Committee Of Supply Debates 2022 Speech By Minister In The Prime Minsiter's Office, Second Minister Of Education And Foreign Affairs Dr Maliki Osman On 10 March 2022

Reinforcing the network of care for families and community through M³

Mr Chairman,

Introduction

Our Malay community has done well. Over the last few decades, we have seen generations of Malay families do well and move up in life. At the same time, we still have some who still face challenges and need help as they progress forward.

The Census 2020 found that home ownership in the Malay community remained high at 85.6%. Yet, the proportion of Malay households in public rental flats has doubled in the last decade. MP Faisal Manap raised this issue during the Budget Debate recently, saying that the community has regressed and families in rental flats are living in cramped conditions. It is sad to hear how Mr Faisal had portrayed the plight of these families. First, the increase in number of households in rental flats is in tandem with the higher supply of 1- and 2-room rental flats in the past decade provided by HDB. Second, public rental households include young families who need temporary accommodation while they stabilise their income and savings. Another group are flat owners who were not able to purchase another flat after selling their previous flat for various reasons, including divorce. Prior to moving into their rental flats, many would be living with extended family members in crowded environment, far less conducive than what they have now. So for these families, public rental flats provide improved living conditions, and the much needed shelter as they work through their various socioeconomic challenges and aspire to be home owners.

As a community, we are determined to uplift the vulnerable families, especially those with young children, to secure a brighter future. We set up the Project Dian@M³ last year to support families in public rental flats to achieve greater social mobility. We will reinforce our network of care for the community through M³ in three ways:

a. First, upstream – we intend and will invest in our children’s early education early for a strong foundation in life for them;
b. Second, we will provide comprehensive support - we empower families to achieve their aspirations to be home owners; and
c. Third, we will galvanize resources - we enhance community capabilities to strengthen support for families.

Mr Chairman, in Malay please.

Melabur dalam Pendidikan Awal Kanak-Kanak untuk Membina Asas Kehidupan yang Kukuh

Tuan Pengerusi, izinkan saya berkongsi beberapa cabaran yang dihadapi keluarga yang menetap di flat-flat sewa kita. Baru-baru ini, saya bertemu dengan Ahmad, bukan namanya , bersama dengan isterinya. Mereka tinggal di flat sewa dua bilik. Mereka berumur 26 tahun dan ada 3 anak kecil berumur antara 2 dan 6 tahun. Ahmad bekerja sebagai penghantar makanan. Isterinya tidak bekerja. Keluarga muda ini dihimpit masalah kewangan dan cabaran kehidupan. Mereka membesar tanpa persekitaran keluarga yang stabil dan tiada bimbingan daripada ahli keluarga mereka yang lain. Ibu bapa Ahmad dan adik-beradiknya dibelenggu perceraian. Mereka juga tinggal di flat-flat sewa. Isteri Ahmad pula kehilangan ibunya apabila beliau berusia dua tahun, sementara bapanya kurang peduli tentang dirinya. Dalam usia muda ini, mereka terpaksa membesarkan 3 orang anak, tanpa bimbingan orang tua mereka.

Kisah Ahmad sekeluarga adalah cerminan kisah keluarga-keluarga muda di flat sewa kita. Mereka digelar ‘first timer households’ – atau keluarga yang belum pernah membeli atau memiliki flat sendiri. Tetapi mereka berpotensi untuk berbuat demikian dan pastinya, berpotensi berjaya dalam kehidupan. Mereka berasa tertekan dengan kehidupan kerana kurang kemahiran dan rangkaian sosial yang menyokong mereka. Kita boleh memperkukuhkan rangkaian sokongan untuk keluarga-keluarga ini dan merujuk mereka kepada sumber-sumberdan bantuan-bantuan yang sedia ada.

Golongan inilah yang akan menjadi tumpuan kami. Kami akan mengambil pendekatan “upstream” dalam sokongan kami kepada golongan ini. Pertama, kita perlu menstabilkan dan meningkatkan pendapatan mereka. Kini, di dalam kalangan keluarga kali pertama atau first timers households, di flat sewa yang mempunyai anak kecil, lebih 90 peratus mempunyai seorang saja pencari nafkah atau tiada langsung. Sekitar satu per tiga merupakan keluarga ibu-bapa tunggal, manakala yang lain adalah pasangan suami isteri. Kami akan membantu mereka mengatasi apa jua hambatan yang mereka hadapi – termasuk membantu mereka mempertingkatkan kemahiran melalui latihan dan menaikkan taraf, serta menangani isu penjagaan anak-anak mereka.

