Speech by Senior Minister of State for Education Dr Aline Wong at the Official Opening of Junyuan Secondary School (20 July 2001)

SPEECH BY DR ALINE WONG, SENIOR MINISTER OF STATE FOR EDUCATION, AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF JUNYUAN SECONDARY SCHOOL ON FRIDAY, 20 JULY 2001, AT 6:00 PM, AT 11 TAMPINES STREET 84

Mrs Cecilia Lee, Principal

Dr Lim Juay Yong, Chairman, School Advisory Committee

Parents, staff, pupils and guests of Junyuan Secondary School

Introduction

1. It is my pleasure to join you today at the Official Opening of Junyuan Secondary School.

2. First of all, let me congratulate your school on the impressive new building with many up-to-date facilities for teaching and learning. Much hard work and heartache must have gone into the planning and completion of these facilities by members of the staff and the School Advisory Committee. These facilities will no doubt enhance the education of the children. I trust that the pupils will find the school a conducive place to learn, play and grow.

3. What I would like to emphasise is that the achievement of good academic results alone is not the ultimate goal of education. Rather, quality education aims to mould the character of pupils, develop their whole persons, instill in them a passion for life-long learning and nurture in them a desire to serve the nation and society. The challenge for a school is to inculcate in the pupils the effective skills and right attitudes, for taking on the future with all its challenges and opportunities.

Announcement of EAGLES

4. The important skills and desirable attitudes are fostered in both the academic and non-academic domains. Through various programmes and initiatives, Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) play a very important role in providing an all-round education to all pupils. In January 2000, I made an announcement at the Changkat Edusave Awards Presentation Ceremony that plans were in the pipeline to expand the scope of the Edusave Awards Scheme. The intention was to recognise pupils' excellence and achievements in non-academic areas, and to complement the existing Scholarships, Merit Bursaries and Good Progress Awards under the Edusave scheme, which were mainly awards for academic achievement. The expansion of the scope of Edusave awards is timely and is in line with the re-orientation of the entire education system towards an ability-driven paradigm.

5. I am now pleased to announce that the Ministry of Education will introduce the Edusave Awards for Achievement, Good LEadership & Service (EAGLES) for schools and ITE from this year onwards. This is a generic award that recognises students' leadership qualities, service to community, and excellence in non-academic activities. The new EAGLES Awards will help to encourage pupils in every school to strive to excel in all non-academic areas.

6. To be eligible for awards in Leadership, pupils must have assumed leadership appointments in core activities that are recognised by the Co-Curricula Activities Branch (CCAB). To be eligible for awards in Achievement, pupils must have represented their schools in competitions, exhibitions or performances recognised by CCAB. Finally, to be eligible for awards in Service rendered to the school or the community, pupils must have completed a minimum number of hours¹ of service to the school or under the Community Involvement Programme (CIP).

7. This yearly award is open to Singaporean students in government and government-aided primary ( from P4 - P6 ) and secondary schools, independent schools, centralised institutes, junior colleges and ITE. The value of the awards is $120 for primary school pupils and $150 for secondary school, JC/CI and ITE students.

8. Schools will select the Year 2001 EAGLES awardees based on their CCA involvement this year. Successful candidates will receive their awards from schools in early 2002. Details of the selection criteria and implementation are being worked out with the schools.

Junyuan Secondary School

9. With EAGLES, we hope to send a clear signal to students and parents that participation and contribution in non-academic activities is an important part of school life. Junyuan Secondary is to be commended for having provided a full range of CCAs and non-academic programmes since its inception.

CCAs

10. For such a young school, Junyuan has already made a name for itself in Rugby, the Band and Dance groups. In addition, more than 45% of its pupils are members of uniformed groups. It is my firm belief that in the process of learning a game and playing a musical instrument, and in going through the rank and file of a uniformed organisation, pupils learn the value of discipline, teamwork, responsibility and commitment.

Other Non-Academic Programmes

11. The school deserves praise also for taking a developmental approach in drawing up enrichment programmes where sound moral values, communication skills, IT and life skills are emphasized.

12. Leadership skills are also honed through a spectrum of training activities for prefects, sports leaders and class committee members. Pupils also learn to lead effectively and creatively through their involvement in the planning and organisation of school functions.

13. With all the interesting and innovative programmes, and its successes in CCA, Junyuan Secondary School has indeed got off to a good start. The challenge that lies ahead for Junyuan Secondary is to ensure that these programmes are sustained and improved upon.

Conclusion

14. It is my hope that pupils at Junyuan Secondary will benefit from the all-round education provided by the school and grow up to be effective, thinking individuals, who are also good citizens, conscious of their responsibilities to family, society and country. Once again, I wish to offer my heartiest congratulations to the school community on this auspicious occasion. I wish Junyuan well as it takes on the challenge of educating and preparing our youths for the future.

¹ Primary, Secondary and JC pupils must have a minimum number of 12, 16 & 20 hours of CIP respectively. A student who contributed the respective hours of special service to the school is also eligible for the award.