SINGAPORE: At first glance, Mr Eugene Tan’s 20-year work history shows a strong background as a counsellor and social worker.

But on closer inspection, you will find that he took a year’s break at the age of 24 and there have been some gaps between jobs.

This was due to Mr Tan’s condition. He has bipolar disorder – a mental condition characterised by extreme highs and lows in mood.

Diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after a car accident, his emotions took a turn for the worse, culminating in fits of rage and hallucinations. It was then, in 2002, that he was diagnosed as bipolar. 

After that, he was reluctant to declare his condition in job applications.

“Once you declare, you may not even get an interview,” he told Channel NewsAsia. 

While that had been a hunch, proof that it was true came earlier this year. During an eight-month break, and looking to switch careers, he asked a consultant at a recruitment agency: What if the potential candidate has mental health issues?

The answer he received was, “Better not, lah. We don’t know when the person will snap. And I don’t think the company will know how to handle this group.”

But withholding the truth at work comes with its own challenges, he said.

“There’s always this insecurity. When colleagues’ behaviour towards me suddenly changes, I will wonder whether they found out from somewhere that I have bipolar. I will also think about what the consequences would be if my employer found out,” Mr Tan said.

He is now one month into his job at Club Heal, a voluntary welfare organisation that helps people with mental illnesses and their families.

CAMPAIGN TO GET RID OF THE STIGMA

Mr Tan could be better off than others who have a mental condition struggling to find a job.

The National Council of Social Service (NCSS) on Saturday (Sep 8) revealed findings of a study showing that five in 10 respondents believe that those with mental conditions are less reliable than other employees. 

NCSS hopes to change this perception through the first nationwide anti-stigma campaign.

The Beyond the Label campaign launched on Saturday is a five-year public education effort funded by the Tote Board’s Mental Health Strategic initiative.

Tina Hung, deputy chief executive at NCSS, said research shows that perceptions and attitudes are the most critical in changing the behaviour of individuals.

“Hence, it’s crucial for us to change perceptions and attitudes towards persons with mental health conditions, to support inclusion and a better quality of life for all. With support and acceptance, persons in recovery can integrate into society and thrive,” she said. 

TACKLING MISCONCEPTIONS

Employers need to understand that mental illness is a disease and, like other illnesses, it is manageable with medication, therapy, self-help and societal support and understanding of the affliction, a spokesperson for the Singapore Association for Mental Health (SAMH) said.

Principal occupational therapist at the Institute of Mental Health’s (IMH) Job Club Ms Li Zhong Ying said very often supervisors and managers on the ground do not know how to better support persons with mental health conditions at the workplace, or are unsure about the community support and services that are available.

“I’ve heard some of them say that they might as well set up a charity if they are going to employ people from this group. Others are afraid of being held responsible. They think the staff will have outbursts, and that there will be complaints,” said Ms Porsche Poh, executive director of mental health advocacy organisation Silver Ribbon.

It has been reaching out to firms to provide them with the information they need on hiring people with mental health issues.

REMOVING EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION

However, the need to declare one’s mental health history when applying for a job remains a bugbear among advocates.

Ms Li from IMH’s Job Club said it encourages discrimination.

“The job market is already very competitive, and to state it on a job application form will only further lower the chances of persons with mental health conditions securing a job, given the negative assumptions held by the public towards people with mental health conditions,” she said.

She stressed that people with mental health conditions deserve a chance to prove that they can work productively.

“Many such individuals are not only able to function as well as others in the workplace, but also often have qualifications, skills, abilities and experiences as required by the jobs,” she said.

A perception shift is critical when it comes to the declaration of mental illness in a job application process, SAMH said.

“With greater awareness and understanding of mental health conditions, the declaration of one’s mental health conditions should be considered with respect and empathy as this is an act of strength and courage,” its spokesperson said.

Even for those willing to hire, Ms Li cautioned against treating this group differently.

