Speeches
Speech by Ms Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Education, at the Anderson Junior College 25th College Day on Saturday, 30 May 2009, at 3.00pm
Miss Susan Leong, Principal, Anderson Junior College
Members of the AJC College Advisory Committee
Distinguished Guests
Parents
Teachers and Students
Ladies and Gentlemen
Introduction
I am happy to join all of you here today to commemorate Anderson Junior College’s 25th College Day. It gives me great pleasure to share the joy in celebrating your achievements and honouring AJC students who have excelled in academic and co-curricular areas.
25 Years of Achievement
25 years is not a short time. Starting off as a young college, AJC has matured into an institution that develops its students holistically. It has also become an important part of the community.
The past 25 years have also seen many changes in AJC and Singapore. The college started out with about 480 students and 77 teachers on the current site. With only simple facilities, the pioneer staff and students were still able to start the college on a high note. Barely one year after its establishment, AJC made a name for itself in the sporting arena with a group of famed AJC ‘Golden Girls’ who won numerous Track and Field events at national and regional levels. They also had the honour of representing Singapore at the Asian International Youth Track and Field Championships. A group of AJC Science students also emerged tops in the college’s first participation in the Science Fair (Physics Section).
A quarter of a century later, the college now has 1670 students, 144 teachers, 39 CCAs and a growing reputation in aesthetics and sports. Just this year, AJC bagged four ‘Gold with Honours’ Awards at the Singapore Youth Festival, and placed third in the school sports nationals for volleyball and air rifle. The college has also consistently achieved value-added results for many subjects and has done well under the more demanding new A-level curriculum. Being home to the North Zone Centre of Excellence in Science, the Elementz Lab in AJC has also played a key role in nurturing many students with a keen interest in science research.
Over the past 25 years, AJC has grown under the leadership of 5 principals: Mr Lee Fong Seng, Mrs Rebecca Mok, Ms Tan Teng Wah, Mr Tan Tiek Kwee, and the current Principal, Ms Susan Leong. Much of the success of the college can be attributed to the school leaders and the strong foundation laid by the pioneer batch of teachers and EAS. They have selflessly dedicated many years of service to AJC, and in fact, six teachers and six EAS staff from the pioneer batch are still here with the school today.
Keeping the AJC spirit strong
The next 25 years will see greater changes. In this increasingly inter-connected world, technological changes will be faster. These transformations will require our youths to develop skills to engage the world and seize the opportunities that are presented to us. They will need to have the ability to think critically and creatively within and across disciplines. Students must also develop an understanding of the world so as to be tolerant and appreciative of the diverse cultures.
But what will keep AJC going strong for another 25 years and beyond is not the teachers, the principal nor MOE. It will require something more than the stakeholders I have mentioned. It is the college spirit that will bind generations of students, teachers, principals, and management board. It is the common values that generations of AJCians will identify, will resonate with, and will seek as the beacon of light.
The defining characteristic of AJC is the “Non Mihi Solum” spirit. Meaning “Not For Myself Alone” in Latin, the motto was crafted by the pioneer group of teachers 25 years ago. With the “Non Mihi Solum” spirit, students, batch after batch, have returned to serve the college. The school too have served the community, while teachers, principals and board members have served to raise the quality of education in AJC. The continuation of the “Non Mihi Solum” spirit now rests on all of you here.
I am also glad to hear that the college is launching a new ‘Non Mihi Solum’ Award this year, to recognise students like this year’s recipient Wang Chun Hui. Despite her commitments as a student councillor, Chun Hui was willing to devote time to volunteer regularly at the Singapore Heart Foundation, even after graduating from the college. Award winners, like Chun Hui, have demonstrated a strong sense of social responsibility and exemplified the qualities of leadership, and they will serve as good role models for their schoolmates and juniors. It is this spirit of AJC, the strong affinity to the school and a sense of service to the community that will keep AJC going strong in the next 25 years.
Conclusion
Congratulations to all of you for a wonderful 25 years of achievements and Happy 25th Anniversary to AJC!