At the age of six, she took up ballet as a co-curricular activity (CCA) at St Anthony’s Canossian Primary School.

When she turned nine, Deanna Dzulkifli was sure she wanted to pursue ballet professionally and when her teacher suggested she audition for the School of the Arts (Sota) International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma programme, the Primary 4 pupil decided to do it.

A year later, she was diagnosed with severe scoliosis – a condition where the spine curves so much that the ribs may press against the lungs, restricting breathing.

But that failed to derail her ambition and she joined Sota after her PSLE.

RESULTS

Yesterday, Miss Deanna, now 18, received her result for the 2016 IB examinations, scoring 37 points out of a maximum 45.

Speaking to The New Paper, she said: “I am super happy about my results and I am really proud of myself.”

A total of 1,849 students here sat for the IB diploma examinations last November, and the overall pass rate was 97.32 per cent.

Miss Deanne’s result stands out because of her determination to overcome the odds – and pain.

For about five years, she had to wear a soft brace for 20 hours a day.

Her condition continued to worsen and at 16, she underwent a major operation to have three metal rods inserted into her body to straighten the spine.

Hospitalised for a week, Miss Deanne had to take a break from dancing for six months.

She even had to re-learn how to breathe and walk.

“It was very frustrating.

“One day I was doing turns, the next day I could not even walk,” said Miss Deanna, who is mulling over her options for the future.

After such an operation, most patients do not engage in physical activity for a year, but she was determined to continue dancing and persuaded her doctors to give her the green light six months after surgery.

Once she was cleared to do so, she did stretching and strengthening exercises, occasionally booking a studio for simple exercises to get back to form.

Miss Cheah Mei Sing, the Head of Dance at Sota, said: “It was the hopefulness in her eyes.

“It was a matter of harnessing that hope and partnering it with her passion for dance to steer her through the ups and downs of her course.”

Miss Deanna acknowledged her passion for dance was vital.

“Although starting from scratch was frustrating, to me it was like a spark and I just pushed harder,” she said.

“Strengthening myself is still a work in progress, but I can’t imagine what I’ll be without dance.”

tanpya@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Jan 06, 2017.
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The move by the civil service to stop grouping its officers by their education levels is a step in the right direction.

It builds on previous efforts in the public sector to close the gap between graduates and non-graduates in pay and career advancement.

From this year, civil servants will no longer be put into four divisions: Division I for graduates, Division II for diploma and A-level certificate holders, Division III for those with secondary education and Division IV for those with primary education.

The change will address the perception that a civil servant’s progression is determined by his paper qualifications, said the Public Service Division (PSD).

Reducing the focus on the paper chase is a topic Singaporeans clearly care about.

The Straits Times’ story on the change received more than 200 comments online and was shared more than 1,600 times on Facebook in four hours yesterday morning.

But the change also led some people to misinterpret it as a sign that the civil service will ignore academic qualifications from now on.

JOB APPLICANTS

For instance, they argued that the civil service should no longer ask for a job applicant’s education credentials.

This is not realistic.

As the PSD had noted, paper qualifications can help assess jobseekers with no experience, as is surely the case in the private sector.

But for a mindset change, promotion prospects need to be based on job performance and the readiness to take on greater responsibilities.

Supervisors should not hesitate to promote a person to a role normally performed by a graduate just because he does not have a degree.

Non-graduates should also not feel they need not put in that extra effort as they will never rise.

But while the divisions may go, it is not guaranteed that people will not fall back and mentally pigeonhole others into categories based on paper qualifications.

The move’s success hinges on ensuring a non-graduate can rise to high ranks over time, as it should be when promotions are truly based on merit.

If the civil service, as Singapore’s largest employer with about 80,000 employees, can pull this off, it will go a long way in winning over cynics who feel the public sector will never outrun the paper chase.

Read also: Civil servants no longer grouped by education level

ziliang@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Jan 06, 2017.
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Pencai, or poon choy in Cantonese (which when translated means “basin dish”), is a wonder pot, full of decadent Chinese New Year delicacies that range from abalone and dried oysters to sea cucumber and fish maw.

The dish, which dates back to the Song Dynasty, has become increasingly popular in Singapore over the last decade. In fact, it is now a staple for the auspicious season.

Essentially, the pot includes braised dried seafood, roast meats and stewed vegetables, ladled with a rich and thick oyster sauce and stock-based gravy.

Here are six pencai offerings to whet your appetite.

TUNGLOK GROUP

Heavenly Treasure Bowl

The pencai from restaurants under the TungLok Group umbrella comprises 16 premium ingredients including shark’s fin, six-head abalone,dried scallops, fish maw, sea cucumber, dried oysters, pork shank, barramundi fillet, live prawns, smoked duck breast, shiitake mushrooms and more.

There are also treasure pots with less ingredients as well as vegetarian options.

