COS 2015 Debate: PMO – Smart Nation Programme Office (MP Pritam Singh)

By MP for Aljunied GRC, Pritam Singh
[Delivered in Committee of Supply on 10 March 2015]

Mdm Chair, in November last year, the Prime Minister made a speech at the launch of the Smart Nation initiative which established the Smart Nation Program Office under the auspices of the PMO. I would like to ask the Ministry what is the budget that has been allocated to this office, what are its terms of reference and how it plans to shepherd Singapore to smart nation status in 10 years, which was the suggested timeline provided by the Prime Minister.

Secondly, I note the desire of the office to look to develop a greater appreciation of technology, beginning in schools and through the education system, to teach coding and programming to students for example. I would like to query whether these initiatives will be introduced in all schools. I hope such initiatives will be inclusive in nature and involve students who are not technologically inclined as well, as unassociated passions and interests such as calligraphy – as some members have alluded to previously through the Steve Jobs example – can go a long way to seed an initiative and to increase the prospect of breakthrough ideas. Separately, will the office also seek to highlight and drive the number of skills upgrading opportunities by offering or promoting technology related courses through SkillsFuture, which older Singaporeans may seek to attend?

Thirdly, many of the initiatives that were raised by the PM in the drive to a Smart Nation have already been invented – e.g. the driverless cars by Google and other companies. There is a possibility that in copying the example of other countries the office will be imitating projects making Singapore a follower and less of a leader. How is the Smart Nation Program office envisaged to drive the development fresh new initiatives and what are the immediate to medium-term targets that have been set by the office?

Finally Mdm Chair, as much as technology is the centre piece of the Smart Nation Program Office, Singapore’s small size also gives us a unique opportunity to address some of the shortcomings of technology too. Parents of young children in particular are becoming concerned with children becoming heavily addicted to handheld devices and having short attention spans, in addition to having little interest in social relationships. Can I enquire if the office plans to look to address such issues, the responses to which are likely to be well-received by many other cities and countries facing the same problem. Thank you.