Speech by Minister for Education Mr Desmond Lee at the Jane Goodall Institute (Singapore) Roots & Shoots Youth Summit

Mr Neil Humphreys, Vice-President of the Jane Goodall Institute (Singapore),

Mrs Maria Sweeney, Head of School, XCL World Academy,

Youth leaders of the JGIS Roots and Shoots movement,

Our teachers, students, and parents

Good afternoon.

1.We are all very proud of our students, teachers and mentors who enabled all these projects to be successfully completed. I am delighted to be back at the JGIS Roots & Shoots Youth Summit. I must say after that series of presentations, I feel so energised, optimistic, and hopeful for the future. It is always encouraging and inspiring to be among young people who care very deeply about our environment and are doing their part to protect it.

2.It has been one year since Dr Jane Goodall left us. But her belief in the power of young people lives on. Roots & Shoots began in 1991, with a group of teenagers in Tanzania who approached Dr Jane with concerns about their community. She encouraged them to take action. Today, that small group has grown into a global community and our students gathered here today carry that same spirit.

3.Indeed, Dr Jane herself was inspired by our students right here in Singapore. After the Roots & Shoots Youth Summit in 2024, she wrote a handwritten letter to me, and I quote Dr Jane, “I was inspired by the young people yesterday – as I always say – when they understand the problems & are empowered to take action there is no stopping them. Especially when, as in [Roots & Shoots], they can choose the projects that really interest them”.

4.I was similarly encouraged by the findings of a 2025 PISA survey conducted by the OECD. It found that 94% of Singapore students believed that they can positively make an impact on our environment! At MOE, we want to nurture this belief and help you, our students, turn it into action.

1. For example, our Eco-Stewardship Programme offers you rich opportunities to apply what you have learnt in the classroom about sustainability, make informed decisions, and take meaningful action. This spans the 4 “C”s: Curriculum, Campus, Culture and Community, so that sustainability becomes part of your everyday school experience.
2. The Programme does more than nurture a shared commitment to environmental sustainability. In fact, by learning and putting your knowledge from the classroom and textbooks into practice, you are also developing what we call 21st century competencies – you are learning to think critically, to be inventive, to collaborate, to be team players, to lead, to excel, to have civic literacy, to communicate, and so much more, as we saw today.

5.Programmes like the Roots & Shoots Youth Summit also give you the space and support to turn your ideas into action. Indeed, in the process, I see you build confidence, pick up skills, and gain a better understanding of what your communities and Singapore need, so that you can contribute meaningfully.

Celebrating Youth-Led Impact

6.The seven teams that just presented – CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh), Punggol Secondary, SOTA, Spectra Secondary, Tanglin Park Nature Club, Valour Primary, and XCL World Academy – show us what this looks like in practice. In your presentations, you encapsulated the series of actions you took together from tentative steps to building a confident programme on the ground, and you have grown in the process. You took what you learnt about the environment in the classroom, identified real issues and problems, and took practical steps to address them. From promoting coexistence with wildlife, to preserving urban biodiversity, to inspiring a love for urban nature through outreach, your projects show the many ways that young people can indeed make a difference.

7.I also want to recognise two teams who could not join us today.

1. Students from Hwa Chong Institution built a community butterfly garden for migrant workers at Sembawang Recreation Centre. They also organised an ecotherapy walk at Sungei Buloh for young residents of Gladiolus Place Girls Home, and conducted environmental science lessons for children at Lighthouse by SunCare SG.
2. At Sembawang Primary School, students introduced children from MOE kindergartens to the native birds and butterflies found on their school grounds.

8.I am also glad to see our schools and the community working closely on Roots & Shoots projects.

1. You saw earlier Spectra Secondary's leopard cat project – I can imagine some of you eventually applying to join NParks. I hope to see you all out there in our green spaces in Singapore. You developed this project in partnership with JGIS and the Singapore Wildcat Action Group. We saw how Spectra Secondary School students used creative outreach to raise awareness about leopard cats, who are right here in our city in nature, and promote safer coexistence between humans and wildlife.
2. One student who helped lead these efforts is Wong Sze Wai, who presented earlier. She led her team, Speckles Swipes, in promoting leopard cat conservation. She also led over 100 student leaders in serving the school and community through other causes, including distributing hampers and food for families from lower-income households, and supported students at Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore School. Sze Wai was recently awarded the President's Volunteerism and Philanthropy Award as a Person of Good, in recognition of her contributions. Congratulations and well done to you, all your schoolmates, and, in fact, everyone who took part!

Conclusion

9.As Dr Jane Goodall once said, young people are like seedlings. A seedling may start small, but with strong roots and the right conditions, it can overcome obstacles and flourish. To our students, as you conclude this stage of your Roots & Shoots journey, I hope you will continue to grow in three ways:

1. First, stay curious. Keep learning about Singapore’s native flora and fauna and the delicate balance of our urban ecosystems. You will be surprised the more you dig deep into our knowledge base that while we are a highly urban city, we are a city in nature, and there is a lot of flora and fauna to protect. Our approach to doing this would be very different.
2. Second, stay courageous. Step forward, like many of you have done today, to contribute positively to the community and to nature.
3. And third, stay connected. Work with your friends, teachers, and community partners, and extend this connection across schools in the neighbourhood. Together, we can achieve more than any one of us can alone.

10.Once again, my deepest thanks to the Jane Goodall Institute Singapore, as well as our school leaders, teachers, and mentors, for guiding our students as they pursue their passion for the environment. Thank you, and have a good weekend.