Speech by Minister Chan Chun Sing at official opening of ServiceSG Centre Woodlands

Speech by Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister-in-charge of the Public Service and Minister for Education, at the official opening of ServiceSG Centre Woodlands, at Woodlands Civic Centre, on 15 March 2025

Grassroots Advisers, grassroots leaders, ServiceSG staff and all our partners,

Good morning. 

2 　　　　Today marks the official opening of our ninth centre here in Woodlands.

3 　　　　First, I must express my gratitude to all our dedicated staff. Thank you for your outstanding commitment. I would also like to thank all our community partners who have contributed to this milestone. 

4 　　　　Now, you might be wondering if this is our final ServiceSG centre. We frequently receive requests for more centres, and we carefully consider each request from the various towns and constituencies. I am pleased to announce that our 10th ServiceSG centre will soon open in Ang Mo Kio.

5 　　　　You might question why the Public Service Division continues to establish new ServiceSG Centres when our goal is to encourage the adoption of digital services. While we advocate for 'digital first', we maintain that it's not 'digital only'. We recognise that within our community, many individuals may not be comfortable accessing services through digital means. 

6 　　　　The Public Service Division, and the Public Service as a whole, is committed to serving everyone, whether through digital or non-digital channels. Within our resource constraints, we are steadily expanding our network of ServiceSG centres to serve those who cannot access digital services.

7 　　　　I must commend our public officers' dedication to this initiative. Establishing these centres involves more than just creating an attractive space with computers. The real challenge lies in the back-end integration — how we integrate services, retrain our officers, and reconfigure our systems. 

8 　　　　While we strive to make the front-end experience seamless and straightforward, there is substantial work behind the scenes as public officers redesign and modify their processes to enable inter-agency collaboration. Beyond the technical aspects of redesigning back-end processes, an even more crucial challenge is the training and retraining of our public officers. 

9 　　　　Previously, an officer might have specialised in handling only HDB cases. Today, when residents approach us, they may require assistance with other services — from HDB to CPF, and beyond. Instead of directing residents from counter to counter, we aim to have each public officer equipped to address multiple needs. This is no small feat. 

10 　　　　 With 25 agencies now offering services here, our officers must familiarise themselves with numerous protocols and services. I am immensely proud of our public officers' commitment to this challenge. Over the years, we have successfully retrained and upskilled many officers to handle these expanded responsibilities. I extend my heartfelt appreciation to all public officers for their dedication. Managing services from 25 agencies and counting is indeed challenging. 

11 　　　　To all Singaporeans, rest assured that as we advance towards more digitally enabled services, ServiceSG centres will always be available for those who cannot access digital services or require additional guidance for more complex transactions. 

12 　　　　Our commitment remains steadfast — to continuously improve our processes for seamless service delivery and to ensure our staff are equipped to serve residents effectively.

13 　　　　In closing, I would like to thank all our partners present today, many of whom help us provide services beyond those offered by the 25 agencies. Together, we can better serve our fellow Singaporeans.