Where: All TungLok restaurants including TungLok Tea House, Far East Square, 01-01; Tung Lok Signatures at Orchard Parade Hotel, VivoCity, The Central and Changi City Point; and Tung Lok Xihe Peking Duck at The Grandstand and Orchard Central.

Pencai is not available at Tong Le Private Dining, Ruyi, Dancing Crab and Dancing Crab Shack, and Slappy Cakes. Vegetarian pencai is available only at Ling Zhi Vegetarian.

When: Jan 3 to Feb 11. Orders placed before Jan 15 receive an early bird discount of 15 per cent off.

Price: $368++ for six people; $568++ for 10 people

Info: For the full list of outlets and relevant contact details, go to this page.

LI BAI CANTONESE RESTAURANT

Lobster and Abalone Fortune Pot

The Lobster and Abalone Fortune Pot comes with a medley of premium delicacies including abalone, mushrooms and lobster. It is served in a claypot which keeps the food warm and allows for hassle-free reheating at home.

Where: Li Bai Cantonese Restaurant, Sheraton Towers Singapore, 39 Scotts Road

When: Jan 11 to Feb 11. Order two working days in advance.

Price: $398

Info: Call 6839-5623. Go to this website for more information.

HUA TING RESTAURANT

Deluxe Pen Cai

Orchard Hotel’s popular Cantonese restaurant Hua Ting is dishing out its signature Deluxe Pen Cai pot which includes delicacies from abalone and sea cucumber to fish maw and mushrooms.

Where: Hua Ting Restaurant, Orchard Hotel Singapore, 442 Orchard Road, Level 2

When: Jan 9 to Feb 11. Order at least three days in advance.

Price: $328 for small portion enough for about six people; $598 for an eight- to 10-person portion

Info: Call 6739-6666 or e-mail huating.ohs@millenniumhotels.com

PEACH BLOSSOMS

Blossoming Abalone Treasures Pot

The pencai from Peach Blossoms at Marina Mandarin Singapore comes with fish maw, live prawns, 10-head whole abalone, sea cucumber, dried oysters, mushrooms and dried scallops, as well as roasted meats and various types of vegetable.

Where: Peach Blossoms, Marina Mandarin Singapore, 6 Raffles Boulevard, Level 5

When: Jan 6 Feb 11. Order at least three days in advance

Price: $318+ for a five-person portion, $568+ for a 10-person portion

Info: Call 6845- 1118 or e-mail peachblossoms.marina@meritushotels.com. For more information, go to this.

HOUSE OF ROASTED DUCK

Prosperity Treasure Hot Pot

House of Roasted Duck’s pencai includes ingredients such as roast duck, soy sauce chicken, roasted pork, barbecued pork and eight other auspicious ingredients such as abalone, cabbage, duck web, duck wing, fatt choy and mushrooms.

Where: House Of Roasted Duck, two outlets – Bugis Village, 233 Victoria Street; and Sultan Plaza, 100 Jalan Sultan, 01-08

When: Jan 16 to Feb 12. Order at least three days in advance for collection on the eve of Chinese New Year. For collection on other days, order at least one working day in advance

Price: $148.80++

Info: Call 6339-6817 (Bugis Village); 6297-5490 (Sultan Plaza) or go to this website.

NEO GARDEN

Auspicious Treasure Pot

Catering group Neo Garden’s pencai comprises delicacies including sea cucumber, abalone and dried scallop, as well as various types of mushroom, roast duck, fried chicken thigh, fatt choy and lotus root.

Where: Neo Garden, 1 Enterprise Road

When: Jan 9 to Feb 12. Order five days in advance to avoid disappointment.

Price: $198+ for a six-person portion; $288+ for a 10-person portion

Info: Call 6896-7757 or go to this website.

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Photo Gallery

Pen Cai: One-pot wonders for CNY

Source:

Various sources

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This article was first published on Jan 5, 2016.
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Housing Board (HDB) resale prices fell by 0.3 per cent last month, compared to November.

Resale prices of flats in mature estates dipped by 0.2 per cent, while those in non-mature estates dropped by 0.4 per cent, according to the latest data released by SRX Property yesterday.

There were also fewer resale flats transacted last month, with HDB resale data showing that 1,364 resale units were sold, a 13.9 per cent drop from the 1,585 transacted units in November.

Year on year, resale flat prices decreased by 0.2 per cent, compared to December 2015, the SRX Property Price Sub-Indices showed.

The year-on-year comparison also showed that prices in mature estates increased by 1 per cent, while those in non-mature dipped by 1.2 per cent last month.

ZERO

SRX Property also said the overall median transaction over X-Value (TOX) for HDB was zero last month.

The median TOX measures how much people are overpaying or underpaying against the computer-generated estimated market value or the X-Value.

Read also: Govt may tweak resale terms for prime HDB flats

HDB resale prices seen remaining stable

This article was first published on Jan 06, 2017.
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SINGAPORE – More than 10 people were injured in a chain collision on the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) on Thursday (Jan 5) morning.

