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PARENTS will get 10 extra weeks of mandatory shared parental leave, paid for by the government, as part of a “major reset” of policies and mindsets laid out by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in his first National Day Rally on Sunday (Aug 18).

Singapore has come a long way in promoting women’s development, but some still believe fathers should be the breadwinners and mothers the main caregivers, said PM Wong.

“This has to change,” he said, calling on fathers to play a larger role. Both the new shared parental leave scheme and an increase in mandatory paternity leave aim to encourage this.

This combined mindset and policy change was one of several, outlined on Sunday, that seek to realise the ambitions of the fourth-generation leadership’s Forward Singapore exercise.

The “many items on our agenda” cannot be covered in one session, said PM Wong, who instead focused on moves in four areas: the economy, families, housing and education.

Global uncertainties, domestic concerns

Beginning by thanking his predecessors Goh Chok Tong and Lee Hsien Loong, PM Wong then noted that Singapore is embarking on its next chapter amid great uncertainty.

The intensifying rivalry between the United States and China will affect trade, security and cooperation; technological disruptions will transform how people work and learn; and climate change is an “existential threat hanging over the entire world”.

But instead of dwelling on external challenges, PM Wong turned his focus on domestic concerns and the aspirations of Singaporeans. The new shared parental leave scheme, for instance, responds to young couples’ desire to spend more time with their children.

To give employers time to adjust, it will be implemented in two phases: six weeks for babies born from Apr 1, 2025, then the full 10 weeks a year later.

“I hope this move will go some way in reassuring young couples – we are building a Singapore made for families,” said PM Wong.

A new scheme will also be introduced to support large families with three or more young children, with details likely to come in next year’s Budget, he added.

Embrace lifelong learning

Another shift in thinking is the long-awaited support scheme for the involuntarily unemployed, with PM Wong sharing some details on Sunday.

The SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support scheme will provide temporary financial assistance of up to S$6,000 in total, over a period up to six months.

The government has always been wary of unemployment insurance, with generous benefits in other countries seeming to disincentivise workers from finding new jobs, said PM Wong.

But to lessen the strain on affected workers, Singapore’s government searched for an alternative way to provide help. Under the new scheme, workers will have to do their part by going for training, career coaching and job matching services.

“This is the essence of our renewed social compact,” he said. “We will have your back. We will stand by you. But you too must take responsibility for your actions and make an effort to pull yourself up.”

This is part of another important mindset change: embracing lifelong learning. The SkillsFuture programme was introduced nearly a decade ago to help workers keep pace with changes, and is being enhanced, he noted.

Under the SkillsFuture Level-Up programme announced in Budget 2024, Singaporeans aged 40 and above can receive an allowance of up to S$3,000 a month when they enrol in full-time training courses. Some of the allowance will now be extended to part-time courses, with details to come.

Housing for singles, education policy changes

On the topic of housing, PM Wong addressed worries about housing prices, while announcing new moves for singles and lower-income couples.

The Build-to-Order priority access scheme – which gives better ballot chances to married couples applying for flats near their parents – will be extended to singles from mid-2025.

To support lower-income couples’ housing aspirations, the government will increase the grant amounts under the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant.

Another “significant change” announced was in education: discontinuing the Gifted Education Programme in its current form, where students are identified and placed into selected primary schools.

This will be replaced with “a new approach” where every school has programmes to “stretch these students in their areas of strength and interest”. Students who excel in particular subjects can also be identified for after-school enrichment modules to learn and interact with one another.

A refreshed Singapore dream

As Senior Minister Lee often did in his National Day Rally speeches, PM Wong concluded with a look at upcoming infrastructure projects, including a new 18,000-seater indoor arena as part of the Kallang Alive master plan.

This is alongside other plans to remake Singapore’s southern waterfront, including new precincts such as Nicoll and Kampong Bugis; Tanjong Rhu; as well as Marina South and Marina East.

These major investments will take decades to bear fruit, noted PM Wong. But he added: “Starting now, we can lay the foundations for a better Singapore in the decades to come.”

As he said earlier in his speech, the new policies and mindsets of Forward Singapore are part of the “refreshed Singapore dream”: a country where Singaporeans can support one another, and thrive and flourish “in ways that are less prescribed and determined, more adventurous and open”.

“Realising our new ambitions will require a major reset – a major reset in our policies, to be sure, but also a reset in our attitudes.”