Speech by RAdm (NS) Lui Tuck Yew, Minister of State, Ministry of Education, at Manjusri Secondary School's 25th Anniversary Celebration on Friday, 20 April 2007 at 5.00 pm

SPEECH BY RADM (NS) LUI TUCK YEW, MINSTER OF STATE, MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, AT MANJUSRI SECONDARY SCHOOL’S 25TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION ON FRIDAY, 20 APRIL 2007 AT 5.00PM

1. I am very pleased to join you for your school’s anniversary celebration. It is encouraging to see so many parents and students here this evening as we celebrate this happy occasion. In particular, I wish to acknowledge the presence of Secretary-General and members of the Singapore Buddhist Federation. The school owes you much for your support and contribution.

2. Last month, I visited your school and I was heartened to see your efforts in building character and confidence in your students through academic activities, CCAs and other extra curricular programmes. I am happy that the Manjusri Programme has been put in place to ensure that the students who graduate from Manjusri possess purpose, passion and persistence, which is the school’s tagline for the year.

3. As teachers and parents, we all acknowledge that academic results are not the only measure of success. Non-academic activities such as sports, the arts and aesthetics, and service learning are equally important for students to be holistically developed. The Manjusri programme caters to students with different needs, abilities and interests, and encourages them to set a clear purpose in life and define success for themselves.

4. Manjusri has been effective in developing students’ intrapersonal and interpersonal skills, through activities such as your overseas service-learning programme. Through this programme, students not only learn to give back to society, but also appreciate what they have. I was glad to hear that in June 2006, Manjusri students had the chance to build a floating classroom in the Cambodian floating village, Peak Kantel. In December 06, your students also had the opportunity to build a classroom for Kok Srok Primary School in Bakong District in Cambodia. Such emphasis on service-learning will challenge Manjusri students to think about the things they have taken for granted in Singapore, like good schools, and also develop in them a sense of compassion for the less fortunate in society. Through meaningful projects like these, Manjusri students return with invaluable experiences such as moving beyond their comfort zones, leading and working in teams.

5. I strongly encourage the school to continue to provide your students with as many learning experiences as possible to build character. Do keep up the good work in inspiring them to passionately pursue their goals in life. It is important that education develops leaders who are compassionate and committed to serving their communities and country.

6. I would now like to focus on building confidence. Even as we focus on developing students’ leadership and team skills, we must also provide learning experiences for students to develop confidence. The ability to communicate opinions and views confidently is an essential life-skill that our students should have.

7. Last year, I was advisor to the Committee looking into a review of the English Language curriculum and the way we teach and assess English. One of the key recommendations the Committee made was to improve our students’ speaking skills. This is because we recognize that we’ve always had more practice writing in class than speaking. More weight has been put on the written than oral examination. Also, given a class of forty, it is a challenge to provide the opportunity for everyone to speak and express their opinions.

8. The committee had recommended more opportunities for students to develop their communication skills, from show and tell and storytelling in the early years, to the use of debate to develop skills of persuasion and argumentation in older students. Debate as a classroom activity provides students’ the opportunity to actively engage and respond to ideas. It hones critical and analytical thinking skills because students have to be able to respond to arguments. It builds confidence because it allows students to express their views with conviction. We witnessed a recent example of this through the Mediacorp televised debate series The Arena, which was aimed at secondary schools.

9. The Arena garnered a lot of media attention, in particular, about how debates are won. The most successful teams were those which were able to address the motion critically, engage their opponents, respond to them and may I add, enjoy themselves, in the process. Debaters who did well were able to organize their thoughts very quickly in their heads, rather than writing them down on paper. They listened well to their opponents and defended their stand with confidence.

10. The Arena showed how students from schools as diverse as Loyang Sec, Xinmin Sec, Nanyang Girls and Hwa Chong Institution were able to display these skills well. I commend all our young debaters as it takes a lot of courage and gumption to be on stage and on national television. All of them who made it to The Arena were articulate and able to rise to the challenge of persuading the audience of the merit of their arguments. The team from United World College that eventually won was possibly the most successful in demonstrating the confidence to take on the demands of debate, which really is a lifeskill required of all of us, in the workplace.

11. To nurture this confidence that comes through the way we communicate, schools will have to create as many opportunities as possible, to let students voice their thoughts, explore issues and social concerns, and adopt different lenses to see the world. It is only through interacting with others who do not hold the same viewpoints as we do, and testing our own positions against opposing ones that we can strengthen our own understanding of the world. The school ethos and culture must support such space for students to express diverse viewpoints and explore ideas.

12. Manjusri’s belief in educating young people with purpose, passion and persistence will serve them well in the future. As the world becomes increasingly globalised, our education system must adapt quickly so that our people can stay relevant. Our students must become global citizens who are equipped to handle the challenges of an increasingly complex world. We must continue to find new ways of providing them with the opportunities to think critically and creatively, develop confidence, strength of character, adaptability and the resilience to deal with setbacks in life.

13. The achievements and progress of Manjusri today are only possible with the dedication and fine efforts of the school leaders, staff, supportive parents, dedicated alumni and community partners, with guidance from the School Management Committee and support of the Singapore Buddhist Federation. I would like to extend my compliments to the many teachers who have tirelessly nurtured and guided their students to realise their potential. I urge the Manjusri family to continue to leverage on your strengths to forge ahead, while upholding your values and principles. May I also extend my heartiest congratulations to all prize and award recipients for your outstanding achievements. You have done your school proud.

14. It gives me great pleasure to once again extend my congratulations and best wishes to Manjusri Secondary on your 25th Anniversary.