Mr Wee Kim Chye, Chairman of the Xinmin Secondary School Advisory Committee,
Mr Tan Soon Hui, Principal, Xinmin Secondary School,
Alumni, parents and students of the Xinmin family,
Colleagues from the education fraternity,
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
1. A very good evening to all of you. I am delighted to join you to celebrate Xinmin Secondary's 80th anniversary.
Xinmin's Rich History
2. You saw the video earlier – I'm sure it brought back many memories. Your founding story is one of resilience, selflessness, and a deep commitment to education. When you were founded in November 1945, Singapore had just emerged from the Japanese Occupation. We were grappling with the challenges and uncertainties of the post war era. Many people were poor, literacy rates were low. And we were a long way from mass education. There were very few schools then, and most were located in the central district.
3. So Mr Yap Fun Hong, together with Mr Heng Chin Soo and Mr Tan Choon Teng – all members of the community – stepped forward and established Sin Min School to help address this need for the community in Hougang and Serangoon, particularly for the lower-income families. The founders' community spirit is an inspiring example from our early years of the "We-First" society that we need to continue building in Singapore.
4. Xinmin has grown over the past eighty years into an institution with a very proud history. At the same time, as you can see from the robotics launch just now, you are forward-looking, future-oriented, adapting to the evolving needs of our society. Your mission today is highly relevant: to develop every student to be a curious learner, a compassionate contributor, and a confident leader. This mission is realised through the school's strong emphasis on values, a committed teaching team, and the active support of parents, alumni, and the wider community.
5. One example of such school-home-community partnerships is your Creative Arts Complex. Xinmin's former Principal, Ms Liew Wei Li, who is now our Director-General of Education, had the vision of providing a new home for the school's performing arts groups and creating more learning spaces to enhance students' learning. Together with Dr George Quek, who was then Chairman of Xinmin's School Advisory Committee and to this very day still contributes generously to the school, both of them initiated fundraising efforts and received very strong support from the school community and parents. Collectively, all of you – alumni, community members, parents and students, and the many Xinmin colleagues who worked very hard on the project – turned this vision into reality. And so today, Xinmin's Creative Arts Complex has since nurtured many Xinmin students in the last decade, and I am very sure many more of our young students will continue to benefit.
Developing Xinmin Students for the Future
6. Tonight, I am delighted to launch the refreshed version of one of Xinmin's signature programmes – MAKERS@Xinmin. This is a specially designed two-year curriculum to nurture logical thinking and problem-solving through "maker education" using hands-on, project-based learning and technology to teach these important skills. I understand that the programme first began in 2017, and Xinmin has just refreshed it this year.
7. Now, with the refreshed programme, all Lower Secondary students will participate in a wide range of 'maker' activities such as coding, robotics, prototyping, and 3D printing. For example, by coding eco-themed games and analysing environmental data. Your students will also learn about the applications and ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
8. By helping students better understand real-world problems and how to design and prototype solutions, the refreshed MAKERS@Xinmin programme will equip our young students with essential competencies for the 21st century. These include adaptive and inventive thinking, that will stand them in good stead in today's fast-changing world.
9. This exemplifies the school's 80th anniversary theme, "Building on "Decades of Dedication" and innovating ahead to continue "Shaping Future Generations". And fittingly, it also embodies the spirit expressed in Xinmin's school song "不读死书, 手脑并用" which expresses Xinmin's aspiration for your students to grow not through rote learning, but through the training of a versatile mind.
10. Allow me now to say a few words in Mandarin.
11. 尊敬的新民咨询委员会主席, 黄金财先生，
尊敬的新民中学校长，陈顺惠先生，各位校友、家长、学生，大家晚上好!
12. 我想感谢新民中学邀请我参加您的80周年晚宴。
13. 今天，我们共同庆祝新民八十年的 耕耘与奉献。以"饮水思源 :: 继往开来"为主题，新民能够取得今天的成就，离不开校友的努力。校友的积极参与与支持，也为学校提供了宝贵的教学资源，其中包括由校友筹款兴建的创意艺术中心。这不仅传承了新民办学的精神，也为学生提供了学习榜样，鼓励他们为社会作出贡献。
14. 我很高兴正式启动新民中学全新推出的特色课程创客在新民。新民中学秉持为学生奠定未来发展基础的教育理念，注重实践体验，激发学生的好奇心与创造力。
15. 在此，我想祝贺新民的咨询委员会、校友会、校长、老师和同学，80周年快乐，感谢大家为学校所作出的贡献。我希望新民能够继续让各届新民学子成为社会的栋梁，为国家做出贡献。
Conclusion
16. To conclude, let me say a big thank you to the Xinmin family for your passion to serve and your dedication to provide our students with a quality education.
17. I wish you all the best as you continue to empower future generations of students. In the words of your school song, to become masters of their destiny and beacons of their time. 做社会的主人, 做时代的明灯.
18. Thank you.