On Aug. 24, President Halimah Yacob spoke at length about the government's priorities and policies for its next term, in her opening address for the commencement of Singapore's 14th Parliament.

This included the need for more support and safety nets for the less well-off in the country.

Subsequently, on August 25, multiple ministries released an advisory on the initiatives that they had in the works for the following years, to help Singaporeans cope with the effects of Covid-19, as well as improving social mobility in the country.

MSF: Enhancing support for vulnerable groups and Singaporeans in need

The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) revealed that it will focus on strengthening social support for Singaporeans in need, including the areas of mental and family well-being, and facilitating their employment and training.

It will work on strengthening Singapore's social compact by working with the community and the ministry's partners to encourage philanthropy and volunteerism to support social causes.

These efforts will also come in the form of financial and social support for lower-income and vulnerable Singaporeans affected by Covid-19 via ComCare, the Temporary Relief Fund, the Covid-19 Support Grant and The Courage Fund.

The integration of social services will also be sped up through the expansion of programmes, such as the SG Cares Community Networks and Community Link, and deepened collaboration with social service agencies (SSAs), community partners, and volunteers.

In addition, MSF will also work with SG Enable and several other partners to improve support for persons with disabilities by:

• Implementing the Enabling Masterplan 3 and developing plans for the next phase beyond 2021,
• Providing children with moderate to severe pre-developmental needs within preschools with better support.

As for families with young children, the ministry will:

• Work with partner operators to ensure that 80 per cent of all preschoolers have places in preschools that are affordable and supported by the government by 2025,
• Strengthen holistic and upstream support for more children from low-income families by expanding KidSTART to more regions.

MOE: Improving the employment prospects of students

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education (MOE) stated that it will focus on improving the employment prospects of students.

This will involve implementing structural reforms to cater to the diverse strengths of students so as to help them prepare for the workplace and will consist of:

• Wider scoring bands for the PSLE from 2021,
• Implementation of Full Subject-Based Banding in secondary schools by 2024,
• More opportunities for ITE Education graduates to upgrade beyond a Nitec qualification,
• The expansion of inter-disciplinary learning and introducing new industry-relevant programmes in Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), and
• Growing the SkillsFuture Work-Study Programmes into a mainstream pathway by 2025, so that more students can benefit from learning opportunities both in the workplace and the classroom.

Heavily subsidised training pathways will also be opened through both companies and training providers and provided with financial support for the unemployed to return to meaningful employment.

As for secondary school students, all of them will be provided personal digital learning devices by the end of 2021, while blended learning will become an integral feature of the curriculum in the same year.

The Character and Citizenship Education curriculum in every school will also be refreshed to incorporate social responsibility and resilience, as well as strengthen mental well-being and cyber wellness.

Students with special needs will also have better support with the strengthening of educators’ professional competencies in both mainstream and Special Education (SPED) schools, along with the opening of new SPED schools and the upgrading of current ones.

Similarly, the capacities of all teachers, allied educators, and education and career guidance counsellors in schools will also be improved to encourage students to pursue their passions and fulfil their potential.

MOM: Helping displaced workers and the self-employed

As for the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), on the local front, its efforts will go towards helping Singaporeans in their search for jobs, particularly if they are a displaced worker.

As such, MOM will be supporting the efforts of the National Jobs Council to open up paths for every newly displaced worker to return to employment, undertaking regular reviews with Workfare and Silver Support, and improving support for persons with disabilities through Enabling Employment Credit,

The ministry will also aim to ensure continued employment opportunities for lower-income workers and work on expanding the Progressive Wage Model to more sectors over time.

Additionally, the recommendations by the Citizens' Panel on supporting employers in providing flexible work arrangements and other work-life initiatives, will also be implemented.

For Self-Employed Persons (SEPs), MOM will continue to implement the recommendations of the Tripartite Workgroup on SEPs to support them in payment-related disputes as well as their retirement, healthcare and skills needs.

The ministry will also review the responsibilities of service-buyers and intermediaries so as to help bring about a fairer relationship with their self-employed workers.

Meanwhile, on the migrant workers' front, a newly-established Assurance Care, and Engagement group will work on ensuring housing for the migrant workers are safe and resilient against public health threats, by building a stronger system of medical support.

This group will also partner with the community and migrant worker groups to meet their social needs.

Other ministries: Improving the mental and physical well-being of the public

With regard to efforts by other ministries to support the public, these are:

• Calling on Singaporeans to strengthen cleanliness and public hygiene norms through the SG Clean movement (Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment),
• Ensuring every Singaporean have a baseline level of digital access and skills via the SG Digital Office’s network of Digital

  Ambassadors, volunteers and corporate and community partners (Ministry of Communications and Information)

• Helping vulnerable groups address legal problems by expanding partnerships with social service agencies and family service centres (Ministry of Law)
• Improving access to justice by streamlining common legal processes such as conveyancing, making wills and applying for probate (Ministry of Law),
• Launching new assisted-living flats that will integrate affordable housing with care services, to support seniors (Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Health),
• Protecting the livelihoods of people working in the arts, heritage and sports sectors, and ensuring that they have more opportunities to grow (Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth).

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Top image from SG Cares Facebook