Tag: Singapore

Pre-Schools Feel The Squeeze In HDB Void Decks

Long considered the “default” option for situating affordable, accessible childcare centres in Singapore’s heartlands, public housing void decks that are big enough or have the right layout to accommodate them are becoming increasingly challenging to secure.

Although the demand for childcare continues to grow, adequate space is running out in older estates, while childcare operators said void decks in newer estates are smaller. A spokesperson for PAP Community Foundation (PCF), which runs 360 kindergartens and childcare centres here, said it has noticed a crunch in void-deck spaces since 2013, with spaces in new estates harder to secure.

NTUC First Campus, which runs more than 110 My First Skool pre-school centres and plans to open another 10 this year, said it has had to combine four to six bays under the same or nearby blocks of flats for seven of its 22 new centres over the past two years to get around the space crunch.

Late last month, Minister for Social and Family Development Chan Chun Sing, responding to a question in Parliament, acknowledged the shortfall in the number of childcare places in built precincts that lack void-deck spaces. His ministry has worked with the Ministry of National Development to ensure space is provided for in the new towns. More details will be given on other ways to address the lack of childcare places in estates without enough void-deck space for centres, he said. At a separate event, he also suggested that centres could be designed upfront onto the second floors of Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats or car parks.

PCF said the crunch in void-deck space has been more evident in areas such as Punggol and Jurong West. “(Void-deck spaces here) are either too small for development or reserved for community use,” added its spokesperson. In areas where demand is high, it will look into expanding existing centres. “PCF is exploring alternative spaces such as community centres … and malls with integrated development,” the spokesperson said.

Agape Little Uni’s director Chris Lim felt the problem lies with how allocated void-deck spaces are not “purpose built”. “I would like to see (a) more holistic and focused approach towards it. Not so much finding different corners to park a childcare centre, whether it’s (a) void deck (or) any other part that is a usable space,” he said.

Architect Ong Ker-Shing of Lekker Architects, which was commissioned by Lien Foundation to look into innovative design for pre-schools, said void decks often have structural walls that cut the space into pieces, which is not ideal. Indeed, in building some of its centres across several HDB blocks, NTUC First Campus had to build more kitchens, pantries and toilets at these locations, and faces the challenge of ensuring principals are within easy reach. It has also built centres on less conventional sites such as the former Serangoon bus interchange.

Lien Foundation CEO Lee Poh Wah said a pre-school in a void deck can typically take about 80 to 100 children, which may not be the most economically efficient. In comparison, St James’ Church Kindergarten has an enrolment of 1,200, enabling it to be more efficient, he said, adding that there are about 1,500 pre-schools. In comparison, there are 182 primary schools.

Asked about the void-deck crunch and plans to set aside second floors of HDB blocks for childcare centres, the Early Childhood Development Agency said it monitors local demand and works closely with the HDB to facilitate expansion of such capacity. “In new estates with more young families, childcare centres are pre-built into new Build-To-Order developments to cater to demand ahead of time,” said its spokesperson. Alternative premises such as workplaces are being explored.

The agency also said it is on track to meet the target of creating 20,000 new childcare places by end-2017.

Currently, Little Footprints Preschool at Punggol Field sits on the second floor of an HDB block, which is also connected to the landing deck. While this is one way of addressing the shortfall in spaces, Mr Ong said the feasibility of doing so depends on the size of the centre and configuration of each HDB building. Also, potential challenges include congestion at drop-off and pick-up times, as well as noise. “The planning of childcare centres works best when more open, flexible areas are available to allow for the complexities of managing the flow of classrooms, activity spaces and toilets,” he added.

Mr Lee said: “There is a need to rethink the space and economics of preschools in order to build quality and affordability for the long term.”

Source: www.todayonline.com

March 9, 2015
Employer Forces Maid To Clean Canal Behind Home And Polish Leaves Of Trees In Nearby Park

Residents at a private estate Colchester Grove were shocked to find a foreign domestic worker cleaning up rubbish, debris and leaves at a nearby canal just behind her owner’s property.

