RPD Bites is a monthly scan covering issues and trends surfaced in various local mainstream media sources that would be of relevance to the Malay/Muslim community. It is compiled by the Research and Planning Department (RPD) of Yayasan MENDAKI. The key highlights for this month are: • Singapore IB students make up half of world's perfect scorers globally, while students who sat for last year’s O level examinations set a new record, with 85.2 per cent of the cohort attaining five or more passes. • The Singapore Institute of Technology has launched two new degree programmes in speech and language therapy, and digital communications and integrated media, while SUTD has launched a new undergraduate degree in design and AI. • Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Heng Swee Keat will unveil the annual Budget in Parliament on 18 Feb 2020.

1. January 2020
Sources: The Straits Times (ST), The Sunday Times, Berita Harian (BH),
Berita Minggu (BM), Channel NewsAsia (CNA)

2. What is RPD Bites?
RPD Bites is a monthly scan covering issues and trends surfaced in various local
mainstream media sources that would be of relevance to the Malay/Muslim community. It is
compiled by the Research and Planning Department (RPD) of Yayasan MENDAKI.
The ‘Food For Thought’ section seeks to raise thought-provoking
questions to stimulate discussion, with the hope of complementing our efforts to
support the Malay/Muslim community as a whole.
RPD Bites begins with an article count across the different media sources, including
the number of articles that fall within four main areas: (1) Education, (2) Economy, Employability &
Digitalisation, (3) Social and (4) Malay/Muslim Affairs. Other salient areas for the month are also
highlighted. It then delves into emerging themes and trends observed, before culminating in a
‘Food For Thought’ section.
We welcome any feedback or comments you might
have. You can reach us at RPD@mendaki.org.sg
2

3. Overall Coverage
 A total of 238 articles were collated. The Education (78 articles) category occupies the top spot
in terms of article count with coverage on Singapore’s global and national examination
performances, followed by the Economy, Employability & Digitalisation (67 articles) category.
59
44
29 30
4
19
23
10 13
7
78
67
39
43
11
Education Economy, Employability &
Digitalisation
Social Governance Malay/Muslim Affairs
No. of Articles
ST BH/BM Total
3

4. Key Themes & News Highlights
Based on Coverage

5. Education
5
National Education Achievements
 Singapore IB students make up half of world's perfect scorers globally (ST, 4 Jan).
 Students who sat last year’s O-level examinations set a new record, with 85.2 per cent of the
cohort attaining five or more passes. This is up from 84.8 per cent in 2018. (ST, 14 Jan).
• Of the 2,250 students in Singapore who took the exams, 96.66 per cent
passed.
• Global pass rate was 70.03 per cent, while the rate for the Asia-Pacific
region was 87.76 per cent (ST, 4 Jan).
• Average scores of Singapore students were also higher than those
of their global and regional counterparts: 37.99 points against 28.52 and
33.89, respectively (ST, 4 Jan).

6. Education
 The programme, in collaboration between MOE and MSF, will run from this year to 2022.
 Aims to reach more than 300 primary and secondary school students living in the Woodlands, Kreta
Ayer and Boon Lay areas (ST, 19 Jan).
 In its latest push to encourage children to pursue their interests and focus less on performance, MOE will look
at dropping selection trials for co-curricular activities (CCAs) (ST, 22 Jan).
 Schools here have stepped up measures to safeguard against the Wuhan virus including travel declarations
for all students and staff, after Singapore confirmed its first case (ST, 24 Jan).
6
Developments in Education Sector
 The UPLIFT Community Pilot, a component of the UPLIFT
programme, aims to enhance support for disadvantaged students
who need more help to attend school regularly (ST, 19 Jan).

7. Education
 Classes will begin at Singapore’s first high-rise junior college Eunoia
Junior College (EJC) in Bishan, costing $100 million to build (ST, 2 Jan).
7
Developments in Education Sector
 Education Minister Ong Ye Kung highlighted that social media is
changing the way people receive and absorb information, and
education has a part to play in addressing this challenge.
 Two other challenges are (1) changing education to one that is
lifelong and experiential, and (2) changing society's perception that
a university degree is the sole route to success (ST, 17 Jan).
 In the Global Social Mobility Index, Singapore was the best performer in Internet access in schools, learning
outcomes and the low proportion of disadvantaged students who reported lacking education material.
 It is ranked 20th among 82 economies for social mobility, but among South-east Asian nations, it is in
the top spot (ST, 23 Jan).

