Speech By Mr Wong Kan Seng, Minister For Home Affairs, At The 40th Anniversary National Police Cadet Corps (Npcc) Day Parade On Saturday, 24 April 1999, 5.30 pm At The Police Academy

Singapore Government Press Release

Media Division, Ministry of Information and The Arts,

36^th Storey, PSA Building, 460 Alexandra Road, Singapore 119963.

Tel: 3757794/5

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SPEECH BY MR WONG KAN SENG, MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS, AT THE 40^TH ANNIVERSARY NATIONAL POLICE CADET CORPS (NPCC) DAY PARADE ON SATURDAY, 24 APRIL 1999, 5.30 PM AT THE POLICE ACADEMY

Assoc Prof Yeo Jinn Fei, Chairman of NPCC Council

Officers and Cadets

Ladies and Gentlemen

It is my pleasure to be here this afternoon to officiate at the National Police Cadet Corps 40^th Anniversary parade.

History of NPCC

Since its humble beginnings in 1959 at Bartley Secondary School with just 30 cadets, the Corps has grown to be 19,000 strong today. 143 secondary schools host NPCC units. Just two weeks ago, Singapore Polytechnic became the first polytechnic to set up at an NPCC Unit. NPCC is the largest school uniformed youth group in Singapore.

NPCC is a part of the Home Team

Over the last four decades, the NPCC has trained more than half a million cadets. Its cadets have gone on to serve the nation in many ways. The Principal of Raffles Institution, Mr Wong Siew Hoong; the Principal of ACS (Barker Road), Mr Ng Eng Chin; and Member of Parliament Dr Teo Ho Pin were NPCC cadets. TCS stars Jacelyn Tay and Gurmit Singh were also in the NPCC. Your Council Chairman, Associate Professor Yeo Jinn Fei, was a NPCC cadet too.

NPCC’s aim of inculcating in cadets key values like discipline, integrity and civic consciousness has stood the test of time. These values remain as relevant today when Singapore has undergone so much change, as they were decades ago.

The NPCC Vision is to "mould the builders of a safe and secure home." This captures what NPCC seeks to do – mould its cadets and prepare them to play a part in keeping Singapore safe and secure. It is therefore no surprise that through the years, many NPCC cadets have gone on to join the Police Force as regular police officers.

The NPCC is as much a part of the Home Team as it is part of the Singapore Police Force. We all share the vision of making Singapore a safe and secure best home. The NPCC has been one of the Home Team’s key links to reaching out to our youth in secondary schools.

Future Challenges of the NPCC

I pose two challenges to the NPCC as you celebrate your 40^th birthday.

The first challenge is to work towards realising the NPCC vision. The NPCC’s vision was crafted last year. The process involved all NPCC officers and cadets. The next step is to ensure that NPCC’s programmes help realise this vision. Your officers and cadets should not only internalise this vision, but also know how they can contribute towards it.

The second challenge is to remain relevant and responsive to changing times. The NPCC has to look into new ways of training the cadets and moulding their character. Our education system has undergone tremendous changes to stay ahead of the times. Today, there is much emphasis on education beyond the classroom, for example, through learning journeys, creative thinking and information technology. The NPCC should similarly look for creative ways to contribute to the education and character development of its cadets.

This is all the more important with the increasing importance placed on extra curricular activities in schools. Students today have a wide variety of ECAs to choose from. They are discerning and in some ways more demanding. The NPCC has to strive hard to maintain its position as a premier uniformed youth organisation in schools. The NPCC has been expanding in secondary schools. Four new NPCC units were formed this year. However, maintaining its premier position does not depend solely on expanding and forming new units. The NPCC has to build on this premier position and continually look for ways to add value to its members. That will be the way to attract more students to join the Corps and remain loyal to it.

In conclusion, I note with appreciation that the NPCC has done much for Singapore through its work with the students. It has come a long way in the last 40 years. I am confident that it will continue to adapt to meet future challenges as it strives to realise its vision of moulding cadets into builders of a safe and secure home.

Thank you.

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