29 October 2002

ADDRESS BY DR NG ENG HEN, MINISTER OF STATE FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER AT THE SIGNING OF MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, YOUTH & SPORTS BADEN-WUERTTEMBERG, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY AND THE INSTITUTE OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION ON 29 OCT 2002 (TUE) AT ITE HEADQUARTERS AT 9.00 AM

Mr Helmut Rau Secretary of State,
Ministry of Education, Youth & Sports, Baden-Wuerttemberg,
Federal Republic of Germany,

1 Good morning. I am pleased to be here this morning to witness the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), Singapore and the Ministry of Education, Youth & Sports, Baden-Wuerttemberg (or KM in short).

2 Singapore and the Federal Republic of Germany share a similar philosophy and approach towards education. Both our countries are dependent on a skilled labour force and therefore invest heavily in education. So, just like Germany, the goal of Singapore's educational policy is to afford every individual the best possible opportunities to receive the kind of education commensurate with his abilities and interests.

3 Today's renewal of the MOU for a third consecutive term since the initial signing in 1991 is testimony of both ITE and KM's commitment to their long-standing bilateral cooperation. It reaffirms ITE's commitment in continuing and forging even closer tied with KM, a ministry that is responsible for an education and training system, which produces one of the best skilled workforces in the world. In particular, the strength of the dual system of vocational training through apprenticeship in Germany is well-known internationally.

4 The new economy is a knowledge-based economy. It is characterised by rapid technological changes and intense global competition. These developments have brought about new challenges in technical education in Singapore and around the world.

5 Our students entering the workforce must not only master the skills, knowledge and technology, they must also be creative, innovative and adaptable to the ever-changing demands of the workplace. To meet the rising expectations of students, adult learners and employers, technical institutions have to constantly review, innovate and put in place, systems, programmes and strategies that will maximise the potential of every trainee.

6 With these challenges, it is increasingly important that technical institutions share their knowledge, expertise and experiences. They must learn from one another as a global community. It is with this purpose in mind that ITE has established strategic linkages with other outstanding technical institutions in the world. This transfer of knowledge and experiences with other international institutions has been invaluable as ITE pursues its vision of a world-class technical institution.

7 I am heartened to learn from Dr Law Song Seng that ITE considers this institutional co-operation with KM as highly significant and successful. This strong and close relationship developed over the last 11 years would not have been possible without the sincerity, openness and dedication of all those who are involved. Many staff members of KM, advisors, experts and consultants have made valuable contributions to this partnership.

8 On behalf of ITE and the Singapore Ministry of Education, I would like to take this opportunity to thank KM staff, and in particular, Mr Gunter Bulling , Professor A. K. Lipsmeier, Mr Willy Schal, Mr Bert Dengenhart and Mr Klaus Lorenz for their valuable contributions and efforts in this partnership with ITE.

9 ITE has learnt much from the German technical education system and their best practices. I am told that ITE's apprenticeship system owes much to the well-known German dual system of vocational training. KM played a significant role in providing expert advice in the initial development of ITE's apprenticeship model and subsequently, provided inputs for improving the system. KM has also helped ITE to put in place innovative learning processes for students to acquire key competencies comprising technical, methodogical and social skills required at the workplace.

10 I understand that KM's expertise has, by no means, been confined to programmes for students. ITE tells me that its pedagogic courses for its Train-the-Trainer Programme is validated by KM who helped re-structure its teacher-training programme. KM's assistance in the establishment of a Teacher Mentoring System for ITE where outstanding ITE training staff are groomed to become mentors to provide training, guidance and support to their fellow teaching staff, will continue to raise the pedagogic and technical standards in ITE. Today, ITE has a robust Teacher Mentoring System, thanks to KM's contributions.

11 In renewing the MOU, I hope that ITE and KM will identify new areas of interests to further continue and strengthen this close collaboration. I wish both ITE and KM another 5 years of fruitful collaboration.