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Source:
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''CHILDREN - OUR HOPE AND FUTURE''
Speech by: DR
VIVIAN BALAKRISHNAN, MINISTER FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND
SPORTS AND SECOND MINISTER FOR INFORMATION, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE
ARTS
MCYS SPEECH NO: 48/2007
DATE OF ISSUE: 28/09/2007
AT THE SINGAPORE CHILDREN'S SOCIETY LECTURE, 8.15 PM AT THE NTUC
AUDITORIUM
Mr Koh Choon Hui
Chairman, Singapore Children's Society
Professor Ho Lai Yun
Vice-Chairman, Singapore Children's Society and
Chairman, Research and Advocacy Standing Committee
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
I am delighted to be here with you this evening to deliver the
Singapore Children's Society Inaugural Lecture and to be a part of
the Singapore Children's Society's 55th anniversary celebrations.
Today, the Singapore Children's Society stands as a premier
child-focused organisation, serving some 12,000 children through
your 10 service centres. I commend you for your unwavering
commitment to the welfare of our children over the past 55 years.
Introduction
The first question to ask ourselves is - Why children? Why are they
so important to us?
I would like to suggest that the answer lies in understanding the
impact of children to our lives and to society. Imagine, if you
will, a society with immortal adults and no children. My guess is
that such a society would be one that is tired, stale, cautious,
selfish, hedonistic and paradoxically, one where people have nothing
to live for except themselves. On the other hand, children represent
new possibilities, new hopes, rejuvenation, vitality, fearlessness
and optimism. A society with many children is one that believes in
the future and will invest in the future.
On the night my daughter was born, I discovered the meaning of
unconditional parental love and total responsibility for a new life.
I realised how much my parents loved me, how I could never repay
them. I finally understood why family ties are the fundamental
bedrock of human society.
This is the real reason we encourage people to marry and have
children. It is not economics that is our primary concern. It is the
tone and outlook of our society that is of far greater importance.
Setting the Context - Strategic Trends Shaping Child Development
Since our independence, the context in which our children grow up
has changed dramatically. Let me offer you a snapshot of what I
mean.
Between 1965 and 2006, Singapore's per capita Gross Domestic Product
grew from $1,567 to $46,832. Taking a more recent comparison, the
median household income of families has risen by close to 100
percent, from $2,296 in 1990 to $4,500 in 2006. Our prosperity has
ensured that children today are free from many of the daily
struggles that earlier generations faced. Today, most families enjoy
- and are able to provide their children with - a standard of living
vastly better than that a generation or two before.
Another key driver shaping our children's environment is technology.
Emails have replaced hard copy memos and snazzy multimedia
presentations have replaced the trusted transparency! Many of our
children today would scoff at the difficulties we faced in making
the transition to today's high-tech world. This is because the
majority of them are digital natives.
In 2006, 78 percent of households in Singapore had access to one or
more computers at home. 71 percent also had access to the Internet.
Our children are learning early that they can access YouTube to
watch their favourite cartoons rather than wait for them to air on
television.
Between 1980 and 2006, the general divorce rate for women rose from
3.8 to 8.0 for every 1,000 married resident females.
In 1990, about 4 percent of resident households with at least one
child below 16 years were headed by single parents. In 2005, this
proportion grew to 5 percent. Despite the parents? best intentions,
these families are more likely to struggle to provide the best home
and future for their children.
The rise of single parenthood in this generation illuminates the
changing face of family life over the centuries and the inextricable
link between economic development and family form. Early agrarian
society was characterised by extended families who worked the farms
collectively and shared responsibility for the care of the children.
The Industrial Revolution resulted in urbanisation, and the
phenomenon of nuclear families living in the city without the
support of the extended family. Fathers worked and mothers were
expected to stay at home.
The key question for all of us today is what impact the post-modern
world is likely to have on family life. The sociological impacts are
likely to be as profound as the earlier revolutions. As early as the
seventies. American academic Edward Shorter[1] noted three key
traits of the post-modern family, which I am sure we can relate to.
First, adolescent indifference to the family's identity and a
corresponding identification with other networks and their peers.
