More Singaporeans are heading Down Under for their university degrees, on the back of the fall in the Australian dollar last year.

And, with Singapore recognising more degrees obtained there, numbers are expected to pick up even more.

Latest figures from the Australian High Commission show that nearly 1,800 Singaporeans started their studies at Australian universities this year, the highest figure since 2012.

This is a rise of more than 10 per cent from 2015, according to statistics. Of this, three in four are undergraduates and the rest post-graduates.

The last time the figure was at this level was in 2012, when 1,791 Singaporeans made up the intake of Australian universities.

Numbers dipped in the following years, by about 5.5 per cent in 2013 and 7.5 per cent in 2014, partly because places in local universities were increased.

The Australian dollar has weakened since last year, because of slowing global demand for the country’s commodities exports.

The falling Australian dollar was one reason 18-year-old Busyra K. H. Kamuruddin went to the University of Tasmania (Utas) as a first-year law student.

“It is cheaper than in Britain,” she said. “Australia is closer to home too. My older brother’s application to the School of Medicine in Utas was also accepted, so I have a part of my family there while I study.”

An Australian High Commission spokesman said: “We believe that one of the reasons for growth in commencements is the increased profile of Australia in Singapore last year, particularly due to the signing of the CSP (Comprehensive Strategic Partnership).

“The lower (Aussie) dollar has helped somewhat by making a quality education in Australia more affordable but other things are more important.

This includes the number of Australian universities in the world rankings… Australian qualifications are also recognised globally for employment.”

Earlier this year, a new landmark agreement was reached between Singapore and Australia.

It builds on the CSP, which was first announced last year by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and the then Australian Prime Minister, Mr Tony Abbott.

Under the agreement, Singapore will recognise Juris Doctor (JD) degrees from 10 Australian universities, whose law degrees are already recognised.

The JD programme is a postgraduate course one can take after earning a bachelor’s degree in some other discipline.

Singapore will also recognise postgraduate medical degrees from the University of Queensland and the Australian National University, as well as 15 more allied health qualifications in occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech therapy.

The Australian High Commission spokesman said this creates more “opportunities for Singaporeans to take these courses in Australia and then have their qualifications recognised on their return to Singapore.”

Mr Justin Thia, 21, a first-year law student at Melbourne’s Monash University, settled on Australia as its universities are “known internationally for their high standard of education and have been increasingly recognised in Singapore”.

“Australia is also significantly closer to Singapore than Britain, allowing me to be closer to my family and friends… my brother is also studying in Melbourne.”

He added: “The culture in Australia was also more interesting to me… Outdoor activities are a staple in Australia and engaging in activities such as hiking or taking road trips makes my university experience all the more exciting and memorable.”

This article was first published on Aug 29, 2016.
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By the time the first locally transmitted case of Zika was confirmed last Saturday, the authorities were already tracing past cases of fever in the area.

This allowed them to move swiftly on Zika testing of another 123 people last Saturday, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Environment Agency (NEA) in a joint press conference yesterday.

Most of the results came in on Saturday night. As of noon yesterday, results were pending for five cases.

Said Professor Leo Yee Sin, senior consultant at the Communicable Disease Centre: “The minute the first case was made known – in other words, the blood was detected positive – a lot of investigations had already taken place to find out as much as possible.”

The MOH was first alerted on the evening of Aug 22, when Sims Drive Medical Clinic flagged an unusual increase in cases of fever, rashes and joint pain.

The next day, MOH officials visited the clinic. The cases that the GP had seen were mild. The initial hypothesis was that a mild viral illness was being spread from person to person.

Locally-transmitted Zika in Singapore

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The Straits Times, The New Paper

At that point, Zika was not specifically suspected.

The MOH told the clinic to refer any new cases to the Communicable Diseases Centre (CDC) for testing, and to start tracing past cases.

The MOH also told clinics in the vicinity and supervisors of a nearby construction site at 60, Sims Drive, to report any cases to the ministry.

Last Thursday, as part of tracing, the MOH approached the construction site’s contractor for records of workers who had had fever.

