Extending Workplace Protections to Students on Course-Required Internships Not Covered by Employment Act and Work Injury Compensation Act

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Ms Gho Sze Kee, Mountbatten

Questions

To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether students undergoing school-mandated internships, who are not typically covered by the Employment Act and the Workplace Injury Compensation Act, have any statutory protection against excessive working hours, workplace abuse and injury; and (b) if not, what recourse is available to them.

To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether the Ministry is aware if companies barred by one Institute of Higher Learning (IHL) for mistreating student interns are automatically debarred from participating in internship programmes at other IHLs; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider establishing a centralised cross-IHL mechanism to prevent such companies from simply moving to another IHL to participate in internship programmes.

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Mr Low Wu Yang Andre, Non-Constituency Member of Parliament

Question

To ask the Minister for Education in respect of students undertaking course-required internships without a contract of service and falling outside the Employment Act and Work Injury Compensation Act, whether the Government will establish minimum protections concerning working hours, rest, harassment, grievance procedures and financial protection for workplace injury.

Combined Response

1. This question has been addressed by the Ministry of Education's answer to oral Parliamentary Question Nos 112 and 113 on 5 August 2026.