SPEECH BY MR THARMAN SHANMUGARATNAM, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, AT THE REPUBLIC POLYTECHNIC CENTRE OPENING CEREMONY, ON SATURDAY, 19 NOVEMBER 2005, AT 9.30 AM, AT REPUBLIC POLYTECHNIC WOODLANDS CAMPUS

SPEECH BY MR THARMAN SHANMUGARATNAM, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, AT THE REPUBLIC POLYTECHNIC CENTRE OPENING CEREMONY, ON SATURDAY, 19 NOVEMBER 2005, AT 9.30 AM, AT REPUBLIC POLYTECHNIC WOODLANDS CAMPUS

Mr Lee Hsien Yang, Chairman, Republic Polytechnic Board of Governors,

Professor Low Teck Seng, Principal & CEO, Republic Polytechnic,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen.

1. I am happy to be present here today at the Republic Polytechnic Centre Opening Ceremony.

2. For the students and staff of the polytechnic, for all of us in education and for the Woodlands community, the completion of this first building is worth celebrating. It is also an indication of more excitement to come as the whole RP campus takes shape and comes to life.

3. Our polytechnic system is critical to Singapore’s future. The 5 polytechnics cater to the largest segment of students in the tertiary education sector. They provide a first-rate, practice-based education aimed at equipping young Singaporeans with the knowledge and skills required to excel in an increasingly sophisticated economy. We need Singaporeans who go through a practice-based, applied approach to learning as much as we need those who go through our JCs and universities. It develops a spread of people with different attributes in the workplace, and expands our economic choices and opportunities.

4. We look forward to Republic Polytechnic unique contributions within the polytechnic space. The new campus will support RP’s distinctive approach to education, which is centred on problem-based learning. It is a real-world related approach, and one which helps students acquire knowledge through interaction with other learners. I’m told there will be a huge lawn in the campus, also with easy access to the park adjoining the campus. It will I’m sure encourage interaction, both for learning and for fun.

5. The new campus will also support efforts to promote community outreach and integration in the north, especially in Woodlands. RP will liven up the arts and culture scene in the area. By June next year, a state-of-the-art Cultural Centre with a 1200-seater Auditorium and a few smaller theatres will be completed. The Centre will weld together aspiring artistes and culture enthusiasts from RP and the Woodlands community. RP will partner the community to provide Woodlands residents with an enticing calendar of programmes throughout the year. RP will for example host festive concerts with schools in Woodlands. It will be an exciting new hub of activities in the Woodlands community.

6. The setting up in the new campus of RP’s fifth school, the School of Sports, Health and Leisure, will bring a new dimension to all of this. The new School, which will have an Indoor Sports Complex, aims to nurture a pool of talents that can contribute to a sector that is growing rapidly in Singapore and around Asia - the sports, health and leisure sector. But the new School will also make available its resources to help promote a healthy lifestyle among Woodlands residents.

7. I’m glad Republic Polytechnic has already been carrying out various community involvement projects in Woodlands in its efforts to be an integral part of the community. For example, in October this year, RP held its “Create.Republic’s Public Performance” at the Woodlands Civic Centre – an event showcasing several of its performance arts groups.

8. The RP has had a good start in Tanglin campus. Its faculty and students have developed a brand of youthfulness, a willingness to experiment, even a certain audacity. Your move to the new campus in Woodlands will I hope help you keep that energy and spirit of youthfulness that sets you apart.

9. I would like to end by commending the pioneer Board of Governors and Management for injecting this spirit of youthfulness into RP, and for your sterling contributions over the last three years. Let me now declare the Republic Polytechnic Centre open.