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Heart of the Matter

Heart of the Matter - Why are parents still gunning for brand name primary schools?

Heart of the Matter

04 Aug 2023 07:43AM

25 mins

The annual Primary 1 registration season is back and parents are strategising how to get their children into choice schools. Despite tweaks done to the system, brand name schools are still being oversubscribed. Why are parental attitudes so hard to shift? And can the system meet everyone's needs? Steven Chia speaks to Ong Junda, father and founder of SGschooling.com, Associate Professor Jason Tan from the National Institute of Education and Tan Hui Min, a mother of two.

Heart of the Matter - High COEs: Can families do without a car?

With premiums on Certificate of Entitlement (COE) soaring to over $140,000 for larger cars, should people simply give up on the idea of owning cars? What about those who need the convenience of having a vehicle to ferry their children and the elderly? What other options do they have? Steven Chia gets answers from Julian Kho, general manager of Sgcarmart, Toh Ting Feng, CEO and founder of GetGo, and Lim Chong Tee, co-founder of a start-up and father of a four-month old baby.

28/09/2023 23 mins

Heart of the Matter - Scam losses: Who should bear the responsibility?

The scourge of scams continues unabated in Singapore with nearly 23,000 people falling victim in the first six months of this year. With increasing sophistication from the fraudsters, is public education enough? Should banks pay for some of the losses? If so, how can liability be fairly decided? Steven Chia speaks to Jansen Chow, co-head of fraud, asset recovery and investigations practice at Rajah & Tann law firm, Assistant Professor Nydia Remolina, from the Singapore Management University’s Yong Pung How School of Law and Ho Geer How, whose mother lost over S$190,000 to a scam.

21/09/2023 26 mins

Heart of the Matter - Kinderland saga: How can preschool educators get classroom management right?

The preschool sector has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks, after videos of Kinderland teachers allegedly mistreating their young charges went viral. What are the challenges teachers face in classroom management? How are rules and guidelines applied on the ground? Steven Chia puts these questions to Caroline Seng, director of professional development and standards at the Early Childhood Development Agency, Cara Lee, deputy director at the Anglican Preschool Services and Fiona Cher, a mother of two preschool children.

15/09/2023 27 mins

Heart of the Matter - Presidential Election: What do voters think about politics in Singapore?

When Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam ended his presidential race with a landslide victory of 70.4 per cent, political analysts expressed their surprise, calling the win "unthinkable" and "remarkable". What do the results say about how the Singaporean voter thinks? And what lessons can political parties draw from Mr Tharman's win as they look ahead to the next General Election? Steven Chia breaks it down with Walid Jumblatt Abdullah, Assistant Professor at the Nanyang Technological University and Eugene Tan, Associate Professor of Law at the Singapore Management University.

05/09/2023 25 mins

Heart of the Matter - Money laundering busts: Regulators have to constantly play catch up

Since news broke on the billion-dollar money laundering case in Singapore, there have been questions on how bad actors operate. How do property agents and bank staff separate a legitimate transaction from a shady one? And what makes this type of crime especially tough to crack down on? Steven Chia speaks to Adam Maniam, director of dispute resolution at law firm Drew and Napier, Associate Professor Soh Kee Hean from the Singapore University of Social Sciences and former director of the CPIB, and Fabrizio Fioroni, adviser on anti-money laundering/counter financing of terrorism at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

30/08/2023 25 mins