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Online users express anger towards Chan Chun Sing over his remarks of calling people “idiots” and “disgraceful”

jw5

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Keechiu had great fun. :o-o::confused::tongue:

Chan Chun Sing

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We had great fun on our Durian Tour to Johor! It was fantastic to join 600 of Our Tanjong Pagar and Radin Mas Constituency residents on this incredible trip together.
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My Buona Vista

 

jw5

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Keechiu congratulates Gardens By The Bay. :wink:

Chan Chun Sing

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Congratulations to Gardens by the Bay for the successful launch of the Hidden Forest and 5G Digital Learning Trails! From interactive digital learning trials to augmented reality experiences, technology has the power to make learning more engaging, immersive and accessible for our students.
Together with 18 Primary Four students from Nan Chiau Primary School, we experienced the 5G Digital Learning Trails and used smart devices to participate in a variety of activities designed to enhance students' learning journey. Produced in partnership with M1 and with support from Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore, the digital trails support Gardens by the Bay's efforts to go green by bringing nature and sustainability concepts closer to students.
The 5G digital trails are currently being piloted with selected schools and will be officially rolled out in July 2024.













 

jw5

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Keechiu celebrates Youth Day. :biggrin:

Chan Chun Sing

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Heard music coming out of Gardens by the Bay?
Over 1,700 student performers showcased their passion in music and dance, against the lush and beautiful backdrop of The Gardens, as part of the Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) 2024 celebrations.
Hope that our students had fun and will forge long lasting friendships through this shared experience of the arts. My thanks as well to our teachers, who nurtured their creativity and confidence, and worked hard together with our students.
Celebrating Youth Day with all our young friends!
#SYF2024Celebration













 

jw5

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Keechiu met Ms Tan. :wink:

Chan Chun Sing

1 July at 17:22 ·
Pleasure to meet many of our residents during my house visit last evening.
Amongst them was Ms Tan Lay Sang. A weightlifting athlete
️‍♂️
, she thanked My Buona Vista team for the special permission she received during the Covid-19 pandemic to continue her weightlifting training at the multi-storey car park. She shared that this allowance helped her maintain her physical and mental well-being through a challenging time.
Thank you for sharing your inspiring story.
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It also reminded us of the importance of supporting our community members with their unique needs.
✨


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jw5

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Keechiu is not surprised. :rolleyes::eek::roflmao:

Chan Chun Sing

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Are we surprised by the current state of affairs in the world?
I spoke about this at Institute of Policy Studies - IPS's launch of Professor Joseph Liow’s book, “Navigating Uncertainty: Our Region in an Age of Flux” this evening.
I believe the writing has been on the wall for some time. We are in an age of uncertainty.
Geopolitical tensions persist, as countries tussle for greater global influence. Rules which once protected sovereignty, preserved peace and promoted economic prosperity face fragmentation.
We can yield to these forces – and hope the odds will be in our favor.
Or we can exercise leadership, look at our challenges squarely in the eye and address them with transparency and resolve.
We can choose to take care of our people - by investing in our education and training, and ensuring equitable access to the fruits of economic growth. We can also choose to strengthen Singapore’s relevance in the world, by working with other like-minded partners on new areas of cooperation.
Taking sides in a polarised world is unconstructive. It takes a lot more effort to transcend divides, bridge differences and find opportunities for collaboration.
But that is the only way we will change the plot line, break the cycle of fragmentation and foster peace and stability.







 

jw5

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Keechiu thanks everyone. :smile:

Chan Chun Sing

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At the People's Association Family PLAY Ground event! It was a day filled with fun, laughter, and great community spirit. I especially enjoyed taking up the NERF challenge with Yu Hong – what an exciting experience!
Thank you to everyone who came out and made this event special.

