27 July 2002

SPEECH BY MR THARMAN SHANMUGARATNAM, SENIOR MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY & EDUCATION, AT RIVER VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL'S 46TH SPEECH AND PRIZE PRESENTATION DAY ON SATURDAY, 27 JULY 2002 AT 9:30 AM AT RIVER VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL

It gives me great pleasure to join you in celebrating the 46th anniversary of River Valley High School. Listening to your Principal's school report just now, I was most impressed with what you have achieved this year. It continues an impressive record of accomplishments through your history. River Valley High is a flourishing example of a school that has transformed through the years to adjust to the changing times and meet the needs of its students and the community.

2 River Valley High has had the benefit of a rich tradition. But it is both a respect for tradition and a spirit of enterprise that has enabled you to grow from strength to strength through the years. These are also traits that we need for Singapore to succeed in the future.

3. We do not know precisely what shape the environment will take by the time each of you complete your studies and begin your careers. But it will very likely be a rapidly changing and even more globalised world, with the added opportunities and risks that this implies. Economic opportunities are expanding. The communications revolution continues apace, pushing aside barriers and blurring boundaries. The countries which gear up for this new global market will see tremendous opportunity for prosperity.

4. However, the globalisation of understanding has not proceeded as fast as the globalisation of information and knowledge. We have seen faster access to different views, values and beliefs through the media and the Internet, but we have not seen a greater understanding between peoples and societies with different views and beliefs. Some observers even believe that the globalisation of communications has led to less understanding and more suspicion between societies. So we face an uncertain global future.

5. Globalisation also means a vastly more competitive world. China and regions of India are emerging as major new players. As a city-state, we will be increasingly up against cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in China, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai in India. These will add to the competition we face from Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney, and the hub cities of Europe and North America.

6. Around us, the region is no longer what it used to be in the three decades from the 1970s. It is no longer the stable and prosperous region that investors across the world recognised as providing superior economic returns and at relatively low risk. And most importantly, the confidence of the domestic populations in the regional countries is not what it used to be.

7. Singapore itself is at a transition point in its history. Economically, we are transiting from what was really an industrial model of economy to an innovation-driven economy. As a society we are also changing rapidly. We are already very different now from what we were even ten years ago. Amongst your cohort of students, well over 90% will complete secondary school - just imagine, that's more than double the proportion than was the case in your parents' generation. The vast majority will go on to some form of tertiary education: universities, polytechnics and ITE. It's a transformation that very few societies have seen in the space of forty years - a transformation not just in educational qualifications, but in expectations and aspirations. Your aspirations are very different from that of your parents' generation, and will shape Singapore's future.

8. We should not be daunted by the challenges of an uncertain and more competitive world. We can overcome these challenges, and thrive. Our most important priority, as a nation and for young Singaporeans like yourselves, is to gear up to compete successfully in the innovation-driven economy. It requires many changes, in economy and society. Our ability to innovate, to create and seize opportunities, will be our most important asset in the years to come - both as individuals and for Singapore as a nation. To develop this asset, we have to maintain a predisposition to change. We have to keep anticipating the future, preparing for the uncertain, and responding to the unexpected. We should not resist change.

9. One of the key changes that is underway is in the way young Singaporeans are educated, so as to better develop their creativity and ability to innovate, and a spirit of enterprise. There is no single solution to developing innovation and enterprise. What students learn - what subjects, and how much depth or breadth they gain from the curriculum - is important, but what is most important is how they learn. We are seeking to develop future generations of young Singaporeans who can think, explore and experiment, independently and creatively. They must be given opportunity to learn through experimentation, and through collaboration. They must also have the space for more open-ended learning and creative pursuit.

10. We also want our young to be able to draw on multiple disciplines, and not to specialise too early. The major advances in knowledge are coming from the fusion of disciplines, or the spaces between disciplines. Innovations in the life sciences for eg are drawing on advances in the physical sciences, engineering, IT and Mathematics, and even the social sciences in some respects. That is one of the reasons why we are reviewing our JC curriculum. We want students to be able to pursue their talents and areas of interest, but not to narrow too early.

