Singapore Government Press Release

Media Relations Division, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts,

MITA Building, 140 Hill Street, 2nd Storey, Singapore 179369

Tel: 6837-9666

SPEECH BY PRIME MINISTER LEE HSIEN LOONG

AT THE OPENING OF THE NEW BUILDING OF

NANYANG PRIMARY SCHOOL

6 SEP 2004, 7PM

Mdm Wee Bee Hoon, Chairperson School Management Committee,

Mdm Heng Boey Hong, Principal,

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

I am delighted to be back at my old primary school for the opening of its new building. It is nearly 50 years ago when I first came to study here, first in Nanyang kindergarten and then in the primary school. I have many fond memories of the school and the dedicated teachers. We not only learnt from the classroom lessons, but also acquired many values and attitudes that have stayed with me for life.

But the facilities were very basic – in fact there were no special facilities at all. All we had was a music room with a piano, and it also doubled as the room storing zoological specimens, so we learnt to sing surrounded by bottles containing crabs, snakes etc., all preserved in strong-smelling formalin. It was a far cry from the new buildings and facilities you have today.

Mdm Liew Yuen Sien

The person who set the tone for the school was the principal, who was then Mdm Liew Yuen Sien. I thought of her when I read recently in the Lianhe Zaobao that Nanyang Girls’ High School had put up two bronze busts to honour two women who had contributed to their school. One is well known to Singaporeans – Madam Ling Siew Mei, wife of the late Mr Ong Teng Cheong. The other is Madam Liew Yuen Sien. I would like to share a little bit of her story with you tonight.

Madam Liew became the principal of Nanyang Girls’ School in 1927. This was an era when parents believed in educating the boys but not the girls. Madam Liew felt otherwise, and persevered against all odds to keep the school going. After the War she revived the school, and gave it its motto of 勤慎端朴 –diligence, prudence, respectability and simplicity. In all, Mdm Liu was with the school for a total of 48 years.

Generations of pupils owe their education and their value system to Mdm Liew. She had determination, guts, and passion, and gave of her life to nurture the next generation. She stood up for her beliefs, and suffered greatly when the communists threw acid in her face. But that only strengthened her resolve.

In many ways, Mdm Liew epitomised what the earlier generations of Singaporeans went through to create a better life for themselves and their children. Even more important was their commitment to contribute to this society. Many others like Mdm Liew worked tirelessly to transform Singapore from a third world country into a thriving modern society. Today’s schools need principals and teachers with the same dedication, and must produce graduates who are as well prepared and with equally sound values to build tomorrow’s Singapore.

Teaching of Chinese

One strong tradition of Nanyang is the teaching of the Chinese language and the imparting of traditional Chinese values. The school environment has changed over the years. When I was studying here, it was a Chinese school. Every subject was taught in Chinese. All the textbooks were Chinese. Furthermore, nearly all my classmates were from Chinese speaking homes. I was the exception. But in school, we spoke Chinese all the time.

Now, the situation has changed. Nanyang has become an SAP primary school. But other than Chinese Language itself, all other subjects are taught in English. Most students are from English speaking homes. The parents sent them to Nanyang, partly because they wanted their kids to learn Chinese well, only to find that outside the Chinese lessons, these students talk to one another in English most of the time. So the level of immersion in Chinese language is quite different from the days when I was studying here.

For Nanyang to continue to maintain its strong Chinese traditions, it has to think of new ways to teach Chinese, especially to students from English speaking homes. The teachers here are doing that. For example, one Primary One teacher taught the Chinese word “Ball” (球) by bringing different kinds of balls into the classrooms, such as basketballs and soccer balls. The teacher also creatively incorporated the teaching of classical poems that relate to “qiu2” and asked the students to recite these as they played with the balls. During the class, the students were engaged and excited. Learning became spontaneous and fun for them.

