Finding her recipe for success: How special needs educators and the community created a career path for this junior chef (20 November 2025)

"Amid the bustle of the kitchen at the Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium, this young commis chef takes instructions from her seniors, working with speed and efficiency. Her focus is sharp, her movements sure.

At 21 years old, Ms Fizzy Ezlyana Begam’s path into the culinary world was not easy. Diagnosed with a mild intellectual disability as a child, she learnt early on that she had a unique way of processing the world around her."

Pre-school teacher allegedly force-fed a baby till she vomited, stuffed a bib into another’s mouth (20 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE – A pre-school teacher has been hauled to court for allegedly ill-treating three children under her care, including force-feeding one child until she vomited.

The 36-year-old Singaporean woman, who cannot be named to protect the identities of the victims, was handed three charges under the Children and Young Persons Act on Nov 20.

Charge sheets state that the incidents took place in September 2024. The location where the incidents occurred was redacted from court documents."

Local charity and MOE to get CEOs, high-net-worth individuals on committees of neighbourhood schools (20 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE - Local charity ImpactSG is working with the Ministry of Education (MOE) to have chief executive officers of companies and high-net-worth individuals from family offices join the committees of neighbourhood schools.

The School Board Matching Programme will encourage such individuals to serve on the school committees to build social capital for students through their networks and experience. The aim is to start with five schools in 2025, and gradually expand in 2026.

More details will be announced in due course."

KKH takes DayOne mental health programme for parents with special needs children into the community (20 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE – To help stressed and emotionally burdened parents of children with special needs before they burn out, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) is taking its DayOne mental health programme out of the hospital and into the community.

DayOne, piloted from 2022 to 2024 by KKH’s Department of Child Development (DCD), screened and supported parents of children with developmental needs.

In the next phase, DCD has partnered with AWWA to provide screening and support for parents whose children with special needs are enrolled in early intervention centres (EICs) run by the social service agency.

This will first be available at AWWA’s cluster of EICs in Hougang and Lorong Napiri, before being rolled out to other centres."

Fast-track your higher degree: New pathways for post-polytechnic, ITE diploma holders (21 November 2025)

"With Singapore deepening its push to build a digitally confident workforce, SMU Academy has partnered all five polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) to help their post-diploma and ITE diploma holders respectively, to upskill and seize new opportunities in a fast-changing economy.

For the first time, eligible post-polytechnic diploma graduates can have their prior learning, as well as relevant work experience, formally recognised for module exemptions. ITE diploma holders can also have their prior work experience taken into account for application to a higher degree programme.

This milestone partnership shortens the journey to postgraduate-level study by creating clearer, more direct pathways that reflect a skills-first approach to education."

Woman charged after she allegedly abused a baby and a toddler under her care (21 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE – A woman appeared in a district court on Nov 21 after she allegedly abused two boys – an eight-month-old baby and a 16-month-old toddler – under her care.

The 32-year-old Singaporean, who cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the identity of the boys, was charged with two counts of ill-treating a child.

Details about the location of her alleged crimes have been redacted from court documents, which also did not disclose any information about her relationship with the children."

Independence key to ageing well: SUSS study on seniors in Singapore (21 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE - A key predictor of how well a person in Singapore will age is whether he has a sense of agency, which is the belief that he continues to shape the course of his life, a new study released on Nov 21 has found.

Older adults who have this belief tend to stay connected with others, feel greater satisfaction, and continue to do things that give them purpose. In contrast, those who feel their choices no longer count are not always physically frail, but age more poorly as they lose motivation, confidence and relationships.

This was one of the findings from the Singapore chapter of an inaugural multi-region study by the Intercontinental Alliance for Integrated Care (IAIC) on what it means to age well across different cultures.

The IAIC is an initiative launched in 2024 by the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), alongside a dozen other universities across Asia, North America and Europe."

185 hit by gastroenteritis symptoms at 6 E-Bridge pre-schools; operations of food supplier suspended (21 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE – A total of 185 people, including 173 pupils, across six pre-schools of the same brand have developed gastroenteritis symptoms.

Operations of the schools’ food supplier have been suspended, and the authorities are investigating.

As at Nov 21, 173 pupils and 12 employees from E-Bridge pre-schools have reported gastroenteritis symptoms after consuming food supplied by Middleton International School, according to a joint media reply by the Communicable Diseases Agency, Early Childhood Development Agency and Singapore Food Agency (SFA).

One pupil was hospitalised and is in stable condition. The rest had sought outpatient treatment, self-medicated, or recovered without treatment, said the agencies."

Singapore Children’s Society to focus on early support for families in new five-year plan (21 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE – The Singapore Children’s Society has updated its service strategies for the next five years, with stronger focus on protecting children and supporting families earlier.

The refined plan, for 2026 to 2030, aims to help families in stress by detecting problems and offering support more quickly, and strengthening the capacity of caregivers.

The society also announced the launch of Thriving Families @ Children’s Society, a new one-stop hub at City Square Mall. Set to open in early 2026, the centre embodies the direction of the Children’s Society’s new five-year plan."

Teacher who allegedly abused three babies barred from working in any pre-school: ECDA (21 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE – The pre-school teacher who allegedly abused three babies has been barred from working in any pre-school, said the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) on Nov 21.

The 36-year-old Singaporean woman, who cannot be named to protect the identities of the victims, was handed three charges under the Children and Young Persons Act on Nov 20."

Enabling Village marks 10th anniversary with inclusive showcase of works (21 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE – SG Enable unveiled its i’mable Collective Space in October at the Enabling Village in Bukit Merah – the first showcase shining the spotlight on Singapore’s creative community of people with disabilities.

SG Enable, Singapore’s focal agency for disability and inclusion, also marks the 10th anniversary of the Enabling Village with the unveiling of the new space.

Since its 2019 inception, i’mable Collective has launched unique training, employment, retail and even fashion design partnerships.

Its i’mable Collective Space is an additional platform for designers, businesses and community partners to enable people with disabilities to gain experience in gig and longer-term work.

Spanning more than 800 sq m, it brings together eight partner organisations in an integrated hub, housing a retail store, gallery, studios and a cafe."

More reports of suspected child abuse in pre-schools in 2024, with CCTVs aiding investigations (22 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE - Investigations into the mishandling of children in Singapore pre-schools have risen, largely prompted by heightened vigilance and the availability of video evidence over the past year.

CCTV cameras have been made mandatory in all pre-schools here since July 2024.

In 2024, 227 cases of suspected child mismanagement were investigated, up from 169 in 2023, said the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) in response to queries from The Straits Times."

Inside Singapore’s education ‘arms race’: Stress, inequality and the push for change (22 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE - It felt like the start of a high-stakes contest for Mr Harry Lee when his son Gabriel entered Primary 1 in 2022.

Gabriel was an SG50 baby, referring to those born in 2015 when Singapore celebrated its 50th year of independence. More than 37,000 babies were born that year – the highest number recorded between 2015 and 2024 – possibly resulting in greater competition for school places.

The registration process has several stages, with the earlier ones reserved for children with siblings in the school or parents who are alumni. These were not options for Gabriel.

So Mr Lee aimed for Phase 2B, which gives priority to children whose parents have volunteered at the school. They were hoping to enter a popular school in Hougang where the family lives because of its academic reputation and emphasis on values.

“Every day that we were on traffic warden duty counted as 45 minutes to these 40 hours, and we went once a week for 40 weeks,” said Mr Lee, who clocked his time mostly in the morning before work. Parents were required to fulfil at least 40 hours to be considered a parent volunteer. “The school did not guarantee us a spot, they told us it is not confirmed.”

How to bring the kids on vacation without losing your mind (22 November 2025)

"The bags were packed, itinerary set, and visions of family fun and bonding ran through my mind.

After three months of planning, we were finally on our family vacation to Melbourne some years ago with my three children, then aged four to eight."

How I finally understood the joy of having a book signed (22 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE – As an iconoclastic Aquarius harbouring a lifelong aversion to crowds, I have always considered my most un-Singaporean trait to be an absolute unwillingness to join a line.

You will never catch me dawdling in the queue before the boarding announcement at the airport check-in gate. High demand for a particular hawker stall is not attraction but bane, triggering a flight response to another stall selling similar fare."

6 new activities for the year-end school holidays (22 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE – With the year-end school holidays finally here, I set out with my two daughters, aged six and 12, to explore the newest activities and attractions popping up around Singapore.

From tiny ant farms and massive dinosaur skeletons to thrilling adventures and creative hands-on fun, here are six fresh experiences we tried and loved."

10 best boardgames for adults to play at your next game night (22 November 2025)

"A huge portion of our day is spent behind a screen; we spend hours in front of a computer, and laptop at work and scroll on our phones and watch television to unwind.

Playing a board game is an excellent screen-free alternative to pass the time and relax. It is also a good brain workout as it promotes creativity and out-of-the-box thinking.

Board games are not just for children; some of the best boardgames are made for adults. Not to mention, they can be a good way to socialise and make new friends as many require more than one player.

If you’re planning to buy a board game to add a little excitement to your household, we’ve put together this list to help you get started."

8,500 students from Indian community get SINDA vouchers to help with school supplies (22 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE – A total of 8,500 students from the Indian community here received vouchers worth $200 each to support them in the next school year.

The assistance – which amounted to $1.7 million – was disbursed by the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA), which held its Back To School festival on Nov 22 for the 18th consecutive year.

The beneficiaries are primary school pupils and secondary school students who can use the vouchers to buy textbooks, stationery, school shoes and other essential items needed for the new school year, SINDA said in a statement."

Teen goes from beginner to Singapore’s first world youth champion in Othello in three years (22 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE – Just four months after learning to play the game of Othello in 2022, Calvin Koh Ding Sheng competed in his first World Othello Championship and placed a respectable seventh out of 20 in the junior category that year.

Since then, the Singaporean teenager has gone from strength to strength, finishing runner-up in the last two years before emerging victorious in Ankara, Turkey on Nov 15 to become the Republic’s first world youth champion in the board game."

‘I will miss serving the children’: As S’pore school canteens evolve, stallholders find ways to cope (23 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE – Over the last 25 years, Madam Amidah Sufaat, 71, has started her day at the crack of dawn, preparing meals for pupils at West View Primary School.

“Old students of the school still remember me. I have also catered for some of their weddings because they like my food so much,” she said.

Soon, the aroma of her fried chicken will no longer waft through the canteen during recess. The school will be switching to a central kitchen model in 2026, catering from Chang Cheng Mee Wah Food Ind.

Instead of queueing up in front of different canteen stalls, pupils will pick up pre-ordered meals from automated meal dispensers."

ST Signature Series: ‘We want every child to bring their ideas to life,’ say Stick ‘Em co-founders (23 November 2025)

"In a cavernous hall at Raffles Girls School (RGS) bustling with students, the thrill and joy of creation shines through on the faces of three girls as they marvel over their new gizmo – a dancing robot that they built themselves with wooden chopsticks and connectors – that moves at the press of a button.

It’s the venue for RGS’ Community and Makers Fair 2025, where students are encouraged to explore how they can make a difference.

Robotics kit-maker Stick ‘Em saw at the fair an opportunity to spread a wider understanding of the magic of their product – affordable STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) kits that use wooden chopsticks and biodegradable connectors to help students build robots, vehicles and other gadgets."

I love all my five grandchildren. But one brings a special joy (23 November 2025)

"I have five grandchildren, and I love them all. But if I am completely honest, and honesty is where joy begins, one of them brings me a special kind of joy.

That joy is difficult to describe. It isn’t the quiet contentment of being loved, or the pride of watching a child grow. It is more like a spark, a resonance, as if two personalities click in perfect rhythm. It feels co-created, like jazz: unpredictable, playful, more than the sum of its parts."

Minor Issues: My younger son never had us parents to himself alone, until now (23 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE – My elder boy, R, was an only child for three years. Until his younger brother, S, came along, R had our undivided attention.

R has a thick journal of letters that we wrote to him while he was still in his mother’s belly. We saved every ultrasound photo of him and stuck each one painstakingly in the journal, with accompanying notes describing our wonder, hope and uncertainties as future parents."

Minor Issues: My younger son never had us parents to himself alone, until now (23 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE – My elder boy, R, was an only child for three years. Until his younger brother, S, came along, R had our undivided attention.

R has a thick journal of letters that we wrote to him while he was still in his mother’s belly. We saved every ultrasound photo of him and stuck each one painstakingly in the journal, with accompanying notes describing our wonder, hope and uncertainties as future parents."

Families embrace volunteerism for their young children and teens (23 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE – Earlier in November, Mr Aarvin Giovanni, 44, introduced his two children to volunteering for the first time to get into the festive spirit.

He and his family have spent time convincing passers-by to donate $50 to get a teddy plush at the Bears for Good Central Roadshow at Marina Square. His wife is Ms Gurpreet Kaur, a 40-year-old manager in IT procurement. They have a daughter Ashleen Kaur, nine, and a six-year-old son, Aaryan Singh."

SG60 Heart&Soul Experience has attracted over 1 million visitors so far (24 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE – The SG60 Heart&Soul Experience, the national exhibition at Orchard Library marking Singapore’s 60th year of independence, has attracted more than one million visitors in nearly three months since opening in end-August.

Weekend slots for the showcase are usually fully booked. Admission is free, but tickets are required for some parts of the exhibition. More than 122,000 tickets have been issued to date."

From pre-school food to Total Defence meals: A look at Singapore’s 2025 gastroenteritis outbreaks (24 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE – Hundreds of cases of gastroenteritis have been reported in 2025, with the latest outbreak at six E-Bridge pre-schools.

A total of 185 people – 173 pupils and 12 employees of the pre-school chain – had developed gastroenteritis symptoms as at Nov 21.

Operations of the pre-schools’ food supplier were suspended while investigations were under way."

E-Bridge pre-school gastroenteritis cases: Operator says initial results show food not contaminated (24 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE – Preliminary results from tests conducted on samples of food catered from the central kitchen for six E-Bridge Pre-School outlets which recently reported 185 cases of gastroenteritis infections show that the food was not contaminated.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, EtonHouse International Education Group, which operates E-Bridge Pre-School, said: “At this stage, no link has been established between the central kitchen and the reported cases.”

According to EtonHouse, which runs 31 E-Bridge centres in Singapore, the central kitchen had sent samples of the catered food for microbiological testing at Merieux NutriSciences AQ (Singapore) Lab. This testing is independent of the tests the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) is carrying out.

Preliminary results from the test initiated by EtonHouse, which covers six common bacteria found in contaminated food, show that the food was not contaminated, it added."

No-cane parenting: How to hold boundaries (24 November 2025)

"Parents, the line has been drawn: If your child walks away from disciplinary sessions with cane marks on their skin – that’s abuse.

So says the Ministry of Social and Family Development, adding to Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration Desmond Lee’s remarks that “excessive physical discipline will be considered and reported as abuse”."

Brain implant smaller than grain of salt developed by Cornell, NTU researchers (24 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE – Neural implants, used to monitor brain activity, often require wired connections or bulky hardware to perform their function.

A new implant, however, has been developed to operate wirelessly, and measures just about 300 microns long and 70 microns wide – smaller than a grain of salt.

Dubbed the microscale optoelectronic tetherless electrode, this implant successfully transmitted brain activity data wirelessly from a living animal for over a year."

AI is accelerating a tech backlash in American classrooms (24 November 2025)

"A century and a half before Apple marketed iPads to schools, in 1857, a Greek-born Harvard professor, Evangelinus Apostolides Sophocles, held a bonfire of newly introduced “blue books”, bound exam booklets for pen-and-paper tests that (to his ire) were to replace oral recitations. He lost. These booklets would torment generations of American students before yielding in turn to computerised testing.

But now the blue book is making a comeback, with booklet sales more than doubling from 2022 to 2024, according to Circana, a data firm. And oral exams appear ripe for revival, too."

British inventor James Dyson receives honorary degree from SUTD (25 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE - The Republic is a place of bold ideas, said British inventor James Dyson, as he received an honorary degree from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) on Nov 25.

Explaining his consumer electronics company Dyson’s strong presence in Singapore, he said it needed high-tech manufacturing lines to produce an electric motor it had developed that ran five times faster than others.

“Singapore had the expertise and the excellent engineers who could make the new technology. We have grown here ever since,” said Mr Dyson, adding that it now has 2,000 people working across the three campuses here.

The Republic is now the lead manufacturing site for Dyson’s patented Hyperdymium digital motors, which power most Dyson devices worldwide."

Scrap PSLE? Let’s pause and think before another big education reform (25 November 2025)

"I’ve been interviewing secondary and post-secondary students as part of research on what well-being means to them. These conversations provided me with some fresh perspectives on how they perceive and manage academic and other stresses in their lives.

While exams were often mentioned as a source of stress, many spoke about coping through self-discipline, improving time management and learning to accept what they cannot change and move on."

President Tharman to receive MIT award for his leadership in international financial policy (26 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE - President Tharman Shanmugaratnam will be receiving an award from an American research centre in recognition of his leadership in international financial policy."

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Golub Center for Finance and Policy is awarding Mr Tharman the Miriam Pozen Prize, the MIT Sloan Office of Communications said on Nov 25. He will be the third recipient of the biennial prize."

Mr Tharman will deliver the Miriam Pozen Lecture at an award ceremony on Dec 9 at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

He will receive a $200,000 prize, and a fellowship named in his honour will also be awarded to an incoming MIT Sloan Master of Business Administration student, to be selected in 2026. The President’s Office said Mr Tharman will be donating the prize money to charity."

Mother pleads guilty to slapping son’s face, stepping on his leg, kicking his body (26 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE – A woman, 30, was convicted of abusing her then seven-year-old son by slapping his face, stepping on his leg and kicking his body.

She pleaded guilty on Nov 26 to one charge of ill-treating him.

The woman cannot be named due to a court-imposed gag order to protect her son’s identity. He is now nine years old."

New NUS Medicine scholarship to strengthen Singapore’s mental health workforce (26 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE – Singapore’s mental health workforce is set to receive a boost with the launch of a new scholarship aimed at training front-line professionals in clinical mental health and psychotherapy.

The new scholarship for National University of Singapore (NUS) Medicine’s Master of Clinical Mental Health and Psychotherapy programme will be awarded to up to 24 full-time students over the next three years, starting from 2026.

Recipients will have their tuition fees fully covered, and a monthly stipend of $3,000 for the programme’s 18-month duration, said NUS on Nov 26."

Mountbatten Vocational School closes after 50 years of training students with special needs (26 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE – When it was announced in June that her son’s school, Mountbatten Vocational School (MVS), would be closing, Madam Doreen Lim, 54, took leave from work to find options for her 19-year-old son, who has autism.

She ended up getting rejected or wait-listed by organisations from St Andrew’s Autism School and THK Pan-Disability Centre @ Eunos to social enterprise food court Dignity Kitchen.

After several months, she managed to get her son, Mr Justin Phoon, into a six-week cafe skills training programme with social enterprise cafe Foreword Coffee."

1 in 3 pre-school educators in S’pore has no formal training to handle child abuse cases: Survey (27 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE - One in three pre-school educators surveyed in Singapore said they had not received any formal training in child protection.

Respondents also reported having low confidence and mixed knowledge in managing suspected abuse cases, according to the results of a new survey released by the Singapore Children’s Society on Nov 26.

But almost all of the pre-school educators surveyed (97.8 per cent) knew that they have to bring up their concerns about a suspected abuse case to their supervisor even if it is not a confirmed abuse case."

Beyond credentials, the mindset that will get you a job (27 November 2025)

"A degree was once seen as a passport to success. Today, it is merely an entrance ticket to compete in a stadium full of qualified contenders.

The reality that graduates face today is defined by rapid technological change, shifting employer expectations, and fiercer competition. In Singapore, as in many parts of the world, academic excellence alone is no longer enough to snag a job. Employers now try to assess whether a candidate can adapt, communicate, and contribute from day one."

