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SPEECH BY MR LEE YOCK SUAN, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, AT THE PROMOTION CEREMONY AND LAUNCH OF THE EDUCATION SERVICE MISSION STATEMENT ON 28 OCT 96 AT SHANGRI-LA HOTEL, ISLAND BALLROOM AT 9.30 AM

1. I am very happy to be here this morning for the presentation of certificates to Senior Education Officers who have been promoted during the October exercise this year and to launch the Education Service Mission Statement.
2. I would first like to offer my heartiest congratulations to the 852 officers who have been promoted into the Senior Education Officer (SEO) grades. They comprise 578 Heads of Department (HODs), 158 Senior Teachers and 116 officers at our headquarters who are in equivalent positions.
3. In March this year the Ministry made significant improvements to the Education Scheme of Service. We have upgraded the posts of HODs to recognise the important role which they play in coordinating teaching and learning programmes in the schools. The October promotion exercise marks the first time HODs in primary and secondary schools have been promoted to SEO grades.
4. We have also appointed the first batch of Senior Teachers and promoted them to SEO grades. The introduction of Senior Teacher posts serves to reward outstanding classroom teachers.
   They are the teachers who have acquired extensive experience in the classroom, are highly skilled in teaching and have made significant contributions to the school, both within and outside the classroom. They act as good role models and as mentors for younger teachers. The Senior Teacher appointment will help meet the aspirations of dedicated classroom teachers who do not wish to take up administrative duties.

   The Mission Statement

5. Today's ceremony is also a good occasion for us to launch the Education Service Mission Statement. This statement sets out the purpose of the Education Service, the philosophy of our education system, and the critical role that teachers play in shaping our future as a nation.
   

   The Need to Reposition the Education Service

6. We have built up a sound education system which has served our nation well. It is a system that must continually look forward and anticipate future needs so as to equip our young with the skills, knowledge and values to assure their livelihood and the country's survival and success. We must constantly review our policies, our curriculum and practices to ensure that we remain geared to the future. Ultimately, however, it is the people in the system, the Education professionals, who will determine our success or failure in achieving our objectives. They determine if policies are translated into effective programmes for the good of pupils. It is they who shape our young who, in turn, will shape the future of our nation.
7. There has been a perception for some time now that the teaching profession has not been given the status it deserves in society.
   The significant improvements in the terms of the Education Service are the start of our efforts to redress this situation. We have to reinstate the role of teachers as a critical profession inthe eyes of the public, and in the eyes of teachers themselves. Teachers must themselves understand what their role is and have the conviction of their mission.
8. Several months ago, a group of professionals comprising teachers, HODs, principals and ministry officials met together to think about the mission and role of the Education Service. They tapped the views of many others in the profession. The end-result, the Mission Statement is the crystallization of the collective views of education professionals on the meaning and responsibility of the profession as Singapore prepares to face the challenges of the 21st century.

   Moulding the Future of the Nation

9. The Statement sets out the Education Service Mission in its full scope. Schools must provide for the total development of their pupils.
   Their role is not just academic but to cater to the all-round development of their pupils and build them into good citizens.
10. Schools must develop in pupils the skills, knowledge and flexibility to meet the demands of the future as well as the values, instincts and attitudes to ensure we remain a closely-knit, resilient society.
    Values like striving for personal excellence, pride in one's work, teamwork and a willingness to help each other should permeate the culture of every school.
    Our young must be inculcated with a deep sense of community, and of social responsibility. They must know that Singaporeans cannot be just a loose collection of individuals if we are to survive, never mind to succeed. They must be willing to work together and stand together to defend Singapore's national interests. They must develop a deep sense of confidence in the future of the country.
11. Every teacher must play his part if we are to succeed in educating our future generations to the fullest. Teachers must make every effort to keep up with professional developments and to adapt new educational practices wherever appropriate into the classrooms. Better than anyone else, you know the strengths and weaknesses of your pupils, and are in the best position to bring out the best in every pupil. The unique bond which you have with your pupils also enables you to be mentor and role model, imparting sound moral values and inculcating correct attitudes - not just through words, but also through exemplary conduct.
12. The Education Service is committed to building a teaching force of highly committed and competent professionals. We will provide teachers with the resources and the support that they need to do their job well. We will equip them with the necessary training to enable them to carry out their mission. We will look after their overall well-being, so that they may give off their very best to their pupils.
13. What we are launching today is really a manifesto of the Singapore Education Service: our mission, our corporate philosophy, what we are committed to delivering. It is in short a declaration that as members of the Education Service, we will mould the future of our nation. It is not only a statement of how teachers should conceive of their role, but one that society at large must recognise. It re-establishes the status of teachers as a key profession in society, one that has to be accorded the respect and recognition for its role in shaping our future.
14. The work on the Mission Statement does not stop here.
    Every school and every teacher must take ownership of the Mission Statement and seek to live up to it. We must all reflect on what we are doing, and how we can continually improve the way we prepare our young for the future.
15. Let us put our hearts and minds into preparing the next generation to take Singapore forward as a dynamic, cohesive and prosperous nation.

  Click here to see the Mission Statement