Menerusi pendekatan upstream ini, kami akan menumpukan perhatian kepada anak-anak mereka. Terdapat sekitar 2,300 keluarga first timers Melayu di flat sewa dengan sekurang-kurangnya seorang anak yang berusia 6 tahun ke bawah. Kesemuanya, terdapat 3,800 kanak-kanak yang berusia 6 tahun ke bawah di kalangan keluarga-keluarga ini. Perangkaan menunjukan 60 peratus diantara keluarga ini mempunyai anak berusia 3 tahun ke bawah.

Peringkat awal kanak-kanak amatlah penting demi membina asas yang kukuh. Bukan setakat persiapan akademik, malah juga perkembangan fizikal, mental, dan sosial. Bak kata pepatah, hendak melentur buluh biar dari rebungnya. Dulu, kebanyakan kanak-kanak mula bersekolah dari darjah satu, kerana prasekolah tidak dianggap suatu yang serius. Malah digelar “sekolah makan” dan tidak dihadiri ramai. Kini, hampir 9 daripada 10 kanak-kanak di Singapura sudahpun masuk prasekolah apabila mereka berusia 4 tahun.

Kajian antarabangsa menunjukkan bahawa menghadiri prasekolah berkualiti dari sekitar umur 3 tahun dapat memperkasa keyakinan diri dan kemahiran sosial anak-anak, serta membantu dalam persiapan ke sekolah formal. Lantas, kami akan terus meyakinkan dan menggesa ibubapa agar menghantar anak-anak mereka ke prasekolah seawal mungkin, supaya mendapat sekurang-kurangnya tiga tahun pendidikan sebelum darjah satu.

Saya bersetuju dengan Encik Zhulkarnain bahawa lebih ramai keluarga boleh memanfaatkan KidSTART. KidSTART ialah program yang memperkasakan ibubapa dengan kemahiran berkaitan penjagaan bayi dan anak-anak.. Menerusi kunjungan ke rumah oleh pakar KidSTART, mereka juga akan diberi peralatan pelajaran yang sesuai untuk bayi serta peluang untuk mempraktikkan teknik-teknik berinteraksi dengan efektif dengan anak mereka. Pakar KidSTART juga akan membimbing mereka tentang pemakanan yang sesuai untuk kanak-kanak dan cara merangsang perkembangan otak bagi menggilap potensi mereka. Ibubapa juga akan dibantu untuk mendaftarkan anak mereka ke prasekolah. Perkembangan kanak-kanak dan kesihatan ibu juga dipantau sebelum bersalin sehingga anak berusia tiga tahun, untuk memastikan intervensi yang diberi tepat pada masanya apabila isu-isu timbul .

Dr Wan Rizal bertanya tentang usaha-usaha M³ untuk memastikan kanak-kanak dari flat-flat sewa menerima sokongan awal. Melalui Projek Dian@M³, sukarelawan M³ kami bakal bekerja rapat dengan KidSTART untuk mengukuh sokongan bagi keluarga Melayu yang mempunyai anak-anak kecil di flat-flat sewa. Kami akan bermula di tiga blok dalam fasa perintis Projek Dian@M³. Sukarelawan kami akan bekerjasama dengan pegawai KidSTART, mengunjungi mereka secara kerap, memantau pembangunan kanak-kanak dan menjadi rakan rapat ibu bapa muda ini. Seperti yang saya katakan tadi, hari ini terdapat 3,800 kanak-kanak berusia 6 tahun ke bawah dari keluarga Melayu di flat-flat sewa kita. Saya yakin terdapat ramai di luar sana yang turut prihatin akan masa depan anak-anak ini dan saya mengajak mereka semua untuk tampil ke hadapan berkhidmat sebagai sukarelawan kami. Khidmat dan ihsan anda akan mengubah masa depan anak-anak ini.

