Another fowl culling has ruffled feathers. This time it is the killing of free-roaming chickens in the Sungei Api Api area in Pasir Ris.

It comes barely a month after the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) took similar action in Sin Ming estate in Thomson, sparking a heated public debate.

Residents of the private estate beside Sungei Api Api said they used to see flocks of 10 birds or more until around two months ago, when the culling began.

Now, only scattered groups of two to three birds remain, said lawyer Chia Boon Teck.

“There used to be more than 100 birds. Residents now wake up to a lifeless Sungei Api Api,” said the 53-year-old, who lives in a semi-detached house in Riverina View, just beside the river.

Read also: Culling may cause more harm than good: Study​

Mr Chia and other residents in the area are angry that the AVA had culled the chickens without informing or discussing it with them.

They said the birds are the native red junglefowl, because they have grey legs – one of the distinct characteristics of this bird, which is an endangered species in Singapore.

The Straits Times saw about 20 of these birds during a visit to the estate last Thursday.

The AVA, however, said it was “highly unlikely” the birds are the red junglefowl, usually found on Pulau Ubin and in the western catchment area near Lim Chu Kang.

In January, the AVA culled 24 free-roaming chickens in Sin Ming after it got 20 complaints about noise, and concerns over avian flu.

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Photo Gallery

Wild chickens in Singapore will be culled by AVA

Source:

The Straits Times

Wildlife Reserves Singapore

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The move sparked a public outcry that culminated in Minister of State for National Development Koh Poh Koon assuring MPs in Parliament that it was done only as a last resort.

In the case of Pasir Ris, an AVA spokesman said it has been receiving feedback about the “growing free-roaming chicken population” since January last year.

She also said if these feathered flocks were left unchecked, they could pose a threat to public health in the event that bird flu is brought here by migratory birds.

The AVA declined to disclose how many complaints were received and chickens killed.

Mr Chia, who is vice-chairman of the neighbourhood committee, said it was “regrettable” that the AVA did not work with them to look into the complaints.

Other residents, like account director Faisal Salim, 49, are dismayed, saying that without the chickens, the “kampung atmosphere” of the estate is gone.

“You can’t get the flora, fauna and fowls of this place in many estates in Singapore,” said Mr Faisal, who has lived in the area for 10 years.

Read also: Chicken culling issue raises need for more awareness

Housewife Fiona Oliveiro, 46, said her maid had seen men catching the birds with nets in late January. The Straits Times had also spotted bird control experts catching the wild chickens last month.

The birds crow in the morning, but residents have learnt to live with it, Ms Oliveiro said.

Retiree Ng Cher Peng said some people find the birds an annoyance when they fly into their gardens and roost there. But they do not return when chased away, he added.

“If the AVA wants to cull, it should cull the mynahs and pigeons, which are more of a nuisance,” said the 62-year-old.

Mr Louis Ng, an MP for Nee Soon GRC and an animal welfare advocate, said the AVA needs to share details on how it plans to manage free-roaming chickens.

“The population of these birds will control itself as long as there is no external food source. The key is to not cull the chickens, but to tell residents not to feed them,” he said.

Read also: Chicken culling issue raises need for more awareness

Keeping close watch on free-ranging chickens

dansonc@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Mar 20, 2017.
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Physical education (PE) is much more than just helping students keep fit, as it embodies good values and important life skills such as hard work, perseverance, integrity and teamwork, said a teacher.

PE teacher Joel Prathiev Vinson was drawing on his experience during his schooling years to speak of the subject’s importance.

Now, the First Toa Payoh Primary School teacher, who has been in the profession for over six years, hopes to use his PE lessons to inculcate good values in the next generation.

The 31-year-old, who also teaches foundation mathematics, said: “I believe the outcome of education is not about grades, but the process each student goes through that guides him to make the right decisions as he grows up.”

Mr Joel, who is also the head of department for discipline, is among a growing pool of PE, art and music teachers.

The number of such teachers has jumped by nearly 20 per cent in the past five years, as Singapore’s education system moves towards becoming more holistic.

There are some 3,700 trained PE, art and music teachers now, up from about 3,100 teachers in 2012.

And the recruitment of such teachers is ongoing, said the Education Ministry, even as the overall teaching force remains stable.

The ministry has been steadily growing the pool of teachers “who have the personal qualities, aptitude and passion for teaching these subjects”.

“Our PE, art and music curriculum plays a critical role in the holistic development of our students, as they cultivate the physical and aesthetics aspects of our students,” a ministry spokesman said.

PE, art and music teachers make up more than a tenth of the current teaching force.

Overall, the teaching force has stabilised at more than 33,000 trained education officers since 2013, said the ministry.

An eight-year recruitment drive since 2004 has helped it build up the teaching force significantly.

Now, the ministry has switched gears and is focusing on replacing teachers who have called it quits and recruiting teachers in specific subject areas, such as art and music.

Observers and experienced educators said that the hiring of more PE, art and music teachers is encouraging, as it reflects the overhaul of an education system which has had a strong focus on marks instead of a child’s holistic development.

National University of Singapore economics lecturer Kelvin Seah said it will also go towards helping to nurture students’ talents and interests in non-academic pursuits.

“It will provide students with a more balanced and all-rounded educational experience,” he noted.

“It also demonstrates the Gov- ernment’s commitment to shifting away from a system which narrowly emphasises academic achievement to one which recognises and nurtures non-academic talent.”

Mr Ng Eng Kee, 52, the head of department for aesthetics at Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary), said: “To maximise the potential of each of our students, the move towards a holistic education is inevitable. To be successful, students need to have skills and knowledge in both academic and non-academic areas.”

