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Speech by Minister for Education and Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration, Mr Desmond Lee, for the Debate on the Motion on the Address of Thanks to the President

Type: Official Speeches (All), Official Speeches: Desmond Lee,,

Topic(s):

Financial Assistance & Social Support, Social Service Agencies & Partners, Social Service Professionals

,

Published on 25 September 2025

Forward Singapore: Tackling Social Challenges and Reforming Education for a Brighter Singapore

  1. Mr Deputy Speaker, I wanted to thank Ms Elysa Chen for that very moving speech. Mr Deputy Speaker, we just celebrated Singapore’s 60th birthday.
  2. For a nation, 60 is young. Yet, as our society matures, we face challenges on the road ahead.
  3. On the social front, we are dealing with ageing, and need to guard against inequality and social stratification. Our demographics are evolving, with smaller families and more singles, and our people have higher and more diverse aspirations.
  4. We must grapple with these, even while facing strong external headwinds –geopolitical shifts, economic uncertainty, climate change, and disruptions due to tech and AI.
  5. Today, I will talk about two key shifts we are taking to prepare Singapore for this future. First, refreshing our approach to tackling difficult social issues, and second, transforming our education system. 

Refreshed Approach to Addressing Social Issues

  1. Yesterday, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong spoke about how stratification can occur and gaps in social mobility can widen, as our economy grows and develops. We have seen this happen in other societies, where privilege gets entrenched. So we cannot stand still, and must continually work against these forces that can fragment our society.
  2. That is why, beyond doing more through policies and programmes, we have also been focusing on how we can do better. This is especially important in our work to help lower income families who are facing complex challenges and are seeking to break through their circumstances.
  3. Let me illustrate this through the life story of Mr Adi and his wife Ms Syaakirah. They’ve consented to us sharing their journey with you. They live in a two-room HDB rental flat and have four children. Adi is the sole breadwinner, and Syaakirah is a homemaker. The family was struggling financially and faced difficulties meeting their basic needs. Adi and Syaakirah also found it hard to supervise their children’s academic progress, and were concerned that their children would fall behind in school.
  4. We want to ensure that all families, no matter their circumstances, have the opportunity to thrive. This is where ComLink+ and KidSTART come in.
    • When the family first joined ComLink+, they needed urgent help with their daily needs. Their MSF family coach, Ken, coordinated with community organisations such as Willing Hearts to give them essential groceries and milk powder.
    • Seeing Adi’s determination to provide for his family, Ken helped him enrol on the ComLink+ Progress Package for Employment, where the Government provides financial top-ups to those who take up CPF-paying jobs. As Syaakirah wanted to pursue full-time employment, Ken placed her on employment services too.
    • A non-profit organisation, Engineering Good, gave the family a refurbished laptop. This helped Syaakirah in her job search and allowed the children to do home-based learning.
    • The older children have also been enrolled in the MENDAKI Academic Coaching Programme, which they enjoy, to keep them on track academically.
    • Ken also noticed that Akid, the family’s youngest son, is passionate about playing football. He enrolled Akid in the ComLink+ Community Futsal Programme run by SportCares, where he makes friends through sports.
    • When Syaakirah was expecting her youngest child Sofea, Ken linked her up with KidSTART. The KidSTART practitioner visited the couple at home regularly to guide them through Sofea’s infancy. KidSTART equipped the family with parenting tips on health, nutrition, and child development. They also shared knowledge and skills on building positive parent-child interactions, and monitored Sofea closely to track her developmental milestones.
  5. When Syaakirah had difficulties feeding Sofea, KidSTART quickly connected her with a nurse, who provided advice on appropriate feeding practices and milk quantities. KidSTART also provided books and toys for Sofea and her siblings, to cultivate an early interest in reading, and strengthen parent-child bonding.
  6. As their progress shows, ComLink+ is a uniquely Singapore way of coordinating support around the family, by harnessing the collective strength of the community in a much more cohesive way, to empower the family.
    • It brings together family coaches, community partners, and volunteer befrienders who proactively reach out to families to gain a deeper understanding of their needs, strengths and aspirations.
    • They journey with the families to develop customised roadmaps that evolve with their changing needs.
