News Bites is a monthly publication by Yayasan Mendaki that assesses trends relevant to the Malay/Muslim community in Singapore, covering areas such as education, economy, employment, and health. In November 2023, a total of 619 articles were reported highlighting issues like community engagement for seniors, environmental initiatives, and economic changes affecting citizens. The publication aims to provide insights and encourages feedback for continuous collaboration.

1. November
2023

2. 2
What is News Bites?
News Bites is a monthly scan covering issues and trends surfaced in various local
mainstream media sources that would be of relevance to the Malay/Muslim community. It is
produced by the Research and Design Department (R&D) of Yayasan MENDAKI.
News Bites begins with an article count across different media sources which are
categorised into these main areas: education, economy, employment and employability, social
and community, and Malay/Muslim affairs. Other salient areas for the month are also
highlighted. It then delves into emerging themes and trends observed.
We hope you find this month’s News Bites insightful and useful for your needs. We
look forward to your continued partnership and support, and welcome any suggestions you
might have. You can reach us at RD@mendaki.org.sg to feedback.
RESEARCH &
DESIGN
DEPARTMENT

3. Overall Coverage
• With a total of 619 articles, Community (278), Economy (74) and Health (44) news were widely
reported in November 2023. This reflects Singapore’s growing concern over the community, the
environment, seniors, and health of the citizens.
3
34
5 7 7 6 27
244
69
15 16 38
4
Community Economy Education Employment Health MMA
No. of Articles
BH/BM ST

4. Emerging Themes & Trends
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5. Community
Seniors
• A traffic light scheme giving seniors and people with disabilities
more time to cross the road will be expanded to cover half of the
pedestrian crossings in all residential estates here by 2027. (ST, 7
Nov)
– Pedestrians need to tap their concession cards on a card reader
to extend the “green man” time.
• Singapore sets aside $800 million to help seniors age well at
home and in their communities. (ST, 16 Nov)
– Active Ageing Centres (AACs) will work with community partners
such as Sport Singapore or the People’s Association to make use
of the spaces in the community.
– AACs will work closely with healthcare clusters to implement
health screening services and integrate with the Healthier SG
preventive health strategy.
• NUS and the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) signs a MOU to
promote volunteerism in the community care sector. It aims to
engage more than 2,000 students a year in volunteering with
seniors. (ST, 16 Nov)
• The Lien Foundation and Tan Tock Seng Hospital will equip
community-based services such as AACs and hospice day care
centres to handle patients with breathlessness. (ST, 17 Nov)
Source: ST
Source: ST
5

6. Community
Environment
• NTU study finds that Singapore coastlines more resilient against
sea-level rise than previously thought. (ST, 2 Nov)
• Plastic bag use falls by up to 80% at some supermarkets in first
month of bag charge. (ST, 3 Nov)
• Ang Mo Kio Town Council working with NParks and NEA to tackle
pigeon problem at Jalan Kayu. (ST, 6 Nov)
• Over the past few years, NParks has stepped up its efforts to
manage Singapore’s crow population. (ST, 7 Nov)
• The Straits Times ties up with Senoko Energy to publish a monthly
newsletter providing information on environmental, social and
governance (ESG) trends, updates and shifts in ESG reporting,
and green financing. (ST, 8 Nov)
• The Raffles Lighthouse located on Pulau Satumu could soon be
powered by solar and tidal energy. (ST, 12 Nov)
• Semakau Landfill will be full in 12 years, based on current waste
disposal habits. (ST, 13 Nov)
– Different scenarios and initiatives are being tried out and
considered to extend the lifespan of the landfill.
Source: ST
Source: ST
6

7. Economy
Politics
• Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong preparing to receive the
baton from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. (ST, 5 Nov)
• An amendment to the Constitution has been proposed to allow
the president and ministers to accept appointments in foreign
and international organisations in their private capacities. (ST, 6
Nov)
Cost of Living
• Real median income in Singapore fell 4.5 percent in the first half
of 2023, compared with the same period in 2022. (ST, 7 Nov)
• A new programme to help Singaporeans find and share details of
cheap coffee shop eats has garnered more than 200
recommendations since its launch in October. (ST, 8 Nov)
– Called the Great Budget Meal Hunt, the campaign allows
people to submit information about meals priced between $3
and $3.50 to a government crowdsourcing web portal.
• All adult Singaporeans will receive between $200 and $800 in
December through the Government’s Assurance Package to
help with the rising cost of living. (ST, 15 Nov)
Source: ST
Source: ST
7

