporeans to get regular medical check-ups, exercise more, as well as eat healthily and lesser. He further elaborated on how several partners have come onboard to make the lifestyle changes more affordable and accessible.
Good to Know
NTUC FairPrice is offering discounts on healthy food such as brown rice till the end of August 2017. From September, Ministry of Health is offering Singaporeans over the age of 40 health check-ups at five dollars, a slide from the usual $100.
Smart Nation
PM Lee started on his third topic by defining Smart Nation as Singapore taking full advantage of information technology to create new jobs and business opportunities as well as to make the economy more productive, lives more convenient, and the city more outstanding.
He admitted that while Singapore is compact and highly connected with a population that is digitally literate, Singapore still lags behind other countries, especially in areas such as electronic payments and making use of a network of sensors and CCTVs to support national security and emergency response.
On a micro level, he shared how technology can also transform daily aspects of life such as transport and shopping. Lauding projects such as NTUC FairPrice’s unmanned, cashless Cheers store as an example of how traditional businesses can continue to serve their customers while increasing efficiency and savings by reinventing themselves.
“These small projects are instructive. They help us learn about and adapt to new technology in our daily lives, and prepare us to make bigger adjustments later on,” said PM Lee.
He highlighted that in order for the Smart Nation initiative to succeed, we need to urgently build up our talent pool. Scholarships and schemes such as SkillsFuture and Professional Conversion Programmes can help Singaporeans develop their skills, create new jobs and opportunities.
Sharing his thoughts, United Workers of Electronics & Electrical Industries General Secretary Tan Richard said: “We have been working together with our companies in the implementation of digital systems and smart technology such as robotics. While this can help improve productivity in the workplace, it is especially important for us to move ahead with technology to stay ahead of the competition. Getting our workers updated with new skills and knowledge on how to work with new technologies is a priority and will help in justifying why they deserve better salaries. Their jobs are no longer like those of old, where they simply operate machines. Their jobs will evolve to become like specialists, where they work with robots.”
Good to Know
NTUC’s LearningHub offers a range of information technology courses to help Singaporeans pick up essential skills to thrive in a Smart Nation.