    • Our corporate partners provide valuable resources to make lasting change in the lives of families. For example, the DBS Foundation has committed $30 million over three years to help fund ComLink+ Progress Packages, and has also conducted financial literacy programmes for ComLink+ families.
    • We also tap on the strengths of the community, to provide ComLink+ with additional resources above and beyond what Government can provide. Through Gift-a-Family, for example, we invite Singaporeans who have done well, to partner and support ComLink+ families. For example: For parents, GAF Partners have sponsored courses and upskilling for them, on top of SkillsFuture, so that they can get better jobs and work towards a better future for their families. For children, Gift-a-Family Partners have also sponsored music and art classes, to encourage children to pursue their interests. This is on top of existing school funds like Opportunity Funds in our schools that subsidise co-curricular development opportunities, even overseas learning trips, for students from low-income households.
    • ComLink+ involves many groups collaborating as one, to organise and coordinate help for the families, putting them at the centre of our efforts. This is a much more intense approach, compared to just providing more resources.
  7. ComLink+ is an important pillar of our refreshed social compact under Forward Singapore, to empower families to achieve stability, self-reliance, and social mobility. And we intend to provide this form of assistance to more families. In 2019, we started piloting ComLink+ at four sites. And subsequently scaled it nation-wide. Currently, the programme supports around 10,000 low-income families with children, and we will progressively expand this.
  8. Going forward, we will provide more comprehensive, wraparound support, to uplift families. We have partnered HDB to help families work towards home ownership. We will support our children across educational stages, including improving preschool enrolment and attendance, and ensuring a healthy home environment. We will also provide dedicated employment and skills assistance that better meets the needs of families.
  9. Mr Deputy Speaker, programmes like ComLink+ and KidSTART reflect something deeper: the shifts in how we, as a nation, tackle difficult social issues, such as inequality and social stratification. This is work in progress. In the early years of nationhood, we focused on survival and economic growth. For those who were struggling, the Government provided assistance to meet their basic needs. But for this future that we are building, we must, as Prime Minister said yesterday, continue to tilt the balance, to keep opportunities open at every stage of life. The Government, community, volunteers, and corporate partners cannot afford to work on our own, but must stand together as close partners.
  10. Over the years, we have been moving in this direction.
    • We formed, for example, the PEERS Network in 2019, as a collaboration among community partners, social service agencies and government agencies, to support rough sleepers and homeless individuals. During COVID-19, when the number of people sleeping rough went up and more were seeking shelter, this turned out to be critical. Today, after 6 years, the PEERS Network is still going strong.
    • ComLink+ as well. It was something we designed after listening to our frontliners, social workers, educators, and community workers who told us that it wasn’t just about doing more, or giving more, but about trying to do better.
    • Earlier this year, MND and MSF also formed the New Environment Action Team (NEAT), a network comprising social service agencies, community groups, trade associations, corporate partners, and government agencies, which seeks to address hoarding issues in people’s homes in a more holistic and sustainable manner.
  11. So you can see we are moving away from the model of the past, where the Government and the community each worked in silo. Instead, we wanted to partner Singaporeans, and take a whole-of-society approach to solving problems together.
  12. Along the way, we may need to develop new structures, policies, SOPs, data systems that enable greater collaboration and integration.
  13. But more importantly, the key ingredient powering all of this is trust, which enables us to build strong networks and relationships, especially on the ground.
  14. This is not easy. It takes time and effort to build trust and mobilise the community.
  15. But it is something that we must do. As social issues become increasingly complex and interconnected, everyone must come on board. No one person or organisation, including the Government, has all the solutions. In our “We-First” society, we must all come together to lift each person up. When we help others thrive, we grow stronger ourselves.
  16. So we will build on this collaborative spirit, with more intentionality and heart. To turn our conversations into partnerships, our partnerships into actions, and our actions into lasting, meaningful change for Singapore.