Poly student volunteers for night vigil in Sengkang General Hospital while dreaming of medical school (27 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE – The sound of a buzzer late in the night in Sengkang General Hospital’s ward 69 launches 19-year-old Justin Tan towards the bedside of a 103-year-old man who wants to be tucked in for bedtime.

Mr Tan helps the old man, and sits down to chat for a while. The old man is pensive.

“I lived a fulfilled life but in my long life, I have lost my wife and son,” he says.

Mr Tan is the youngest volunteer to sign up for Sengkang General Hospital’s Night Watchers programme, which helps support hospital workers during the graveyard shift. He usually helps out from 9pm to 6am.

A final-year biomedical science student at Singapore Polytechnic, he has been volunteering since 2023, one night a week – Friday or Saturday – to help care for patients."

P1 registration: Are parents in Singapore going too far to get their kids into a ‘good’ school? (27 November 2025)

"How far would you go to get your child enrolled at a primary school of your choice?

One woman repeatedly lied about her home address to get her daughter a spot at the primary school the mother wanted in 2023.

But the school discovered the truth, and she was handed a one-week jail sentence in November for subverting the admissions process.

While her sentence has raised eyebrows, she’s not the only one to have attempted this, with other parents over the years having been fined between $4,000 and $5,000 over similar attempts."

New lab at NTU to advance AI-powered humanoid robots for industry use (27 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE – A new corporate laboratory to further research and innovation in AI-enabled humanoid robotics was officially launched at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) on Nov 27.

Humanoid robots are designed to resemble the human form, and built to mimic human motion and behaviour. It has been touted as the next big development in tech, with companies looking to deploy them on manufacturing floors and logistics hubs for a start.

The new lab is part of the third phase of collaboration between NTU and automotive and industrial components supplier Schaeffler, which began in 2017."

This accidental lecturer is poised to help students find their way (5 September 2025)

"Without an industry background in food science, Chemistry graduate Eric Kwek started from scratch as a lecturer, learning about the protocols, processes and partnerships that would benefit his students. That is exactly why the Senior Lecturer at Republic Polytechnic is good at preparing students for life after school — to show what can be achieved from ground up.

His unapologetically vibrant wardrobe catches the eye – a flash of personality that hints at his teaching style: open, distinctive, and quietly boundary-pushing. It’s more than just flair. It suggests a willingness to stand apart and to create space for others to do the same.

You start to understand that outlook better once you know where Mr Eric Kwek comes from. The Senior Lecturer at Republic Polytechnic’s School of Applied Science didn’t start his career as a teacher. After graduating with a degree in Chemistry, he was unsure of his next steps. He joined Republic Polytechnic as an administrative officer, overseeing timetables and curriculum operations, which also suited his strengths. “I like seeing how everything fits together,” he says. “There’s satisfaction in making sure things run smoothly.”

But what stayed with him weren’t the spreadsheets. It was the fleeting interactions with students: checking in, offering comfort, sensing when someone seemed off.

Born with an eyesight condition that made eye contact and social interaction challenging, he often second-guessed how he was perceived. “I used to avoid eye contact because I was afraid people would think I was being rude,” he shares. That self-consciousness, which had once dented his confidence, also gave him perspective – helping him better understand and support students who struggle in their own ways.

Who, me? A lecturer?

The idea of becoming a lecturer never crossed his mind – until he was invited to teach a Chemistry class, as part of a Republic Polytechnic initiative that gave non-teaching staff the opportunity to try classroom facilitation. The students responded well – but it was his own quiet excitement that surprised him most.

The experience lit a spark – one that made him realise he wanted to teach. Heartened, he embarked on a four-year part-time Master’s in Life Sciences while delicately balancing family and full-time work."

His ‘dual empathy’ approach helps students find their True North (5 September 2025)

"Mr Mario Goh’s students develop not one but two needles in their inner compass – one pointing them to know themselves and the second to understanding others. When they get their bearings right, everything – including grades, career choices, and relationships – will fall into place, says the lecturer at Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s School of Business & Accountancy.

When Mr Mario Goh approaches a problem, whether previously as an HR consultant, or today as a business lecturer and school adviser, one of the first questions he asks is, “What’s your pain point?”

Being able to define a problem with clarity and unabashed honesty is half the battle won, and not as easy as it sounds, says the Senior Manager for Student Development and Leadership at Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s School of Business & Accountancy (BA).

This is why he has developed a series of frameworks and guiding principles to live by, across his years as an organisational psychologist and with over 15 years under his belt as a polytechnic lecturer.

These principles aren’t dense truths to be distilled, but are meant to be easy to apply like a life hack. One such principle is his philosophy of “dual empathy”, which he applies to both his teaching and mentoring sessions.

He explains, “Students need an inner compass made of two needles: self-empathy and empathy for the ‘other’.”

If they develop a good understanding of themselves, and of who the “other” party is and what they need, they will make better and more confident decisions. The “other” could refer to a project partner, client, society – anyone they are navigating with and need to show empathy for.

“By fostering dual empathy, students can navigate personal and workplace transformations and contribute meaningfully to society in a sustained and enduring way.”

This artist-lecturer designs hope and confidence in her students (5 September 2025)

"Ms Ng Wen Lei believes schools should be places of hope – like what Nanyang Polytechnic was to her when she was a student. Through gentle guidance and artistic insight, the Senior Manager at Nanyang Poly’s School of Design & Media helps students discover that creative confidence lies in believing they always have options.

Should schools be places that spell endless possibility? For Ms Ng Wen Lei, Senior Manager at Nanyang Polytechnic’s School of Design & Media, that question isn’t philosophical – it’s practical. And personal.

Years ago, when her A-level results fell short, she felt adrift. “I lost hope,” says Ms Ng. “Then how? Where to go? I despaired.” But flipping through a polytechnic brochure, she spotted a design course, and with nothing left to lose, enrolled in the course. At Nanyang Polytechnic, she found herself immersed in hands-on tools and technical skills. For the first time, she wasn’t just learning – she was making, designing, even taking on freelance projects.

“I realised I could do things. Make things. Earn from my skills,” she says. “It showed me that failure is not the end. There are always options.”

This belief – that creativity offers choices, and choices bring hope – now sits at the core of how she teaches.

“Creativity is having hope in options,” she says. “It means believing that one of many possible paths might work, and having the confidence to try.” It’s a mantra that doesn’t come from theory alone. It’s something Ms Ng has lived, and continues to practise as a lecturer.

Art meets education

Much of Ms Ng’s strength as an educator comes from the life she lived before returning to Nanyang Polytechnic to teach full-time. A practising artist and former artistic director of digital art programme Noise Metaverse, she spent years curating immersive digital experiences and experimenting with form, narrative, and audience engagement.

Her studio practice informs how she teaches: layering experiences, scaffolding discovery, and helping learners navigate the unfamiliar. “I borrow techniques from the art world and apply those methods to unpack creativity for students,” she explains. She’s especially drawn to the ways artists across history tried to be creative – not just what they made. “People think creativity is something you either have or don’t. I want my students to see that it’s a skill. It can be learnt.”

She tailors lessons to her students’ trades and traits (5 September 2025)

"Ms Izriena Idris meets students where they are at – designing competitions around their social media trends, or speaking the language of their courses. This is all part of the skills she imparts as ITE College East Lifeskills Lecturer, role-modelled with her special blend of care and rigour.

Ms Izriena Idris is a Lifeskills Lecturer at ITE College East, but to her nursing students, she speaks like a nurse, and to her engineering students, she speaks like an engineer.

This is a method Ms Izriena describes as “trade-speak”, where she adapts lifeskills to the specific language and context of each student’s future profession. It reflects her belief that teaching should connect with students’ training, be relevant to their professional identities, and make soft skills applicable to daily life and work.

For instance, when teaching communication to nursing students, she emphasises phrases that convey emotional sensitivity and build empathy. These skills are necessary for nurses who regularly handle delicate conversations with patients and their families during vulnerable moments. With engineering students, she helps them emphasise clarity, structure, and logic in their statements – attributes essential for reporting faults or managing technical issues.

“Communication looks different in every job, and makes a difference in every job,” she explains.

Her own chameleon-like skills at communication and rapport-building are what landed her the lecturing career she enjoys.

Over 15 years ago, she was handling marketing and college relations at ITE when her manager spotted her ability to connect with students of all backgrounds. She eventually decided to become a lecturer, where her skills in business services and professional development could make a direct impact on students.

Reading the room and switching up the energy

Through Ms Izriena’s lessons on public speaking, resume writing, and financial literacy, her students learn to put their best professional foot forward.

However, these subjects might inadvertently come across as too abstract or not directly relevant to students, and this requires Ms Izriena to be creative and adaptive.

For example, when she was teaching mental health as part of her Personal & Professional Development modules, she observed her students becoming restless. She quickly adapted, putting aside her lesson plan to ask them about mental health struggles that they had come across.

Gradually, the students opened up and shared stories about their close friends, family members and even themselves. “Once they heard their classmates share personal experiences, it changed everything,” says Ms Izriena. “Suddenly, they were listening.”

And only then did she return to her lesson plan."

He brings purpose and precision to every classroom move (5 September 2025)

"Shaking things up may be a good way to describe Mr Marek Otreba’s style of teaching. He thrives on using innovation to help students be better thinkers at St Andrew’s Secondary School. The Lead Teacher (Social Studies) earns his students’ respect not just for running fun and engaging lessons, but for making learning more accessible through differentiated lessons.

You could write your answers on paper or… How about getting out of your seat, pretend to be an influencer, find a spot around the school and deliver your answers via a video post?

To Mr Marek Otreba’s students, such are the fun and spontaneous activities he comes up with in class and out.

Get to know Mr Otreba better and it is clear that a lot of thought goes on behind these seemingly casual moves. Every task, digital feedback form, or station rotation (a structured circuit of short activities each focused on a specific skill), starts from an intentional place to help students think harder, grow in skill or values, or to simply benefit from differentiated instructions.

A different kind of Humanities teacher

Originally from Canada, the 42-year-old Lead Teacher (Social Studies) at St Andrew’s Secondary School came to Singapore in 2011 following two years of teaching in the UK. It was a “sliding doors” moment: He was seeking a permanent teaching role, and MOE reached out via an international job portal.

When offered the role, he was told: “We don’t want you to adapt to the way we teach Humanities. We want you to ignite change.” He has stayed true to that invitation.

Over the years, Mr Otreba has led and co-led cluster and national-level Networked Learning Communities (NLCs), and founded the Assessment and A.I. NLC, to explore how emerging technologies can support meaningful teaching and learning. For these efforts, he was conferred the MOE Outstanding Innovator Award in 2023."

She teaches them ‘not just to look but also to see’ (5 September 2025)

"It’s been no regrets for Mdm Elsie Cheng, who swopped engineering for teaching to leave more impact on people’s lives. She finds imparting and shaping values to be among the most rewarding parts of teaching design and technology as Edgefield Secondary School’s Head of Department for Craft & Technology.

There is a moment that Mdm Elsie Cheng Swee Eng will never forget: Her Design and Technology student, passionate about cats, was struggling to sketch his idea for a grooming device. His drawings were a far cry from the elegant solution he envisioned.

Mdm Cheng could see where the possibilities lay, but she was not about to lay them on a silver platter. Instead, she offered tips to guide him there.

Months later, that same student built a prototype that dispensed powder while grooming, which helped contain the flurry from the pets’ shedding fur. As she holds up a photo of his creation, Mdm Cheng, the Head of Department for Craft & Technology at Edgefield Secondary School, smiles with pride. What mattered to her was not the result, but the growth of the student as he worked towards his goal.

This moment was one of many that cemented her decision to leave the corporate world to become a teacher.

From engineer to educator

At the start of her career, after graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering, she joined Hewlett-Packard as a procurement engineer. But that left her feeling unfulfilled somehow. “I could not get the kind of job satisfaction I wanted. I did not get to see the end product, or the impact of what I was doing.”

She thought about how her Secondary 2 Form Teacher had seen an educator in her and suggested that she take up some tutoring work way back when.

Hence, she made a shift to education in 2011 – with no regrets. Her engineering expertise gave her a systematic way of breaking down challenges, but teaching gave her something deeper: the chance to shape lives. “In engineering, I was solving problems. In education, I am helping others learn to solve them.”

Students are attracted to Physics thanks to her magnetic lessons (5 September 2025)

"Mdm Quek Shir Ryn is driven to show how relevant Science is in her students’ lives, so that they embrace the subject beyond grades. As Head of Department (Science) at Bartley Secondary School, she also exudes a gravitational pull on colleagues to design more engaging learning experiences together.

Mdm Quek Shir Ryn did not enjoy Science as a student. That is always a surprise coming from the Head of Department of Science (!) at Bartley Secondary School. She might even have spaced out once or twice in class, she confesses, because “I couldn’t understand the ‘why’ behind the concepts”.

As a teacher today, when she sees her students looking restless, it reminds her of her younger self. “It’s not that they are not trying. I can see that they are trying very hard in many other areas like their CCA, Student-Initiated Learning, or leading their peers,” she reasons. That is a signal to her to up her game, to help them find the relevance behind what they are learning.

Making links to industry and perfumery

Her intent came through clearly in the years after the Covid-19 pandemic. The school’s Applied Learning Programme (ALP) in Chemical and Applied Sciences (Fragrance) had stalled. Industry partnerships had gone quiet, and student engagement had dipped. “I thought, I need to do something about this,” she says. “If we want our students to take science seriously — to see its relevance — then they need to see it applied in the real world.”

Mdm Quek reached out to companies and strengthened partnerships with industry players such as P&G and Scent by Six, who subsequently gave input to the programme. Guest speakers were invited to share career pathways in STEM, and students were brought on learning journeys to fragrance labs and consumer healthcare companies. For the perfumery module, Mdm Quek collaborated with perfumery experts to enhance students’ understanding of how scientific principles apply to real-world fragrance formulation.

Cultivating tomorrow’s STEM leaders today

As ALP programme owner, Mdm Quek is known for planning learning journeys that demonstrate real-world application of STEM concepts — including trips for department teachers to the NUS Science Demo Lab and ITE College Central. She believes that for students to be excited about STEM, teachers must first be inspired themselves.

When Secondary 3 students visited A*STAR’s National Metrology Centre, they deepened their understanding of SI units and the role measurement science plays in supporting industries. They also learned how precision in measurement underpins innovation, ensures product reliability, and facilitates international trade.

Beyond the classroom, she extends STEM learning through industry partnerships. When she brought students to Kenvue Singapore, they gained invaluable insights into the fragrance development process and learned how sensory science influences consumer experiences. They also explored how global industry leaders like Kenvue and Givaudan collaborate, and the technologies involved in creating consumer health products."

Family tradition that led to her career of a lifetime (5 September 2025)

"At first, she resisted the pull of the classroom. Now, she cannot imagine life without teaching. Mdm Lee Siok Kwan, PE Teacher at Woodgrove Primary School, comes from four generations of teachers. She designs physical activities that build character, imparts skills, reinforces values and promotes mental well-being.

At 55, after 24 years in the teaching service, Mdm Lee Siok Kwan has taught thousands of students. For all her students, she hopes to leave behind moments that matter to each.

Mdm Lee, who currently teaches Physical Education (PE) and Programme for Active Learning (PAL) at Woodgrove Primary School, gets so much job satisfaction that she cannot picture herself retiring. “I want to keep teaching as long as I can,” she says. “Teaching warms my heart and fills my soul.”

Teaching in their DNA

Coming from a family of teachers – grandparents, parents, husband, and soon, her son – Mdm Lee initially resisted the pull of the classroom. “Teaching is in my DNA, but I never knew it,” she says.

After her GCE A-Level examination, without any clear goal in mind, she enrolled in what was then known as the College of Physical Education at the suggestion of her father, a PE teacher himself. Her initial years as a beginning teacher were challenging, but also rich in learning, which laid the foundation for her teaching career. Subsequently, she took four years off to raise her four children, but she had already been bitten by the teaching bug by then.

“I was grateful I was there for my children’s milestones, and thankful that MOE kept the job open for me all those years.” When she was ready to return to work, what surprised her was how much she missed teaching and she appreciated the opportunity to continue “touch(ing) many lives”.

The class that made her realise her true calling

Posted to Woodgrove Primary School to teach PE and English after her extended absence, she faced a class which posed various challenges. There were social-emotional concerns, learning difficulties, and dysfunctional home situations rolled into one – her toughest class to date.

“I made the effort to get to know the students well, eat with them during recess, and find out their interests,” she says. Through these informal encounters, she listened to their stories and began to understand them better while forging bonds with them."

With a culture shift, she turns mistakes into motivation (5 September 2025)

"How do teachers respond to their students’ errors? At Kong Hwa School, they view them as springboards to learning and growth. Ms Diana Lin’s “Culture of Error” approach also shapes student mindsets to look beyond grades and strive for improvement.

The Primary 6 girl was inconsolable. Tears streamed down her face over her score that was just shy of a better grade.

Her teacher Ms Diana Lin, better known to her students as Mrs Tan, was concerned. Here was a child who wanted to become a teacher when she grew up, and loved learning, but was feeling so upset over missing a single percentage point.

While such incidents do not happen frequently, Mrs Tan, who is Kong Hwa School’s School Staff Developer and has been teaching at the school for two decades, says that these incidents crystallise the need to help children see that learning is about growth, not just grades.

Rewriting the rules of mistakes

Mrs Tan, a recipient of the MSEA Gold Award in 2022 and the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan LEAP Award in 2024, has been reshaping how teachers and students across the school approach mistakes.

She worked with her Vice-Principal to create a “Culture of Error”. This approach challenges both teachers and students to see mistakes as learning opportunities rather than something undesirable. The approach required teachers to examine their own reactions to student errors and reflect on how their responses influenced classroom dynamics.

“It took a little bit of time for everyone to get on board,” Mrs Tan acknowledges. “Teachers had to be vulnerable and share how they feel about making mistakes as an adult, and rethink how they react and respond towards their students’ mistakes.”

This Science teacher is a ‘balsam plant’ for spreading knowledge and kindness (5 September 2025)

"At Endeavour Primary School, Mr Jonathan Lo’s secret to effective Science education is to make it so captivating that students forget they are learning. The Head of Department of Science proves every day that the most rigorous form of education can often feel like play.

When 12-year-old Adhrit Rayala is asked what plant his teacher would be, he says, “Balsam plant.”

Then, with theatrical flair, he makes an exploding hand gesture to mimic seeds bursting from their pods. Most teachers would be bewildered with the comparison. Mr Jonathan Lo, however, takes it as a compliment, tickled. He even teasingly clarifies with Adhrit if he is referring to the knowledge he imparts, and Adhrit nods emphatically.

It is a metaphor that captures exactly how Mr Lo teaches – knowledge spreading far and wide through his thoughtful pedagogy at Endeavour Primary School.

“He makes science come to life!” Adhrit says, eyes sparkling as he recounts adventures that sound more like treasure hunts than textbook lessons. Like the time Mr Lo mysteriously brought plants to class, only to have students design their own experiments to see how water is transported in plants. Or when a seed collection project sent Adhrit’s family across the island in search of a floating seed found only at West Coast Park.

This is Science education at Endeavour Primary School: experiential, engaging, and transformative.

Rewriting the rules

Where Mr Lo is concerned, “I do not want to teach just based on the textbook. It is boring to learn the flower parts by only reading about them,” he states.

Instead, his lessons unfold like real-world mysteries. And this also applies to Mathematics. To get students to understand percentage change, Mr Lo brought in an example of a movie-ticket promotion that looked great… until students crunched the numbers. What could have been a routine exercise morphed into a masterclass in critical thinking, consumer behaviour, and ethics.