“Employers should accord them the same pay rates and benefits as other workers. Employers should not have a mindset of doing “charity work” and pay people with mental health conditions less or view them as beneficiaries,” she said.

Still, the organisations acknowledged that more employers are now open to hiring those with a history of mental health issues. Between 2015 and 2017, Job Club has networked with 45 new companies who expressed interest in hiring its clients, Ms Li said.

SAMH’s MINDSET Learning Hub, the first vocational training centre for those with mental health issues has placed 123 individuals in jobs between July 2016 and July this year.

“To encourage a more inclusive workforce, incentives could be given to employers to encourage them to employ persons with mental health conditions, as well as to reward organisations that have already been doing so,” Ms Li said.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE

Eyewear shop Nanyang Optical has pledged to hire people with mental illnesses. So far, the firm, which has about 100 employees, has hired three people with schizophrenia and depression, said managing director Bernard Yang.

“We made a slight adjustment to the job scope and environment so that it is easier for them to adapt. In addition, we also try to be more generous in giving words of encouragement to them,” he said, adding that a lot of understanding and cooperation is required across departments and colleagues.

Mr Yang encouraged other companies to hire people with mental illnesses, and stressed the need for inclusion, as “everyone deserves a chance”.

“Actually, they are not any different from any of us. If we can adapt to the different kinds of people at a workplace, we can definitely work with people with mental illness. All they need is a little encouragement and a little kindness, and also an opportunity,” he said.

Although it may entail making changes to workflow, he said he believes it means a lot to them. There is also satisfaction, he said.

“We feel good and happy when we see them improving along with the job, their condition becomes stable, and they smile more often,” he said.

Mr Tan hopes that more employers will be accepting, hire people with mental health issues and see them for who they are.

“I don’t want to be Eugene Tan with bipolar. I want to be just Eugene Tan.” 

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story said six in 10 people believe that those with mental conditions are less reliable than other employees. NCSS has clarified that the correct figure should be five in 10.

SINGAPORE: The feeling of alienation first hit when the students seated around me stood up in unison, pushing their chairs backwards with a screech.

“Lao shi zao an”, the students chanted, bidding their teacher good morning in a greeting that sounded the same to me as it did when I was at school. Awkwardly, I followed suit, feeling more like a fish out of water with every moment.

It was the first day of my attachment at Tanjong Katong Secondary, where I would be spending three days as a student to brush up on my abysmal Mandarin. And hearing the familiar greeting brought back several unfortunate memories of my time as a student – memories that I imagined had long been expunged.

There was the dreaded ting xie or dictation, a weekly test of vocabulary that I would often end up failing spectacularly, despite my best efforts to memorise and practice writing the words.

And the endless pages of cheng yu, or Chinese idioms, that I had to memorise and somehow reproduce in the exams. Needless to say, the only cheng yu that appeared in my exams was feng he ri li: the same phrase that everyone used in their exams.

And there was also the non-negotiable ban on speaking English in class – a ban that earned me death stares from many a teacher as I struggled to express myself in Mandarin.

I shed real tears over the subject when I was a student, not least because of the hours I spent on rote learning with nothing to show for my efforts. And once I attained the bare minimum grade to make it to university, I gleefully chucked my Chinese textbook aside and swore to myself never to bother picking the language up again.

But here I was back in school, surrounded by classmates less than half my age and doing exactly what I had told myself I would never do.

THEN AND NOW

It all began with a conversation over a networking lunch with Ministry of Education staff, where I was intrigued to find out that the teaching and learning of the Chinese Language in schools has evolved over the years. Rather than the rote learning and memory work that had formed such an integral part of my personal experience, the focus of lessons nowadays has shifted: Emphasis is now placed on encouraging students to love the language, and use it in their daily life.

Given my past experience with the subject, I was doubtful. How could students – particularly those like me who speak only English at home – be encouraged to love the language? I had to see this in action for myself, and what better way to do so than to embed myself in a Chinese Language class as a student? 

