The National Day Rally (NDR) speech by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is a departure from the usual NDR speech.

PM Lee spoke more about internal affairs that Singaporeans hold close to their hearts. Was that a good thing? You make the decision.

Here are 9 things that he mentioned which matter to us.

1. PM Lee says not enough preschools

PM Lee noted that the lack of preschools is a serious problem for young couples in Singapore.

He admitted that preschool has great impacts on a child’s early development.

Children who go to preschools pick up language skills faster as well as learn social and emotional skills crucial to their development through interaction with their peers and teachers.

PM Lee said that there is a lack of preschools for children up to age 4.

In order to solve the issue, the government will create an additional of 40,000 new preschool places for children of this age group in the next 5 years. The total capacity will be 200,000.

You know what I’m thinking? Sian…raising a kid just became more expensive.

2. PM Lee speaks on improving preschools for K1 and K2 levels

While K1 and K2 levels have enough places for children aged 5 to 6, PM Lee felt that the quality of education standards is not up to mark.

Therefore, the focus will be on improving the quality of the preschool teachers.

3. More MOE kindergartens will be available by 2023

Parents are showing more interest in MOE kindergartens, which are remarkably different from the normal PCF kindergartens.

Children in MOE kindergartens learn more through activities and play time instead of pure studying, which is increasingly important for children.

4. To increase standards, a new centralised National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIED) will be set up

For those who are interested in the early children industry, this is good news for you.

With PM Lee’s passionate speech during NDR, you can be sure that there will be grants for studying at NIED, better work-life balance, and an increase in the salary.

5. PM Lee wants young couples to have more babies

This is nothing new to us millennials.

PM Lee has been urging more couples to have babies so that we can solve the ageing population problem in Singapore since he is solving the problems of the young couples regarding preschools.

And milk powder. Let’s not forget about that.

6. PM Lee wants Singapore to be more health-conscious

With the rising risks of diabetes in Singaporeans, PM Lee cautioned everyone to look after their health.

After all, health is the most expensive thing that we should not lose. He said that 3 out of 10 Singaporeans have diabetes over the age of 60, and we happened to have one of the longest life expectancies in the world.

He asked Singaporeans if they want to age poorly or start taking care so that they can continue to enjoy life in their old age.

After all, you know the saying, right? It’s better to die than to get sick in Singapore.

7. PM Lee shares more about Smart Nation

Smart Nation is not something new to us as well. The rise of the machines in our daily life seems to become a reality as days passed.

With the recent news that cashless payment is the way to go, it has alarmed quite a number of old folks who are not internet-savvy.

PM Lee speaks of the government’s own initiatives – the Parking.sg app.

Apparently, this app will kill the paper coupons and you just have to use your smart phone to adjust your parking time and pay accordingly.

8. PM Lee said that China is better than us at cashless payment

This may make some of you sit up.

Yes, China is better than us at cashless payment because even their roadside stores have QR codes that buyers can scan with their WeChat app to make payment.

 

To be fair, Singapore has such systems as well. It’s just nobody is using them.

No cash! That is why Singaporeans need to adjust to a cashless society, because #Chinaisbetterthanusnow.

Would be better if we can improve the train situation first, though. #JustSaying

9. PM Lee said more CCTVs will be installed and the government is looking to integrate all surveillance cameras into one data point.

This may once again cause you to sit up.

He said that a great lesson learned from the Little India Riot is the lack of sophistication of our CCTVs, LTA cameras and surveillance cameras in hotels.

Due to the “backward technology”, the police had to depend on passer-by’s videos to apprehend the culprits.

Therefore, more CCTVs will be installed around Singapore and linking of various video sources are in the pipelines.

This will help in major incidents for the police to respond faster.

Despite the good intentions, don’t you get the feeling that #bigbrotheriswatchingyou?

Always bored during your commute to and fro work or school? Here’s the best solution: download our app for new articles, Facebook videos and YouTube videos that are updated daily…and most importantly, exclusive contents that are only available in our app! It’s your perfect companion for your daily commute!

Click Here to Download the App! 

Do you love writing? Do you want a platform to showcase your works? Goody Feed is looking for part-time writers to join the team! Click here to find out more! 

Love this article? Then you got to check these out as well:

• 5 Important Facts About Diabetes in S’pore Every S’porean Should Know
• For This Year’s National Day Rally, PM Lee Decides To Nag S’poreans And Show Baby Photos

Feature Image: channelnewsasia.com

This article was first published on goodyfeed.com