SDP's Chee Soon Juan pounced on Minister Shanmugam's speech to claim credit for themselves

SDP's Chee Soon Juan pounced on Minister Shanmugam's speech to claim credit for themselves and in the process, proved that character is permanent.

Before SDP came up with the policy paper, the major shift to focus on education at all levels was announced by PM Lee at the 2011 NDR.

Many initiatives followed to realize that aim.

At the 6th S Rajaratnam Lecture in 2013, Minister Tharman reiterated the government's focus on intervening earlier in children's lives.

"We are intervening upstream, earlier in children’s lives, to reduce the gaps in the starting points between children from poorer and better off backgrounds. We are investing in better quality pre-schooling, at affordable rates, and in detecting those with learning difficulties early. We have to find every way of reducing these gaps, these early gaps between kids of different social backgrounds, through both government and community initiatives." - Tharman

https://www.mfa.gov.sg/content/mfa/overseasmission/cairo/press_statements_speeches/embassy-news-and-press-releases/2013/201312/press_20131202.html