17 January 2000

OPENING SPEECH BY RADM (NS) TEO CHEE HEAN, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AT THE INVESTITURE OF THE 1999 NATIONAL DAY AWARDS ON MONDAY 17 JAN 2000 AT 2.30 PM AT THE KALLANG THEATRE

1 I am pleased to be here for the presentation of the 1999 National Day Awards. The Awards that you are receiving today demonstrate the Government’s commitment to recognise officers for their significant contributions in their jobs, as well as the nation’s regard of your service to Education in Singapore. These Awards are not only a recognition for work done in the past, they are also an encouragement for continuous good performance in the future.

2 Today, we will be presenting the Commendation Medal, the Efficiency Medal and the Long Service Medal to 606 officers. The Commendation Medal is given to officers who had demonstrated efficiency, competence and special performance in their work. A total of 38 officers will receive the Commendation Medal today.

3 The Efficiency Medal is given to officers for their contributions which have led to higher work productivity in their place of work. 106 officers will be presented with the Efficiency Medal today.

4 The Long Service Medal is given to officers in recognition of their 25 or more years of loyal and dedicated service. Today, a total of 462 officers will be presented with the Long Service Medal. Among the longest serving recipients is Mdm Fong Yuet Kwai, Principal of Nan Hua Primary School, who has put in 38 years 11 months of service.

5 Apart from today’s 606 recipients, there were 35 officers who received their Public Administration Medals from the President at a Presentation Ceremony held in November last year. Heading this group of recipients is Mr Wee Heng Tin, Director-General of Education. Mr Wee was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Gold). Our heartiest congratulations to Mr Wee.

6 On behalf of the Government, and the people of Singapore, I would like to thank each and every one of you receiving the awards for your contributions to Education. Collectively, you have shaped the lives of the hundreds of thousands of students who have passed through your hands. A whole generation of Singaporeans has benefited tremendously from having dedicated officers like yourselves who have put your heart and soul into your work.

7 As a group, you have many years of useful experience. This is a resource which the organisation can tap on. I would urge you to actively share your experience, working and teaching strategies with your colleagues so that we can continue to develop an even stronger team in Education. Over the years, the Ministry has instituted various mechanisms for sharing experiences and resources across schools.

8 One of the best examples is the school cluster system. The school cluster scheme started in 1997. Today, we have 25 school clusters with 230 schools. We will be forming more school clusters in the years to come. The school cluster system has enabled the sharing of resources across schools for the benefit of the students in the schools. For example, the decision made by one cluster to purchase and house high-end IT equipment in Ping Yi Secondary School for sharing with students from outside Ping Yi has enabled many more students to make use of the equipment, which in fact would have been too expensive for any one school to purchase and maintain. There is also sharing among schools within the cluster in the planning and setting of exam and test questions, which has resulted in raising the quality of the questions set.

9 Sharing of good practices is also taking place across school clusters. Schools which received the various Sustained Achievement Awards have taken upon themselves to share with other schools the strategies that have worked for them. Of course, it is not always possible for schools to adopt ideas wholesale from other schools. Each school leader would have to decide with his management team, how to distil, adapt and modify the lessons learnt in a way that best suits his own school.

10 Apart from sharing at an inter-school level, we also have many fine examples of teachers sharing on a group level. The Learning Circles at the Teachers’ Network bring together groups of teachers with similar interests who meet regularly to share experiences and undertake school-based research to further improve teaching strategies. Teachers also share their lesson plans and ideas with other teachers by posting them onto the Edumall. Other teachers can thus have access to these contributions and do not have to "re-invent the wheel".

11 Within each organisation, each school, each educational institution, individuals like yourselves with many years of wisdom and experience have much to share with your newer and less experienced colleagues. Very often it is not so much the textbook knowledge and theories learnt in school but the instincts and judgement honed from years of practical experience that are most valuable. These are precious lessons that you can share as you interact with your colleagues. Your commitment to the students you teach, your pursuit of excellence in duty - these are values we want to pass on to our next generation of teachers.

12 In closing, may I once again extend my warmest congratulations to the recipients this afternoon, as well as the 35 officers who had received their Public Administration Medals. Thank you for your contributions. You have made a difference to the lives of many. I am sure that with a team of competent professionals like yourselves in the Ministry headquarters, Schools and our educational institutions, we are well-positioned to tackle the challenges ahead.