11. River Valley High as an Autonomous School has developed a niche in science research. It is the home to the West 3 Cluster Centre of Learning for Science and Technology. Such centres of learning are important in providing a setting for both students and teachers to experiment and explore new fields, untrammelled by the limits of the textbook or the classroom.

12. Scientific research calls for a variety of skills and attitudes, not just a knowledge and understanding of concepts from different disciplines. Experimentation, improvisation and perseverance are key to scientific advance. In this respect, I am happy to note River Valley High's consistently strong showing at the annual Tan Kah Kee Young Inventor's Award. I hope that RVians will keep up this spirit of inquiry and innovation well after they leave school, and that they will return to the school to help it sustain this tradition of innovation.

13. There are many misconceptions about creativity. One of these is to think that creativity only emerges from a lack of inhibition, or removal of all controls on individual behaviour. Freedom to explore and experiment is essential to creativity. But equally essential are skills, knowledge, and dedication to the task. Sustained creative achievement, whether in physics, or mathematics, or music or dance, requires knowledge and expertise in the skills and media that they involve. There is therefore a certain discipline and controlled acquisition of skills and knowledge, not just freedom, involved in the dynamics of most creative endeavour. Too much of one without the other usually has limited creative impact.

14. It will take time for us to absorb the enormity of the implications of recent advances in genome research. Many of you would have read in yesterday's newspapers about the 1000 new human genes discovered from the decoded genome of our very distant ancestor, the puffer fish (or "fugu"). You would I am sure have taken pride in the fact that a Singapore team played a leading role in this major breakthrough in research - an area with the potential to offer radical improvements in our ability to treat human diseases.

15. But even as we channel our energies into the life sciences and the other new and exciting areas of scientific development, we should take care to preserve and sustain another type of DNA - our cultural DNA. As a SAP school, River Valley High has been given a special opportunity to develop and enhance a learning environment that is conducive to the study and appreciation of Chinese language and culture. You have also established a Chinese Culture Centre to commemorate and sustain your cultural heritage. This is a valuable addition - not just for the young people who pass through the school, but in helping to preserve and regenerate our cultural DNA. It is a key strength of Singapore society. We cannot be a strong economy without being a strong society, deriving confidence from our cultures and traditions.

16. Knowing your own culture provides an anchor amidst the swirl of political, social and economic change stirring up the world. Second, a well-educated young Singaporean must also have an awareness and respect of other cultures, in Singapore and the region around us. Knowing other cultures is necessary to keep Singapore's unique experiment in multiracial peace and progress. To do so, we have to move together beyond mere surface curiosity to a deeper appreciation of the various cultures in the Singapore mosaic.

17. We have to pay more attention to non-academic or co-curriculum activities, as River Valley High has been doing. I would advise all of you to take this seriously, not just because it might help you get CCA points or help you get into university, but because it will help you develop valuable skills to take you through life. It will also make for a stronger community.

18. Through such activities, you can develop skills and habits required for success in the business world, and most other real world endeavours - being able to add to and draw on the strength of the team; being willing to take a risk; showing resolve in the face of setbacks, and wanting to give to others who need your help. Whether it is through cultural activities, sports or uniformed organisations, or through community service, or an excellent initiative like River Valley High's "Science AHA" magazine for primary school children, you will find yourself developing valuable life skills.

19. The young RVians gathered here today have an exciting future. sure that you will go on to do well and contribute on a global platform I hope that you will all be pioneers in your own way, create opportunities where none exist, and in so doing make Singapore a better place to live for yourself and future generations of citizens.

20. Whatever you do, remember your roots, who you are, what it means to be a Singaporean, and what keeps us together. You must want to engage with fellow Singaporeans, and to help those who are doing less well. If we become just so many individuals pursuing our own dreams, the Singapore dream will expire.

21. I congratulate the recipients of the Long Service Award, RV Medal of Excellence and all prize-winners for your excellent academic and co-curricular achievements. I would also like to encourage alumni members, the School Advisory Committee, and the Parent-Teacher Association of River Valley High School to continue to work closely with the Principal and the teachers to provide the best education for the students. Finally, I would like to pay special commendation to Mr Tham Tuck Meng, who is retiring this year. Mr Tham, you have contributed greatly to River Valley High, and to the Singapore education system.