Mr Peter Yeo Hee Lian, Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Board of Governors

Members of the Board of Directors and the Board of Governors

Mr Ang Wee Hiong, Principal of Hwa Chong Junior College,

My Hon Chiew Weng, Principal of the Chinese High School,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen

I would like first to thank Mr Ch’ng Jit Koon and the outgoing members of Chinese High School’s Board of Governors and Hwa Chong’s College Management Committee for their contributions during their time in office. They brought the schools through a challenging period in both their histories, and harnessed the passion and commitment of their stakeholders. You led the schools forward in their pursuit of excellence.

I would also like to congratulate Mr Peter Yeo, who will be the new Chairman of the Board of Directors and Board of Governors, and all the other members of the new Boards. You will be leading the schools as they embark on a major new journey, of offering an Integrated Programme. It will be a journey not without its challenges, but will offer many more opportunities to add breadth and richness to your students’ learning experiences.

Chinese High and Hwa Chong Junior College are among the top education institutions in Singapore. They are amongst the anchors in our education landscape, representing an important historical tradition. They have also been at the forefront of educational change and innovation. In 1978, Chinese High was one of the 9 schools selected to become Special Assistance Plan (SAP) schools to preserve the best traditions of the Chinese schools. In 1988, Chinese High was one of the first three schools to become independent. This pioneering tradition continues to this day, as Chinese High and Hwa Chong Junior College will be among the first institutions that offer an Integrated Programme spanning secondary and JC education from 2004.

The coming together of the Chinese High School and Hwa Chong Junior College to offer an Integrated Programme from Sec 1 to JC 2 represents a natural union between two schools with a shared history and mission. It will also be a major milestone in our efforts to nurture a Chinese elite, at both the secondary and JC levels. By developing and implementing a strong and well-developed Integrated Programme, the school will be at the pinnacle of education institutions supported by the Chinese community.

The plans that the Hwa Chong family of schools have laid out for the Integrated Programme (IP) are impressive. They reflect the spirit and intent of the reforms allowing for the IP scheme, not just the form and structure. Students will benefit from a broad range of learning experiences. They will have greater opportunity for research and exploration, through programmes with both local and foreign universities. The Hwa Chong IP will also have a China Programme to familiarise students with the vast opportunities in that country. It will develop a scheme to nurture entrepreneurial instincts. And it will provide programmes in info-communication technology and leadership training. Implemented well, these varied programmes will exploit the flexibilities and opportunities possible within an IP framework to allow your students to discover their talents - including strengths they may never have known about - and to develop them to the fullest.

I note also that Hwa Chong and NTU have entered into an MOU setting out a framework for collaboration in the areas of research and higher education. This opens up new possibilities for students with a passion and ability in a particular field to run further or to explore possibilities outside the regular curriculum, as envisaged in the Review of the JC and Upper Secondary System that we undertook last year. As our university sector itself expands and provides more varied options for study and research, there will be more opportunities for schools and junior colleges to work with universities to nurture the different talents of our students.

We have also embarked on the review of our university admissions system, so as to examine changes that could reinforce the shifts towards a broader and more varied JC education. (This review was recommended in both the Review of JC/Upper Secondary Education and the Review of the University Sector and Graduate Manpower Planning). A Committee chaired by Prof Chong Chi Tat, Provost, NUS, and comprising members from the junior colleges, polytechnics, universities and MOE HQ, is now studying how the universities could be given greater further flexibility in deciding on admission of students so as to recognise different strengths and talents. The Committee is expected to complete its review in 6 months’ time. The Committee will consider for example whether university admissions in future could take into account research done by students in our schools, or undergraduate modules done as part of tie-ups between any schools and our universities. This will reinforce schools’ efforts to develop diverse talents and strengths. However, university admission will continue to be based on merit.

Educationists are actively engaged in the business of looking ahead. We should always be ready to try out new, practicable ideas and approaches, and at times make major shifts to better prepare our young for a different future.

The Integrated Programmes that will commence in a few schools next year are part of the larger project by MOE to introduce more diverse structures and a broader mix of schools in the education system. (In addition to Integrated Programmes, we will allow for new Specialised Independent Schools in areas like Maths and Science; alternative qualifications like the International Baccalaureate; and 2-3 privately-funded schools. We will also implement a broader and more flexible JC curriculum.)

We need different ways, not one way, of preparing our young for a future of continuous change. New developments in science and technology will alter the way we live, communicate, work and play, in ways we cannot fully anticipate. Globalisation will restructure whole industries, over and over again, and continue to reset the competitive balance between nations. It will be a more uncertain future, but rich with opportunity.

There will be no unique path that will prepare young Singaporeans for this more complex, unpredictable future. We need diverse paths, to nurture students with varied talents, ideas and ways of thinking and able to thrive in different cultures. And whatever their chosen field or specialisation, we need to groom young Singaporeans who are flexible, able to think on their feet, take on multiple tasks on the job, and draw from diverse sources of knowledge.

The shift to a more diverse and flexible education system is critical to our future, not just as individuals but as a nation. It will enable us to succeed in our next phase of development. It will allow us to respond confidently to new and varied challenges, spot opportunities and not just obstacles, and make the most of them.

I therefore wish to commend Hwa Chong and Chinese High for their enterprising outlook and for being once again at the forefront of changes taking place in education.

I want to express my best wishes to the new Board of Directors and Board of Governors of Chinese High, and the College Management Committee of Hwa Chong Junior College. I am confident you will lead the two institutions to greater heights, and that the schools will continue to produce forward-looking young men, grounded in sound values, who will continue to make Singapore proud.

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