As a working adult – and a journalist to boot – going back to school just for three days, I was aware that there were limits to how authentic my experience would be. But I was assured by my teacher, Mrs Lee-Sem Seow Wei, that she would make it as real as possible and that I would be treated the same as any student.

Not only would I need to fully participate in each class activity, I would also have to complete every class assignment and take every test that the students would go through over the three days of my attachment.

It sounded like a great opportunity. But when I realised I was to be joining a Higher Chinese class in the school, I began to wonder if I had bitten off more than I could chew.

I questioned why the school had chosen to place me in a class of that standard, given that I could barely write my name in Mandarin, much less read the textbook. But Mrs Lee was strangely sanguine when I voiced my apprehension about my survival prospects.

“Don’t worry,” she said with a smile. “Just come for the lesson first.”

“And don’t worry about preparing for class,” she added, anticipating my next question. “Just come, and enjoy it. The students will help you along if you don’t understand.”

But despite her reassurances, my anxiety remained and reached a peak as I sat in the classroom watching my fellow pupils file in a sea of green and white uniforms. Some averted their eyes and scurried to their seats, while others looked curiously at me.

Perhaps it was first day jitters, but my fear of being shunned by the students returned with a vengeance. However, they were soon put to rest when I was greeted with a friendly smile by my seatmate, Mandy Chan.

“Are you all right? You look very nervous,” she said as she introduced herself and sank into her seat.

THE FIRST TEST 

The week’s topic was dreams and aspirations, and Mrs Lee started the lesson by reading out some stories in a textbook about famous people in history, such as Shakespeare and Bruce Lee. As I tried to follow along with the words in the textbook, she slowed down and used English terms to explain some of the more complex terms.

Apart from my surprise at her use of English in class, I was also surprised to find out that speaking in class was also encouraged, so students could get instant help from each other when they had difficulty understanding some of the terms she was using, or practice using the language.

She proceeded to tell the class a little more about Shakespeare’s life, and about some of his more well-known plays. I shook my head in amazement: Shakespeare was difficult enough to understand even as a university undergraduate. And here she was explaining the plot of Romeo and Juliet to the students, in Mandarin no less.

But I was encouraged that I could follow more of the lesson than I thought I would, and that what I could understand was interesting and engaging. The laughter in class as Mrs Lee bantered with students in Mandarin also made it clear that the Chinese Language classroom was – for these students at least – not the nightmarish place I remembered it to be. 

Apart from a few hiccups here and there, I was getting along swimmingly. But the real test was just around the corner.

As we approached the tail end of the lesson, Mrs Lee distributed a set of newspaper articles, each one featuring a person who has overcome obstacles and gone on to achieve something great in their fields. We were then divided into groups, assigned one article each and given five minutes to read it and answer a series of questions in our group.

As I flicked through the set of articles, looking at the walls of text I could not decipher, my eyes glazed over. I scanned the accompanying pictures hoping to get a clue, but apart from Olympic gold medalist Joseph Schooling, I had no idea who the rest of the people were.

Okay, I thought to myself. I passed Chinese Language at the national exams, got my university degree and am now gainfully employed. If I put my mind to it, I can do this.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t. My assigned article appeared to be about a group of students in China who had gained YouTube fame with their singing. But that was all I could gather based on the little that I could understand.

Watch: The YouTube video we were shown in class

As I focused on slowly reading each word, I was distracted by Mrs Lee’s voice.

“You should be done reading by now. Time to work on your questions!”

I looked around me. Most of my classmates were already finishing the article. I was on the third line.

I sighed, looking around for some backup, and my gaze landed on Mandy, who had not only finished the article, but was looking in my direction.

“What does the article mean?” I muttered under my breath. Understanding dawned as she smiled encouragingly and summarised it for me.

MAKING MANDARIN A “LIVING LANGUAGE”

It was clear that Mandy isn’t just good at Mandarin as a subject. She also loves the language, culture and pretty much everything to do with it.