 

jw5

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Keechiu feels joyful. :o-o::confused::tongue:

Chan Chun Sing

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Our volunteers are full of zest and ideas. It's always a joy to see our community coming together, sharing experiences and building connections.
If you’re passionate about making positive impact and want to be more involved in helping to take care of our community, do consider joining My Buona Vista volunteer group.
Together, we can create a more vibrant and caring neighbourhood.
✨


 

jw5

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Keechiu had a wonderful time. :smile:

Chan Chun Sing

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A wonderful time this weekend meeting old friends and making new ones at Leedon Residence. Amongst my new friends is two-year-old Lily. Had much fun making soap with her.
Moments like these remind me of the simple joy of making new connections in My Buona Vista community.

 

jw5

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Keechiu was happy to catch up with Ms Bounkham Vorachit, Lao PDR Minister of Natural Resources and Environment. :thumbsup:

Chan Chun Sing

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First time we are holding a Welcome Ceremony in the Parliament House. The Istana is undergoing renovation. Singapore is hosting Lao People’s Democratic Republic PM Sonexay Siphandone and his delegation.
Together with my Lao counterpart Dr Phout Simmalavong, Minister for Education and Sports of Lao PDR, we renewed our MOU on the Cooperation in the Field of Education. It was witnessed by PM Sonexay and PM Lawrence Wong. We hope that this will enhance ties for our educators and students in both countries.
Also happy to catch up with Ms Bounkham Vorachit, Lao PDR Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, together with Vivian Balakrishnan and Grace Fu.







 

jw5

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Keechiu wants to keep growing and learning. :wink::eek::tongue:

Chan Chun Sing

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SkillsFuture is really about playing a good offense. Anticipating the unknown, getting ahead, learning new skills and strengthening our capabilities.
Today marks the start of the SkillsFuture Festival (SFF) 2024.
Our polytechnics and autonomous universities have been innovating to make learning more accessible and flexible for our adult learners - outside the formal school system. They do so through offering micro-credentials, which are bite-sized modular courses. Adult learners can make upskilling work for them, by being able to complete modules at their own pace, attain industry-recognised certificates and stack these achievements to obtain a full qualification. You can find out more through our IHLs’ websites.
SkillsFuture and lifelong learning will help Singaporeans stay competitive and relevant throughout their careers.
The Government will do its part to raise the quality of adult learning, and make it more accessible, affordable and relevant.
But for SkillsFuture to succeed, individuals, industry and institutions must step up too and take ownership of our careers and skills development.
All of us must have the ambition to keep growing and keep learning.
#SkillsFutureFestival
#SkillsFuture
#Lifelonglearning










 

jw5

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Keechiu reminded himself to never lose his purpose and mission. :o-o::confused::biggrin:

Chan Chun Sing

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Today, I joined 1,000 public officers at ITE College Central and many more online to open Public Service Week with a celebration of the work of the Public Service. This is also a time when public officers reaffirm their commitment to serve Singapore and Singaporeans.
We reminded ourselves to never lose our purpose and mission, which is to build a thriving Singapore that provides hope and opportunities for all Singaporeans through the times. It is critical that our public officers remain committed to our mission, uphold our core values, and have the gumption to explore new frontiers. Thus, I want to congratulate all Public Sector Transformation award winners for demonstrating these values through their work!
At the event, I also shared new measures to better support our officers. These include enhanced medical and dental subsidies, "FlexiGrow" benefits, and the extension of retirement and re-employment ages. These measures will help our officers take charge of their own growth and well-being as they continue to make a difference for Singapore and Singaporeans.
PSD Singapore

 

jw5

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Keechiu congratulates Kok Hong and Max. :smile:

Chan Chun Sing

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Always glad to hear how our educators use edtech to enrich our students’ learning, and create new imaginative and immersive worlds.
Lakeside Primary School HOD of Information and Communications Technology, Mr Chan Kok Hong, has designed various VR classroom experiences for his students. From creating a virtual zoo to learn Chinese vocabulary to travelling through the inside of our lungs for science, Kok Hong has been the pioneer and steadfast champion of many school-wide EdTech efforts.
Meanwhile, Mr Max Chua Kang Loong, an ITE graduate turned ITE lecturer, stays on top of the curve when it comes to using technology in the classrooms. He uses his deep skills in AI and high-performance computing to guide students and staff through projects, competitions, and fundraising initiatives.
Today, we presented Kok Hong and Max with the Exemplary Innovator Award and Exemplary SkillsFuture Award respectively under the Public Sector Transformation Awards 2024.
Kok Hong and Max won’t stop here. Kok Hong is exploring the Authoring Copilot tool in SLS, which uses generative AI to help teachers with lesson planning, while Max is organising AI Arts Therapy workshops to stretch students’ potential and improve their emotional wellness.
Congratulations, Kok Hong and Max!




 

jw5

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Keechiu congratulates educators. :thumbsup:

Chan Chun Sing

Yesterday at 03:08 ·
Congratulations are in order today.
We recognised six educators who received the Outstanding Youth in Education Award. Amirinazeb, Charlene, Edwin, Jin Wee, Li En, and Sheena have displayed both youthful idealism and pragmatic know-how in nurturing our students. Very well-deserved.
We also witnessed the graduation of 711 young teachers. It is the start of their journey as full-fledged educators.
Sometimes, new teachers I meet introduce themselves as Beginning Teachers. I always remind them that they are just “Teacher” (full-stop).
Every teacher, regardless of years of service, has the same responsibility and authority to help our students to contribute to wider society beyond themselves, and give them the confidence that they have something valuable to contribute.
Be bold and never underestimate your potential to contribute, regardless of your years of service.
My best wishes to all graduands and award recipients. I look forward to seeing the impact you'll make in your students' lives.













 

jw5

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Keechiu congratulates the YISS family! :smile:

Chan Chun Sing

2h ·
When we re-imagine the foundations of the education system, it extends too to the physical space where learning takes place.
When Yusof Ishak Secondary School moved to a brand-new home in Punggol, it made use of every space to push learning beyond the classroom.
For example, the YISS canteen isn’t just a canteen – it more than triples up as a fencing area, dance studio and exhibition hall – to encourage self-discovery and learning. As for their roof-top garden, students engage in hands-on learning about sustainability, and it is even an inspiring backdrop for literature students to compose haikus.
At YISS’ official launch of their Punggol campus, I was happy to hear how the YISS family has tapped on such flexible design features to enrich their students’ learning experience.
Schools can and should be creative hubs. I look forward to even more exciting ideas from YISS as well as all our schools, as we shape the future of learning.
Congratulations to the YISS family!













 

jw5

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Keechiu found his youngest volunteer. :redface::o-o::tongue:

Chan Chun Sing

9h ·
Found our youngest My Buona Vista volunteer last night - 5-month-old Averie.
She was so keen to join us for the walkabout while her dinner could wait …. allowing Daddy and Mummy to have some time to themselves! What a nice baby!
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jw5

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from straitstimes.com:

Most civil servants to get yearly $500 ‘well-being’ benefit; more health subsidies for all public officers​

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An annual benefit called FlexiGrow is intended to empower civil service officers to take charge of their longer-term well being and growth. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
Wong Pei Ting
Correspondent
UPDATED

JUL 10, 2024, 10:52 PM

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SINGAPORE – From October 2024, eligible civil servants will receive $500 every year that they can use to support their health, well-being and individual growth.
On top of this annual benefit called FlexiGrow, the Public Service Division (PSD) will also raise medical and dental benefits for all public officers starting from Jan 1, 2025.
Public officers’ medical subsidies at private clinics will go up from $20 to up to $50 per visit, while dental subsidies will rise from $120 to up to $250 per year.

Announcing the news on July 10 to applause from the audience at the opening of the Public Service Week at ITE College Central, Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing said that operating in an environment of constant change can be unsettling, even exhausting, for public officers.
“We have a saying in MOE (the Ministry of Education) and in the public service: All of you pour your hearts out to serve, but you cannot keep pouring your hearts out to serve if you are not growing, if you are not being taken care of,” said Mr Chan, who is also Education Minister.
“We need to take care of ourselves. We need to take care of each other in this long journey, and this is what our public service is committed to.”

