Professor Liu Woon Chia, Director, National Institute of Education
Mr Jean-Marc Taton, Chairman and Managing Director, ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte Ltd
Associate Professor Shanti Divaharan, Chairperson of the Caring Teacher Awards 2026 Organising Committee
Colleagues, students, ladies and gentlemen
1 A very good afternoon to each and every one of you, and thank you so much for having me here. Before we came into this auditorium, I was sharing with the award winners and fellow educators that in preparation for this particular event, you can't help but reflect on the impact that our teachers have had in our lives. Who are we without our teachers? The knowledge that flows to us must necessarily have come from an educator, from a teacher, and their impact goes far beyond the classroom.
2 Recently, I had the good privilege of gathering with my primary school friends – and I was in primary school more than three decades ago – as we were part of the Sepak Tekraw CCA. We recently met with our 81-year-old teacher over dinner at her house, and very quickly the memories from our school days came flooding back. You can have a sense of the same feeling today in the loud cheers that all the students gave for every teacher present here.
3 The Caring Teacher Award exists to do something simple, and yet something meaningful and profound. It is our time to pause, and say thank you to our teachers who have gone above and beyond for our students, nurturing them with care and compassion that leaves a lasting mark in their lives, whether they know it today or not.
4 Today, we honour 10 teachers who embody that spirit. But they are not alone. There are many teachers out there across Singapore, in every classroom and corridor of our schools. Our teachers show up for their students with quiet dedication, day after day. In fact, I was sharing with the award winners earlier that while it is important to have this award, having just one particular day or one particular award for our teachers does not do justice to the amount of effort and heart that they give to our students every single day. They remind us that teaching is not just a profession – it is a calling towards wanting to make the future of our society better.
5 This year, I'm proud to share that we have received 18,122 nominations from 301 schools. The 10 award winners today are truly the cream of the cream of the crop. We saw a 39% increase in nominations and a 16% increase in participating schools from 2025. That is a testament to how deeply our students, parents and colleagues feel the impact of what our teachers do.
Stories of Award Winners
6 Let me share the stories of our National Level Award winners.
- At Fairfield Methodist School (Primary), Ms Chan Sew Yoon has spent her career turning her classroom into something that feels less like a classroom and more like a family. She designs class T-shirts using her students' own drawings, and organises welcome-back celebrations for children returning from time abroad. They may be small gestures, but they tell every child that they are remembered and that they belong. When Sew Yoon lost her mother last year, her students and colleagues rallied around her. It was a reminder that the culture of care she had spent decades building did not just flow one way.
- Our second award winner Mr Felix Yeoh Sin Hui of Woodlands Ring Secondary School did not always teach the way he does today. I was told that in his early years as an educator, he was a firm, demanding teacher focused on results. But he came to realise that students connect not with how much a teacher knows, but with how much a teacher cares. That insight reshaped his approach to teaching. Now known as the "funny teacher" that students turn to in times of need, Felix supports students with higher needs quietly and with genuine care. When a student had a panic attack during a CCA, he didn't just manage the situation, he investigated the underlying causes and worked with the school to put in place stronger procedures, so that students in similar situations would be better supported in future.
- Ms Raja Shahridah Binte Raja Suhaini – or Ms Shah, as her students at Beatty Secondary School would know her. Ms Shah only learnt to read in Primary 2. Her parents would approach strangers at hawker centres and fast-food restaurants to ask if they could help tutor their daughter. That experience stayed with her. It taught her that what students need is not just a knowledgeable teacher, but one who can understand and empathise with them. She carries that with her in everything she does – from running a weekly Cooking Sense Series where students gather to open up and rebuild their confidence, to picking up sign language to reach students who communicate differently.
- Finally, for Mr Shyamsuraj Yadav of Tanjong Katong Girls' School, he knows what it feels like to be a student who struggles. It was his Mathematics teacher who noticed him when few others did. That experience shaped the teacher he would become. He recalls sitting quietly beside a student frozen after a difficult exam result, to let her know she was not alone. As he puts it, the most impactful thing a teacher can do is sometimes not to instruct, but to be present.
7 Each of these four teachers, in their own distinct way, embodies a truth we see in our best educators. Care does not always show up in big gestures, and may not always be visible. But its effects last a lifetime.
8 We often speak about preparing our students for the future, equipping them with the competencies to navigate a complex and rapidly changing world. But knowledge and skills alone are not enough. Our students also need values to live by, resilience to weather setbacks, and the empathy to care for those around them.
9 These are not things that can be taught through instruction alone. They are learnt through the example of the adults in their lives. When a teacher notices a struggling student and sits with them in their difficulty, they are modelling the very values we hope our students will carry with them for life.
Conclusion
10 Congratulations to our Caring Teacher Award winners, and to every nominee who has made a difference in their students' lives. I hope you continue to inspire the next generation of students, and to remind all of us what it looks like to truly care.
11 On this note, I would also like to thank NIE and ExxonMobil Singapore for their partnership in recognising and celebrating our teachers. To all the educators here in the room, thank you so much for what you do and for moulding the future of our nation. Thank you.