8.  More school leavers are choosing the three-year polytechnic route over the two-year junior
college (JC) route (ST, 15 Jan).
 30 per cent of polytechnic graduates – almost 1 in 3 – made it to one of the six local universities (ST,
28 Jan).
 Most new university places created over the last seven years, including at the Singapore University
of Social Sciences (SUSS) and Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), went to polytechnic
diploma holders.
 According to the latest polytechnic graduate employment survey, 90.7 per cent of graduates who
entered the workforce last year found permanent, freelance or part-time jobs within six months of
graduation (ST, 15 Jan).
 Median gross monthly salary for graduates who landed full-time jobs rose from $2,350 in 2018 to
$2,400 last year (ST, 15 Jan).
8
Education
Trends in Poly Education

9.  The number of ITE graduates taking up work-study diplomas is set to double by 2025 and the number of
course offerings is to grow from 24 to 40 (ST, 21 Jan).
 Prospective students at Ngee Ann Polytechnic can expect new courses this year that will prepare them for the
changing economy (ST, 13 Jan).
 They include a Diploma in Community Development, a course designed to support the growing social
service sector, in which students will be taught design thinking and social innovation skills (ST, 13 Jan).
 The Diploma in Design merges existing courses in product design with sustainable urban design and
engineering, and aims to provide students with the opportunity to work on real-world projects that are closely
tied with industrial and community partners (ST, 13 Jan).
 Engineering students from Singapore Polytechnic (SP) will be able to take university-level modules in their field
of study taught by the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Singapore University of Technology and
Design (SUTD) (ST, 13 Jan).
9
New Courses in Higher Education
Education

10.  The Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) has launched
two new degree programmes in speech and language therapy,
and digital communications and integrated media (ST, 8 Jan).
 SUTD has launched a new undergraduate degree in design
and AI.
• Students will be exposed to areas of design such as user
interface/user experience, product, systems, built
environment and data-driven design (ST, 11 Jan).
10
New Courses in Higher Education
Education

11.  Google is expanding the curriculum and scope of the Code in the Community
(CITC) programme, with 6,700 more children expected to benefit from free
coding classes over the next three years (ST, 5 Jan).
 MOE will complete a review of its practice to withhold results slips
because of unpaid school fees by November, when PSLE results are released.
 Every year, about 2 per cent of the Primary 6 cohort accumulate arrears
and do not apply for financial assistance from MOE (ST, 7 Jan).
11
Education, Social
Initiatives in Education Sector
Mental Health Amongst Youth
 Arising from the SG Youth Action Plan, a group helping to shape policies for youth will work with schools to
build up mental health first-response capabilities amongst the youth here, and engage employers on
providing better support for those with mental health conditions in the workplace (ST, 28 Jan).

12.  The Temasek Foundation Integrated Maternal and Child Wellness Hub was officially launched to provide
mothers and their infants enhanced health-screening services and holistic care at Punggol Polyclinic (ST, 22 Jan).
12
Health Initiatives & Policies
Social
 The Healthcare Services Bill has been approved by
Parliament, and will give the authorities powers to license
new models of care (ST, 7 Jan).
 It will replace the Private Hospitals and Medical
Clinics Act, which licensed healthcare providers
based on their physical premises (ST, 7 Jan).
 The first guidelines on physical activity and exercise for pregnant women were released in a bid to curb the
high rate of gestational diabetes here (ST, 10 Jan).
 Despite evidence suggesting that regular exercise during pregnancy reduces the risk of gestational diabetes,
pregnant women tend to be less active due to physical, psychological and cultural barriers (ST, 10 Jan).

13. Social
 The Home Ownership Support Team (HST) that guides and supports families in rental homes to buy
their own flats is seeing results, as 20 of 200 households assisted are on their way to home ownership
(ST, 24 Jan).
 A new study has found that married women in their peak childbearing age here have a lot less sex
than they desire, thwarted by stress and fatigue (ST, 5 Jan).
 The Singapore Global Network (SGN) under EDB aims to reach wider network to include both overseas
Singaporeans and those who have previously worked or studied in Singapore (ST, 2 Jan).
13
Supporting Families & Overseas Singaporeans
 More Singaporeans have been born overseas as more are living abroad
for study or work and not giving up their passports (ST, 3 Jan).
 This is a 27 per cent increase from 2008 to 2018, making up between
6 per cent and 9 per cent of new citizens every year in the same period
(ST, 3 Jan).

14. 14
Social
 A study by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) showed that women in Singapore earned 6 per cent less
than their male peers in 2018 (CNA, 9 Jan).
 This means women got $342 less in median monthly salary than men who were in similar job roles
(CNA, 9 Jan).
 The Crisis Preparedness for Religious Organisations (CPRO) programme
has been launched to raise awareness of possible terror threats, introduce a
crisis-ready mentality and improve security measures (ST, 14 Jan).
 Singaporeans will be able to weigh in and shape the mandatory curriculum – the
Singapore Citizenship Journey programme – which new citizens undergo
before becoming full-fledged members of Singaporean society (ST, 16 Jan).
Gender Pay Gap
Strengthening Social Cohesion

15. Governance & Budget 2020
 In his annual New Year message, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong assured Singaporeans that the upcoming
Budget will have measures to help businesses, workers, families as well as the poor, the elderly and the
vulnerable (ST, 1 Jan).
 Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Heng Swee Keat will unveil the annual Budget in Parliament on
18 Feb (ST, 1 Jan).
 Ms Indranee, who is Second Minister for Finance and Education, said that there will be initiatives in the
upcoming Budget to promote volunteerism and help seniors with their retirement needs (ST, 29 Jan).
15
Budget 2020 & Governance
 The fourth-generation political leaders launched a new movement to get
citizens to help shape policies in areas such as work-life harmony and
recycling (ST, 3 Jan).

