SPEECH BY MR THARMAN SHANMUGARATNAM,
ACTING MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF GREENWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL ON SATURDAY 22 MAY 2004

Mr NK Rajah
Chairman 
School Advisory Committee

Mr A Sivam Reddy
Principal
Greenwood Primary School
 
Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Boys and Girls

Introduction

1. It is my pleasure to join you all at the Official Opening of Greenwood Primary School.

2. Beginning with a population of about 460 pupils, Greenwood Primary School has expanded six fold in the last four years. Greenwood  has created an inviting, learner-centred environment, by drawing on the combined strengths of its staff, parents and the community. The school now has about 2600 pupils and is becoming a choice school among the young families in Woodlands. All the places in its 13 Primary One classes were taken up in the past 3 years.

Innovation and Enterprise

3. To succeed in an innovation-driven economy, we have to start young. This means encouraging our children to ask questions, to think for themselves, and to take responsibility as they grow up. Developing innovative and enterprising young citizens is ultimately about shaping mental attitudes, more than mastering knowledge. It is about nurturing the imagination, encouraging pupils to take the initiative, developing a willingness to bounce back from failure, and to stand as a team.

4. To achieve this, our schools are focusing on the total development of the child, both in academic and non-academic fields.  Pupils should be encouraged to ask questions, and search for answers on their own. We want them to participate actively in their own learning, not just wait for answers to be provided. We want to give them frequent opportunity to express themselves in class, and think aloud. They should also be exposed to activities outside the classroom, that help them develop ruggedness and team spirit.

5. Greenwood Primary is delivering a sound education to its pupils, in the fundamentals. It has also introduced many innovations in learning. I am told that as early as primary two, pupils  are introduced to basic Science concepts to spark off their interest in nature and the world they see around them. The pupils are also involved in projects that combine several areas of learning, such as ‘Enterprise in a Bottle’, i-Fiesta and Greenwood@Heart. The “E-Space” in Greenwood Primary allows pupils to interact and experience different situations, such as a bazaar, a dialogue space or even a speaker’s square. The concept of ‘Dialogue’ has also been introduced to some of the pupils.  The pupil leaders, led by a teacher-mentor, have weekly dialogues amongst themselves where they are encouraged to voice their concerns and listen to others. All these programmes help build an open and exciting school culture.

Character and Leadership

6. It is not too soon to start building leadership in primary school pupils. Children learn how to work and play with each other, and recognize that in a group there are different roles to play. Among the roles is that of the leader. Greenwood’s Sports Leaders Award Programme is geared towards encouraging pupils to develop the interest and skills to serve the school community in a variety of areas in sports. Pupil Leaders are provided with a year long training programme which includes structured activities as well as ‘on- the-job’ peer leading sessions. A Junior Prefects Programme is also in place for more experienced pupil leaders to handhold and help develop their younger peers. 

7. As our children venture out to explore new horizons, we have to equip them with sound values to guide their choices and decisions.  Greenwood Primary takes an integrated approach in its values education. The school cascades its nine core values to pupils through a variety of programmes in the school.  (The alphabets in the school name “GREENWOOD” are used to highlight the core values, so that pupils can strive to be Gracious, Responsible, Enterprising, Empathetic, Noble, Wise, Open, Optimistic and Determined.)

8. And through programmes like CHAMPS, the school seeks to inspire in pupils a creative spirit and the responsibility of thinking about others. In CHAMPS, pupil leaders propose business plans that benefit the needy in society. In this way pupils learn from young that they are each responsible for  the greater good of society.
 
Partnerships and Community

9. Collaboration between our schools, and with partners outside the school, provide schools with an additional lift in their efforts to provide a quality education to our children. The School Cluster System allows for a great deal of collaboration. It has made it possible for Greenwood Primary to carve a niche for itself in the Visual Arts. Greenwood houses the Visual Arts Centre for North 7 cluster. The school also collaborates with the La Salle-SIA College of the Arts, NAFA and the Singapore Art Museum.  With the al-fresco style Art Gallery and the Young Artists’ studio, teachers and pupils in the whole cluster of schools are benefiting from experiential art workshops.

10. The school’s partnership and collaboration with parents and the community also enrich learning and build mutual support. Greenwood’s PSG has been involved in planning and organising various creative activities for the pupils so that they learn about and showcase various aspects of Singapore culture. As the parents support the school, the pupils in turn support the community in their involvement in the Sree Narayana Mission Home. Besides invitations to its residents to celebrate the ethnic festivals with them in the school, the pupils visit their elderly friends regularly to talk to them or help them with simple chores.  The school starts its pupils young in this area. Siti Nasuha, a Primary One pupil, was among the 13 outstanding awardees of the Singa Gold Award 2003 who were recognised for being exemplary and caring role models to their schoolmates.

Conclusion

11. With its forward looking and dedicated staff, supportive parents and community, I am confident that Greenwood Primary pupils will receive an education that will give them a head start in their journey of “Passion for Lifelong Learning”.

12. It is now my pleasure to declare Greenwood Primary School open.