NEWS A flood lesson: ‘There is no such thing as a small disaster’ Zul Othman zul@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE — The key to success for any
business is to plan ahead — be it in the course of work or dealing with disasters. When it comes to the latter, companies need to get out of the mindset that when trouble strikes, it is up to the public sector to deal with the mess. The recent floods here are a good ex- Colonel Anwar Abdullah (left) and Dr Thomas ample, said Dr Thomas Phelan, an author Phelan. PHOTO COURTESY OF BCM INSTITUTE and founding member of the United States Department of Homeland Security. “Communication failed because we had He said: “There is no such thing as a no batteries,” Dr Phelan told an audience of small disaster ... When your feet are deep in 150, comprising managers and business peo- the water you know you’re in trouble. Look ple. Radio sets in police cars became useless at how some businesses suffered when when floods damaged the vehicles, he added. floods hit Singapore.” “The best thing to learn from this sort of Dr Phelan, who spoke to MediaCorp on situation: Stockpile on batteries or have (com- the sidelines of the 3P Public Private Partner- munication devices) linked to generators”.
Fewer schools but stricter rules won’t
ship seminar jointly organised by the Busi- Business continuity is another oft- ness Continuity Management Institute and overlooked by many firms, said the Sin- the Singapore Business Federation last Fri- gapore Civil Defence Force’s (SCDF) direc- day, is no stranger to dealing with disasters. He was one of the many who helped tor of operations Colonel Anwar Abdullah, another speaker at the seminar. rock Global Schoolhouse target in the aftermath of the 2001 attacks on the “The majority of businesses ... are al- SINGAPORE — Last month, the Council for Management chief executive Adjunct Pro- World Trade Center in New York, running ways bedevilled by the ‘it won’t happen to Private Education (CPE) said tougher rules fessor Lee Kwok Cheong felt it is also im- the morgue operations. Five years ago, he me’ mentality,” he said. “But from the SCDF regulating private education could see the portant to focus on the type of student also lent his expertise to rescue workers perspective, these plans are important ... number of schools operating here plunge rather than just the numbers. after hurricane Katrina devastated New Just having plans is not enough; what is from 1,000 to 600. He said: “What Singapore needs to Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. more important is to engage and partner Could this affect the Global School- focus on more is the quality of students Hurricane rescue efforts were crippled the various stakeholders so that we can house target of 150,000 international stu- that we want to attract because ultimately, by the smallest of things. execute our plan more effectively”. dents by 2015? we want to attract quality people to our When contacted, a spokesperson from work force.” the Economic Development Board (EDB) Schools told MediaCorp that the new said that while the new regulations may rules have raised the challenge for them. affect international student numbers in the “There is competition on every front short run, “quality brand name schools will and of course the education sector has not continue to attract students to Singapore been spared,” said a spokesperson from seeking quality education”. the Management Development Institute EDB estimates that there are close to of Singapore. 100,000 international students studying here at the moment. “As the Global Schoolhouse initiative What Singapore needs continues to further enrich the educational to focus on more is landscape with institutions that represent the best in their respective fields, we be- the quality of students lieve the new regulations are aligned with our target,” said the spokesperson. that we want to attract But apart from building an education because ultimately, hub, EDB’s ambitious target is also aimed at generating 22,000 jobs and furthering the we want to attract education sector’s gross domestic product contribution from about 3 per cent now quality people to our to 5 per cent. work force. The number of schools may now dwin- dle, but industry players told MediaCorp SIM chief executive Lee Kwok Cheong that they were sure the new rules were aimed at raising the standards of private Things were different just three years education here and would also have no ago: The local private education sector had impact on the Global Schoolhouse target. been one of the fastest rising industries, Professor Andrew Chua, president of growing from 150 schools in 1997 to more the Association of Private Schools and Col- than 1,200 in 2007. leges, said EDB’s target can be achieved Stricter control came into play after — although it would also depend “on the several institutes closed — 11 private level of the international competitiveness schools in 2008 alone — leaving students and the expansion plans to reach out to stranded. overseas students by the private education As a result, the number of international institutions”. students dipped from 97,000 at the end of However, Singapore Institute of 2008 to 95,500 last year. Zul Othman