Speech by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Education and Second Minister for Finance, at Pei Chun Public School's 73rd Founder's Day, Official Opening of New Sports Hall, 12th Anniversary of Pei Chun Old Students' Association and Official Opening

SPEECH BY MR THARMAN SHANMUGARATNAM, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND SECOND MINISTER FOR FINANCE, AT PEI CHUN PUBLIC SCHOOL’S 73RD FOUNDER’S DAY, OFFICIAL OPENING OF NEW SPORTS HALL, 12TH ANNIVERSARY OF PEI CHUN OLD STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION AND OFFICIAL OPENING OF ALUMNI ROOM AT PEI CHUN PUBLIC SCHOOL ON FRIDAY, 14 JULY 2006 AT 7.00PM

1. It gives me great pleasure to be present this evening at a celebration of four meaningful events in the rich history of your school – your 73rd Founders’ Day, the Official Opening of the New Sports Hall, 12th Anniversary of the Pei Chun Old Students’ Association and the Official Opening of the Alumni Room. Pei Chun Public has come a long way from its humble beginnings in an old shophouse at Tanglin Road 73 years ago with 90 pupils. Tonight we celebrate the vision and hard work of Pei Chun’s staff and stakeholders in making the school what it is today.

2. Pei Chun has a strong tradition of 五育 (wu yu), of providing an all-round, holistic education for its pupils. Pei Chun’s strengths in developing its pupils’ intellectual and cognitive abilities can be seen in the quality results your school has produced and in its role as the Centre of Excellence for Chinese Language in the South Zone. Pei Chun has been a rich resource for South Zone schools and has introduced creative approaches to make the learning of the Chinese language fun and engaging. I understand that these have included the re-writing of pop song lyrics and the creation of comic strips with careful attention to how the choice of words used in the comic strip can enhance the pupils’ drawings.

3. Pei Chun has also provided a range of opportunities to cater to the diverse interests and talents of your pupils. Its 26 Co-Curricular Activities (CCAs) offer a wide range of choices in sports, performing arts, uniformed groups and clubs & societies. These CCAs also provide opportunities for social integration, team-building, and the development of leadership qualities and inter-personal skills.

4. Pei Chun’s Sports Talent Identification and Nurturing Programme, for which you were awarded the Programme for School-Based Excellence awards in 2005 and 2006, is a significant innovation. To cater to the needs of your pupils, you have banded them according to their CCA abilities. Pupils with talents in sports such as basketball, table-tennis and volleyball are put into sports classes, while those in the Chinese Orchestra are grouped into another class.

5. The effectiveness of your efforts to develop your students’ interests and talents through CCAs can be seen both in the extent of CCA participation and the achievements you have sustained over time. CCAs are not compulsory in primary schools. But in Pei Chun, 70% of pupils participate in at least 1 CCA. Pei Chun has also developed strong niches in table-tennis, volleyball, and basketball, while its Choir, Chinese Dance and Chinese Orchestra have consistently performed well at the Singapore Youth Festival Central Judging. The Sustained Achievement Awards that Pei Chun has received for Sports and the Arts are a testament to its strengths in these two areas.

6. The choices that you have given your pupils and your efforts at nurturing their talents have also benefited your pupils in other ways. I understand that as many as 40 pupils from Pei Chun were offered a place at a secondary school of their choice through the Direct School Admission exercise in 2005, and that your pupils’ strengths in sports and aesthetics were important factors contributing to their admission to secondary school.

7. At the end of the day, however, education is not about specific talents or activities but about nurturing the character of our children. This is perhaps the greatest strength in the Pei Chun tradition. I commend Pei Chun’s efforts to inculcate in its pupils your school values of care, commitment, collaboration, courtesy, honesty, honour and justice. You have found creative ways to make these values come alive to your pupils through the use of teachable moments, stories and songs, even combining them with a ‘fun approach’ to learning the Chinese language. I understand that pupils in your school are able to recite the 三字歌 (san zi ge) – a three-word rhyme on good conduct – and that your lower primary pupils sing the 三字歌 (san zi ge) to a tune composed by your music teachers. Through the adoption of 乐善居 (le shan ju) (Happy Lodge), Pei Chun has also provided opportunities for your pupils to internalise the school values and serve those who are less privileged in our community. Your pupils regularly donate items to this home for the aged and pupils from your performing arts groups use their talents to bring cheer to the home’s residents during the Chinese New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival.

8. Our schools also play a critical role in preserving and enhancing the opportunities for pupils of different ethnic and social backgrounds to interact with each other and grow up together. I commend Pei Chun’s efforts to go beyond raising awareness of the diversity of cultures and traditions we have in Singapore. You have been providing opportunities for your pupils to have shared experiences with pupils of different races through CCAs. I understand that Pei Chun’s scouts have been holding joint meetings and organizing camps with scouts from First Toa Payoh Primary School. You have also organized an annual inter-school volleyball carnival to promote racial integration through sports. I am pleased to know that at least 10 primary schools participate in this volleyball carnival each year and that, last year, a total of 23 teams from 13 primary schools took part in the carnival.
9. I encourage Pei Chun to explore further ways in which your pupils can develop friendships and shared memories with pupils of different races and social backgrounds. In the years to come, it is these friendships formed when young that strengthen our social fabric and keep us a strong and united people.

10. Pei Chun is what it is today because of the committed school leadership, dedicated staff and the unstinting support from its key stakeholders over the years. The new Sports Hall is a visible symbol of the commitment and hard work of the entire school community. I understand that the School Management Committee (SMC), alumni, and parents, together with the staff and pupils, contributed generously to the fund-raising of the $3-million Sports Hall.

11. Tonight’s celebration also marks the 12th Anniversary of the Pei Chun Old Students’ Association. Pei Chun alumni have contributed significantly to the holistic development of Pei Chun’s pupils, in particular through the organization of more than 100 enrichment classes in the aesthetics, sports and academic areas as part of the Children’s Development Programme. The new Alumni Room of the Pei Chun Old Students’ Association is a timely recognition of Pei Chun alumni’s strong ties and contributions to their alma mater. I commend the Pei Chun alumni for this excellent work and encourage you to continue to support your school. I am sure that Pei Chun’s pupils will be inspired by these role models amongst the alumni, and will themselves return to serve the school.

12. Pei Chun is a sought-after school with a quality all-round education and peaks of excellence in sports and the Chinese Language. I am sure that the strong partnership of the school and its stakeholders will bring Pei Chun to even greater heights. I congratulate the SMC, Principal and Staff of Pei Chun Public School on the official opening of your new Sports Hall and Alumni Room. I now declare the Sports Hall and Alumni Room open.