When we were given the lyrics of a song by Taiwanese singer Jay Chou and asked to identify lines which we could use to encourage a friend, she looked over my shoulder and offered to help me, telling me that she had already memorised all the lyrics to the song. And in an in-class essay about her dreams and aspirations, she wrote about how she hopes to influence others to love Chinese history, and learn more about it.

“I love the culture because I think it’s very interesting,” she told me. “I love how in a Chinese word, just a small dot or dash could make a very big difference.”

Mandy, who comes from Malaysia and says she speaks mostly Mandarin at home, has a standard that I could only aspire to reach. But the number of students like her – who come from a Mandarin-speaking background – may be diminishing.

According to the 2015 General Household Survey released by the Department of Statistics, 36.9 per cent of children aged five and above used English as the main language at home, up from 32.3 per cent in 2010. At Tanjong Katong Secondary, Mrs Lee said about 70 per cent of students come from an English-speaking background.

“They only use Mandarin when they are with us in school,” she explained. “So it is really important to keep them engaged and be really active in learning during Chinese lessons. That is why a lot of the pedagogies and teaching practices have changed to help students discover that it’s not a subject, but a living language.”

“So besides the text, we use videos, additional reading and newspapers, and we open up all the possible modes of learning to students,” she added. “And the students can have the option to pursue their interests further by reading a novel or listening to Mandarin songs.”

“For students who come from purely English-speaking families, this is a way in which they can learn to use the language in different contexts when they leave us and graduate.”

Brina Lai, another of my classmates, said she speaks mostly English at home, and counts English Literature as one of her favourite subjects.

She agreed that it can be difficult at times to speak Mandarin fluently. But she makes it a point to practice by having conversations in Mandarin with friends and family members, and exposing herself to Chinese shows.

“I enjoy it when the teacher shows videos in class,” she said. “I understand how the characters feel, and how they speak. I can learn a lot from the way they phrase their sentences.”  

“When I talk to my friends in class, it also helps,” she added. “Because my friends tell me if I make a mistake.”

OVERCOMING THE STUMBLING BLOCKS 

True enough, I found that having to attend lessons regularly, read the materials and speak the language did help improve my fluency and raise my confidence.

Perhaps it was the fact that I was now a working adult and fully understood – through painful experience – the importance of using the language in the course of my work. But I also felt that referencing current affairs and famous people in the lesson, as well as using news articles and song lyrics that we already knew of through our social media feeds helped tremendously in emphasising the importance and relevance of the language in our daily lives.

This, I felt, was a lesson that the 14-year-old me would have appreciated.

As the days went by, things started to take a turn for the better. My face lost the furrowed brow and perplexed expression that were a mainstay for much of the first lesson. As the teaching progressed, the in-class activities were designed to build on what I had already learnt, forcing me to constantly refer to my hastily scribbled notes and use the new vocabulary and cheng yu I had learnt in my assignments.

Of course, there were moments when I stumbled. Like the time when I had to present my group’s work to the class, and couldn’t read the words my groupmate had written.

Or the time when Mrs Lee called on me to answer one of her questions, and I unthinkingly blurted out, “Are you seriously asking me?” in English before I could stop myself, eliciting laughter from everyone in class.

But by my final day, I was able to produce a 150-word essay in class, on the topic of my dreams and aspirations.

I was able to understand and appreciate the beauty and richness of the language, from the different literary devices used to the varying ways of structuring sentences in Mandarin.

And I was able to make a farewell speech in Mandarin to the class, thanking them for all their help and encouragement, and promising them that I would go back and write an inspiring story about my experience.

I wouldn’t say that I become an overnight prodigy after my stint in the classroom. I also wouldn’t say that the three short days worked a miracle in improving my fluency or getting me to love the language more.

But it has encouraged me to use the language more in my daily life. Where I once shunned everything and anything to do with Chinese culture, I now find myself actively seeking out Chinese-language songs to listen to on my daily commute, or practising my comprehension skills by reading news articles in Mandarin. 

My spoken Mandarin might still be hesitant, and I may still lack the vocabulary to express myself in the same way I would in the English language. 