The same worker has also been seen carrying a pail of water and a cloth to a nearby park in the estate in an attempt to “polish” the leaves of the trees and bushes in the park.

A resident of the estate, who did not want to be named, said that when asked about what she was doing, the worker said that she was being asked to do these chores because she had finished what she needed to do in her employer’s home. As her employer felt that she did not have enough to do, she was sent out to do extra cleaning.

Residents in the estate have expressed concern about the foreign domestic worker’s safety. It was observed that every time there is rain, the canal’s water level rises swiftly and brings with it strong currents, which could easily sweep a person away.

One resident said that the owner should not even be assigning the maid to work outside of the home as anything outside of the owner’s home was not within the maid’s job scope.

When approached, the worker refused to comment.

The employer however did not deny making his worker clean the canal behind his home as he had wanted to prevent any potential dengue breeding. He explained that the canal in the back of his home was often clogged with fallen branches and leaves, which could become potential mosquito breeding spots.

The employer added that he approached his estate’s conservancy services vendor in the past, but they would only perform cleaning duties in the canal once every month.

He did not deny asking the maid to polish the leaves of a nearby park as he did not see anything wrong with doing so.

Source: www.allsingaporestuff.com

March 9, 2015
Foreign Domestic Workers Have Twice As Likely To Develop Mental Health Problems As Singaporeans

A new study has found that foreign domestic workers (FDW) have double the risk to develop mental health problems as compared to the general Singapore population.

The study, conducted by Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME) and revealed today (March 8) showed that almost a quarter (24 per cent) of the 670 FDWs surveyed, are facing poor mental health.

This means that more than two in 10 FDW have poor mental health as compared to a study conducted by the Institute of Mental Health in 2010 which showed that at least one in 10 people in Singapore which will be stricken by mental illness in their lifetime.

Several factors such as working and living conditions proved to be significantly related to impact a FWD’s mental health, said the study.

“Having sufficient rest, one’s own room to sleep in, a stable social network and adequate nutritional and medical attention are crucial for good mental health in FDWs,” it added.

The study showed that the most severe symptoms amongst those surveyed were psychoticism – a mental state of “losing contact with reality” which includes symptoms such as hallucinations – depression and interpersonal sensitivity – which means they feel inferior or inadequate as compared to others.

“There are clear correlations between FDWs’ mental health issues and exploitative, restrictive and/or abusive working and living conditions,” said the study.

The survey also revealed that more than half (51 per cent) of the participants experienced some form of abusive behaviour such as yelling or screaming and even name-calling.

The survey was conducted between Nov 2013 and May last year. Almost half (48.1 per cent) of the FDWs surveyed – with an average age of 33 – were from Indonesia and more than a third (34.7 per cent) were from the Philippines. The other nationalities surveyed also include those from Myanmar.

Source: www.todayonline.com

March 9, 2015
Voice Of One Meets Hindu Endowment Board For Showdown

The ‘Voice of One’ with a team of 6 spokespersons from the public attended the meeting with HEB on 6 Mar 2015 from 11:30 am to 13:30 pm .The main agenda of ‘Voice of One’ (VOO) for this meeting is to feedback the voices of many with regards to the restrictions imposed on the musical instruments to be played during Thaipusam procession in Singapore. Along with this, few other issues pertaining to Thaipusam was raised by VOO. The following are the main questions and feedbacks by VOO to HEB:

1. The condition by HEB for Kavadi bearers to leave the temple by 5pm.

2. The shortening of this time frame; from 7pm to 6pm and now to 5pm.

3. The quota being placed for devotees to participate while it deprives others to participate and fulfil their vows.

4. The condition on Kavadi participants to stop playing music at the temple by 3pm.

5. The ambiguity in HEB’s guidelines for Thaipusam 2015, clause number 3 with regards to the restrictions imposed on singing and music.

