It was their first day of school yesterday and the little ones at Princess Elizabeth Primary School were given their very first assignment during morning assembly.

“Be brave, be curious, ask questions,” said Education Minister (Schools) Ng Chee Meng, addressing the 210 Primary 1 pupils, as well as their parents and teachers.

“If there’s anything you don’t know, put up your hand and ask. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, because asking questions is the most important step towards learning.”

One brave young soul did just that.

He raised his arm enough to be noticed – but not too much.

Mr Ng swiftly responded: “Do you have a question, young man? You raised your hand, right? Do you have any question for me?”

The child, wearing his new uniform and a brave smile, squeaked out his question in a barely audible voice.

Mr Ng smiled and said, to laughter: “The young man just said he has forgotten everything he has learnt from kindergarten.

“What he says is actually very true. Many of the things we learn – whether it’s mathematics or science – we can forget. One of the very important things is not just intellectual education, it’s also about values and teaching them life skills as well.”

It was a good start for the pupils, and it did not hurt that they could turn up at 10am, instead of 7.30am.

Extra effort to help new pupils settle in

Programme manager Faridah Abdul Karim, 40, took time off work to accompany her six-year-old son Muhd Fazil Yazid to school.

She said: “The great thing is, the school started later and there was no morning rush.”

Even though Muhd Fazil’s three older siblings also attended Princess Elizabeth Primary, Madam Faridah said that every child’s experience is different.

“It always feels like the first time we are doing everything, even though it’s our fourth one.”

Schoolmate Aishwarya Bavanandhi, six, was excited about going to the “big” school as well as the book her teacher gave her.

This year, there are about 37,500 Primary 1 pupils across 190 schools.

Some schools put in extra effort to help their new pupils settle in.

At Unity Primary School, for instance, pupils were greeted by two animal mascots at the school gates.

The school is also running a carnival on Friday, allowing Primary 1 pupils and their parents to get to know the school better through team-building games.

Over at Westwood Primary School, a photo booth was set up for parents and their children to capture this milestone.

And pupils at Concord Primary School can look forward for the first time to a three-week “transition programme” – free from homework.

Principal Tonnine Chua, 49, said that teachers will weave in “kindergarten strategies… a lot of singing and dancing” during this period to help pupils ease into school life.

“There is no hurry,” she added.

Muhd Fazil’s schoolmate, Tristen Tan, six, said he was “excited” to start school.

Between mouthfuls of bee hoon at the canteen during recess, he added: “I’m quite a nerd, I like reading lots of encyclopaedias… I want to learn every fun subject.”

Mr Ng said that while having a strong academic foundation is important, children should also be able to learn in informal spaces, to be more independent and capable of exploring beyond schoolwork.

He hoped that this informal learning would foster a “joy of learning” and lead pupils to a sense of “innate curiosity, wanting to explore, discover and be in charge of their learning”.

tohwenli@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Jan 04, 2017.
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When protecting yourself against dengue or Zika, an insect repellent could be your best defence.

A team of students from Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) has made applying such repellents easier by developing a body wash that wards off insects, including mosquitoes and ticks, for up to eight hours.

It was part of a school project for the molecular biotechnology students.

While there are such body washes in the United States, the team said it is the first to be developed here.

“We thought it would be a hassle-free way to protect yourself against mosquitoes,” said Ms Teo Seok Yee, 20, who has since graduated from NYP and is now studying biological sciences at Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

She added: “The idea is to keep mosquitoes away so hopefully this will prevent any unnecessary illness or deaths associated with dengue and Zika.”

In order to test its effectiveness, the students tried the wash on themselves.

They visited MacRitchie Reservoir on four occasions, spending four to five hours hiking each time in relatively similar conditions, and using the repellent wash before heading out.

They then went out on another day without using the wash.

“There was a decrease in the number of mosquito bites we got when we used the repellent wash… That was our indication that something must be working ” said Ms Teo.

The idea was conceived when Ms Lam Ching Man, a former NYP student who also worked on the project, was thinking of developing a repellent that would protect chilli or garlic plants from pests like ants.

The team later decided to develop one that would work for humans instead, said Ms Lam, 20, who now studies food and human nutrition at Newcastle University.

