24 August 2002

SPEECH BY MR HAWAZI DAIPI, PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY (EDUCATION), AT THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY DINNER OF THE SINGAPORE TEACHERS' CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY LTD ON SAT, 24 AUGUST 2002
AT 7:30 PM AT NEPTUNE RESTAURANT

Good evening. I am happy to be here this evening to celebrate with you the Society's 70th anniversary. From its original goal of helping income-earners to alleviate and resolve the problem of indebtedness, the Society has evolved over the years to offer other services. Yet it has always held true to its founding principles of self-help and mutual assistance. These qualities are all the more important in today's world, where the global challenges facing us seem to be more formidable than ever and the virtue of compassion may be overlooked in the drive to stay competitive. I believe that your Society will have an even more active and important role to play in the Singapore community in the years to come.

2. Over the past 70 years, the Society has not only assisted your members by providing loans at very reasonable rates, but you have also encouraged members to save with various schemes that offer higher interest earnings compared to other financial institutions.

3. You have also expanded your activities and services. The Teachers' Co-operative Child-Care Centre in Hougang is a community project serving not only the children of Society members, but also the children of the Hougang neighbourhood. This was a commendable pioneering effort by the Society, as it was the first child-care centre set up by a primary co-operative society. The Government wants Singaporeans to be more self-reliant, yet caring and gracious towards others. Initiatives like this are a simple yet effective way for civic organisations and societies to get involved with the community and make a difference in the lives of their fellow citizens.

4. The Singapore Teachers' Co-operative Society has done well in its efforts to serve the needs of at least two generations of teachers, and it has shown sensitivity to the changing climate that it operates in. As Singapore is now re-making itself both economically and socially, I encourage you to also undertake a fundamental review of the Society's goals and objectives. Reexamine your role and activities, and determine for yourselves where you would like the Society to go in the near future. If need be, you can reposition the Society so that its mission and purpose will continue to be relevant to teachers.

5. Offering savings and loans schemes is still important, but it is insufficient to build a complete sense of camaraderie and community. I am happy to note that the Society is drawing on its different areas of expertise to improve its outreach and communications efforts. I understand that there is a new website in the pipeline as well as the possibility of turning the experience of running the child-care centre into a commercial venture.

6. The Society is also thinking global, with plans to offer overseas educational tours to schools and to establish contacts and relationships with other co-operatives around the world. This is a good idea. We are no longer living in a time when an organisation can limit itself to working within its immediate physical surroundings. Teachers today, young and old, are affected by the same forces of globalisation and cosmopolitanism that shape our wider society. We are all learning together about the challenges and opportunities of living in the new economy. Going global, one country at a time, will enable this Society to broaden your experience, while also offering to other countries something of what you have learned about establishing and running a co-operative movement with such a long history.

7. As you remake the Society for the new millennium, I hope that you will also be able to attract even more teachers and schools to be more involved with your activities. By expanding your membership base, you will have more resources and areas of expertise to draw from. This will enable you to organise more activities and services - and perhaps novel and innovative ones - for the betterment of the teaching community.

8. I understand that today's celebration is a fund-raising project not only for the Society's child-care centre but also to assist two other organisations for the less fortunate - namely, the SASCO Senior Citizens' Home and the Moral Home For The Disabled. This is commendable. May I also encourage you to look into new avenues to be of service to our community and wish you greater success in your ambitions and hopes for the future.