SINGAPORE — In his first National Day Rally speech on Sunday (Aug 18) night, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced plans for a “major reset” of several policies.

Speaking in Malay, Mandarin and English at the Institute of Technical Education's headquarters in Ang Mo Kio, Mr Wong focused on his plans for the economy, families, housing and education.

The following are some key announcements from his speech.

MORE STUDENTS WILL GET TO STUDY HIGHER MOTHER TONGUE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Acknowledging some Singaporeans’ concerns about the declining standard of mother tongue here, Mr Wong said that the Government will continue to support the cultivation of bilingualism and preserve ethnic cultures here.

To that end, a move will be made to allow more students to take Higher Mother Tongue languages as a subject in secondary schools. 

Read more here. 

NEW SKILLSFUTURE SCHEME TO SUPPORT JOBSEEKERS

Workers who lose their jobs may get a maximum of S$6,000 over a period of up to six months as a form of temporary financial support. 

This is part of a new SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme, which Mr Wong said would be introduced to “lessen the strain” on those who are affected by job loss.

Separately, Singaporeans who attend part-time courses will soon be entitled to some training allowance, in an update to the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme.

Read more here.

FOUR WEEKS OF COMPULSORY PATERNITY LEAVE

From April 1 next year, four weeks of government-paid paternity leave will be made compulsory.

A new Shared Parental Leave Scheme will also be introduced, allowing fathers or mothers of newborns to take 10 more weeks of shared leave.

The moves seek to encourage fathers to play a bigger role in sharing caregiving and housework responsibilities.

Read more here.

BTO FLAT PRIORITY FOR SINGLES AND THEIR PARENTS

From mid-2025, singles and their parents who are buying new flats to live with or near each other will get priority access to Build-to-Order (BTO) public housing units.

At present, only married children and their parents enjoy this priority access. Singles looking for BTO flats can only buy two-room flexi units and only after they have turned 35.

Mr Wong also announced plans to help lower-income households get their first homes.

As of now, all first-time applicants of new flats can get an enhanced Central Provident Fund (CPF) housing grant of up to S$80,000. The Government will increase this grant amount.

Read more here.

REFRESHED GIFTED EDUCATION PROGRAMME

In a bid to identify and help more pupils with higher abilities, the Gifted Education Programme will be revamped and replaced with a new approach that will cut across all primary schools.

This revision will allow schools to have their own programmes to help pupils "grow in their areas of strengths and interests", Mr Wong said.

Read more here.