But after thinking that I could do little more than write my name in Chinese, I emerged from the classroom with a little more confidence in myself and my abilities.

And I now have four new cheng yu to add to my repertoire. 

SINGAPORE: Charis, 24, and Alan, 45, was a couple who sought help from my agency. They married six years ago and have a young child, who is 5. While Alan is gainfully employed and earns a decent salary of S$2,500 a month, the family of three struggles financially. 

They have no savings but sustained debt, amounting to approximately S$5,000. It appears that the couple lacks the wisdom to budget, and had not been prudent in their expenses.

Mani is a 21-year-old with a Primary 5 education who struggles to secure employment. She has a child, aged 5, with her first boyfriend whom she no longer keeps in touch with. With her second boyfriend, she has a second child, aged 2. Mani and her 25-year-old boyfriend, Selva, have no savings and rely on Selva’s parents for their children’s basic needs. 

They approached our social workers for help with their young children’s expenses. It appears that the couple had made a poor decision to have children out of wedlock, which seemed like an irresponsible choice especially when they are not economically self-sufficient.

READ: Government transfers and social assistance – Who deserves them? Who doesn’t? A commentary

ANOTHER TALE, A MOTHER WHO WANTS TO WORK

Siti, a stay-home mum for 20 years, was another individual who sought help. She has three children, aged 16, 13 and 10. Her 45-year-old husband, Abdullah, is gainfully employed as a security guard and earns S$1,800 a month but his health does not permit him to work longer hours. 

While it seems like a reasonable expectation for Siti to go into the workforce and earn an income to supplement her husband’s, she experiences great anxiety going for interviews. She also experiences great distress thinking that her children’s needs might be compromised should she work. 

On the surface, it appears that all three households lacks the skills and wisdom needed to make the “right choices” and live self-reliant and independent lives. 

In a bid to improve their situations, social workers are quick to teach Charis and Alan budgeting skills, persuade Mani to accept any job that comes her way, and convince Siti to step into the workforce. 

The practitioners typically hope to see some improvements in their situation in three to six months – the same period over which recipients of the most commonly-known and most widely distributed social assistance scheme ComCare receive aid. 

The assumption is that these families should be able to resolve their situations in that period, since ComCare is not meant to be a long-term assistance scheme.

READ: Many ways to make a house a home but no easy fixes to housing vulnerable families, a commentary

FRACTURED LIVES STRUGGLING EVERYDAY

Within a few months of interacting with Charis and Alan, we soon found out that Charis had experienced abuse as a child. Alan himself had been trapped in the poverty cycle all his life. 

We then wondered if their fractured early childhood experiences, the everyday stress and lived insecurities from a young age made it different for them to focus on seemingly simple tasks that the rest of us take for granted, such as budgeting.

As we got to know Mani, we realised that she struggled to secure employment because she has no one to help care for her young children on weekends. Given her educational qualifications, the jobs available to her typically require her to work weekends or after childcare operating hours. 

When many working mothers have the support of grandparents, domestic workers or family friends to care for their children, Mani does not have that luxury.

Siti reacted angrily to her social worker pressing her to work. She gave many reasons why she could not find a job. A few weeks later, when under tremendous stress, Siti yelled at her social worker. She asked her social worker to stop pressing her to work. She said:

You do not understand my situation.

DIVE INTO POVERTY’S COMPLEXITIES

Economic self-sufficiency has always been the goal of all anti-poverty programmes and all social service practitioners wish this for the poor. However, in our urgency to move these families to economic self-sufficiency, we sometimes forget to delve deeper into the complexities of poverty.

Children from poor families are more likely to experience developmental delays and learning difficulties compared to their peers. They are also more likely to experience anxiety, depression and difficulties with impulse control. 

Plenty of research point to the impact of the toxic stress of poverty on children’s brain development, which sometimes continues into adulthood. 

