[h=2]Lee Li Lian （李丽连）
Parliamentary Questions (Oral & Written) Sep 2014[/h]
January 4, 2015 at 11:45pm
CRITERIA IN CONSIDERATION OF SCHOOLS TO BE MERGED OR RELOCATED
Ms Lee Li Lian asked the Minister for Education (a) what are the criteria and weightage of each criterion in the consideration of schools to be merged or to be relocated; (b) whether the Ministry is looking into conserving "pioneer" Government schools that are set up before our independence in 1965; (c) how the discontinuation of established schools (with long histories and niche programmes) support the Ministry's stand that every school is a good school; and (d) how does the Ministry decide whether a school has a "critical mass of students".
Mr Heng Swee Keat: To provide a quality education, support students’ holistic development, and provide them with a rich learning experience, there needs to be an adequate number of students for meaningful class organisation and interactions as well as the provision of a rich array of learning programmes, both curricular and co-curricular.
Given the significance of schools to students and alumni, and the emotional attachment between students, alumni and their schools, as far as possible we would not want to merge schools. However, in some mature estates, the population of school going children has declined, and enrolment in some schools are too low for them to offer a good range of educational programmes and co-curricular activities. The merger of schools will allow their students to benefit from the range of educational programmes that can cater to the all-round development of students. This is in fact one way that we provide better programmes to bring out the best in every child, and make every school a good school. Moreover, by deploying our teachers and other resources in an optimal manner, including to schools in new towns with higher population densities, we raise the quality of schools across the board.
Schools are identified for mergers based on several factors such as the size of enrolment, the nature of existing programmes, the suitability of merger partners and infrastructure capacity. These factors are considered qualitatively before a decision is taken. In some cases in the past, MOE had relocated schools when there was low demand for school places in a particular estate, or when it was not feasible to upgrade the existing school facilities due to land and building constraints.
MOE seeks to preserve the history and heritage of the schools which are merged by documenting the history of each school. In many schools, these are displayed at a heritage space in the merged school building. This serves to inform and educate the new student cohorts of the school’s history and legacy. For example, Queenstown Primary School which was set up before Singapore’s independence had previously merged with Birkhall Road School in 1984 and with Mei Chin Primary and Tanglin Primary in 2002. The school has a Heritage Corner to reflect its rich legacy by documenting the history of the other three schools.
APPEALS TO RECEIVE PIONEER GENERATION PACKAGE
Ms Lee Li Lian asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) whether he can provide an update on the progress of criteria set for people who wish to appeal to be a recipient of the Pioneer Generation Package; and (b) what are the procedures put in place for such appeal cases.
Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam: Since the Appeals Panel was set up in April this year, it has carefully considered the criteria for assessing appeals.
For citizenship-related appeals, the Panel has been considering each case on its own merits, taking into account all relevant factors. These factors include whether the appellant had been in Singapore in the early years of independence, had contributed to society and demonstrated clear efforts to sink roots in Singapore, and had obtained Singapore citizenship shortly after the 1986 cut-off date.
On age-related appeals, the Panel noted that the Government has already adopted a more inclusive approach by extending the Pioneer Generation Package to all those born in 1949 or earlier. Having deliberated on the matter extensively, the Panel recognised that for any age criterion, there will be those who marginally fall short of the criteria. It hence decided that it was not feasible or fair to allow age-related appeals without extending the new age criterion to all Singaporeans.
The Panel also took into account the range of healthcare benefits that all older Singaporeans will enjoy, such as MediShield Life premium subsidies and Long Term Care subsidies. In particular, Singaporeans aged 55 years and above who are not members of the Pioneer Generation will also enjoy additional Medisave top-ups for the next five years.
For these reasons, the Panel has decided it could not accede to appeals on the basis that the appellants’ birth dates marginally missed the eligibility date.
The Member also asked about the procedures put in place for appeal cases. The Panel, which is supported by a secretariat, verifies and reviews the supporting information and documents for each case and contacts appellants for further verification if necessary. The Panel meets regularly to make a decision on appeals.
EFFECTIVENESS OF POLICE SPEED LASER CAMERAS
Ms Lee Li Lian asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs (a) how effective have the Police Speed Laser Cameras (PSLC) been since its implementation; and (b) whether the Ministry can provide details on how these cameras are being deployed onsite especially in the case of Sengkang East Drive.
Mr Teo Chee Hean: The Traffic Police has deployed portable Police Speed Laser Cameras in support of its enforcement work. Due to their flexibility, the cameras can be used to respond to speeding feedback or tip-offs along specific roads, and for speed enforcement operations at locations which are unsuitable for static cameras. The Traffic Police currently publishes on its website a list of more than 50 locations island-wide where it may deploy portable cameras. This serves to deter motorists from speeding along these roads.
The Traffic Police considers several factors when determining the location and frequency of portable camera operations. These include feedback from road users and ground officers, and the number of road traffic violations and accidents recorded along the road, especially those which are speeding-related. Sengkang East Drive is one of the locations where portable camera operations are conducted. In 2012 and 2013, about 460 speeding violations were detected along Sengkang East Drive, with a majority of these violations detected through these cameras.
