Distinguished guests

Ladies and gentlemen

Boys and girls

It is a pleasure to be here this afternoon to present the 1998 Special Academic Awards. The awards are the Prime Minister’s Book Prize to pupils who excel in English and the mother tongue and the Lee Kuan Yew Award to pupils who excel in Mathematics and Science. Awards will also be given for the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship for postgraduate studies.

Let me first touch on the school awards given to pupils in the primary and secondary schools and junior colleges. English, the mother tongue languages, mathematics and science are foundation subjects in our education system. In rewarding bilingual competence, we are setting standards for learning and communication which enrich our lives as individuals and collectively as a nation. Many of the winners for bilingualism study the mother tongue not at second language level but at first language level. They will help us maintain the position of the mother tongues in Singapore in the next generation.

More than that, the mother tongue languages will be a powerful means of inculcating core values and attitudes that are part of our rich cultural heritage. Through imbibing Asian values, through knowing and understanding Asian achievements in their mother tongues, our pupils will gain a stronger sense of identity, pride and self-respect as Singaporeans. This will strengthen their emotional attachment to their nation and give them a sense of their roots.

In recognising our pupils’ achievement in mathematics and science, we are encouraging the pursuit of excellence in areas which have great impact on the technological progress of Singapore. Bereft of national resources, Singapore needs a strong scientific and technological base to maintain its competitive advantage in the next century. I shall elaborate on this later in my address.

I would venture to say that many of the qualities that our prize-winners today have demonstrated, will be the qualities that our nation needs to sustain and advance economic growth. The Singapore economy has moved from being labour-intensive to being skills-intensive. In the 1960s and 1970s, we focused on labour-intensive industries. In the 1980s, we moved into the next phase of economic development and switched to higher value-added industries which require a skilled workforce. Now on the threshold of the 21^st century we have to move to a knowledge-based economy.

In a knowledge based economy, the key factors for economic success are not natural resources. The key factors are how people make productive use of information, knowledge and technology. These require setting goals and focusing on how to achieve them and being persistent despite obstacles. Most of all because of the continual advancement of knowledge and the rapid pace of change in technology, success will require a willingness to continually learn and improve. The prize-winners have given clear evidence that they have these key attributes.

I want to take the opportunity this afternoon to underscore the important place of languages and mathematics and science against the backdrop of key global trends. One of the key trends is that of globalisation in which world economies are becoming increasingly inter-connected and interdependent. A great deal has been said and written in recent years about the English language and its role in globalisation. English has become the world’s global language. Around one in five of the world’s population speaks English, and English has become the language of international commerce, popular culture and the Internet. In Singapore English is the language of administration, commerce and finance.

The trend of globalisation will further encourage the use of English in Singapore. Take the case of joint ventures that Singapore has with English-speaking countries. Such joint ventures will adopt English as the language of use. The legal documents, and memoranda of understanding are written in English in order that there is consensus about the meanings of terms and rights.

Another aspect of globalisation is that it will change working practices and have implications for how English is used in the workplace. Employees today, as a result of globalisation bringing about new working practices, have to adopt a wide variety of language styles. Thus English must service a range of work situations and identities and must be usable for both team working and service interactions. Not surprisingly, demands on an employee’s competence in English are rising.

As in the case of globalisation, the drive towards regionalisation will also encourage the use of English. Singapore will move its expertise and money into the region and tap on local labour and hardware. Singapore’s regionalisation programme, launched about six years ago has reached the Southeast Asian countries around us: China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar , the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Another key global trend is that of the role of technology. For Singapore to progress into the 21^st century, it can gain a competitive advantage through technology. We need people highly educated in mathematics and science to provide Singapore with an enhanced foundation of technological capability. In the fields of mathematics and science, excellence in these disciplines will give our people the cutting edge when we advance into the new millennium.

Another aspect of technology has to do with language use. I am referring here to computer technology making possible an explosion of information of a magnitude never previously experienced. For many years, it was thought that English is the language for computer use. This is because computers and software programmes were largely the invention of English-speaking countries. The hardware and software reflected the need of the English language. The early software systems were based on English text making it difficult for non-romanised languages to use them.

English will continue to have its place in the use of software products and digitised intellectual property. At the same time, we will see the growing spread of other languages, including the Asian languages in computer use. There are, for example Chinese versions of all major software programmes that come from America, including the Windows operating system and Microsoft Word word processor. Interface design now make new software more easily customised for other languages. This adaptability of software is a significant characteristic. It has allowed new technical vocabulary to develop in languages other than English. An increasing amount of content will be produced in local languages.

One of the most important computer-related technologies to emerge in recent decades is, undoubtedly, the Internet. It brings with it implications for language use. On the Internet, you can use your web browser in a variety of languages. You can translate web documents with a click of the mouse. Automatic translation of texts was once a far-fetched dream but has become a practical reality remarkably quickly. New software is becoming available for the major languages which operates on desktop PCs and which can be embedded in email and computer conferencing applications. Thus it may not be necessary for an Internet user to be able to write in English in order to exchange messages with the English-speaking community. The close linkage that once existed between computers and English has been broken. Computer technology would lead to the growth of Asian and other local languages.

The trends of globalisation and technology make it all the more imperative that we maintain Chinese, Malay and Tamil as mother tongue languages. The mother languages are the main conduit through which students absorb and learn about their roots, their culture and traditional customs and values. Though a good command of English will give students easier access to higher education and better jobs, it is not our mother tongue. English may be the language for growth, development and mobility, but it is the mother tongue that gives people a sense of identity. The mother tongue helps them understand and preserve their cultural heritage.

In Singapore we value talent and will want to nurture such talent to the fullest extent possible. We believe that human resource and resourcefulness will see us through this competitive world. It is, therefore, appropriate that we are also presenting the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship at today’s award ceremony. This postgraduate scholarship is given to individuals who are outstanding in intellect, sound in character and active in social, community or sporting activities. It is a prestigious award and exemplifies the well-roundedness which all our pupils in schools should strive for.

I congratulate all the talented individuals who are receiving the various awards today. We recognise your outstanding achievement in bilingual competence, your excellence in mathematics and science and your potential in research for the well-being of Singapore. I wish you all greater success in the years ahead.