Second, instability in the lives of couples. The divorce rates I
mentioned earlier are one manifestation. Finally, the end of the
notion of a ''nest'' in nuclear family life, with the liberation of
women. As more women enter the workforce, fewer children now return
to homes with mums awaiting their return.
Another feature of the post-modern family is susceptibility to a
myriad of influences, including electronic media. Our children grow
up with MapleStory and World of Warcraft where they lead virtual
lives and belong to virtual tribes. They are well-versed in the
applications of YouTube for viewing all kinds of videos beyond the
censorship or supervision. And they are well entrenched in the
worlds of MySpace, Friendster, Facebook which provide them with a
platform to mingle and catch up with their friends without having to
leave their homes.
What does this mean for the ''post-modern'' child, so to speak? It
means living in a world of abundant choices whilst being bombarded
by unlimited temptations and influences. It means the richness of
participating in multiple communities, whilst struggling to find
one's core identity and values. It means the opportunity to chart
new frontiers but sometimes without the clear guidance of a moral
compass.
The complexities of the world would also mean that children who are
more well-off may face one too many choices or temptations whilst
children who are less well-off may miss out on opportunities that
the post-modern world offers.
Consequently, we need to take stock and paint a comprehensive vision
of what we want to achieve for Singapore?s children.
Articulating a Shared Vision for Children
As part of the 10th anniversary celebrations to commemorate
Singapore's accession to the UN Convention on the Rights of the
Child, my Ministry launched a postcards campaign last year. We
invited children to share their aspirations.
It has been a wonderful reality check for me and my staff to hear
them. Their views collectively articulate a shared vision for
children and point us to what we need to do to create a
child-friendly Singapore. A Singapore that allows them to feel a
sense of belonging, to participate, to be protected from harm and to
fulfill their potential. It is only appropriate that their voices
frame our discussion of the key priorities and ongoing efforts in
developing children.
Promoting Health
''My wish for children in Singapore is for them to be healthy and
good so that children will not be ill and die.'' - Matthew Foo, 9
''My wish for children in Singapore is for every child to be happy
and healthy and for everyday to be a jubilant and joyful day. May
they smile everyday of their life.'' - Lee Xinyi, 13
Gro Brundtland, former Director-General of the World Health
Organisation, once said that ''Health is the core of human
development.'' As a medical doctor myself, I could not agree more.
Children in Singapore enjoy accessible, high quality and equitable
health care. In 2005, the infant mortality rate was 2.1 per 1,000
live births, compared to 26.3 per 1,000 live births in 1965. Our
infant mortality rate was ranked by UNICEF's ''State of the World's
Children Report'' in 2005 and 2006 as the best in the world. This
dramatic improvement is attributable to improvements in obstetric
care, and advances in medical care, especially in newborn care in
Singapore.
Today, a robust health screening programme is in place for the
young. Annually, about 99 percent of 7 and 12-year-olds are screened
for abnormal hearing, visual acuity and heart conditions, and
provided with growth and developmental assessment in schools.
Children identified with health problems are referred to relevant
healthcare institutions for further evaluation and management at the
primary, secondary and tertiary care levels.
Health, of course, is not just about the absence of illness, disease
or injury. It is also about general well-being. The mental health
issues of children and adolescents are slowly gaining prominence. It
is an area that we must understand better and tackle in a more
holistic manner.
Providing Quality Education
''My wish for children in Singapore is for each child to be able to
pursue education so that they can develop their potential to the
fullest and make Singapore a better place for everyone.'' - Ainsley
Le, 14
Let me move on to the area of education. The challenge is to impart
to our children the values, skills and knowledge needed to thrive in
a rapidly changing world. Education remains the key enabler and it
is a resource-intensive endeavour. Today, the Government invests
about $6.5 billion in education - about 3.5 percent of our GDP.
Our priority for all children is to get them to schools in the first
instance. A cornerstone of this effort is our compulsory education
policy for primary school education, in place since 2003. The
Singapore Children's Society (SCS) is familiar with this, being
actively involved in outreach to children who do not register for
school.
For those who are already in schools, our priority is to keep them
in our system for as long as we can. Northlight School, set up in
2006, embodies this effort. Northlight?s mandate is to engage and
educate premature primary school leavers or those who have not done
well in the Primary School Leaving Examination.
