Leaders and members of the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan;
Colleagues;
Nan Chiau alumni and students
Introduction
1. Thank you for inviting me to join the 75th anniversary celebrations of Nan Chiau High School and Nan Chiau Primary School.
2. It is apt that the celebration's theme is "爱我南侨 Celebrating 75 Years of Belonging".
- As students, alumni and staff of the schools, you have many reasons to be proud of belonging to the Nan Chiau community.
3. I am similarly inspired by the dedication and commitment of Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan towards uplifting the community through education.
4. Let me say a few words in Mandarin.
Opening of Gateposts and School Heritage Galleries
5. 今天是南侨75周年校庆，我很高兴在此为南侨中学前校址的门柱以及两校的历史长廊主持开幕仪式，保留两校丰富的文化传统，培养学生对学校的认同感。
- 南侨中学前校址的门柱自1947年起矗立在金炎路（Kim Yam Road），见证了南侨中学丰富的历史，欢迎了一代又一代的师生进入校园，包括今天在座的好几位南侨校友。
- 而新设的历史长廊在国家文物局和南侨社群的协助下，通过精心策划的展览内容，记载了两校历史上的重要里程碑。
6. 它们提醒学生先辈们无私奉献的胸怀和坚韧不拔的毅力，以及一代代师生努力耕耘、砥砺前行的精神。前人栽树，后人乘凉。我希望门柱和历史长廊能启发学生饮水思源，并不忘秉承前辈和历代师生的精神与信念，为将来的南侨学生再创辉煌。
Diverse Education Landscape
7. Now, I will continue in English and share my thoughts on why we need to ensure that multiple pathways are provided in our education landscape.
8. The reason is simple – because our students are diverse. At its core, our education system strives to help each of our students to fulfil their potential.
- You have different strengths, interests, aspirations and learning needs.
- We need diversity in our schools to cater for as many of you as we can.
- You should not be pursuing the same definition of success.
9. During Singapore's early years of nation-building, the education system was designed to make the best use of our limited resources in the most efficient way to educate and train our people so that they can contribute towards our social and economic development.
- However, one drawback of this approach is that many of our schools became more homogenised.
10. With a fast-evolving global landscape, technological disruptions, and the increasingly diverse needs of our society and people, our education system must move away from being "one size fits all" to bring out the best in each individual.
- Now that we have more resources available, we need to look at providing students with a diversity of options to choose from, each providing something different that would enable them to uncover and fulfil their potential.
11. Over the years, we have introduced a wide range of specialised schools that cater to students with different strengths, interests and learning needs.
- This includes schools such as the Singapore Sports School, School of the Arts, NUS High School of Maths and Science, Northlight School, Madrasahs and SAP schools, like Nan Chiau High School.
12. But beyond having specialised schools, it is important for every school to have a distinctive identity and provide a unique value proposition for their students beyond academic learning.
13. This will allow students to choose a fitting school environment aligned to their needs, identify with the school's ethos and be confident in building their strengths.
Building a Distinct School Identity
14. A school's distinct identity is what makes the school special. It can be a certain skillset, attitude or belief that is associated with the school, or an area of focus that the school is dedicated towards.
- For example, under the stewardship of Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan, the identity of Nan Chiau Primary School and Nan Chiau High School centres around developing bilingual and bicultural students.
15. Building a school ethos and identity takes time, collective effort and more than anything, conviction from those within the school and its immediate community, because they truly understand its needs and context.
16. While the Ministry of Education implement policies to guide the direction of the education system, we need leadership and partnerships in each school to foster the school's ethos and identity.
17. Within the school, strong leadership must start from the School Leaders. They must have the vision, wisdom, conviction and drive to:
- Define the school's ethos,
- Rally the staff and students, and
- Take bold steps to design distinctive school programmes and processes to align with the school's identity.
18. Beyond the school, we need the strong partnership of alumni and Parent Support Groups.
- The alumni have been moulded by the school's ethos and are an important part of the school's rich heritage and identity.
- They embody the values and beliefs of the school, and are role models for students to look up to and emulate.
19. Our Parent Support Groups are an important bridge between parents and the schools. They help to engender parents' support for the school's ethos and identity, so that they can reinforce the same values and beliefs at home.
20. This is why I am heartened to know that many Nan Chiau alumni and Parent Support Group members are dialling in online to participate in today's celebrations. I hope that this strong partnership with the schools will continue for many years to come.
Closing
21. On this note, let me once again congratulate Nan Chiau High School, Nan Chiau Primary School and Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan on 75 years of excellence, by reciting this couplet by Mdm Zhang Chunyu (张春玉), a teacher in Nan Chiau High School:
- "渡海开蒙，兴邦欲火，砥砺前行七秩加五载;
- 与时俱进，饮水思源，鲲鹏展翅千寻更九天".
22. Thank you.