“I asked them about their feelings and opinions about the deal. ‘What do you really think about these promotions? Would you be attracted?’” Soon, the class was debating how companies market to seniors, students, and families, and whether those deals were truly fair.

Then came the twist: Mr Lo told his students that he was misled by the terms of this promotion, and explained how he provided feedback and got a refund. “Even as a teacher, I am still learning.”

She teaches lessons in flavour, grit and dignity (5 September 2025)

"For Ms Lina Tan Lay Nah, food is never just food. It offers a chance to connect, go green, or advance patient care. At Nanyang Polytechnic, the Senior Lecturer and specialist in food technology teaches students how to create meaningful products and find purpose in the process.

Food isn’t just sustenance, says Ms Lina Tan Lay Nah. It’s care, comfort, and when done well, a form of dignity. And above all, it must be tasty.

“If it’s not tasty, forget it,” she often tells her students. No matter how nutritious a dish is, she believes it won’t succeed unless people actually want to eat it.

That focus sharpened in 2019, when her father-in-law, who had dysphagia, choked after she made him a nutrient-rich porridge, thoughtfully enhanced with goji berries. The berries’ seeds, which retained their firmness after cooking, created a dual texture that was hazardous for someone with swallowing difficulties.

For Ms Tan, a Specialist (Food Technology) and Senior Lecturer at Nanyang Polytechnic, the experience wasn’t just humbling. It marked a turning point.

Overcoming her berry bad start

In ageing Singapore, where nearly one in four citizens will be 65 or older by 2030, dysphagia is a growing concern. The condition, which affects one’s ability to swallow safely, can lead to malnutrition, aspiration pneumonia, and even death.

Yet food options for its patients are somewhat limited, bland, and unappealing. Ms Tan then made it her mission to develop meals that are both suitable and enjoyable.

She introduced the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI), encouraging students to reimagine food for people with swallowing difficulties.

One of their creations included the world’s first nutrient-fortified local dessert for such patients, a Herbal Tea Duo that won at the 13th Asia Pacific Eldercare Innovation Awards 2025 (Food & Nutrition category), and a mocktail that was recognised by the World Food Innovation Awards 2025 (Best Drink Innovation).

One team even reimagined bandung, the nostalgic rose syrup drink, into a safer version, as liquids that are too thin may go down the windpipe."

He teaches AI, assisted by AI (5 September 2025)

"In his classroom, Mr Max Chua, a Lecturer at ITE College West, blends empathy with innovation, using AI to teach and to listen. His own story of second chances now shapes how he gives others theirs.

The Advanced Computing Lab at ITE College West is nearly bare. Just a few pieces of AI-generated artwork are displayed in a cabinet at the entrance, and bright green tables glow under fluorescent lights.

This minimalistic room is where Mr Max Chua, who teaches at the School of Electronics & Info-Comm Technology, reimagines how students learn AI. “As part of our curriculum and pedagogy development, I created the AI Classroom to personalise learning at scale – essentially giving every student the experience of a class size of one,” he explains.

In his classes, students self-explore key concepts using GenAI tools, supported by prompt engineering guides and scaffolding questions. With GenAI, students can enjoy personalised advice to their questions. Then, during lessons, Mr Chua guides the class to apply these concepts to solve real-world problems.

The results are promising. “Students who went through the AI Classroom scored around 20 per cent better than those in normal classroom groups. Many also shared that AI helped them better understand coding and gave them the motivation to explore further.”

Learning without barriers

Making technology accessible is a constant theme in Mr Chua’s work. He specialises in AI, High Performance Computing (HPC), and Electronics Engineering, and has created modules that allow students to build real-world AI applications, even if they have never written a line of code.

“Not everyone comes in knowing how to code. My job is to scaffold learning: to deconstruct concepts so students can build their foundation from the ground up,” he says, as a leader of ITE’s Generative AI HPC teams.

His curriculum work features partnerships with Amazon Web Services, Google, and the National Supercomputing Centre. He also leads Train-the-Trainer sessions and develops general electives that support fellow educators. His workshops on AI and HPC have benefitted over 100 fellow educators. “I myself cannot teach the whole world. I need to multiply this effect,” Mr Chua elaborates.

Beyond his work at ITE, Mr Chua contributes to the community to build up AI competencies in Singapore. He is part of digital community The Gen-C, a collaboration between the National Library Board and AWS that upskills the public in AI skills like prompt engineering, working with Large Language Models (LLMs), and fine-tuning models."

She weaves a passion for nature into language lessons (5 September 2025)

"Ms Debbie Wong, who teaches English Language and Literature at North Vista Secondary School, shows that when students connect authentically with Singapore’s natural heritage, they don’t just learn about conservation – they become its champions.

A text message arrives, accompanied by a close-up of a spider. “This should be the green crab spider?” writes 15-year-old Alfonse Lee, who moments earlier had walked straight into a web at a park and immediately pulled out his phone to document the encounter.

Ms Debbie Wong’s face lights up as she remembers this: It’s not just the spider encounter that excites her – it’s what the encounter represents. Here’s a student who once walked through the world focused inward but now looks out and up, stopping to examine creatures most people would ignore, curious enough to reach out to his teacher to learn more.

An English Language and Literature teacher who is also the School Staff Developer, Ms Wong has spent the past two years weaving environmental consciousness into language learning. Her dedication has not gone unnoticed: She was nominated for the Inspiring Teacher of English Award in 2024 and received NParks’ Community in Nature, Teacher of the Year Award the same year.

From aircon to advocacy

The irony isn’t lost on Ms Wong that she was once everything her current self is not. “I was a creature of comfort,” she admits with a laugh. “Air-conditioning over outdoor adventures, every time.”

The shift came through heartbreak of the most personal kind. When both her daughters were diagnosed with dyslexia , “I was very crushed,” Ms Wong says. “I felt that they wouldn’t be able to appreciate the written word the way that I would as an English Language and Literature teacher. It was heartbreaking.”

Desperate for alternatives, she began taking them outdoors. The moment of clarity came after a walk at Changi Beach with her older daughter. Suddenly animated and confident, the little girl delivered a presentation about intertidal marine life to her Kindergarten 2 classmates. “She was brimming with joy,” Ms Wong recalls. “You could hear the pride and wonder in her voice.”

TWhen Ms Wong shared this story with her Secondary 3 class, their immediate response was, “Ms Wong, we want to do that for our Values-in-Action project too!”

He turns classrooms into creative spaces and safe havens (5 September 2025)

"To his students, he’s not judgy – that’s high praise coming from teens. Mr Abdul Hadi Bin Abdul Wahab, who is a Senior Teacher (Art) at Holy Innocents’ High School, welcomes adventurers who wish to dabble in all kinds of artistic media, or in inter-disciplinary learning. And when students need an open heart or a listening ear along the way, he’s there for them too.

Step into the art room at Holy Innocents’ High School (HIHS) and it is immediately clear that this is no ordinary class in progress. Students gather over sketchbooks, digital tablets, or film footage. Not because they have to, but because they want to. Whether they are using photography, animation, or installation, they are encouraged to work in the medium that lets their message speak.

This is Mr Abdul Hadi Bin Abdul Wahab’s domain, where students are trusted to think, create, and speak through their work. “I always ask my students: Are you doing this for the grade or for yourself?” says the 35-year-old Senior Teacher (Art). “Because how you answer shapes everything you produce.”

Mr Hadi took to teaching from young – starting with always finding ways as the eldest child to amuse his brothers. “I liked to design experiences or games for them, and they seemed to enjoy themselves,” says Mr Hadi, smiling at the memory. The first signs he would wind up as an art teacher came from his youthful passions for art and filmmaking.

His inaugural posting was to a junior college, where he met students who had creative chops but dropped Art after secondary school anyway. “They were creating for grades, not for themselves. When they failed, they assumed they were not creative or skillful enough,” he says. Six years in, he was convinced he should make the switch to teaching at secondary school. “I wanted to be where the foundations were being laid.”

What does it mean to make art that matters?

These days, he focuses on building those foundations, designing a curriculum that gives students room to experiment, fail, and return to their ideas with deeper insight. Drawing and painting are just the beginning. Students in his classes explore augmented reality (AR), 3D tools, film, photography… he rarely denies their choice of media. “Art should be comforting, meaningful, and speak to their hearts,” he explains.

He uses the Art Inquiry-based Learning Model to guide this process, helping students tackle real-world themes that matter to them. And when the themes are honest, so is the work. Some projects they have made include AR trails about cultural memory, fashion pieces tied to personal identity, and other projects that ask not just what looks good, but what holds meaning. When that process happens, the learning comes naturally.

One student was feeling disconnected with the art diet of portraits and still life. When she joined Mr Hadi’s class in Secondary 4, he saw that “those things did not resonate with her”. He suggested, “Why not do something for yourself?” This was followed by yet another profound question: What would you create if this were your last artwork?

This set her on a wholly unfamiliar journey, but she was inspired. She chose to make it personal: a photo installation in tribute to her mother. It was thoughtfully composed, emotionally honest, and deeply moving, says Mr Hadi, who turned it into an exhibition piece at school."

She builds confidence in ways that get students talking (5 September 2025)

"Science teacher Germain Kang could be mistaken for a life coach – that’s how passionate she feels about enhancing student wellbeing. The Year Head (Upper Sec) at Fuhua Secondary School devises strategies to build self-esteem and peer support for every student.

Ms Germain Kang keeps a folder on her phone called “Encouragement”. It is filled with messages from students thanking her for changing their lives.

What is remarkable is not that she has it – it is that she needs it. Because teaching, she learned, is equal parts giving and taking, building up and being worn down, creating hope while fighting your own moments of doubt.

The folder gets its heaviest use on days like the one she is recalling now. It was the day she missed meeting a student who regularly skipped school – for months, he made good on their arrangement to meet each morning, grinning when she treated him to some candy. “All the work was undone,” Ms Kang recounts. “It was only one day that I missed, but he didn’t come back to school.”

Making sure everyone gets a fair shot

Ms Kang is the Year Head (Upper Secondary) and Chair of the Student Development Council and Student Wellbeing Committee at Fuhua Secondary School.

One reason she feels prepared for these roles is how she has personally experienced the peaks and troughs of school life, from failing exams to being crowned secondary school valedictorian. Key to her progress, she admits, was not wanting to disappoint her parents. But what sustained her progress was the growing confidence in herself.

Enter Project FRESH, a schoolwide start-of-year programme she created with her team to help students build social confidence. They play games and use resources like conversation cards as icebreakers – all for a chance to build friendships from day one.

When gamifying quizzes in her Science classes, she creates individual as well as team modes, so “everybody gets a chance to shine and also work together to raise the bar for the whole class to win”.

And when she gives affirmation, it is for results as well as for effort. After every weighted assessment, for instance, her announcement slides list not just top scorers but also those who made the most improvement.

This has echoes of her own trajectory. “I want them to know that where you begin does not define where you can go.”

His teaching subjects? Accounting, integrity, vulnerability (5 September 2025)

"When teaching the balancing of books, Mr Simon Sng is also shaping young lives. The Year Head (Lower Secondary) at Bedok South Secondary School has a systematic approach to build relationships with students, parents, and teachers – echoing the discipline of an auditor.

Three years into his career as an auditor, Mr Simon Sng was grabbing lunch at a mall when he spotted two students struggling with their accounting homework. Without hesitation, he approached them.

“I just tapped one of them on the shoulder and asked, ‘Are you alright? Do you need help with your accounting homework?’” he recalls. That started an impromptu tutoring session, and the students opened up about what was bothering them. Then came their question that changed everything: “Are you sure you are not a teacher?”

“It was like a trigger point,” Mr Sng says. “I realised teachers impact lives.”

Soon, he would make the leap from auditing into teaching.

More than numbers, it is about integrity

Currently the Year Head (Lower Secondary) at Bedok South Secondary School, Mr Sng was once written off as an at-risk student. “I was not a good student,” he reveals. Behind his skipping of classes and disengagement during lessons, he was shouldering adult responsibilities, working as a private tutor, to help support his family when his mother was ill.

But he had teachers who supported and acknowledged his every progress, showing him that underneath all the missteps was a lot of potential. “I want to be a teacher who can be there for students like they were there for me,” he explains.

His corporate years taught him invaluable lessons about integrity and moral courage. In auditing, he had to surface discrepancies regardless of client pressure. This commitment to do what is right, even in uncomfortable situations, became deeply ingrained in his character.

Now, that same principle is threaded through all he does in education. “It is about teaching students about integrity,” he says, “having the moral courage to stand up for what is right, not just in accounting, but standing up for people who need help.”

She ensures that students with different needs have opportunities to shine (5 September 2025)

"Mdm Usha d/o Krishnasamy crafts learning moments that blend structure with heart. With calmness and consistency, coupled with innovative methods, she makes learning accessible to different learners. The Lead Teacher for Learning Needs (Special Educational Needs) at North View Primary School also guides teachers on inclusive strategies with a steady and practised hand.

“Teacher, I spoke in Tamil. You haven’t given me points.” It’s a small request from a young student. Eager, proud, beaming. But Mdm Usha d/o Krishnasamy takes it seriously. “Mother Tongue learning is about having a positive experience,” she says. “It is about providing a safe space for them to practise and explore the language.”

After 23 years in the classroom, Mdm Usha, whose students call her Mrs Theva, remains energised by these moments. Not because they are dramatic or showy, but because they signal quiet change — the kind that takes root when students feel seen and supported.

Mdm Usha is the Lead Teacher for Learning Needs (Special Educational Needs or SEN) at North View Primary School. She teaches Tamil Language and Character and Citizenship Education (CCE), and uses inclusive practices to support learning and behavioural needs both within the classroom and other school activities. She also mentors teachers of students with SEN, by guiding them on their use of inclusive practices.

A mantra she adopted, “Essential for some, useful for all”, reflects how she approaches inclusion with intention and practicality. Structured routines and simple, clear instructions form the backbone of her classes. “When I say ‘Position 3’, students know exactly the sitting posture to assume – upright, arms folded on a table clear of clutter, to be ready to learn. These cues help all my students, not just those with SEN.”

She uses multimodal and multisensory techniques — songs, chunking, visual aids, text-to-speech software — to support reading and oral communication. In her Tamil lessons, she incorporates tech platforms like Nearpod and Kahoot to spark excitement, and creates her own instructional videos to make the experience more personal.

“When students hear my voice in the videos, they recognise it immediately and tell me so! That connection makes them pay attention.” She adds, “Rapport is very important. If a teacher does not connect with the students, the same tools will not have the same effect.”

These personalised touches, Mdm Usha believes, create a sense of safety and familiarity. She reassures her students that mistakes are part of learning. “You don’t have to be perfect,” she tells them calmly. “Just try.”

She finds ways to lift her students’ ‘invisible burdens’ (5 September 2025)

"At Fuhua Primary School, Mdm Nurul Huda Bte Juma’at turns emotional touchpoints into teachable, trackable moments. The HOD (CCE) also develops schoolwide programmes that embed values into daily routines, customise care, and equip teachers to manage tough conversations.

The primary school student was clutching an unopened umbrella, catching up to his little sister to shelter her in the downpour. When their father approached, he took the girl’s hand and walked off without acknowledging the boy, leaving him standing there, drenched, his shoulders slumped in resignation.

“I just broke down,” Mdm Nurul Huda Bte Juma’at recalls of witnessing this scene involving her student from afar. “Children may be carrying invisible burdens.”

Difficult situations like this underpin her dedication to be empathetic and understanding towards every student’s needs. Currently the Head of Department for Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) of Fuhua Primary School, Mdm Huda develops comprehensive frameworks that guide in the implementation of pastoral care and weave character-building into every corner of school life.

Building systems that inculcate good values

In short, Mdm Huda doesn’t leave the inculcating of good values and outcomes to chance.

“We need to be intentional in our values education,” she says. “We need to ask ourselves — what are the learning outcomes in each particular lesson?”

Her comprehensive values chart anchors every term to one school core value, that is reinforced through multiple platforms. Each morning, student leaders share the day’s character focus during assembly with the school population. It might go like this: “The character trait of the day is care. We need to listen more, and exercise empathy for others.”

Teachers receive updates through calendar invites highlighting the core value for the week, along with curated lesson resources for reinforcement with students.

The message is then threaded through the Sixer Programme, Fuhua’s peer support programme supported by the House System that takes all the students through values-based games and activities.

To produce the chart, Mdm Huda also collaborated with the HOD PE and Aesthetics, Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) Coordinator and CCA teachers to map CCE developmental milestones into their weekly activities, ensuring classroom, CCA, and Sixer experiences reinforce one another.

The process of mapping was more intricate than it sounds: she took reference from the MOE CCE developmental milestones and repackaged them into bite-sized statements that teachers could relate to and apply in their lessons.

For instance, she created simple, adaptable statements like ‘demonstrate a positive outlook in life’ that teachers could easily incorporate across different subjects. Teachers could use this to recognise students who maintain an optimistic attitude when tackling challenging questions.

When Mdm Huda shared this milestone map with her colleagues, she was delighted that teachers appreciated its clarity and readily used the statements in their lessons."

Watch: How these educators make the ordinary, extraordinary (11 September 2025)

"These happy faces belong to the eight recipients of 2025’s President’s Award for Teachers. How exactly do they bring out the full potential of their students and colleagues?

To many of us, the teachers who leave the deepest imprint are the ones who turn the everyday rhythms of school into moments that matter.

This year’s recipients of the President’s Award for Teachers are eight such outstanding educators. At first glance, their classroom may look like any other. But so much else happens: the planning, learning, trialling, collaborating and facilitating. Not to mention the countless conversations and acts of care that all add up. And this is just for their students.

What about the work they do to shore up their profession and build up their colleagues and peers?

The effort that our eight recipients put in every day is not always obvious, but its impact stays with their students and colleagues long after."

How do MOE Kindergartens support children’s emotional and mental well-being? (18 September 2025)

"Learning to understand and manage emotions is a crucial part of every child’s development. At MOE Kindergarten (MK), we create safe spaces where children are encouraged to express themselves and learn that all feelings are valid. Here’s how our MK educators are helping our little ones build the social-emotional skills they need to form meaningful connections with others.

MK@Dazhong “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay” Programme

Teachers introduced the Emotional Cups and Self-Help Kits to help children learn skills such as managing disagreements, navigating misunderstandings, or taking turns between peers.

These simple tools give children a healthy outlet to express their feelings, reflect, and resolve them.

For example, they doodle how they feel on pieces of paper, which are then ‘stored and secured’ in their personalised cups, after which, they explore what they can do using the picture cards in the self-help kit.

“As a teacher, it’s incredibly rewarding to witness how these small tools are making such a big difference. Seeing our children respond with such enthusiasm, kindness and confidence is the most joyful outcome of all.” - Ms Vaeshanavi Manoharan, MK Level Head at MK@Dazhong

MK@Tampines Social and Emotional Check-in Corner

Here, children are given the time and space to pause and reflect on their emotions.

Resources such as emotion charts empower them to recognise, name and navigate their feelings. The space helps little ones develop self-regulation skills through calming strategies like deep breathing, sensory tools and fidgets.

“Teaching values can be an abstract concept for children. As teachers, we break down what each value looks like in real-life situations and make it as concrete as possible to the children.” - Ms Sasha Leung, MK Level Head at MK@Tampines"

The Real Life of Teachers: The Good and the Gritty (23 September 2025)

"Beyond the lesson plans and CCAs lies the true story of what it means to teach. 18 educators open up about the moments that build them, challenge them, and remind them why they chose this calling.

These 18 teachers know that real teaching can happen anytime.

During classes? Sure.

But also in the unscripted, unexpected moments between lesson plans.

Far from an Instagrammable moment, it’s…

The professional expertise that turns chaos into learning.

The emotional intelligence that reads invisible struggles.

The canteen chats that changes lives.

