23 August 2002

SPEECH BY DR NG ENG HEN, MINISTER OF STATE FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER, AT THE PRESENTATION CEREMONY OF THE CARING TEACHER AWARDS 2002 AT 2:30 PM ON FRIDAY 23 AUGUST 2002, AT ORCHARD HOTEL

Mr Ian Scoble
Regional Director, Asia Pacific Refining and Supply
ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd.

1. I am very pleased to be here today at the presentation ceremony of the Fourth Caring Teacher Awards. Education is a cornerstone of our society, shaping the moral, emotional, social, intellectual and physical development of our young people. It is one subject on which the otherwise reticent Singaporean would also be quite willing to give feedback, solicited or not. Most of you would know that substantial debate on educational matters occurs in Parliament. In all the committees of the Economic Review committee and Remaking Singapore I am involved with, many place enormous importance on the role of education to remake and improve ourselves. Much faith is placed in teachers and more, it seems is expected from them. We have taken bold steps to energise our education system and bring it up to speed with the demands and expectations of the twenty-first century. This could not have been achieved without our teachers, whose support, creativity and zest have enabled our schools and students to grow from strength to strength.

2. Amidst all these demands, what is the role of a teacher today? We live in a time when society has shifted into permanent information overdrive. Collectively, we know more about our planet, its peoples and our ways of life than we can individually hope to grasp at any one time. With the click of a mouse in a web browser window, we can gain access to troves of information about virtually anything under the sun. At the same time, there remain so many frontiers of knowledge still to be explored and charted. No one can hope to find everything, learn everything or know everything.

3. In this climate, teachers are no longer all-knowing purveyors of knowledge. They are instead facilitators of knowledge, passing on the ways of learning and uses of knowledge that have been effective in the past. They must also cultivate in their students an open mind towards the untold possibilities of the future. Core knowledge of a subject is still important, but the what and why you should be asking and where to look for answers have become more important than the specific who, what and when. So, the parameters of teaching have shifted, as must teaching styles and methodologies.

4. Despite these changes, the central mission of teaching remains constant: to develop every student to his or her fullest potential, spurred on by a fundamental care and concern for that student's welfare. Teachers play a vital role in the transmission of ideas, skills, mindsets and values to the next generation of young Singaporeans. In this globalised world, amidst an onslaught of competing images and ideas, it is all too easy for young people to lose a sense of who they are and what they stand for. Our students require sound guidance, not only in the pursuit of academic excellence but also because they are bombarded with a whole constellation of values They require a framework of basic moral and social principles to live by. Just as seamen have been guided for centuries by the relative positions of celestial objects, so do our young people need an unchanging moral orientation to help them to chart a safe path through life's adventures and uncertainties. I am not sure what you remember of your days in school. I will tell you what I don't remember - I don't remember 95% of the knowledge taught. But I do remember particular teachers who took an interest in me, who believed in me. They are etched in my memory. They grow not old as I remain young, vulnerable and inchoate in these memories - so much in need for proper guidance and moulding.

5. We are here today to salute those whose care and concern have provided that direction for their students, and have had a significant impact on the lives of both their students and their colleagues. In their own different ways, these teachers have embodied and exemplified some of the values that we cherish in our society, and imparted these values to their students. They have provided a nurturing environment for their students' development and encouraged in them healthy and positive attitudes that will be of lifelong relevance.

6. Yet as we recognise these three individuals, let us also recognise that there is no one model for a caring teacher, no one formula of behaviour that is being held up here for all other teachers to emulate. Our award winners have shared their personal experiences, helped students to overcome personal difficulties, and led by example. Yet they are themselves but three of the many caring teachers we have in Singapore.

7. We must appreciate that our teachers bring into the classroom their own personalities and individual styles of teaching and relating to students. Care and concern can be expressed in myriad forms. It is not a matter of producing good academic results, or coaching a winning team, or exchanging e-mail addresses or handphone numbers. Imposing stern discipline or paying scrupulous attention to a student's attire, attitude or academic performance - these, too, can be indicators of a teacher's investment in a student's welfare. What counts is an interaction more personal than that involved with mere academic teaching, and it demands considerable emotional commitment on the teachers' part.

8. That is why, this year, there has been an important innovation in the Caring Teacher Awards. Rather than recognise a select few I am pleased to learn that each and every school has already been able to nominate and officially recognise its own special Caring Teachers. This is an important reminder that there are many teachers in Singapore who should also be affirmed just as our three proud winners today.

9. I would like to thank ExxonMobil for their continuing support of the Caring Teacher Awards. You have helped to make possible a very meaningful award.

10. Finally, I would like to congratulate the award winners and each and every one of the nominees who were short-listed. Every nominee has proved his or her ability to make a difference in someone's life. I would also like to extend a note of thanks to all teachers in Singapore. In advance of Teachers' Day, which is a week away, I would like to thank you all for shaping successive generations of Singaporeans. The outcome of what you do everyday in the classroom is far from immediate, but it is instrumental in shaping the future of our society.