8. Economy
CPF
• CPF Board to launch the Heartlands Engagement Project to
target mature CPF members between the ages of 36 and 54.
(ST, 3 Nov)
– These individuals would have been in the workforce for a few
years, and still have sufficient time to make a significant
impact on their retirement planning.
• CPF accounts that belong to foreigners will be automatically
closed from April 1, 2024. The outflow of monies will not pose
liquidity issues or affect the stability of the CPF system. (ST, 6
Nov)
• To protect CPF members from scams, a default online CPF
withdrawal limit of $2,000 a day will be in place from Nov 30 for
all members aged 55 and older. (ST, 20 Nov)
– If CPF members wish to change the daily default limit, they can
go online at any time to adjust it.
COE Prices
• COE prices fell across all five categories at the latest tender
exercise. (ST, 8 Nov)
Source: ST
Source: ST
8

9. Health
• Long-term vaccination strategy to deal with Covid-19 is still
unknown as the virus is constantly mutating. (ST, 1 Nov)
• An ongoing clinical trial in Singapore that aims to save patients
with advanced cancers from receiving unnecessary treatments
has shown promising results. (ST, 4 Nov)
• By March 2024, needy patients will no longer have to reapply for
MediFund when they transfer between or go to different
healthcare institutions. (ST, 7 Nov)
– MediFund helps needy Singaporeans who are unable to pay
their medical bills after government subsidies, insurance and
MediSave deductions.
• The National University Health System will be rolling out
screening for nose cancer at three more polyclinics as part of a
five-year study to detect the disease earlier and to improve
patient survival rates. (ST, 8 Nov)
– The study, which is being conducted at Jurong and Pioneer
polyclinics, was recently extended to Bukit Batok, Choa Chu
Kang and Clementi polyclinics.
Source: ST
Source: ST
9

10. Health
• A longitudinal study by TTSH’s Institute of Geriatrics and Active
Ageing found that the loss of muscle and strength in people as
they age, a condition called sarcopenia, could become a
challenge for our healthcare system. (ST, 8 Nov)
• A new research project is looking to optimize light exposure for
schoolchildren and senior citizens, in order to reduce myopia
rates in the young, and improve the sleep quality and mood of
the elderly. (ST, 9 Nov)
• A chemical found in some weight-loss remedies has been listed
as a poison, with the sale of any such products now restricted.
(ST, 11 Nov)
– 2,4-Dinitrophenol (DNP) and its salts that are intended for
human consumption were added to the Poisons Act on Nov 1.
• MOH announces that it will extend the participation incentives
for CareShield Life for another year. (ST, 14 Nov)
– CareShield Life is a national long-term care insurance scheme
that provides better basic financial protection against severe
disability.
– Singapore citizens born before 1980 without severe disability can
receive up to $3,000 to offset premiums over 10 years if they
join CareShield Life between Jan 1 and Dec 31, 2024.
Source: ST
Source: ST
10

11. Education
• KidStart programme working towards enrolling more mothers
during pregnancy for better child development. (ST, 15 Nov)
– Positive maternal attitudes during pregnancy influence
school readiness and performance in a child’s later years.
• FairPrice Group’s annual donation drive for used textbooks
and educational materials has hit close to half of its target of
500,000 textbooks. (ST, 15 Nov)
• NTU will offer a four-year Bachelor of Chinese Medicine in
August 2024. (ST, 15 Nov)
– It is the first locally conferred undergraduate degree
programme accredited by MOH’s Traditional Chinese
Medicine Practitioners Board.
• Pre-school enrolment for children from lower-income
families remain lower than national average. (ST, 17 Nov)
• NUS study finds large disparities in the test scores of pre-
schoolers based on their parent’s educational qualifications
and annual income. (ST, 19 Nov)
• Pre-schools start to educate children on the responsible use
of technology and concepts of digital health and well-being.
(ST, 19 Nov)
Source: ST
Source: ST
11

12. Education
• Upcoming NUS centre set to be heart of food research in
Singapore. (ST, 5 Nov)
– It will focus on innovation in agriculture, aquaculture, food
science, and waste reduction.
• Collaborations in research, education, and training for the
social service and early childhood sectors will be
strengthened after a MOU between MSF, NCSS, and SUSS. (ST,
5 Nov)
– The Social Service Institute (SSI) will offer more free e-
learning resources for social service professionals from April
2024, covering areas such as eldercare, disability, and mental
health.
• NUS slipped from the second to the third spot in the latest
Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) 2024 ranking of Asia’s universities.
(ST, 8 Nov)
• Tycoon Kwek Leng Beng donates $24 million to Singapore
Institute of Technology to help nurture talent in the
hospitality sector. (ST, 9 Nov)
Source: ST
Source: ST
12

