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Heart of the Matter

Heart of the Matter - S4E2: 18 and out of school: Who can help with lifelong support for special needs kids?

Heart of the Matter
28 Apr 2023 07:32AM
30 mins

The options confronting parents of special needs children after they complete formal schooling in Singapore can be dismal - leading some to stay home and the burden on caregivers to increase. What are the gaps in the system and what more needs to be done? Steven Chia sits down with Bernard Chew, St Andrew’s Autism Centre CEO, Clement Phua Neo, father of a 47-year-old son with an intellectual disability and Jean Loo, Deputy Director, Advocacy and Community Engagement, Rainbow Center.

Heart of the Matter - Would a 'right to disconnect' law work in Singapore?

Australia is the latest country to propose legislation around the right for workers to disconnect after office hours. Changing work patterns and 24/7 availability have produced issues like burnout. But would legislation create more problems for companies or could this effect an important shift in Singapore’s work culture? Steven Chia moderates the discussion with Raj Joshua Thomas, a lawyer and nominated member of Parliament, Dr Brandon Koh, an organisational psychologist at the Singapore University of Social Sciences and Dr Jaclyn Lee, chief human resources officer at Certis Group.

28/03/2024 21 mins

Heart of the Matter - What will it take for people to stop littering and keep toilets clean?

Feedback on littering offences has increased, and rat-related problems are on the rise. Coffee shop toilets continue to rate poorly. Will plans to increase surveillance and name and shame litterbugs work? How long can Singapore rely on an army of cleaners? Steven Chia speaks to Andrew Khng, chairman of the Public Hygiene Council, Dr Serene Koh, director of The Behavioural Insights Team; and Rosie Ching, Principal Lecturer of Statistics from the Singapore Management University.

21/03/2024 23 mins

Heart of the Matter - How can teachers help kids understand controversial topics?

Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) lessons in Singapore schools came under public scrutiny recently because of discussions on the Israel-Hamas war. How can contentious issues be discussed in classrooms and what skills do teachers need to navigate children in an increasingly polarised world? Steven Chia explores this with Dr Thavam Kanagaratnam, master specialist at the CCE branch of the Education Ministry, Philibert Leow, principal of Jurongville Secondary School and clinical psychologist Dr Annabelle Chow.

14/03/2024 22 mins

Heart of the Matter - Tengah woes: Legitimate concerns or normal teething problems?

Some of the first batch of residents who moved into Singapore's newest HDB town have complained of lack of shops, poor internet connection, condensation issues with the centralised cooling system - the first of its kind in a residential estate. Are teething problems to be expected when building a new town or have buyers' expectations changed? Woo Jun Jie from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, and Nicholas Mak, a real estate analyst, discuss with Steven Chia.

07/03/2024 18 mins

Heart of the Matter - Education and awareness matters more in dealing with casual racism

It was recently announced that casual racism allegations will be investigated as disciplinary breaches in the police force. But are guidelines always so clear cut? Where are the grey areas and how can organisations deal with it? Dr Mathew Mathews, head of the Institute of Policy Studies Social Lab, Aamir Bana, an undergraduate at Yale-NUS College and Jerviel Lim, head of people and culture at Tatsu Works have an honest conversation about how we should deal with casual racism in our society and workplaces.

29/02/2024 21 mins