6. The underlying reasons for the banning of musical instruments.

7. The lack of music support by HEB on the roads during the procession.

8. The significance of music throughout the entire procession.

9. To conduct research and survey before making certain important decisions that can affect the devotees.

10. To uplift restrictions on musical instruments such as portable radios so that everyone has the opportunity to have music on equal footing.

11. To better train and counsel HEB volunteers and members to improve their standards in managing the crowds.

12. To stop stereotyping of Indians with rowdyism by using that as a reason for many of their rules and regulations.

13. To support and encourage religious tolerance by relaxing their rules.

14. To advocate better for the Hindu community by considering feedback from participants

We will soon update the responses from HEB after finalizing our minutes. Stay tuned for more updates

Regards
Voice of ONE

Source: www.therealsingapore.com

March 9, 2015
Tharman Shanmugaratnam: Budget Is For Future, Not For Getting Votes

While some may be dissatisfied with certain aspects of government spending, budgets cannot be “all sweetness and light”, said Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

The Government shapes the Budget in the interest of Singapore’s future and not to win elections, and this may involve some measures that are unpopular, Mr Tharman said, speaking at a dialogue with about 400 youths organised by the People’s Association Youth Movement yesterday.

“You should be very worried if you have a government that disburses only nice measures … because that never lasts,” said Mr Tharman, who is also Finance Minister. When countries reverse policies, it is the poor who will be most affected and the Budget this year ensures the Government will not have to do that in years to come, he added.

Mr Tharman’s comments echo earlier remarks he made when wrapping up the Budget debate last Thursday, when he said the Republic has to sustain a fair and inclusive society for generations, “not one election at a time”, as has been the case in the United Kingdom and other advanced economies.

Yesterday, more than 30 questions were posed in the 90-minute dialogue on policies introduced in the Budget, including concerns about the SkillsFuture scheme, the Silver Support Scheme and the petrol duty hike.

Mr Tharman said SkillsFuture, which will provide credits to Singaporeans for use in training and enhancing vocational education through better internships and paid apprenticeships, will not only help make Singapore a more competitive economy, but also enhance social mobility. This is because it will provide learning opportunities for all Singaporeans throughout their lives, regardless of their education qualifications.

Mastery of skills is essential to keep Singapore competitive in the global economy and is possible regardless of one’s academic achievements, he said. Currently, learning is too “front-loaded” and involves too much “information cramming” and competition in the first 10 years of life. However, he said life beyond school is not a race, but a continuous discovery of one’s potential.

“SkillsFuture is for everyone: Those who dropped out early, those who went to university, those who are in mid-career, those who already have a Masters degree … If you’ve got a university degree, after a while, frankly, it doesn’t mean very much. So it’s for everyone regardless of qualifications,” said Mr Tharman.

Asked why the S$500 SkillsFuture Credit is not offered to Singaporeans before the age of 25, Mr Tharman said it is important for those fresh in the workforce to spend time learning on their jobs.

While he acknowledged the value of developing multiple specialisations, particularly how synergies among different skill sets can lead to innovation, Mr Tharman said that mastery takes time.

“To develop deep skills, you really need time … so don’t move too quickly,” he said.

In terms of education and career counselling, the minister said it is important for those as young as secondary-school age to gain exposure to the real world. For older students, career guidance can be geared more towards specialisations and internships.

Junior colleges should also explore offering some courses centred on applied learning, he said. “I think that provides a bit more fluidity because people don’t know for sure at that age if they are more interested in an applied pathway or a more conceptual route. So having a bit of both is useful.”

Mr Tharman added that getting employers on board SkillsFuture is vital but also challenging, because many small and medium enterprises may not have sufficient resources to invest in training and development. He added that employers must also adopt an “enlightened attitude” towards training.

“If we all keep thinking short term, we will be caught in a vicious circle, where the employer does not invest in the employee, and the employee as a result feels he does not have an important future in the firm and moves,” he said.

Source: www.todayonline.com

March 9, 2015