13. Employment
• A new counselling track within the national skills framework
for the social service sector will map out job pathways for
counsellors, and specify the skills and abilities needed for
each role. (ST, 2 Nov)
– Four new job-specific skills have been added to the
framework – clinical supervision, counselling assessment,
counselling intervention and technology application in
counselling.
• Teachers in special education schools can expect higher
salaries as part of MOE’s efforts to attract and retain talent in
the sector. (ST, 3 Nov)
• Over 13,000 people turned up at annual Purple Parade to
show support for people with disabilities. (ST, 4 Nov)
– The employment rate of people with disabilities will be
raised from 30% in 2020 & 2021 to 40% by 2030.
– 5 new special education schools will be built.
• Parliament passed legislative changes to double the practice
training period for aspiring lawyers, from six months to a
year, before they can qualify to practise law. (ST, 7 Nov)
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Source: ST
Source: ST

14. Employment
• The Skills Demand for the Future Economy Report highlighted
24 top job skills that are expected to grow. (ST, 17 Nov)
– These include care sector skills like effective client
communication, as well as digital economy skills such as
qualitative analysis and software design.
• Mentoring SG will introduce a Singapore Workforce Skills
Qualifications-accredited course called Mentoring for Youth
in 2024. (ST, 17 Nov)
– It aims to train mentors through scenario-based practices
that hone facilitation and communication skills.
• Almost 1,500 workers in various roles are set to receive an
extra pay raise of 5.2 per cent through company
transformation projects. (ST, 21 Nov)
– The 84 firms that pledged the additional pay raises were able
to defray the cost of these projects through the NTUC’s
Company Training Committee (CTC) Grant.
• Job prospects for fresh graduates from universities,
polytechnics, and ITE remain strong. (ST, 22 Nov)
14
Source: ST
Source: ST

15. Malay/Muslim Affairs
Israel-Hamas War
• A religious advisory to guide Muslims on their response to
overseas conflicts such as the ongoing one between Israel and
Hamas is being developed by the Office of the Mufti, under
the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis). (ST, 2 Nov,
BH, 2 Nov) Title in BH: Asatizah perlu beri panduan, bimbingan bagi
elak kekeliruan konflik di Timur Tengah: Mufti
• The Police and NParks have not approved any applications to
hold events related to the Israel-Hamas war at Speakers’
Corner. (ST, 4 Nov)
• Minister Maliki Osman witnessed the handover of public
donations by Singaporeans for humanitarian assistance to
Gazan civilians. (ST, 11 Nov, BH, 12 Nov) Title in BH: Maliki: S’pura
sedia sokong Mesir hulur bantuan kemanusiaan bagi warga Palestin di
Gaza
• A total of $58,000.10 was collected by the residents and
representatives from Marsiling area that was passed to the
Rahmatan Lil ‘Alamin Foundation as a donation for the Gaza
civilians that was affected by the Israel – Hamas conflict. (BH,
16 Nov) Title in BH: Penduduk Marsiling ganding bahu kumpul $58,000
bantu rakyat Gaza
Source: BH
Source: BH
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16. Malay/Muslim Affairs
MENDAKI
• Yayasan MENDAKI organised the ‘Brunch with MENDAKI’, a
dialogue session with Dr Wan Rizal, Ms Nur Sabariah and Ms
Nura J, which shared about the guidance for parents on how
to support their children’s aspirations. (BH, 5 Nov) Title in BH:
250 hadir acara ‘Brunch with Mendaki’, dengar panduan sokong
aspirasi anak
• 97 primary school students received bursaries of $500 each,
distributed under the Education Trust Fund (ETF) at the
Merchant Elementary School Bursary Award organised by
Yayasan MENDAKI. (BH, 20 Nov) Title in BH: 97 pelajar sekolah
rendah terima dermasiswa, disokong dalam pendidikan
Changes to Muslim Marriage Laws
• Muslim couples will no longer require the signatures of a
solemniser and witnesses to get married, as part of efforts to
take Muslim marriages online. (ST, 17 Nov)
– The changes include the introduction of digital certificates of
marriage and will be part of the new process for Muslim
marriages.
Source: BH
Source: ST
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17. Published by
MENDAKI Research and Design Department
(November 2023)
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