When these children grow up, they are more likely to experience similar psychological problems, including persistent negative thinking. These problems are not easily reversed by budgeting exercises or financial management workshops. 

Employment assistance programmes may help with money and give them the confidence to secure a job, but will not eradicate this scourge of poverty.

READ: Singapore must do more to guard against ‘slavery of the poor’, a commentary

SIX MONTHS IS NOT ENOUGH 

When we understand the psychological impact of poverty and the effects on a person’s mental and emotional well-being, we may realise that six months isn’t enough to help someone move out of poverty. 

We may also realise that behavourial strategies focusing on changing individual behaviour should only be applied after we address some of these adults’ more pressing and fundamental mental health issues and early childhood trauma. 

READ: Three stories on why tackling poverty requires active listening, a commentary

When we focus only on skills development and mindset change, we miss the mark, because we do not truly address the root of the problem that traps people in poverty.

Charis and Alan are still meeting their social worker regularly. Charis sometimes ignores her social worker and accuses her of not being supportive. Her social worker, understanding that she has difficulties trusting others, is still pressing on to connect with her, offering her empathy and understanding. 

With the help of their social worker, Mani has managed to engage Selva’s mother to care for the two young children. The social worker helped the family negotiate a care arrangement that is sustainable for the family. 

After two years, Mani and Selva married and moved into a new flat of their own but they continue to require the support of Selva’s mother to care for their children.

With a lot of handholding, support, understanding and encouragement, Siti finally stepped out to work part-time after eight months. She struggled to cope with the household responsibilities and the demands of her new job. She finally gained regular employment in a restaurant but the path to that, which included securing but losing another job along the way, was not linear or easy.

In eradicating poverty, efforts must be made to understand the complexities behind poverty. 

The poor can’t just snap out of it and the privilege of being economically comfortable that confers us advantages in pursuing success is invisible to those who have it. 

Those of us who enjoy this privilege must find ways to understand the psyche of those who experience poverty daily. Perhaps it is when we do so that we can change the way we design and implement our anti-poverty programmes to greater effectiveness.

Pseudonyms were used in this commentary to protect the identities of those mentioned.

Cindy Ng is a social worker with extensive experience working with low-income families and persons experiencing violence and abuse.

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Management University (SMU) plans to pilot a work-study option that will allow students to take on up to six months of internship while concurrently studying on campus, the university said in a media release.

This is part of a series of enhancements to its undergraduate curriculum that it announced on Thursday (Sep 6), following a one-year study by the school’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Undergraduate Education.

Students will be able to alternate between working at least four days at their host company, and studying on campus for up to one day each week. They will be able to take up to two courses during the work-study period.

The university explained that the new option recognises the value of longer internship durations, which enable students to “better interlace institution-based learning with structured on-the-job training”. 

It will also facilitate “more substantial and impactful work opportunities” within the attachment company.

The work-study option will be piloted through selected programmes, including the university’s recently launched Health Economics and Management second major. Based on the pilot run, SMU will review and refine it before rolling it out on a larger scale.

The university has also redesigned its undergraduate core curriculum into three inter-related pillars: capabilities, communities and civilisations. The new core curriculum will be implemented from academic year 2019-2020.

Under the new core curriculum, internships and community service will become credit-bearing programmes. Currently, the two programmes are graduation requirements for all undergraduates, but do not carry any credit.

From the current academic year, SMU will also introduce a new exploratory course scheme to encourage students to experiment with classes outside their major or their usual sphere of interest.

SINGAPORE: A second-half strike from Ikhsan Fandi ensured his father did not lose his first match in charge as Singapore came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against Mauritius in an international friendly at the Bishan Stadium on Friday (Sep 7).

The visitors took the lead in the fourth minute through Jonathan Justin, before 19-year-old Ikhsan found the net in the 75th minute as the Lions claimed a credible draw.

Fandi Ahmad, who was appointed as the interim coach in May by the Football Association of Singapore, will lead the national team for the 2018 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup in November.

Singapore last won the biennial tournament in 2012 and are without a competitive victory in almost three years.

