Working mamas
At a time when many Singaporeans are showing rising concerns about foreigners taking their jobs, the plight of working pei du ma ma - 'study mothers' who are here to accompany their children studying in local schools - has suddenly attracted a lot of interest.
No one knows exactly how many there are in Singapore, but they probably number more than 1,000. Mostly educated, they leave their white-collar husbands back home in China in the hope that a Singaporean, English-based education will lead to better opportunities for their children. Some mothers will pay up to 100,000 yuan (HK$94,300) to foreign studies agencies in China to arrange their trip. But when they arrive, they often have a hard time making ends meet and end up taking on jobs, often in the service industry, which could be anything from kitchen helper, cleaner and chambermaid to working in a Chinese massage parlour.
Until recently, they could apply to work in any industry. But last month the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) decided that, as foreign workers, they should be subject to the same employment restrictions as others. Chinese nationals are restricted to work in the local service industry. No official reason for the decision was given and, when contacted, a ministry spokeswoman would only say 'the mothers of foreign students who accompany their children to Singapore can continue to apply for work passes. However, based on anti-vice feedback, the ministry will be stringent in granting work passes to certain occupations.'
'Anti-vice feedback'? Last month, the Singapore police raided a few reflexology centres in Chinatown's Pearl Centre. Acting on a tip-off, they arrested several women, one caught offering sexual services and another found naked with a customer. This could have been just a small vice story but for the fact that 11 of the 14 women arrested were pei du ma ma, all Chinese nationals.
The plight of those moonlighting study mothers has been given prominent coverage in the local press, always a strong shaper of opinion. The feeling is that too many pei du ma ma are turning to vice and the ministry is just trying to tighten the noose.
But, on a subconscious level, there is also a message that the authorities are protecting the jobs of Singaporeans at a time when the unemployment rate has reached a record high of 4.5 per cent and is expected to rise again this week.
Never mind that most of those service jobs sought after by the study mamas - like kitchen helpers, chambermaids and cleaners - are unlikely to appeal to Singaporeans and will probably be filled by other foreign nationals. Attention has been focused on massage parlours.
The study mothers are not lying low. Two weeks ago, about 180 protested at the Chinese embassy against the MOM ruling, and a petition asking for a review has been circulating. But the ministry's decision is unlikely to be revised in the near future.
It is paradoxical that this hoopla comes at a time when the government is seeking to establish Singapore as a 'global schoolhouse' for students from all over the world, especially Asia, to claim its share of a US$2.2 trillion global market.
As a result, more study mamas can be expected to come.
