Ng Eng Hen

Dr. Ng Eng Hen (born 10 December 1958) is a Singaporean politician. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he is the country's Minister for Defence. He also serves as the Leader of the House in the Parliament of Singapore. He previously served as the Minister for Manpower from 2004 to 2008, and Minister for Education from 2008 to 2011. He has been a Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Bishan-Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency (GRC) since 2001.

Career
Ng was a consultant surgeon at the Singapore General Hospital from 1992 to 1997, and maintained a private practice in Mount Elizabeth Hospital as a surgical oncologist from 1997 to 2001.

Political career
In 2001, Ng was elected a Member of Parliament for Bishan-Toa Payoh Group GRC. In 2002, he was made a Minister of State at the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Manpower.

In August 2004, Ng became the Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Education. In 2005, his Second Minister's portfolio was switched from Education to Defence.

In April 2008, Ng was made the Minster for Education and relinquished the post of Minister for Manpower.

Ng has also served as Chairman of the Jobs Task Force at the Ministry of Manpower, and Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Low Wage Workers.

In June 2007, Ng travelled to France at the invitation of the French Ministry of Defence to visit the Paris Air Show and also to visit a permanent Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) detachment stationed at Cazaux Air Base in France.

In March 2010, Ng mentioned that the weightage of mother-tongue language examinations in the Singapore Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) might be reduced in order to benefit some students who are weak in their mother-tongue due to the emphasis on the English language in the Singapore education system. This sparked a debate among Singaporeans who support emphasis on mother-tongue languages in education. Ng subsequently assured Singaporeans that the weightage of mother-tongue in the PSLE would not be reduced.

In 2011, Ng was appointed the Minister for Defence. He was also appointed the Leader of the House in Parliament.

Education


Ng attended Anglo-Chinese School and National Junior College, before going on to medical school at the National University of Singapore and fellowship training in surgical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Private life
Ng is married to Ivy Lim Swee Lian, a paediatrician and geneticist who is the CEO of SingHealth. They have four children, born between 1984 and 1994.