SPEECH FOR MR HAWAZI DAIPI, PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY (EDUCATION), AT THE GEP 20th ANNIVERSARY REUNION DINNER At GRAND HYATT HOTEL, ON SATURDAY, 17TH JULY 2004, AT 7.30 P.M.

Dear guests from the Gifted Education Branch, GEP teachers, members of the Gifted Education Programme Alumni Association, ladies and gentlemen,

Introduction

1.      I am delighted to join all of you this evening for the Gifted Education Programme 20th Anniversary Reunion Dinner.  This is a time to renew the ties of friendship and to celebrate the shared experiences of this community of people.

The Beginnings

2.      As all of you are no doubt aware, the Gifted Education Programme (or GEP) was launched in 1984 as a pilot project in 2 primary schools and 2 secondary schools.  This came 3 years after the late Minister of State for Education, Dr Tay Eng Soon, led a mission to study gifted education programmes in other countries.

3.      The GEP was designed essentially as an enrichment programme which would engage learners and help them find joy in learning.  Over the years, the curriculum has been strengthened and miscellaneous intervention measures established, such as in the form of highly successful mentorship programmes, to provide stimulating educational experiences for bright young minds. 

4.      The first cohort of GEP students comprised 100 Primary 4 and 100 Secondary 1 pupils, the top 0.25% of their age-groups.  They were the pioneers who experienced the privilege as well as the gamble of being subjected to a new educational experience.  The “experiment” with Gifted Education, all things considered, has, to date, been a considerable success.  In its implementation, we have endeavoured to be accountable to the larger public by making responsible use of educational funds and resources invested in the Programme.  Planners, administrators and teachers have laboured to constantly bring cutting-edge curriculum experiences to our young learners.  Because of the observed benefits of the Programme and the quality of education it provided, the GEP was extended to more schools over the years, reaching out to more pupils.  Today, there are 16 GEP centres - comprising 9 primary and 7 secondary schools - with a total of 2400 current pupils.

Change and adaptation

5.      The launch of the GEP in 1984 was an important and bold step forward for Singapore’s education system.  Today we must continue to push the frontiers of education.  Rapid changes in the economy and society both on the local and global scene, no doubt brought about by the Information Revolution, have made it imperative for us to constantly review and renew the education system, to ensure that it remains relevant to our society’s needs.

6.      There is no doubt that our education system has matured.  It is time to break the mould and allow for diversity.  The past few years have seen a host of new initiatives, including the introduction of the Integrated Programmes (IP) in some schools.  As you may know, IP aims to provide a seamless Upper Secondary and Junior College education which does not require pupils to take the GCE 'O' Level Examination.  At present, 5 GEP Independent schools offer IP in a variety of models.  Schools offering IP also have the flexibility to choose the terminal qualification for their programmes: for example, ACS (Independent) offers students the International Baccalaureate, whereas other schools, such as The Chinese High School, offer the A-levels.

7.      We have also set up specialised schools to cater to a greater variety of needs in the education of the gifted.  An example of this is the NUS High School of Maths and Science, which will offer a whole-school approach to developing students with exceptional talents in mathematics and science.  They will utilise a curriculum and assessment system that gives students room to develop their special interests and abilities.  The Sports School and the proposed School for the Arts will provide resources, expertise and specially-tailored curriculum for pupils gifted in those areas.  Just as the GEP has provided for the intellectually gifted, we hope that these schools will serve the needs of those with special interest and aptitude in science, sports and the arts.  All these will add up to greater choice for the student, and greater opportunities to pursue his or her interests to the fullest.

8.      The GEP, having evolved to this point, should be prepared to adapt further to the demands of the time.  What might have worked well for us in the past may be superseded by new best practices.  Singapore’s education system can only stay ahead and serve our children well if students, parents and educators are open to change and new challenges.

Gifted Education Programme Alumni Association

9.      In 2 decades of Gifted Education, about 3600 students have gone through the GEP.  Those from the early cohorts are already in the workforce, contributing to Singapore in many different ways.  As we commemorate 20 years of gifted education, it is timely and appropriate to establish a GEP Alumni Association.

10.    From what I hear, the response by alumni to the Association has been most heartening.  The GEP Alumni Association was registered as a society on 5 January this year.  Already, a few hundred alumni have signed on as members. Many more are expected to do so in the coming months.

11.    The GEP Alumni Association has been set up to accomplish several aims.  One of them is to raise the public’s awareness of Gifted Education in Singapore.  Another aim is help the alumni stay in contact with one another.  Yet another, a noble one, is to explore opportunities for the alumni to contribute to the community.  According to a Chinese proverb, when one drinks water, one should look to its source in appreciative gratitude.  We should remember and keep in mind those who have helped to nurture us.  In the same way, the ex-GEP pupils desire to give something back to society, a society which has acknowledged the importance of catering to the needs of the intellectually gifted by providing programmes to support intellectual development in their crucial years of growth.

12.    One of the strengths of the United States higher education sector is a culture of giving back to society.  Those who were the beneficiaries of bursaries and grants in their college days often contribute to their alma mater, whether financially or otherwise.  This is not about formal obligation or cronyism, but about the impulse to contribute to a truly gracious and altruistic society.  This is about a community of people that is not only strong intellectually but also strong in heart, availing themselves as servant leaders to serve the next generation.  

13.    In drawing your attention to the situation in the US, I would like to pose a similar challenge to the GEP alumni amongst us tonight. Many of you are successful individuals. You can potentially give back to society in a myriad of meaningful ways. Starting small, you can begin by mentoring students in Special Programmes, or by providing students with internship opportunities in your workplaces.  The ripple of influence you can effect can come from fields that need not be work-related.  It could simply be the pursuit of your interests and passions, driven by hunger for knowledge as well as compassion and empathy for our fellow men.  Your drive, your dedication, your commitment to causes that you care for, whether they are in the fields of the sciences or the arts or others, can touch the lives of many and inspire others to follow.  You can actively engage in volunteer work both locally and overseas, using your talents and skills to make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate in society.

14.    You can also take on responsibility in educating the next generation.  You can extend to them the provision of learning experiences and opportunities from which you had benefited during your school years.  Even in your own personal role as parents and parents-to-be – you will agree with me on the need to develop your young into persons of good character who are forward-looking, and who in turn will be able to contribute to the betterment of society.

15.    Some of you in the alumni have already started well on your path to ‘give back’ to society.  Others amongst you who have arrived later are exploring ways to do so.  I have full faith in the Alumni Association to garner resources and be creative about the ways in which to ‘give back’.  I truly hope that this spirit of ‘giving back’ will percolate through the alumni.  It would be the most convincing manifestation of a strong social conscience and commitment to community, a strong testament to those who believe in you.  May the late Mother Teresa’s words be realised in your lives: “I slept and I dreamed that life is all joy, I woke and I saw that life is all service. I served and I saw that service is joy.”

16.    I take this opportunity to thank all who have played a part in building up the Gifted Education Programme, and to wish the GEP Alumni Association every success.