Managing teachers' workload despite new plan to train them to recognise early signs of gang association amongst students

Question:

Mr Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik: To ask the Senior Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs in respect of the plan to train teachers to recognise early signs of gang association and given the heavy workload of teachers (a) whether the Ministry has consulted the Ministry of Education on the additional workload on teachers to detect signs of gang association among students; and (b) whether dedicated police officers could perform this function instead of teachers.

Answer:

Mr K Shanmugam, Senior Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs:

1. The National Committee on Preventing Offending and Reoffending (NCPR) had recommended training teachers and social workers to better detect early gang involvement among youth. The recommendation was jointly formulated by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Education and took into account school and teacher workload.

2. Teachers are better placed to engage students and identify those who may be at risk as compared to police officers, given their frequent interactions and close rapport with their students. The Police also support this effort. They work closely with schools on initiatives such as anti-gang talks to educate students about the harms of gang involvement, and have other efforts such as Camp ACE (All Can Escape), which are designed to help youths at risk of gang involvement and guide them towards leading a life free from crime.

3. As the Member will know, my Ministry has explained a number of times that the Police and Home Team as a whole are under a lot of pressure on manpower (like many other parts of the public service). The Police have to prioritise very carefully, how to use the limited manpower resources.