Singapore Government Press Release
SPEECH BY DPM LEE HSIEN LOONG
AT THE 115TH ANNUAL ACS FOUNDER’S DAY
1 MARCH 2001 AT 11.00AM
I am very happy to celebrate with you the 115th Annual ACS Founder’s Day. For a century, ACS has played a major role in the education of Singaporeans. Our celebration of this anniversary testifies to ACS’ continued vibrancy and excellence, in pursuit of its vision of educating the next generation of Singaporeans.
As a nation, Singapore has focussed much energy and resources on education. We have invested heavily in the hardware of our education system. We are upgrading old schools and building new ones, equipped with comprehensive, up-to-date facilities.
Beyond the physical facilities, we are also doing our utmost to upgrade the education system, to keep it constantly up to date. Our aim is to make every school in Singapore a good school, offering a conducive environment for a good education. We have revised the curriculum to reduce the workload of book learning, encourage independent thinking, and promote a spirit of life-long learning. We are building up the teaching profession, paying special attention to attracting and retaining committed and capable teachers, heads of department, and principals. While the quality of the student intake affects a school’s performance, it is the dedication and motivation of the teaching team, and what they make of their students through their effort and personal example, that ultimately defines an outstanding school.
All of you here are enjoying the fruits of these efforts. Your school facilities are excellent. You have computer laboratories, tennis and squash courts, auditoriums, and even a swimming pool. You attend enrichment classes, go on study tours to exotic destinations, and participate in immersion programmes to neighbouring countries.
When you complete school, and consider your options for a tertiary education, you will have the luxury of a wide-range of choices, in terms of what to study, and where to study. If you have done well, there will be many scholarships available, both from the government and from the private sector, to study at NUS, NTU, SMU or overseas. And when you graduate from university and start looking for a job, unless something has gone seriously wrong with the Singapore economy, you will have little difficulty. Indeed, for the talented and educated, the world is your oyster. There are so many exciting chances in Singapore and abroad, be it in the public sector or the professions, working in large corporations, or as entrepreneurs seeking that pot of gold.
This is a happy state of affairs. But remember that you enjoy all these opportunities not by chance, and not just by your own efforts. Very few young people anywhere in the world are in as fortunate a position. It has happened here only because earlier generations of Singaporeans have worked hard to build up Singapore and lay the basis of today’s prosperity, and you are lucky enough to have been born a Singaporean, and to reap the fruits of their labour.
Singapore is more prosperous than many other countries in Asia. But this does not mean that Singaporeans are superior to people in the other countries. Person for person, the citizens of the countries around us, whether it is India or China, Vietnam or Indonesia, are no less able, driven and motivated than we are. Among the domestic maids in our homes, and the foreign workers at our construction sites, are individuals who could easily have gone to university and done well, if only they had had the opportunities that Singaporeans have. What has made the difference is that in Singapore, we have built a system where every citizen is given the opportunity to develop and realise his potential through education, and can then make the most of this education. Ours is a meritocratic, open society, a dynamic economy where if a person has talent and works hard, all doors are opened.
We must make a special effort to uphold this system. This is not just because if Singapore fails, your own lives and careers cannot prosper. More important, it is to give younger generations of Singaporeans the same opportunities you have enjoyed, the same bright futures that you can look forward to. We must develop in every citizen a strong sense of being Singaporean, rooted to this place we call home, conscious of his debt to Singapore and his duty to contribute back more to society. You owe a responsibility to care for other Singaporeans, especially those who are less fortunate and less successful. Without this sense of mutual obligation, Singapore cannot endure.
This calls for more than book knowledge, or even learning to think and reason, and be creative. It means knowing how Singapore got where we are today, our constraints and vulnerabilities, what makes Singapore tick, and why Singapore’s very existence is a triumph of will. It also means finding within ourselves the reasons to be Singaporean. We are proud of our tangible national achievements, like having the world’s best port or airline. But ultimately, being Singaporean is about the heart and the human spirit. Each of us will have images of the people we love, the friendships we treasure, the places where we have strived, rejoiced, and left our footprints. It is the sum of these memories and dreams that define our identity, and make us Singaporean.
Equally important, Singaporeans must tackle and overcome real challenges together, and in doing so develop the bonds among ourselves, and strengthen our sense of nationhood and common identity. The events surrounding the birth of our nation in 1965 drew one whole generation of Singaporeans close together. But most of today’s Singaporeans were born after independence. We have to bond together through our own shared experiences.
The major upheaval that has been taking place in Southeast Asia constitutes one such challenge. Some of you may not have realised the significance of these developments. Partly, your attention is focused on your studies, but also you have been insulated from the crisis, only reading about it in the newspapers or watching reports on TV. But in fact, we are witnessing very fundamental changes around us which will have a far-reaching and lasting impact on Singapore.
Four years ago, Southeast Asia was prospering, and so were we. We were worrying about stronger competition from our neighbours, as usual. But there was an unmistakable sense of confidence that nothing could really go wrong to threaten our future.
But events since then have drastically changed the situation. Singapore has not had such a difficult external environment since the 1960s. Our neighbours all face problems. Indonesia, for example, is in the midst of a wrenching political transition. The Parliament has sent the President a letter of warning, after it voted overwhelmingly to accept a report that suspected the President of being involved in financial irregularities. In the Maluku islands, a civil war is going on between Muslims and Christians. Thousands of people have been killed. In Kalimantan, the indigenous Dayaks are hunting down Madurese, who originally came from elsewhere in Indonesia. They have killed and beheaded hundreds of Madurese. Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines also face political and economic uncertainties. The status quo is being challenged, and there is agitation and pressure for change.
Singapore is too small to influence events in the region. But we must follow events carefully, because our well being depends on the stability and well-being of our neighbours. So far, we have managed to avoid the worst of the problems. But we cannot completely insulate ourselves from what happens around us. Any political turmoil will have direct fallout on us. Even if this does not happen, being located in a region that investors see as troubled and unpromising will make it harder for us to attract business and investments.
The current difficulties in the region are not Singapore’s first test as a nation, and neither will they be the last. We can sail safely through troubled waters, provided we navigate carefully and avoid whirlpools and submerged rocks. To do this, Singaporeans will have to remain united, understand the seriousness of the problems, and work together to overcome them.
The government, your teachers and parents will do their best to prepare you for future trials. But we cannot tell what the future will bring. Each generation will live in a different environment, and face different challenges. Through your education, however, we can help develop in you the determination and resourcefulness, the resolve to build on what you have inherited and the will to prevail. That way, we can make sure that for Singapore, the best is yet to be.
In ACS, the hard work of generations of ACSians have built up the tradition and reputation of the school. Over the years, they have carved out a distinctive ACS identity, characterised by a certain ethos of self confidence, maturity, civic consciousness and competitive fraternity. Today, the ACS identity in Singapore is shared by five institutions - Anglo-Chinese School (Junior), Anglo-Chinese School (Primary), Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road), Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and Anglo-Chinese Junior College.
ACS continues to do well academically, as shown by the excellent results achieved by ACS(I) in the O levels last year – with 100% of the students obtaining 5 ‘O’ levels, and one boy obtaining a perfect score of 10 A1’s. This is a remarkable achievement for a school which started in a shophouse in Amoy Street more than a century ago, with only 13 students and 3 teachers. I hope that in turn you will build on your achievements as a community, and bring honour to ACS and to Singapore.
Congratulations on your 115th Founder’s Day.