That same day, a 47-year-old Malaysian woman developed a fever, rashes and conjunctivitis. She visited Sims Drive Medical Clinic last Friday, and was referred to the CDC.

The next day, it was confirmed she had Zika.

The MOH jumped into action that day, alerting the NEA and testing another 123 people for Zika, including 118 construction workers. The tests take three to four hours.

The NEA intensified anti-mosquito measures in the area, including inspections, misting and fogging, and increasing the frequency of drain flushing and oiling. These will continue for 14 days, with surveillance for another 21 days afterwards.

The NEA also started outreach efforts in the Aljunied Crescent and Sims Drive area.

Asked about the jump from one case last Saturday to 41 cases announced yesterday, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong noted that part of the reason more cases were discovered was because the MOH went back to past cases to “re-test, relook at the test results” last Saturday.

Of the 41 cases, 36 were found through the MOH’s active testing of potentially infected people.

One reporter also asked him: “So it’s not like you knew about it earlier and were keeping quiet about it?”

Mr Gan said: “No, of course not.”

What is the Zika virus?

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Reuters, The Straits Times, The New Paper, NEA

How events unfolded

MONDAY, AUG 22

Sims Drive Medical Clinic, having noticed an unusual increase in cases with fever, rashes and joint pains, notifies the Ministry of Health (MOH) in the evening.

TUESDAY

MOH officials visit the clinic and discuss the cases with a doctor there. The initial belief is that there is a cluster of a mild viral illness.

MOH makes arrangements for the clinic to refer new cases to the Communicable Disease Centre (CDC) for testing, and to start tracing past cases.

Nearby clinics and supervisors of a nearby construction site are also told to increase vigilance and report cases to MOH.

THURSDAY

MOH asks the construction site’s contractor for records of workers who had had fevers. Meanwhile, a 47-year-old Malaysian woman working in the coffee shop at Block 45 Sims Drive develops a fever, rashes and conjunctivitis.

FRIDAY

She visits Sims Drive Medical Clinic and is referred to the CDC.

SATURDAY

The woman is confirmed to have Zika. The National Environment Agency (NEA) is notified and starts anti-mosquito measures as well as inspections. NEA also begins outreach efforts to 14 blocks of flats in the Aljunied Crescent and Sims Drive area.

MOH tests another 123 people with Zika-like symptoms, including 118 construction workers.

CDC reports preliminary positives for three of these cases.

YESTERDAY

By noon, 41 of the 124 people tested are found to have Zika. Most of the results came in late on Saturday night. Another 78 tested negative. Test results are pending for the remaining five.

A joint press conference by MOH and NEA is held just before 4pm to announce the findings.

NEA completes outreach efforts in Aljunied Crescent and Sims Drive. It starts similar efforts in the Sembawang Drive residential area, where one of the Zika cases, a 30-year-old Singaporean man, lives.

This article was first published on Aug 29, 2016.
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The Government bus contracting model will raise service standards but these improvements cannot be sustained without raising fares, said Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan.

But if fares were to rise, the Public Transport Council (PTC) will ensure that the fares remain affordable, he said.

His comments, given to Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao in an e-mail interview, were reported yesterday. The bus contracting model takes effect on Thursday.

Mr Khaw, who is also Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure, added that the Government will continue to ensure that the cost of public transport is not an undue burden on the people.

Under the model, the Government will own all operating assets, which are leased out to bus operators. Operators will be paid by the Land Transport Authority for providing bus services and fare revenue will be collected by the Government.

Mr Khaw said the goal is to have government-owned buses so as to respond more quickly to changing commuter needs. He also expressed hopes that shorter operating contract periods will make the industry more competitive.

When asked about the role the new bus contracting model would play when the distance covered by MRT lines expands to 360km by 2030, Mr Khaw said it was difficult to predict traffic conditions after 2030.

But he believes buses would still play an important role in public transport here, just like those in cities such as New York, London and Tokyo, which have well-developed subway networks.

This article was first published on August 28, 2016.
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For Ms Phang Koh Ni, 29, collecting a reserved book used to involve going to three different spots at Jurong Regional Library.