Meet 2025’s President’s Award for Teachers (PAT) recipients and finalists

Welcome to the real life of teachers.

The good, the gritty, and everything in between."

Our Schools, Our Stories 2025 (25 September 2025)

"Our Schools, Our Stories is an annual photo and video contest organised by the Ministry of Education that celebrates the unique stories of everyday school life, as seen through the eyes of students, staff, and the wider school community.

Discover the winning entries of this year’s contest. More than just photographs or videos, these are stories that celebrate the relationships, experiences, and opportunities that make school a place of growth and inspiration."

Our School Community: Junior Category (25 September 2025)

"School is more than just a place of learning — it is where the extended school family grow, support, and inspire one another. Witness shared moments and meaningful collaborations, where everyone plays a part in making a difference.

BEST PHOTO STORY

School Life in a Snap

By Hsu Audrianna Ii-Zanne, Lyha Medina Binte Kamzaruddin and Kieran Tan Ze Xu

Fuhua Primary School

Teacher Facilitator: Ms Najuma Banu

We love capturing the fun and exciting moments that happen across the different CCAs in our school.

From friends dancing, training on the field, and playing the guzheng, to learning how to start a fire with dried leaves, every moment is a memory worth snapping.

In our Infocomm CCA, we learn how to take clear and creative photos, using techniques like framing, lighting, and timing. Sometimes we capture action, other times we focus on happy faces and teamwork. 

Each photo tells its own story. We’re proud to be behind the lens, turning everyday school life into lasting memories."

Our School Community: Youth Category (25 September 2025)

"School is more than just a place of learning — it is where the extended school family grow, support, and inspire one another. Witness shared moments and meaningful collaborations, where everyone plays a part in making a difference.

BEST PHOTO STORY

More Than a Teacher: A Mentor , A Friend , An Inspiration

By Png Yi Qi, Tay Xin Ying, Rachael and Zhang Haoran

Yio Chu Kang Secondary School

Teacher Facilitator: Mr Yip Seng Yiam Gerald

My Chinese teacher, Madam Chi King Kiok, has devoted over 50 years to education.

She’s now in her 80s. After retiring in 2008, she continued as a flexi-adjunct teacher, finding joy and meaning in guiding the next generation.

With patience and empathy, she formed close bonds with us and became someone we could trust. Embracing the spirit of lifelong learning, she overcame challenges in adapting to new technology, learning from her younger colleagues and students along the way.

Her advice to the younger generation is to manage time well, use mobile devices wisely, and always stay in control of emotions. Her unwavering dedication continues to inspire many."

Our School Community: MOE Staff Category (25 September 2025)

"School is more than just a place of learning — it is where the extended school family grow, support, and inspire one another. Witness shared moments and meaningful collaborations, where everyone plays a part in making a difference.

BEST PHOTO STORY

A Journey of Kindness: K1 Children Touch Hearts in the Neighbourhood

By Mr Prakash Ezekiel

MOE Kindergarten @ Bendemeer Primary School

Our K1 children embarked on a learning journey to appreciate the unsung heroes in our neighbourhood.

From packing care packs to making heartfelt crafts, they personally thanked shopkeepers, construction workers, and MRT staff for their hard work.

Through these simple acts, our young learners discovered empathy and gratitude, interacting with confidence and kindness.

This outreach built awareness, self-confidence, and a deeper sense of community — a reminder that even young hearts can uplift and inspire."

World of Possibilities: Junior Category (25 September 2025)

"Discover how school opens up a world of possibilities for both students and staff, whether through innovative learning, new experiences, or opportunities that inspire growth and discovery.

BEST PHOTO STORY

Ready to Dream, Ready to Try

By Lionell Ho Yao Zu and Danise Jacob

Woodlands Ring Primary School

Teacher Facilitator: Mr Muhammad Bin Amir Said Alkatiri

School is where we discover endless possibilities. Whether it is leaping for the sky, scoring a basket, kicking a ball, or walking with friends, every moment sparks adventure.

Here, we are encouraged to explore, challenge ourselves, and grow in confidence. School is not just lessons, but where we find talents, push limits, and believe anything is possible. And through it all, we live our motto — We Do Our Best. With effort and courage, the possibilities are endless."

World of Possibilities: Youth Category (25 September 2025)

"Discover how school opens up a world of possibilities for both students and staff, whether through innovative learning, new experiences, or opportunities that inspire growth and discovery.

BEST PHOTO STORY

Different Pathways, Endless Possibilities

By Ngui Shisi, Joie Nio Yu Tong and Goh Zi Riz Tiffanys

Nanyang Junior College

Teacher Facilitator: Mr Chan Guang Hui

Our school offers many co-curricular activities, from drama to dance, giving students chances to shine. These experiences deliver a newfound and refreshed meaning to school life, as they open doors beyond academics.

Whether on stage or on the sports court, every movement is a brushstroke in each student’s book. It is more than a moment; it is a door to endless possibilities and pathways yet to be discovered."

World of Possibilities: MOE Staff Category (25 September 2025)

"Discover how school opens up a world of possibilities for both students and staff, whether through innovative learning, new experiences, or opportunities that inspire growth and discovery.

BEST PHOTO STORY

Chasing Curiosity in China

By Ms Chua Zheng Yi Jane

Kheng Cheng School

These photos show how my students stepped out of their classrooms and into a world of wonder.

In Shanghai and Suzhou, every street, museum and garden became a place to learn. From observing koi in a garden pond in Suzhou’s Museum to posing under lanterns in an alley, each snapshot reflects their growth and joy.

Whether laughing at new discoveries or learning to navigate cultural differences, they show how learning comes live in unexpected ways. This was more than a trip; it was a journey of hearts, minds and friendships."

Priceless Moments: Junior Category (25 September 2025)

"What makes your school experience memorable? What moments make you smile, learn, or grow? See the special moments in school that we cherish.

BEST PHOTO STORY

Hi! I’m Sheldon!

By Ridwan Bin Razali

Fernvale Primary School

Teacher Facilitator: Ms Siti Erliasari Binte Haroon

I want to share my priceless journey since transferring to Fernvale Primary School. On my first day, I met Calvin, who became my first friend. He’s very kind, and introduced me to classmates who would shape my school experience.

My love for soccer helped me bond with them. I’ll never forget the moment they cheered for me and celebrated with me during our PE lesson. They made me feel truly accepted.

Exploring Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden opened my eyes to new adventures, but my most treasured moment was building a LEGO model of our school stage with my friends. As we clicked the pieces together, I knew I had found my place here."

Priceless Moments: Youth Category (25 September 2025)

"What makes your school experience memorable? What moments make you smile, learn, or grow? See the special moments in school that we cherish.

BEST PHOTO STORY

In The Spaces We Shared

By Yee Yi Hui and Edelia Binte Muhamad Nizam

Nanyang Junior College

Teacher Facilitator: Mr Chan Guang Hui

The most priceless moments aren’t always the big events or loud celebrations. It’s the little moments, the quiet laughs and simple joys, that stay with us forever — snapshots of joy, friendship, and togetherness that we hold close.

We chose moments that reflect our journey: the thrill of learning something new together, the burst of colour and collaboration in creating a shared canvas, and the gentle exchange of ideas when guidance becomes inspiration. Each moment reveals the bonds we’ve forged, the creativity we’ve sparked and the memories that bring warmth to our hearts.

These are the moments that unite us."

Priceless Moments: MOE Staff Category (25 September 2025)

"What makes your school experience memorable? What moments make you smile, learn, or grow? See the special moments in school that we cherish.

BEST PHOTO STORY

A Teacher’s Campsite Reflection

By Mr Ng Chin Yong Ivan

South View Primary School

Watching my students at the P5 camp is one of the most rewarding moments of the year. I saw them overcome fears — scaling rock walls, abseiling with trembling hands — and many succeeded. Their faces beamed, flushed with excitement at what they’ve managed to accomplish.

Through team challenges, they learned to communicate, to listen, and to encourage. The raucous cheers, the happy chatter, and the tired groans after a long hot day all reminded me of the bonds they were building.

What touched me most was witnessing the quieter students shine — going further than most, gamely trying new experiences while others hesitated, surprising even their friends.

Camp isn’t just about adventure, it’s about growth. As their teacher, it fills me with pride to see how they’ve grown, not just as students, but as young individuals finding their footing."

What I Go To School For (25 September 2025)

"What makes school so meaningful? Explore these winning video entries by students, teachers, and school staff from the Our Schools, Our Stories Photo & Video Contest 2025. Here, they show us the moments, people, and passions that shape school life.

BEST VIDEO: JUNIOR

The Heartbeat of Our School

By Tai Cen Qian Adelle, Lau Ying Xi and Yeo Ling

Commonwealth Secondary School

Teacher Facilitator: Mr Christopher Sim

HONOURABLE MENTION: JUNIOR

Hey Wait!

By Zoya Gulam Moinuddin Rehman

First Toa Payoh Primary School

Teacher Facilitator: Ms Ho Chi Chia Brenda

Why I Go to School – Magical Moments

By Muhammad Zufayri Bin Mohd Faridon, Chia Yuan Kai Zac and Teow Kai Jie Jay

Pathlight School

Teacher Facilitator: Mr Benedict Song Jin Huey"

The Concert Hall Classroom (26 September 2025)

"A core learning experience in the lower-secondary Music curriculum, the Performing Arts-Based Learning (PABL) curates bespoke live music performances to connect classroom to stage, celebrate local talent, and deepen musical appreciation.

Mention live music performances and it’s understandable that concerts by international acts such as Taylor Swift and Coldplay come to mind. But beyond these large-scale, buzzy events, Singapore has no shortage of homegrown talents and music events in our own professional arts scene.

To spark students’ interest in these local acts, and forge in them a deeper sense of identity, community, and connection with Singapore’s arts and cultural heritage, MOE and the National Arts Council (NAC) initiated the Performing Arts-Based Learning (PABL) experience to bring bespoke live music performances to them. In its inception year in 2024, more than 12,000 students from 48 schools attended such specially curated music performance as part of PABL. This year, the numbers have almost doubled, with over 23,000 students from 85 schools participating in the programme.

“MOE and NAC work closely with local cultural institutions and performing arts groups to put together each PABL programme, which takes place at Singapore’s professional arts venues. We also strive to feature Singaporean artists, arts groups and local works in each programme, including those by Cultural Medallion and Young Artist Award recipients, to help students develop an appreciation for them,” elaborates MOE’s Arts Education Branch (AEB). For instance, Metropolitan Festival Orchestra (MFO) engaged 2023 Young Artist Award recipient Julian Wong to specially curate and rearrange Our Singapore Songbook’s programme since last year.

Making meaningful connections between classroom learning and the local professional arts scene

Unity Secondary School is one of the schools which participated in the PABL for the first time this year. Its Secondary 1 students attended Songsmith: Singapore Songs and Songwriting, presented by The Esplanade Co. Ltd. and Inch Chua with Metronome Collective. During the programme, students were invited to create songs with the performers.

“We simply suggested words to the singers on stage, and they turned them into a full song right there and then! I was honestly stunned by their talent. It was so cool how they could come up with melodies and lyrics so quickly. It made the performance feel super interactive and fun, and I’ll definitely remember that moment for a long time,” says Roselin Manoj, a Secondary 1 student from Unity Secondary School.

For Ms Christine Tang, Senior Teacher (Music) at Unity Secondary School, having her students on the PABL programme is a great way to include learning experiences outside the classroom, with live performances in a professional setting. “They are enriching and bring to life students’ music learning, such as the musical elements of texture, dynamics, and more,” she adds."

Four ways to improve our child’s Executive Functioning skills (26 September 2025)

"What are these skills which help with everyday tasks and challenges and how can we cultivate them? Here are some tips from MK@Punggol Cove educator Ms Khoo Lin Xiu.

Let’s learn A B C … E F! That’s EF for Executive Functioning skills. They’re important for getting through the day, even for adults. Here are 4 ways to strengthen EF skills in our preschool kids.

What are Executive Functioning skills?

EF skills include:

• paying attention

• remembering and following rules

• regulating emotions

• taking turns

• self-control

• flexible thinking"

PE teachers turn writers for SG60 e-book (24 October 2025)

"Dive into 60 stories celebrating sporting excellence, inspiring teachers and lifelong lessons in the e-book by MOE’s Physical Education and Sports Teacher Academy.

For People and Country. Majulah!

That’s the tile of an e-book released in September by MOE’s Physical Education and Sports Teacher Academy (Pesta) as Singapore marks 60 years of independence.

Fittingly, the book is made up of 60 stories contributed by 60 teachers from across the PE fraternity.

“They are all unique and inspirational,” says Mr Hanif Abdul Rahman, Principal Master Teacher at Pesta and editor of the book on how he would describe the stories within.

If he had to choose his favourite stories, which would they be?

“If I really have to zoom in on something, it has to be the stories where the authors fondly talk about the influence of their own PE teachers or sports coaches when they were students, or the influence of their colleagues on them when they are now PE teachers.”

Read the e-book here: https://pesta.moe.edu.sg/pesta-sg60-book-for-people-and-country-majulah/"

How this English teacher went from noob to AI champ (3 November 2025)

"Mr Ghazali bin Abdul Wahab was afraid his students would be left behind if he didn’t up his tech game. How did the Lead Teacher at Canberra Secondary School springboard to the front of the class in the latest tools, and how has it changed the way he teaches?

Mr Ghazali bin Abdul Wahab stands before a room of teachers, demonstrating AI tools with emissarial zeal.

The Lead Teacher of English Language and Literature at Canberra Secondary School deploys AI to customise his lessons, mark papers and – most importantly to him – to keep students excited and engaged.

It’s quite a transformation for the educator of over 25 years who, just a few years ago, was struggling with basic digital tools during the shift to online learning.

“Suddenly, we were thrust into online learning,” he recounts of the Covid-19 lockdown period in 2020.

“I watched my colleagues who were tech-savvy adapt quickly while I struggled.”

If AI is as useful and powerful as it sounds, how helpful and relevant will teachers be in time to come? Schoolbag puts this and other tough questions to Mr Ghazali, who takes them on gamely – with no help from his AI friends."

This JC subject opens doors to the world stage (6 November 2025)

"Curious about what students learn in China Studies in English? Two students and an alumnus talk about their love for the subject and how a deeper understanding of China spills over to their appreciation of the Humanities and beyond.

For students at selected junior colleges in Singapore, the subject China Studies in English (CSE) offers a unique gateway to explore one of the world’s most influential countries whilst developing critical thinking skills that extend beyond the classroom.

“The idea of learning about another country appealed to me,” explains JC2 student Acacia Tan Hui Wen from Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC), on why she picked CSE as one of her A-Level subjects.

Her initial curiosity has blossomed into deeper contemplation about global issues. She draws “similarities between social issues faced in China and Singapore, but how they’re tackled in different ways”; to support their ageing population, for example, China tends to focus on financial assistance while Singapore emphasises community-building, she says.

“CSE also reminded me of Social Studies in secondary school because both subjects involve critical thinking skills and comparison of different perspectives. It’s interesting to see the parallels between those two subjects.”

Cuts across various disciplines

In general, students of CSE find that the subject offers more than they expected. The curriculum is multi-disciplinary. Students explore a range of issues from economic policies and political stability, to social changes and foreign policy. Students could analyse China’s Belt and Road Initiative from multiple lenses by examining its economic and geopolitical implications.

Nicholas Wan, a JC2 student from Yishun Innova Junior College, is also drawn to how the subject makes connections across the humanities and social sciences. “It has allowed me to explore and get a taste of university subjects that interest me, such as History, Political Science, Sociology, Public Policy and Global Affairs,” he explains.

“Given that China wields significant global influence, understanding its political structure, economic development, societal construct and international relations gives me a strategic advantage in comprehending China,” he says. “CSE has allowed me to understand better how China has risen on the global stage, in areas such as climate change. It also helps me connect the dots between China’s growing economic influence and US’ responses, and how these manifest in economic competition.”

What a change in my child! Families share how working closely with teachers made a difference (7 November 2025)

"Children develop best when parents and teachers work together to have consistent strategies at home and in school. As these three families show, better partnerships between home and their children’s special education schools can help them to speak, eat, or simply feel braver in the world.

They gained independence at home and in public

At APSN Katong School, which serves students with mild intellectual disability or ASD with intellectual impairment, 12-year-old twin brothers Sim Kai Hang and Sim Kai Xiang, who have autism, have each found their own path to independence.

For Kai Hang (pictured above), a fear of public toilets restricted his daily activities and routines. Due to this, the family’s activities and routines were also affected. His teacher, Ms Sindhu Bramya D/O Kumar, worked with his mother to uncover the root of the fear, discovering that he disliked the sound of hand dryers. Together, they designed a reward system: each attempt to use a public toilet earned him stars, which could be exchanged for balloons.

This proved to be the right motivator for Kai Hang. Ms Sindhu adapted the reward chart for home use, while also providing visual communication cards.

What began as simple gestures evolved into verbal requests. Kai Hang now confidently asks, “I want to go to the toilet, please.” This breakthrough in communication has transformed not only his independence but also his family’s daily life. With his mother no longer worrying about communication challenges, the family can now venture out to shopping centres and public spaces. They can enjoy activities they previously avoided, creating new opportunities for family bonding through shared experiences and community participation.

Meanwhile, his twin Kai Xiang thrived in movement and hands-on tasks. His teacher, Mr Alex Teo Poh Seng, tapped into his love for cooking to strengthen both motor and cognitive skills.

“When working on counting and motor skills, we use meal preparation activities that he enjoys,” he explains. To ensure consistency at home, Mr Teo recorded short demonstration videos and suggested simple recipes that Ms Lin Chau Yin, the twins’ mother, could try with her sons.

Cooking soon became a family routine. Kai Xiang took pride in measuring ingredients, stirring pots, and proudly presenting their home-cooked meals. Each session boosted his confidence and sparked conversations. “I want to make pancakes! Or fry eggs or noodles,” he often said, eager for the time he could prepare a meal with his mum.

For Ms Lin, these moments were more than practice – they were signs of her son growing in both skill and voice."

Spaces of Support - Mental Wellness (10 November 2025)

"A cute crochet monster in the school field. A colourful mailbox in the canteen. Fun comic strips in classrooms. And even exciting arcade games in designated hangout spaces.

These are just some of the unexpected touchpoints in our schools that cocoon our students and help support their well-being at different levels.

Come along on this interactive journey to discover all of them, as well as the teachers and peer supporters who are helping to uplift everyone’s spirits."

A student-led idea that got Singapore talking at the Istana (13 November 2025)

"An original card game designed by Nan Hua High School students gets generations talking, proving that heritage isn’t just something to preserve, but something to live and share.

By Sabrina Lee

More than 70 Nan Hua High School students introduced “Heritage Hearts”, a deck of conversation cards, to an estimated 30,000 visitors at the Istana Open House – a one-day event celebrating Singapore’s 60th birthday.

The cards were designed by the students to encourage visitors to swop stories of food, family and kampong life. Each card featured illustrations of local food, kampong scenes, or familiar landmarks, paired with questions like “What was your favourite childhood game?” or “What family recipe reminds you of home?”

The idea began with ten Secondary 1 and 3 student leaders who had noticed that many peers felt shy approaching strangers during Values in Action (VIA) activities. “We wanted a simple activity to break the ice,” explained Lorraine Fong, Secondary 3, one of the project leaders.

The students secured seed funding from Young ChangeMakers (YCM), a programme that supports youth in applying grands from the government for passion projects, and the National Heritage Board (NHB).

After submitting their applications online, shortlisted teams pitch their ideas to NHB’s evaluation panel at an “Open Mic” session as part of the grant application process. Nan Hua High School became the youngest team ever shortlisted, and one of the panel members – a representative from the Prime Minister’s Office – was so impressed that he invited the students to showcase their project at the Istana Open House event."

