The Design, Build and Sell Scheme (DBSS) was announced on 7 March 2005 in Parliament by then Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan. The scheme aimed to involve the private sector in building public housing and create a public housing programme that was ...
The Housing and Development Board (HDB) is the national public housing authority of Singapore. It was formed in February 1960, shortly after Singapore attained self-government, to alleviate the severe housing shortage at the time. Through the years, the emphasis ...
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 ...
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 ...
Ong Eng Guan (b. 1925, Malacca–d. 2008, location unknown) was a trained accountant, politician and former minister. He was the mayor of Singapore from 1957 to 1959 and the minister for national development between 1959 and 1960 while a member of the People’s Action ...
Teh Cheang Wan (b. 3 March 1928, China–d. 14 December 1986, Singapore) was a trained architect widely known for his contributions to Singapore’s early public housing plans, particularly while he was heading the Housing and Development Board in its early stage and ...
With the port being the cornerstone of Singapore’s economy, the Singapore Harbour Board Staff Association (SHBSA) – which on 18 October 1946 became the first union to be officially registered under the 1940 Trade Unions Ordinance – has played a pivotal role in ...
Public housing in Singapore may be said to have begun with the formal establishment of the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) in 1927 by the colonial government to provide low-cost housing in addition to improvement works. The Housing and Development Board (HDB) ...
The Singapore Harbour Board was established because the then privately-run Tanjong Pagar Dock company was unable to finance the much needed port developments and secure government control over policies affecting port, trade and shipping interests. This led the ...
The Vocational and Industrial Training Board (VITB) was formed on 1 April 1979 with the merger of the Industrial Training Board (ITB) and the Adult Education Board (AEB). The functions of the latter two statutory boards in the areas of vocational and industrial ...
Congkak is a popular game of logic played throughout Asia, Africa and the Americas, with many adaptations. Known elsewhere as mancala, the version commonly played in the Malay Archipelago requires two players to share a wooden board with one row of seven holes ...
The Central Provident Fund (CPF) is a key component of Singapore’s social security structure. It is a compulsory save-as-you-earn scheme that enables working Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents to set aside a percentage of their monthly gross salary for ...
The People’s Association (PA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) that was established on 1 July 1960 through the People’s Association Ordinance. Officially, the PA was formed to achieve two objectives: first, to develop ...
The Post Office Savings Bank (POSB) was established by the British colonial government in 1877 to provide banking facilities for lower-income groups. Following Singapore’s separation from Malaysia in 1965, control of the POSB was transferred to the Postmaster-General ...
For much of the early 19th to mid-20th century, technical and vocational education in Singapore was underdeveloped due to the nature of the economy and the colonial government’s noninterference in education. Technical and vocational education gained importance ...
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB), a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry, is responsible for developing Singapore’s tourism sector as well as promoting and marketing Singapore as a tourist destination. The board started operations as the Singapore ...
The referendum on merger with the Federation of Malaysia, also known as the Singapore National Referendum, was held on 1 September 1962. The idea for a referendum to be held was championed by then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew of the People’s Action Party (PAP). ...
A group representation constituency (GRC) is a type of electoral division or constituency in Singapore that is represented by a team of multiracial candidates. The other type of electoral division is the single-member constituency (SMC), which is represented by ...
The Factories Ordinance, 1958 (Ord. 41 of 1958), was a piece of legislation that sought to set minimum standards for the health, safety and welfare of workers in factories. In 1960, factory workers numbered about 120,000 and made up one-quarter of Singapore’s total ...
The first Armed Forces Day was celebrated on 1 July 1969 with a grand parade and march-past at the Jalan Besar Stadium presided over by then Minister for the Interior and Defence Lim Kim San. Public outreach activities such as camp “open houses”, exhibitions, selling ...