Ms Tan Shin Shin, the subject head for art at Tampines Secondary School, said: “Being a teacher is also about spending time to find out more about my students and helping them grow.”

The 37-year-old, who has 11 years of teaching experience, added: “A more holistic education will make students more future-ready, and enable them to express themselves and think out of the box.”

calyang@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Mar 20, 2017.
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Grassroots leaders and volunteers across Singapore will be trained in psychological first aid, to help residents overcome the shock and mental distress following a terror strike.

Psychologists and counsellors from the newly formed Human Emergency Assistance and Response Teams will teach community responders how to identify and support those suffering from psychological trauma after an attack.

These professionals from the Home Team, Ministry of Social and Family Development and Institute of Mental Health will train responders from all 89 constituencies, to ensure each area can support affected residents and their families.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the initiative yesterday at an event in Teck Ghee to raise awareness about SGSecure, the national movement to increase the public’s preparedness and resilience in the fight against terror.

Recent terror-related incidents in the region show the threat is serious, Mr Lee said, calling on Singaporeans to strengthen community bonds to minimise the repercussions of an attack. Terrorists would aim not just to hurt people, but also to divide Singaporeans, he said.

That is why Singaporeans should get to know their neighbours and make friends with people of other races. Every little act counts, he added, from holding the lift door open to offering snacks to others.

“The stronger our kampung spirit, the less able the terrorists will be to break us,” said Mr Lee at Emergency Preparedness Day in his Teck Ghee ward, organised as part of the SGSecure outreach to neighbourhoods.

He encouraged residents to acquire life-saving skills such as using automated external defibrillators (AEDs), which have been installed at 55 housing blocks in Teck Ghee. The Government aims to install one AED for every two blocks islandwide eventually.

General manager Chong Hwa Heng, 48, was among the residents who learnt how to use an AED yesterday. “It’s good to be prepared just in case of emergencies, you never know when you might need to use this skill,” he said.

Mr Lee also urged residents to download the SGSecure mobile application, which has been updated with new features. The app can now provide users with customised alerts on emergency incidents occurring in specific locations in Singapore – such as office buildings, shopping malls or residential blocks – by keying in the relevant postal codes. This will inform subscribers of any emergency situation near the specified location.

It will also send subscribers news alerts on terror incidents in specific regions that Singaporeans have key interests in, for instance South-east Asia, East Asia and Europe.

Financial administration officer Iliya Shazni, 29, tried the improved app, and said he will use it to keep track of incidents near his home, his mother’s workplace, and his younger sister’s school. “It’ll give me better peace of mind knowing that I’ll be informed should any danger arise near them,” he said.

Mr Lee also joined residents in viewing an exercise where “terrorists” attacked coffee shop patrons with firearms. It showed residents running for cover, assisting casualties, and calling the police, which dispatched their emergency response teams to take out the threat.

With the terror threat at a high level, the Government has stepped up its outreach to raise awareness and prepare residents to respond effectively in the event of an attack.

Community volunteers and Home Team officers have visited more than 50,000 households since the official launch of the SGSecure movement last September.

The authorities plan to engage schools and workplaces next.

ziliang@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on March 20, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

Between them, Singapore’s three charity dialysis organisations had space for only 100 new dialysis patients as of last Tuesday, said the Ministry of Health (MOH).

This should be enough to last till June or July, an MOH spokesman said. She added: “Though occupancy rate is high, there is sufficient haemodialysis capacity to cater to renal patients in Singapore.”

A new dialysis centre catering to poorer patients will open in July and should be able to treat 90 new patients. The MOH said three more centres that can care for 390 more patients will open later this year.

The two by the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), which can each take 108 patients, will open in September and December.

The MOH would not say who will run the other two centres, but they do not come under any of the three existing voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) that provide subsidised dialysis.

Should they run out of places for new patients, the spokesman said the ministry allows the VWOs “the flexibility to place subsidised patients with private providers until a place becomes available”.

There are vacancies in private dialysis centres, which charge $2,500 to $3,500 a month.

The number of people who lose the use of their kidneys and turn to dialysis has been increasing over the years and topped 6,200 in 2015, the latest available figure. That year, more than 1,000 people were started on dialysis.

While there are different forms of dialysis, nine in 10 choose haemodialysis (HD), where a patient goes to a centre for four hours three times a week to have the blood taken out, cleaned and replaced.

Roughly three in four people on HD do it at centres run by the three charity organisations, as these are highly subsidised.

The biggest, the NKF, which supports more than 4,000 dialysis patients, has space for 10 more at its 31 HD centres. People’s Dialysis Centre can take in 13 more patients.

The Kidney Dialysis Foundation has 78 available places, but these include places set aside for hepatitis patients.

One dialysis chair can be used by six patients. A chair used by a hepatitis patient cannot be shared with patients with no hepatitis, as the virus could be transmitted to them through the machine.

The MOH said: “There will be sufficient subsidised HD capacity in the coming years to meet the nation’s needs.”

Next year, the NKF will open three more dialysis centres that together can care for 378 patients.

But the MOH spokesman said, in the long term, “it will not be sustainable to keep building HD centres”.

She said “there is a need to strengthen upstream measures including prevention”, and to promote alternatives to HD such as kidney transplant and peritoneal dialysis (PD), which a patient does on his own outside a centre.

“PD provides more convenience and independence to patients as it can be self-administered, and can be done at home,” she said.

“To make a concerted effort to improve PD uptake, MOH is currently working with the public hospitals and VWO providers to develop a national ‘PD-preferred’ strategy.”

In Hong Kong, for example, three in four dialysis patients are on PD.

The MOH is also working to reduce the number of kidney failures with better care for diabetes patients, who account for more than three in five kidney failure cases.

salma@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Mar 20, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.