Mrs Kam Kum Wone, Director, Training and Development

Mrs Rammie Kuan, Principal

Staff, students and guests of White Sands Primary

It is my pleasure to join you at the Official Opening of White Sands Primary School.

White Sands Primary is the fifth primary school to be opened in Pasir Ris. As a new school in a young town, you face the challenge of providing quality education for a young and growing population. You do not yet have an alumnus on whom you can call upon for support. And you have to get to know the community and get them to know you, and establish collaboration with the community. Nonetheless you have many advantages. Being new, you are not bound by traditions and practices, and you can be open to identifying the collective strengths of your students and exploring creative ideas to build and develop the school.

We live in a new age, and while schools must still provide a strong foundation in the basics or the 3Rs, reading writing and arithmetic, today's schools need to do more than that. Today's schools need to instill in our children a fourth R -- responsibility -- not only to themselves, but also to their families, the community and their homeland. Our schools must inculcate in their young students the appropriate national values and social instincts so that they will be committed to Singapore and actively contribute to the growth of our nation, This is especially important when they will be far more internationally mobile than preceding generations.

In addition, to ensure that our young are equipped with the self-assurance, tenacity and endurance to thrive in the knowledge-based economy of the 21^st century, our schools have to imbue in them yet another R -- risk-taking. It is this daring to challenge and innovate that will ensure our nation retains a competitive edge over resource-rich economies.

Schools, however, cannot shoulder the responsibility of this teaching alone. Our recently-launched document, Stakeholders in Education, spells out the roles and qualities expected of each stakeholder in education - the student, the parents / grandparents, the teachers, the principals, MOE HQ, the community, the business community, the alumni associations and the school advisory / management committee. Ours is a society that places a high premium on education. This translates into stakeholders taking an active interest in what and how our children are taught. When parents and the community choose to be active partners with the school, we can harness this collective energy to make it work for the benefit of our children.

Let me share the story of "Mengmu san qian". In ancient China, there lived a mother who was looking for the best home for her child, Mengzi. At one neighbourhood, she found that the children were attracted to the going-ons at a nearby coffin maker's and passed their time imitating the sorrow expressed by the families of the deceased. She decided it was not the environment she wanted for her child and so she moved. At another neighbourhood, she found the men were not interested in hard work and spent their days drinking. Not finding it suitable for her child, she moved again. In all she moved three times, until she was convinced that she had found the best environment in which to bring up her child. Mengzi or Menicius grew up to be one of the great thinkers of China, thanks to the discipline inculcated by his mother, and of course her foresight and persistence.

Perhaps we can take a leaf from this story of the mother. She moved three times trying to find the best environment in which to bring up her child. If Mengzi's mother had found stakeholders in education who shared the common goal of providing the best learning opportunities for our children, and who worked together to be positive role models for our young, she may not have had to move at all.

Mengzi's mother may appreciate what she can find at White Sands Primary today. The belief that parents and the community can be active contributors to the learning environment is borne out by the school's programmes. I understand that parents volunteer their services as School Advisory Committee members, Community Wardens, Reading Moms and Teacher Helpers. Parents have lent support at school events, such as the Primary One Registration Exercise and the Primary One Orientation Day. Parents have also participated in the Community Involvement Programme. This April, teachers, pupils and parents visited the Jamiyah Home for the Aged. I would like to commend both staff and parents for demonstrating the spirit of caring and sharing to our children. Certainly teachers appreciate the valuable support given by parent volunteers and the cooperation with schools to inculcate in our children desirable values and attitudes.

The school has implemented many meaningful programmes to develop every child's talent and ability. The challenge for the school is to keep exploring ways to inspire pupils and guide them to develop their potential. The challenge is also for stakeholders to help the school to provide a thinking environment that encourages and values self-confidence, initiative, enterprise, innovation and creativity. With a nurturing school environment and a team of dedicated staff, I am confident that the school will achieve its mission.

I wish the Principal, staff and pupils of White Sands Primary School, and your stakeholders, every success in bringing up our children and in building a vibrant school culture.