Speech by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Education and Second Minsiter for Finance, at the 35th Anniversary Celebration of United World college of Southeast Asia on Thursday, 16 November 2006, at 7.00 pm, at the UWCSEA College

SPEECH BY MR THARMAN SHANMUGARATNAM, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION & SECOND MINISTER FOR FINANCE, AT THE 35TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF UNITED WORLD COLLEGE OF SOUTHEAST ASIA ON THURSDAY, 16 NOVEMBER 2006, AT 7.00PM, AT THE UWCSEA COLLEGE

1. Today is a great day for the United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA) as you celebrate your 35th anniversary. I am heartened to see so many of you here today, who have in one way or another contributed to the success of UWCSEA these past years.

2. The College has developed a position of preeminence among international schools across Asia, and indeed internationally. There are a number of reasons for this from what I can see.

3. First, it is abundantly international - today, nearly 3,000 students of 64 nationalities, taught by almost 300 teachers of 25 nationalities. That would I believe make it the most multinational of schools in Asia, and probably amongst the most multinational in the world.

4. Second, it has developed a known prowess in the academic field. It has done consistently well, and this despite its size - the College is one of the world’s largest International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma schools.

5. Third, the College is an example of a school that takes very seriously its tasks of providing an education that extends beyond the academic. Students are encouraged to participate in the College’s extensive programme of extra-curricular activities which include sports, music, drama and many other diverse activities. For example, the College runs in excess of 100 representative sports teams in over 20 different sports, providing a wide array of choices for all students.

6. The College also emphasises service to others. Serving others, whether it is within the Campus, within Singapore, or even in other countries, has been part of the College’s focus. Through its Global Concerns Programme, students are introduced to concepts of leadership and organisation, and encouraged to establish their own initiatives. Students’ efforts have resulted in the building of schools in Swaziland, Kenya, Nepal and Aceh. Last year, the College community also raised in excess of $500,000 for the causes it supports.

7. I would like to suggest two areas which deserve greater emphasis. First, we can strengthen links and interactions between our local schools and international schools in Singapore.
We have been placing increased priority on giving students in our local schools an international exposure. Our schools have been actively sending our students, from the various levels, overseas for community projects, exchange programmes or learning journeys. We are pushing ahead with our school twinning programmes, in Malaysia and the region; in China and India, and elsewhere. We want to urture the cultural flexibility that young Singaporeans will need in a more globalised environment – whether to do business, to seek professional opportunities, or to generate trust and understanding in a troubled world. Other than creating opportunities for students to get to grow together through joint activities like sports, leadership camp, and even taking lessons together, we reckon that the bonds and friendships developed through these collaborations will prove their worth over time.

But apart from sending our students on overseas missions and programmes, we can also take advantage of the vibrant international community residing in Singapore, providing a valuable window to the rest of the world. We want to encourage more interactions between our students and those studying in our international schools in Singapore.

8. Currently, more than 30 of our schools conduct collaborations with international schools, ranging from student cultural exchanges to professional sharing among teachers. Woodgrove Primary School for example, hosted 200 students from UWCSEA last year as part of International Friendship Day Celebration. Using these special occasions to allow their students to mingle with students of other races and nationalities should be applauded, as it definitely encouraged friendships to be fostered and enabled the students to learn from their counterparts’ varied experiences.

9. Several of our schools have also conducted friendly games with international schools. CHIJ St. Theresa’s Convent, St. Andrew’s Secondary and St. Andrew’s Junior College have all conducted friendlies with UWCSEA in hockey, soccer and rugby.

MOE will encourage more schools to do so, and to establish more sustained collaborations with the international schools in Singapore. Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ Secondary for example, has had collaborations with the Australian International School, on an annual basis. Immersion programmes for students and sharing sessions for teachers, were some of the programmes conducted.

10. I am sure the lessons and gains will flow in all directions. It will not only benefit our students, but also our teachers, staff and school managements.

11. A second area for development concerns the capacity of our international schools. We must expand this sector, to cater to growing demand in the region for an education in Singapore. There has in fact been strong demand for places in foreign system and privately-funded schools. The Government strongly supports their plans to expand to cater to increasing demand. EDB has been working closely with existing foreign system and privately-funded schools to support them in their expansion. In UWCSEA’s case, for example, EDB is assisting in finding a suitable site for its second campus, which can house the additional 1,000 students it plans to enroll. EDB is also helping other schools like the Singapore American School, which plans to increase its enrolment from the current 3,700 to 5,200, and the Singapore Korean School, which hopes to increase its intake to 1,500 in five years’ time from the current 90.

12. In closing, I congratulate UWCSEA for 35 successful years in Singapore and I wish you well as you continue on your journey of excellence.