page_title: Ng Eng Hen
section_title: Political career
hierarchical_section_title: Ng Eng Hen / Career / Political career
caption_attribution_description: English: Dr. Ng Eng Hen (Mandarin: 黄永宏, Pinyin: Huáng Yǒnghóng; born 10 December 1958), Member of Parliament for the Bishan–Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency, was the Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence of Singapore as of 1 April 2009. He was also a member of the Central Executive Committee of the People's Action Party.
context_page_description: Ng Eng Hen is a Singaporean politician and former surgical oncologist. A member of the governing People's Action Party, he has been the Minister for Defence since 2011. He has been a Member of Parliament representing the Bishan–Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency since 2001.
context_section_description: 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 Minister 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 weight 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 weight of mother-tongue language in the PSLE would not be reduced.
  In 2011, Ng was appointed as Minister for Defence. He was also appointed as Leader of the House in Parliament.
  Ng and team remained representatives for Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC in the 2020 Singaporean general election, garnering 67.26% of the valid votes.
caption: Ng in November 2005
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