1 December 1999

SPEECH BY DR ALINE WONG, SENIOR MINISTER OF STATE FOR EDUCATION, AT THE OPEN MINDS CHARITY DINNER HELD ON WEDNESDAY, 1 DEC 99, AT 8.00 PM AT THE HOTEL MARINA MANDARIN

I would like to thank everyone for making the effort to come together this evening for a time of fun and fund raising. I am happy to see that so many are supportive of Open Minds and what it stands for.

2 This is one in a string of activities conducted this year to highlight children in our community who have special needs. As patron of the "Open Minds – Educating All of Our Children" project, I am pleased to note that we are on target to raise $250,000 by the end of the year, and some 50 donors and helpers have come together over the past few months to ensure the success of the project. I commend the management and staff of Proctor & Gamble for their enthusiasm and stamina, and their commitment to bringing hope to children with special needs.

3 Indeed I look forward to witnessing the greater benefits which the funds raised will be able to provide for these children, and make special education even more meaningful and enjoyable for them.

4 In our enthusiasm and drive to garner support and raise funds, we must not lose sight of our objective which is to help children with special needs learn skills that will enable them to cope with the challenges of everyday living and be as independent as possible.

5 To accelerate the learning of essential skills, my Ministry announced in April this year that we would be increasing the provision of facilities and resources for disabled children. Among such additional provisions are computer-related facilities as standard items for the 3 SPED schools for the sensory impaired which are following the mainstream school curriculum. There will also be increased provision for the other SPED schools for the purchase of IT related facilities and maintenance of equipment.

6 In the middle of this year, MOE set up a Task Force on IT for SPED Schools to oversee the implementation of such additional provisions. The initial delivery of IT hardware to the SPED schools will start this month. We expect the whole project to be completed by the end of financial year 2000.

7 However, the task of enhancing special education cannot be successfully completed by the government alone. There must continue to be an effective partnership involving concerned and caring individuals, voluntary organisations, private companies and the public sector. I am heartened to note that we have many individuals and private organisations who have responded to calls for partnership and assistance in charity work.

8 The ways to contribute to charity by individuals and organisations are plenty and varied. Just for the "Open Minds – Educating All of Our Children" drive alone, members of the media have highlighted interesting and heart-warming stories on special children and also about Open Minds. Advertising, public relations and creative agencies have also produced beautiful TV public service messages and audio-visual presentations. Retailers have provided store space to publicise the cause, while employees of Procter & Gamble have volunteered, over 3 weekends, to be stationed at their outlets to promote the project to the general consumer.

9 Truly there are many creative ways in which charity work can be carried out. And everyone here has gone the extra mile to do something meaningful for children with special needs, most notably our local personalities who have lent their strong support to this cause.

10 The children and staff of the Rainbow Centre, and their families will not forget your willingness to be a part of their lives. If you can, take some time to get to know the families present this evening. Theirs are testimonies of the enduring quality of the human spirit which all of us can learn from.

11 In closing, let me take this opportunity to wish you all the best for this season and may the dreams of your hearts come true. Thank you.