What to consider when advising youths on choosing their university course (17 November 2025)

"A junior college teacher offers ideas that worked for her, with insights gleaned from her conversations with students as an Education and Career Guidance (ECG) coordinator.

By He Jia Wen

Having taught in a junior college (JC) for 16 years and spending half that time as the Education and Career Guidance (ECG) coordinator, I have had countless conversations with graduating students on higher education and career options.

What struck me about such talks were the anxiety and stress that students faced having to make a choice on their next steps. Many of them believed the endpoint of JC is to figure out the one right path for their future, and that the decision they make now will affect them for the rest of their lives.

And often, inspirational maxims fuel the distress. Find your passion. Do what you love, and you do not have a work a single day in your life. But what if the student did not have a singular passion, or their interests did not precisely map to a course or career?

In these cases, how can they decide where to go or what to do? Here are three ideas I find to be helpful for parents and teachers to keep in mind when speaking to young people who are at the higher-ed crossroads:

1. Look in first, then look out

Most students I spoke with try to determine their path by collecting information. They think about their parents’ expectations, talk to their friends, take personality tests, read a flood of information ranging from official websites to informal forums. And the more they analyse, the more they feel paralysed. Psychologist Barry Schwartz called this the paradox of choice – while having some choice is good, having too many options tends to make choosing one more difficult and leads to less satisfaction with the final decision.

In a situation of info-overload, the maxim “know thyself” is useful. Before considering what’s out there, students can start by first “looking in”. A lot happens in the short two years at JC that can shed light on their preferences. What subjects interest them or put them off? Do they do well in large lecture settings or in small groups? Is learning easier when watching videos or discussing ideas? What is it about their CCA that they enjoy? What type of CCA work excites them or drains their energy?

When students embark on a self-searching conversation, I try to serve as a mirror to them. This means reflecting back some observations you made about them – it could be about their strengths, their interests, what they tend to spend time on, what they find meaningful. This helps them see themselves, and what is suitable (or not) for them, more clearly. With this knowledge, they will be able to consider their options with a sharper lens."

Am I prepping my preschooler … or over-prepping? (19 November 2025)

"Wondering if you’re doing just fine or too much when getting your little one ready for Primary 1? Our social media series titled Pace, Not Pressure answers the queries on parents’ minds when easing their child’s transition to primary school.

1. Numeracy

Must my child know addition and multiplication before Primary 1? Do they need to recite numbers at least up to 100?"

A community that enables growth and builds confidence (26 November 2025)

"It takes a village to raise a child. But to raise one who is confident, independent, kind, helpful, and more, you’ll need a whole community of supportive parents, teachers, and school staff, as these North Spring Primary School graduates prove.

Schoolbag checks in with three North Spring Primary School graduates and ask them what they’re looking forward to as they receive their PSLE results, and what are their best memories of primary school.

For Charvi Raghu, becoming a prefect helped her grow exponentially

“I was timid and shy in Primary 1, but I gained a lot of confidence after becoming a prefect in Primary 2. I’ve even had the chance to organise events, such as a mini Purple Parade in school,” says Charvi.

Mr Raghu Ram, Charvi’s father, agrees. “We saw the transformation in Charvi after she took on the responsibility of a prefect.” He remembers distinctly a time when Charvi was in P5, when her teacher told him that she was very helpful to one of her classmates who fell down in school. “I hope that she will continue to be kind and helpful in future.”

“With the support of the teachers, Charvi has really grown in confidence,” says Mdm Aghila Raghu. “She started speaking up and has also learnt to be more responsible. But for Charvi’s mother, the most memorable part of her daughter’s primary school days will be the day they performed on stage together, when she received the long-service award as part of the parent support group.

Charvi says her best memory of primary school is the school camp she attended when she was in Primary 4. “I will always remember how the entire cohort gathered around the campfire and danced and played games,” she says.

As Charvi moves on to the next stage of her education journey, she thinks that her biggest challenge in secondary school will probably be making new friends. “But I think the presentations and public speaking I’ve had to do as a prefect will come in handy.”

MOE Teachers' Conference and ExCEL Fest 2025 (3 June 2025)

"The Teachers' Conference and ExCEL Fest (TCEF) is organised biennially by the Ministry of Education (MOE) for teachers to learn together as a fraternity. Held from 3 to 5 June 2025, TCEF2025 will welcome over 18,000 participants and presenters, including teachers from Special Education schools who will be sharing their insights and practices for the first time at TCEF."

Pre-University Seminar 2025 – Re-imagiNATION (5 June 2025)

"552 student participants from 30 pre-university institutions participated in the Pre-University Seminar 2025 Closing Ceremony held at Nanyang Technological University. Into its 56th edition, the annual seminar, which was co-organised by the Ministry of Education and Tampines Meridian Junior College this year, was themed 'Re-imagiNATION' to encourage students, as stewards of the future, to explore innovative and improved solutions to various challenges facing the nation. Through rich discussions and interactions with people of diverse backgrounds, students explored the future of Singapore across three sub-themes, "Thrive, Connect, Grow", and were given insights into a range of issues, policies, and perspectives to build a stronger Singapore."

Senior Minister of State for Education Janil Puthucheary to Visit Malaysia for ASEAN Education Roundtables on 19 June 2025 (18 June 2025)

"Senior Minister of State for Education, Dr Janil Puthucheary, will attend the ASEAN Ministers of Education and Higher Education Roundtables in Langkawi, Malaysia, on 19 June 2025."

Minister for Education Desmond Lee to Attend the 53rd Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO) Council Conference (30 June 2025)

"Minister for Education, Mr Desmond Lee, will attend the 53rd Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO) Council Conference in Brunei Darussalam, from 1 to 2 July 2025."

2025 School Placement Exercise for Returning Singaporeans (1 July 2025)

"The Ministry of Education (MOE) welcomes Singaporean students who are overseas to join our primary and secondary schools, junior colleges (JC) and Millennia Institute (MI) upon their return."

Disbursement of Child LifeSG Credits and Top-Ups to Edusave Account or Post-Secondary Education Account in July 2025 (3 July 2025)

"In July 2025, families with eligible children will receive a one-off disbursement of the Child LifeSG Credits (CLC) and/or a one-off top-up of $500 to their children's Edusave Account or Post-Secondary Education Account (PSEA). These are part of the suite of household support measures to support families with children in managing their child-raising costs, which were announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at Budget 2025."

Record Student Participation as Chinese Radio Drama Scriptwriting Competition Opens to Primary Schools (4 July 2025)

"A record number of more than 850 students across 69 educational institutions participated in this year's "Script it Right" Chinese Radio Drama Competition ("与声剧来"中文广播剧创作比赛). Minister of State for Education and Chairperson of the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning (CPCLL), Ms Jasmin Lau, was the Guest-of-Honour at the competition's award ceremony, which recognised student winners for their strong creative writing skills, storytelling abilities and Chinese language proficiency. The competition was jointly organised by CPCLL, UFM100.3 and Holy Innocents' High School to foster students' passion for Chinese language and storytelling."

Seven Young Educators Receive National Award for Dedication in Nurturing Students (9 July 2025)

"In recognition of their unwavering dedication and impact in nurturing their students, seven teachers received the Outstanding Youth in Education Award (OYEA) from Minister for Education, Mr Desmond Lee, at the National Institute of Education (NIE) Teachers' Investiture Ceremony held on Wednesday, 9 July 2025."

Racial Harmony Day 2025: Our People, Our Tapestry (18 July 2025)

"Racial Harmony Day (RHD), which falls on 21 July, is commemorated annually by schools to enable students to gain a deeper appreciation of racial harmony and social cohesion. The theme 'Our People, Our Tapestry' reflects how Singapore's diverse cultures interweave to form our unique social fabric, through mutual understanding and respect of our ethnic and religious communities."

Annual Chinese Text Recital Competition Draws Record 2,500 Students (26 July 2025)

"A record number of 2,525 students from 272 primary and secondary schools, junior colleges, and Millennia Institute submitted more than 1,400 video entries for the 8th National Text Recital Competition. 107 students emerged winners and were recognised for their vocal articulation, fluency and stage presence at the award ceremony today. Guest-of-Honour Ms Jasmin Lau, Minister of State for Education and Chairperson of the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning (CPCLL), delivered a speech and presented awards to the winners."

196 Students Awarded Singapore-Industry Scholarship (SgIS) (29 July 2025)

"196 students received the Singapore-Industry Scholarship (SgIS) at the 2025 SgIS Award Ceremony. Minister for Education, Mr Desmond Lee, gave out the scholarships at the ceremony."

School Terms and Holidays for 2026 (30 July 2025)

"The school year for 2026 for all MOE primary schools (including MOE Kindergartens) and secondary schools will start on Friday, 2 January 2026 and end on Friday, 20 November 2026."

Opening Address by Minister for Education, Mr Desmond Lee, at the MOE Scholarship Ceremony (1 August 2025)

"SMS David Neo

Mr Lee Tzu Yang, Chairman of the Public Service Commission

Colleagues, Friends

Scholarship and Award Recipients and family members

Ladies and Gentlemen,

A very good afternoon. Let me begin today's event by congratulating all our scholarship and award recipients and your invited guests.

This is the first MOE Scholarship Ceremony where we bring together recipients of the MOE Teaching Scholarships, the MOE Teaching Award and the Singapore Teaching and Academic Research Talent Scheme (or START) Scholarships and Awards."

167 Individuals Awarded Teaching Scholarships and Grants at MOE Scholarship Ceremony (1 August 2025)

"167 individuals received scholarships and grants from Minister for Education Mr Desmond Lee at the Ministry of Education (MOE) Scholarship Ceremony held at Sands Expo & Convention Centre today. For the first time, the Scholarship ceremony brought together recipients of the MOE Teaching Scholarships, MOE Teaching Award, and the Singapore Teaching and Academic Research Talent Scheme (START) Awards."

Students Showcase Vocal and Composition Skills at Annual Xinyao Singing and Songwriting Competition (2 August 2025)

"42 students were recognised for their vocal and composition skills at this year's "Xin Kong Xia" 《新空下》Xinyao Singing and Songwriting Competition Grand Finals. A record number of close to 100 students from 23 schools participated in the Singing (Group) Category, which continues to garner interests from inter-school team participation, with the team from Nan Hua High School and Tanjong Katong Girls' School emerging as finalists to compete for the top three prizes at the grand finals. Minister of State for Education and Chairperson of the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning (CPCLL), Ms Jasmin Lau, graced the event and delivered an opening speech."

Students Showcase Creativity and Vocal Skills in Inaugural Malay Choral Recitation Competition (11 August 2025)

"More than 190 primary and secondary students advanced to the finals of Katapella 2025, Singapore's first national-level Malay choral recitation competition, where students showcased their linguistic talents and creative expressions in the Malay language."

More Than 180 Students Showcase Public Speaking and Critical Thinking Skills at Inaugural National Debate Competition (16 August 2025)

"185 students from 28 secondary schools and pre-university institutions participated in the inaugural National Schools Chinese Debate Competition, and 24 finalists were recognised at the awards ceremony held today. Guest-of-Honour Ms Jasmin Lau, Minister of State for Education and Chairperson of the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning (CPCLL), delivered a pre-recorded speech at the event."

Preschool Teachers Recognised for Nurturing Love for Chinese Language Through Storytelling (16 August 2025)

"28 preschool teachers emerged winners at this year's Storytelling Aids Competition for Preschool Chinese Language Teachers (2025年学前华文教师故事教具制作比赛). With over 270 entries, this year's competition saw one of the highest participations in the past three years. The annual competition aims to inspire preschool Chinese Language teachers to engage children and nurture their interest in learning Chinese Language through creative storytelling."

Opera Estate Primary School and Yusof Ishak Secondary School Emerge as Champions of Katapella 2025 (22 August 2025)

"Opera Estate Primary School and Yusof Ishak Secondary School have emerged as the champions of Katapella 2025, Singapore's first national-level Malay choral recitation competition, in the primary school and secondary school categories respectively. Each winning team received a trophy and book vouchers worth $3,200."

Inaugural National Chinese Reading Competition Draws Over 2,500 Student Participants (23 August 2025)

"A total of 2,541 students from 239 primary and secondary schools participated in the inaugural National Chinese Reading Competition. Among them, 135 students across the primary and secondary school categories advanced to the competition finals today. Guest-of-Honour Ms Jasmin Lau, Minister of State for Education and Chairperson of the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning (CPCLL), delivered a speech and presented awards to 50 student winners at the award ceremony."

Relocation of Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre to 1 Victoria Lane from January 2027 (23 August 2025)

"New Campus Will Provide UPTLC with Larger Learning Spaces and Upgraded Facilities to Support Teaching and Learning

The Ministry of Education (MOE) will be relocating the Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre (UPTLC), currently located at 2 Beatty Road, to the former Stamford Primary School Site at 1 Victoria Lane with effect from January 2027, following the expiry of its tenancy at 2 Beatty Road in December 2026."

195 Students Recognised for Diverse Achievements at Annual Special Awards Ceremony (26 August 2025)

"This year, 206 Special Awards were given out to 195 students from 91 educational institutions to recognise their diverse achievements in both academic and non-academic domains. Minister for Education Mr Desmond Lee presented the awards at the Special Awards Presentation Ceremony on 26 August 2025 at the National University of Singapore's University Cultural Centre."

Singapore Students Win 18 Gold Medals, 17 Silver Medals, 3 Bronze Medals and 1 Team Championship in this Year's International Olympiads and International Young Physicists' Tournament (27 August 2025)

"The Ministry of Education (MOE) congratulates all students for their outstanding performance in the International Olympiads for Biology, Chemistry, Geography, Mathematics, Nuclear Science, Physics, Artificial Intelligence, Informatics, and the International Young Physicists' Tournament, which were held overseas from June to August 2025. Outside of the competitions, our students gained valuable experience through interactions with like-minded peers from all around the world."

Four Teachers Recognised at Most Inspiring Tamil Teachers' Award Ceremony 2025 (30 August 2025)

"Four teachers received the Most Inspiring Tamil Teachers' (MITT) Award in recognition of their outstanding contributions in the teaching and learning of the Tamil Language. In addition to the MITT Award, one teacher was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award while another received the Best National Institute of Education (NIE) Tamil Trainee Teacher Award."

Eight Teachers Receive Top Honours for Dedication and Excellence in Education (4 September 2025)

"Eight outstanding educators received this year's President's Award for Teachers from President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the annual Teachers' Day Reception on 4 September 2025."

Addendum to the President's Address (17 September 2025)

"MR DESMOND LEE

MINISTER FOR EDUCATION

The Ministry of Education (MOE) will continue to enhance our education system so that Singaporeans can flourish at every stage of their lives and reach their fullest potential, regardless of starting point. We will equip and empower Singaporeans to learn for life and thrive in an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-transformed future."

Close to 10,000 Student Athletes Recognised for Sporting Achievements at Colours Award 2025 (26 September 2025)

"This year, a total of 9,963 student athletes received recognition for their sporting achievements and display of good sporting character through the Singapore Schools Sports Council (SSSC) Colours Award. The Award is presented to students from secondary schools, junior colleges, and Millennia Institute."

Singapore Teachers Embrace Digital Technologies and Benefit from Strong Professional Development: OECD TALIS 2024 Study (7 October 2025)

"Based on the findings of the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2024, Singapore teachers have been quick to adopt digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to teach their students more effectively. They have benefited from strong pre-service teacher preparation and continual professional development throughout their careers. Our teachers also felt valued by society, and view teaching as an attractive first-choice career option."

41 Schools to Welcome New Principals in 2026 (8 October 2025)

"The Ministry of Education (MOE) will appoint 41 Principals at the annual Appointment and Appreciation Ceremony for Principals on 30 December 2025. Of these, 25 are newly appointed Principals."

MOE Financial Assistance Schemes to Benefit an Additional 31,000 Students (16 October 2025)

"The Ministry of Education (MOE) will revise the income eligibility criteria and raise the quanta of several of its financial assistance schemes for Singaporean students in schools and Post-Secondary Education Institutions (PSEIs).

These enhancements can benefit 31,000 more students from lower- and middle-income households, by helping them cope with education-related costs and access school and post-secondary programmes. This brings the total number of students who would benefit from MOE's financial assistance schemes annually to about 133,000."

Open for Nominations: President's Award for Teachers and Outstanding Youth in Education Award (21 October 2025)

"The Ministry of Education (MOE) invites members of the public to nominate educators who have made outstanding contributions in moulding the future of our nation. Nominations for the national awards below are now open.

President's Award for Teachers 2026

The President's Award for Teachers (PAT) recognises experienced educators who are role models for the teaching profession. These educators adopt innovative approaches in their lessons, are lifelong learners and are mentors to their peers. They embody deep passion for teaching, and inspire their students and peers through their words and deeds.

The award is open to teachers from primary schools, secondary schools, Junior Colleges (JC) / Millennia Institute (MI), as well as educators from the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), polytechnics and the National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC). Since 1998, PAT has recognised over 140 educators for their teaching excellence, dedication and hard work."

Close to 400 Students Explore Singapore's Multicultural Heritage Through 8th Cultural Heritage Walk 2025年 "走出校园，走进文化" (25 October 2025)

"398 students from 16 secondary schools embarked on an immersive journey through Singapore's historic Bukit Pasoh and Chinatown districts on 25 October 2025, as part of the annual Cultural Heritage Walk. Students explored culturally significant landmarks such as the Kong Chow Wui Koon, Masjid Jamae, and Sri Mariamman Temple, as well as two newly-added sites, the Chinatown Heritage Centre and Harmony in Diversity Gallery."

Three Teachers Lauded for Outstanding Contributions to Teaching and Learning of Malay Language (1 November 2025)

"Three Malay Language teachers were recognised for their outstanding contributions to the teaching and learning of the Malay Language at this year's Arif Budiman Malay Language Teacher Award Ceremony on Saturday, 1 November 2025. Guest-of-Honour Ms Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Finance and National Development, presented the awards to the recipients."

Singapore Student Athletes Gear Up for ASEAN Schools Games 2025 in Brunei Darussalam (14 November 2025)

"This year, 130 student-athletes from 39 schools will be representing Singapore at the 14th ASEAN Schools Games (ASG) in Brunei Darussalam from 20 to 29 November. The Singapore School Sports Team (SSST) contingent will compete in seven sports, namely Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Netball, Sepaktakraw, Swimming and Wushu."

Release of 2025 PSLE Results and Secondary 1 Posting Exercise (18 November 2025)

"The Results of the 2025 Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) Will Be Released on 25 November 2025 at 11.00am. Arrangements Have Been Made for School Candidates to Receive Their Results from Their Respective Primary Schools."

Release of 2025 PSLE Results (25 November 2025)

"Students who sat for the 2025 Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) received their results today. Arrangements were made for students to receive their results in their respective primary schools.

Performance of 2025 Primary 6 Cohort

Eligibility for Secondary School

A total of 37,926 Primary 6 students sat for the PSLE this year, of which 98.5% are assessed suitable for secondary school."

Recess is served: Here's what students at 5 schools will get when they switch to pre-ordered meals (30 September 2025)

"SINGAPORE: What does it take to prepare meals that appeal to primary school students? According to a caterer managing several school canteens from January next year, even the colour of vegetables matters.

“We think about what type of vegetables to use. Actually, a lot of kids don’t have fancy tastes, in fact, familiarity is comfort,” said Mr Desmond Chin, managing director of caterer Gourmetz.

“So we tend to go towards broccoli, cauliflower, green leafy vegetables like spinach, that’s about it. We wouldn’t give them fancy things like asparagus.”

From January next year, 13 schools across Singapore will roll out a central kitchen model at their canteens. The initiative builds on a 2022 pilot at Yusof Ishak Secondary School, which is managed by caterer SATS.