Transforming our Education System

  1. Mr Deputy Speaker, the second shift we are making is transforming our education system. Even as we address the pressing social issues of today, we must also look ahead, and prepare the next generation for the challenges of tomorrow. Yesterday, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong outlined some of the directions that education reform will take in this term of Government, to reduce the stakes of single exams, broaden the definition of success, and give children the chance to discover and develop their strengths. Let me share more.
  2. In a rapidly changing world, it is no longer enough to equip younger Singaporeans with knowledge alone. In fact, the knowledge we impart today might well be outdated tomorrow. What is more important is for younger Singaporeans to be agile and resilient, think critically, learn continuously, so that they can navigate a more uncertain environment. And with social issues becoming more complex, we also need to empower Singaporeans who can empathise with others and lead with kindness. 
  3. Let me share the story of one of our students, Azaleagrace Teo. She also gave us her consent.
    • Azalea’s journey was not easy. She was abused by her father for years, until she finally summoned the courage to confide about it in her school counsellor, who then alerted the principal and the police. Protective Service removed her from her home, and she had to move 8 times between various temporary accommodations.
    • The instability took a toll on her studies and she had to repeat her Secondary 4 year. But she did not give up. She applied for ITE’s Early Admission Exercise, and managed to secure a place in ITE College East.
    • ITE was the first place that she felt safe enough to discover herself and imagine a future beyond survival. She became vice-president of the yoga club, and PR Director of the ITE Student Leaders Forum. She was selected to speak at events, where she and her classmates shared their personal stories and helped to raise $308,000 for the ITE Education Fund to help other students. Through her grit and dedication, and with the support of her peers and her teachers, Azalea eventually graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
    • Today, she is a first-year student pursuing a diploma in media, arts and design at Singapore Polytechnic. This year, she was one of ten recipients of the Lee Kuan Yew Model Student Award, and also received the Lee Hsien Loong Award for Outstanding All-Round Achievement.
    • But among her many accomplishments at this young age, what she is proudest of is her work with Owena, the alumni association of the therapeutic group home for children that she was formerly in. As a pioneer member and leader, she organises activities and offers emotional support to current residents. Though still a young adult herself, she is already eager to help build a better world for the generation after hers.
  4. Azalea’s journey shows us that not everyone takes the same path to success, and success can mean different things to different people. It is about finding the right path for yourself. And this is what our education system must continue to uphold: providing pathways for our children to flourish no matter their starting point, supporting them to pursue their aspirations in their own time, and cultivating strong values so that they give back to society.
  5. We have been moving steadily away from a narrow meritocracy that ties achievement solely to grades and paper qualifications, towards a society that recognises that success comes in many forms. Whether in the arts, technology, sports or other fields, we want to celebrate the diverse talents of every individual and respect the contribution of every worker.
  6. This shift is not something that can happen overnight. It is a multi-year effort. Fortunately, we are not starting from scratch. We are building on an education system that has continuously evolved to stay relevant.
  7. In the past, success was largely measured in grades and paper qualifications. We focused on those in the early years because we thought they would set our children up for success. In fact, at times, the system would pit students against one another. Members would recall that the PSLE used to be graded on a bell curve – it was not enough to do well, you had to do better than your peers. And this would affect how you were streamed and posted to secondary school.
  8. Over time, we have moved away from this. We want to ignite our students’ curiosity and spark their creativity, so that they develop a love for learning that will stay with them even after they complete school.
    • We want to give our students the space to learn and grow at their own pace, instead of chasing every last mark or competing with their peers. We removed exams for Primary One and Two to give young pupils two test-free years, and removed mid-year exams from all levels. We did away with PSLE T-scores and grading on a curve, and introduced Achievement Level or AL bands, with grading based on a student’s level of mastery in a subject.
    • We introduced multiple pathways to support students with various interests and strengths. DSA (or Direct School Admission) allows students to gain admission through a wide range of talents including sports and the performing arts.  We also implemented FSBB (or Full Subject-Based Banding) in our secondary schools, to give students more flexibility to learn subjects at a pace and rigour suited to their strengths and needs.