The public service comprises 152,000 public officers working in 16 ministries and more than 50 statutory boards. The civil service is part of the public service. It has about 86,000 officers working in government ministries.

FlexiGrow is intended to empower civil service officers to take charge of their longer-term well-being and growth, based on their diverse needs, while medical and dental benefits have been stepped up to better support public officers’ health, Mr Chan said.
In a statement, the PSD said officers can use their FlexiGrow benefit flexibly, based on their own needs, such as courses for personal development and fitness programmes.
Asked who will be eligible for the benefit, a PSD spokesperson told ST: “We intend for most officers to benefit from FlexiGrow.”

PSD also said that the medical and dental benefits were enhanced after close consultation with the unions, and will apply to re-employed officers and statutory board employees as well.
With the benefits, the PSD hopes officers can proactively manage their health, in line with the national focus on preventive care, it said.
These come on top of the public service taking the lead to extend its officers’ retirement age to 64 years and re-employment to 69 from July 1, 2025, one year ahead of the national schedule.
The move recognises that with higher life expectancy, many older officers may want to stay active, including being meaningfully engaged at work for longer, Mr Chan said in his speech.

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Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing said that operating in an environment of constant change can be unsettling, even exhausting, for public officers. ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI

These and other benefits are “just hygiene factors”, which the public service intends to get right for its officers, he added. That said, the minister recognised that these hygiene factors alone “will not make (the public service) an attractive value proposition that can attract the best and most committed people to come and join (it)”.
Instead, it is the public service’s sense of mission, values and gumption that will inspire good people to join, he said.
These three factors are what the public service “cannot lose” if it wants to continue being successful in being “the pride of our nation and the envy of others”, he stressed.
Retaining a sense of mission involves never going on “auto-pilot maintenance mode” despite the public service’s accomplishments thus far, Mr Chan said, as he noted that foreign guests sometimes compliment Singapore by asking if they can borrow its public service for a year.
“Indeed, as every one of you know, every day brings new challenges to our public service in our generation. Every new challenge requires us to re-examine our assumptions and approach to overcome, and to transcend the challenges,” he said.
Pointing out that public officers had become familiar with 3Fs, namely, the “fragmenting global order”, the “fractious social order”, and the “fragile economic order”, Mr Chan said they need to start asking how they can turn the 3Fs into 4Cs – a “connected global order”, a “cohesive social order”, a “competitive economy” and a “confident people”.
For those in the foreign affairs, financial, defence and security pillars, this entails asking what are the ideas to bring like-minded countries and companies together to uphold existing rules and develop new ones to strengthen Singapore’s chances of survival and to thrive, said Mr Chan.
“We never sit back and accept the world as it is passively. But what can we do within our powers to work with the like-minded to shift the global order which is to Singapore’s favour,” he added.
And for those in the social sector, it would entail asking how they can lead by maintaining cohesion amid a more contested socio-political environment, a less trusting media environment and a public with higher and more diverse aspirations, he said.
Across the board, public officers should also think about how they can inspire Singaporeans and assure Singaporeans that everyone can have their place in society, to make contributions, regardless of one’s abilities, he said.

