i disagree, they nv jaywalk. it over 50m   JAYWALKING MEANS NOT USING DESIGNATED CROSSING FACILITIES WHEN CROSSING A ROAD AT A POINT WITHIN 50 METRES OF SUCH FACILITIES. THESE DESIGNATED FACILITIES ARE OVERHEAD BRIDGES, UNDERPASS, ZEBRA CROSSING (WITH BEACONS) AND CROSSINGS WITH GREEN MAN-RED MAN LIGHTS https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/photographs/record-details/aa3a3c39-1162-11e3-83d5-0050568939ad      

SINGAPORE – The maid who was with a four-year-old girl who died in a car accident in January had jaywalked with her, despite being told not to. A coroner’s inquiry into the death of Zara Mei Orlic on June 26 revealed that Zara had dashed across Institution Hill in River Valley on Jan 23 when the accident happened. The little girl had suddenly appeared between two stationary vehicles along the two-lane road when a car driving from the opposite direction hit her.   Traffic Police Station Inspector (SI) Muhammad Firdaus Suleiman was called as a witness. He said the maid, who was holding the hand of Zara’s two-year-old sister, was about three steps behind Zara and yelled for the car to stop when the collision occurred. The maid told investigators that she was also holding the girls’ school bags, and allowed Zara to walk ahead of her, as she was an “independent child”.     When assisting officer Jeanice Lim asked how long it took for Zara to be visible in the in-car camera footage when she was hit, SI Firdaus replied that it was one second.     Zara’s parents were present in the courtroom at the hearing. Her mother choked up several times as SI Firdaus recounted what happened. SI Firdaus said that when the car hit Zara, who was about 1m tall, she fell onto the road and the car ran across her body. She was bleeding from her nose and mouth, was not responsive, and had a faint pulse. She was taken to Singapore General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The autopsy revealed that the cause of her death was head injury.   Separately, the maid was treated for trauma. SI Firdaus said that according to the car driver, a 40-year-old woman who was arrested after the incident, she was driving home along Institution Hill after picking up her two children from school. She suddenly felt that her car had hit and gone over something. When she checked her rear-view mirror, she realised she had hit a child, said SI Firdaus. She immediately stopped the car and checked on Zara. The driver was not named at the hearing, with SI Firdaus referring to her only as an “involved party”. On whether any action will be taken against the driver or the maid, the court heard that the Attorney-General’s Chambers will decide after the coroner’s findings are released. Zara Mei Orlic was on Jan 23 taken to Singapore General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. PHOTO: COURTESY OF NICK ORLIC SI Firdaus said footage from the in-car camera showed that both the maid and Zara were looking towards the right side of the road even though the car was approaching from their left. ST understands that the maid, who began working for the Orlic family in October 2023, is still working for them. SI Firdaus said it was not the first time the maid had used this route to jaywalk with the children after picking them up from pre-school. He said Zara’s parents had reminded her not to cross the road in Institution Hill, as that would be jaywalking. He added that despite their warnings, the maid still crossed the road in Institution Hill and this was the usual route she took after picking up the children. What the maid should have done was to walk about 200m from the pre-school in River Valley Road, pass by Institution Hill and head for the pedestrian crossing, he said. SI Firdaus noted that when the collision occurred, the car was not travelling at a fast speed and the driver was not distracted. He added that based on evidence gathered, there was no foul play involved. The coroner will give his findings on July 5. Lawyer Alfred Lim, who is acting for Zara’s family, said her parents will assess their legal options after the coroner’s findings are released.

