For all foreign parents new to Singapore, the People’s Association (PA) is hoping that 5,000 new immigrants will get on board its national education programme each year to familiarise themselves with Singapore. But this is an ambitious target, given that only 1,800 new immigrants have signed up for the programme since it was launched in 2007.
To reach out to more, grassroots leaders will make house visits and calls to let the new immigrants know about upcoming community activities they can sign up for. The PA is also beefing up its national education programme by adding visits to churches and temples from July, to teach newcomers more about religion in Singapore. Besides walking tours of museums and places such as Little India and Chinatown, new immigrants can also join the half-day tour of the neighbourhood to familiarise themselves with the amenities such as libraries and community centres.
Do you think these methods are enough to integrate newcomers into our society? If not, what more can be done?