“I had to go to an e-kiosk to pay the reservation fee, then go to the customer service counter to pick up the book, and then go to another station to borrow the book,” she told The Straits Times.

At the counter, it takes about five minutes for the library staff to get the book, and the wait could be longer if there are others in the queue, said Ms Phang, a nurse.

Since reservation lockers were introduced earlier this year, collecting reserved items has been a one-stop, self-service process that takes two to three minutes.

These lockers, which are at seven public libraries now, will be rolled out to all 25 staff-run public libraries by early 2018.

The library@chinatown is run by volunteers.

They let people collect reserved items – books and audio-visual materials – when libraries are closed.

Waiting time is also cut as items can be picked up without going to a customer service counter.

A fee of $1.55 is charged for every item reserved, but there is no extra charge for using the lockers.

After a library user is notified via e-mail that the item can be picked up, he just needs to scan his NRIC or membership card at a machine near the lockers, make payment via cashless methods such as Nets – this can be done at the same machine in most libraries – and he can then open the respective locker.

The reservation lockers were first launched at library@orchard in 2014. The other six libraries with these lockers are those in Bukit Batok, Bukit Merah, Jurong, Pasir Ris, Sembawang and Toa Payoh.

Seven more libraries will have them by early next year.

Last year, more than 201,000 reservations were placed.

Said Ms Catherine Lau, assistant chief executive of public library services at the National Library Board (NLB): “We’ve observed a greater demand for mobility, so we are incorporating technology to complement the physical library space. Through the reservation lockers, we hope to make library materials easily accessible for users.”

Besides improving services for library users, NLB is also using technology to better support its staff.

By 2018, all public libraries will have AutoSorters that sort returned items into categories for easy shelving by staff, thus reducing the time-consuming workload of manual sorting.

The machines also use data analytics to identify the most popular items, which are then placed on the “just returned” shelves.

The AutoSorter was piloted in 2014 at library@chinatown. Enhanced models were later rolled out in the Sembawang and Pasir Ris libraries.

It is now available at five libraries.

At the Sembawang Public Library, for instance, the AutoSorter sorts about 3,000 items a day. Previously, at least two library staff per hour were needed to do the sorting.

Ms Lau said: “Reducing such laborious and repetitive tasks through automation helps NLB to care for the well-being of our staff and service partners, especially older staff.

This allows them more time to attend to patrons… It also enhances our library users’ experience.”

This article was first published on Aug 29, 2016.
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Thirty-seven cases of Zika stem from one construction site – the Sims Urban Oasis condominium at 60 Sims Drive.

According to its website, the 23,900 sq m site is being developed by GuocoLand and has an estimated date of vacant possession till June 2020.

A total of 118 people working at the construction site have been tested for Zika. Among them, a 30- year-old Singaporean man who lives in Sembawang Drive developed a fever and rash last Monday.

He was warded at the Communicable Diseases Centre (CDC) on Saturday. Of the other 36 foreign workers who tested positive, seven are warded at the CDC and the rest have fully recovered.

Locally-transmitted Zika in Singapore

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The Straits Times, The New Paper

On Saturday, NEA followed up on an inspection last Wednesday to re-inspect the site and conduct misting and thermal fogging.

“A Stop Work Order was issued to the construction site on Aug 27, as the housekeeping of the construction site was found to be unsatisfactory with potential breeding habitats favourable to mosquito breeding,” said a joint press statement by NEA and the Ministry of Health (MOH).

“The construction site is required to rectify these conditions and step up preventive measures.”

What is the Zika virus?

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Reuters, The Straits Times, The New Paper, NEA

Workers were informed by supervisors on Saturday morning that they could not continue construction works. Mr Ge Zheng Ying, 47, told The Straits Times: “We have been told we were not allowed to continue working, and had to clean up the area, both our working areas and living quarters.”

They were also instructed to wear long sleeves and trousers.

Mr Andrew Ng, 42, who lives with his wife and two sons at Block 54, Sims Drive beside the site, said the situation was “dangerous and worrying”, adding: “My sons have been having fever since Thursday, but their temperatures have been fluctuating. If tomorrow the fever is still not gone, I think I will take them for a blood test.”

