SINGAPORE – More support for working professionals and mentorships for youth were among moves relating to the Malay/Muslim community that were announced on March 6, during the debate on the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth’s budget.

Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli also reiterated Singapore’s calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip so that aid can reach civilians there.

He urged Singaporeans to donate generously to a new round of fund raising, which will contribute to the Republic’s ongoing humanitarian efforts for the Palestinian territory.

Here are the highlights:

More mentoring opportunities

A new mentoring programme for upper secondary students and those from institutes of higher learning will be launched in 2024. 

The Cool Yah Conversations programme will take on a one-time session approach to cater to those who do not wish to commit to long-term mentoring. 

Individuals can be mentored in subjects like education transition, careers and personal development. The programme aims to reach 1,000 Malay youth in one year.

Mendaki will set up at least one youth mentoring programme in each of its 11 M3@Towns by end-2024, up from four towns in 2023. Its Youth Mentoring Office has trained more than 1,600 people to help more than 5,700 mentees since its inception in 2019.

M3 is a tie-up between self-help group Mendaki, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) and the People’s Association Malay Activity Executive Committees Council.

Expansion of support network for professionals

To help Malay/Muslim workers expand their support network and give back to the community, Mendaki will expand its professional networks to four more industries, including healthcare and media.

The networks currently have more than 450 professionals in the care, green and digital sectors, said Senior Minister of State for Manpower and Defence Zaqy Mohamad.

These networks help nurture Muslim youth by, for instance, providing job shadowing opportunities in various industries, he explained.

In 2023, more than 5,000 Malay/Muslim workers received help from Mendaki’s care advisers and partners, such as the National Trades Union Congress, in their job search and career-related needs, said Mr Zaqy.

Fund raising for Gaza during Ramadan 

With over 30,000 lives lost and the human toll increasing, Israel’s military response has gone too far, said Mr Masagos, echoing a point made by Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in Parliament on Feb 29.

“The carnage must stop,” he said.

Mr Masagos added that it has been heartbreaking for many Singaporeans to see the humanitarian tragedy unfold in Gaza in the past few months.

“Bound by our shared humanity, we cannot help but carry with us their pain and suffering,” he said.

“From the many conversations that my parliamentary colleagues and I have had with the community on this crisis, we hear the deep sense of grief, frustration and helplessness that many feel amid the ongoing crisis,” he said. “We understand and share these sentiments.”

He noted that Singapore has announced that it will send a third tranche of aid, via Jordan, to support civilians in Gaza.

The Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation (RLAF) will hold another round of fund-raising appeal for Gaza during Ramadan.

“We hope that Singaporeans will step forward and contribute generously,” he said.

According to its website, the RLAF’s previous donation drive from Oct 19 to Nov 17, 2023, raised close to $6.8 million for humanitarian relief in Gaza.

New fund for religious needs to be launched

A community endowment fund is expected to be open for public contribution later in 2024. It will serve as a sustainable revenue stream to meet the needs of the local Muslim community. 

The Wakaf Masyarakat Singapura will support the needs of religious institutions, the development of religious teachers, and community programmes.

Muis has received over $3.6 million in pledges for the fund since 2023, said Mr Masagos.

To encourage the Muslim community here to contribute to the fund, Muis will embark on public education campaigns, and work with partners such as M3 lawyers.

It will also work with government agencies such as the Central Provident Fund Board to leverage national legacy planning initiatives.

Mr Masagos said: “We must continue to ensure strong foundations for our religious institutions.

“In turn, our religious institutions provide the moral foundation for our community to thrive in the economy.”

All mosques can soon invest their reserves

A pilot programme that lets mosques here place their reserves in syariah-compliant investment products to generate better returns will be expanded, said Mr Masagos.

Since the launch of the Mosque Wakaf Investment Plan in 2022, 14 mosques in the western part of Singapore had invested close to $2.37 million, he noted.

By expanding this initiative to all mosques here, they can grow their funds and amplify their impact on the community, he added.

Muis said the programme will help strengthen the mosques’ reserves so that they are more financially resilient to meet future needs, such as renewing their leases.

New scholarship, rise in enrolment for tuition programmes

A three-year partnership that Mendaki has signed with semiconductor firm Micron Singapore will provide five scholarships for polytechnic engineering students annually from 2024, with each student receiving $4,000 a year. 

Staff from Micron have also been trained to be facilitators in Mendaki’s mathematics tuition programme, and to mentor undergraduates, said Mr Zaqy.

He also provided an update on enrolment numbers for Mendaki’s signature educational programmes.

KelasMateMatika, which prepares Malay/Muslim children aged four to six for Primary 1 maths, has supported close to 5,500 children since 2018. In 2023, 3,200 children and parents were enrolled in the programme, an increase of 74 per cent from 2022.

Separately, enrolment in the Mendaki Tuition Programme grew by 15 per cent over the past five years to more than 9,000 students in 2023, he noted.

Of the pupils who received one-to-one coaching for Primary 6 maths in 2023, 65 per cent of those who previously failed the subject passed their PSLE maths after the programme, said Mendaki.