30 August 1998

SPEECH BY RADM (NS) TEO CHEE HEAN, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND SECOND MINISTER FOR DEFENCE AT THE NIE CONVOCATION ON SUNDAY, 30 AUGUST 1998 @ 10 AM AT THE KALLANG THEATRE

I am pleased to be here with you this morning and to have the opportunity to address you as you start out on your careers as teachers. Teaching is an old and noble profession.

2 You are entering the teaching profession at a most interesting time. Not only in Singapore, but also in countries around the world, basic questions are being asked. What are the desired outcomes of education? How are these best achieved? Are basic standards of literacy and numeracy being attained? Will the discovery of new knowledge and the rapid advance of technology make our current educational paradigms obsolete? What demands will globalisation and changes in the socio-economic structure of our societies place on education?

3 Over the past forty years, education in Singapore has undergone a continual process of change and improvement, providing increased educational opportunities for everyone. Primary education is now available to every Singaporean, and so is secondary education. Students now have the opportunity of at least ten years of schooling. Post-secondary education is available in our Universities, Polytechnics and Institute of Technical Education to 85% of each cohort - a remarkably high percentage when compared with any country in the world. The Ministry of Manpower and the Ministry of Education are now studying how continuing education and skills upgrading for those already in the workforce can become just as pervasive a part of our education landscape as pre-employment educational opportunities.

4 But through these forty years, our focus has not just been on quantity - providing more opportunities. More importantly, we have increased opportunities while maintaining high standards.

5 The three major initiatives introduced to our education system over these past two years - creativity, national education and information technology - will further improve the qualitative aspects of our education further. Creative thinking will help our students to find fulfilling and rewarding careers in a knowledge based economy. National education will give them a sense of place, loyalty and rootedness - a compass in life - in an increasingly globalised world. Information technology is a tool that provides them access to knowledge and information.

6 Our education system is changing to meet these new demands, and to better prepare our students for the 21st Century.

7 But in this sea of change, some things remain the same. As teachers, your most important contribution is to be a source of inspiration, to be guide and mentor to our young. You must seek to nurture the whole child, by focusing on his character development, by whetting his sense of motivation, and by bringing out his capacity to learn.

8 This is certainly a challenging task, but we have many excellent teachers who have put heart and soul into their work. The various awards - the Inspiring Chinese Language Teachers award, the Caring Teacher awards and the President’s Award for Teachers, which will be introduced for the first time on Teachers’ Day this year - are reflections of the nation’s regard and community’s recognition of the important role a teacher plays.

9 The large number of nominations for these awards submitted by students, ex-students, and parents show that many in the community have a special place in their hearts for teachers. The nominations tell of teachers who inspired students, who motivated and encouraged students, and who became lifelong friends with their students.

10 I find it hard to identify any other profession which can claim to have such a significant impact on our lives. Doctors may heal, engineers may build. But teachers mould lives and the future of our nation.

12 Teachers who touch our hearts are invariably those who go the extra mile, who act beyond the mere routine performance of their duties. Teachers whom we remember best and whom we appreciate most are those who show they genuinely have their students’ welfare and interests at heart. I know of teachers who could have worked with the brightest students, but who chose to be posted to schools where they could put their effort into helping those who have difficulty coping. I know of many teachers who take time to listen to their students’ personal problems, who visit their students’ families at home after school hours to better understand their home environment, and of some who even help needy students pay their way through school. Every gesture of concern and generosity, however small it may be, makes someone’s day, and is rarely forgotten.

13 Good teachers know that their job is not just to impart knowledge, they understand that teaching is more than just instructing. Good teachers inspire in their students a love for learning through their enthusiasm and passion for their subject, and through their own efforts to continually develop new skills and embrace new ideas in order to bring a fresh perspective to every lesson.

14 Above all else, good teachers have the ability to make every student feel that he is a winner. They have faith in their students’ abilities, and believe that every child has the potential to be anything he wants to be. Good teachers give their students a sense of self-worth, encourage them to dream, and show them how to pursue those dreams.

15 It is clear that high expectations and demands are placed on teachers. Forty years ago, teachers were on a pedestal. In a society where few parents had any education, parents brought their children to school and placed their education in the hands of teachers, trusting them to do for their children what they themselves were unable to do. Today most parents are well educated. They question and place demands on schools and teachers. Our teachers have to respond by keeping pace with new developments in their profession and constantly upgrading themselves so that they can continue to command the respect of their students, parents and society.

16 The results of a teacher’s work may not be immediately obvious, but the rewards and sense of satisfaction he or she enjoys from reaching out and touching the lives of others is immeasurable. Over the years, letters of appreciation, words of thanks, and visits from former students provide the encouragement and reassurance that all the effort has been worth it. And ultimately, what means most to any teacher, must be to hear a former student say, "You are the best teacher I had, and the reason I teach today."

17 Let me conclude by congratulating all the graduands seated here this morning for choosing to teach. As you embark on your new mission, I hope you will be able to make good use of the shared experience and knowledge gained during your days at NIE, and seek to reach out to your students, and make a difference to their lives, in the same way that many of us have been inspired by our own teachers. I wish you a rewarding and meaningful career ahead.