But in a first glimpse of what could be to come, Fandi showed he was not afraid to inject fresh blood into the side, handing debuts to brothers Zulqarnaen and Zulfadhmi Suzliman against a Mauritian team 14 spots above Singapore, who are ranked 169th, in the FIFA rankings. 

But the away side weren’t standing on ceremony for the new Lions boss and took the lead after just four minutes. A Jeremy Villeneuve shot was parried by Singapore custodian Izwan Mahbud but Justin, who played for Etoile FC in the S.League in 2011, was on hand to poke home the loose ball.

It took the Lions almost 16 minutes to register their first shot – as Ikhsan forced Kevin Jean-Louis into a save.

Safuwan Baharudin was next to try his luck five minutes later but his dipping volley dropped comfortably into the keeper’s hands. 

Singapore’s best outlet was the nippy Zulfadhmi on the left and he almost got himself on the scoresheet midway through the first half but his shot was saved.

Francisco Filho’s away side almost doubled their lead early in the second half, a fizzing strike from Gary Noel forcing Izwan into a stunning fingertip save as he kept the home side in the game. 

At the other end, the Lions came agonisingly close to an equaliser in the 67th minute, as veteran defender Baihakki Khaizan, on as a substitute, headed narrowly wide.

It came down to Ikhsan to save Singapore’s blushes – as he slotted home his first international goal in the 75th minute, displaying the same predatory instincts as his father Fandi used to. 

Singapore have three more international friendlies lined up – Fiji next Tuesday (Sep 11), Mongolia (Oct 12) and Cambodia (Oct 16), before heading to a training camp in Japan as preparation for the Suzuki Cup.

SINGAPORE: The S$600 quality control management fee and S$50 coin exchange fee levied on hawkers at Ci Yuan Hawker Centre in Hougang are optional for some of its hawkers, Fei Siong Food Management clarified on Friday (Sep 7). 

The social enterprise which operates the hawker centre was responding to unhappiness voiced by some stall holders that the S$650 monthly fee – which is on top of rental costs – was compulsory.

“We believe it’s some miscommunication from our team to hawkers,” said Fei Siong Food Management’s group general manager Joe Sng.

He explained that the S$600 fee, in particular, was introduced in July to address concerns by the management on food portions sold by hawkers.

Ci Yuan Hawker Centre, which is one of the seven social enterprise hawker centres running on an alternative management model, gets hawkers to provide at least one S$2.80 meal at their stall. 

After complaints from residents about shrinking food portions, the management introduced the S$600 quality control service to address this issue. 

Mr Sng said that the quality control is done by Fei Siong’s own in-house employees. 

The operations team at the hawker centre goes on patrols to look at the quality, portion and hygiene standards of the food. It also conducts “mystery shopping” to check on the dishes served by hawkers. 

“Looking at the charges as a whole, I think it is reasonable,” Mr Sng told reporters.

“We’re doing this because we are insisting on our brand and quality. When we manage Ci Yuan, people will think of Fei Siong. If we’re not doing a good job, it will affect our Fei Siong group. So on this point, we emphasise the food quality, food prices and food cleanliness regulations,” he added. 

Channel NewsAsia understands that Ci Yuan Hawker Centre is the only one to implement such a fee for quality control. While other social enterprise operators like OTMH and NTUC Foodfare conduct food quality and hygiene audits for hawkers, they do not charge stall owners a fee.

SOME PAY, AND SOME DON’T

Mr Sng emphasised that the services are optional for some of its hawkers – specifically those who were not part of the operator’s Entrepreneurship Programme. 

Under the programme, aspiring hawkers receive training, mentorship as well as financial help with the setting up of their own hawker stalls, potentially saving up to S$30,000 for renovation and equipment required to run a hawker stall. 

Of the 40-odd stalls at Ci Yuan hawker centre, 15 are owned by those who have gone through the programme, said Mr Sng. And the extra fees are compulsory for these hawkers.

