SPEECH BY RADM TEO CHEE HEAN, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND 2ND MINISTER 
FOR DEFENCE AT THE 'CITISUCCESS: IDEAS IN ACTION' CULMINATION 
EVENT ON MON 18 NOVEMBER 2002 @ 3.15 PM AT SUNTEC CITY

Mr Sunil Sreenivasan, Country Corporate Supervisor, Citibank

Ladies and Gentlemen

INTRODUCTION

1          In April this year, I launched the 'Citisuccess: Ideas in Action' programme. This programme, seeks to promote collaboration between MOE and Citibank as well as community involvement in supporting educational efforts. It also seeks to encourage an innovative and entrepreneurial spirit in students.

2          I understand that 141 project proposals covering a wide range of topics were submitted by June. A panel comprising private and public sector personnel and chaired by Dr Lee-Tsao Yuan, Executive Director of Skills Development Centre, then selected 31 projects for development.

3          I am happy to be here today to celebrate the completion of these projects. Congratulations to the students and their mentors and teachers as well as to Citibank.

IMPORTANCE OF PARTNERSHIP

4          At the launch, I touched on the importance of innovation in schools and the role private sector can play to enhance what schools are already doing.

5          Citibank's partnership with schools has enabled students to bring their innovative ideas to fruition in a meaningful and fun way. Other than funding the projects, the partnership saw the added value of Citibank representatives visiting the schools and giving the students and their mentors support and guidance.

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

6          Citisuccess complements and enriches the learning experiences of our students. It gives students the opportunity to apply what they learn in their curriculum in innovative ways. Many have discovered talents that they may not even realise they had. 

7          I am told that many of the teams encountered problems in the course of their project development. They had to learn new skills to overcome the challenges. They also had to refine their plans and make changes along the way to bring their innovation to fruition. All these are valuable experiential learning - a good opportunity indeed to develop life skills like resilience, resourcefulness and adaptability.

HOLISTIC EDUCATION 

8          The Citisuccess programme has also brought out in our students a sense of social responsibility. A number of teams have sought to address some societal concerns through their innovative efforts.

9          Projects driven by a social purpose are important because they contribute to the students' moral and social development. It is heartening to note that our students have used not only their intellect but also their heart in their creative and innovative pursuits.

10         I can see that the Citisuccess innovation programme is not an end in itself. It has significantly provided a holistic educational experience for our students and enabled them to realise the desired outcomes of education.

CONCLUSION

11         I am glad that the Citisuccess Programme will be an annual event. I would like to encourage more organisations to work with our schools and students in similarly creative ways. As can be seen in the Citisuccess Programme, private organisations will be able to partner schools to enhance the education of our students by contributing their resources, time, and the special expertise and experience that they have.

12          Let me extend my thanks to Citibank again for their participation in education.