Speech by Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education Mr Mohamad Maidin Packer Mohd at the Promotion Ceremony for Division II, III & IV Non-Teaching Staff (30 Jun 2001)

SPEECH BY MR MOHAMAD MAIDIN PACKER MOHD, SENIOR PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION, AT THE PROMOTION CEREMONY FOR DIVISION II, III & IV NON-TEACHING STAFF
ON 30 JUNE 2001 AT 9.45 AM AT THE MOE EDUTORIUM

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all today to this promotion ceremony. Firstly, let me congratulate the officers promoted on 1 June this year. A total of 304 Non-Teaching officers are promoted into and within the various Division II, III and IV schemes of service. Among the 304, there are 48 who crossed from Division III into Division II status, and 2 officers who have crossed from Division IV into Division III status. Another 6 officers may also be promoted later in the coming months on their anniversary dates. My heartiest congratulations to you.

2 I would like to make special mention of the 127 Operations Support Officers promoted from OSO Grade V to OSO Grade IV this year. Each of these officers had to spend 75 training hours going through the SIX training programme in order to meet the requirements for promotion. Their commitment to training and upgrading is commendable. Their supervisors too have played a part. By giving their support to the officers, the supervisors have made it possible for them to attend the training.

3 Over the years, MOE has put in place many initiatives to promote training and development amongst our officers. We have set aside time and resources to ensure that our officers equip themselves with the skills and knowledge to take up the challenges that the future brings.

4 As a sign of MOE's continuous commitment to developing its officers, I am pleased to note that in March this year, MOE has been accredited as a Certified On-the-Job Training Centre by the Institute for Technical Education. This certification is awarded by ITE to employers that provide structured On-the-Job Training for their staff.

5 MOE received this certification after a thorough review of our On-the-Job Training practices. Beginning with the Operations Support Officers in schools, MOE is putting in place a more structured format for on-the-job training. We have found OJT a useful concept as it provides a non-threatening, non-formal, learn-at-your-own-pace developmental programme for our staff.

6 The OJT programme for our Operations Support Officers covers topics such as School Security, Building Cleanliness, General Office Duties and Estate Maintenance. A number of School Administrators and Operations Managers have been trained to be the OJT coaches. OJT is conducted in school, during working hours, with minimum disruption to both the officer and his school. In time, we hope to extend this concept of OJT to the Corporate Support Officers in schools as well.

7 This structured and systematic practice of OJT brings many benefits. The school benefits as skills are transmitted at the workplace, without the need for the officer to be away to attend formal training. Officers benefit as OJT makes it easier to learn new skills which are practical and are directly relevant to their work. OJT also builds a strong rapport between the OSOs and their supervisors as the OJT coaching is done on a one-to-one basis, where the supervisor can give positive feedback and support to the OSOs. The OSOs are given recognition and encouragement in the form of a OJT Certificate upon completion of each module in the OJT programme.

8 Besides the COJTC, we have also in the past year launched a Foundational Course for new Clerical Support Officers in schools. The first course was conducted in December last year. To-date, we have conducted 3 courses. All new CSOs deployed to schools attend this course upon joining. The 3-day course covers areas such as Personnel Management, School Finances, Estate Management and General Administration. This course provides new officers with useful skills and knowledge to begin their career with MOE as school CSOs. It helps new officers settle in quickly to their jobs.

9 MOE is committed to offering training and development opportunities to its officers. We will refine and offer new courses in areas of need. I hope that all officers would make use of these opportunities to learn new skills and keep themselves relevant and up-to-date.

10 However, MOE in making such opportunities available, forms only one half of the equation for success. The other half depends on our officers' attitudes and mindsets. Whether our officers respond positively to the changes around them, how they react to difficult situations will determine whether the organisation continues to be successful. It is important that our officers have the right mindset, to make the best of any situation that arises.

11 Let me share with you a story. A horse fell down a gorge. He was trapped at the bottom with no way out. To make matters worse, the sides of the gorge started to fall down on him in a series of landslides. At first he thought: "I'm trapped and I'm going to be buried by the landslides. I'm doomed." So he did nothing and soon he was half-buried.

12 The horse then had an idea. He thought: "What if I try to make the best of the situation?" As the dirt and stones fell on him, he shook it off his back and stepped up. He continued doing this, even though his back hurt. Each time the landslide came crashing down, he would shake it off and step up. Soon, the horse found that the landslides had filled up the gorge and he could step out of the gorge, to freedom.

13 We can draw a few lessons from this story. How the horse reacted to adversity ultimately determined his fate. If the horse had given up, he would have met his end. He would have been buried by the landslides. As it turned out, what could have buried him, proved to be his salvation, by providing him with a means to escape from the gorge.

14 Similarly, if we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by problems and give up, like what the horse did at first, then we may find the difficulties we face to be insurmountable. Even simple things will seem hard, and hard things will seem impossible.

15 It is better to make the best out of each situation. By remaining optimistic, and seizing the opportunities around us, things will turn for the better. Within every difficulty, there lies an opportunity. If we can, like the horse, "shake it off and step up", what seems to be a set back can be turned into a blessing. My hope is that we each will inculcate an attitude of perseverance and resilience in our work.

16 In closing, let me once again congratulate all officers who have been promoted. You have all worked hard and deserve to be promoted. Well done and keep up the good work.