From 2008, we will see the end of the streaming into EM1, EM2 and
EM3 bands and the introduction of a more ''a la carte'' menu
selection of study to cater to varying levels of ability and
perhaps, more importantly, address the issue of stigmatisation for
children who struggle in schools. We must not destroy our children's
sense of self worth and self esteem. This approach will hopefully
also help to lower the attrition rate in schools. Our target is to
halve the dropout rate at primary and secondary school levels from
three percent to 1.5 percent by 2010.
We also want to provide greater educational pathways to recognise
different talent and widen the definition of success. For example,
the Singapore Sports School, started in 2004. Next year, the School
of the Arts will open its doors for aspiring young artists.
We are also introducing greater flexibility in moving across the
various streams and learning institutions - ITEs, Polytechnics and
Universities.
We are now seeing the results of our early investments in education.
The percentage of primary one students not completing secondary
education has been steadily decreasing, from 4.3 percent in 2001 to
2.6 percent in 2005, with a corresponding increase in the rates of
progression to post-secondary institutions.
In the Global Competitiveness Report 2005/2006 published by the
World Economic Forum, Singapore?s education system, as well as our
science and mathematics education, was ranked first in terms of the
ability to meet the needs of a competitive economy.
Our educators stand at the crossroads of several intersecting
strategic shifts in educational technology and orientation. If they
can leverage on these resources and opportunities, we would
celebrate many more successes in education. But more importantly,
our children will gain immeasurably.
I believe that the next big frontier is pre-school education. The
literature consistently suggests that early intervention through a
high quality pre-school education can help make up for deficiencies
in home environments by way of ensuring school readiness. Yet 2006
figures show that five percent of children entering primary school
have not attended preschool. We want to ensure that as many children
as possible are in preschool, so that they get a good start in life.
Financial assistance schemes help ensure low-income children have
access to preschool education. The Kindergarten Financial Assistance
Scheme (KiFAS), for example, provides a monthly fee subsidy for
children to attend eligible kindergartens.
A similar emphasis is placed on promoting access to a high quality
childcare, which is likewise found to support the early development
of children.
The common thread that runs through the childcare, preschool and
formal school systems is the passion and commitment of teachers. I
salute you in your roles as trustees of our children's education and
future. As Henry Adams once said, ''A teacher affects eternity; he
can never tell where his influence stops.''
Securing Safety
''My wish for children in Singapore is for all children to grow up
in a safe environment with no wars, fighting or killing. Everyone
loves one another as one big family.'' - Wong Wen Kong, 9
This child's wish is a reminder that for some children, home is a
battlefield filled with pain and sadness. Some families face
problems like poverty, violence, and substance abuse, and other
crises, which put the child's safety at risk. Under such
circumstances, the Government and the community have the
responsibility to step in to deal with these family problems to
ensure that the child's well-being is protected.
A key instrument for protecting children from abuse and neglect is
the Children and Young Persons Act. The Act also provides for
treatment against child abuse and neglect. The Child Protection
Service (CPS) at MCYS is the key agency bearing statutory
responsibility to protect children from abuse and neglect. CPS works
in partnership with other agencies, such as the police, schools,
hospitals and social service agencies, to ensure an integrated
system of timely intervention for victims of child abuse or neglect.
The incidence of child abuse in Singapore is low. In the last five
years, about 175 cases of child abuse were investigated each year.
Whilst the number is small relative to the entire cohort of children
in Singapore, we have a duty of care towards these children. Every
case is a future robbed.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in his speech at the opening of the
Centre for Promoting Alternatives to Violence, or PAVE, spoke of the
key thrusts of our efforts against violence. I think these are worth
reiterating today.
The key thrusts are: strong legislation, practical policies and
effective programmes that address both perpetrators and victims, and
upstream measures such as public education aimed at strengthening
families. These have served us well and remain central to our effort
to make Singapore a safe place for children.
Our experience with child protection cases has been that
ill-treatment sometimes begins as a caregiver's reaction to the
child's behaviours. Poor understanding of the child's developmental
needs; inability to cope with the child's challenging behaviour; and
unrealistic expectations of the child can contribute to a weak
parent-child relationship that could escalate to ill-treatment.
Family crises could add to the stress. These realities mean a
holistic intervention approach is needed to tackle child abuse.
