Speech by RAdm Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Education and 2nd Minister for Defence, at the Official Opening of Raffles Girls' Primary School (21 July 2001)

SPEECH BY RADM TEO CHEE HEAN, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND SECOND MINISTER FOR DEFENCE, AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF RAFFLES GIRLS' PRIMARY SCHOOL AT 21 HILLCREST ROAD, ON SATURDAY 21 JULY 01 AT 6PM

1. It is my pleasure to join you this evening at the official opening of Raffles Girls' Primary School.

2. Raffles Girls' Primary first started operating as a primary school at Queen Street in 1959 - the same year Singapore achieved self-government. Although it has seen many changes since then, it has maintained its reputation for providing a high quality education. It has moved twice, first to Holland Grove Road in 1978, and second to these new premises at Hillcrest Road one and a half years ago. Each time the school moved, it moved to bigger and better premises, so as to meet the increasing demand for school places. Within these forty-two years, Raffles Girls' Primary has grown from a school with just 9 classrooms at Queen Street, to one with 54 classrooms today, which will allow it to cater to an expanded enrolment of 3000 pupils.

3. The building of these new premises for Raffles Girls' Primary can be traced back to 1996 when the Ministry of Education decided to increase the enrolment of popular primary schools like Nanyang, Rosyth, and Raffles Girls' to cater to demand for places in these schools. Nanyang and Rosyth each takes in at least 11 P1 classes per year, with an additional intake of another 2 to 4 classes in P4, of pupils admitted into the Gifted Education Programme (GEP). These schools now have some 3000 pupils and 124 teachers each. As Raffles Girls' started to increase its intake only last year when it moved into these new premises, the enrolment has not yet reached the maximum capacity of the school.

4. All parents want their children to be enrolled in good schools. Though some schools are more popular with parents than others, I am glad to say that our primary schools in Singapore are all able to deliver a good quality of education. This is borne out by the excellent performance of our P4 students in mathematics and science as measured against the performance of students in other countries in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study. It is also not unusual to find top students who have studied in neighbourhood primary schools. Another indicator of the effectiveness of primary school education in Singapore is that the overwhelming majority of primary school leavers are now able to proceed to secondary education and to post-secondary education thereafter.

5. As we move into the future, we need to continue to make our primary school education even better. We want to improve the quality of primary education, not just in a few popular primary schools, but across the whole primary school system.

6. What are the ingredients that go into improving our primary schools? I would like to outline 3 strategies that we are implementing.

7. First, we need more capable school leaders and good teachers. School leaders and teachers determine the quality of the education of their pupils. We must therefore continue to attract and retain good teachers, provide opportunities for their development and groom those with potential into effective school leaders. With the recent announcement of Edu-PAC, we have put in place a structure to attract and retain teachers, recognise their good performance and provide opportunities for their continual development. The former Diploma in Educational Administration programme offered by the National Institute of Education for potential principals has been re-structured and enhanced this year and renamed the "Leaders in Education Programme" (LEP). This programme is now more responsive, relevant and rigorous so that we can prepare our future school leaders to be the dynamic chief executives to build and lead the good schools of tomorrow. With more good school leaders, we can have more good schools. With more good teachers, we can improve the pupil-to-teacher ratios gradually without compromising on teacher quality and the quality of education.

8. Second, we need a relevant and forward-looking curriculum for our pupils. The school curriculum is the "education diet" of our pupils. It allows us to provide our young with foundation skills and knowledge, and imbue them with the right values and attitudes to learning. Over the years, we have revised our curriculum to infuse Information Technology, creative and critical thinking and problem-solving skills, to encourage knowledge generation and application. At the same time, citizenship education, character building, and inculcation of moral values are re-emphasised. We have also introduced programmes to cater to groups of students with special abilities or who need more support.

9. For example, the Learning Support Programme (LSP) was implemented in all primary schools to help P1 and P2 pupils who are weak in English, and a new programme is being piloted for mathematics. There is also the programme to Encourage Achievement and Better Learning (or ENABLE) to help pupils achieve their potential. We also have the GEP to provide the intellectually gifted child with an education that is suited to his or her ability and aptitude. There is also a range of programmes available in our secondary schools.

10. To encourage schools to continually improve their school practices, the School Innovation Fund was set up in 1998 so that schools can try out new ideas to improve the quality of teaching and learning, promote pupil development and raise the level of success in leading people and managing systems. For this year, about 50% of the $0.5 million set aside each year has already been used to achieve this purpose. Several primary schools have leveraged on the available fund to adopt innovative teaching approaches. Holy Innocents' Primary, for example, has devised a set of "High Frequency Chinese Character" Games Cards to stimulate pupils' interest and effectiveness in learning Chinese Language. The project was highly successful and even attracted commercial interest. The school has now gone on to develop other interesting games sets and materials for teaching Chinese. Other primary schools like Temasek, Radin Mas, and Rosyth have also come up with innovative ideas to improve the teaching of specific subjects and enhance learning.

11. Third, we need improved school facilities to complement the enhanced education programmes. Under the $4.5 billion Programme for Rebuilding and IMproving Existing schools (PRIME), all schools will be upgraded to current standards within a 7-year period. To-date, 135 primary schools are in various stages of development under PRIME, which represents 75% of the total number of primary schools to be re-developed under PRIME.

12. As we put in place the systems and structures to enhance the educational experience of our pupils, the ministry is exploring the next step, which is to examine the feasibility of converting all our primary schools to single-session. The implementation of the Single Session Secondary Schools Programme has given our secondary school principals greater flexibility in the management of the schools and the delivery of the formal and non-formal curriculum. This has provided a more interesting and varied educational experience for the students and allowed them to have more opportunities to participate in various types of school activities. The schools are also smaller, allowing the Principal and teachers to know all the students better, and create a stronger sense of belonging. Through my visits to these schools and feedback from principals, a good sized single session school appears to be around 1500 pupils.

13. In 2 to 3 years we will be able to assess whether we will have the resources on a sustainable basis to embark on a programme to make all our primary schools single session. Single session in primary schools will mean a reversal of the current trend of our primary schools getting bigger. It will mean more schools, but with fewer pupils in each school. We are laying the foundation for this. We are currently building up our pool of teachers and school leaders, and re-constructing our stock of school buildings to bring them up to modern standards. We will require even more teachers and more land for more schools should we decide to go single session. And perhaps most critical of all, we will require enough good principals to energise and lead all these schools.

14. Our parents will also have to adopt a more discerning way of selecting schools for their children and not be too overly focused on the popular schools of today. Schools with good leaders, good teachers, good programmes and good facilities, and with good support from parents and the community, will become the popular schools of tomorrow. Some of our neighbourhood schools such as Rulang, Temasek, Radin Mas, and Gongshang Primary have already developed into much sought-after schools. Others are making a name for themselves.

15. Raffles' Girls Primary has done very well over the years. It has produced leaders, professionals and good citizens who have contributed significantly to the development of our nation. It is a fine example of a school that provides the quality of education that we want our children to have. I believe that the school is well poised to prepare our young for the challenges of the future.

16. I would like to thank the school community - principals and teachers past and present, parents, alumni, supporters from the community and other well wishers - for the important role that you have played in the development and success of Raffles Girls' Primary. I wish you continued success in your never ending endeavour to provide your pupils with an enriching and well-rounded education.