For the other hawkers who started their own stall on their own dime, they are not required to pay for the S$600 quality control management fee should they choose to not take up the service.

However eight stall holders have, according to the operator. 

When Channel NewsAsia spoke to the hawkers, one said he was informed this week that the fees are optional and believed it to be compulsory since July when the extra fees kicked in. 

Two said that they have known all along that the fees are optional, and the owners of at least four stalls said they are still unaware that they can opt out of the extra services.

To tackle the miscommunication, Mr Sng said his team will “definitely improve on this area and make sure that everything is actually addressed accordingly”.

One hawker who was part of the Entrepreneurship Programme said he is happy to pay the extra fees, even though the amount is higher – at S$1,000 – for participants of the programme.

Mr Derrick Lee said he benefited from the hawker training programme when he joined the industry with zero culinary skills. He pays more than S$4,000 every month for his stall, including the quality control management fee.

He added that the S$1,000 in extra fees sounds reasonable to him. 

“When I signed on the dotted line, I didn’t … thrash it out with the management and ask what every single thing is for,” Mr Lee said, explaining that he was concerned about other things like the rental period and operation requirements such as how many hours he needs to be open a day. 

However, he added that the engagement with hawkers on the services and fees could have been done better. 

“I’m not sure whether there were any sessions where all the stallholders were individually called to the management to explain what were the procedures, what the food quality inspection was all about. So it wasn’t really communicated to us,” Mr Lee said. 

“As long as we are here and if we are paying for what we are paying, it’s good that we know at least what they are doing. Perhaps it’s not an obligation but it would be good that we are told what they are doing,” he added.

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE MODEL A WORK IN PROGRESS

The issue of extra fees came into the spotlight after Makansutra founder KF Seetoh wrote about it, saying some of the charges are “shocking”.

The prominent food writer and personality also questioned the effectiveness of the social enterprise model in the running of hawker centres.

The model of appointing socially conscious operators was introduced in 2015, with the aim of improving operational efficiency while keeping food prices affordable.

Earlier on Friday, Senior Minister of State Amy Khor said that this management model, having run for three years, has brought some benefits by enhancing the vibrancy of hawker centres and improving the dining experiences of customers. 

“We will continue to evaluate this alternative management model, take into account suggestions and feedback on this ongoing process,” Dr Khor said during her visit to Our Tampines Hub Hawker Centre. 

“(We will) see how we can adjust, make refinements to the model so that we can have a better management model for our hawker centres and achieve these fundamental objectives of helping the hawkers make a decent livelihood at the same time and ensuring Singaporeans have access to good quality and affordable food in a hygienic environment,” she added.

READ: Alternative social enterprise hawker management model still being evaluated: Amy Khor

Dr Khor also said that extra services such as quality control by hawker centre operators should be offered on an optional basis to stall holders.

She explained that operating costs such as collecting and cleaning of crockery are already included by the bidder in the tender, and managing agents have to inform the National Environment Agency when they want to offer additional services to hawkers. 

SINGAPORE: A veteran Singapore diplomat on Thursday (Sep 6) called for Singapore’s gay community to challenge a law that bans gay sex in the country, following India’s scrapping of the same British colonial-era legislation.

Tommy Koh, who is Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made the comments in response to a Facebook post by a senior Singapore-based academic on India’s landmark ruling on Thursday.

Simon Chesterman, dean of the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law, shared a New York Times story on the ruling, congratulating a former classmate and others on the change.

“I would encourage our gay community to bring a class action to challenge the constitutionality of Section 377A,” Koh wrote.

Previous legal challenges in 2014 on the constitutionality of the law failed. Reminded of this by another Facebook user, Koh said from his verified account: “Try again”.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has previously said that most Singaporeans would want to keep the statute and that Singapore society “is not that liberal on these matters”.

Under Singapore’s law 377A, a man found to have committed an act of “gross indecency” with another man could be jailed for up to two years, although prosecutions are rare. The law does not apply to homosexual acts between women.