Speech by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Education, at the 2006 National Day Observance Ceremony at MOE HQ on 8 August 2006

SPEECH BY MR THARMAN SHANMUGARATNAM, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, AT THE 2006 NATIONAL DAY OBSERVANCE CEREMONY AT MOE HQ ON 8 AUGUST 2006

1. Tomorrow, 9 August, we celebrate National Day. In the four decades since Independence, we have built a strong economy and forged a united people. Singapore today is a unique city, with a strong reputation all over the world.

2. National Day is a time for us to reflect on how we have come this far together. It is also a time for us to look ahead, size up the challenges and opportunities we face, and move ahead with resolve.

3. The world that we live in is very different from what we have known. It is a truly globalised world. Troubles elsewhere, such as the current flare-up in the Middle-East, have immediate repercussions in our own region. Bird flu poses real risk of mutating and spreading from human to human. If that happens, its consequences may be much worse than SARS.

4. But globalisation is much more about positives than negatives. It is a world with much larger opportunities for Singapore than ever before. Asia especially offers us many exciting opportunities, in China and India, in the region around us, and in the Middle East itself.

5. Our task in MOE, and in our schools and tertiary institutions, is to prepare young Singaporeans to embrace this future with confidence. They cannot get by on old strengths. We must help them discover and build new strengths, and climb new peaks. That is what the new Singapore will be -- many new peaks of excellence.

6. Young Singaporeans are finding their talents in many, diverse areas -- in scholarship, as well as in the sports and arts. Each year, we see many more examples of Singapore youth doing something different from the norm, and often something exceptional.

7. We have to keep up this momentum, keep encouraging our young to follow their passions. Our schools must strive to create more space and opportunities for our students to develop their own interests and find their own strengths.

8. Whatever the field, we must grow a culture of wanting to be exceptional, of wanting to make an impact beyond Singapore, of wanting to break new ground. That is how we will earn our reputation in the new world we face -- by being exceptional, not just performing creditably, and by climbing global peaks, not just peaks of our own.

9. However the new Singapore is not just about the best. We must encourage every student, not just the best in each field, to discover what they enjoy and develop their talents to the maximum -- including talents they never knew they had. Every student has an interest and a strength to be developed, whether through their studies, CCA, hobbies, or opportunities to be involved in the community. Each of them will contribute to making a new Singapore.

10. The theme for this year’s National Day Parade is ‘A Global City Called Home’. But it is not just a theme for a year, or even for a few years. Our future lies in Singapore being a global city, a city whose people think beyond its borders, and which attracts foreigners and encourages them to settle into its midst.

11. It starts from young. We will provide more opportunities for our students to gain global experience. We must continue to take in foreign students from all over Asia, and the world. Each of them brings a different bit of the world into our schools, and into Singapore. Our schools will also provide our students with more opportunities to go out and experience the world – especially through twinning programmes with schools abroad, and community service expeditions. Some students also go abroad for competitions of one form or another, such as choral competitions, sports meets and business plan contests.

12. Whatever the purpose, the global exposure is valuable. It develops, from young, the ability to adapt to new situations and cultures. We also land up understanding ourselves better and appreciating what makes us Singaporean.

13. But while we expand the global experience in our schools, we want to nurture in our young a sense of home. Singapore is home. It belongs to each of us. It is where we grow up, where we create our dreams, and where we will have our fondest memories.

14. At the heart of it are the experiences our young have in school -- the experiences of learning and playing together, and developing friendships and loyalties. We must provide every opportunity for them to interact with each other in activities they enjoy and take to naturally -- especially amongst students of different races.

15. Schools are also instrumental to developing an inclusive society, one that pays special attention to helping and including the disadvantaged. We want to do more to help disadvantaged students – those who are at-risk of dropping out of school, and those with special learning difficulties. Northlight School, which will commence operations in 5 months time, is one of the new ways we will do this.

16. Through our schools, we will bring along every member of our society. That’s why the work that we do in education is important and meaningful. By doing our jobs well, we build hope and a sense of belonging in each new generation.

17. We have a bright future together. The Singapore brand has never been stronger, wherever you go in the world. By being exceptional, by encouraging every young Singaporean to develop their interests and talents, and by rooting each new generation in the experience of growing up together in Singapore, we will keep the story going for many years to come.