ON Monday, a girl about 12 or 13 years old knocked on my door, asking me to buy three packets of tissue paper for $1.

She told me she had been walking around peddling her wares and that she had not eaten for the whole day.

When I asked if her parents knew what she was doing, she said her father had passed away and that her mother is a cleaner.

She said her teacher is aware of her plight.

She also said that she had been unsuccessful in her application for the School Pocket Money Fund.

It is the first time that a child had approached me asking me to buy tissue papers.

Is it legal for young children to go around selling things?

I am aware that most schools provide some sort of financial assistance to needy families, but has there been an overwhelming number of such families applying for the School Pocket Money Fund?

Ms Wang Swee Keng Angeline