SPEECH BY MR HAWAZI DAIPI, SENIOR PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF EDUCATION & MINISTRY OF MANPOWER, AT THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION PROMOTION CEREMONY FOR DIVISION II, III & IV EXECUTIVE & ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF ON TUE 21 JUNE 2005 AT 3:30PM AT THE MOE ED

SPEECH BY MR HAWAZI DAIPI, SENIOR PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF EDUCATION & MINISTRY OF MANPOWER, AT THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION PROMOTION CEREMONY FOR DIVISION II, III & IV EXECUTIVE & ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF ON TUE 21 JUNE 2005 AT 3:30PM AT THE MOE EDUTORIUM

1. I am very pleased to be here today to share in the joy of this ceremony. My warmest congratulations to the 277 Executive & Administrative Staff (or EAS) officers who are promoted on 1 June this year. They have been promoted into and within the various Division II, III and IV schemes of service. Amongst them, 29 officers have crossed from the Division III to the Division II status. Another 13 officers will be promoted in the coming months subject to their continuing good performance.

2. Singapore has a strong education system in place, underpinned by high academic standards. It has served us well. Moving ahead, we need to build on our strong fundamentals to focus on the holistic education of our students, as well as create greater flexibility and diversity in our structures. We need to prepare them for the rapidly changing world that they live in, and enable opportunities for all. Some of these changes include a wider range of school curriculum, greater flexibility in streaming, greater flexibility in the teaching and learning of mother tongue languages as well as a greater emphasis on CCA.

3. Schools have also been given greater autonomy to manage their resources, develop their own niches and to recognise students with different dimensions of achievement. These initiatives allow greater ownership and autonomy for our schools.

4. For these changes to take root and succeed, school leaders, teachers and our EAS staff have to work together in partnership with MOE HQ. You all are part of the EAS pillar in our education system. Many of you are supporting our school and teachers with your knowledge and expertise in areas such as Laboratory Management and School Administration. Others are in MOE HQ Divisions working on specialised areas of finance or human resources. Without your commitment, drive and creativity every day, it will not be possible for the Ministry to achieve our mission or be as efficient or effective that we are today.

5. Today’s promotion ceremony is just one part of the Ministry’s efforts to recognise the contributions and important role of our EAS. You should also be proud of your role and contributions in the schools and MOE HQ in helping to achieve our mission of ensuring the holistic education of our next generation.

6. I would like to make special mention of the 124 Operations Support Officers (OSOs) promoted from OSO Grade V to OSO Grade IV this year. Each of these officers spent 75 learning hours undergoing the SIX training programme conducted by IPAM in order to meet the requirements for promotion. Their commitment to learning and upgrading is very commendable. Their supervisors too have played a part by giving their support to the officers.

7. The Ministry is committed to facilitating the continual learning and professional development of our EAS. We will continue to help our EAS staff to continually acquire new skills and knowledge so as to remain effective and efficient, and stay ahead of changes in our operating environment.

8. To this end, I am pleased to note that the Personnel Division and Training and Development Division are reviewing the training programme for EAS and will be launching a new total Learning Framework for EAS soon. This framework should provide an updated and comprehensive guide for EAS officers at all levels in their training and professional development across their whole careers It should also help supervisors better plan the development roadmaps for their staff. Lastly, it can also caters to EAS with strong interest or area of specialisation to expand the depth and scope of their specialist knowledge and help them become experts in their fields. This framework will be announced in the third quarter of this year.

9. We have also strived to enable the development of EAS through the On-The-Job Training (or OJT) Framework. MOE is a Certified OJT Centre (or COJTC) since 1st of March 2001. Around 2287 Operations and Corporate Support Officers in schools have received training while they are carrying out their daily duties. We will be extending the OJT framework to all Technical Support Officers in Schools from this year.

10. While the Ministry seek to facilitate your development, I would also like to encourage all our EAS officers to maintain the spirit of continual learning and upgrading. Ms Asiah Bte K Mohd of Serangoon Junior College exemplifies such a role model. Ms Asiah was an Office Attendant with the Ministry since 1982. She later upgraded her qualification by studying for a NITEC in Office Skills awarded by the ITE. In the course of her studies, she acquired skills and knowledge in IT, Office Management and English. This equipped her to take on a higher level job of a Corporate Support Officer and also created better career prospects for her. She was subsequently transferred to the Corporate Support Scheme in Year 2002, performing clerical duties in her college. Ms Aisah has continued in her good performance and she will be promoted from Corporate Support Officer Grade V to a Corporate Support Officer Grade IV today.

Ms Asiah is but one of our role models here today who exemplifies lifelong learning. Let us learn from them today.
Greater Collaboration and Sharing

11. Finally, I would like to highlight the importance of collaboration and sharing amongst EAS. Collaboration or working together, facilitates the sharing of ideas and best practices, as well as, resources such as school premises and facilities. Such an approach will generate synergy and value within our schools and clusters, as well as, enable the spirit of Innovation and Enterprise to continue blazing.

12. Such collaboration can take place at the school level or at the Cluster levels. I understand that many Administration and Operations Managers are already actively involved in collaborations within the Clusters and are seeing tangible results. I would like to encourage all of you here today to find opportunities to collaborate with your colleagues from your Clusters. You all hold a wealth of valuable experiences and expertise which when put together can greatly benefit the education service.

13. In closing, let me once again congratulate all the officers promoted this year. You have done well and I hope that you will continue to maintain the dedication, energy and commitment that have come to characterise our EAS officers. Congratulations, and keep up the good work! Thank you.