They spent $3,000 on the prototype.

The key was finding out what would make the ingredients “stick” to human skin and ensuring that the ingredients were of low enough concentration not to cause chemical burns and yet still be effective.

Both Ms Lam and Ms Teo also worked with students from NYP’s School of Business Management to market the product, which has been on sale since last September.

So far, more than 20 bottles have been sold on their online store, www.chaperone.com.sg

Made of citronella, lemon eucalyptus and tea tree essential oils, the price of the Deet-free MOX Body Wash starts at $12.90.

Mr Benson Ong, a lecturer at NYP’s School of Business Management, said he believes there will be demand for it.

He added: “Many people we interviewed during our market survey said they did not like having to spray something on their skin because the substance could get into their nose or ears.”

Associate Professor Roderick Wayland Bates, from NTU’s School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, said: “The wash is more convenient for children and parents and most importantly, it does not contain Deet, which has been used by millions as mosquito repellent since it came on the market in the 1940s. It is a synthetic chemical, so some people may have concerns about using it.”

kcarolyn@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Jan 04, 2017.
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It was “a long-running one, spanning close to 12 years and leaving a number of written judgments in its wake”, said Judge of Appeal Tay Yong Kwang of the case that saw Singapore’s United Overseas Bank (UOB) and one of the bank’s vendors sued for millions of dollars over patent infringement.

While the Singapore bank was found to have infringed the patent of a currency conversion system, it escaped the full extent of the claims levelled against it.

The long-running suit was brought by Irish currency conversion provider Main-Line Corporate Holdings against UOB and the other party, First Currency Choice (FCC), in 2004.

Main-Line had once been a corporate vehicle holding the intellectual property assets of Irish financial services provider, Fintrax Group.

Main-Line had been in talks with UOB between July 1999 and June 2000, over providing its automatic currency conversion system to the bank.

Main-Line’s patent, “Dynamic Currency Conversion for Card Payment Systems”, covers a method and system of determining the operating currency of a payment card at the point of sale between the merchant and the cardholder.

It converts the value of the card transaction from the currency of the country where the point-of-sale system is located to the currency of the card’s country of issue, and presents both values for cardholder to choose.

“This is in contrast to the common technology where the foreign cardholder has to choose his preferred currency manually at the POS terminal, which accordingly carries the potential of operator error,” said Justice Tay, in his judgment out just days ago, which assessed the damages in this case.

The talks between Main-Line and UOB concluded without a deal being struck.

Meanwhile, FCC – a Singapore company whose main business then was the provision of dynamic currency conversion to its clients – had approached UOB with its currency conversion system; they inked a multicurrency exchange agreement (MEA) deal in October 2001, where UOB would make FCC’s system available to its merchants.

It was decided, in an earlier trial on liability, also heard by Justice Tay, that both UOB and FCC had infringed Main-Line’s patent between May 2002 and December 2007.

FCC’s card currency recognition system performed the same function as Main-Line’s patented system.

UOB and FCC both appealed this finding, but their actions were dismissed by the Court of Appeal.

Main-Line then sought as remedy an account of profits from UOB and damages from FCC.

It sought against UOB:

• a 3 per cent “uplift” on converted transactions;
• the commissions UOB received from FCC under the MEA; and
• the profit UOB earned from acquiring new merchants or retaining existing merchants as a result of using FCC’s system.
• From FCC, it sought, among other things:
• damages, as measured by the lost profits it would have earned from entering into a similar agreement with UOB;
• exemplary damages resulting from patent infringement amounting to S$34.5 million.

The “uplift” refers to the administrative fee or mark-up stipulated in cardholder agreements that an issuer earns when the issuer’s card is used overseas and the currency needs to be converted.

It was decided, in this case, that the uplift was 3 per cent of the original transaction value.

Justice Tay decided that Main-Line’s claim against UOB for the 3 per cent uplift was “unmeritorious”.

He said that UOB had forgone the 3 per cent uplift for a commission from FCC of about 0.5 per cent of net turnover.

“The bank’s focus was not purely on profits and losses but also providing quality services to their merchants . . . I find that the 3 per cent uplift went to FCC and, accordingly, the plaintiff’s claim against UOB for this head of profit fails.”

