THE FOUNDATION OF SUCCESS: ONE UNITED PEOPLE

4.        A strong nation is not just made up of individuals, however talented. It rests on our collective efforts as one people.

5.        Our experience with SARS is a good example of how we can overcome great challenges if we work together. All Singaporeans played a part in fighting SARS - the doctors and nurses in our hospitals, defence engineers working on the thermal scanners, the cleaning staff in our buildings and food centres, and everyone of you in our schools.

6.        Our schools can take pride in how we stood up to the challenge of SARS. It has been a massive task to monitor the well being of more than half a million pupils and give their parents confidence in the safety of our schools. Our principals, teachers and other school staff rose to the challenge, calmly and meticulously. As pupils, you played your part well, by taking your temperature daily and exercising responsibility to prevent the spread of the disease. Even our Primary 1 and 2 pupils learnt how to take their own temperatures with the guidance of their teachers. The fact that a very large majority of parents sent their children back to schools as soon as we reopened them was a major vote of confidence, especially in our teachers.

7.        SARS was an unprecedented experience. Singaporeans' unity and discipline in the fight against SARS has made us stronger and more resilient as a society. It has strengthened international confidence in us. It will stand us in good stead as we face future challenges.

Education for the Future

8.        Education is about getting ready for the future today. What you do now in school will in many ways decide your future. It will also decide our future as a nation. We have to prepare for a future that will be very different from the past. We cannot predict what it will look like. We live in a knowledge-based economy, where human skill and ingenuity are the keys to success. But we cannot say for sure what jobs will be in demand, ten or twenty years from now. We have to be prepared for frequent change, and challenges that will often be unsettling. It will be a future with heightened risks, but also great rewards for those who are willing to seize opportunities and turn risk to advantage.

9.        Your responsibility is to prepare yourselves for this future - a future of both uncertainty and opportunity. There will be no one path to success, and no single definition of individual success. We will need diverse skills, and Singaporeans who are willing to take different, untried paths.

10.        You will be well prepared for the future if you acquire a strong foundation of knowledge in school, and learn how to communicate well and interact with a range of people. But you must also develop the knack of being flexible, of thinking on your feet, and being willing to experiment with new ways of doing things. These will be key skills for the future. Never be afraid to ask questions and test out new solutions. You should also take your CCA and other school activities seriously. They will develop in you the strength of character and robustness that will help you in life.

11.        Your years in school are the critical time to develop these qualities. They will prepare you well for the exciting future ahead. They will help you look out for opportunities, and make the most of them. They will help you ride the winds of change, and soar.

Together, We Will Go Higher

12.        What will make or break us as a nation will ultimately be our ability as Singaporeans to preserve a spirit of solidarity between citizens of different social backgrounds. We have a stake in each other's future, and a common interest in Singapore's success.

13.        How can we reach new heights as a country? We will do so if those of you who have climbed the highest extend a hand to your fellow citizens, and help them climb higher. Make time for them. Make the special effort to engage and get to know them, and encourage them along. It will make you stronger, fuller individuals, and will make us a more resilient society.

14.        Just a few weeks ago, we commemorated Racial Harmony Day. It was once again a good opportunity for students from different races to work together, learn from each other and show, in interesting and colourful ways, our togetherness as a people. Our schools are the key place where you develop this sense of togetherness when you are young. They are where you share experiences together, whether playing together, learning together, practising in teams and uniformed organisations together, or taking part in the same competitions.

15.        We should continue to expand these common experiences, and find creative ways to do so. We should take every opportunity to mix and interact with each other, take a cue from each other, and make friendships. If we do this well, our diversity of races and cultures will be a source of continuing strength and dynamism for Singapore, not a source of weakness. We will learn not just to tolerate our differences, but to understand and appreciate each other. Most important, we would learn that our futures are bound together, and know that we all share the same hopes for Singapore.

CONCLUSION

16.        National Day is a time for celebration. It is also a time to look forward to the future. You have the opportunity and responsibility as young citizens to develop the qualities that will help you do well and ensure that Singapore remains a dynamic and cohesive society for many years to come.

17.        I wish you all a happy and meaningful National Day.

THARMAN SHANMUGARATNAM

ACTING MINISTER FOR EDUCATION

8 AUGUST 2003