Gourmetz will operate five of the 13 school canteens adopting this new model – Blangah Rise Primary, CHIJ Kellock, Radin Mas Primary, River Valley Primary and Outram Secondary at its York Hill campus until it closes in 2027."

What you can do if you see a child with special needs who seems lost (1 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: "She's gone. I … panicked, I didn't know where she went."

Mr Edward Chan, a father of two daughters with autism, recalled vividly an incident when his elder daughter went missing.

He had been with his daughters at a playground in front of their housing block when his younger daughter started to cry and wanted to go home.

He asked his wife to meet him at the lobby to pick up their younger girl, and told the older girl to wait at the playground.

When he came back, she was nowhere to be found. "It's just not more than 20 steps (from his older daughter) … she's gone," said Mr Chan."

Foreign student whose bank account was used in fake SAF bulk order scams gets jail, in first such sentencing (1 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: A foreign student in need of money sold her bank account details and it was later used to funnel almost S$18,000 (US$13,980) in scam proceeds, with most of the money coming from a fake Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) bulk order scam.

Rajadi Rajasinghe Manamendra Patabadilage Vishwa Madavi, a 22-year-old Sri Lankan, was sentenced on Wednesday (Oct 1) to jail for three months and two weeks.

She was also fined S$1,100. If she does not pay the fine, she will have to serve three days' jail in default."

'Higher risk of misuse': MSF to stop use of Child Development Account money at optical shops, retail pharmacies (1 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) will stop the use of Child Development Account (CDA) money at optical shops and retail pharmacies after recent audits found a "significantly higher risk of misuse" at such establishments.

This includes cases where establishments allow parents or trustees to encash the CDA funds, even though it is prohibited.

The CDA is a special co-savings account with government co-matching, and the funds can be used to pay for approved expenses for the child or the child's siblings.

MSF said it conducts periodic audits and checks to ensure that CDA funds are used for authorised purposes only. On top of that, the Auditor-General’s Office (AGO) audited selected parenthood schemes, including withdrawals made by parents and trustees."

Police investigating after woman filmed kicking another woman at SMU (1 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: The police are investigating an alleged altercation on Tuesday (Sep 30) between two women at the Singapore Management University (SMU), which was captured on video.

The video, circulated on social media, showed a woman in a pink hoodie kicking another woman who was lying on the ground.

The 22-second clip also showed several bystanders moving towards the woman on the ground to check on her after the other walked away."

With no chess club in their school, these girls took the initiative – and won at Singapore nationals (2 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: Ng See Jen is no stranger to facing obstacles when it comes to her passion for chess.

As a younger child, she was the only girl at open competitions. There were times she was shouted at by losing opponents. Once, she was told to stay home and play with Barbie dolls.

But See Jen has stuck with the mind sport since picking it up in primary school about six years ago.

"It is good for your mind and it helps strengthen your thinking," she said. "It has many benefits."

So when the Secondary 1 student found out that her new school, CHIJ St Nicholas Girls', did not have a chess co-curricular activity (CCA), it was just something else to overcome."

Teen who assaulted fellow vaper and confronted police, among other offences, sent to Boys’ Home (2 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: A 15-year-old boy who attacked a fellow vape user and hurled vulgarities at a police officer after his mother reported him has been placed in the Boys' Home for two years.

The boy, who cannot be named as he is under 18, pleaded guilty to 12 charges. Another eight counts were taken into consideration for sentencing on Sep 25.

The details of the Youth Court case were made available on Thursday (Oct 2). His charges included voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery, harassing a public servant, shop theft and possession of vapes."

One man caught in vape enforcement operations across six institutes of higher learning (2 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: One man was caught during vape enforcement operations carried out over three weeks by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and the Ministry of Education (MOE) across six institutes of higher learning (IHLs).

These are tertiary education institutions such as universities and polytechnics.

A 24-year-old was found with two vapes and 10 related components on campus during the operation from Sep 8 to Sep 29.

He was issued a notice of composition and fined on the spot, and the vapes and related components were seized, the authorities said in a joint statement on Thursday (Oct 2)."

NUS implements five-day work-from-office policy for all university staff (2 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: The National University of Singapore (NUS) has implemented a five-day work-from-office policy for all full-time staff members, the university said on Thursday (Oct 2).

In response to queries from CNA, an NUS spokesperson said that staff from "central administration units" resumed working on campus five days a week from Sep 1, and the arrangement was then extended to the "rest of the university" from the start of this month.

CNA understands that the university transitioned to a four-day work-from-office, one-day work-from-home policy in late 2023."

34 students, 10 staff members develop gastroenteritis symptoms at two E-Bridge Pre-School outlets (3 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: Authorities are investigating 44 suspected cases of gastroenteritis in two E-Bridge Pre-School outlets at Dawson Road and Sengkang Square, less than a month after a similar outbreak hit its MacPherson branch.

The Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA), Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) and Singapore Food Agency (SFA) issued a joint statement on Friday (Oct 3), stating that 34 students and 10 staff members had developed symptoms at the two branches as of Wednesday.

At the Dawson Road outlet, 20 students and four employees have reported symptoms since Sep 18. One student was hospitalised on Sep 26 and discharged the following day.

As of Wednesday, 12 students and four staff members had recovered and returned to the preschool, while the remaining students are “recovering well,” said the agencies in response to CNA queries."

She juggles homework and fast cars. This 15-year-old is Singapore's first female Formula 4 driver (3 October 2025)

"At just 15, Kareen Kaur may not have a driving licence yet — but she’s already clocking speeds of over 200kmh on the racetrack.

The Secondary 3 student, who began go-karting at the age of nine, has made history as Singapore’s first female driver to compete in Formula 4.

F4 is the first rung on the ladder to F1. Drivers will have to progress through F3 and F2 before getting to the pinnacle of motorsport racing - a sport that's long been dominated by men."

17-year-old girl among trio charged with trafficking Kpods (4 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) on Saturday (Oct 4) charged three suspected suppliers of Kpods, one of them aged 17.

The 17-year-old cannot be named under the Children and Young Persons Act, as she is under the age of 18.

The other two are: Vernette Heng Cui Teng, 23, and Amir Shah Anwar Shah, 27."

MOE refreshes secondary school art syllabus to prepare students for a changing world (7 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: A “hybrid animal” takes shape on a Secondary 1 student’s art assignment, complete with arms that can help seniors get around.

Koh Wen Cheng, 13, and his fellow classmates are blending different parts of their favourite animals, drawing from their own interests to experiment with unique and unconventional traits.

They then turn to their laptops to discuss and give feedback on each other’s creations – all in a bid to get students to think critically about their work and find new ways to improve.

“The main problem that the elderly are facing now is that they don't really get any friends or peers to talk with … so I drew this animal which can help converse (with them) and (when they need) help getting food, water, or transport,” Wen Cheng told CNA.

This is all part of the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) new art syllabus for secondary schools, which has been implemented across more than 140 schools so far."

Singapore teachers work longer hours, report higher stress than OECD average (7 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: Teachers in Singapore worked longer hours and were more likely to experience a lot of stress compared to the OECD average, a study found.

The OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey, which is done every five years, is the largest international survey of teachers and principals.

In 2024, 55 education systems were surveyed, including 3,500 lower secondary teachers across all 145 public secondary schools and 10 randomly selected private secondary schools in Singapore. Singapore also took part in the 2013 and 2018 editions."

SkillsFuture providers to be barred from using third-party promoters (8 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: Registered training providers under SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) will be prohibited from using third-party promoters starting Dec 1, the agency announced on Wednesday (Oct 8).

SkillsFuture, launched in 2015, is a government initiative promoting lifelong learning and upskilling through courses and training. Singaporeans aged 25 and above receive credits, starting from S$500, that can be used for approved courses.

SSG cited recent public feedback on third-party agents using "undesirable" marketing practices as the reason for banning the use of such promoters."

41 schools to get new principals in 2026 (8 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: Forty-one schools will have new principals as part of the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) annual appointment and rotation exercise.

Of these, 25 are newly appointed principals, MOE said in a press release on Wednesday (Oct 8).

The 41 schools comprise two junior colleges, 20 secondary schools, and 19 primary schools."

Despite regional decline, US education still appeals to Singaporean students (8 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: Drawn to the United States' education system, Singaporean students are still heading there for their tertiary studies, undeterred by recent uncertainties introduced by the Trump administration.

Students and education counsellors CNA spoke to said Singaporeans remained keen on the opportunities for networking and access to research institutes available, with others placing weight on the recognition a US degree affords.

US government data released recently showed a nearly 24 per cent drop in Asian students arriving in the US in August, compared with last year."

Commentary: School canteens aren’t just a logistical problem solved by central kitchens (9 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: When netizens saw what primary school students will eat at recess if they opt for meals prepared at a central kitchen, reactions were mixed.

Some praised the meals as nutritious, as they incorporate wholegrains and lean proteins. Others were unimpressed with the appearance of the food. One CNA reader likened it to combat rations.

However, my concern goes beyond the nutrition and taste of the pre-ordered meals. As a father of three school-going children, I see canteens not merely as places where kids load up on calories, but as living classrooms for self-sufficiency and community. When my children buy food with their pocket money, they learn essential skills – making choices, handling money and interacting with stallholders.

That is why the central kitchen model, which will be adopted by 13 schools in 2026, gives me pause. Though it addresses genuine challenges such as stallholder shortages and rising operating costs, we ought to consider what our children lose when food becomes increasingly automated and impersonal."

Singapore nears goal of training 1,500 responders in psychological first aid (9 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: Singapore is on track to train 1,500 SGSecure Responders in psychological first aid by the end of this financial year, as part of a national push to build mental resilience on the frontlines and in the community.

About 1,300 responders have already completed the course, which was launched in 2023 and run by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Participants are taught how to provide calm and compassionate support after a crisis.

Responders also learn how to assess needs, listen empathetically and connect people to help, while recognising stress reactions and promoting safety. The focus is on reducing distress, respecting culture and ethics, and caring for both survivors and responders.

According to the Singapore Red Cross (SRC), youths, workers and caregivers have driven a nearly 20-fold increase in demand over the past five years for psychological first aid training."

Scholarships for students among ground-led initiatives to help Palestinians: Shanmugam (9 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: Scholarships in Singapore are among the ground-led initiatives to help the Palestinian people, Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said on Thursday (Oct 9).

Mr Shanmugam was speaking to the media after meeting with three Palestinians who were offered scholarships to study at Singapore universities under the Palestinian Scholarship Initiative (PSI).

The initiative was launched in October last year by a group of Singaporeans in response to challenges faced by students due to the war.

Two are in postgraduate programmes at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Singapore University of Social Sciences, while another is a 19-year-old undergraduate at the Singapore Institute of Management."

National Heritage Board is holding a pop-up museum till Dec 14 featuring objects contributed by Singaporeans (9 October 2025)

"From now till Dec 14, the National Heritage Board (NHB) will be running a free-entry pop-up museum titled Museum of U & Me. Located at the lawn of the National Museum of Singapore, the pop-up aims to highlight Singapore's history through a curated collection of everyday objects contributed by Singaporeans from all walks of life.

These include measurements of Princess Diana taken by Singaporean designer Benny Ong; the watch awarded to retired runner C Kunalan when he was named Sportsman of The Year; a made-in-Singapore Setron television set from the 1970s and more.

While some of the items are part of the National Collection, others are loaned objects from the accompanying On The Red Dot series."

Low pay, mismatched expectations: Why Singapore students are turning away from engineering (10 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: As a child, Mark made model planes using cardboard rolls from kitchen paper. He read books about aircraft and dreamed of becoming a pilot. So when it came time to pick a degree, aerospace engineering was the obvious choice.

Now 24 and in his final year at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Mark – who asked to remain anonymous – is looking for an exit.

“For me, straight up, the number one, and actually the only thing that would come to mind is just starting pay,” he said.

Mark is not alone in considering leaving traditional engineering for the prospect of a better-paying career path."

Tan Tock Seng Hospital partners NTU to bring traditional Chinese medicine into inpatient care (10 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: After suffering a stroke in July, Mr Tan Kay Chuan is now on the road to recovery at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) – with the help of a different kind of treatment.

The 60-year-old is receiving acupuncture twice a week as part of his rehabilitation.

Such traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practices could soon be part of mainstream inpatient treatment in Singapore, under a new initiative that aims to bring Eastern and Western medical practices closer together in the country’s national healthcare system.

On Thursday (Oct 9), TTSH inked a partnership with Nanyang Technological University (NTU) to explore how TCM can complement Western medicine in pain management, rehabilitation and palliative care."

Growing up, I felt guilty talking about money. Here's why I'm changing that for my kids (11 October 2025)

"At the time of drafting this piece, the TOTO prize pool has reached S$10 million this year for the ninth time.

Just a few months ago, I recalled a dinner conversation with my children to help them make sense of the lottery prize pool. I offered them two choices: Pick a million dollars right now (from, say, striking the lottery) or choose one cent that doubles every day for the next 30 days.

Unsurprisingly, one of them picked the first option and the second choice was selected by another. It was only after we brought out the calculators to do some sums that they realised that the one cent would eventually compound into an amount that exceeds S$10 million.

This little exercise is one of the many ways I try to help my children build a stronger understanding and discernment towards how money works – how it can be grown, used and saved."

From text to touch: The braille centre in Singapore helping the visually impaired connect with words (12 October 2025)

"Having optimal space matters to the visually impaired, in more ways than one.

There is, most obviously, physical space. At the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH) in Toa Payoh, the corridors are straight and wide, with 90-degree angle corners. Its clutter-free floors lend an overall spartan appearance, seemingly inevitable in a place where function trumps form.

The area is relatively easy to navigate for visually impaired employees, like Jason Setok, supervisor at the association’s Braille Production & Library Services Centre.

The 46-year-old, who’s worked at SAVH for nine years, is familiar with the route from his office to the Braille Production Centre, a room roughly 30 steps away. He doesn’t need a cane for his trip down the hallway, finger-tapping on walls to alert colleagues who may be nearby as he takes us on a tour of his modest workspace.

All things considered, it seems a gentle learning curve compared with picking up braille when he lost his vision at 27 due to glaucoma. He took five months to master it."

More children with autism are joining mainstream schools, and parents are learning what it takes (13 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: Nine-year-old Ethan (not his real name) has never once complained about going to school. Each morning, he heads off with enthusiasm and returns brimming with excitement, eager to share stories about his day.

But this year, a new challenge has tested him.

This is the first year the Primary 3 student had to sit for graded examinations. While he excelled in oral assessments – scoring 87 marks in one – he managed just 15 out of 100 in a recent written paper.

“Reading is very difficult for him so he can’t read the questions and he doesn't really understand why exams are important,” said his mother, Jane (not her real name), adding that Ethan has a history of speech delays.

She now wonders if enrolling him in a mainstream school three years ago, instead of a special education (SPED) school, was the right decision."

7-day work weeks, marking while at home: Singapore teachers say they're as busy as ever if not more (14 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: As an English and mathematics teacher in a Singapore primary school, Heidi starts her day at 5.30am.

Classes start two hours later and run until about 1.30pm when school ends. Three times a week, she holds remedial classes until about 3pm. After that, or co-curricular activity commitments, she marks assignments until 5pm.

“Two to three times a week, I continue working in the evenings. On Saturday and Sunday, I also spend an hour or two planning lessons and marking as well. Actually, I would say I do work seven days a week,” she told CNA.

“It really has affected my time with my family members because I’m literally marking while I’m at home.”

Introducing a preschool voucher scheme alone may increase fees without improving accessibility or quality: MSF (14 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: Implementing a voucher scheme alone in the preschool sector may result in fees increasing without improving accessibility or quality, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development Eric Chua said on Tuesday (Oct 14).

He was responding to an adjournment motion by the Workers' Party's (WP) Kenneth Tiong, where the Aljunied Member of Parliament proposed ways to achieve fairer and more diverse preschool education.

One of these was per-child subsidies in the form of preschool vouchers that parents can use at licensed preschool centres, in place of direct operator grants.

The WP had, in its party manifesto ahead of the 2025 General Election, proposed that vouchers be given to parents to be applied to childcare or preschool fees, as an alternative to subsidies."

One man's love and legacy of paper: How A'zone and its lecture pads stood the test of time (16 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: Inside an industrial building east of Singapore, work is in full swing.

A truck carrying paper shipped from Austria has just arrived at the Loyang neighbourhood, and workers move quickly to unload the heavy pallets.

For paper destined to become notepads and lecture pads, the journey begins with the printing process, where lines, checks and grids are embossed at another location.

The sheets are then sent back to the factory to be sorted and counted by a machine. Various objects like inserts and covers are attached, before a trimming machine takes over to cut them into specific sizes.

A few more steps later and the final products, emblazoned with the A'zone logo, will be shipped to distributors all around Singapore as they have been for the past few decades.

Mention A'zone to most Singaporeans, and you're likely to get a knowing nod. To those born in the 1980s and 1990s in particular, the company's various writing and lecture pad designs will evoke memories of school-going, foolscap-tearing days."

Higher income eligibility cap for MOE financial aid schemes, bigger transport subsidies for students (16 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: Higher income eligibility ceilings across financial assistance schemes offered by the Ministry of Education (MOE), and bigger transport subsidies for primary and secondary students from next year.

These are some of the upcoming enhancements announced by the ministry on Thursday (Oct 16), which could benefit an additional 31,000 students from lower- and middle-income households by providing support for education-related costs, and access to school and post-secondary programmes.

This also brings the total number of students who would benefit from MOE’s financial assistance schemes annually to about 133,000, it said."

18-year-old charged for alleged trafficking of suspected etomidate vape pods (17 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: An 18-year-old teen was charged in court on Friday (Oct 17) for the alleged trafficking of suspected etomidate vape pods, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said.

The pods, suspected to contain etomidate, were found in Kwek Rui An Rayern's vehicle by Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers on Thursday. The case was referred to HSA.

Two e-vaporisers and 127 suspected etomidate vape pods were seized from the vehicle. Another five pods were seized from his residence at Bedok, HSA said."

Do centralised kitchens spell the end of Singapore’s school canteen culture? (17 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: When school canteen vendor Rayner Tan opened his vegetarian stall at Mee Toh School in Punggol two months ago, it was not just about selling food.

“I wanted to interact more with kids. That's one of the reasons why I chose a primary school,” said Mr Tan, who had little prior experience in the food-and-beverage industry before taking up the only available non-halal vacancy at the school.

Mr Tan is among a shrinking breed of vendors who have long been part of Singaporeans’ early school years. He was sharing his views on the future of school canteens with CNA’s Deep Dive podcast.

Starting next year, 13 primary and secondary schools will switch from traditional canteens to a central kitchen model, where meals are prepared off-site. Students will be able to collect their pre-ordered food by simply tapping their bus passes at dispensers.

The move aims to tackle a growing shortage of stallholders like Mr Tan, but concerns have also been raised about what students stand to lose in the process."

Doctor or dentist visits can overwhelm kids with ADHD or autism – here’s how to support them (17 October 2025)

"Someone is shining a blindingly bright light into your eyes. You’re in an unfamiliar room with things you’ve never seen, heard or smelled before. Something feels unbearably scratchy around your neck but you aren’t allowed to touch it.

You remember there’s someone in the room with you, the one with the light. It’s a stranger and he’s now asking you to stay still while he touches you with weird objects; some feel cold and wet, others sharp and pointy. And even painful.

If that scenario is already uncomfortable for you as an adult, imagine what it does for neurodivergent children at the dentist’s or doctor’s office. Even a haircut can be as anxiety-inducing as being held hostage in a chair."

'I can motivate people to take action' - how Singapore's young climate activists are leading by example (17 October 2025)

"When Ms Kong Man Jing first stepped off the ferry onto St John’s Island as a junior college student in 2012, she expected little more than a three-day sun-soaked excursion.

