Jamus Lim feels Singaporeans need less education stress to have more babies

Workers’ Party Member of Parliament (MP) Jamus Lim believes Singapore should focus on reducing education stress rather than relying on financial incentives to encourage couples to have more babies.

Reflected on concerns raised by residents

In an Instagram post on Monday (15 June), the Sengkang GRC MP reflected on concerns raised by residents during recent house visits in the Cove cluster of Anchorvale.

Over the past month, Mr Lim and his team visited Blocks 334A-C and parts of Blocks 335 and 336, while also conducting kopi sessions at nearby coffee shops.

According to Mr Lim, many of the households in the area consist of working parents with school-going children, leading conversations to centre on family-related issues.

Residents shared concerns about the lack of play spaces for children, along with transport challenges that make it harder for families to get around.

Mr Lim shared that the to-be-completed resurfacing of the recessed hard court should help provide more recreational space for younger residents.

He also highlighted frustrations over crowded public transport and reduced services on the Sengkang LRT’s West Loop.

Reduce education stress to boost birth rate

However, the challenges of raising children in Singapore began to emerge as a recurring theme.

“Many residents shared about the stresses of raising children, especially given how unforgiving the educational system is,” Mr Lim wrote.

During his conversations with the residents, many raised concerns about the costs involved in raising children.

Under such circumstances, this would then make it more difficult to have large families.

While acknowledging that financial support for families is appreciated, Mr Lim suggested that additional cash incentives alone may not be enough to boost Singapore’s birth rate.

“If I had to diagnose one way to really help boost our ailing national fertility rate, it is not by throwing more money at the problem,” he said.

Instead, Mr Lim felt that the focus should be on easing the pressure parents feel to push their children through what he described as the “rigours of the educational rat race”.

Jamus Lim visits flea market at Sengkang condo, meets families and listens to feedback