SPEECH BY DR NG ENG HEN, MINISTER FOR MANPOWER AND SECOND MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, AT THE LAUNCH OF WORLD BOOK FAIR 2005 AND PRESENTATION OF THE INSPIRING CHINESE LANGUAGE TEACHERS AWARDS AND NATIONAL OUTSTANDING CHINESE LANGUAGE LESSON PLAN AWARDS 2005 ON

SPEECH BY DR NG ENG HEN, MINISTER FOR MANPOWER AND SECOND MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, AT THE LAUNCH OF WORLD BOOK FAIR 2005 AND PRESENTATION OF THE INSPIRING CHINESE LANGUAGE TEACHERS AWARDS AND NATIONAL OUTSTANDING CHINESE LANGUAGE LESSON PLAN AWARDS 2005 ON FRIDAY, 27 MAY 2005, AT 6.30 PM AT SUNTEC SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION AND EXHIBITION CENTRE

Mr Alan Chan

CEO, Singapore Press Holdings

Mr Lai Seck Khui

President and CEO, Times Publishing Ltd

Mr Robin Hu

Executive Vice President, Chinese Newspapers, Singapore Press Holdings

Mr Seow Choke Meng

Chairman, World Book Fair Organising Committee cum Executive Vice President (Cultural Industry Promotion) Chinese Newspapers, Singapore Press Holdings

Distinguished guests

Teachers

Ladies & Gentlemen

Good evening,

INTRODUCTION

1. I am pleased to join you this evening to officiate at the launch of the World Book Fair 2005 as well as to present the Inspiring Chinese Language Teachers Awards and the National Outstanding Chinese Language Lesson Plan Awards 2005. This year marks the 20^th Anniversary of World Book Fair, and every year the event gets bigger and better.

2. The organiser provided some numbers and they are impressive. I understand that an estimated 300,000 titles will be showcased during this year’s World Book Fair - more than double the 120,000 titles that were displayed at last year’s event. With titles ranging from children’s books, comics and magazines, to general and reference books and encyclopaedias being offered, everyone should be able to find some reading material to suit their needs and interests.

READING A BOOK - AN OLD AND GOOD HABIT

3. You might have thought that with rapidly changing technology and with more means of communicating information, the old habit of reading a book – I am talking of the printed word – would become obsolete. After all, we live in an increasingly visual world. The rate of hits on our eyeballs have risen exponentially. A walk or drive down Orchard Road shows what I mean. Billboards along the whole stretch with changing images and hues, evocative and provocative, scream to capture and imprint our minds with their messages.

4. But I believe that the printed page, like radio, will never become obsolete because it continues to meet an important need that fleeting pictures, or snazzy but superficial posters cannot.

5. Books, better than other forms, inspire, enlighten, inform, and make us reflect, question and debate existing attitudes, beliefs and ideas. It allows us to do this because the reader controls the pace of the interaction between his mind and the word, the idea proposed and his response. Without this process of reflection and debate, we would not progress and society itself would not progress.

6. Reading develops the mind like exercise builds muscle. Many studies have shown that there is a positive co-relation between reading and children’s cognitive development and education. According to the American Association of Paediatrics, when parents read to their children, not only does this habit develop the child’s mind, but strong emotional bonds are also formed between the reader-parent and the listening child. As children are introduced to the reading habit in their formative years, they become better equipped to grasp the variances in phonics, which in turn improves their communication and language skills and cognitive abilities. In addition, reading helps to form a solid foundation on which children build their future educational pursuits. Children who read, or are read to, acquire wider vocabularies, and are able to develop a keener imagination and appreciation for the world around them.

INITIATIVES IN EDUCATION & AWARDS WINNERS

7. The Ministry of Education is conscious of how important it is to cultivate the reading habit in our students from an early age. In fact, one of the key recommendations recently proposed by the Chinese Language Curriculum and Pedagogy Review Committee (CLCPRC) calls for greater emphasis to be placed on oral communication and reading. Schools are giving more weight to developing their students’ fluency and confidence in oral communication, and early proficiency in character development and recognition. But schools should not just work towards encouraging their students to read more CL books. They should strive to create lifetime learners and readers in their students – those who learn and read for personal fulfilment, and who will continue to read and educate themselves throughout their lives – and not just schooltime learners and readers – those who only learn and read within their prescribed texts and just for the purpose of doing well academically.

8. That is why I am very happy to present this year’s Inspiring Chinese Language Teachers Awards 2005 today to the deserving winners. The Awards give due recognition to CL teachers who have shown exemplary efforts towards the teaching of CL and culture, and who have been able to inspire their students to develop a deep appreciation for CL and culture. Out of 1550 nominations received, a record number since its inception in 1998, 15 CL teachers from six primary schools, five secondary schools and four junior colleges have won this year’s Inspiring Chinese Language Teachers Awards. My warmest congratulations to all of you.

9. All of you have received glowing testimonials from your school leaders and positive feedback from parents and students. For instance, Lam Jun Wei, a 12-year-old student at Catholic High School (Primary) writes that through her commitment, passion and constant encouragement, his former teacher, Mdm Teng Meow Kheng, has rekindled his interest in CL. Jun Wei shared that once, when Mdm Teng was teaching his class about the traditional sweet potato porridge, she had the school’s tuckshop stall specially prepare the porridge for students to eat during their recess. This example is not unique to Mdm Teng. Common threads stand out in all your testimonials – that you have revived your students’ interest in Chinese language and culture by approaching CL in a creative way, and that you have demonstrated a real enthusiasm for the subject and concern for your students while doing so.

10. Two teachers will also be presented with the National Outstanding Chinese Language Lesson Plan Award (Individual Category), chosen from 100 submissions. You have done well in creating interesting and enjoyable lesson plans for your students. I am heartened by the knowledge that the teaching experience of the recipients of both Awards ranges from less than two years to more than thirty years. I am heartened because, beyond age and experience, the teachers show that the key to good teaching is passion. I am also heartened because this demonstrates that the older, more experienced teachers are not resting on their laurels but continually improving their teaching strategies and still have the dedication to do the best by their students.

CONCLUSION

11. It is not just our CL teachers, but all our teachers, who play a central role in the successful implementation of educational initiatives and policies. To teach students of different capabilities and keep lessons interesting and enjoyable, they have to adopt different and creative methods and develop various interesting lesson plans. Today’s recipients have achieved this admirably and set exemplary standards for their colleagues.

12. I would also like to thank the Chinese Newspapers Division of Singapore Press Holdings and Times Business Information Pte Ltd for organising this year’s World Book Fair. The Book Fair has come a long way since its inception in 1986 and is now the largest book fair in Singapore.

13. It is my pleasure now to declare the World Book Fair 2005 open. Thank you.