Instead, her eyes were opened to a hidden world — coral reefs, skittering crabs, slithering octopuses, sea anemones, and dense forests alive with birdsong.

“I realised, for the first time, that Singapore had lots of beautiful wildlife,” recalled the 31-year-old.

"I was blown away, and I wondered why I didn't know any of this before."

That sense of wonder was the catalyst for Ms Kong to pursue a degree in environmental biology, and later, in 2019, to start Just Keep Thinking – a social media initiative where she shares accessible, bite-sized lessons on science and nature."

Now grown up, ex-bullies open up on what drove their behaviour and wish they could turn back the clock (17 October 2025)

"When an old video of Abdul Wafi Idris assaulting a fellow student resurfaced online in 2024, it reignited a national debate about youth violence and accountability.

The clip, recorded in January 2022, showed a then-14-year-old Abdul Wafi hitting and kicking a boy in the toilet. It spread like wildfire across social media and sparked widespread backlash.

The criticism was intensified because of Abdul Wafi's status as a national boxer representing Singapore on the world stage – someone associated with discipline, control and respect, not senseless violence.

Speaking to CNA TODAY on Oct 10, Abdul Wafi described feeling overwhelmed during his moment of virality, frustrated and embarrassed by the ghost of his past.

Now aged 18, he admitted that in his childhood and early teenhood, he was "angry and aggressive most of the time"."

I took 3 years to write my first book. It was a struggle but it helped me grow through pains and losses (17 October 2025)

"In the late 2010s, I was a student at Hai Sing Catholic School, where we had a rich culture of reading. Mornings involved the passing-around of newspapers, magazine articles, and English worksheets aimed at levelling up our language skills.

While some viewed this as a chore, my friends and I felt it was time well spent. I had a few family members working in the real estate industry, and was spurred by them to read financial literacy books.

Other kids were reading age-appropriate books like Percy Jackson. My typical reads involved Rich Dad Poor Dad, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and Warren Buffet Invests Like a Girl – earning me the nickname “finance minister” among friends.

My literary tastes would have likely remained within this limited genre if it wasn’t for a set of reading lists given to us by our English teachers, curated by genre.

This was my first exposure to fantasy, and I was enraptured by it. Reading books like Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings and The Magician’s Guild by Trudi Canavan, I discovered a love for imagining worlds beyond our own and their endless possibilities."

How a young runner with autism stayed the course to finish his first marathon in under 5 hours (17 October 2025)

"Mr Lucas Tan was 13 years old when he discovered his passion for running.

It began as a simple activity to help Mr Tan, who has autism, stay focused.

But Mr Tan's natural talent soon became apparent.

“Lucas has a lot of running potential. He’s consistent and very competitive,” said his coach Norman Koh, who has been training him since the teen started out in 2014.

Now 24, Mr Tan has completed six half-marathons and most recently, a full marathon in Taiwan, where he emerged first in his age category of 20-29 with a time of four hours and 47 minutes."

In the age of AI, I still share my kids' photos online – but here's where I draw the line on what to post (18 October 2025)

"The first time I shared a photo of my firstborn son online, he was just 30 days old.

I was still adjusting to motherhood, revelling in the fact that I now had a baby boy.

Sure, I could have shouted it from the rooftops, but posting it on social media felt like the easiest way to tell the world.

Now that he's four years old, I still find myself scrolling back to that photo, trying to remember how tiny those hands were."

'For her own good': Why this father reported his teen daughter for using drug-laced vapes (20 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: “She was so high on the bed … she was shivering and she didn’t know what she was doing until a couple of minutes later, when she started to sober up.”

Daniel (not his real name) was shocked when he found out his daughter was using kpods – vapes laced with etomidate, an anaesthetic agent.

Josephine (not her real name) has always been close to her father. If there was anything she was upset about, she would turn to him. To Daniel, she was the “apple of his eye”, and he “pampered” her the most among his children.

He was heartbroken when he found out she had turned to illegal substances – and he decided to report her to the police."

Why 7 in 10 Singaporeans have yet to use S$500 SkillsFuture credit that expires end-2025 (21 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: Unlike many others who have yet to tap their SkillsFuture credits, data analyst Randi Ang, 34, has used all of his credit on a course that allowed him to pivot to the technology sector from healthcare administration.

The accounting graduate first used his credits for a polytechnic diploma conversion course in web development and programming in 2017, before taking a career break to study for a master's degree in enterprise business analytics.

That allowed him to make the job switch in 2020. Earlier this year, he spent his one-off SkillsFuture credit top-up on a post-diploma certificate in enterprise big data management to deepen the skills he uses at work."

Singapore schools add anti-vaping content to science, character education lessons (22 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: What would you do if your friend passed you their vape and asked you to hide it in your pocket – and there's now a random bag check?

This was one scenario discussed by secondary school students in Singapore during a character and citizenship education lesson (CCE) which journalists were invited to observe on Wednesday (Oct 22).

Some said they would reject their friend’s request at the expense of their relationship, and instead ask if they were struggling with something; or advise them on how to seek help safely.

Since September, primary and secondary schools as well as junior colleges have also received additional anti-vaping content for science lessons, including updated information on etomidate and its harmful effects."

Former preschool teacher convicted of ill-treating 2-year-old girl (22 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: A former preschool teacher was convicted on Wednesday (Oct 22) of one charge of ill-treating a two-year-old girl in 2022.

Wu Jiaying, a 32-year-old China national, was found guilty of forcefully placing the girl down onto the floor and a chair, lifting her by her arm and pulling her across the classroom, as well as shaking her violently.

The woman had contested the charge, saying she had intended only to control the situation and get the child to calm down."

‘We are sorry for the outcome’: Masagos acknowledges agencies could have done more in Megan Khung case (23 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: Singapore’s Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli on Thursday (Oct 23) apologised and acknowledged that agencies involved in the case of four-year-old Megan Khung’s fatal abuse could have done more when handling the matter.

“As the lead for the national child protection system, I would like to say that we are sorry for the outcome,” he said. “We cannot eradicate every risk of a child loss. But our resolve is absolute. We will do everything possible to prevent the recurrence of such tragedies.

“We will make sure that every link in our child protection ecosystem; every professional and agency; does its very best and more, to protect our vulnerable children,” he added."

Multiple lapses, shortcomings in how agencies handled Megan Khung abuse case, review panel finds (23 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: A report looking into the death of four-year-old Megan Khung found multiple lapses and shortcomings among agencies that handled her case.

Several key lapses identified in the report included officers who did not follow protocols, the mischaracterisation of Megan’s injuries by social workers, as well as the failure of police officers and child protection specialists in following up on Megan’s case after the information was made known to them.

There was also a “lack of clear understanding and communication among the agencies” involved in Megan’s case, the report found."

A timeline of how Megan Khung's fatal abuse case unfolded – and how agencies could have done more (23 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: More than 300 days passed between the moment a preschool teacher first noticed bruises on four-year-old Megan Khung in March 2019 and her death from physical abuse by her mother and her then-boyfriend.

In that time, child protection officers and social workers from various agencies involved in the case had taken actions to escalate Megan’s case to the police, but there were “instances of a lack of clear understanding and communication” among them, a review panel found on Thursday (Oct 23).

Gaps in the child protection ecosystem, as well as procedures that were not followed by officers involved, led to a lack of police and social interventions in the abuse at the time.

In the end, Megan died after suffering more than a year of physical and emotional abuse by her mother Foo Li Ping, and her then-boyfriend Brian Wong.

The panel’s report detailed how it all happened."

Learning Chinese has become too difficult for kids today, and that’s not okay (24 October 2025)

"Recently, while revising for her end-of-year exams, my 15-year-old daughter came to me with a list of Chinese words, asking me to test her on them.

It had been a while since she'd asked for help. Ever since starting secondary school, she has mostly managed her studies on her own. But when she handed me the list, I wasn't surprised by the request. Rather, I was caught off-guard by what was on it.

Now, I consider myself fairly proficient in my mother tongue. Not only did I grow up in a Chinese-speaking family, I consistently scored As in Chinese throughout my schooling years.

The list of words my daughter handed me was meant for her Secondary 3 cohort (she's in the International Baccalaureate programme, but the Chinese textbook they use is the same as the O-Level track). But I found myself unable to read a number of them, let alone understand them.

Even my husband, who had studied Higher Mother Tongue (HMT) back in school, found some of the words unfamiliar and difficult."

Voices: Young adults are job-hopping faster than ever. Here's why mentorship could change that (25 October 2025)

"For many pop culture fans of my generation, what comes to mind when we think of "mentorship" is Mr Miyagi – the seemingly stern and aloof, but caring and compassionate sensei, played by Pat Morita in the 1984 film The Karate Kid.

I always loved that his mode of instruction for 17-year-old Daniel was not through hyped-up, motivational speeches but through the calm, mundane, endless repetition of "wax on, wax off". What seems like a tedious chore of waxing a car becomes muscle memory, and later, mastery.

More than four decades on, the original film stands as a reminder of a somewhat unpopular lesson in an increasingly fast-paced world: True growth can't be fast-tracked. It can be earned only through multiple cycles of effort, correction and patience.

When I started out in my career 20 years ago, I had the privilege of having a boss who was generous with her time and patient instruction.

She took me to client meetings, where I saw firsthand the challenges of managing conflicting expectations and difficult conversations. Eventually, she trusted me to lead pitches independently, coaching me silently from the sidelines and giving pointers behind the scenes.

Much of what I learnt under her tutelage I adopted when I started my own agency years later, and for those lessons, I am forever grateful."

Former preschool cook molested toddlers regularly during naptime; prosecution seeks 10 years' jail (27 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: In what the prosecution described as one of the most horrendous acts of sexual abuse in a preschool, a cook molested toddlers regularly during naptime while other teachers were present.

Teo Guan Huat, a 61-year-old Malaysian and Singapore permanent resident, pleaded guilty on Monday (Oct 27) to three counts of molestation of minors. Another five charges will be considered in sentencing.

The name of the preschool cannot be published due to a gag order protecting the identities of the victims, who were between one and two years old at the time of the offences, which took place over seven months in 2023.

The court heard that Teo worked for the school for about a year before he resigned in late 2023 after being discovered."

Commentary: Conversations on kids’ screen time focus too much on quantity (27 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: More than half of children aged two to six are exceeding recommended daily screen time limits, according to a recent survey by the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI).

For many parents, this finding strikes uncomfortably close to home and heightens anxieties about the excessive dependence young people have on their devices.

But while it is easy to wag a finger at parents, the truth is more complicated. For many, devices are not simply a “lazy option” but a necessity – a way to keep children occupied when adults are juggling long hours, household demands and the rising pressures of modern life.

Parents of older children also find it a struggle to manage screen time when their kids need to access apps and devices for schoolwork, blurring the line between leisure and educational use. Such situations make imposing strict guidelines and “policing” device use a fraught exercise."

Social workers say Megan Khung review panel set record straight, call for greater support instead of more procedures (27 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: Following Megan Khung’s fatal abuse case, professionals in the social work sector welcomed the review panel’s recommendations but stressed that the sector still needs more support.

With more agencies who were involved in the case acknowledging their part in the lapses that occurred, those who spoke to CNA said they felt relieved that the full facts were released, and also made several suggestions that could prevent such tragedies from happening again.

Megan died in February 2020. She was abused for months by her mother Foo Li Ping and the woman's then-boyfriend Brian Wong, before the latter inflicted a fatal punch on the girl.

In April, Foo was sentenced to 19 years' jail for abusing her daughter and helping to burn her corpse. Wong was jailed for 30 years and given 17 strokes of the cane for his role in Megan’s death, along with other drug crimes.

Social work professionals told CNA they felt “a sense of relief” after the report’s release on Oct 23 that the inadequate response to Megan’s case was no longer attributed solely to community agencies, and that there was more “accountability” across the board."

Social workers say Megan Khung review panel set record straight, call for greater support instead of more procedures (27 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: A new hotel will open on the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Kent Ridge campus in the first half of 2026.

The Ridge, which has 185 rooms, is a “campus hotel” designed for students, visiting academics and professionals, its website said.

The hotel, which is not open to the public or tourists, will be located along Computing Drive, which is near NUS’ School of Computing and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences."

Commentary: Young workers aren’t chasing flexible work anymore – they want job security (28 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: For years, conversations about youth employment in Singapore have circled around the same buzzwords: flexible work, career advancement and work-life balance. These ideas appear in corporate brochures, HR seminars and even government dialogues.

But the reality is more layered. Young workers value flexibility and progression, but they prize financial security and job stability above all. And this is where employers often get them wrong.

A new study by the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), involving more than 1,000 youths and 250 employers, found that across life stages, youths consistently rank financial gain and job stability higher than flexible work or career advancement. Rather than flexibility, they are a generation seeking stability in uncertain times."

Commentary: Megan Khung's story must end in enduring change of the child protection system (29 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: The fatal abuse of four-year-old Megan Khung exposes a painful truth about how we can fail the most vulnerable among us.

Too often, protection becomes procedural. We risk reducing children’s lives to fragments of case notes and forms, escalated somewhere but going nowhere.

Megan died in February 2020 after months of beatings, starvation and acts of emotional abuse by her mother and the woman’s then boyfriend. Her ordeal was all the more tragic, for how she fell through the cracks and the multiple lapses by agencies which were laid out in an independent review panel’s report on Thursday (Oct 23)."

Preschool in molest case fined; three of its employees barred from working in sector: ECDA (29 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: The preschool that employed a man who went on to molest three toddlers on its premises was fined S$26,200 (US$20,230) by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA).

The fine was meted out in May 2024 after ECDA's investigations uncovered multiple breaches of the Early Childhood Development Centres (ECDC) Act and Regulations at the preschool that had compromised the safety of the children in its care, an agency spokesperson said on Wednesday (Oct 29) in response to queries from CNA.

ECDA had been informed of one of the man's offences against one of the children by the preschool on Dec 5, 2023, and later learned from the police and the preschool of further offences he committed against the two other children.

The agency later commenced investigations into the safety procedures and child-safe policies at the preschool and completed these in February 2024.

In addition to the fine, new enrolments were also restricted at the preschool, and its licence tenure was shortened from 36 months to six months, the spokesperson said."

Educators question why preschool cook who molested toddlers had so much contact with children (30 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: A former preschool cook who molested three toddlers should never have been assigned childcare duties in the first place, early childhood educators said, raising concerns about staffing practices across the preschool sector.

Teo Guan Huat, 61, pleaded guilty on Monday (Oct 27) to three counts of molesting girls aged two or younger. Between May and November 2023, he molested the victims two to three times a week during naptime, under the guise of patting them to sleep.

His regular duties went beyond typical kitchen responsibilities. Teo escorted children to another teacher for showers, laid out mattresses at naptime, and helped put children to sleep – tasks that educators said should have raised immediate concerns.

A former preschool principal who gave her name as Ms Lin, 37, said she was “really disgusted” to learn of this case.

“Cooks and cleaners do not have ‘children’ cast in their JD (job description) at all,” she said, adding that it is a “red flag” for the cook to be helping with toilet and naptime duties in the first place."

Former St Joseph's Institution facilities manager who received at least S$67,000 in bribes jailed (30 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: An ex-facilities manager at St Joseph's Institution (SJI) was jailed for 15 months and four weeks' on Thursday (Oct 30) for receiving bribes of at least S$67,000 (US$51,600) from vendors contracted to carry out projects at the school.

For more than four years, Ng Cher Him, 58, would ask vendors to mark up their quotation submitted to SJI, with the markup to be paid to him as gratification.

He pleaded guilty to four charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act, with another five charges of a similar nature taken into consideration for sentencing. Apart from the jail term, Ng was ordered to pay a penalty of S$7,500. If he cannot pay the penalty, he will have to serve four additional weeks in jail."

49 more preschools to offer lower fee caps starting Jan 1, 2026 (31 October 2025)

"SINGAPORE: A total of 49 preschools will be added to a scheme offering lower fees from next year, taking the total number of centres under the scheme to 380, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) announced on Friday (Oct 31).

These centres have been appointed under the new five-year term of the Partner Operator Scheme, which will start on Jan 1, 2026 and end on Dec 31, 2030. The current term ends in December.

The scheme supports appointed centres to “improve the accessibility, affordability and quality of childcare and infant care services” for Singaporean families, ECDA said."

In a cashless society, parents must do more to help kids understand money's value (1 November 2025)

"When I was a child, I often saw my mum at the dining table with a stack of bills, carefully working out our household's monthly budget.

Most of her shopping for clothes or bags took place during the Great Singapore Sale, and I never once saw her opening her wallet for branded goods.

Whenever she handed over the cash for my tuition teacher’s fees, she would sigh and say that it meant no taxi rides for the rest of the month.

Watching her, I developed the habit of conscious and deliberate spending, which later shaped me into a financially literate adult."

Her first day as an autism coach was tough but she stayed on for 11 years: 'This is where I want to be' (3 November 2025)

"On her first day at work at St. Andrew’s Autism Centre (SAAC), a client unintentionally hit Chloe Phua. Within the first month, the senior coach had some bruises and bumps from working with her clients.

Most would have quit at these early challenges but not her.

Over her 11 years at SAAC's Day Activity Centre, the 37-year-old has occasionally been slapped, hit, and even bitten, but Phua continues to serve her clients, mostly adults with moderate to severe autism, with love and dedication.

“Serving people is what I like to do and look forward to doing each day,” she said."

Son obtains personal protection order against father who was violent to him over his 'living habits' (3 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE: Increasingly frustrated and irritated with his son's living habits, a man resorted to physical violence by slapping his son, pulling his hair, pouring water on him and shooting him in the face with a rubber band.

The son, who is above the age of 18 and two years away from graduating, applied for a personal protection order (PPO) against his father and was granted one by the family court.

In a judgment made available on Saturday (Nov 1), District Judge Soh Kian Peng found it necessary to order a PPO for the son's personal safety or protection."

The last days of Megan Khung (4 November 2025)

"Megan Khung was four when she died from abuse. The perpetrators? Her mother Foo Liping and her boyfriend, Wong Shi Xiang. They later burnt her corpse to avoid detection.

At that point, more than 300 days had passed from the time her bruises were first spotted by her preschool teacher.

A review panel was convened in April 2025 to look into how the various agencies in Singapore acted in Megan’s case. Its findings shed light on the lapses and shortcomings of these agencies that played a part in the tragedy.

Our timeline looks at the moments when one or more agencies could have done more to intervene."

MOE takes holistic approach to teacher well-being; total work hours stable over the years: Desmond Lee (4 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Education (MOE) takes a holistic approach to monitoring teachers’ well-being rather than tracking singular metrics such as work hours, said Education Minister Desmond Lee in parliament on Tuesday (Nov 4).

Speaking in response to parliamentary questions about the results of an OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey, he said MOE tracks indicators including job satisfaction, retention rates and stress levels.

The ministry also engages with MOE teachers’ unions to “get feedback and suggestions”, he added."

Government apologised to social service agencies for perceived 'finger-pointing' in initial statement on Megan Khung case (5 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE: The government has apologised to Beyond Social Services and other agencies for the misunderstanding over "finger-pointing" when the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) made its initial statement on Megan Khung's case in April, Minister-in-Charge of Social Services Integration Desmond Lee said on Wednesday (Nov 5).

Mr Lee, who is also Education Minister, said this in parliament while responding to questions on the fatal child abuse case.

Four-year-old Megan died in 2020 after being abused by her mother and her mother's boyfriend for several months. The couple was sentenced in April.

In April, MSF said that social service agency Beyond Social Services, which operated the preschool where Megan was enrolled, did not fully describe the severity of her injuries in its report to the Early Childhood Development Agency. MSF said this resulted in "inadequate interventions".

A subsequent report by a review panel, published in October, found lapses by multiple stakeholders, including MSF's Child Protective Service and the police, as well as social workers."

