Media Division, Ministry of Information and The Arts, 36th Storey, PSA Building, 460 Alexandra Road, Singapore 119963. Tel: 3757794/5
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SPEECH BY RADM TEO CHEE HEAN, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION & SECOND MINISTER FOR DEFENCE AT THE MENDAKI PARENT-YOUTH SEMINAR "TITIAN KASIH" (BRIDGE OF LOVE) ON SUNDAY, 27 APRIL 1997 AT 10 AM AT ANA HOTEL
Good morning ladies and gentlemen.
I am pleased to see so many of you here this morning. This shows that you are indeed interested in helping yourselves as well as others to lead better lives.
Today's Seminar provides an opportunity for you to think seriously and to learn more about social work. Often, amidst our busy schedules in our jobs, we feel we do not have the time for social work. We take what we have for granted, and do not spare a thought for the less fortunate people around us, those who need help and guidance. Worse, we may even forget that there are such people in our midst. When we do remember, there are some amongst us who might think: "Let others do the job, not me - I do not have the time to spare". But if everyone were to adopt such an attitude and mentality, our society will become an ungracious and apathetic one, with each individual caring only for himself.
Everyone can play a part in social work. I would like to urge all of you to do so. No matter how small a part you play, your contribution will be incremental in helping others around you. Your part could be as simple as volunteering to render your services to organisations or committees involved in social work. There is sometimes a misconception that social work is an intensive and time-consuming affair requiring great personal sacrifice. It need not be so. Every little effort to reach out and help someone, no matter in how small a manner, is a form of social work.
We live in a multi-racial and multi-religious society, and that makes social work much more demanding, and also more challenging. Social workers and agencies must be equipped with an appreciation of the culture and social habits of those they are trying to help, and the skills necessary to interact with families of different ethnic and religious backgrounds. I am pleased to note that one of the workshops in today's seminar will deal with these aspects and will give participants an insight into the delicate cultural mechanisms of our society.
Besides skills and knowledge, patience, tolerance and empathy are equally important qualities that a social worker must have. A social worker must put himself in the shoes of those he is helping. He must have the tolerance to accept the behaviour and idiosyncrasies of different people. He must have patience, because a social problem will not go away overnight. Hence, in a very important way, social work also helps to mould the character of the social worker.
I must congratulate the Muslim Joint Anti-Drug Abuse Co-ordinating Committee and the Youth Development and Enrichment Programme Committee for organising this Seminar. I am also pleased to note that Yayasan Mendaki has been doing well in its mission to develop a self-reliant, successful and morally strong Malay community in multi-racial Singapore.
The Malay community in Singapore has made great progress in education. In 1996, 97% of the cohort of Malay pupils who entered Primary One six years earlier sat for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), compared to 81% in 1990. Of those who sat for the exam, about 90% qualified for secondary schools, up from 74% in 1990.
There was continued improvement in performance in the core subjects last year. In particular, 65% of pupils in the EM1 and EM2 streams passed in Mathematics at the PSLE, 2% points higher than in 1995 and a full 15% points higher than the pass rate just three years ago. This is a big increase. But there is still much to be done to bring the pass rates closer to the average mathematics pass rate for all PSLE candidates of 87% in 1996.
At the secondary level, performance has improved, but not as significantly. 76% of Malays who sat for the General Certificate of Education (GCE) 'O' Levels in 1996 obtained at least 3 'O' level passes, about the same as the 77% in 1990. However, 48% passed 5 or more subjects in 1996, an improvement of 5% points over the 1990 figure. The figures suggest that the top half of Malay students are doing better at their 'O' levels, but more progress is required among those now in the lower half who have not done as well.
There was a marked improvement in the performance of Malay pupils at the GCE 'A' Level examinations. 76% of those who took the exam obtained at least 2 'A' and 2 'AO' level passes, including the General Paper. This figure compares favourably with 57% in 1990.
As a result of their progressively better performance in various national examinations, the number of Malays in each cohort who eventually make it to our Polytechnics and Universities has increased. As a percentage of each Primary One Malay cohort, the number of Malay students entering the Polytechnics increased from 8% in 1990 to 21% last year. The percentage entering NUS or NTU has also risen over the same period. As the younger Malay pupils are now doing much better at Primary school than their older brothers and sisters, we can expect to see more of them entering the Polytechnics and Universities over the next five to ten years.
The figures are encouraging and show that every community in Singapore has benefited from greater educationl opportunities. This is good for Singapore as a whole. To maintain our economic growth and our social cohesion we need to ensure that the potential of each and every individual, regardless of his ethnic or religious background, is maximised. To do this we need to give our pupils the correct guidance, not just academically, but socially and morally as well. I am glad to see that you are prepared to step forward to do your part.
I wish all of you a fruitful and enriching time at today's Seminar.