Speeches
Speech by Ms Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Education, Chairman, Compass, at the Compass 10th Anniversary Dinner on Friday 31 October 2008, at 7.00pm, at the Legends Country Club
Colleagues,
Fellow COMPASS Members, past and present,
Distinguished guests,
Introduction
A very good evening to you. It is my pleasure to welcome you to the celebration of 10 years of partnership between the home, school and community stakeholders. The theme for tonight, ‘Celebrating Partnerships in Education’ aptly summarizes this sentiment as we look back 10 years to COMPASS’ inception in 1998.
COMPASS’ achievements over the past 10 years
COMPASS was established to advise the Ministry on ways in which home-school-community collaborations could be strengthened and promoted. This, it has certainly done well. To illustrate, take the example of Parent Support Groups (PSGs)/Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs). The number of PSGs and PTAs has grown from only 60 in 1998 to a high of 348 in 2008, serving 96% of our Primary, Secondary and Junior Colleges/Centralised Institutes. The growth in the number of PSGs and PTAs is testament of the work of COMPASS.
In the last 10 years, there have been significant changes in the role of PSGs and PTAs. They have evolved from just supporting the school to a much deeper level of involvement as in planning activities for students. For instance, the East View Primary School PSG, also known as “Parents as Leaders” or PALS, has parents of different races opening their homes to the Primary 5 pupils for them to experience the different ethnic cultures and practices as part of an ethnic bonding programme. Students who have gone through the programme gave feedback that they enjoyed themselves and, more importantly, they had a better appreciation and understanding of what it meant to be living in a multi-racial and multi-religious society.
This year, COMPASS has commissioned a study to look into the impact of PSGs and PTAs on the school environment and students’ learning and development. More than 1000 Parents, school leaders, teachers and students provided valuable feedback through Focus Group Discussions and an online survey. The results of the survey confirmed the good work of the PSGs/PTAs in helping ease communication between the school and parents, thus allowing both parents and teachers to know the students better. Parents are also an additional resource to schools as they had expertise in various fields that could value-add to the school programmes. With the PSGs/PTAs working closely with the school, a strong culture of engagement amongst teachers, parents and the students is established.
In 2001, COMPASS instituted the first National Seminar as a platform for various stakeholders to share their perspectives on home-school-community collaborations. Over the years, the seminars have grown in size and level of participation. The last Convention held in 2007, with the theme “Being there for your kids: Home, School and Community”, was organised specifically for parents. It covered a wide range of topics, chosen based on feedback garnered from COMPASS members during school visits. Speakers provided useful tips for eager parents wanting to learn more about giving support to their children in areas such as cyber-addiction and financial management.
Another milestone for forging closer partnerships was the setting up of the PARTNERS Award. The PARTNERS Award recognizes schools’ collaborative efforts with their stakeholders. Since its inception in 2002, a total of 48 schools have been given this award. Tonight, a total of 22 schools will receive 3 outstanding awards and 19 merit awards. The outstanding award winners have extensive partnership networks and strong structures and processes to guide their collaborative efforts with partners. We congratulate them as they join the other 26 schools to lead the way for greater involvement with stakeholders in the community.
Evolving Environment
As the saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child.” The need for partnership between home, school and community is particularly relevant in the context of globalisation and technological advancements. Our children are growing up in a digital world, with the internet transforming societies and economies everywhere. Indeed, transformation are apparent, with students setting up portfolios on social networking sites like Facebook and creating personas for themselves in virtual worlds like Second Life.
In order to engage our children who are ‘digital natives’, we must be willing to adapt and use technology. Schools can work with parents to think of ways to leverage on games and the internet to guide them at home and start new channels of communication with their children. Community partners can play their part by conducting computer/internet awareness courses for parents to bring them up to speed on what their children are excited about. Being more involved could also help parents become more aware of how to spot signs of addiction or other potential threats to their child’s health and safety.
This generation would also experience the effects of globalization more acutely. As the world becomes more globalised,our younger generation will likely have to work or live overseas, across cultures and in different environment. To operate effectively in a different environment would require adaptability, resilience and sensitivity. It would also require a strong sense of identification with the school, family and community for them to stay rooted to Singapore. School, family and community will need to work closely together to help them develop close identification with Singapore so that they stay rooted while they embrace the diversity around them.
Vision for COMPASS future
Besides working closely with parents, COMPASS can build on our foundation and tap on the expertise of our stakeholders further.
One of such stakeholders is the school alumni. The Alumni Associations have been playing a greater role in schools in recent years. Alumni can be effective role models for our students and a great resource for our schools. The Alumni can be effective in supporting schools in the education of our children. COMPASS commissioned two studies in 2005 and 2007 to understand the work of the Alumni. The studies prompted the development of an Alumni Handbook which provides useful tips for schools in strengthening their ties with the alumni.
From our study, we realized that many Alumni want to contribute to their schools. Let me quote just one example. Leon Lim, an Alumni scout of Clementi Town Secondary School, has this to say about his work with his alma mater, “One of the biggest steps I have currently made in my life is to be part of the Scouting family in CTSS. The four years of Scouting in CTSS have truly changed me to become a better person who is able to think maturely and act wisely. It is not only the passion that has driven me to continue this journey but also the desire to serve in the Scout troop in my alma mater which has provided and groomed me so much for the past 4 years.”
Another part of the community that schools can work with would be the Enterprises. Many schools have established ties with private enterprises to provide their students with a taste of the working world through work attachments. These students returned with an appreciation of the demands of the job market, and a better understanding on the application of their knowledge.
Other community partners like the voluntary welfare organizations and self-help groups provide a network of support to families and schools that is priceless. Family Service Centres reach out to students at-risk and families in crisis and provide subsidies and emotional guidance when needed. Self-help groups reach out to youths in schools, helping them develop confidence and raising their self esteem through different programmes.
Conclusion
COMPASS has certainly come a long way. The fact that so many stakeholders are with us here tonight bears testimony to how far we’ve come. We are confident that there will be many good years ahead. Let us join hands in partnership and continue to provide a supportive network for our students to embrace the future.
In conclusion, I would like to thank all past and current COMPASS members, schools, parents, alumni, self-help groups, enterprises and the community who have so generously volunteered their time and effort towards greater collaboration with schools. May you all have a wonderful evening.