Speeches
Speech by RAdm (NS) Lui Tuck Yew, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts, for the Launch of the Tan Ean Kiam Service-Learning Resource Centre on Friday, 25th April 2008, at 1.00pm at Republic Polytechnic
Mr Tan Keng Soon
Chairman, Tan Ean Kiam Foundation
Professor Low Teck Seng
Principal and Chief Executive Officer, Republic Polytechnic
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Introduction
Good afternoon. It is with great pleasure that I join you all today for the opening of the Tan Ean Kiam Service-Learning Resource Centre. Today’s occasion is another important milestone for Republic Polytechnic (RP), as well as for the development and promotion of community involvement in Singapore.
A Pardigm Shift in Thinking about Community Service
What exactly is service-learning? It is a method of teaching and learning that combines academic classroom curriculum with meaningful community service. The very phrase signals to us an equal focus on both the “service” that is being provided, and on the “learning” that is occurring.
Students learn, grow and develop in many different ways; not least through active participation in real-life service experiences. This service meets actual community needs - it could involve raising funds for the disabled, or conducting English lessons for underprivileged students, or raising awareness of autism in the community. Students plan, lead and own such projects with guidance from their teachers. They are given structured time during and after the project to think, reflect, talk, or write about what was done or seen during the service activity. This enhances what is taught by extending student learning beyond the classroom. All this enriches critical thinking skills, teaches civic responsibility, encourages social development, and strengthens communities for the common good.
Service-Learning in Singapore: Integrating Youth and Community
Service-learning is not entirely new to students in Singapore. The concept of service-learning was introduced into Singapore in 1999 by the National Youth Council (NYC), and has been developed by the Ministry of Education and various education institutions. The National Education branch of MOE has published a handbook on the basics of service-learning, and the NYC also actively promotes service-learning by organising training workshops for both youths and youth workers, and providing seed funding for youth-initiated projects. The NYC Youth Service-Learning Award recognises and rewards exemplary Service-Learning projects initiated and implemented by youths.
Last year, for example, awards were given to 11 project teams, among which was a Gold Award given to the project Inspire ’06, which saw a team of 20 student coordinators from various institutions garnering the support of more than 2,500 student volunteers from all over Singapore. Their aim? To raise funds for The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund, which helps an average of 7,500 children annually pay for meals at school, bus-fare or stationery. The students raised $100,000 for the project with seed funding of only $3,000.
Service-learning has also been taken overseas. In 2006, for example, RP’s Eco-Trail Project Team received a Youth Service-Learning Merit Award from NYC. This team worked closely with a non-profit organisation, Mirror Art Group (MAG) to create a tourism programme for the villages in Chiang Rai, Thailand. Among the things accomplished were the development of educational information and signs about nature trails in the region, in addition to brochures and websites to publicise and educate visitors.
Youths participating in such service-learning projects discover important values and life lessons, and grow more aware of what is happening in the world and the needs around them. Through service-learning, they will discover the motivation and the means for engaging the underprivileged and disadvantaged in Singapore and overseas. It is a winning formula for both groups - those who receive the service and those who provide the service. Service-learning enhances the service rendered to the community, and this service in turn enhances the students’ learning.
Tan Ean Kiam Service-Learning Resource Centre - A Milestone for Service-Learning in Singapore
It is timely, therefore, that RP is launching the Tan Ean Kiam Service-Learning Resource Centre. This Centre will be the first physical set-up in Singapore built specifically for service-learning. The launch of the Centre will be a significant step forward for service-learning in Singapore. The Centre will provide a vibrant environment for student leadership development and service training, as well as valuable teaching and learning resources for the community. With this Centre, RP will be able to step up its focus on curricular-based service-learning projects, where students have the chance to apply what they have learnt in the classroom to solve real-world needs.
It is fitting, too, that this Centre has been made possible through the generous support of the Tan Ean Kiam Foundation, named after the philanthropist and co-founder of the Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC). Born in China’s Fukien province in 1881, the late Mr Tan Ean Kiam came to Singapore at the age of 18. Starting out as a labourer, he went on to become a successful businessman and merchant, and one of the first managing directors of OCBC. Ever mindful of his role in society, Mr Tan contributed generously to many charities. He was a firm believer in education and had a great passion to groom youths into leaders. The example of his life serves as an inspiration to the youth of today.
The long term goal of the Centre befits the vision of Mr Tan Ean Kiam to groom youths into leaders. The Centre aims to equip our youth to engage in well-meaning service projects that can benefit the community. Towards that end, the Centre plans to train up to 3000 students or community volunteers and support at least 20 local and overseas projects annually, forging meaningful partnerships between students and the community. This resonates with the Tan Ean Kiam Foundation’s mission to support and encourage organizations in their efforts to relieve human suffering, aid the poor, provide assistance during times of natural calamities, foster education and support religious institutions.
I am confident that the North-West community surrounding RP will benefit immensely from partnerships with the Centre. Other schools and agencies beyond the Woodlands area, and, indeed, beyond Singapore, should also benefit from the training and resources in service-learning that this Centre will offer in the future.
Conclusion
I look forward to seeing the growth of service-learning in Singapore. The motto of the centre, “serve, learn, transform” captures the essence of what service-learning can do for students. It represents transformation towards a better world - not only for us but also for communities outside RP and beyond Singapore. It is my wish that the Tan Ean Kiam Service-Learning Resource Centre will inspire our youth to see the world beyond their classrooms, serve in these communities and in the process, transform their own lives and the lives of those whom they serve. Thank you.