Do you have thoughts on Singapore implementing a QR code system for cross-border travel?
Read more about this issue at the bottom of the page and send us your response by filling out this form or emailing [email protected] by March 20 at 11.59pm. We’ll publish the best response in our next issue.
Thoughts from last week
Daniel Wong Hau-yin, 17, Hong Kong Tang King Po College
The Philippines has proposed a bill to impose fines on video content providers for dubbing English programmes. This has the potential to enhance students’ English language learning in the country significantly. Currently, students primarily focus on textbook grammar and academic English in their school curriculum, which can often be perceived as dull and detached from real-life situations. By incorporating English programmes into their learning, students would have the opportunity to engage with authentic, everyday English that caters to their practical needs.
It is essential to recognise that these students will need English proficiency to communicate effectively in their future careers. In this context, being able to grasp authentic spoken English becomes paramount, as it equips them with skills to interact with others in professional settings. Authentic spoken English enables learners to understand colloquial expressions, cultural nuances, and the natural flow of conversation.
The Philippines could also consider short-term immersion programmes starting with primary students. These programmes would strengthen the English-speaking environment in which students live.
However, preserving languages that are not widely spoken is also of utmost importance. They serve as a significant representation of the culture and history of a particular region. When the mother tongue is lost, individuals could experience a profound sense of detachment and loss of identity.
The mother tongue plays a vital role in shaping one’s sense of belonging to their roots as it carries the collective wisdom and artistic expressions of a community.
Read up on the issue in last week’s The Lens
Observe and Read
Travellers arriving in and departing Singapore by car will be able to clear immigration with QR codes. They will not be required to present their physical passports to Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers at car counters. Instead, travellers would only need to scan a single QR code – which they must generate via the MyICA mobile app.
Those in the same car can generate one group QR code for immigration clearance. A family of four can store their passport details on one family member’s MyICA app and generate a family group QR code. Each group QR code can include the passport details of up to 10 travellers.
Travellers can create multiple QR codes for trips with different groups. The app stores each group QR code with names such as “Family” or “Friends”.
After the code is scanned, ICA officers will conduct “face-to-face checks” of the travellers using the data retrieved through the QR code. Those who are using a group QR code must ensure it contains their passport details. If the QR code does not reflect certain details, it will be rejected.
Travellers will be able to perform this “self-clearance” in the comfort of their cars with minimal intervention by officers. However, the in-car clearance process that begins this month is not yet fully automated. Officers will still be stationed at the manual counters.
Travellers can still present their physical passports to ICA officers at the counters instead of using QR codes. But with the QR code initiative, a car with four travellers will save around 20 seconds, while a car with 10 travellers can expect to save around one minute, ICA noted.
Travellers will still need their physical passports at the checkpoints in Malaysia.
Staff writers
Research and discuss
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Do you think QR codes are going to become a widespread norm for travel across the globe?
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Are there any risks to this new system, and how can they be mitigated?
