February 03, 08:09 AM 
514 Chai Chee Lane 03-16, Singapore 469029 Sound Smarter in Sixty Seconds (SSISS) is a new column by Mothership where we will brief you on the important headlines of the day. We will also contribute our views on the issues at hand.
NHB grant scheme gives out $1.4 m given out to heritage projects so far
The National Heritage Board has a $5 million Heritage Grant Scheme fund that is for disbursement between FY2013 to FY2016. This fund aims to promote active community participation in creating heritage content.
It has been a trend for the Government in recent years to provide funds instead of doing the heavy-lifting themselves to achieve certain outcomes. This can be a good thing for Singaporeans to decide how they want to shape outcomes, but only if the funds do not come with many strings attached.
Top independent schools to get funding cut
The schools include the Raffles secondary schools and junior college, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), Hwa Chong Institution, and NUS High School of Mathematics and Science. They will have to limit their campus fund-raising activities, as well as limiting the use of air-conditioning in classrooms.
This move is a step in the direction to ensure that all students in Singapore do not experience too different of an education experience.
More property launched during Chinese New Year period
Property launches such as the Panorama in Ang Mo Kio and Riverbank @ Fernvale will be taking place this week. Traditionally, this period is a lull for property sales as agents and prospects alike tend to be on holiday.
With the news buzzing with declining property prices, developers would want to move as many units as possible. A report by Barclays noted that property prices here could dip as much as 20 per cent by 2015.
Top photo from the National Heritage Board
If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram to get the latest updates.