waiting for their kids to do the same. dont talk the talk, walk the walk    

SINGAPORE - Defining the success of an education system goes beyond looking at rankings, said Education Minister Chan Chun Sing on June 25. Such success should instead be defined by individuals’ desire for continuous learning, and whether society can tap diverse strengths to build resilience, he added. “Many rankings have ranked our education system very highly, and I’m very proud of our accomplishments,” Mr Chan said, but it is not just things that are measurable that are important.   He added that all metrics should be taken “with a pinch of salt”. Mr Chan was responding to a question from former diplomat Bilahari Kausikan, who is the chairman of the National University of Singapore’s Middle East Institute, on the Republic’s performance in a global test of creative thinking that was reported recently. Singapore’s 15-year-olds had ranked first out of 64 education systems in the test, which was part of the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) 2022, conducted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.     Mr Kausikan was moderating the closing session of the Middle East Institute’s annual conference with Mr Chan.   ons and affiliates as well as their agents and authorised service providers. marketing and promotions. The definition of creativity looks different when applied to various contexts, Mr Chan said, and is but one dimension of achievements.  “Creativity is not just about waking up with the lightbulb coming on,” he said. “Creativity is a disciplined pursuit or disciplined inquiry into issues, problems, and trying to find new and innovative solutions that add value.” It requires a deep understanding of the surrounding context – cultures, systems, fears and aspirations – along with the ability to create new value propositions, said Mr Chan.   He added that he is not fixated on how people define creativity – whether it is the creativity associated with art and breakthrough inventions, or creativity measured by the Pisa creative test, involving everyday problem-solving at home or work. Instead, he is “more interested in whether our people have that gumption for disciplined pursuit of ways to overcome challenges”.  Creativity was one of multiple topics covered by Mr Chan and Mr Kausikan during their closing session, which came after three panel discussions on Gulf education systems and changes necessary to address challenges like unemployment. Held both in person at Orchard Hotel and online, the conference had about 170 attendees in its 10th edition. The first conference was held in 2015. Education Minister Chan Chun Sing taking a wefie with university students at the Middle East Institute’s annual conference on June 25.  ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY Mr Chan also spoke about changing the public perception of vocational training, in response to a question by Mr Kausikan about how the preference towards academic studies that exists in many systems globally can be overcome.  It is not about the bias, but whether economic value can be derived from a new skill set obtained, said Mr Chan, adding that this is a practical concern that many individuals have.  “People resort to degrees, diplomas, as a signal of their ability and skills,” he said. “But today, many enlightened companies look at their employees not based on their credentials, but based on their skill sets.”  Close partnerships with companies are key to give people confidence that there is an end goal in obtaining a new skill set, he added. Mr Chan also noted a need to change the mindset of Singaporeans regarding vocational training.    He gave the example of how the Institute of Technical Education had intentionally upgraded its campus into a well-furnished one with good facilities, to foster respect for its students and help them feel a sense of self-respect. “There is no one single way to overcome this bias against vocational training,” he said. “But there are very practical things that we can do in terms of shaping the environment and culture of how people who go into vocational training are treated and respected.”  He also talked about maintaining a quality teaching force, using technology for personalised learning, and how Singapore’s education system had developed over the years.  Members of the audience asked Mr Chan questions about social mobility and inequality in Singapore, challenges faced by civil servants without scholarships, and the value of education in navigating diversity and conflict.  In response to a question about the Singapore education system’s impact on the country’s regional standing in South-east Asia and whether more could be done to help other Asean nations develop their education systems, Mr Chan said: “I am not in the school of thought that I think Singapore should go around and teach other people.” He said: “Every society has their own needs and their own context. We don’t just pick and choose certain ideas.”  Singapore’s education system is also not perfect, and even with the rankings it has attained, Mr Chan said he will continue to push for students to be exposed to different perspectives in a global context.  “If every Singaporean student that goes overseas brings back one fresh perspective and new insight from where they have been, we will be much better,” he said.

