24 October 2000

SPEECH BY DR. ALINE WONG, SENIOR MINISTOR OF STATE FOR EDUCATION, AT THE ANNUAL DINNER OF THE ENGINEERING ALUMNI SINGAPORE AND THE NUS FACULTY OF ENGINEERING, ON TUESDAY 24TH OCTOBER 2000,
AT 7:30 P.M. AT THE ORCHARD HOTEL

I am pleased and honoured to be here this evening to share with you the special occasion of the Annual Dinner and Presentation of Awards of the NUS Faculty of Engineering and the Engineering Alumni Singapore.

2 The NUS Faculty of Engineering has built a solid reputation for excellent teaching and research. It has continually produced engineers with the requisite knowledge and skills to support Singapore’s economic growth and development.

3 Engineering graduates from NUS are more than technically competent, having undergone comprehensive preparation in the sciences and mathematics. Employers have often paid great compliments to both our universities on the rigorous training that our engineering graduates received.

4 In the global economy, engineers are often required nowadays to do various types of work and deal with a wide range of non-technical issues. While engineering and manufacturing will remain as one of the pillars of Singapore's economy, our latest strategic intent is to develop into a Life Sciences hub with world-class capabilities across the whole value chain of activities. Engineers have an important role to play in this venture. It is crucial that current and future engineers be equipped to support and carry forward, not only science and technology, but also the life sciences industry as well. This calls for not just the requisite technical training, but also the right kind of values training.

5 Advances in biological sciences are raising deep legal, ethical, social and cultural issues – in short, issues of human values. The Engineering Faculty has a responsibility to prepare its graduates for such issues. I am pleased to note that, for some years now, engineering students at NUS are required to read subjects in the humanities and social sciences to provide them with the necessary balance in education. Such an education would allow the graduates to gain a better understanding of human relationships and to recognize the needs of the society in which they live and serve.

6 While these non-engineering subjects have helped produce better and more-rounded engineers, the breadth and depth of such preparation can still be improved upon, in order for our engineers to be global players and citizens in a world where moral, social, political and practical questions related to the Life Sciences will be raised more and more frequently. In this regard, I am happy to learn that NUS has established the Core Curriculum and the University Scholars Program with the goal of nurturing an increasing pool of able individuals and leaders with an emphasis on creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. In addition, NUS will be introducing the General Education Requirements for all faculties, including Engineering. When all these programs are fully incorporated into the already rigorous and balanced engineering curriculum, I am confident that NUS will produce engineers who are even better educated as global citizens and workers for the future.

7 But even as we watch our young graduate from university, those of us already in the workforce should look towards continuing education and training. I hope that no one among the alumni here thinks that his or her learning days are over! All of us must adapt to changing circumstances in Singapore, in the region, as well as in the world. To do this, we must keep up-to-date by making life-long learning a way of life.

8 This is where I see the Engineering Alumni Singapore or EAS playing a meaningful and significant role. All these years, EAS has been fostering the relationship between graduates and NUS. This sense of belonging and affiliation is the most essential ingredient that gives continuity to great institutions. It provides the bonds between the wisdom and traditions of the past and the visions of the future.

9 EAS could expand its scope to involve members in Continuing Education and Training courses available at the university. It is important that NUS graduates continue to renew their skills. Through participation in these courses, stronger bonds can be fostered between past and present graduates. EAS can play a significant role in arriving at these goals.

10 Tonight, I am also pleased to announce the winner of the Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award. This award was initiated by the Faculty of Engineering in 1989 and has since been awarded annually during the EAS/NUS Faculty of Engineering Annual Dinner. The objective of the Award is to give recognition to engineering graduates who have made significant contributions to society. Past winners of this award included prominent heads of government bodies and statutory boards, chairmen and chief executives of many large local corporations, and technopreneurs. This year, the Distinguished Alumni Award winner is Mr. Teh Bong Lim, Managing Director, MMI Holdings Ltd. I would like to convey my sincere congratulations to Mr. Teh Bong Lim.

11 The Faculty of Engineering Teaching Excellence Awards will also be presented this evening. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the recipients of these awards. Without good engineering teachers and educators, we will not have good engineers. The Faculty’s Teaching Excellence Awards is one way of recognizing and rewarding academic staff members who did well in their teaching and in facilitating the learning of the engineers. I wish them the best in their exciting career of teaching, educating and research.