Story by Avelyn Ng
Photo by Ministry of Communications and Information
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivered his National Day Rally speech on 20 August 2017 at the ITE College Central in Malay, Mandarin, and English, as per yearly tradition. He focused on three longer term issues – building up preschools, fighting diabetes and making Singapore a “Smart Nation”.
Preschools: Uplifting the Sector
“The fact that PM Lee mentioned the impact they have in shaping the characters and lives of our children in their early years will ensure that more parents will recognise that these are educators in the preschools and we must work alongside them and treat them with a higher level of respect,” commented Executive Secretary of Education Services Union (ESU) Ang Hin Kee.
He added: “With more resources going into this area, I hope the results will go into elevating the salaries of these teachers. With regards to our emphasis on places and capacity, it means that we will need to ramp up on the teaching and hiring and we will need to do a lot more to get people interested in starting a career, or training courses, in the preschool level. This is something that the ESU is happy to work alongside the government agencies and partners to attract teachers with the right attitude and expertise to join the industry.”
Diabetes: Taking Ownership of Health
“I did a little research – in 1965, and 18 was the median age of our population. Now, it is 42. How we managed to progress to today’s Singapore from those [low-quality living] conditions it’s because we invested in the population then [to bring about changes]. If we stopped investing, thinking we have arrived, I think that would be the beginning of the end.
“For a population that’s aging, how do you keep the population as good a shape for as long as possible so that they can be an asset instead of becoming a liability to themselves, their families and the country? Our progress is not something gifted to us, we created it. It cannot be done on our behalf, we have to do our part,” said NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Heng Chee How.
Executive Secretary of National Transport Workers’ Union Melvin Yong said: “NTWU runs 43 canteens island-wide. I think we can do better by working with the operators to make sure that we provide healthier options at all our canteens as part of our efforts to support the national fight against diabetes.”
Smart Nation: Brighter Future, Better Lives
“I’m glad my forecast is correct – productivity is seeing a positive uptrend. That is very good news for the Labour Movement. The collective policies of the various ministries, in partnership with the tripartite partners, would have contributed to the increase. In the Future Jobs, Skills and Training (FJST) Department analysis, we say Smart Nation creates lots of jobs but today it has gone beyond just jobs to make our lives more enriching, safer and better,” said Director of NTUC FJST Department Patrick Tay.
NTUC's Industry Transformation and Productivity Director Desmond Choo added: “The examples mentioned emphasise how older workers, if they decide to venture out and try technology, can do better in their jobs and even in new industries. The next step for us as a Labour Movement is to continue to work with workers, especially middle-aged and older ones, overcome their fears of technology, help them identify what they can be skilled in and help them on their journey towards reskilling themselves.”
Caring for All
“I think all three points are all very critical for all of us working people. Preschools are very important because it gives everyone, especially children from the lower income group, a good start right from the beginning so no one is disadvantaged. Health is the most important component in our lives. Without good health, we will not be able to sustain ourselves to work for our families, so these are some of the issues which I think are very critical.
The push towards a Smart Nation is also very relevant. We can’t stand still with the world evolving around us and everyone is going towards that direction. We have to train our people, even though it may seem intimidating for our older workers. But with assurance and support, and the Labour Movement doing its part to upskill them, train them and give them exposure, I think that can help them overcome their fears and we can work together as a nation without anyone left behind,” said NTUC President Mary Liew.