16. Governance
 Singapore has been ranked fourth least corrupt country in the world in the public sector, and the
only Asian country placed in the top ten (ST, 23 Jan).
 At the Public Service Leadership Dinner, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that the public service
has not done well enough in recruiting midcareer entrants from the private sector (ST, 18 Jan).
16
Public Service Sector
 He said such mid-career hires bring with them expertise that the
public service lacks, and see with fresh eyes what public servants
may take for granted. They should not make mid-career entrants
conform to the service (ST, 18 Jan).

17. Economy
 About 83 per cent of the 60,000 new jobs created for the local
workforce between 2015 to 2018 went to Singaporeans, and the
rest to permanent residents (ST, 16 Jan).
 United Nations figures show that Malaysians form the
biggest group of migrants living and working in
Singapore, accounting for almost half - or 44 per cent - of
the foreign-born population here.
 They are followed by Chinese nationals, who make up
around 18 per cent of the migrant pool (ST, 19 Jan).
17
Economic Performance & Employment Trends
 Singapore secured $15.2 billion in investments last year, which are expected to create more than 32,000 jobs over the
coming years, where the vast majority will go to Singaporeans (ST, 16 Jan).
 Around 60 to 70 per cent of the jobs created by the foreign investment attracted here in 2019 will be for PMETs.
 Around half of these positions will be in the digital economy, utilising technologies such as data analytics
and artificial intelligence (ST, 16 Jan).

18. Employability
 More mid-career PMETs will be able to benefit from the renewal of a reskilling programme, Professional
Conversion Programme (PCP) for Salesforce Platform Professionals, that will help them move into in-demand
tech roles (ST, 15 Jan).
 Experienced hawkers will mentor those aspiring to start their own business and provide apprenticeships as part of a
new programme – the Hawkers' Development Programme, which is jointly developed by the National
Environment Agency (NEA) and SkillsFuture Singapore (ST, 21 Jan).
 As construction demand is expected to remain robust, the Government is working with the industry to build better
career and wage prospects (ST, 9 Jan).
 At the Public Service Leadership Dinner, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that the public service has not
done well enough in recruiting midcareer entrants from the private sector (ST, 18 Jan).
 He said such mid-career hires bring with them expertise that the public service lacks, and see with fresh eyes
what public servants may take for granted. They should not make mid-career entrants conform to the
service (ST, 18 Jan).
18
Support for Workers

19. Malay/Muslim Affairs
 Dr Nazirudin Mohd Nasir, who is currently deputy Mufti, will take over on March 1, when Mufti Mohamed
Fatris Bakaram, 49, retires after nine years in office. The new religious leader for Muslims in Singapore
wants to continue ensuring that the practice of Islam remains progressive (ST, 11 Jan).
 Outgoing Mufti Fatris Bakaram has said Islamic religious teachers here have helped greatly in getting
the Muslim community to understand some tough decisions MUIS has had to make (ST, 17 Jan).
 He cited the barring of some foreign preachers and the approval of a milk bank to save premature
babies, which some said runs counter to traditional Islamic beliefs, as MUIS rulings that benefited
from help from the asatizah (ST, 17 Jan).
19
Community Developments
 The Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation (RLAF) under MUIS launched
three new initiatives to aid the less fortunate in society, regardless of
their faith (ST, 11 Jan).
• It seeks to help mums living in rental flats, people with
disabilities, refugee kids in KL (ST, 11 Jan).

20. Malay/Muslim Affairs
 Mdm Zuraidah Abdullah, a senior assistant commissioner in the
Singapore Police Force, will be appointed chief executive-designate of
MENDAKI on March 1 before assuming the top post on April 1, when
current CEO Mdm Rahayu Buang returns to MSF (ST, 9 Jan).
20
MENDAKI News
 A total of 70 students and their parents have benefited from a networking session with employees from
various industries hosted by MENDAKI at the Woodlands Galaxy Community Club (BH, 18 Jan).
 Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Home Affairs and Health) Amrin Amin encouraged the youth to
prepare for the future economy and a more competitive workforce, and to become mentors through
the M3@Towns.
 The next sessions will be held in M3@Bedok and M3@Nee Soon.