Singapore Government Press Release

Good morning, colleagues in the Ministry of Education,

National Day is a time when we take stock of where we have come since our independence in 1965 - to think back to the difficult times in the past and to be thankful for the peace and prosperity we now enjoy. It is also a time to look ahead at the challenges that are before us.

In these 32 years as an independent country, we have made great strides. And those who have served and who continue to serve in the Ministry of Education and in our schools and educational institutions have played a big part in this.

As a colony, education was available only to a small, specially selected elite. Many did not have the opportunity or could not afford to go to school. Each of the communities in Singapore sought to fill the gap by establishing its own schools and even higher education institutes. People from all walks of life contributed to this effort. The yearning for knowledge; the desire to give the younger generation a foundation for a better future, and the willingness to make sacrifices to realise this dream were strong.

As a newly elected government in a newly self-governing, and then independent country, educational opportunities for all became a top priority. The building of schools and the recruitment of teachers was accelerated.

Education played a major role in forging a nation out of the diverse background of our citizens. Education equipped our people with the skills for a brighter future. Education laid the foundation for what is now rated as the best workforce in the world.

Gradually, step-by-step, with the determination of the government and the hard work and dedication of our officers in the ministry, the strands of the education system that we have today were drawn together - a national curriculum, bilingualism, and high standards throughout our education system.

Today all our children have the opportunity to complete secondary school; and we provide higher education to 60% of our children and post secondary education to another 25%.

W continue to build new schools and institutes, and improve the quality of our teachers and education system.

Our mission for the coming years remains unchanged: To mould the future of our Nation.

As we look towards the future, people remain our most vital resource. People will make the difference. All individuals in our society are valued highly and will be given the opportunities to develop themselves to the fullest and contribute to the nation.

We are now entering a new phase of development in our education system. While our mission remains the same, we will have to adopt new strategies and methods to take our people one step further and prepare them for the challenges of the next century. "Thinking Schools, Learning Nation" is our vision for the future.

I call upon all officers in the Ministry to respond to this vision of "Thinking Schools, Learning Nation" and rise to the challenge, in the same way as officers in our Ministry have done in the past. The major programmes that we are bringing in over the next few years - National Education, Creative Thinking, Information Technology and Administrative Excellence - are changes that we need to make to our education system to take us into the 21^st Century. To implement these programmes successfully, we will need the same hard work, dedication, imagination and preparedness to change that have brought us to where we are today.

In closing, I would like to thank our officers in the Ministry of Education, here in the headquarters and in all our educational institutions, for the good work done; I would also urge you to continue to strive to achieve the Ministry’s objectives, and in the larger context, the nation’s goals through "Thinking Schools, Learning Nation". In this way, we work towards ensuring Singapore’s continued prosperity and her security, survival and success.

I wish all of you a happy National Day.