Speech by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Education and Second Minister for Finance, at the 5th National Youth Achievement Award (NYAA) Bronze and Silver Presentation Ceremony, at Kaki Bukit Centre (Prison School), on Saturday, 8 Jul 2006, at 10am

SPEECH BY MR THARMAN SHANMUGARATNAM, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION & SECOND MINISTER FOR FINANCE, AT THE 5th NATIONAL YOUTH ACHIEVEMENT AWARD (NYAA) BRONZE AND SILVER PRESENTATION CEREMONY, AT KAKI BUKIT CENTRE (PRISON SCHOOL), ON SATURDAY, 8 JULY 2006, AT 10.00AM

INTRODUCTION
1. It is my pleasure to join you today for the 5th National Youth Achievement Award (NYAA) Bronze and Silver Presentation Ceremony. It is one of the most meaningful events I have attended this year, and I thank the organisers for inviting me. This morning we give national recognition to the outstanding achievements of the NYAA participants of Kaki Bukit Centre (KBC) Prison School, Cluster A4, and Changi Women’s Prison. My congratulations to the 51 award recipients who will receive certificates of achievement alongside their awards. With your awards today, we now have 500 award winners from the Prison School since the NYAA programme was introduced here in 2000.

LIGHTING THE WAY FORWARD
2. The award recipients present today have made use of every opportunity to work towards the personal goals they have set for themselves, and to develop strength of character. They have, by their own examples, lit the lamp that shows the way forward for others.

3. As the video had earlier shown, the NYAA programme has given the student inmates at the Prison School the opportunity to participate in many joint community projects. In fact, in many cases, it was the student inmates who took the initiative. For example, an NYAA forum on Youth Crime Prevention and Restorative Justice was organised by the participants themselves. Their initiative brought together various community organisations, ‘youth-at-risk’ groups in our schools, and the families of inmates themselves, to discuss how to prevent juvenile delinquency. The students who organised this showed a sense of responsibility not only to themselves, but to others.

ACTIVE SUPPORT OF KEY COMMUNITY PARTNERS
4. I would like to commend all the participating community agencies and volunteer organisations for their continuous support and tireless contributions to the NYAA programme. Each of you have played an important role - the NYAA Council, The Rotary Club of Singapore, the Home Team agencies, Singapore Adventures Club, Community Development Councils, Pelangi Village, Peace Connect Centre, and many other religious and community agencies. I encourage more groups to partner the KBC Prison School, to make a difference in the lives of the students and help them to reintegrate into society when they leave the prison walls.

5. I am happy to also note the contributions of the Prisons Education Branch, including the MOE-posted teachers who chose to join the Prison School to provide education opportunities for the student inmates here – one that is comparable to that offered in mainstream schools.

6. The results of the Prison School students speak for themselves. The percentage of 3 O-level passes has increased from 61 per cent in 2000 to 86 per cent in 2005. Over two thirds (68%) of the Prison School’s candidates at the ‘O’ levels also obtained 5 or more ‘O’-level passes in 2005. And 87% of those sitting for the ‘N’ level exams last year did well, obtaining 10 points or less in their best 3 subjects.

7. You have done well, and it shows your determination to succeed. It shows that you can go even further in education, and in life.

8. My congratulations also go out to the management, teachers and staff of the Prison School for your dedication and passion as you live out your school’s mission of ‘Awakening Hope and Rebuilding Lives’.

9. I encourage all of you at the Prison School to take full advantage of the opportunities open to you in education. Regardless of whether you are more academically-oriented or prefer to learn by doing more practical, hands-on activities, you can decide where your interests lie and pursue them to the fullest. The challenges you overcome will make you all the stronger. So persevere, and go as far as you can.

CARING AND COMMITTED STAKEHOLDERS
10. In addition, I am very pleased to see that many ex-offenders are not only keeping themselves crime-free, but are also taking time to come back to contribute to the many joint community service projects undertaken in co-operation with the Prison School.

11. I wish to also express my heartiest congratulations to the KBC alumni who recently won the Central CDC and National Community Security and Safety (CSSP) Excellence Award for their projects. Some of their winning projects include the painting and cleaning of one-room flats for needy residents in the North Bridge Road vicinity, and organising an excursion for 40 visually handicapped persons to the Central National Library where they were taught to use the library’s audio facilities. The KBC alumni also planned an outing together with Central CDC, where they escorted 92 physically handicapped persons from four elderly and welfare homes on an eventful MRT ride. They journeyed from Pasir Ris to Changi Airport, where many of them got to visit Terminal Two for the first time.

12. KBC Prison School and NYAA have struck a wonderful partnership. They are opening up more opportunities for the student inmates to do something meaningful and enriching. For example, the KBC Broadcast Studio recently won silver at the 2006 Schools Video Awards. I understand that the student participants are looking into producing a docu-drama to be aired on national TV, based on their own lives, on why youth go astray. They want others to avoid making the same mistakes. And by doing this, the student inmates will also be showing their talents in creative expression.

CONCLUSION
13. To the families gathered here today to share in this proud moment with your loved ones, I would like to commend you for giving them your strong support. Your encouragement will go a long way in helping them re-integrate into society. The wider community also has an important role to play in its support of these individuals. By encouraging them to continue with their education, and by helping them to find jobs, we not only help them, but we build a stronger Singapore community together.

14. On this note, I commend all our award recipients for your outstanding contributions and personal achievements. I wish all of you success as you reach out for the sky, work to make your dreams come true, and continue to inspire others.