My Ministry has, since 2004, also adopted the concept of permanency
planning aimed at making informed and timely decisions on a child's
long-term care. This planning process is initiated early in the
supervision process, through interventions, assessments and
discussions with professionals, parents, kin and significant others,
and ensures that the responsibility for the care of a child does not
switch from placement to placement indefinitely.
The work of protecting our children is physically and emotionally
draining. I have heard countless stories of social workers and
counsellors, SCS workers included, moved to tears at the sight of
children who have been beaten, scalded, sexually abused. Difficult
as it is, these workers carry on, sometimes being the difference
between what makes or breaks the child. Society owes this dedicated
group of individuals a great debt of gratitude. I thank you all for
your service to our children and to Singapore.
Nurturing Families
''My wish for children in Singapore is for them to have a happy
family! Whether rich or poor, everyone deserves a family to care and
love them. I wish for every child to have a happy home to return
to.'' - Jeanine Cheok, 11
''My wish for children in Singapore is that they will grow up in a
family full of love, trust and care.'' - Geraldine Mok, 13
Families are central to the lives of children. Children need a
supportive, loving environment to grow in, and role models to guide
them into adulthood. Much evidence shows that where these factors
are not present in the home, the child is at risk of failure.
Parents compete with other powerful sources of influence, including
the Internet, the media, and all the temptations of modern youth
culture.
As parents, we can deal with these influences in one of two ways: to
shield them, or provide them with strong foundations to help them
make the right decisions. I believe in the latter. And the best way
to do so is to reflect the right values through our own actions. As
Robert Fulghum put it, ''Don't worry that children never listen to
you; worry that they are always watching you.''
However, effective parenting requires a deliberate effort, hence our
heavy investment in parent education through the Parent Education in
Pre-Schools (PEPS) and School Family Education (SFE) programmes.
These offer a continuum of parenting and family life programmes, and
cover issues such as parent-child relationships, parenting,
marriages, financial planning, and work-life harmony, from the
preschool to Junior College level.
We recognise, of course, that some parents need more convincing than
others on the importance of their role in their children's lives.
Sometimes, the courts mandate counselling for parents whose children
have been abused or whose children run afoul of the law. It is my
fervent hope that more parents will embrace their role as key
pillars of support and guidance for the next generation.
Embracing Diversity, Ensuring Inclusion
''My wish for children in Singapore is for people to respect each
other?s race. They will not make fun of each other. This will make
them live in harmony.'' - Vivian Feng, 9
''My wish for children in Singapore is to always be happy and
healthy. I hope we will not be biased against each other just
because another may be physically/mentally challenged; I hope we
embrace each other's disabilities and look beyond that.''- Yap Shi
Kaye, 17
As we develop as a city of possibilities, our children will explore
and experience diverse pathways. This diversity is increasingly
expressed in a manner that goes beyond race and culture.
Nonetheless, an embrace of racial and cultural diversity remains
crucial. A respect for and appreciation of racial and cultural
diversity is not just a key ingredient for social harmony in
Singapore, but a necessary one for an environment that is free from
prejudice and stereotyping, and hence nurturing to children of all
heritages.
It is in this spirit that the Government has for example, encouraged
and offered incentives for the pursuit of Chinese and Malay as third
languages in schools. Language is a basic but powerful tool for our
children to bridge differences.
Our concept of cultural diversity should also extend beyond our four
major races. As more people from around the world sink their roots
in Singapore, we must ensure an environment that welcomes them,
particularly the children, with open arms. We must do all that we
can to ensure their integration into Singapore society so that we
can, in turn, be enriched by the perspectives and experiences that
they bring with them.
Likewise, we can all do well to take heed from Shi Kaye?s sanguine
wish for everyone to ''embrace each other's disabilities and look
beyond that.'' How a society cares for the disabled reflects the
kind of society it is.
The Enabling Masterplan for 2007 to 2011, which was announced
earlier this year, is a wide-ranging masterplan which looks into
services for people with disabilities. More concretely, for
school-going children, there will be more funding and support for
Special Education (SPED), including cross posting of teachers from
MOE?s mainstream schools to SPED. A purpose-built SPED school is
also on the cards to be completed by next year.