Untuk anak-anak yang akan melangkah ke tahap sekolah formal, kami juga mahu mempertingkatkan prestasi mereka. Kami akan memberi peralatan dan sumber tambahan menerusi program-program M³ seperti KelasMateMatika@CC (KMM@CC) dan Kelas Siap Sekolah (KSS) agar mereka boleh berjaya ketika dalam persekolahan.

Encik Zhulkarnain bertanya tentang keberkesanan KMM dan KSS. KMM telah berjaya mendekati hampir 1,700 ibubapa dan lebih dari 1,800 kanak-kanak tahun lalu. Pada tahun 2021, 83 peratus peserta KMM datang daripada keluarga berpendapatan rendah. KMM telah menunjukkan kesan positif. Lebih daripada 80 peratus pelajar KMM tahun lalu berasa lebih bersedia apabila memasuki darjah satu, dan tidak perlu mengikuti Program Sokongan Pembelajaran bagi Matematik di sekolah mereka. Program Kelas Siap Sekolah atau KSS pula mencapai kadar penyertaan 98 peratus pelajar daripada sasaran 100 pelajar tahun lalu. Ibubapa juga telah raih manfaat daripada program KSS, dengan 90 peratus di antara mereka berkata bahawa mereka akan menggunakan pendekatan yang dikongsi untuk membimbing kanak-kanak mereka.

MENDAKI juga akan mengambil langkah untuk mengukuhkan sokongan bagi pelajar dalam mata pelajaran Matematik di peringkat awal sekolah rendah, dan bukan hanya di peringkat darjah enam sahaja yang berlaku ketika ini. Bagi kanak-kanak dari darjah satu sehingga darjah tiga yang dikenalpasti memerlukan sokongan tambahan, MENDAKI akan mengerahkan pembimbing ke rumah mereka untuk mengajar Matematik kepada mereka secara satu demi satu. . Ini bermakna pendekatan yang lebih intensif and memerlukan sumber yang lebih tinggi. Kami bersedia untuk mengagihkan sumber yang diperlukan. Kami ingin para pembimbing memberi sokongan khusus kepada kanak-kanak ini mengikuti rentak pembelajaran mereka; kami akur bahawa setiap insan mempunyai kekuatan masing-masing. Kami yakin, kehadiran pembimbing ini akan memberi inspirasi dan memperkasa ibu bapa juga supaya lebih prihatin dengan pendidikan anak-anak.

Langkah-langkah upstream ini, mungkin kecil tetapi amat penting bagi membangunkan kemahiran anak-anak di peringkat awal dan meningkatkan keyakinan diri serta daya tahan mereka. Pada jangka masa panjang, usaha-usaha dalam pendidikan awal anak-anak akan mempertingkatkan mobiliti sosial bagi keluarga-keluarga ini, generasi demi generasi.

Memperkasa Keluarga untuk Mencapai Impian Mereka

Tuan Pengerusi, Projek DIAN@M³ juga bertujuan untuk membantu keluarga di flat sewa meningkatkan pendapatan mereka dan berusaha untuk membeli and memiliki flat mereka sendiri. Inilah impian mereka. Dan kami ingin membantu mereka menjadikan impian ini satu kenyataan.

Saya berbesar hati berkongsi dengan Cik Nadia dan Cik Mariam bahawa Projek Dian@M³ telah mendekati hampir 65 peratus daripada kesemua keluarga Melayu yang menetap di tiga blok sewa fasa pertama di M³@Bedok, M³@Geylang Serai dan M³@Jalan Besar sejak Disember lalu. Kami memperkukuhkan sokongan bersepadu bagi keluarga di flat sewa ini dengan menghubungkan mereka dengan program-program masyarakat dan program-program nasional, termasuk program ComLink oleh MSF, program UPLIFT oleh MOE dan program KidSTART oleh ECDA, demi melengkapkan usaha Pemerintah dengan pendekatan yang sesuai dengan budaya dan nilai masyarakat Melayu. Bagi memudahkan proses ini, kami telah menubuhkan Jawatankuasa Pemandu Projek Dian, yang terdiri daripada pegawai-pegawai kanan daripada agensi Pemerintah dan masyarakat, untuk menyelaraskan usaha antara agensi Pemerintah dan rakan kongsi masyarakat.

