) or https:// as an added precaution.Mr Tan Lee Huak,
Mr Tan Gim Seng,
Mr Muhammad Khair,
Mr Ling Kin Huat,
Distinguished donors, guests, parents, students, school leaders,
Introduction
1 A very good afternoon to all of you.
2 Everybody before me has made an effort to thank me for being here. Actually, it is me who feels very grateful to be here among all of you. Among very generous donors, organisers and volunteers, very determined and resilient students, and many caring parents, who are not here in this room but have decided to spend the afternoon with us to celebrate the achievements of their children. It is my privilege to be spending my afternoon with all of you.
3 I am really happy to be here to celebrate the accomplishments of our students today, as well as the effort and commitment by all of you who stand behind each of our students.
Education as a Powerful Social Leveler
4 To all our students receiving your bursary awards today - you should be very proud of yourselves. Each of you has worked hard, often in circumstances that are not easy. And that matters a lot.
5 Many of us say that education in Singapore is important. But what does that mean?
6 For us in Singapore, it means that no matter where a child starts in life, they should still have a fair chance to discover their potential and what they are good at, to grow, and to build a future they can believe in.
7 But we also know that sometimes effort alone is not enough. Some families do face financial pressures. Some students worry about things outside school that others may not be able to see.
8 So in schools, we try our best to make sure every student is not held back because of their circumstances. Whether it is to help with school expenses, opportunities to take part in activities, or simply having someone to look out for and check in on students, MOE, together with our school leaders and teachers, try our best to do so.
- From 2026, we have raised the income eligibility criteria and enhanced MOE's Financial Assistance Schemes to support more students and their families.
- We also provide the Opportunity Fund for students from lower-income households to use for co-curricular activities, learning experiences, or for personal learning devices.
- Beyond financial assistance, we are now providing more funding to our schools to make sure that they can help many more students annually for issues in school but also for many services and help outside of the academic curriculum.
9 Our school leaders and teachers will continue to try their best. But the truth is that all of us know that schools and government cannot do all of this alone. And that is why today is particularly meaningful for all of us.
Valuing SBLEF's Efforts in Uplifting Disadvantaged Students
10 Because organisations like the Singapore Buddhist Lodge Education Foundation, together with Jamiyah Singapore and the Taoist Foundation, are part of that "village" that we often talk about when we say "it takes a village to raise a child". You step in quietly, consistently over the years, and make a real difference to our students' lives.
11 Over the years, tens of thousands of students have been supported. But behind every story, every number, is a real lived experience - a student who felt encouraged, a family that felt less alone, and a young person who had the courage to keep going.
12 The Singapore Buddhist Lodge set up the Bursary Award Programme in 1979. Since it was set up, more than $24 million of bursary monies have been used to support more than 43,000 students from the Primary to University level, regardless of their race and religion.
- This year, we have about $297,000 of bursary monies that will be disbursed to over 600 students around Singapore.
13 Koh Hong Fu isa Secondary 4 student from Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School, and he is one such student whom we are recognising and celebrating today.
- Despite the financial challenges that he and his family faced, Hong Fu has done very well. Congratulations! He was awarded the Edusave Scholarship in 2025 for his academic achievements and won a bronze award at the 2025 Singapore & Asian Schools Math Olympiad.
- But beyond his academics, which I often like to celebrate even more, he is also a student athlete and leader. Hong Fu is the Vice-Captain of the school's Air Rifle Shooting Team and has represented his school for the sport at the National School Games Championships. My husband is an air rifle athlete as well in his younger years, and he often tells me that air rifle requires a lot of calmness, control, and most importantly, precision in the sport. So congratulations Hong Fu!
Conclusion
14 I applaud you, along with many of you sitting here today. What moved me is not what you have achieved academically, but what it must have taken all of you to get there.
15 So to all of our students, I want you to know this. We see the late nights that you put in. We see the discipline it has taken for you to stay focused when life around you feels very uncertain. And we see the courage it takes to keep believing in yourself. Times may not always be good going forward, but it is the resilience and the determination that we see in all of you that I believe will keep you going. And all of you have the character and the resilience that we need more Singaporeans to have. And when the going gets tough, I hope that all of you remember that there are many of us cheering you on, praying for your success, and hoping that the challenges in life will not bring you down.
16 To the parents who are not here in this room but watching on video, I also want to say something to all of you. Many of you have given your children everything that you can, including this afternoon when perhaps you could be working, but you are here to support your children. Sometimes you have given more than you can personally afford, and sometimes you have done so at great personal sacrifice.
17 Maybe you worry if it is enough. Maybe you wonder if your children will be okay. Today is a small but important answer to that question. Your children are trying their best, your children are doing well, and you have every reason to be so proud of them.
18 So once again, congratulations to all our students here.
19 And to every parent, teacher, and donor here today, thank you very much, for believing in our next generation. Thank you.