Speech by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Education & Second Minister for Finance, at Chung Cheng High School (Yishun)'s Official Opening Ceremony on Friday, 30 June 2006 at 6 pm

SPEECH BY MR THARMAN SHANMUGARATNAM, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION & SECOND MINISTER FOR FINANCE, AT CHUNG CHENG HIGH SCHOOL (YISHUN)'S OFFICIAL OPENING CEREMONY ON FRIDAY, 30 JUNE 2006 AT 6 PM

1 It is a great pleasure for me to join you on this joyous and important occasion, the official opening of Chung Cheng High School (Yishun)'s new campus.

2 Over the years under the able leadership of many past and present principals, the school has established itself very well, from its early days at Kim Yam Road to its present campus, where it has made its presence felt very quickly in the north. Ever since the school opened its gates to students in 2003, it has been in demand. Although it has only 300 places each year, the school has been receiving more than 2000 applications. This clearly reflects the public's confidence in the school.

3 To mark its relocation to Yishun, the school has renamed itself from Chung Cheng High School (Branch) to Chung Cheng High School (Yishun). The new name positions the school for the future. With its dedicated staff and state-of-the-arts facilities, I am confident that Chung Cheng High School (Yishun) will strive to provide the best educational experience for its students, nurturing quality citizens and leaders for the nation as it has always done in the past.

4 We have introduced several changes in our education system, to prepare our young for the future. However, underlying these changes is the increased autonomy we are giving our schools to develop effective programmes of their own, and to provide their students with greater choice. We believe that this approach of giving support to initiatives developed and owned by schools - or what we call “top-down support for ground up initiative” is the best way of delivering increased quality and choice in education. It has allowed our schools to develop their own strengths and niches, catering to the diverse needs of our students and community.

5 Chung Cheng High School (Yishun) has done well within this approach. It has used MOE support to enhance its own programmes. For example, its programmes in Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Restorative Practice (RP). The school strongly believes that these initiatives will help to strengthen teacher-student relationships - quality teacher-student relationships, that provide better guidance and allow more meaningful learning to take place.

6 The school has also employed more teachers, so as to provide its teachers with more time - more time and space to sharpen their professional practice. Chung Cheng High School (Yishun) has also been able to provide teachers with “protected time” for professional reflection and sharing and amongst themselves. The senior teachers in the school have also refined and customised the Ministry’s programme for school-based mentoring of all new teachers (the Structured Mentoring Programme) to help them perform as effective teachers. What we are seeing is a greater sense of ownership and belonging among the teachers, as they shape their own initiatives.

7 This focus on professional development of teachers within the school - regular sharing, mentoring of new teachers, and creating an open school culture that encourages teachers to take the initiative - is critical in a quality education system.

8 The open school culture in Chung Cheng High (Yishun) is also evident in the channels that allow students to express their views and concerns. The school has in fact made a number of refinements and adjustments based on suggestions from students. For example, one change introduced recently was to shift the school's starting time later by 10 minutes, benefiting not only parents but also students coming from as far as Johore. The students and parents are happy with the changes.

9 Chung Cheng has retained its tradition of placing strong emphasis on the inculcation of Chinese traditions and values. In fact, even the design of this modern campus draws ingeniously on Chung Cheng’s traditional heritage. MOE is supportive of the plans being made for Chung Cheng High (Yishun) to develop this niche in Chinese culture, and to serve other schools in its cluster schools as a centre of excellence in the appreciation, teaching and learning of the Chinese Language.

10 Besides offering subjects that the school has been traditionally strong in, Chung Cheng High School (Yishun) also offers new subjects such as Computer Studies and Chinese Literature to her Secondary 3 students, as well as ‘O’-level Music for the Upper Secondary classes. There are also new Co-Curricular Activities introduced such as Wushu, Dragonboat and the Green Club this year. All these are very well aligned to our broader thrust in education, of giving students more choice.

11 I am also pleased that the school has worked closely with key stakeholders such as parents, the School Management Committee (SMC), its Alumni as well as various Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL). The SMC and Alumni worked very closely with the Principal and gave full support in the building of the new campus. Parents also come forward to volunteer their services in the Parent Support Group (PSG) and school activities. In addition, the school has worked closely with IHLs such as The Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) and the ITEs in a range of collaborations. The school also forged close partnerships with the Yishun Central Constituency grassroots community. I applaud such partnerships and urge the community to further enhance this partnership in support of the school.

12 This year not only marks the official opening of the school's new campus. It is also a significant year, when the school's pioneer batch of students in the north will be graduating. They will set the standard for the school. I am sure that with a good start, Chung Cheng High School (Yishun) will go on to greater success and scale greater heights. Every Chung Cheng student carries not only a personal aspiration, but also the hopes and high expectations of every member of the Chung Cheng family. I wish all the secondary four students the very best for their coming examinations.

13 This new campus therefore marks the new beginning of a great journey for Chung Cheng High School (Yishun). I am sure with its distinctive tradition and strengths, Chung Cheng High School (Yishun) will establish itself as an outstanding educational institution in the north. On this note, I wish to extend my congratulations and best wishes to all staff, students, and the whole family of Chung Cheng, on the official opening of Chung Cheng High School (Yishun)'s new campus.