    • We want to cultivate in our students the right attitudes and dispositions, beyond just pursuing academic excellence. Through our Character and Citizenship Education (or CCE) curriculum and CCAs, students develop values and 21st Century Competencies. They learn to collaborate with one another, build teamwork, develop leadership.
    • We look out for students who may need more support. Through UPLIFT initiatives, we bring together schools, community partners, Social Service Offices and other government agencies to provide more comprehensive support for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. And we coordinate these efforts tightly with ComLink+.
    • Beyond school, we continue to encourage lifelong learning through SkillsFuture. Because in a world that keeps changing ever faster, learning cannot stop once you leave school.
  9. But as Prime Minister said yesterday, the reality is that our society has not entirely moved away from seeing education as an ‘arms race’.
    • And while CCAs and CCE are an important part of school life, I’m sure many parents and students still don’t see them as equally or more important than academic grades. That’s not entirely surprising, because our traditional theory of success in Singapore is still weighted towards academic achievement.
    • While we do want to strive for excellence, an over-emphasis on academic grades can create unhealthy levels of competition, pressure and stress, rather than fostering a true love of learning or focusing on things that matter.
    • And in an education ‘arms race’, those whose families have more resources are likely to start ahead and then race even further ahead, while those who fall behind may struggle to catch up. 
    • As we face new and more complex challenges on the horizon, such as AI and social inequality, we must do more to break away from this concept of an education ‘arms race’, and provide opportunities for our students to develop their talents and interests regardless of starting point. 
  10. We will look at many ways to refresh our education system, in line with the spirit of the Forward Singapore agenda.
    • We will study how to reduce the stakes in exams. Exams like the PSLE should not remain a high-stakes checkpoint for students that is viewed as a determining factor for the trajectory of the rest of their lives.
    • Instead, we will focus on the more important aspects of our children’s experiences in school – developing life skills, interpersonal relationships, good character and values, and more. In the working world, we all know that grades might still get you through the door, but how you are as a person determines how you do. We will increase our emphasis on CCE lessons and CCAs, which are just as important, if not more important, than academic grades.
    • We must also guard against the “opportunity gap” in our education system, where families with more resources ‘hot house’ their children to give them a leg up in school, while children from lower-income families face an uphill battle. If we do not close these gaps, they will only widen. We will enhance resources for schools, and deepen partnerships with parents and the community, to better support low-income students. in the first half of my speech, I spoke about how through ComLink+ and in other measures, we collaborate more effectively as one.
    • We also recognise the importance of giving our children the opportunity to interact with peers from different backgrounds from a young age, to prevent divisions along lines such as race, religion or socio-economic status. Our schools and classrooms must continue to be a reflection of society – where people from different walks of life and backgrounds come together – not in cloistered communities. We will continue to enable students from different backgrounds to learn together, and learn from one another.
    • We will transform teaching and learning to prepare our students for a world  transformed and disrupted by AI. AI should enhance and not supplant deep learning. We will have to equip our students with critical skills so that they can create value leveraging on and beyond AI.
  11. These are not easy changes, and they will take time to implement. Some of them may require us to fundamentally rethink our approaches to assessments, curriculum, learning, and how we organise our education system.  But they are necessary in the long-term. We will work closely with our parents, teachers, researchers, students and the community, learn from other countries, and keep our focus on what matters most: the future of our children.
  12. At the core of this is one fundamental question: how do we help our children succeed in life? Not by sending them to more tuition or enrichment classes, but by developing them holistically and empowering them to learn deeply, helping them to be confident about their strengths and interests, anchoring them in values, and developing them in the adaptability, resilience, and determination to thrive in a world of change. 

Conclusion

  1. Mr Deputy Speaker, to conclude, in the face of an ever-changing world, the challenges we encounter today are not just problems to solve – they are opportunities to grow, to innovate, and to come together to define ourselves as a society.
  2. So let us work together to build a future where every family thrives, every child can reach their fullest potential, and every Singaporean has the opportunity to succeed. I support the Motion. Thank you.