SPEECH BY MR HAWAZI DAIPI, PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF EDUCATION & MINISTRY OF MANPOWER, AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF SI LING PRIMARY SCHOOL ON THURSDAY, 27 MAY 04, AT 7.00 PM

Mr Lim Teck Chai, Chairman, School Advisory Committee

Mdm Teo Woo Mee, Principal, Si Ling Primary School

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Boys and Girls

Introduction
1. It gives me great pleasure to be here on this important and auspicious occasion.  I would like to congratulate the School Advisory Committee, the Principal, Mdm Teo Woo Mee, Parents, Staff and Pupils of Si Ling Primary School on the Official Opening of the school at the present site. 

2. As I stepped into the school, I could sense the vibrancy in the school and the high energy level among staff and pupils.  Our youth are the future of our nation and it is important that we nurture and prepare them well to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

3. As Singapore transits to a knowledge-based economy, there is a need for schools to prepare our pupils to embrace change rather than resist change.  Our pupils will have to learn to be innovative individuals who go beyond the classroom.  To do this, schools need to equip them with the necessary skills and mindsets, and develop in them the desired values and attributes to be resourceful and innovative.   Pupils must learn to have the courage to take risks and be resilient in the face of challenges.  Schools must raise pupils’ enthusiasm for learning. I am happy to know of that the school has taken various initiatives to respond to the changing educational landscape.

Holistic Education
4. Tonight’s mass performances, I am told involving more than 1000 pupils, allow us a peek into the way the school is developing the pupils holistically. I am pleased to know that Si Ling Primary has taken the direction of providing holistic education and creating a caring environment.  Not only does the school focus on its academic performance, it has also created opportunities to develop its pupils aesthetically, sociably and morally. 

Aesthetics
5. I am glad that the school, in alignment with its core values, has provided its pupils with ample opportunities to learn to become gracious citizens. The school has put in place a structured programme to allow pupils to experience different aesthetics programmes by the time they graduate from Si Ling Primary. These programmes include E-Music, Digital Art, Clay Works and Mural Painting with 3D effect. Through art and music appreciation, pupils acquire the skill of creative thinking and graciousness.  This will also enable the pupils to develop their different abilities and talents.  One very good example of a student who has benefited from the school’s aesthetics programme is Jaspal Singh, a Primary 6 pupil who won a bronze award in a ISME (International Society for Music Education) competition by composing a piece of digital music.

Social Consciousness
6. In developing strength of character, the school continually seeks to raise the pupils’ level of social consciousness. For instance, as part of the community involvement programme, the school has adopted a nursing home, the Mun Fat Tong Home. Pupils visit and interact with the residents in the home, and cheer them up with performances. They also help the residents with their regular exercises and join them in their handicraft work.  The school has also implemented a programme that allows teachers and pupils to appreciate the kind deeds of anyone, including the pupils and staff, in the school.

7. The recent project, “Si Ling’s Also OK!” also allows pupils to use their creativity to ‘groom’ the toilets, practise good toilet hygiene habits and at the same time learn moral values such as social responsibility, graciousness, care and concern and team spirit. It is also commendable that the school has taken a whole school approach to integrate the project into the various subjects and levels.

Learner Centred Education
8. The school is transforming itself into a vibrant community of learners in Science and Life Sciences in particular through engaging the pupils in exploring the themes of animals, plants and fungi.  Learning centres based on these themes have been created around the school. Students of Si Ling Primary are fortunate to have facilities such as an aquarium, a life-sized whale, an aviary, a fernery, a cactus corner and Si Ling’s wetland to make life sciences relevant and interesting. Also in the pipeline is an insect corner. Pupils from all levels explore Life Sciences through playing, learning and caring, an approach that allows them to broaden their scope of knowledge, have fun and inculcate the values of respect and care. As these programmes are integrated into the curriculum across all levels, I am sure it will help deepen the pupils’ understanding of Life Sciences.

Innovation and Enterprise
9. The school has also shown innovation and resourcefulness in creating props from recycled materials for the mass performances. I am encouraged by the school’s effort in using these materials so creatively. One example is the collection of 1300 used CD-ROMs from its pupils and staff to form part of the costume for the Primary 5 pupils. The school has even tapped on a printing company to recycle the core of the master films used in printing machines.  Two hundred pieces of the core have been transformed into a torch for the performance by the Primary 3 pupils.  I have also come to know that the teachers had prepared the flip boards and mortar boards themselves and taught the pupils the dance steps for the mass performances. Such commitment is indeed commendable.

Collaboration with the Stakeholders
10. A necessary ingredient in school change is collaboration between schools and their partners in education.  Indeed, stakeholders in education play an important role in helping our pupils reach their fullest potential.  Effective collaboration affords pupils enormous advantages not available from classroom instruction.  It enables them to be involved in real-world tasks and provides opportunities for them to improve their social skills such as teambuilding and social responsibility.

11. Si Ling Primary has forged successful partnerships with its stakeholders.  I understand that there is active parental involvement in the mass performances put up by the pupils tonight.  The parents have helped to prepare the props, also paid for and sewn some of the costumes. Mr Lim Teck Chai, Chairman of the School Advisory Committee has given his full support by making the swords and shields for one of the mass performances.  I commend parents and SAC for the support they have given to the school and urge them to continue to strengthen this partnership.

12. It is also heartening to note that the school has been reaching out and serving the community through extending and sharing its facilities and expertise.  The school collaborates with the North-West CDC in conducting National IT Literacy Programme for its parents, the Marsiling Zone 8 Residents’ Committee on Cultural Nite, the Edusave Awards Presentation, and the Robotics Club just to name a few.  These efforts have strengthened the school-community link as both groups have benefited from the collaboration. 

Conclusion
13. Every child should be encouraged and provided the opportunities to develop his abilities.  We see this being done in Si Ling Primary.  On this note, I wish Si Ling Primary, its School Advisory Committee, Principal, Staff and Pupils all the best as you continue to scale greater heights in the pursuit for excellence in education.