Reiterating that the public service’s mission is to build a thriving Singapore that provides hope and opportunities for all Singaporeans, Mr Chan said “build” refers to being action-oriented. This is not about being passive or reactive, neither is it to just preserve what has been achieved thus far, he added.
In adhering to this, public officers must take on the role of a builder, a hunter or a pioneer, he said.
This is one who is “always on the lookout for opportunities to score and create new value propositions, not only when we are forced by circumstances to do so”, Mr Chan added.
To not lose gumption is, among other things, to admit that Singapore is at risk of complacency, and that many others are working to overtake the country, he added.
Public officers should also have the gumption to engage other stakeholders when they do not have all the answers or capabilities themselves, he said.
Mr Chan, meanwhile, said it will become harder for public officers to jettison what has worked in the past.
Like many Fortune 500 companies – only 49 of which have consistently made the list in the last 70 years – success can be the albatross where Singapore risks seeking perfection to irrelevance, he said in illustrating this.
“If we do not check our blind spots and maintain our relevance, we risk falling into a downward spiral. And if we’re not careful, we will have our Xerox, Kodak or Nokia moment,” he said.
These businesses were once successful and pioneering, but are no longer Fortune 500 companies, he pointed out. They “should alert us to the dangers of complacency and how doing the right thing is often more important than just doing the same things well”, he said.
Mr Chan also said the success of the public service cannot be without the larger context of stability, partnership between the public service and political leadership.
In closing, he said the crux is not that Singapore has a perfect public service “which can get 100 marks in everything we do”.
“The crux of the public service is that we have officers who will get things right, even if the chips are down, and get the right things done, even if there are negative voices,” he said.
To do so, public officers must keep their ears close to the ground, while minding to never be “populist” or “sacrifice our long-term sustainability for short-term expediency”, Mr Chan said.
“It is a delicate but important balance – to govern responsively for the short term, and responsibly for the long term, so that Singapore and Singaporeans will be here and be able to thrive for evermore,” he said.
Public officers welcomed the new FlexiGrow benefit for civil servants and enhanced medical and dental benefits for all.
Mr Aaron Ong, a manager in workforce development at PSD, said it is heartening to know that the civil service considered feedback from officers in updating the benefits package. The 30-year-old, who has worked in the civil service for three years, said he will use the FlexiGrow benefit to try out wellness programmes or fitness classes, such as yoga.
He is also thinking of using it to pick up some non-fiction books that could help futureproof and spark innovation that will be useful in his career, he said.
Mr Muhammad Al-Fateh Mohamed Shafi, 31, a correctional unit officer with the Singapore Prison Service, said he is already given $700 annually for learning and personal development needs, which he has been using towards his gym membership.
If he gets another $500 under FlexiGrow, he intends to pick up basic counselling, he said, noting that the prison service has been moving towards rehabilitation.
A State Courts officer who wanted to be known only as Haikal said the enhanced medical and dental benefits will be helpful for officers with more dependants, as medical costs have risen over the years.
“Small things like these might not seem like much, but go a long way in making the public service more attractive,” said the 39-year-old.
 

jw5

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Keechiu is glad that Edwin has grown up so well. :o-o::confused::roflmao:

Chan Chun Sing

22h ·
Happy to meet Edwin again at the Teachers’ Investiture’s Ceremony.
I met Edwin back in 2010 as Chief of Army. I presented him with a Golden Bayonet, which are given to the best trainees of the specialist course.
From a fearless 3rd Sergeant to a passionate teacher, Edwin is a proud recipient of the Outstanding Youth in Education award today and is also the Head of Department (English Language) at St. Anthony's Primary School.
Glad that Edwin has grown up so well over the years!

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jw5

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Keechiu hosted His Excellency Dr Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister of the Republic of Korea. :cool:

Chan Chun Sing

·
I hosted His Excellency Dr Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister of the Republic of Korea, who is in Singapore on an official visit. We had a robust discussion on the crucial role that education plays in society, and it was clear that both our countries share similar priorities and challenges in education and more.
I am happy that we signed an MOU on educational cooperation today, which reflects our shared commitment to deepening collaboration in areas such as educational technology, holistic education and the professional development of teachers. One key area that we have outlined for collaboration would be the use of EdTech in teaching and learning. Technology today can complement our teaching, while serving as a multiplier of teachers’ capacity.
Singapore and the Republic of Korea hope to learn from one another to glean new insights on how we can teach more effectively, and work together to uncover new teaching methods involving the use of EdTech. Specifically, we hope that by leveraging technology, we would be able to customise the learning experience for our students according to their needs, interests, and abilities, and develop them to their fullest potential.







 
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