【国会发言】新加坡教育部：持续扩大高校体育馆向公众开放数量

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徐锦莉议员向教育部长提问：

（a）教育部是否会考虑将工艺教育学院（Institute of Technical Education, ITE）和高等学府（Institutes of Higher Learning, IHLs）的户外场地和室内运动场馆纳入双重用途计划（Dual-Use Scheme, DUS）？以及将其他空间，如教室，提供给继续教育项目使用？

（b）如果不考虑，原因是什么？

教育部政务部长 颜晓芳女士（代表教育部长回答）：议长先生，目前我们的一些高等学府（IHLs）已经有部分体育设施对公众开放。例如，新加坡国立大学的网球场和羽毛球场馆已经纳入“双重使用计划”（DUS），而其他高等学府的一些操场跑道在开放时间内也对公众开放。在正常教学时间之外，一些高等学府也会出租他们的设施。例如，礼堂和教室会出租给外部培训机构，用于继续教育培训项目或举办活动。

议长：徐锦莉议员。

徐锦莉议员：感谢部长的回答。我了解到，由于疫情后的活动恢复以及健康SG（Healthier SG，简称HSG）等社区层面的各项举措，对各种设施的需求有所增加。教育部是否有意从更广泛的角度出发，系统性地考虑将这些设施用于体育和非体育活动？尤其是在非体育活动方面，是否可以更系统地开放这些设施供不同群体预订？

颜晓芳女士：议长先生，如我之前所说，目前我们的高等学府（IHLs）中，部分选定的体育设施已经对公众开放。其他体育设施在放学后和周末，可能会被学生、教职员工、校友及其社区伙伴广泛使用，进行课外活动和校园活动。

我们在考虑这些设施是否适合纳入双重用途计划（DUS）供公众使用时，必须确保这些体育设施有物理边界，以便有独立的出入口。这是为了操作上的安全和保安。

至于非体育设施，淡马锡理工学院（Temasek Polytechnic, TP）和南洋理工大学会将他们的设施租借给外部培训机构，用于私人培训项目。然而，如果公众或其他组织希望租借礼堂、教室等设施进行活动——包括健康SG（Healthier SG，简称HSG）项目——可以直接联系相关高等学府提出申请。

Ms See Jinli Jean asked the Minister for Education (a) whether the Ministry will consider making available (i) the outdoor fields and indoor sports halls of the Institutes of Technical Education and the Institutes of Higher Learning for the Dual-Use Scheme (DUS) and (ii) other spaces for non-sport DUS purposes including classrooms to be used for continual education programmes; and (b) if not, why not.

The Minister of State for Education (Ms Gan Siow Huang) (for the Minister for Education): Mr Speaker, some sports facilities in our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) are available for public use today. For example, tennis and badminton courts in the National University of Singapore are part of the Dual-Use Scheme (DUS), while several stadium-based running tracks in our other IHLs are open to public during operating hours. Outside of regular teaching hours, some IHLs do rent out their facilities. For example, lecture theatres and classrooms for continuing and education training, programmes that are run by external training providers or events.

Mr Speaker: Ms See.

Ms See Jinli Jean (Nominated Member): I thank the Minister of State. I do understand that there is an increase in demand for various facilities because of the resumption of activities post-COVID-19, as well as also Healthier SG and various initiatives at the community level. Would there be intention to look at, on a broad base, for both sports as well as non-sport use, whether there could be a more systematic way in which these facilities can be made available for different users?

I do understand that there is a certain workflow for sports activities. But for non-sports activities, would there be, perhaps, a more systematic way in which these facilities can be made available to different groups for booking?

Ms Gan Siow Huang: Mr Speaker, as mentioned in my reply, selected sports facilities in our IHLs are available to public today. Other sports facilities in our IHLs could be heavily utilised by students, staff, alumni and their community partners after school hours and even on weekends, for co-curricular activities and campus events.

An important consideration for whether these facilities are suitable to be placed under the DUS for public use, would be whether there are physical boundaries that allow separate access points to the sports facilities. This is for the sake of operational safety and security.

As for non-sports facilities, Temasek Polytechnic and the Nanyang Technological University lease their facilities to external training providers to run private programmes. Nevertheless, members of public or other organisations may approach our IHLs directly to request to lease lecture theatres, classroom facilities for activities – Healthier SG included – if they wish to.