Mr Lim Lai Chuan, Principal of North Vista Secondary;

Colonel Chan Sek Sung, Chairman, School Advisory Committee;

Mr Teo Cheng Kwee, President, North Vista Alumni;

Distinguished Guests;

Staff and Pupils of North Vista Secondary;

Ladies and Gentlemen.

North Vista Secondary School’s history reflects the changing educational and social landscape in Singapore. The school started as Thomson Government Chinese Middle School in 1957 before it merged with Thomson Vocational School and was renamed Thomson Secondary School. Located in the heavily populated Thomson area, the school provided education to two generations of Singaporeans in the formative years of our country.

During this period the school has produced many outstanding individuals who have made their mark in society and contributed to the development of our country. They include politicians, senior civil servants, army officers, corporate leaders and sportsmen. Examples are Mr Tang Guan Seng, Political Sec to PM; Prof Lim Mong King, Deputy President, Division of Engineering Mechanics, NTU; Colonel Chan Sek Sung; Mr Kua Soon Khe, Executive Secretary, Hokkien Huay Kuan; Dr Felix Ong, Chairman, Seksun Corporation Ltd; Mr Bernard Toh, MD Unisteel; and Mr Loh Chan Pew, a national athlete.

On 15 December 2000, Thomson Secondary School relocated to Sengkang to serve the residents in this new and flourishing new town. Its name was changed to North Vista Secondary School. However, the Chinese name of Thomson Secondary School was retained to preserve the school’s historical heritage.

Thomson Secondary School has experienced an illustrious period in its history, as well as a near closure due to dwindling enrolment. Through it all, the School Advisory Committee and the Alumni have been giving the school their full support. For example, the Chairman of the SAC, Colonel Chan Sek Sung, also the Chairman who formed the Alumni in 1994, has been actively helping the school since he left Thomson Secondary School in 1964. The current Alumni President, Mr Teo Cheng Kwee, has also played a pivotal role in the setting up of both the Thomson Secondary School Alumni Education Fund and the present North Vista Alumni Scholarship. It is this strong school spirit that has given the school a new lease of life as North Vista Secondary School. The school has crafted its motto as "Viva la Vista" or "Long Live North Vista"!

This is the school’s vision – that the school will grow from strength to strength and have a lasting impact on its staff and pupils, and the community.

From the school’s history and vision, I note that there are three attributes which are important for facing the future.

The first attribute is Nimbleness – the agility to cope with and adapt to change. When the school started it was a Chinese Middle School, which then merged with a Vocational School. These represented the type of education that Singaporeans wanted and needed at that point of our social and economic development in the 1950s and 1960s.

The school demonstrated its nimbleness by adapting to the times and the changing demands of education in Singapore. Today, in it’s new location, in spacious new buildings, with modern facilities, well-trained teachers and a forward looking curriculum, North Vista Secondary is ready to prepare our students for the challenges of the future.

The second attribute is Connectedness – how connected the school is with the community and the world at large.

I am happy to note that North Vista Secondary School has established strong links with the community. It has made National Education and the Character Development Programme relevant to pupils through their active participation in activities that bind them to the nation and the community. The school has also forged links with parents through the North Vista Parents’ Partnership. The bonds with the community have seen the school participating in the Northeast CDC’s ‘home-stay’ programme for cross-cultural exposure and providing reading services to the Sengkang and Cheng San libraries.

With a more interconnected and globalised world, learning in school should not be limited to the confines of the physical school building, but should expand into the community and the region. In looking outwards, however, a school should not forget its roots – its history, its Alumni and its well wishers. I am pleased to note that the school has worked with the Alumni to start its heritage room, which I have just declared open. Alumni members have been involved in school functions such as Speech Day, Teachers’ Day and Drama Night. Alumni members have also helped in running the school’s programmes, such as the Scouts and the Peer Leaders Camps. Of special note is the Alumni’s generous contribution of $12,000 every year to the School Scholarship Fund.

In an increasingly fast paced, achievement oriented world, we need a third attribute – that of caring for others, which will bind the people of a community as one.

We have many heart-warming examples of caring for others during the SARS outbreak. We saw how our healthcare workers risked their lives and made personal sacrifices to care for others. We saw how the community rallied to support them and victims of SARS through the Courage Fund and other expressions of support; how grassroots leaders came forward to assist those on home quarantine; how teachers and parents went the extra mile to ensure that our students and schools were as safe as possible. This is the heartware of our nation – and this will see us through the worst crises. The key factor that contributed to Singapore dealing successfully with SARS was the social cohesion and responsibility of our people who understood the seriousness of the situation, and rallied together to take the collective action that was needed.

I am glad to see that this spirit of community is alive and well at North Vista Secondary School. As part of the programme marking its opening, the school has remembered the more needy pupils by donating $20,000 to the Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund.

Finally, I would like to congratulate North Vista Secondary School – the principal, staff and students, the SAC and the alumni, and all stakeholders who have given their support to the school - on its official opening today. I wish you success as you continue to develop a nimble, connected and caring community.

Thank you.

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