INTRODUCTION
1. It gives me great pleasure to join you this afternoon at the 6th Appointment Ceremony for Principals. My warmest congratulations to the 43 principals who are being appointed today.

2. For the 29 new principals, we formally entrust you with the stewardship of a school. This is a major milestone in your professional career. For the 14 experienced principals who are receiving new appointments, this ceremony is no less significant. It reaffirms our confidence and trust in your ability to lead a school, and reminds you of the responsibilities of your mandate.

THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE

3. The new school year begins in a few days time. A new cohort of Singaporeans enters Primary One, and will remain the education system for at least 10 to 12 years. How will we prepare them for the world they will enter when they complete their education? We cannot tell with any confidence what the world will be like 12 years from now, just as 12 years ago we would not have foreseen the world that we now see around us. All we do know is that it will be a more complex world, more inter-connected than ever, and a world with both uncertainty and opportunity. It will be a world rich with promise for those who dare to venture.

4. There is no easy formula, and certainly no single way, of preparing our young for this future. If we educate our children in a narrow domain, for example by focusing too closely on maximizing their examination scores, we will be preventing them from making the most of the opportunities they will face when they leave the system. The best preparation we can give our young is a balanced and well-rounded education, helping them develop the range of essential skills and the strength of character that will enable them to adapt and thrive in an uncertain and rapidly changing environment. We have to provide them a diversity of options and they progress through the system, and help them discover different interests and talents in themselves. We have to nurture the curiosity in all our children, and give them the confidence and space to pursue their passions.

5. If we do this well, we will help our young be ready for the future. As a society, we will achieve new peaks of excellence in different fields of endeavour and a robust citizenry. We will be a vibrant and dynamic nation.

DIVERSE ROUTES

6. It is in response to these challenges of the future that we are repositioning the education system, despite having a solid system with a strong track record of achievements.

7. We have been introducing greater diversity in terms of programmes and mix of schools. Specialised independent schools like the Sports School, which will commence in January, and the NUS Maths and Science School which commences next year have been established to help nurture students who are exceptionally talented in these areas. An Arts School is being studied by MITA. We are allowing schools to adopt new curricula - one school, ACS(I), has already chosen to offer the International Baccalaureate. We will allow a few privately funded schools, who might provide an added source of ideas and innovative practices in education. And from January, the Raffles and Hwa Chong families of schools, NJC and ACS(I) will be starting their Integrated Programmes which offer a seamless upper secondary and JC education, for students who can benefit from a less structured programme.

Approval of TJC and VJC IP

8. Temasek Junior College (TJC) and Victoria Junior College (VJC) have also submitted proposals to offer the Integrated Programmes. The Ministry has studied them carefully and I am pleased to announce that we have approved their proposals. TJC and VJC will start their Integrated Programmes in 2005, and MOE will work with them on the implementation issues.

PROVIDING BROADER EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES

9. These new programmes are not just a matter of setting up new structures or pathways. Diversity only goes so far if it is just about different curricula or specializations, or taking one less set of examinations, without changes in how we teach and learn. The real shifts have to be in how teachers interact with students, and in the breadth of experiences we open up for our students. At the end of the day, nothing we are doing with respect to new structures and pathways matters as much as the student’s experiences and encounters in the classroom, playing field and auditorium. It is the quality of these experiences, in every school, that will determine if we nurture future generations with the boldness to question, the desire to keep learning through their lives, the compassion for their fellow citizens, and the capacity to lead.

10. The IP schools themselves are seeking to provide students with an educational experience that goes beyond preparing them for their final examinations when they reach JC2. They will seek to use the time freed up in through the Integrated Programme to provide students with a more broad-based education that develops their capacities for critical thinking and experimentation, and build teamworking and leadership skills.

11. A similar endeavour is taking shape across the school system, which each school looking at new ways of developing these skills, taking into account the needs of its own pupils. Every school has to continuously reexamine its current pratices and norms, provide its pupils with more broad-based experiences, and think of more innovative and effective ways of delivering the desired outcomes of education. Every school has to look long term, and develop its pupils holistically.

12. We are seeking to help this process along, in the way we assess schools and the way they are ranked. The School Excellence Model is structured to emphasise holistic education. We are reviewing the current school ranking system to reflect similar objectives, and more fully reflect our schools’ educational mission.

The Central Role of School Leaders
13. Ultimately, however, assessment and rankings are only tools. They are the means, and only part of the means, not the end of what we do. As school leaders, you have to do what you consider right, faithful to your mission in education. It is your leadership that is central. It is you who will shapes the learning culture in our schools, which will determine if we push the boundaries and nurture a new generation with the skills and attitudes they need for the future.

14. The key questions are the same for all school leaders. How might you shape a culture of open communication and ownership amongst your staff? How do you develop their capacity to experiment with new ways of teaching, and to encourage their pupils to question and to think for themselves? How do you develop the resilience and strength of character in your pupils, that will help them pick themselves up from setbacks in life? And how do you ensure that the core values, the values that are fundamental to a cohesive, civic-conscious society, are instilled amongst your pupils, regardless of which path they follow in education or where their passions take them?

15. As school leaders, you are each protagonists of change in the education system. You will have to be willing to move away from tried and tested ways which may have allowed your school to be successful in the past, but may not serve as well for the future.

16. We would not have come such a long way without dedicated school leaders who are able to adapt to the changing demands of time. This has been our great strength - the good men and women who have led our schools through the years. I would like to pay special tribute today to two outstanding examples.

17. One is Mdm Fong Yuet Kwai, Principal of Nan Hua Primary School, who is retiring at the end of this year. Mdm Fong spent an unprecedented 55 years at Nan Hua, first as a student for 12 years, then as a teacher and subsequently as the principal from 1982. She took over Nan Hua when it was a Chinese stream school, at a time when many of the Chinese schools were in decline. She kept the Nan Hua tradition alive, and brought it over the years to a position that many admire. As many of you would know, Mdm Fong was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 1997. But her sense of mission to Nan Hua saw her returning to school after resting for 6 months. Her optimism and positive outlook, and being back in an enriching school life, helped her to overcome her illness and lead again to new heights. Mdm Fong’s dedication to her students’ through the years, and her resilience in overcoming obstacles in life are qualities for us to emulate. It is a dedication that was expressed to me when I met Mdm Fong to thank her recently for her outstanding services to education. Her reply was simple - “It was my duty”.

18. I would also like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the late Mrs Tan Shook Fund, who led Fairfield Methodist Primary School, and who left us tragically a few weeks ago. Mrs Tan was an inspiring leader. She was always open in the sharing of her life and passion. At one assembly, she shared with the pupils her humble beginnings, with the hope that it would encourage them to persevere and be positive about their lives. Everyone in the school knew how genuinely she loved her pupils. It was evident every day, and in different ways. It was evident, for example, in the way she took it upon herself to make special arrangements for pupils who had special needs. She was constantly in contact with the mother of a pupil who was suffering from Leukaemia to check on his health, and made sure he could continue his education in a comfortable and safe environment. She also personally looked after the welfare of the young mothers amongst her staff and helped them cope with changes in their life. It is the personal touch that she gave, her openness and warmth that won her the natural, unforced respect and affection of her teachers and pupils, and their parents. Mrs Tan’s demise is a great loss to her family, but also a loss to the education service. She will continue to inspire us.

Thank you.