Bagi memastikan sokongan yang diberikan lebih berkesan, kami telah menubuhkan Kumpulan Operasi di peringkat bandar. Kumpulan operasi ini dianggotai oleh pegawai-pegawai operasi dari agensi-agensi pemerintah dan rakan kongsi masyarakat yang sama dengan Jawatankuasa Pemandu Projek Dian. Melalui kumpulan operasi ini, kami akan terus memahami keadaan dan keperluan setiap keluarga, dan bekerjasama untuk memberi sokongan komprehensif kepada mereka

Kami akur peranan penting para sukarelawan meniti perjalanan bersama keluarga ini dan membimbing mereka di setiap langkah – daripada menyokong pendidikan awal kanak-kanak, kepada meningkatkan kemahiran ibu bapa bagi mendapatkan pekerjaan baik dan pendapatan yang stabil untuk memiliki rumah mereka sendiri. Sejak beberapa tahun lalu, sukarelawan MESRA dan Jawatankuasa Eksekutif Kegiatan Melayu atau MAECs telah meluaskan peranan mereka lebih daripada hanya menganjurkan acara-acara kebudayaan. Kini, mereka berganding bahu dengan sukarelawan masjid dan kumpulan-kumpulan karyawan untuk mendekati dan menilai keperluan keluarga-keluarga yang menetap di flat sewa, dengan menggunakan borang yang sama digunakan oleh program ComLink Pemerintah. Ini dapat menyelaraskan usaha-usaha, membolehkan kami memberikan khidmat yang sesuai bagi memenuhi keperluan unik setiap keluarga.

Cik Mariam dan Cik Nadia juga bertanya bagaimana kita menilai kejayaan dan hasil jangka panjang Projek Dian@M³. Matlamat utama kami ialah memperkukuhkan asas pendidikan awal anak-anak untuk menjamin masa depan lebih cerah bagi mereka, dan mencapai kestabilan keluarga supaya mereka mampu berdikari dan terus mendaki tangga sosial. Kami akan memantau perkembangan dan kemajuan setiap keluarga dalam mencapai impian mereka untuk memiliki flat mereka sendiri. Kami yakin setiap usaha ini pasti akan membuahkan hasil. Namun, kita semua tahu proses ini akan memakan masa.

Cik Nadia bertanya tentang kemajuan terkini Pusat Khidmat Penjagaan Berterusan bagi Pesalah dan Keluarga atau ‘FITRAH’. Sejak 2019, FITRAH telah membantu sekitar 2,600 keluarga dan 530 pesalah. Tujuh puluh lima peratus daripada pesalah ini yang dibantu adalah pesalah lelaki. Membantu golongan rentan memerlukan usaha padu semua lapisan masyarakat. Justeru, saya terharu melihat banyak badan-badan Melayu/Islam (MMOs) yang telah melangkah ke hadapan untuk bekerjasama dengan kami dalam usaha ini, seperti rangkaian MMO dalam FITRAH.”. Saya amat mengalu-alukan lebih banyak MMO untuk bekerja rapat dengan M³ demi mempertingkatkan masyarakat kita,.

Enhancing community capability to strengthen support for families

Mr Chairman, without support from the community, the reach and impact of our programmes in uplifting the vulnerable, will be limited. Our volunteers play an important role in reaching out to families to understand their concerns, conduct needs assessment, and befriending them. Many of our volunteers have displayed empathy, patience, and resilience. I thank all our M³ volunteers, who have dedicated timeless support for the families. They have been tirelessly helping these families work and walk the journey to achieve their aspirations.

To expand our network of care, especially to the families with children aged six years old and below living in public rental flats, we need many more volunteers to come forward to support us in this effort. We need volunteers who can inspire hope in families, engage them regularly over an extended period of time, thereby building rapport and trust with them. I encourage more from the community to step forward and contribute in whatever way they can. We will ensure that all M³ volunteers are equipped with the right knowledge and skillsets to meaningfully engage families through the Volunteers Capability Building Framework. So far, more than 150 volunteers have attended our onboarding programme last year, while 120 volunteers attended the basic house visit workshop.

