18 May 2002

SPEECH BY RADM TEO CHEE HEAN, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION & SECOND MINISTER FOR DEFENCE FOR THE 24TH COLLEGE DAY OF TEMASEK JUNIOR COLLEGE, ON SATURDAY, 18 MAY 2002 AT 3.00 PM

1 It is my pleasure to be in TJC this afternoon to witness the spirit and exuberance that mark TJC's 25th year. These definitely are 25 years of excellent work, on the part of the principals, staff and all who have been closely associated with the college.

2 In 1969, the government built the first junior college, National Junior College. It was felt that a two-year pre-university institution would optimise resources and enhance the quality of teaching for able students from secondary schools all over Singapore. The JC was given specialised teachers and facilities. A lecture-tutorial system was put in place as a gradual introduction to tertiary education, and to develop self-discipline and independent work. The curriculum, comprising a selection of three or four specialised "A" level subjects ensured students were well prepared for a university degree programme. All these would help develop young people of "a robust constitution, keen intellect and strength of character that makes for leadership", to use the words of the then Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

3 This formula proved to be successful. The alternative, which was to open pre-university classes in large numbers of secondary schools, would have made it difficult to ensure high standards of pre-university education for our students. Since NJC, fourteen more JCs have been built, Temasek JC being the fourth in line and the second government JC. Today 12, 000 students go on to the JCs and centralised institutes each year.

4 Our JC system is a very rigorous one. The academic programme provides in-depth knowledge and covers more ground per subject compared to other pre-university programmes such as the International Baccalaureate (or IB) Diploma Programme. Some of our "A" level students do "S" papers and participate in research programmes which help them engage in their areas of interest in even greater depth.

5 The areas of learning in JC education serve as an anchor to deliver core skills such as communication, information and knowledge application, and thinking skills. To further encourage students to explore the inter-relationships and inter-connectedness of subject-specific knowledge, project work, or PW, was recently introduced. JCs also have a good framework to inculcate citizenship education and develop character and leadership potential.

6 The addition of these elements into the JC programme is necessary to prepare our students for life in the new knowledge era. But with these elements added, the JC programme has become too tight, for both students and teachers. There needs to be a re-balancing of the JC programme. Re-balancing is needed to make sure that there is sufficient breadth, and not just depth, in the academic programme at JC; and that the focus on the academic is in tandem with the development of life skills to prepare students for university education.

7 Developing the correct balance between breadth and depth in the academic programme, and cultivating an interdisciplinary approach to learning is necessary for two reasons. First, the emergence of new areas of knowledge is often occurring in the spaces between traditional subject areas and disciplines. Second, the market demands graduates who are able to understand the interconnectedness between subjects and draw upon these different subject areas to produce new ideas and products.

8 In response to these demands, the local universities, have introduced changes to their curriculum and taken an interdisciplinary and cross-faculty approach. Comparing the wide range of subjects students could be taking at the tertiary level, and the range of subjects they took at the "O" levels, the selection of "A" level subjects does appear very narrow. This is one of the important issues that the Committee on JC and Upper Secondary Education, headed by Senior Minister of State for Education, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and comprising public and private sector representatives, will be studying.

9 The Committee will also be studying whether to allow some students to take an integrated upper secondary/pre-university programme so that they could use the time freed up from examination preparation to explore other areas; and to consider the establishment of specialised schools in Science and Mathematics, or in the Arts, in the same way that we are proceeding with the Ministry of Community Development and Sports to set up a a Sports School.

10 Beyond the academic, JCs must also provide our students with an education that balances subject competence and intellectual rigour with development of the affective domain. The emphasis on knowledge and process skills must be there. But this must be complemented by a full programme of activities and experiences that will develop the strength of character, enterprise, perseverance and team spirit of our students. This is where co-curricular activities and community involvement projects come in. They help to develop the whole person, and build national consciousness and social responsibility.

11 In this regard, I must commend TJC on combining these various objectives of JC education into its curriculum-based Youth Expedition project to Northern Vietnam which incorporates project work into service learning. I was told that four groups of five students each will be helping to build two classrooms and toilets for a kindergarten in Quyen Village in a week's time. While they are there, they will be exploring social issues such as adoption, the changing roles and status of Vietnamese women in rural and urban settings, and education and its social implications in Vietnamese society. The tie-up of project work with an overseas assignment shows a strong community focus and learning that is relevant to the real world.

12 I was also told that the college has recently set up an Entrepreneur Club. The fifty enthusiastic club members have been learning about product marketing and risk management from external instructors. They are currently working with the IT club on a business plan to set up a LAN-gaming centre.

13 The JCs must continue to be a platform for creative innovation of some of our brightest minds. They must continue to develop well-rounded students with academic excellence and yet instilled with a sense of social responsibility. They must produce active and compassionate citizens who have confidence and pride in Singapore, and are able to make a difference in improving society.

14 Going by your track record, I am sure TJC is up to the task and able to deliver. I wish all of you, staff, students and alumni all the best in your efforts. Congratulations also to all the award winners today. May this be the start rather than the endpoint of your efforts at attaining your goals and being the best. May I wish you all the best, too, for the upcoming events to celebrate your Silver Jubilee.