SeaPRwire

IP insurers’ small panels irk some policyholders

aseanpr
1 minute

SINGAPORE - When lawyer Leslie Tham, 48, needed to go for an urgent medical procedure last year, his agent told him he needed to get pre-approval to make a claim on his Integrated Shield Plan (IP). He checked his insurer's website and made calls, and waited for the pre-authorisation, not knowing how long it would take, or if it would even come. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.

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50,000 staff in education sector receive Covid-19 vaccination letters; over 80% have made appointments

aseanpr
4 minutes

SINGAPORE - Over 80 per cent of staff in education institutions who have been invited to take the Covid-19 vaccine have made appointments to do so, said Education Minister Lawrence Wong. Close to 50,000 letters were sent out on March 10 in the first batch of invitations, encouraging educators to take their jabs so as to reduce the risk of transmission in the community. The response from the education sector has been very positive, said Mr Wong, noting that some staff have already taken their first jab. "(I'm) very glad to see them step forward, in the spirit of protecting not just themselves, but their students and school community," said Mr Wong in a Facebook post on Thursday (March 25). The vaccination exercise for teachers comes as the Ministry of Health expands the national vaccination programme to personnel who offer essential and front-line services. More than 150,000 teachers and other staff will be offered the Covid-19 vaccine, the Ministry of Education had said earlier this month. The exercise covers those working in primary schools, secondary schools, junior colleges and Millennia Institute, as well as those in special education schools, the Institute of Technical Educati...

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From The Backbench

aseanpr
2 minutes

GAN THIAM POH (ANG MO KIO GRC) Extending childcare leave amid Covid-19 Mr Gan noted that currently, if a young child falls sick, he is given at least five days of medical leave by the doctor due to Covid-19 conditions. "At least one parent has to take leave to look after the child. If the same child falls sick again, the other parent will have to take leave," he said, appealing for the extension of childcare support leave for working parents who do not have family support to look after their children. LEON PERERA LEON PERERA (ALJUNIED GRC) Tax capital gains in property sector Instead of hiking broad-based taxes such as petrol duty or the goods and services tax, Mr Perera of the Workers' Party suggested raising the stamp duty and additional buyer's stamp duty for more expensive properties. "Such a fiscal move would be progressive and would impact the capital gains made by sellers in the higher end of the property market," he said. "A tax on such a class of capital gains will not run the risk of unintended inflationary effects, will not damage work incentives," he added. NG LING LING NG LING LING (ANG MO KIO GRC) Tech to support seniors living alone There is a need to continue improv...

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Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on Jan 17

aseanpr
2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Sunday, Jan 17. All travellers to S'pore need to take Covid-19 PCR test on arrival from Jan 25 Foreign workers will also need to take PCR and serology tests once they arrive in Singapore. READ MORE HERE Malaysians debate govt flip-flops on movement curbs as Covid-19 cases hit record high Some are puzzled by what businesses should be open or shut with the MCO imposed again. READ MORE HERE A mother hopes for answers in her 7-year-old child's murder case from 1995 A pink tin box filled with memories of her daughter is never too far from the 65-year-old's bed. READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news Lunch With Sumiko: Pritam Singh on the need to keep calm and stay grounded Mr Singh believes that when things are going good, it's best to keep your feet grounded and not get overly exuberant. READ MORE HERE Hawkers go online to boost sales of festive goods in lead-up to Chinese New Year 20 hawkers at Chinatown Complex have joined a pilot online store. READ MORE HERE Feeding wildlife in Singapore is a lose-lose situation: Experts People often feed wildlife out of compassion, but e...

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IB diploma and A levels: How the two routes differ

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3 minutes

SINGAPORE - The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) and the A levels are both two-year-long programmes that cater mainly to students between 16 and 18 years old. In Singapore, more students tend to opt for the A-level route. In 2019, 12,405 students sat the national exam. A-level students are graded almost entirely on their final exams, which tend to be content-heavy. The IBDP is considered a less frequently chosen option. Last year, 2,228 students from Singapore, including those from schools such as Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and St Joseph's Institution (SJI), sat the diploma exam in November. Each year, there is another sitting in May, taken mainly by international schools in Singapore. In the IBDP, the final IB exams account for about 70 per cent to 80 per cent of the total mark for each subject, while assignments assessed by teachers and checked by external examiners contribute the rest of the final grade, according to a note on SJI's website. The curriculum places emphasis on the research processes of the students, as well as on their inquiry and problem-solving skills. Other key external assessments are the theory of knowledge essay and the individual...

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How Covid-19 pushed the property market to adapt

elean
5 minutes

During the worst phase of the pandemic, many people wondered if the property market would come to a screeching halt and result in the greatest fall in prices since the turn of the millennium. However, the market proved to be quite resilient. And this did not come by sheer luck. First, government intervention through stimulus packages and jobs protection aid insulated Singaporeans from the full brunt of the economic slowdown and minimised the number of people affected by retrenchments or business closures. It was reported that around 150,000 jobs will be saved over these two years, with more than half of them by the Jobs Support Scheme. Second, the loan repayment moratorium helped to cushion the shock of job losses and these measures collectively helped prevent the widespread distress sale of homes. Statistics have shown that residential properties make up a large chunk of the Singaporean household balance sheet, with the other components being investments in financial products, insurance and savings. That developers received an extension to project completion times alleviated some of their stress. As a result, the market did not experience mass reduction of prices just to move unit...

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Must-reads

aseanpr
2 minutes

THE BIG STORY Singapore signs world's largest trade pact The world's largest trade pact, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, was inked by ministers from 15 countries including Singapore. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said it was a "major step forward for the world, at a time when multilateralism is losing ground, and global growth is slowing". THE BIG STORY Who should be given a Covid-19 vaccine first? A number of Covid-19 vaccine candidates are undergoing late-stage trials and if successful, may be used to inoculate millions from as early as next month. Senior health correspondent Salma Khalik speaks to experts to understand who should be given priority and how much protection the vaccines can give, among other things. SINGAPORE ST photojournalists' personal take on their word of the year Words may fail many of us in trying to capture the misery of the past few months, but the wise folk at Collins Dictionary - lexicographers is the word for them - have hit on "lockdown" as their word of the year. Armed with the adage that a picture is worth a thousand words, The Straits Times photojournalists give a personal take on their word of the year. OPINION Why Biden will be t...