31 October 2002

ADDRESS BY DR NG ENG HEN, MINISTER OF STATE FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER AND CHAIRMAN OF COMPASS, AT COMPASS APPRECIATION CEREMONY TO COMMEMORATE END OF COMPASS' SECOND TERM OF OFFICE, THURSDAY, 31 OCTOBER 2002 AT 6.30PM, ORCHARD HOTEL

1. Many members here tonight are truly pioneers of this effort, this idea conceived in 1999 that parents and community must be enlisted and involved with schools to deliver a holistic education to our children. So while I am chairman, all of you outrank me in seniority and indeed 'birth-claims' and "infant-rights" to this whole process.

2. Mr Ahmad Khalis, Dr Lily Neo, Mr Ravindran, Mr Thomas Thomas, Mr Paul Beh, Mr Han Fook Kwang, Mr Kua Soon Khe, Mr John Lu, Mr Mohammad Sa'at, Ms Ong Lay Hong and Mrs Tan Hwee Seh witnessed the birth of COMPASS in 1999 and then had to nurture this infant. Mr Mohd Abdul Akbar, Ms Nora Kang, Mr Harish Nim, Mrs Mildred Tan, Mr Kwek Hiok Chuang, Mrs Kok Chwee Kee and Mrs Daisie Yip were roped in the last two years, as the infant had grown faster than expected and needed more minders.

3. I am sure that, like me, all members share a quiet pride on an effort gone right, on a vision realised into very tangible outcomes. For instance, who could forget, under the chairmanship of Minister, the highly successful national seminar entitled Home-School-Community Ties: Connecting FACES (Family, Alumni, Community, Enterprise and Schools) organised in September 2001. This inaugural seminar was attended by some 1,300 participants including school and community leaders, chief executives of business organisations and other representatives from school advisory committees, alumni and parent support groups. The seminar was very well received. It provided an excellent forum for various stakeholders to generate useful discussions on the topic of home-school-community collaborations and sharing of ideas. The seminar indeed marked a significant milestone for COMPASS - if you like, the infant started walking then!

4. And we endeavour to grow COMPASS from strength to strength. From this year, we will be presenting the PARTNERS (PARents, Teachers and NEighbourhood Resources in Synergy) awards in recognition of schools' excellent efforts in promoting and strengthening collaborative partnerships with their stakeholders.

5. The Award will be given out biennially to tie in with the 2-year term of office of COMPASS members. The PARTNERS sub-committee was chaired by Mr John Lu and comprised Mr Ahmad Khalis, Mr Harish Nim and Ms Nora Kang as members. This year, a total of 95 schools applied for the PARTNERS Award. This represents an application rate of about 1 in 4 schools. The enthusiastic response is encouraging and indicates that many schools have taken a keen interest and have made positive efforts to foster collaborative partnerships with parents and the wider community. The selection criteria is based on three broad areas, including impact and success of collaborative efforts; processes that ensure sustainability of partnerships; and evidence of a collaborative culture among school staff and stakeholders.

6. I am pleased to announce that for 2002, COMPASS has selected 3 schools for the Outstanding Awards, namely Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), Henry Park Primary and Nanyang Primary. These schools have demonstrated excellent achievements and commitment in collaborative practices. In addition, 8 other schools will receive the Merit awards, in recognition of their significant achievements in collaborative practices.

7. The PARNTERS Awards will be presented to schools at an award ceremony on the 16th of November. At the ceremony, COMPASS will also be launching its publication "Creative Partnerships", which features successful and inspiring stories on collaborations between schools, parents and the wider community, including accounts from PARTNERS award-winning schools. The publication sub-committee is chaired by Mr Paul Beh, and comprises Mr Mohd Abdul Akbar, Ms Ong Lay Hong and Mrs Daisie Yip as members. Let me take this opportunity to congratulate the 11 award-winning schools. I would like to thank members of the sub-committees for their extensive effort in ensuring the success of these projects.

8. We have maintained our regular feature of quarterly meetings and school visits as these have served as good platforms to 'sense the ground' through a lively exchange of views and ideas on issues related to current education policies, and school initiatives in their collaborative efforts. Through these meetings we have gained a better understanding of the challenges faced by our schools in forging links with the community.

9. It leaves me now with the dubious task, one which I do with mixed feelings, of allowing some of you to take a temporary respite from your labours. Please note my judicious choice of the word temporary; we reserve the right to call any of you into active duty. I want to record our thanks for the seminal contributions that Mr Ahmad Khalis, Dr Lily Neo, Mr Ravindran, Mr Thomas Thomas, Mr Han Fook Kwang, Ms Nora Kang, Mr Kua Soon Khe, Mr Mohammad Sa'at, Ms Ong Lay Hong, Mr Kwek Hiok Chuang, Mrs Kok Chwee Kee and Mrs Daisie Yip have made for COMPASS. For the rest who have not been mentioned, there is a saying that there is no rest for the stout-hearted. We would like to ask Mr Paul Beh, Mr John Lu, Mr Mohd Abdul Akbar, Mr Harish Nim, Mrs Tan Hwee Seh and Mrs Mildred Tan to continue serving as Council members in January 2003. Don't worry, you will not be the only six serving as we will be bringing in new members to work with us. At this point, I would like you to join me in thanking all Council members for their extraordinary efforts.

10. Many will agree that it has indeed been a fruitful and very meaningful term. I am pleased with what the Council has achieved thus far, and we look forward to an equally, if not, more productive years ahead. The future holds great promise for partnership programmes, involving homes, schools and the community. I am confident that COMPASS will continue to make significant impact on the lives of our pupils and the landscape of education. Thank you once again, ladies and gentlemen.