Mr. Alvin Yeo, PBM Organising Chairman,

Mr Raymond Lye, PBM Chairman of Pasir Ris West CCC,

Principals,

Chairmen and Members of the School Advisory Committees,

Award recipients,

Parents,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning.

I’m delighted to be here this morning to congratulate all our award recipients on their outstanding academic performance in 2001. This morning, more than two thousand students will be receiving various awards including the Edusave Scholarship and Edusave Merit Awards. It is encouraging to know that young people of all ages and backgrounds continue to push themselves to excel in their studies. Despite the many distractions around you in this modern technological age, you have not wavered from your academic goals. In your success, you personify important traits of the Singapore spirit – determination and industry.

Furthermore, for students who excel academically, there are three types of Edusave awards available. The Edusave Scholarship Award recognises students in primary and secondary schools who have achieved good results, regardless of economic background, the Edusave Merit Bursary rewards students who have done well and who are from financially disadvantaged homes, and the Good Progress Award commends students who have made significant improvements in their academic performance and who have not received any other Edusave award.

This year, the total number of recipients receiving these Edusave awards comes to nearly ninety-eight thousand. The awards have a total value of over twenty million dollars. These awards reiterate the government’s commitment to education. We will not reduce our support – financial or otherwise – for students who can and want to learn.

But education is not just about academic success. We also want our young people to develop leadership qualities and character traits that make them valuable members of the community. Last year, the Edusave Award for Good LEadership and Service (EAGLES) was launched to recognise students from every school who possess a combination of these qualities: leadership skills, a spirit of service to the community, and excellence in non-academic activities. These are the attributes that we want to cultivate in all our young people.

This year for the first time, we are giving out close to fifteen thousand EAGLES awards, with a total value of over two million dollars. I am happy to note that two-thirds of these recipients are receiving Edusave awards for the first time. Their talents would have gone unrecognised were it not for the new EAGLES award.

The spirit of Singapore youth today must not be about individual excellence and examination fervour alone. Students must be involved with the community. It is only when we interact with our fellow Singaporeans and work towards the common cause of comfort and security for all, that we can build rapport and learn to care for one another, regardless of race or religion. It will not be easy to weather the current uncertainties, but Singapore will make it if we pull together. For our society to be a strong one, one that can withstand external pressures and internal tensions, we must forge a sense of belonging to community and country with Singaporeans from all walks of life.

Therefore, I urge every student here to take some of that energy which you apply so readily to your studies, and channel it also into community service. Just as the government and the community are today investing in your education and your future, I hope that you will take the time, the effort and the heart to invest in the community around you. Share your talents, time and abilities with those less fortunate or less able than you.

Community service is important not only to the community it benefits, but also to the individuals who serve. As community service becomes increasingly a part of our lives, the people of Singapore have developed into pro-active citizens, with a shared interest in enhancing social cohesiveness and well-being. The more you find ways to help and encourage the people around you, the better you appreciate your fellow Singaporeans – and the better you know yourself. Mahatma Gandhi noted that "the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." I hope that you too will find and define yourselves, not merely in terms of the number of A’s you attain or awards you receive, but as Singaporeans who can make a contribution to society. 

11. Congratulations again to all the award recipients here today. I hope that you will continue to be diligent and resolute, and do well in the new year. I also wish to commend your parents and teachers for the support and guidance they have given you.

Thank you.

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