When my daughter was in Nanyang, she had great fun learning Chinese, as her teachers introduced the children to many quirky and fascinating aspects of the Chinese culture. They would make the children guess lantern riddles, learn Tang poems and tell them folk stories about the Chinese heroes and emperors of old. My daughter and her classmates even recited a Chinese poem at a school concert, waving Chinese fans!

Teachers make all the difference to how well pupils take to a subject. The Ministry of Education is studying how to improve the way Chinese Language is taught and experienced in our classrooms. With the modular approach, we can pitch the teaching to pupils of different language aptitudes and home language backgrounds, and make the subject interesting and relevant to them. We can and must succeed in doing this.

Creating Space To Explore And Learn

As a SAP Primary school, there is high expectation that Nanyang will keep up and even improve its standards. This means maintaining a full syllabus, making sure homework is given out and duly completed, and conducting rigorous tests and examinations on the students.

But at the same time our schools and parents have to maintain a balance, and not burden the pupils with excessive workload. This way, our children will be more likely to learn things that cannot be found in textbooks or taught in the classroom.

Nanyang is taking concrete actions to making the entire schooling experience more exciting and experiential. There is a curriculum and a structure for teaching, but within this the teachers look for ways to create space for students to explore, learn, and build their characters.

A major part of this effort is the CCAs. Students participate in a wide range of sports, music, drama or volunteer work activities. But even formal academic teaching can be done out of the classroom. For example, Nanyang has built a Technovation Room where students can play robo-soccer during their free time. This develops their interest in robotics and engineering, building on what they have learnt in the classroom. The new facility is producing world champions. Last year, two students – David Lu Yi Lin路宜纶 and Liu Biquan刘必全won the International Robot Soccer Competition in Japan. This year, Erin Tan Ying陈颖and Gerald Ser Jun Tao舒俊涛won the RoboCup Internation Championship in Portugal.

But ultimately, there is a trade off between a rigorous syllabus and creating space for exploration. Tough choices will have to be made, not just by the schools, but also by parents. This is something we have to seriously weigh, as we continually look for the right balance in our schools.

Conclusion

Nanyang has guided the lives of many good boys and girls over the years. It has benefited from having several good principals at the helm, besides Mdm Liew Yuen Sien. Mdm Ho Chin Geok was the first Principal of Nanyang Primary School, when the primary section was separated from Nanyang Girls High School in 1978 and given its own name. She built up Nanyang Primary School over two decades (retiring in 1997) to the excellent reputation it has today.

The present principal, Mdm Heng Boey Hong, came to Nanyang after being a teacher in Jurong Institute for several years. She and her teachers continue to carry the Nanyang torch forward. I met Mdm Heng recently, together with several other principals. When the others shared their experiences dealing with difficult students, Mdm Heng’s comment was that we have to be patient with them, as they are all children, and they all are good. This is the right attitude, and one which will bring out the best in the children.

I am happy that the school will now have a new campus. With better facilities, it can offer more learning opportunities for the pupils. The School Management Committee, Parent-Teacher Association, Nanyang Schools Alumni Association, and major stakeholders have worked very hard, supporting the Principal and her staff to make all these possible. Thank you and congratulations.

As a SAP Primary school, there is high expectation that Nanyang will keep up and even improve its standards. This means maintaining a full syllabus, making sure homework is given out and duly completed, and conducting rigorous tests and examinations on the students.

But at the same time our schools and parents have to maintain a balance, and not burden the pupils with excessive workload. This way, our children will be more likely to learn things that cannot be found in textbooks or taught in the classroom.

Nanyang is taking concrete actions to making the entire schooling experience more exciting and experiential. There is a curriculum and a structure for teaching, but within this the teachers look for ways to create space for students to explore, learn, and build their characters.

But ultimately, there is a trade off between a rigorous syllabus and creating space for exploration. Tough choices will have to be made, not just by the schools, but also by parents. This is something we have to seriously weigh, as we continually look for the right balance in our schools.

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