There will also be more Special Needs officers and support for
children with disabilities in mainstream schools. MOE has set aside
some S$50 million per year, to equip mainstream schools to better
support students with special needs in their midst.
A child with disabilities needs all the support he/she needs during
their early years. To that end, we extended the Foreign Domestic
Work Levy concession to families with disabled members, as well as
starting a caregiver training grant in October this year, to empower
these families. More such initiatives will also be understudied by
the Standing Committee on Disability which is chaired by my
Permanent Secretary. Through the Committee, we hope to address
disability issues holistically and maximise the potential of each
and every person with disabilities.
Securing our Future - The road ahead
So where are we now and where do we want to be? What have we learnt
from our experiences thus far? What should we do given the
challenges before us? Allow me to share my thoughts on what I see as
key strategies for the future.
Seeding an Agenda for our Children
''My wish for children in Singapore is that the potential of
children of Singapore will be fully developed and used to build a
better Singapore.'' - Chan Pei Hao, 11
Our children have told us that the keys to securing their future
reside in promoting health, providing quality education, securing
their safety, embracing diversity and nurturing families. Our goal
must be to achieve the best possible outcomes for children in all
these areas. My challenge to all involved in the care of children is
to embrace our shared responsibilities in pursuing a comprehensive
agenda for our children.
Let me propose four basic principles to guide this agenda. First is
the principle of child-centricity and a whole-child approach to
policy and planning. We must be ready and committed to placing the
child at the core of what we do, and ensure that all our policies
and practices are framed by what is best for the child. We must be
committed to addressing the child's needs in a holistic manner,
going beyond seeing issues of health, education and protection, for
example, in isolation.
Second, we must be committed to enhancing and integrating service
delivery for all children. We want to ensure access, affordability,
but most of all, quality of care in all our services. Of particular
importance is how we recognise the interconnectedness of services
and optimise these links to ensure that no needs are left unmet and
no child falls between the cracks.
Third, the provision of specialised help, particularly to vulnerable
and special groups, where necessary. It is inevitable that some
children need more help than others due to their particular
circumstances. In such cases, we must intervene early and
effectively to avoid a lifetime of disadvantage.
And finally, a shared sense of responsibility amongst all agencies
and individuals. We must believe that we have a responsibility
towards our children and that collectively, we can and must
safeguard their interests and wellbeing.
Here, I would like to take this opportunity to commend the Singapore
Children?s Society for your efforts in protecting vulnerable
children. It has been heartening to see how they have grown over the
last 55 years. Indeed, the efforts of the Society are shining
examples of shared ownership to our agenda for children in reaching
out to and caring for our children whether through their
Tinklefriend helpline, Project Cabin projects or student care and
family care services, amongst other services.
Encouraging Participation
''My wish for children in Singapore is to get a chance to be
listened to by adults and to be respected, and to get more
attention.'' - Nicole Lee, 11.
As we work towards creating a Singapore fit for children, we must
also recognise the role that our children play in creating their
destinies. Their participation would lend robustness and inspiration
to the process. We must engage children as active partners in this
process and not approach them as mere recipients of our policies.
We must also be mindful of how national trends affect our children.
We must work together to find ways to make their concerns more
visible, and mainstream children's issues in our mindshare and
across our institutions.
Conclusion: The Journey of Childhood
I have come to the conclusion that it is time for MCYS to conduct a
comprehensive review of the Children and Young Persons Act and all
our programmes focussed on vulnerable children and dysfunctional
families. We will consult our community partners and the general
public in the course of the next few months.
Let me leave you with two final quotes from our children:
''My wish for children in Singapore is that every child can grow up
to be a great person.'' - Bilal, 13
''My wish for children in Singapore is to have a BOEING 747 and to
travel around the world - plus a pilot in the plane.'' - Marcus
Cheong, 9
These are big dreams, but they embody the great hope that should
characterise every childhood. So let us encourage our children to
dream and to aspire. Their ability to dream and the destiny of
Singapore are closely intertwined. The bigger their dreams, the
greater a nation we will become.
Thank you
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[1] Shorter, Edward. ''The Making of the Modern Families''. Basic
Press: New York (1975)
Source:
www.gov.sg News 28 Sep 2007
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Creating a Singapore fit for
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