More needs to be done to ensure lower-income families have access to the digital world.
Labour Member of Parliament Seah Kian Peng made this call in his parliamentary speech at the Budget Debate on 24 February 2021. Mr Seah is also the Group CEO of NTUC Enterprise and FairPrice Group.
“For many of us, using cash has become a rare occurrence, as we move more and more to tap our cards, or to scan with our phones. But online payments require not just a smartphone but also reliable Wi-Fi or broadband - essentials to some, but expensive for others,” he said.
Mr Seah said that digital technology must not be luxuries but necessities to survive in a digital world.
He also suggested the Government to provide an online literacy assessment to identify weak spots to better protect those who are vulnerable against scams and also develop their digital literacy.
“We have already put in place a few pieces of key legislation in terms of disinformation and falsehoods. One missing piece I think in our policy to protect Singaporeans against scams and to grow their digital literacy is to identify who among us is vulnerable,” said Mr Seah.
Mr Seah also urged the Government to look into the number of families living in rental flats with school-going children, who do not have a personal computer or broadband connections.
“Today, low-income families can already apply for subsidised computers and free broadband through the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s (IMDA) NEU PC Plus programme. But ‘owning a PC’ is not enough. We need to make sure that families have devices that are functioning at a high enough standard for good online learning,” he said.
Mr Seah cited an example of how NTUC First Campus launched a scheme to loan iPads to more than 2,000 low-income families and their children attending our My First Skool centres to help them bridge the digital divide. He added that he hopes the Government can do more on this front.
However, Mr Seah said that providing low-income families the digital hardware is only half the solution.
Calling it a great equaliser, he urged the Government to consider giving all low-income households, especially those with school-going children, free broadband connections.
Meanwhile, Mr Seah commended the $20 million fund that will be set aside to match Community Chest (ComChest) donations raised through spontaneous acts daily, under the new Change for Charity Grant.
He called on corporations and the public alike to give the initiative their “full support to make it work and bring cheer to the disadvantaged in our midst. Hopefully, this could become a regular feature in future.”
NTUC Enterprise will also see how it can participate and strongly support the programme, added Mr Seah.
He also thanked the Government for its continued enhancements and incentive schemes that allow organisations to build and strengthen their Singaporean core and support their mature workers.
