Mr Yong Lum Sung, Chief Operating Officer

Distinguished guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good morning,

It gives me great pleasure to join you today for the finals of the StarHub Spelling Bee Competition. I understand that close to 100 teams from various primary schools took part in last year’s contest, and the Competition has been well received by students and teachers alike since it was launched last year. I am heartened to note that this year, many more eager young minds will be enriched through this Competition.

I would also like to take this opportunity to commend StarHub for its efforts to promote programmes with educational benefits. I understand that the Spelling Bee Competition is only one of the several educational activities that StarHub organises annually as part of its community initiative, the Creative Classroom. True to its mission to make learning an adventure for students in Singapore, this non-profit initiative makes the school curriculum come to life and prove that learning can, and should, be interactive, varied and, above all, creative.

Learning has come a long way since the chalk-and-board days when teachers droned on while students sat in neat rows, taking down copious notes which they would then commit to memory before their examinations. Today, the emphasis is on experiential learning, and students are exposed not only to a variety of teaching strategies in school, but are also increasingly more adept at using communication tools as an integral part of their learning process. They are encouraged to seek knowledge, not just to memorise facts and figures. Problem-solving is emphasised, critical thinking is nurtured, and our students are constantly encouraged to be curious and access the knowledge that, literally, lies at their fingertips, as they are wired up to the Worldwide Web.

This progressive trend towards creative learning is evidence that we are moving in the right direction to tap into the realities of the new economy. The needs of the knowledge-based economy dictate that we can no longer produce students whose forte is rote learning. In the new workplace of today, there is no room for the conservative and timid worker who cannot think outside the box. The worker who can thrive in today’s world is one who is innovative, creative and adaptable to the changes that meet him/ her everyday. These skills are now systematically taught and developed in our schools, so that our students, through their exposure to creative teaching strategies, will imbibe the creativity and innovative spirit that we aim to foster.

Ask any English teacher, and they will tell you that teaching the English language is a challenging task. A number of our children are not proficient in English when they first enter primary school, having only a rudimentary grasp of grammar and knowledge of a handful of vocabulary items, as taught at pre-school. These pupils may also come from families whose language of communication is their mother tongue language, and English is a language that is not commonly heard in the household. Hence, they are unable to communicate in English that is grammatical, fluent and appropriate for formal learning. Our teachers, therefore, have to develop in them the ability to speak and write English at a standard that is internationally recognised.

In our schools, there are systems in place to help these students whose command of the English Language is weaker. The Learning Support Programme, a specialised language and literacy programme introduced to primary schools, is one such example. Under this programme, weaker pupils in primary 1 and 2 are given opportunities to learn English with the close guidance and supervision of their teachers. Such individual attention not only infinitely increases the chances of the pupils’ success in learning English, but also goes a long way to show that their teachers care enough to devote extra time and energy on them. Other programmes include the Uninterrupted Sustained Reading Programme, where pupils read regularly as part of the curriculum time.

Beyond these activities, vocabulary-building activities such as scrabble and boggle and even spelling contests, like this Spelling Bee Competition, also serve to teach English in a fun, interactive and novel way. Rather than having our pupils passively trying to commit to memory the spelling and meanings of words, games like these ensure that they are actively engaged in the learning process and are motivated to learn more. This helps in retaining the information they have absorbed during the game, and contributes to an overall learning situation that is memorable and creative. We need to explore even more such avenues where learning is exciting, absorbing and stimulating.

Indeed, the teaching and learning of English is now a creative and dynamic process. Role-playing, debates, discussion and even music are now harnessed by the English Language teacher and our students are the ultimate recipients of such creative teaching strategies. All these serve to make their English Language learning experience an enjoyable one.

On a final note, I would like to remind our contestants that while only one team among you will emerge as the overall winner, you would all have gained tremendously from your participation in this event, whether it is in terms of your realisation of the importance of teamwork, or the enhancement of your vocabulary. You have already done your school proud by coming this far, and I urge you to continue to display this passion for learning. I assure you that your journey to gain more knowledge will be an enriching one.

I wish everyone present an enjoyable morning. Thank you.