2 September 2000

SPEECH BY DR. ALINE WONG, SENIOR MINISTER OF STATE FOR EDUCATION,
AT THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF "PROJECT Y" HELD
ON SATURDAY, 2 SEPT 2000 AT 11.00AM, AT THE RAFFLES CITY ATRIUM

2. I understand that Project Y is a fund-raising programme involving secondary schools. It is a part of the President's Challenge 2000 which comprises a host of activities aimed at fostering a sense of social responsibility within our community. It is indeed commendable that a number of our secondary schools have responded positively to this project.

3. The goals of education in our schools are to develop the individual and educate the citizen. Education is not just about the cognitive development of an individual. A sound education aims for the holistic development of the child, i.e. development of his physical, moral, social and aesthetic dimensions, apart from his intellect.

4. The foundation of an individual lies in his values. Values are the wellspring of a person's outlook and goals in life. Schools must work with the key stakeholders of education, namely, the parents and the community, to reinforce the desired values in our children. The community plays a special role in being able to provide opportunities for our pupils to develop their sense of purpose and commitment to society.

5. To this end, the efforts of The New Paper, as organiser of this event, are highly laudable. The New Paper extended invitations to schools to come up with creative ways of raising funds for various charities. The event aimed to co-ordinate the efforts of schools and various shopping centres to raise as much funds as they can over these two days. In taking up this challenge, our pupils were allowed to be innovative and to think out of the box.

6. I am impressed with how the participating schools have come up with creative ideas to raise funds and be involved with the community in the process. Henderson Secondary School, for example, has involved their alumni members and "friends of Henderson". The ideas proposed by the other schools are equally interesting as they demonstrate a high degree of entrepreneurship among their students. Their ability to appreciate and merge the arts with information technology in a fund raising event is also very refreshing indeed.

7. I would like to encourage schools to participate actively in events such as this. Such activities raise the awareness in our pupils that they need to look beyond themselves and contribute to society.

8. On a final note, I would like to commend The New Paper and the shopping centres again for taking up the stakeholders role in education seriously. You have shown that the community can play an important part in helping to nurture our students to be socially responsible and committed to serving their fellow Singaporeans.