Speech by Mr Masagos Zulkifli BMM, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education, at the National Junior Robotics Competition Award Presentation Ceremony on Saturday, 8 September 2007 at the Singapore Science Centre, Annex Building at 3.15 pm

SPEECH BY MR MASAGOS ZULKIFLI BMM, SENIOR PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, AT THE NATIONAL JUNIOR ROBOTICS COMPETITION AWARD PRESENTATION CEREMONY ON SATURDAY, 8 SEPTEMBER 2007 AT THE SINGAPORE SCIENCE CENTRE, ANNEX BUILDING AT 3.15 PM

1. I am very pleased to join you here today at the Award Presentation Ceremony of the National Junior Robotics Competition 2007.

2. It is heartening for me to see so many young people here, with so much enthusiasm and excitement. I heard from the organizers that as many as 600 teams took part in this year’s competition. That is a clear indication of the rising popularity of this event, and of robotics in Singapore. I am sure this is an encouragement to the organizers.

3. As many of you may be aware, schools have begun setting up robotics clubs to provide alternative avenues for our students to learn while having fun. As of this year, there are as many as 113 schools with robotics clubs. Project work was introduced into the national school curriculum in 2000 to sharpen higher-order thinking skills in our students. I understand that the National Junior Robotics Competition is a useful platform for our students to develop their thinking skills while having fun as it creates a challenge for students to overcome through the use of robotics. The competition is meant to encourage independent learning and creative thinking. We hope that our students will improve their analytical and problem-solving skills while going through the preparation process, as these are essential qualities for the knowledge-based economy.

4. Apart from sharpening students’ science and technology skills, the competition also challenges them in unconventional ways. For example, students are encouraged to source for sponsorships from organizations to support their projects, which require them to hone their presentation and marketing skills, while testing their entrepreneurial spirit.

5. A few hours ago, I had the opportunity to walk around the challenge fields. I am glad to see that the NJRC not only promotes creative learning within the spirit of friendly competition, but also gives students opportunities to network with peers from competing teams. The friendships and alliances that they form here will undoubtedly benefit all parties as they get to share their learning experiences with students from other schools.

6. I can sense the excitement and anticipation building in the air. I shall not hold you in suspense any longer. The results will be announced shortly.

7. On this note, I would like to congratulate all of you for the great effort that you have put in. Remember that every one of you is a winner in your own right. The experience, knowledge and technical expertise you have acquired in preparation for the competition will be invaluable as you continue your pursuit of scientific exploration. I hope, this competition may well propel some of you into a career in science research and make a scientist out of you.