Speech by Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister of State, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Manpower at the Fajar Secondary School's Speech and Prize-Giving Day on Thursday, 6 April 2006

SPEECH BY MR GAN KIM YONG, MINISTER OF STATE, MINISTRY OF EDUCATION & MINISTRY OF MANPOWER, AT FAJAR SECONDARY SCHOOL’S SPEECH AND PRIZE-GIVING DAY ON THURSDAY, 6 APRIL 2006 AT 4.30 PM

1. It is a pleasure for me to be here this afternoon to join you in this celebration of your achievements. It is particularly heartening to see parents here as well. Your presence here is a strong affirmation of your support for your children’s learning experience. It will undoubtedly be a great encouragement to them.

2. To all the 150 students and staff who will be receiving awards today, congratulations on your achievements. The award is not only a recognition of your personal achievement but also an encouragement to motivate your peers to strive for excellence.

3. For this reason, your school has chosen `Celebrating Excellence’ as the theme for today’s event. What is excellence? Excellence is not an outcome. Excellence is a mindset. It is a state of mind that motivates one to continuously strive to do better. It is a never ending urge to progress and a perpetual desire to surpass prior achievements. Singapore’s own history is a good demonstration of what excellence is about.

4. The progress of Singapore over the past 40 years has been spectacular. We have moved from a third world economy to a first world economy. We have improved the standard of living of our people. We have provided them with the best education to prepare them for the future. But most important of all, we are maturing as a people, as a nation.

5. Many have marvelled at our achievements. What is the secret of our success, many have wondered. The real secret is in our people. Singaporeans are an excellent breed. Three characteristics make us unique.

6. Firstly, we are very driven. We set ourselves high goals. We push ourselves to the limit. Some may think that this is being “kiasu”. Maybe, but our drive for excellence has been a key to our success. When we were first separated from Malaysia, we had nothing, no resources, no industries, no water even. But we did not allow these factors to handicap us. Instead, we set out to build a nation, not just any nation, but a world-class home for all Singaporeans. While the vision had seemed impossible in the beginning, we have now shown the world that we can make it happen.

7. Secondly, Singaporeans are highly determined. After we were separated from Malaysia, we were faced with seemingly insurmountable setbacks: withdrawal of the British, racial unrest, industrial strikes, one after another. People of weaker mantle would have given up long ago. But our desire to survive and our determination to succeed were strong. We soldiered on. We built our own armed forces through National Service. We promoted racial and religious harmony. We set up the National Trades Union Congress to foster tripartite collaboration. We worked together as a people to build our economy and our nation. The road has not been a bed of roses, but we have walked through it with determination and emerged a nation.

8. Thirdly, we are confident. Although no one believed we could make it, we did. It was this confidence that has allowed us to look forward, and never to look back. This confidence has allowed us to build trust among our people as well as between the people and the Government. We are able to take unpopular measures to ensure success in building a nation with equal and abundant opportunities for all.

9. Our drive, our determination and our confidence have been the three key ingredients of the Singapore Spirit that has brought us thus far. To ensure that our nation continues to pursue excellence, we need to inculcate the same Singaporean spirit of drive, determination and confidence in our youth: the foundation of our future. We must give them the opportunity to pursue their interests and develop their talents to the fullest.

10. In our pursuit of excellence, we must also expect setbacks and obstacles, just like the story of Singapore. A person who achieves excellence is one who has failed many times but yet is able to pick himself up and continue to pursue his goal.

11. Did you know that Thomas Edison made 3,000 failed attempts in inventing the light bulb before finally succeeding? Well, he said he did not fail. He just found 3,000 ways that did not work.

12. Another example closer to home, of a person who refused to succumb to failure, is Ms Nanz Chong-Komo, founder of the former One.99 chain of retail stores. You may have read about her in The Sunday Times more than a week ago, on 26 March. She was the “Woman Entrepreneur of the Year” in 2000. She owned 14 One.99 stores and at the height of her business in 2001, the turnover was $14 million. The business went bad during the hard times in 2003 and she was declared a bankrupt. However, she did not give up. Instead, she moved on. Today, she is a successful author, she gives motivational talks, and she counsels ailing businesses. She is an example of someone who has learnt from failure to emerge stronger and even more successful.

13. These are examples of excellence. But I must stress that excellence is not just attained by special people who win book prizes or sports trophies. Excellence can be achieved by anyone, including you.

14. Indeed, this afternoon we are here to celebrate your excellent achievements. To the students who have done well last year, you have made your parents and the school proud. As you celebrate today, I hope that you will persist in the pursuit of excellence and attain greater achievements in time to come.

15. And now to the teachers. I must commend you for your commitment and your efforts. I always believe that teaching is more than a profession. It is more than a career. Teaching is a calling, not very different from religious callings for priesthood or monkhood. You must believe in what you are doing. You must be passionate about your students. You must see your impact in their lives. As a teacher, you have the unique opportunity to inspire each one of your students, to kindle their interests, to develop their talent and to mould their character. You must see this as your mission, not as your duty. Therefore, you will find that you are often driven to care for your students beyond the call of duty. If you treat teaching strictly as a career, you will find it stressful and difficult to cope. But if you treat it as a calling, as a mission, then you will find great satisfaction in being able to make a difference.

16. Education is a partnership. Parents must work in partnership with the school for your children to achieve the excellence that they are capable of. It is a challenge to be effective parents today, but we must strive to be excellent parents. I am pleased to note that Fajar Secondary School has an active School Family Education programme. The school believes in the importance of working with parents. Studies have shown that when parents are involved in their children’s education, the children do better. Parents are also the most important role model for their children. Children learn and acquire values from you. So parents, we would like to urge you to join in this partnership to give your children the best education in school and at home. Your presence here today is a significant step and we look forward to your continued support and participation.

17. Finally, I would like to congratulate the staff and students of Fajar Secondary School for your pursuit of excellence. The hard work that you have put in to nurture and develop the young will see many of them grow up to become great men and women of Singapore. My best wishes for all the award winners today, keep up the good work. Thank you.