Read also:

• First case of locally transmitted Zika infection reported in Singapore
• 41 confirmed cases of locally-transmitted Zika in Singapore: MOH
• Pregnant woman: Zika in Singapore is what I’ve always feared

This article was first published on Aug 29, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

A coffee shop beer promoter here has been confirmed as the only female case of Zika which has been transmitted locally.

The Straits Times understands that the woman works at Y2000 Beer Garden coffee shop in Block 45, Sims Drive.

According to the Ministry of Health (MOH), the 47-year-old Malaysian – who has not been named – developed a fever, rash and conjunctivitis last Thursday.

Locally-transmitted Zika in Singapore

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The Straits Times, The New Paper

She was referred to the Communicable Diseases Centre (CDC) at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where she tested positive on Saturday.

She was hospitalised for observation, but has since recovered and been discharged.

A member of her household was also screened for Zika, but had no symptoms.

According to colleagues, she has been working at the coffee shop for about five years. She works from 3.30pm to 10.30pm daily except on Mondays. She took leave on Thursday when she felt unwell.

“On Thursday afternoon, she popped by to check out the beer stock,” said drinks seller Zhang Jing, 31. “I saw that she had a lot of rashes all over her body, on her hands, her face and her legs. She also had a fever.”

What is the Zika virus?

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Reuters, The Straits Times, The New Paper, NEA

Another drinks seller said that the woman went to see a doctor at Sims Drive Medical Clinic, in Block 53, Sims Place.

She called on Friday to inform the management that she had a medical certificate, and that she needed someone to cover her shift.

Odd-job worker Francis Boy, 52, who meets his friends for drinks at the coffee shop regularly, said he noticed the beer promoter had not turned up at work since Thursday and was wondering where she had gone.

He was surprised to learn about her condition as he had met her at a Seventh Month dinner in the estate just last Wednesday.

“She was still healthy,” he said. “She was still chatty and going from table to table, laughing.”

Read also:

• 41 confirmed cases of locally-transmitted Zika in Singapore: MOH
• Pregnant woman: Zika in Singapore is what I’ve always feared
• Malaysia steps up monitoring at Johor entry points following Singapore Zika case

This article was first published on Aug 29, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

The authorities are monitoring places outside the Aljunied Crescent and Sims Drive area – where the Zika cases emerged – after finding that some who contracted the disease either live or work elsewhere.

What is the Zika virus?

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Reuters, The Straits Times, The New Paper, NEA

Khatib Camp, Sembawang Drive, and several worker dormitories are among those on the list.

“Given that the Zika virus is spread by the Aedes mosquito vector, MOH cannot rule out further community transmission in Singapore, since some of those tested positive also live or work in other parts of Singapore,” the Ministry of Health and National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a joint statement.

Of the 41 confirmed cases of Zika, 36 are foreign construction workers from a site in Sims Drive.

NEA inspected their on-site quarters and two other worker dormitories in Kranji Road and Senoko South Road on Saturday. One mosquito breeding site was found at Kranji.

Since Saturday, NEA has stepped up its anti-mosquito measures – which include fogging and increased frequency of drain flushing – in the affected area and implicated dorms.

Such measures have also been taken in other dorms where the site’s workers live, in Joo Chiat Place, Toh Guan Road East and Lorong 101 Changi.

Of the other five cases, one is a full-time national serviceman at Khatib Camp who lives in Sims Drive. Another is a 30-year-old Singaporean man who works at the construction site but lives in Sembawang Drive. The rest are a Malaysian woman who lives and works in the cluster area, a retiree – the NSF’s father – who lives there, and a 44-year-old unemployed Singaporean who lives in Sims Drive.

The authorities said they “have verified with Khatib Camp that there were no symptomatic cases to date”.

Last night, NEA began distributing insect repellents and leaflets with information on Zika to Sembawang Drive residents, having already done so in the affected area. MOH is carrying out Zika testing on other people with symptoms of fever and rashes who live and work in the main affected area, as well as the other areas of concern.

Locally-transmitted Zika in Singapore

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The Straits Times, The New Paper

This article was first published on August 28, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.