The two-child policy was a population control measure introduced by the Singapore government during the 1970s to encourage couples to have no more than two children. It was part of the second Five-Year National Family Planning Programme (1972–75) that was unveiled ...
Bilingualism has been the cornerstone of Singapore’s language policy since the People’s Action Party (PAP) was elected to power in 1959. The policy entails an emphasis on using English and the mother tongue languages, particularly that of the three main ethnic ...
Launched in 1984, the Total Defence concept involves the participation of every Singaporean in the collective effort of building a strong, secure and cohesive nation that is ready to deal with any crisis. It is a concept that takes into account the small size of ...
The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) encourages economic growth and creates employment so that Singaporeans can lead better lives. Its strategies are based on a free-market system and outward-oriented economic policies.
A Certificate of Entitlement (COE) in Singapore represents the right to vehicle ownership in Singapore for a period of 10 years. COEs are integral to the Vehicle Quota System (VQS), a landmark scheme implemented to regulate the growth of the vehicle population ...
In Singapore, vernacular education refers to education conducted in the native languages of the main resident communities, namely Malay, Chinese and Tamil. From the early 19th to the mid-20th centuries, formal vernacular education was started by philanthropists, ...
Singapore is served by a modern sanitation system in which all used water is collected through a network of sewers and channelled to water reclamation plants. But this was not always so. In the 1800s, the sewage collection and disposal system in Singapore relied ...
The Four National Taps, a term used by then Minister for the Environment Lim Swee Say in 2004, refer to the four sources that Singapore relies on for its water supply. They comprise water from local catchment, imported water, high-grade reclaimed water known as ...
The clean-up of Singapore River and Kallang Basin took place largely between 1977 and 1987. Besides the physical cleaning of the heavily polluted rivers, the massive exercise also involved the removal of various sources of pollution, the provision of proper sewage ...
The Economic Development Board (EDB) is a statutory board established on 1 August 1961 to spearhead Singapore’s industrialisation programme. Presently, the board plans and executes strategies to enhance Singapore’s position as a global business centre, and its ...
The Area Licensing Scheme (ALS) was launched on 2 June 1975. Designed to reduce traffic congestion in the Central Business District (CBD), the key concept underlying the ALS was that a special supplementary licence had to be obtained at a cost if a motorist wanted ...
The Singapore Green Plan (SGP) is Singapore's first environmental blueprint. Released in 1992 by the then Ministry of the Environment (now known as the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources or MEWR), its objective is to ensure that Singapore could develop ...
The Corrective Work Order (CWO), which came into effect on 1 November 1992, is an amendment to the anti-littering law. It was a punitive measure that requires the offender to clean up the community instead of paying a fine. The first CWOs were performed on 21 February ...
The Housing and Urban Development Company (HUDC) was set up in 1974 to provide housing for middle-income households in Singapore. At the time, middle-income families did not qualify for Housing and Development Board (HDB) units but yet could not afford private ...
PUB, Singapore’s national water agency, formerly known as the Public Utilities Board (PUB), is a statutory board under the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR). Its mission is to ensure an efficient, adequate and sustainable supply of water in ...
Singapore is considered to be one of the most water-stressed countries in the world. It is heavily dependent on rainfall due to the lack of natural water resources, and limited land is available for water storage facilities. Prolonged dry spells cause or threaten ...
The Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS) was conceptualised in the 1990s as a sustainable, cost-effective solution to meet Singapore’s used water collection, treatment, reclamation and disposal needs in the long run. Spanning two phases over more than 20 years, Phase ...
The Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters (ABC Waters) Programme was launched in 2006 by PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency, with two objectives in mind: to improve water quality, and enhance liveability. It aims to transform Singapore's canals, rivers and reservoirs ...
The “Thinking Schools, Learning Nation” (TSLN) vision was launched by then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong in June 1997. It aims to encourage young Singaporeans to perceive education as a life-long process as well as to develop creative thinking skills and a lifelong ...
Marina Barrage is a government-commissioned dam built across the mouth of Marina Channel to create Singapore’s 15th reservoir, Marina Reservoir. Officially opened on 31 October 2008, it separates the water in Marina Basin from the seawater. It has been considered ...