Despite restrictions during COVID-19, our M³@Towns have done well in serving the community.. A total of 77 initiatives were conducted by the 11 M³@Towns last year, benefitting more than 53,000 residents. Our M³@Towns also supported residents through ground-up initiatives such as ‘Jom Surf!’, Jom is the Melayu word for ‘come’, which equips our seniors with digital literacy. With guidance from our young volunteers, seniors built their confidence in using technology by learning how to use WhatsApp, Singpass and the TraceTogether app. I attended one of these sessions recently and was heartened to see the enthusiasm of both the young volunteers and the senior learners. We bridged the digital and generational gaps at the same time.

We will be organising another edition of the M³ Forum in the first half of next year after the last session in 2020, to bring together volunteers across various towns and programmes to network, and share ideas and best practices.

Conclusion

Mr Chairman, we will continue our efforts to strengthen our programmes and outreach to targeted segments – our children, families, and community – to build up their competencies and empower them to achieve their aspirations. This spirit of caring for one another binds us together and we will leave no one behind as we build our Community of Success.

English Translation

Investing in Early Education for a Strong Foundation in Life

Mr Chairman, allow me to share some of the challenges that families staying in public rental flats face. Recently, I met Ahmad, not his real name, and his wife. They live in a two-room public rental flat. Both are 26 years old, and have three young children aged between 2 and 6 years old. Ahmad works as a food delivery driver. His wife is unemployed. The young family is faced with financial difficulty and other challenges. Both grew up without stable home environments nor guidance from other family members. Ahmad’s parents and his elder siblings are divorced. They also reside in public rental flats. As for Ahmad’s wife, her mother passed away when she was two years old, while her father was mostly absent. They have to raise three children at such a young age, without guidance from their elders.

The story of Ahmad’s family reflects the situation faced by young families in rental flats. They are who we call, first timer households – families who have not purchased or owned a flat but certainly have the potential to do so, and do well in life. They feel overwhelmed by their circumstances as they lack the necessary skills and social support networks. We can strengthen the support network for these families and guide them to the resources and support available.

This group will be our focus. We will take an upstream approach to support them. First, we will help them stabilise and increase their incomes. Today, among first timer rental households with young children, more than 90% have either one or no breadwinner. About one third are single parent families, the rest are married couples. We will help them overcome whatever barriers they face – including supporting them to upgrade their skills through training and upskilling, as well as child care issues.

Through this upstream approach, we will focus on their children. There are about 2,300 first-time Malay households living in rental flats with at least one child aged 6 years old and below. In total, there are about 3,800 Malay children aged six years old and below living in public rental flats whose parents are first timers. About 60 percent of them have at least one child aged three years old and younger.

The early years in a child’s life are crucial in laying a strong foundation. This goes beyond preparing our young children academically, but also for them to develop well physically, mentally and socially. As the Malay saying goes, “hendak melentur buluh biar dari rebungnya” (“bend the bamboo while it is still a shoot” – which means to mould a person while one is still young). In the past, most children attended school only at Primary 1 as preschool was not viewed seriously. In fact, it was called “sekolah makan” and was not attended by many. Today, around 9 in 10 children in Singapore attend preschool by the age of 4.

International research tells us that attending quality preschool early, from around age 3, can boost children’s confidence and social skills, and help prepare them for school. So we will endeavour to convince and urge these parents to send their children to preschool early, so that their children have at least 3 years of education before they enter primary one.

I share Mr Zhulkarnain’s view that more families can benefit from KidSTART. KidSTART empowers parents and caregivers to provide infant and child care. Through home visits by visitators of facilitators from KidSTART, they will be provided with learning resources and opportunities to practise parent-child interaction techniques. Home visitators or facilitators from KidSTART will guide young parents on the appropriate nutritional needs of children and how to stimulate their brain development to harness their growth potential. Parents will also be assisted in enrolling their children in preschool. Regular screening of the child’s development and maternal well-being are also conducted from the antenatal to when the child is three years old, so that timely interventions can be introduced should issues arise.

Dr Wan Rizal asked about M³ efforts to ensure that young children in public rental flats receive early intervention. Through Project Dian@M³, our M³ volunteers will work closely with KidSTART to strengthen support for Malay families living in public rental flats with young children. We will start with the three blocks under the Project DIAN@M³ pilot. Volunteers will work closely with KidSTART officers, visit them regularly, support their child’s development and befriend families, and work with KidSTART practitioners in child development and parenting support. As I mentioned earlier, there are about 3,800 Malay children today aged six years old and below living in public rental flats. M³ volunteers engage families in between the visits by KidSTART professionals to ensure the continuum of care. This means, we need more volunteers to handhold these families and act as mentors and role models. I know that many are concerned about the future of these children, and I urge you to step forward to volunteer with us. Your acts of service and kindness have the ability to change the future of these children.

