Celebrate Unity, Celebrate Our Future

Colleagues

1. National Day this year is a momentous occasion. It marks 40 years of nationhood - and 40 years which have seen the complete transformation of Singapore.

2. From a struggling young nation which few people outside Singapore thought could succeed, we are now a modern city-state that is highly regarded the world over. From widespread slums, we now have the best housing in Asia. From pervasive unemployment and poverty, we now have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the world and high quality jobs for Singaporeans. Our standard of living, or real per capita GDP, has risen by over ten times.

3. Most important of all, we have built a cohesive, tightly-knitted society. From conflict and suspicion between people of different races four decades ago, we now have racial harmony. Singaporeans of all races feel Singaporean first and foremost, and want to share a common future together. There is real meaning when we pledge ourselves "as one united people, regardless of race, language and religion". It is not just a set of words to be memorised, but something every Singaporean feels deeply for.

4. It is worth remembering how education has made this possible. We have transformed our education system over 40 years. From a vernacular school system segmented into four language streams, we have created a unified national system with opportunities for all. Our schools provide quality education for all, regardless of race, language, religion, or income and social background. And compared to even 20 years ago, when less than half of Singaporeans went on to a post-secondary education, today the vast majority are able to do so.

5. The world is changing rapidly. Huge new opportunities are opening up for Singaporeans. Young Singaporeans can prepare themselves well for these opportunities. But we need to develop new strengths to succeed, not just the old strengths that got us to where we are in the last 40 years. It will not be good enough to have knowledge. Other countries like China and India are obtaining the same knowledge quickly. It will not be good enough to be faster or cheaper or the most efficient, because others will catch up soon enough.

6. To do well in the future, we will need imagination, not just knowledge. We will need flair, not just efficiency. We must be innovators, in every field. We will do well only if we do things differently from others, or find unique ways of doing things or providing a service. We must develop the knack of creating new things and new designs that excite people, not just producing existing designs.

7. But equally important, we must continue to work as a team, not just as individuals. We may be a small country, but Singaporeans are capable of great things when we work as a team and combine all our talents. By respecting every Singaporean for his or her contributions and taking care of each other, we will stay ahead as a country.

8. We have to do this every day, in our schools and across the education system. It is what we each do every day that makes the difference. I encourage all our students to challenge themselves by doing things they have not tried before, or that they are not already good at. Never be daunted by something you have not tried before. Be willing to try, to make mistakes, and to pick yourself up if you fall. That’s how we develop the strengths that last for life.

9. I also urge every student to ask questions, and to think for themselves. To make a difference to Singapore, you have to question, and look for new answers. You have to be willing to be different, and imagine the unimagined. That’s how we advance as a nation. If we are each only good at recalling model answers or model essays for examinations, we will only go as far as the last answer.

10. So it is for all of us, just as it is for the young who are in our schools. Ask questions every day. Be willing to be different. Challenge yourself to do something new. Follow your passions, because it is passion that leads to great achievements in life, and it is the things that we do with passion that give us the greatest satisfaction.

11. We must do more to strengthen our multiracial bonds, through our schools and through the community.

12. Our racial, cultural and religious diversity will be a source of strength or weakness, depending on how we respond to it. If we simply live and let live, we will soon enough fragment as a society, and be in for trouble. But if we consciously reach out to each other across race and religion, and if we consciously seek to expand the things that we share as Singaporeans, in school, at work and in our neighbourhoods, we can make our diversity a strength. If we groom young Singaporeans who can understand and connect with each other, not just tolerate each other, and who have the flexibility to connect with cultures abroad, our diversity will be a source of advantage. It will be a source of social strength and economic competitiveness in a diverse world.

13. The Government is investing in every Singaporean, giving him the opportunity to realise his full promise in life, regardless of race, language or religion. We will guard the common space in our schools, where our children can grow up together, learn together and play together.

14. But it is ultimately not Government that makes us a multiracial society. But multiracialism is not just a matter of having the right policies or the right institutions. Singapore will be a multiracial society, safe, secure and united, only because it is our collective will to make it so.

15. Multiracialism only comes about if we each do our part, as we go about our daily lives, in making the small efforts to get to know each other better. Small efforts like being sensitive to each other’s needs, looking out for a neighbour’s child, bringing each other into our conversations and games, extending a hand, or having a meal together. It is this quiet sensitivity to each other, this sense of comfort between classmates and teammates, between colleagues and neighbours of different races and religions, that makes a truly multiracial society.

16. The Harmony Circles¹ in MOE are useful platforms for these interactions to take place and I am encouraged by the active participation of our staff in its activities.

17. Our schools will have to be conscious of this objective, and maximize the opportunities that our students have, from the day they enter school, to interact with others from different backgrounds, in class and through their CCAs and adventure camps. We have to maximize the opportunities for them to develop a sense of comfort with each other, and friendships with each other.

18. We have to work hard and work every day to strengthen these threads that keep our social fabric woven tightly so that we preserve peace and continue to prosper as a country.

19. I would finally like at this opportunity to pay special tribute to the many men and women who have brought us to where we are today in education, and to all the staff here in MOE HQ, in our schools and in our tertiary institutions, who are bringing us into a new chapter of Singapore’s history. I commend all of you, my colleagues in education, for your dedicated service.

20. As MOE HQ officers, you have worked closely with our schools, ITEs, polytechnics and universities to support them in creating a spirit of innovation and enterprise. You have provided and encouraged professional training to ensure our teachers are kept updated with pedagogical advances. You have regularly reviewed and updated our curriculum and provided comprehensive help to prepare teachers for the changes. You have maintained effective and efficient systems and services to help schools optimise resources.

21. Together and working with the community and the stakeholders, we are responsible for nurturing the young minds who will mould the future of our nation. We have done well in the past, and we will have to continue to work hard and work together as a team to do even better for the future.

22. As part of this year’s celebrations, every student and all our staff will receive a book, Today in History, this week. It is a collection of views from many students on the events, small and big, which have made us the nation that we are today. Today in History is a meaningful gift to Singapore on her 40^th birthday from young Singaporeans.

23. I wish you all a very happy and memorable National Day.