SINGAPORE: A woman who underwent surgery to remove her womb and related parts in her reproductive system at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) is suing the hospital and a surgeon who performed the procedure, alleging negligence. Madam Faith Gao, who is also known as Faith Ang, alleges that the surgery obstructed a tube that connects her kidneys to the bladder and left one of her kidneys functioning at only 6 per cent. However, lawyers for the hospital and the surgeon, Professor Tan Hak Koon, called the suit "entirely ill-conceived and fuelled by sub-standard advice", maintaining that the surgery was performed appropriately and the obstruction was not caused by Prof Tan. The trial opened in the High Court on Tuesday (Jun 25), with Mr David Gan from DG Law representing Mdm Gao and a team of lawyers from Legal Clinic, led by Senior Counsel Kuah Boon Theng, defending SGH and Prof Tan. WHAT HAPPENED According to opening statements from both Mdm Gao and the defendants' lawyers, the 54-year-old woman had been considering going under the knife for some time. The operation involved the removal of her uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes.  This was because she had severe endometriosis, a disease where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, and her condition did not respond to conservative treatment. Mdm Gao was infertile and underwent two prior surgeries in 2000 and 2011, her lawyer, Mr Gan, said in his opening statement. She consulted Prof Tan around November 2018 for a second opinion while receiving treatment at the National University Hospital. She decided to go to SGH for the procedure - known as a total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and adhesiolysis. It took place at SGH on Jan 4, 2019, under three surgeons. Prof Tan, a senior consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, was the first surgeon. Both sides agreed in their opening statements that the surgery was uneventful and successful. Mdm Gao was discharged three days later, and the defendants' lawyers claim that Mdm Gao told Prof Tan in her final consultation that she was happy with the surgery. However, Mdm Gao developed intermittent abdominal pain around June 2019. She sought medical attention in December 2019 at another hospital, the defendants' lawyers said. A computed tomography (CT) scan purportedly showed swelling of the left kidney and left ureter, which is a tube connecting the kidney to the bladder. This was likely due to an obstruction of the left ureter, with urine build-up. Senior Counsel Kuah said that not relieving the obstruction promptly would have allowed the pressure to continue building up, with adverse consequences to kidney function. "However, for reasons that are unclear to the defendants, it was not until February 2020 that the plaintiff finally underwent surgery to excise the left ureteric obstruction or stricture," said Ms Kuah and her team. Mdm Gao has two witnesses for her case - Dr Lewis Liew, who performed general surgery on Mdm Gao, and Dr Gong Ing San, an "expert on surgery". According to Mdm Gao's lawyer Mr Gan, the two witnesses think Mdm Gao's claim "has merit". Dr Liew, a urologist, concluded that the ureal impairment was due to the surgery with Prof Tan, said Mr Gan.  Mr Gan said his client would argue that the duty of care provided to her was "inadequate", and that reasonable care was not exercised, leading to her injury. HOSPITAL, SURGEON'S RESPONSE; COUNTERCLAIM Lawyers for the defendants said in their opening statement the defendants were not only not negligent, but that the delay in appropriate treatment for the ureter was "something that needs to be answered by Dr Liew as it was the cause of the damage to the plaintiff's left kidney". They added that Dr Liew had "made no effort to find out details of how the surgery was actually performed" before making his "baseless and irresponsible statement" that the surgery had likely caused her injury. "Had he done so, he would have discovered that the surgery was uneventful and there were no operative procedures carried out in the vicinity of the ureters," said the lawyers. They alleged that while Dr Liew later "backtracked" and issued a clarification report saying he had been only "speculating", the damage had been done. "The plaintiff had been misled into thinking that she was a victim of negligence, and would go on to commence this action against the defendants," said the lawyers for SGH and Prof Tan. They said Mdm Gao treated Dr Liew as an expert, and that Dr Gong was trained as a general surgeon but it is unclear if he still actively performs surgeries today. "He is certainly not an O&G specialist, and is not qualified to offer an expert opinion on a total abdominal hysterectomy bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and adhesiolysis," said the defendants' lawyers. SGH had filed a counterclaim against Mdm Gao for S$9,449 (US$6,986) in hospital bills that were left outstanding. Mdm Gao's defence was that the bills should be claimed from her medical insurers, but her insurer has rejected the claim, with the hospital's lawyers saying Mdm Gao remains liable for her own medical bills. The trial continues before Justice Choo Han Teck. Source: CNA/ll(sn)