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Speech by RAdm (NS) Lui Tuck Yew, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, at the Self-Help Groups’ Joint Tuition Awards Ceremony at the Singapore Polytechnic Convention Centre on Saturday, 5 July 2008 at 4.00pm

Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Finance

Mr Sam Tan Member of Parliament for Tanjong Pagar GRC and Executive Director, CDAC (Chinese Development Assistance Council)

Mr Edward D’ Silva President, Eurasian Association

Mr S Manogaran Chief Executive Officer, SINDA (Singapore Indian Development Association)

Mdm Zuraidah Abdullah Chief Executive Officer, Yayasan MENDAKI

Ladies and Gentlemen

Introduction

I am delighted to be here today at the 5th Self-Help Groups’ Joint Tuition Awards Ceremony. We come together to recognise and celebrate the hard work of the students in the Self-Help Groups’ (SHGs) tuition programmes. The Self-Help Groups’ Joint Tuition Awards Ceremony is a reflection of the strong ties that bind our communities together. We may come from different backgrounds but we all share a common belief—that education is the springboard by which our communities can progress towards a better future.

Role of Self-Help Groups

Our Singapore society is a unique kaleidoscope of diverse cultures and where the different ethnic groups work and live side by side. Within each ethnic group, there are those who need a helping hand to help them level up. The Self-Help Groups have an important role to play in this regard. Each SHG contributes in helping us achieve our common goal—to ensure that every Singaporean can keep pace with the changes in our operating environment and benefit from the economic progress of the country.

Our SHGs do this by providing a wide range of services - from education to youth development and worker’s training, customised to the background and needs of their respective communities. They range from CDAC’s Silver Talent Programme and SINDA’s Project Victory to Mendaki’s M-Power and Eurasian Association’s Mentoring Young Leaders Network. These programmes are designed by those who best understand the challenges of the community faces and cater to a range of needs within the communities including to help the low-income families uplift themselves and attain self-sufficiency and reliance. Given their better understanding of their respective communities’ background and needs, both long and short term, our SHGs have been able to help their respective communities deal with specific challenges, while complementing existing programmes available at the national level.

Common Areas of Collaboration

While each SHG has its own customised programmes to meet the needs of its respective community, there are also many opportunities and common areas for them to collaborate with one another and to leverage on each other’s strengths so as to widen their outreach. On a practical level, it ensures more effective management of resources. These joint activities, programmes and exchanges have created more opportunities for interaction and bonding among our communities and among the SHGs themselves.

Education is a key area of collaboration for the SHGs. The quality of the Collaborative Tuition Programme has improved over the years, keeping pace with the evolving educational landscape. By pooling their resources, the self-help groups have been able to reach out to students in more effective ways. What is equally noteworthy is that this programme also provides an additional common space beyond the school environment for students to interact with and understand one another as they pursue the common goal of improving their academic performance.

A common concern we share is to reduce attrition as students progress through the education system, and to provide assistance to premature school leavers. Another concern is to lend support to help students who had not attended pre-school to be school-ready when they enter Primary One. MOE recognise that the SHGs are a key partner in intervention and preventive programmes and have contributed much in both these endeavours.

A key strategy involves equipping parents with the information on what would be expected of their children when they enter primary school. I am pleased that the SHGs have collaborated to publish a guidebook for parents with primary school-going children. The book provides a checklist for parents to know the kind of competencies that are expected of their children at each primary level. It also contains useful tips on how parents can help their children achieve those competencies through practical and fun activities at home. I note that the idea for this guidebook came from Mdm Rahima Bte Abdul Rahman, Vice Principal of Teck Whye Primary School and 10,000 copies of this guidebook will be distributed to the beneficiaries of all the SHGs in July this year.

Highlights of Awards Ceremony

Today, nearly 400 students—an increase of about 13 percent1 compared to last year—will receive the Self-Help Groups’ Joint Tuition Awards. Despite their varied backgrounds, these students have worked hard and excelled in their studies. Let me highlight some of these students who have become shining examples for others.

Lo Jin Jin will be receiving the Student Achievement Award for Mathematics today. She is also the recipient of the Best Overall Performance Award for the GCE ‘O’ level category. Jin Jin has been attending CDAC’s tuition classes for Chinese, English and Mathematics since she was in Primary 4. She has made great improvement from marginal passes to A1 for Mathematics, A2 for Chinese and B3 for English Language at the GCE ‘O’ level examination. Jin Jin is currently studying at the Faculty of Accounting and Finance at Temasek Polytechnic and she hopes to become an accountant.

Husnulkhetam Bin Sulaiman has shown great improvement, jumping by 5 and 6 grades for his GCE ‘O’ level exams in Combined Science and Mathematics respectively after attending the tuition classes at MENDAKI. He obtained Grade 1 for Combined Science and Grade 2 for Mathematics D in the GCE ‘O’ level exams. With those scores, Husnul managed to gain entry into the Maritime Transportation Management Diploma course at the Singapore Polytechnic.

Shivabala s/o Mahendran will be receiving the Student Achievement Award for Mathematics and Science today. He is also the recipient of the Best Overall Performance Award for the GCE ‘N’ Level category. Shivabala has been a STEP student with SINDA for the past two years and made remarkable improvements in both subjects, obtaining B3 for both subjects in his GCE ‘N’ Level examinations last year. He aspires to go on to a polytechnic to pursue a diploma in Mass Communication.

Tiffany Natasha de Conceicao has scored straight As for English, Mathematics, Science and Malay. She is receiving the Best Overall Performance Award for the ‘PSLE’ category. The tuition programmes have provided Tiffany with the foundation to do well, particularly in Mathematics.

Conclusion

My heartiest congratulations to all the students here today. You have displayed the determination to do well and are fine role models for your peers. I am sure your parents and families are very proud of your achievements. You too can take pride in the progress you have shown.

I dare say that you would not have done as well in your studies if not for the help given to you by the SHGs. I especially want to also acknowledge the contribution of all the volunteers who have contributed time and effort in this noteworthy endeavour. These volunteers have affirmed our belief that the most worthwhile investment one can make is in the lives of those who come after us. To the recipients of the Joint Tuition Awards, I hope that one day, some of you will return and make a similar contribution to help the next generation level up.

Thank you

Footnotes:

  1. There were 329 recipients in 2007 and 373 in 2008. ↩