Feedback on littering offences has increased, and rat-related problems are on the rise. Coffee shop toilets continue to rate poorly. Will plans to increase surveillance and name and shame litterbugs work? How long can Singapore rely on an army of cleaners? Steven Chia speaks to Andrew Khng, chairman of the Public Hygiene Council, Dr Serene Koh, director of The Behavioural Insights Team; and Rosie Ching, Principal Lecturer of Statistics from the Singapore Management University.

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Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) lessons in Singapore schools came under public scrutiny recently because of discussions on the Israel-Hamas war. How can contentious issues be discussed in classrooms and what skills do teachers need to navigate children in an increasingly polarised world? Steven Chia explores this with Dr Thavam Kanagaratnam, master specialist at the CCE branch of the Education Ministry, Philibert Leow, principal of Jurongville Secondary School and clinical psychologist Dr Annabelle Chow.

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Some of the first batch of residents who moved into Singapore's newest HDB town have complained of lack of shops, poor internet connection, condensation issues with the centralized cooling system - the first of its kind in a residential estate. Are teething problems to be expected when building a new town or have buyers' expectations changed? Woo Jun Jie from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, and Nicholas Mak, a real estate analyst, discuss with Steven Chia.

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It was recently announced that casual racism allegations will be investigated as disciplinary breaches in the police force. But are guidelines always so clear cut? Where are the grey areas and how can organisations deal with it? Dr Mathew Mathews, head of the Institute of Policy Studies Social Lab, Aamir Bana, an undergraduate at Yale-NUS College and Jerviel Lim, head of people and culture at Tatsu Works have an honest conversation about how we should deal with casual racism in our society and workplaces.

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There’s been a worrying rise in the number of young people arrested for drug abuse, with the youngest just 14 years old, says the Central Narcotics Bureau. Despite Singapore’s zero tolerance on drugs and years of intensive messaging, liberal attitudes among young people appear to be stubbornly sticky, with cannabis the choice of drug. How should anti-drug messaging be tailored better to suit a generation that’s consuming a largely social media diet? Otelli Edwards finds out from Dr Lambert Low, deputy chief of the department of addiction medicine in the Institute of Mental Health, Ravindran Nagalingam, board member at the National Council Against Drug Abuse and Tham Yuen Han, clinical director at WE CARE Community Services.

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From significant top-ups to SkillsFuture credits to ITE students getting incentives to upskill, Budget 2024 is a shift in the kind of society the new fourth generation, or 4G, leadership wants to shape. Steven Chia gets views from Terence Ho, associate professor at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and Professor Lawrence Loh, director of Centre for Governance and Sustainability, National University of Singapore.

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The number of retrenchments went up in 2023 and workers are facing the brunt of a more volatile business environment. What kind of help do workers need? And what's on their Budget 2024 wishlist? Steven Chia speaks to Cheng Hing-Nan, lead coach at Workforce Singapore, Gerald Tan, projects director at Avodah Solutions and Lai Yong Liang, an urban farmer with Grobrix.

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Out of 81 countries, 15-year-olds in Singapore topped the Pisa table in reading, math and science. But how important are these metrics in a world where social and creative skills have become critical and artificial intelligence is taking centre stage?

Steven Chia gets answers from Liew Wei Li, director-general of education at the Ministry of Education, associate professor Jason Tan from the National Institute of Education, and parent of two and lecturer, Ian Tan. 

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E-commerce giant Lazada’s retrenchment exercise resulted in criticism of how it was handled, including its lack of consultation with the union. But what role can unions play when companies need to let employees go and what happens when employers don’t fulfill their tripartite obligations? Steven Chia sits down with Patrick Tay, assistant secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress and Sim Gim Guan, executive director of the Singapore National Employers Federation. 

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Commuters have expressed frustration since the Land Transport Authority announced that EZ-Link and NETS FlashPay cards cannot be used on buses and trains from June. Why is there a shift to the SimplyGo system? What is the difference in payment types? And what could the authorities do better to communicate the change? Steven Chia gets answers from Sumit Agarwal, professor at the School of Business at the National University of Singapore and Walter Theseira, who heads the urban transportation programme at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.

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