Megan Khung fatal abuse case: MSF to set up social services coordination centre, strengthen oversight (5 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) will establish a social services coordination centre, as well as improve protocols and coordination with the police for missing children following a review of the Megan Khung fatal abuse case.

Minister-in-Charge of Social Services Integration Desmond Lee also pledged in parliament on Tuesday (Oct 5) to improve the “frontline capability” of child protection and strengthen systems and oversight over the sector.

The death of the four-year-old in February 2020 after suffering months of abuse had earlier led to a review panel that found multiple lapses and shortcomings in the agencies involved in her case.

Mr Lee, who is also the Education Minister, said: “There were opportunities to pick up on the abuse, which might have prevented Megan’s death. Our responses clearly fell short.”

Police officers in Megan Khung case were 'under pressure', leading to 'serious breach': Goh Pei Ming (5 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE: The lapse in the police's handling of four-year-old Megan Khung’s fatal abuse case occurred as a result of two officers being "under pressure" and not following "established operating procedure", said Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming on Wednesday (Nov 5).

Speaking in parliament, Mr Goh said this "serious breach" resulted in a "tragic outcome".

"Our frontline police officers bear a heavy responsibility to protect ... lives. They take this responsibility seriously, and perform their duties with commitment and professionalism," he added.

"The demands on our police officers continue to increase. They often have to make difficult judgment calls every day in the course of their duties. When under pressure, mistakes can happen."

The police will learn from this, and reinforce procedures as well as training for their officers, added Mr Goh."

Commentary: Singlish is so much more than ‘broken English’ (6 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE: My primary school teacher once scolded me for using “broken English” and ending a sentence with “lah”. That same afternoon, I watched my sister order chicken rice at the hawker centre in a mix of Mandarin, Teochew and English: “Uncle, wo yao kueh png, no bone. Dowan chilli.”

Nobody batted an eyelid. It was just how we spoke. That contrast between what’s acceptable in class and what’s normal everywhere else has puzzled me ever since. Why was the way we spoke treated as a flaw?

Singapore’s bilingual education policy is often told as a success story. Since the 1960s, English has been promoted as the language of economic progress, and Mother Tongue languages for cultural grounding. In 2020, 74.3 per cent of literate residents surveyed in the population census were at least bilingual, up from 70.5 per cent a decade prior.

But we don’t compartmentalise English or our mother tongue in our daily lives. We live in the spaces between and beyond them."

NUS student fined for putting green beans into car tyre valves to deflate them (6 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE: A National University of Singapore (NUS) student inserted green beans into the tyre valves of seven cars to deflate them, as he wanted to make ownership of sports utility vehicles (SUVs) unattractive.

Benjamin Chia Yit Loong, a 24-year-old Singaporean, was fined S$3,000 (US$2,300) by a court on Thursday (Nov 6) for one count of mischief.

The court heard that Chia was interested in climate change and environmental issues, and wished to make SUV ownership unattractive.

He decided to deflate the tyres of cars parked near his house, and to leave on the cars flyers about the environmental damage caused by SUVs."

SG Culture Pass credits can be used to buy SingLit books from March 2026 (7 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE: Singaporeans will be able to use their SG Culture Pass credits to purchase Singapore literature (SingLit) books at particpating bookstores from Mar 1, 2026, said the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) on Friday (Nov 7).

Such credits can already be used on over 600 arts and heritage programmes, with local literary works and films to be progressively introduced into the scheme.

This will give Singaporeans more ways to explore new experiences, while supporting local practitioners in the arts and heritage sector, MCCY said."

How her Singapore education inspires this Palestinian's mission to create jobs amid conflict (7 November 2025)

"RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories: When Palestinian Sireen Sabi had the chance to further her studies in Singapore, she encountered “a new perspective and a new way of thinking" about how to build her homeland.

Speaking to CNA from Ramallah in the Palestinian Territories, the 36-year-old said that her stint at Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) Master’s programme in International Political Economy in 2017 and 2018 showed her the importance of planning, and how “you can actually create jobs while you don't have any (natural) resources”.

She joined the programme after meeting Singapore’s non-resident representative to the Palestinian Territories, Hawazi Daipi, in 2017. He introduced her to scholarships available in Singapore, and she applied for one at NTU – and was accepted."

AI is not wiping out all entry-level jobs, but it's changing the game and fresh jobseekers need to level up (7 November 2025)

"When her six-month internship in public relations abruptly ended at the halfway mark, communications graduate K Sudhiksha, 23, wasn't entirely surprised.

Officially, she was told it was due to a company restructuring, but she suspected that it had something to do with how her job could be done by artificial intelligence (AI).

"I was spending most of my time running prompts on ChatGPT," she told CNA TODAY, referring to the popular AI chatbot.

"We were all encouraged to do it. I could do my tasks faster, but it also made me feel creatively stunted."

Singapore launches first anti-scam roadshow to raise public awareness (8 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE: The first national anti-scam roadshow was launched on Saturday (Nov 8), bringing together various government agencies and community partners to raise public awareness of scams.

It aims to encourage the public to be vigilant against scams, by verifying suspicious phone calls or messages, and to inform the authorities as well as people around them when they spot a scam, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) jointly said on Saturday.

Members of the public can visit the inaugural National Anti-Scam Roadshow, which runs from Saturday to Sunday between 10am and 8pm, at the HDB Hub Atrium in Toa Payoh."

My kids are obsessed with '6-7'. Should I be worried about internet brain rot? (8 November 2025)

"If the mere mention of the two seemingly innocuous numbers, "6-7", causes involuntary eye-twitching, bubbles of annoyance, and the strong desire to cover your ears, you’re part of the unfortunate band of tween and teen parents who are in the know.

Coupled with the up-and-down hand motion that accompanies the lazy drawl of "six seven", this is peak brain rot content that's permeated the vernacular of children all over the world – Singapore included.

The online dictionary Dictionary.com has even named "6-7" as its word of the year for 2025."

Former preschool cook who regularly molested 3 toddlers during naptime gets over 9 years' jail (10 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE: A former preschool cook who regularly molested three toddlers during naptime was sentenced to more than nine years' jail on Monday (Nov 10).

Teo Guan Huat, a 61-year-old Malaysian and Singapore permanent resident, had pleaded guilty last month to three counts of molestation of minors. Another five charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.

In total, he was given a jail sentence of nine years, four months and seven weeks. This includes nine months' jail in lieu of caning, as Teo is above 50 and cannot be caned."

New centralised training centre for Singapore’s esports athletes set to launch next month (10 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE: Plans are underway to establish a centralised training centre in Singapore next month, with the aim of nurturing local gaming talent and potentially grooming them into professional esports athletes.

Collaborations will also be struck with regional partners to establish qualification pathways for major regional competitions, according to the Singapore Esports Association.

These efforts are part of the association's push to strengthen the local ecosystem, as Singapore proposes legislative changes to formally recognise gaming as a sport."

Content creator Simonboy unfazed by online criticism over initiative named after late daughter Megan Khung (11 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE: Local content creator Simon Khung Wei Nan could have picked any other name for his new social initiative, but he ultimately decided to call it the Forever Megan Charity to honour the memory of his late daughter.

“My main motive is to honour my daughter, and I don’t think anything should stop me,” said the 38-year-old, better known by his online moniker Simonboy.

“It’s just the love, be it of her and for her.”

This was despite knowing that naming it after his daughter would invite “social media repercussions” and attract “unnecessary” comments online, he said."

Consumer watchdog flags safety risks in several baby cots, strollers, children’s accessories sold online (13 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE: Singapore’s consumer watchdog has flagged several baby cots, strollers and children's accessories sold online as unsafe.

The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCS) said on Thursday (Nov 13) that it purchased and tested 22 products, offered mainly by suppliers on Shopee or Lazada, this year.

“Of the 22 higher-risk products sampled, 17 were found to be unsafe as they did not meet applicable product safety standards,” it said in a press release."

Woman gets jail for lying about address to enrol daughter into popular primary school (13 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE: A 42-year-old woman was on Thursday (Nov 13) sentenced to one week's jail for lying about her address to enrol her daughter in a popular primary school.

The prosecution had sought a fine, but the judge found that a jail term was warranted due to the aggravating nature of this case, including her calculated deception and "selfish motives".

After hearing of her jail sentence, the woman asked the judge to give her another chance, saying she could not go to jail and that her daughter needed her.

The woman cannot be named as the court imposed a gag order protecting the identity of her daughter, who is a minor. The gag order extends to the name of the school, which has since transferred the girl elsewhere."

Jail sentence for P1 kid’s mum who lied about address could deter such behaviour but unlikely to eradicate it, say parents (14 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE: The week-long jail sentence handed out to the mother who lied about her address to enrol her daughter in a popular primary school could increase awareness of the consequences of such behaviour, said the Ministry of Education (MOE) on Friday (Nov 14).

Parents whom CNA spoke to also said the case may discourage those tempted to game the system, although it may not completely eliminate such behaviour.

On Thursday, the 42-year-old woman was sentenced to one week's jail for lying about her address during the 2023 Primary 1 registration exercise.

The prosecution had sought a fine, but the judge found that a jail term was warranted due to the aggravating nature of this case, including her calculated deception and "selfish motives"."

From parkour for seniors to stylish adult diapers, Singapore youths are revitalising the business of eldercare (14 November 2025)

"When Mr Javier Chan's friends and peers first heard about his plans to start a medical transport service for seniors and patients in 2021, they praised it as a smart move.

After all, given Singapore's rapidly ageing population, the silver economy was booming. He would definitely be in the "correct industry", they declared.

But once Mr Chan, then 23 and fresh out of national service, began running Shalom Medcare, he quickly discovered that eldercare was far more complex than the average business."

The struggles of single parenthood (14 November 2025)

"When Sarah went through her first divorce in 2014, the challenges of raising two babies on her own and becoming the sole breadwinner hit her hard.

Despite the availability of childcare, she struggled to earn the income her family needed.

"Our work hours are limited by the childcare centre hours," said the 38-year-old mother of two teens, who declined to be identified by her real name as her ex-husband is incarcerated.

"And when your child is sick at childcare, they will call you and you have to drop your work and bring them home. It also impacts our work performance."

Why Singapore's kids are no longer playing at void decks and corridors, and what's lost as a result (15 November 2025)

"Twelve-year-old Geralyn Gui gets one precious hour each weekday, between school and her evening wushu lessons, to play with her friends.

Usually, they spend this time at a nearby playground playing tag or hide-and-seek, or visiting the library.

However, there is always an adult present to supervise – either Geralyn's mother, 49-year-old Selena Tay, who works as a flexi-adjunct teacher, or one of her friends' parents.

Once the hour is up, Geralyn has to head home and get ready for her two-hour wushu class, then it's back home for dinner, homework and bedtime before the routine starts all over again."

Commentary: Young adults are growing increasingly economically dislocated (16 November 2025)

"LONDON: People’s early interactions with the labour market are so critically important for shaping their futures that in the 1990s British researchers came up with the acronym “NEET” – standing for young people who are Not in Education, Employment or Training – to capture the group of adolescents and 20-somethings struggling to make the transition from compulsory schooling to the world of skills and work.

The concept rightly went on to become a staple of international economic statistics, with research consistently finding that NEETs are at risk of life-long socio-economic scarring, remaining at significantly elevated risk for worklessness and health problems for decades.

But the way NEETs are defined no longer makes sense in modern societies, and risks downplaying the situation that is unfolding across much of the developed world. Look at conventional NEET rates today and you will generally see flat or slightly descending lines over the past decade."

Woman hires lawyer for appeal against jail term for lying to enrol daughter in popular school (17 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE: A 42-year-old woman who was given one week's jail for lying about her address to get her daughter into a popular primary school has hired a lawyer for her appeal.

CNA understands that the Singaporean woman has hired Mr Deepak Natverlal from Crown Juris Law. He is a director at the boutique law firm, according to his LinkedIn profile.

The woman was unrepresented before this and previously said she could not afford a lawyer.

Court records show that the woman, whose name cannot be published due to a gag order protecting her child, lodged an appeal against her sentence on Nov 13.

The appeal will be heard at a later date in the High Court."

PSLE results to be released on Nov 25 (18 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE: The results of the 2025 Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) will be released on Nov 25 at 11am.

Arrangements have been made for school candidates to receive their results from their respective primary schools, the Ministry of Education (MOE) and Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) said on Tuesday (Nov 18).

School candidates who are unable to return to school to collect their results may appoint a proxy to do so on their behalf by Nov 27, they said."

Two Singapore primary schoolers invent robot to help kids keep a safe distance from screens (19 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE: Two primary school students have designed a robot that encourages healthier screen habits, and their creation will soon compete on the global stage.

Nine-year-old Elon Chan from New Town Primary School and 11-year-old Skylar Chua from Nanyang Primary School will be representing Singapore at the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) finals, held here from Nov 26 to 28.

Their project, entered under the Future Innovators (Elementary) category, is one of three Singapore teams among more than 500 competing globally."

Gen Z school canteen vendor who went viral is closing his stall (19 November 2025)

"Rayner Tan, 27, who runs a vegetarian food stall at Mee Toh School, took to Instagram on Tuesday (Nov 18) to share some bittersweet news – he’ll be closing his stall at the end of the year.

The young hawker, known online as @veg.eng, has been running the stall for nearly half a year and is beloved for his wholesome online content documenting his daily life as a canteen vendor. His videos often show his friendly and funny interactions with students – clips that have earned him a loyal following for his down-to-earth charm.

Tan also appeared on the YouTube series Gen Z Crash Course, where he spoke candidly about the challenges of running a school canteen stall – including low profit margins and the lack of income during school holidays. Still, his love for cooking and eagerness to gain hands-on experience in F&B kept him going.

Unfortunately, it looks like his time at the school has come to an end."

Viral Gen Z school canteen vendor who closed stall sells matcha from HDB bedroom window (20 November 2025)

"We first discovered 27-year-old Rayner Tan several months ago on TikTok, where clips of him toasting prata and plating vegetarian meals at Hearty Green, a vegetarian canteen stall in Mee Toh School in Punggol, caught our eye. Before long, we dove down a rabbit hole of comforting videos showing different parts of his life.

One moment, he’s cycling to school before dawn; the next, he’s chatting with students who recognise him from social media. And in another, he’s highlighting his home-based business hustle after wrapping up a day at the canteen.

More recently, a now-deleted clip of him "educating" primary school kids (their faces are always blurred for privacy) on basic manners became viral online. On the final day (Nov 18) of school before the holidays, Tan revealed that he would not be renewing his contract with the school.

Seeing a Gen Z vendor behind the canteen counter is rare and refreshing."

Preschool teacher charged with abusing 3 babies including force-feeding child until she vomited (20 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE: A preschool teacher allegedly ill-treated three babies in her care, including force-feeding a child until she vomited and stuffing a bib into a baby's mouth.

The 36-year-old Singaporean woman, whose name was redacted from charge sheets, was on Thursday (Nov 20) handed three counts of ill-treating children under her care.

A gag order was issued to protect the identities of the victims. It covers the incident location as the accused is a preschool teacher, court records state."

Yvonne Lim considering taking acting break next year to support son for PSLE (21 November 2025)

"The PSLE can be stressful for students and maybe even more so for their parents.

Although her son AJ is only in Primary 5, Yvonne Lim is already thinking ahead to how she can best support him when he sits for his Primary School Leaving Examination next year.

During a recent set visit for her upcoming Mediacorp drama No Other Way, the 49-year-old actress told Chinese media 8world vibes that she has even considered taking a break from work next year to help AJ “gear up for” his biggest exam yet."

185 people hit by gastroenteritis symptoms at 6 E-Bridge preschools (21 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE: Authorities are investigating 185 reported cases of gastroenteritis following an outbreak at six E-Bridge preschools.

The incidents occurred at the following E-Bridge locations: Bukit Panjang, Canberra, Montreal, Woodlands Drive, 471B Yishun and 504 Yishun, said the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA), Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) in a joint statement on Friday (Nov 21).

A total of 173 students and 12 staff members fell sick after consuming food supplied by Middleton International School."

Woman accused of abusing 3 babies barred from working in preschools, action taken against staff: ECDA (21 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE: The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) has barred a woman accused of abusing three babies from working in any preschool, as well as taken action against the preschool's principal and two other staff members.

The alleged abuser, a 36-year-old Singaporean, was charged on Thursday with three counts of ill-treating babies aged between eight and 12 months at the time.

The former preschool teacher is accused of force-feeding a 12-month-old girl until she vomited, stuffing a bib in an eight-month-old child's mouth and putting a blanket over the child's face, as well as dropping a bumper chair that a 10-month-old child was sitting in.

A gag order, which also covers the incident location, was issued by the court to protect the identities of the victims."

No link between E-Bridge preschool gastroenteritis cases and central kitchen so far, says meal provider (24 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE: Investigations into a gastroenteritis outbreak at six E-Bridge preschools have found no link between the central kitchen and the reported cases so far, said the meal provider on Monday (Nov 24).

Authorities said last Friday that they were investigating 185 reported cases of gastroenteritis at the preschools located at Bukit Panjang, Canberra, Montreal, Woodlands Drive, 471B Yishun and 504 Yishun.

A total of 173 students and 12 staff members had became ill after consuming food supplied by Middleton International School's food business operations, said the Communicable Diseases Agency, Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and Early Childhood Development Agency in a joint statement.

"We are cooperating fully with the authorities as they conduct detailed checks to ascertain the cause of the cases. No conclusions have been made at this point," said the central kitchen in a statement attributed to its executive chef on Monday."

PSLE results: 98.5% of students can progress to secondary school (25 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE: The Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) results released at 11am on Tuesday (Nov 25) showed that 98.5 per cent of Primary 6 students who sat for it made it to secondary school.

A total of 37,926 Primary 6 students sat for the PSLE this year, the Ministry of Education (MOE) and Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) said in a joint press release on Tuesday.

Under Full Subject-Based Banding, students who are eligible for Posting Groups 1 and 2 may take the English language, mother tongue languages, mathematics, and science subjects at a more demanding level from Secondary 1 based on their Achievement Level (AL) scores for the respective subject.

Students who scored AL 5 or better for a PSLE Standard subject can take the subject at G3 or G2.

Those who scored AL 6 for a PSLE Standard subject or AL A for a PSLE Foundation subject can take the subject at G2.

About 65 per cent of the 2025 Primary 6 cohort eligible for Posting Groups 1 and 2 can take at least one subject at a more demanding level."

Commentary: Killer PSLE questions can haunt students long after primary school (25 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE: Thousands of anxious Primary 6 students will be collecting their Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) results on Tuesday (Nov 25). While waiting, some students may be wondering whether the killer questions that stumped them affected their scores.

The Ministry of Education has stated that about 15 per cent of PSLE questions are intentionally challenging so that higher-ability students can be assessed correctly. On paper, that may seem modest. In practice, these questions can shape a child’s entire emotional experience of PSLE and of examinations in general.

As a psychiatrist, I’ve seen clients who’ve been affected by the long tail of PSLE stress. An undergraduate I spoke with could vividly recount a single question on the PSLE Mathematics paper. “I still remember Jess and the ribbons,” she said, referencing the 2017 “ribbon” question where Jess needed 200 ribbons of 110cm each, and the rolls came in 25m tapes."

Probation, reformative training reports called for teen who walked onto MRT tracks, scaled HDB block roof (25 November 2025)

"SINGAPORE: A teenager who trespassed onto the train tracks between Simei MRT station and Tanah Merah MRT station earlier this year had climbed up scaffolding structures to access the prohibited area.

The teen, who cannot be named as his identity is protected under the Children and Young Persons Act, loitered at the train tracks for up to 10 minutes and later uploaded a video of a passing train on social media.

The youth, now aged 17, pleaded guilty on Tuesday (Nov 25) to one count under the Rapid Transit Systems Act of wilfully endangering safety, and one count of trespass."

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