He also dismissed Main-Line’s claim that UOB earned profits from acquiring new merchants or retaining existing merchants as “pure conjecture”.

As for the commissions paid to UOB, it was not disputed that this amounted to S$3.158 million, which represented the general commission rate of 0.5 per cent of an estimated net turnover of S$627 million over the period.

Justice Tay then decided that UOB could deduct from these profits an expense amount calculated using UOB’s expense ratios (ranging from 34.7 per cent to 41.4 per cent of income); this brought the commission earned down to S$1.962 million.

This was the only amount he deemed UOB liable for; but, as the bank had already paid a sum of S$1.962 million to Main-Line at an earlier stage of these proceedings, the judge ruled that “I make no further award on the plaintiff’s claim against UOB”.

As for Main-Line’s claims against FCC, Justice Tay decided that “the measure of damages due to (Main-Line) should be a quantum equivalent to its loss of profits arising from FCC’s actions”.

“It is therefore not unreasonable to proceed on the basis that FCC’s revenue stream under the MEA could have been that of the plaintiff’s but for FCC’s infringement of the patent.”

He did not agree, however, that Main-Line would be entitled to the entire quantum of FCC’s revenue stream under the MEA and assessed the damages payable by FCC in this regard, after taking out the relevant cost components, to be S$4.795 million.

As for the exemplary damages of S$34.5 million sought by Main-Line, Justice Tay ruled that, “(Main-Line) has not shown that FCC’s actions were particularly egregious . . . Therefore the plaintiff’s claim for exemplary damages against FCC is dismissed.”

UOB was represented by Eddee Ng of Tan Kok Quan Partnership; Main-Line by Wong Siew Hong of Eldan Law LLP; and FCC by Oh Pin-Ping of Bird & Bird ATMD LLP.

michquah@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on January 4, 2017.
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She enrolled her younger son in infant care when he was seven months old, but did not send him to the pre-school regularly.

The 34-year-old mother of two boys, who wanted to be known only as Madam Liang, suffers from depression and was sometimes rough with her sons, which caused difficulties with her husband, who runs a fibreglass business.

The family of four survive on an unstable income of about $2,000 a month, with Madam Liang sometimes taking on odd jobs such as working as a bus attendant.

Her younger boy spent most of his time at home until Ms Nicole Kin approached Madam Liang last July, to persuade her to send him to infant care.

Madam Liang said she was worried about leaving her son in childcare because her older son, who is now nine and in primary school, had been bullied at another pre-school.

Ms Kin, 26, assured her she can drop in at the pre-school at any time to observe how they treat her son.

She also arranged for the family to be given aid in the form of necessities like diapers and milk powder.

Now, the boy goes to school every day and Madam Liang is at ease enough to go back to work.

Madam Liang said in Mandarin: “Nicole told me not to worry, and that I can always drop in to check on him. I realise the teachers are very patient; they have taught him to walk, talk and sing.”

Ms Kin is one of eight child- enabling executives trained in social work or early childhood currently based at 10 pre-schools, to monitor the development and attendance of children from low-income families.

In total, the eight executives support 250 such children aged 18 months to six years.

This enhanced support for preschools is part of the KidSTART programme – a three-year pilot started last July to make sure young children from low-income families are not disadvantaged in their education and development.

Touring My First Skool in Boon Lay Drive, one of the pre-schools in the programme, Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin said executives such as Ms Kin play an important role.

“Now you’ve a dedicated person reaching out to the families, getting to know them and building up the relationship,” he said yesterday.

At the Boon Lay Drive pre-school, 25 of its 93 children are from low-income families.

Ms Kin is the child-enabling executive at the Boon Lay Drive pre-school and monitors these 25 children, whose attendance has gone up from 60 to 80 per cent.

Previously an educational therapist for children with special needs, Ms Kin attributes her rapport with the parents to her being able to link them up with government aid agencies such as the social service offices.

“They see me as a resourceful person because I work with community partners, so they feel I’m a contact point they can rely on for help with finances and family issues,” she said.

