Speeches
Speech by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Finance and Minister for Education at the Launch of the Temasek Foundation-National Institute of Education Educational Leadership Programme for Vietnam at the National Institute of Education and Management, Hanoi, Vietnam on Tuesday, 11 March 2008 at 1600 hours
Dr Nguyen Thien Nhan,
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education and Training, Vietnam
Mr Goh Geok Khim,
Chairman of Temasek Foundation
Prof Tran Ngoc Giao,
Director of the Vietnam National Institute of Education Management
Prof Lee Sing Kong,
Director of the Singapore National Institute of Education
Ladies and gentlemen
Good Afternoon
It is my pleasure to be here today to witness the launch of the Temasek Foundation - National Institute of Education (NIE) Educational Leadership Programme for Vietnam.
It has been less than a year since we conceived the idea of this Programme. The speed and seriousness with which all parties who are here today worked on the Programme, from the conception of the idea to the detailed design to the reality, says something about the warm and close relationship between Vietnam and Singapore.
Last April, I met Deputy Prime Minister Nhan, and we discussed the idea of Singapore and Vietnam working together to set up a centre for the training of school leaders and teachers in Vietnam, given the importance that Vietnam places on education. Last October, when I visited Hanoi, DPM Nhan and I witnessed the MOU signing between Vietnam’s National Institute of Education Management (NIEM) and Singapore’s National Institute of Education to set up the Vietnam-Singapore Centre for Educational Excellence, or VSCEE for short. Today, we are here to launch the VSCEE. This good progress also shows the emphasis that both countries place on education, besides the strong bilateral ties between Vietnam and Singapore.
Indeed, having a quality education system is a critical success factor in a global economy driven by knowledge and innovation. In Singapore, we hold a firm belief that strong school leaders and teachers are crucial to a successful education system. I know DPM Nhan shares this view as well. This is why we have chosen to collaborate in this very important area, so that Vietnam’s educational leaders in the various higher education institutions, colleges and schools can hone their professional skills and keep abreast with the latest developments in educational management.
We are also very happy to have the support of Temasek Foundation, to sponsor the first phase of training under the Temasek Foundation - NIE Educational Leadership Programme for Vietnam. This model of collaboration, involving both governments and private foundations, is an innovative way of combining the networks, resources and expertise of all parties to achieve a desirable outcome. I am happy to note that our two Ministries of Education had earlier adopted a similar model for the “train-the-trainers” programme to support trainers of English language teachers from Vietnam. And now, Temasek Foundation is supporting this leadership training programme for Vietnam.
The Temasek Foundation - NIE Educational Leadership Programme for Vietnam programme builds on NIE’s Leaders in Education Programme, which has been producing top quality school leaders from Singapore and other parts of the world. Through this programme, we hope to expose education leaders in Vietnam to changes in the global educational landscape, and help them to lead their institutions and schools to new peaks of excellence. As a friend and partner in ASEAN, Singapore is also happy to have this exciting opportunity to contribute to Vietnam’s education developments. Such collaborations will further enhance the friendship and ties between our two countries.
In the first year, the VSCEE plans to train 150 core trainers from 64 provinces in Vietnam. This training will be conducted in Singapore. Another 330 provincial trainers will undergo training in Vietnam, before going to Singapore for school attachments. After the training, these trainers will pass on the knowledge that they have gained to about 2,000 school leaders from different provinces in Vietnam. This approach of “training the trainers” will produce a powerful multiplier effect, and help to quickly spread the benefits and best practices across Vietnam.
The pioneer group of Vietnamese educational leaders undergoing the Temasek Foundation - NIE Educational Leadership Programme for Vietnam are here with us today. I wish all of you a fruitful experience in Singapore, and hope that you will share your experiences and ideas with your Singaporean counterparts during the course. We have much to learn from each other. I also hope that you will make new friends in Singapore, whom you would keep in touch with after you have returned to Vietnam.
Let me end by thanking NIE and NIEM for their hard work in putting together this joint collaboration. I would also like to show my appreciation to Temasek Foundation for its dedication in supporting capacity and capability building of communities in Asia. This Educational Leadership Programme for Vietnam would not have been possible without the Foundation’s support. Last but not least, I would like to thank DPM Nhan and his colleagues from Vietnam MOET for their leadership and support, which have helped to bring about this collaboration between Vietnam and Singapore.
Thank you.