We also want to improve the performance of our children in the formal school environment. We are further equipping our children with the tools and resources through M³ programmes such as the KelasMateMatika (KMM@CC) and KelasSiapSekolah (KSS), so that they can succeed in school.

Mr Zhulkarnain asked aboutthe success of KMM and KSS. KMM has successfullly engaged close to 1,700 parents and more than 1,800 children last year. In 2021, 83% of KMM participants came from low-income families. KMM has shown promising results. More than 80% of students who attended KMM and enrolled in Primary 1 last year are more prepared for Primary 1, and did not require further assistance through the Learning Support for Mathematics. The KSS has also enrolled 98% of the target of 100 students last year. Parents have also benefitted from KSS, with 90% reporting that they will use the strategies shared to guide their children.

MENDAKI is also going upstream to strengthen support to children in Mathematics in the early primary school years, instead of at primary six currently. For children in Primary 1 to Primary 3 who have been identified as needing additional support, MENDAKI will bring coaches to their homes to teach Mathematics to Primary 1 to Primary 3 students, one by one. This will mean a more intensive approach which will require more resources. We are prepared to put in the resources needed. The coaches will guide children at their own pace; recognising that each person has their own strengths. We are confident that the coaches’ presence in the homes will inspire and empower the parents to be more involved in their children’s education.

These upstream steps, may be small but are crucial towards developing our children’s competencies in their early years and building their confidence and resilience. Investing in their early childhood education will pay off in the long run, enabling families to achieve greater inter-generational mobility.

Empowering families to achieve their aspirations

Mr Chairman, Project DIAN@M³ also aims to help households in rental flats improve their incomes and work towards home ownership. This is their aspiration. And we want to help them make their dream a reality.

I am pleased to share with Ms Nadia and Ms Mariam that since last December, Project Dian@M³ has reached out to almost 65% of all Malay households in the three pilot blocks at M³@Bedok, M³@Geylang Serai and M³@Jalan Besar. We strengthen wrap-around support for families in rental flats by linking up these families to community and national programmes, including MSF’s Community Link, MOE’s UPLIFT, and ECDA’s KidSTART, to complement government effort with sound cultural approaches. To facilitate this, we have formed the Project Dian Steering Committee, made up of senior officers from the relevant government and community agencies, to coordinate efforts among government agencies and community partners.

For more efficient service delivery, we have formed a Local Operations Group at the M³ town level in each of the three pilot blocks. This Local Operations Group comprise officers from the same government agencies and community partners as the Project Dian Steering Committee. Through this group, we will continue to understand each family’s circumstances and needs, and work together to provide comprehensive support.

Indeed, volunteers play an important role to journey and guide these families every step of the way – from supporting their children’s early education, to equipping parents with skillsets to secure good jobs and stable incomes to buy a flat. Over the past few years, volunteers from MESRA and the Malay Activity Executive Committees (MAECs) have expanded their roles beyond just organising cultural events. Today, they work together with volunteers from the mosques and professional groups, to engage and conduct needs assessment of Malay households in public rental units using similar forms as MSF’s Community Link or ComLink. This streamlines efforts, allowing us to provide customised services that meet the unique needs of each family.

Ms Mariam and Ms Nadia also asked about the success indicators and long-term outcomes of Project Dian@M³. Our aim is to strengthen the children’s early childhood education to help them secure a brighter future, and for families to achieve stability, self-reliance and eventually, social mobility. We will track each family’s progress in meeting their goal to own their homes. We are confident that these efforts will pay off, but this process will take time.

Ms Nadia asked for an update on FITRAH. Since 2019, FITRAH has supported about 2,600 families and 530 offenders, with about 75% of supported offenders being male. Uplifting the vulnerable requires a whole-of-community effort, so I am happy to see many Malay/Muslim Organiations (MMOs) come forward to support us in this effort, such as through FITRAH’s MMO Alliance Network. I look forward to more MMOs parnering M³ as we collectively uplift the community.