Enhanced support in the form of a dedicated person to help children from needy families will be rolled out to nine more pre-schools this year.

This part of the programme complements two other KidSTART components: home visits for those under a year old, and supported playgroups for those aged one to three.

Over three years, KidSTART will support 1,000 children from low-income families living in Kreta Ayer, Bukit Merah, Taman Jurong, Boon Lay and Geylang Serai.

This article was first published on Jan 04, 2017.
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Ex-offenders at the Pertapis Halfway House in Geylang Road used to walk more than 20 minutes to the nearest polyclinic in Geylang East Central for a check-up.

And because of that, some of them would postpone treatment.

But now a team of doctors and nurses visits them at the halfway house in a white seven-seater car.

The team from Mount Alvernia Hospital sees patients at Pertapis Halfway House, as well as HighPoint Halfway House in Geylang Lorong 23, and the hospital plans to take its mobile service to more halfway houses this year.

Although a mobile medical service has previously been used to care for the elderly, this is the first time it is being used to reach out to ex-offenders at halfway houses.

The halfway house initiative is supported by the Yellow Ribbon Project, which helps ex-offenders reintegrate into society.

So far, the medical team has seen about 50 ex-offenders at the two halfway houses.

Yellow Ribbon Project secretariat Denise Chow said: “We realised there is a group of ex-offenders who will wait until their illnesses become more serious before seeing a doctor. With this, they can now get help at an earlier stage.”

The mobile clinic provides preventive care, such as flu vaccinations and health screening for chronic diseases.

The team also conducts general practitioner consultation and dispenses medication for ailments such as the common cold, flu, fever and pains, said Ms Anthea Neo, senior manager of community outreach at Mount Alvernia Hospital.

The team, made up of volunteers and staff, sets up a makeshift clinic or health screening area at any available space in the halfway houses, she added.

Discussions are underway with several halfway houses here to fix a schedule for regular visits, with a focus on primary care services.

Separately, the team aims to have health screening at the halfway houses at least once a year.

Although the car has provided the team with more flexibility, residents of different halfway houses may have to gather at one place to be seen by the medical team.

“We have to look at the needs of the community and figure out the logistic details first.

As some of the halfway houses are quite small, we may need to combine a few of them at a time,” Ms Neo said.

Ex-offenders sometimes find it difficult to receive medical attention because of accessibility and cost, said Mr Thajudeen Muhd Equban, a caseworker at Pertapis Halfway House.

Ex-offenders have to get approval before they can leave the halfway house to see a doctor, he said.

Mr Thajudeen added: “The nearest clinic is Geylang Polyclinic, which is around a 20-minute walk away, and they will have to be accompanied too.”

A polyclinic visit can cost around $20, which some ex-offenders may not be willing to spend, he said.

Some of the ex-offenders were initially hesitant to approach the mobile clinic when it turned up in May last year, but Mr Thajudeen and his colleagues were on-site to explain the initiative to them.

On the day of the free clinic, the medical team saw about 15 of the 70 residents.

A 35-year-old ex-offender, who wanted to be known only as Mr Rozaidi, said: “I feel happy and assured about my health. I don’t have to worry so much about my health, and can focus on being a better person.”

This article was first published on Jan 04, 2017.
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As part of efforts to encourage the sending of greeting cards during the four major festivals, the Singapore Post is offering lower postage rates for Chinese New Year.

The festive rates will be applicable for stamped and franked greeting cards posted between Saturday and Jan 29, The Straits Times reported.

It will cost 70 cents to send a greeting card weighing up to 40g to anywhere in the world, allowing customers to save as much as 65 per cent on postage.

For greeting cards to Malaysia and Brunei, rates will remain unchanged at 50 cents for cards up to 20g, and 70 cents for cards up to 50g.

The festive rates for non-standard size greeting cards sent locally is 30 cents for cards weighing up to 20g and 37 cents for up to 40g, down from 60 cents.

It is the 16th year such a promotion is offered during Chinese New Year, alongside Hari Raya Puasa, Deepavali and Christmas.

Stamps for greeting cards can be bought at all post offices, Self-Automated Machines, postal agents and stamp vendors located islandwide.

This article was first published on January 4, 2017.
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