Your Way Home with Hongbin Jeong

From November 2027, all full-time preschool teachers in Singapore will be guaranteed at least two hours of non-teaching time each week, giving them dedicated time to plan lessons, prepare resources, document children’s development and engage with parents.

The move comes as workload remains the top factor affecting preschool educators’ well-being, according to an ECDA survey released in August.

But with some centres already stretched for manpower, how will the new requirement work on the ground? And will two hours a week be enough to ease teachers’ workload and improve the quality of care for children?

On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Dr Su Fen Cheong, Founder and CEO of Preschool Market and Associate Faculty at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, to find out more. 

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Have you ever experienced a lift breakdown in your HDB block?

Both lifts at Block 516 Bedok North Avenue 2 broke down on October 4, leaving residents to climb multiple flights of stairs for hours.

One lift had already been out of service for more than a week before the second lift failed, raising concerns about the impact on elderly residents and those with mobility issues.

On What’s Trending, Hongbin Jeong, Nadiah Koh and Alexandra Parada discuss the incident and how residents cope when lifts break down.

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Singapore plans to roll out a new national system in 2027 to block access to websites linked to phishing and malware, as part of its refreshed cybersecurity strategy.

On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Dr. Weihan Goh, Associate Professor at the Singapore Institute of Technology, about how the Protective Domain Name Service will work and whether it can offer meaningful protection against cyber threats.

With malware-infected computer systems detected in Singapore more than doubling from about 117,000 in 2024 to over 284,000 in 2025, they also examine how AI is changing the cyber threat landscape and whether this new approach can help Singapore get ahead of increasingly sophisticated attacks. 

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Stocks, crypto and digital investments might be what you associate with Gen Z, but two young Singaporeans are making a case for something more traditional: gold and silver.

On The Agenda, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Big Bullion co-founders Charmaine Chua and Ian Chan about building a precious metals business in their mid-20s, from starting out online to opening a physical store at Golden Mile Tower.

They also discuss the growing interest in gold and silver among younger Singaporeans, why these traditional assets are catching their attention, and what this reveals about how Gen Z approaches investing and financial security.

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Singaporeans often head to Johor Bahru for cheaper food, groceries and everyday essentials. But what if moving across the Causeway doesn’t actually save you money?

On What’s Trending, Hongbin Jeong and Nadiah Koh discuss the experience of a 37-year-old Singaporean father whose family’s monthly expenses rose by 10 to 20 per cent after relocating to Johor in 2022. 

So, is moving to JB really about saving money, or getting more out of what you spend? Would you take on the commute and immigration queues for a bigger home and more space, even if your expenses went up? 

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Earlier in June, finance presenter Chua Tian Tian headed down to Miami, USA, to catch Match 71 of the FIFA World Cup and to see how global technology solutions provider Lenovo helped its organiser run the tournament seamlessly behind the scenes.

But the FIFA World Cup is not the only sporting event featuring the firm’s technology. 

Lenovo is also powering Formula 1 races with solutions from workstations to even a Track-side Event Technical Centre that processes between 350,000 and 400,000 timing transponder passing events over a race weekend.

At the Singapore Grand Prix 2026, Tian Tian sat down with Sumir Bhatia, Chief Commercial Officer of Asia Pacific at Lenovo, and Amie Smith, Head of IT Systems and Support at Formula 1, to dive into the technologies turbocharging the motorsport event, before seeing everything coming together in an F1 practice race. 

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Millennials are often associated with the rise of “kidult” culture, with many continuing to collect the toys, characters and childhood favourites they grew up with from Pokémon and LEGO to plushies, blind boxes and Labubu.

In Singapore, Millennials are becoming a visible part of the collectibles scene, with greater spending power allowing them to turn childhood interests into long-term hobbies.

So what sets Millennial collectors apart from other generations and why has “kidult” culture resonated so strongly with them?

On The Agenda, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Jonathan Jiang, Vice-Principal of St Francis Methodist School (International) and a millennial collector, about what drives the hobby and what his generation’s collecting habits reveal about the way millennials navigate adulthood.

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As haze continues to affect Singapore, the government has activated two subsidy schemes from October 12 to help eligible residents seek treatment for haze-related conditions at polyclinics and participating GP clinics.

On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Shabana Begum, Correspondent at The Straits Times, about the latest haze situation and whether air quality could worsen in the coming weeks.

They also break down who qualifies for the subsidies, which conditions are covered, how much patients can expect to pay, and how to access the schemes. With authorities preparing to step up measures if the haze deteriorates, they discuss what Singaporeans should know to protect their health and what could happen if conditions worsen.

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A tourist attraction in China has introduced digital timers above public toilet stalls, counting how long visitors spend inside. Officials say the system helps manage crowds and alert staff if someone has been in a stall for an unusually long time, but it’s also sparking debate over privacy.

On What’s Trending, Hongbin Jeong, Nadiah Koh and Alexandra Parada get candid about bathroom habits, from quick three-minute visits to 20-minute scrolling sessions.

Would a countdown clock make you hurry up, or give you performance anxiety? And if Singapore introduced toilet timers at shopping malls, hawker centres and MRT stations, would you welcome them or should bathroom breaks remain private?

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Millions watch the drivers on race day. But what about the man calling the shots behind the scenes? At the Singapore Grand Prix, Sports Minutes sits down with Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal of TGR Haas F1, to reflect on his journey from engineer to team leader, the search for the next generation of talent, and the ambition driving the team forward.

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