Police said they were alerted to the accident involving five vehicles at 6.58am. The vehicles were headed towards Tuas after the Jurong Town Hall Road exit.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said 11 people were taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.

The Straits Times understands that 10 of the injured were from a minibus. The other four vehicles involved were a motorcycle, a lorry, and two cars.

A passenger from one of the cars also sustained injuries. The motorcyclist was not injured.

It is understood that a domino effect was triggered when a lorry switched lanes and nearly hit the motorcyclist, who swerved into another lane.

The lorry involved in the accident braked to avoid the motorcycle, causing a chain collision with the other three vehicles.

The accident caused a traffic jam that stretched to Buona Vista and lasted several hours, according to the Land Transport Authority’s Twitter feed

SCDF sent one fire engine, three ambulances, and one support vehicle to the scene.

Police are investigating the case.

This article was first published on Jan 5, 2017.
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Cheap sourcing – awarding contracts to the lowest bidder – is so prevalent that it is depressing the pay of low-wage workers.

But National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) assistant secretary-general Zainal Sapari hopes the law will change that, as a fairer contract will eventually benefit the workers.

The Labour Movement is calling for an enhancement to the Government Procurement Act, which was first passed in Parliament in 1997, and governs the contract-awarding practices of government agencies.

Speaking to The New Paper at NTUC Centre yesterday, Mr Zainal, who is also an MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, said he will raise the issue in Parliament during the upcoming Budget debate.

One of the principles under the current Procurement Act is to ensure value for money – goods and services bought must be the most effective and efficient use of public revenue.

But this could lead to consequences such as compromising on the welfare of workers.

Industries providing essential services are usually most vulnerable to cheap sourcing, said Mr Zainal, who is also the director of U Care Centre, which provides guidance on work-related issues to low-wage workers.

With the amendment, he hopes to address the issue of one-sided contracts, a complaint among service providers such as those in the cleaning and landscaping industry.

But will companies be supportive of such practices in light of a slowing economy?

The Labour Movement hopes the Government can take the lead with progressive procurement practices, and the private sector will be compelled to follow.

Read also: Sustained help for low-wage workers needed

AWARENESS

Mr Zainal thinks this is the right environment as there is “greater awareness” about low-wage workers due to social media.

He said: “When we look at the economy, we have to take things into perspective. Growth rate last year was 1.8 per cent and this will be the new norm.

“I personally feel we cannot always use the economic environment argument at the expense of helping workers.”

One of the Labour Movement’s proposal is an option for contract variation to address any unforeseen changes in government policies, such as the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) or foreign worker levies.

First mooted in 2012, the PWM requires service providers in the cleaning, security and landscaping industries to pay their workers a minimum wage and it links pay increase to training.

Mr Zainal said: “Generally, service providers were supportive (of the PWM), but the challenge was to convince the service buyer to pay more so (that they) can pay workers better.”

Other proposals include ensuring that liquidation damages, or compensation for breach of contract, is proportionate to the service lapse and termination clauses to ensure that the worker’s job security is not compromised (see report on the right).

Cleaning and landscaping companies are eager for these proposals to be implemented.

Environmental Management Association of Singapore president Milton Ng brought up the example of how some companies were locked into contracts they could not terminate when it became untenable due to extra costs from new government policies.

He said: “Business conditions are evolving. If service providers are under duress (due to the contract), the services will be affected.”

Chairman of the Landscape Industry Association Singapore, Mr Goh Eng Lam, thinks there should be a decreased emphasis on price when it comes to evaluating a tender.

He said: “Companies will naturally bid aggressively based on prices.

“Eventually, the worker will suffer as the company has to bear with the contract and take on aggressive cost-cutting to keep afloat.”

Read also: Wage boost for some of Singapore’s lowest paid workers

More protection for low-wage workers

linheng@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Jan 06, 2017.
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Training companies offering SkillsFuture Credit-eligible courses should not use publicity gimmicks such as lucky draws and gifts to promote their programmes.

They should also refrain from marketing their courses as being “free” or “paid for by the government”, and instead explain how course fees are being offset in part or full by credits or subsidies.

These are among a list of publicity guidelines released by the SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) statutory board yesterday.

SkillsFuture is a national movement aimed at upgrading the skills of all Singaporeans and promoting lifelong learning.

Under it, an initial $500 is granted to every Singaporean above 25 years old to attend skills courses – which could range from developing mobile apps to providing advice on wine.

The SSG said the new publicity guidelines will provide greater clarity on the use of the SkillsFuture Credit.

They should not ask for confidential details from the public, including their SingPass, to make the SkillsFuture Credit claims on their behalf, the SSG said.

The SSG said in a Facebook post: “The guidelines will ensure that training providers do not request confidential information such as SingPass, and that they do not cause confusion to the public.”

Under the guidelines, companies are to ensure that they do not convey the impression that the use of SkillsFuture Credit is limited to a specific training provider or specific courses.

This article was first published on Jan 6, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.