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Brief Opening Remarks by Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Education, at St Nicholas Girls' School's 90th Anniversary Celebration

Last Updated: 09 Sep 2023

News Speeches

A very good afternoon to all of you from the St Nicholas family.

I would like to share three messages for all of you to mark the St Nicholas' family's 90th anniversary.

First, I hope the St Nicholas family will observe the following: '饮水思源, 莫忘初心, 方得始终'. Many of you will remember the origins of St Nicholas Girls' School and the CHIJ family of schools in Singapore. In St Nicholas today, you still have the statue of Reverend Father Nicholas Barré. Many of you will know the story of the Gate of Hope, where poor, abandoned children, girls, were left at the Gate of Hope. For many generations, St Nicholas had made a name for itself to care for the little, the lost, and the least.

Over the years, the profile of students in St Nicholas Girls' School has evolved and changed much. But regardless of the changes for St Nicholas Girls' School, we must remember our origins and strive for greater heights.

My second message is '姐妹同心,卓越你我, 奉献大我'. Over the years, there are many generations of St Nicholas Girls' School alumni who have done very well. But I have always believed that St Nicholas Girls' alumni's contributions is never just about the St Nicholas family. In fact, we hope to see many generations of St Nicholas Girls' School alumni going beyond to reach out to many other schools. This was also my message to Raffles Institution on their 200 years anniversary. Many established and illustrious schools have the benefit of a long and established alumni, and may this alumni bless other schools who are not as privileged to have had such a long history. I look forward to the contributions of the St Nicholas Girls' alumni to do much more and contribute to the wider good.

Last but not least, my last message for the St Nicholas family is this: '感恩先贤,代代传承,辉煌千秋'. St Nicholas Girls is celebrating 90 years this year. I was reminded that in the last 90 years, we have sung four national anthems, from 'God Save the Queen', to 'Kimigayo', to 'Negaraku', and finally to 'Majulah Singapura'. I hope that long may it be that we do not need to sing a fifth national anthem. For us not to sing a fifth national anthem, we will need every Singaporean, especially those who are able and privileged, to lead, shine the torch, keep our dreams alive and transcend our odds against history. For us to be a beacon of hope where we distinguish ourselves – not just by our material well-being – but by how we care for one another and inspire the rest of the world through our cohesion. This will be a land where everyone regardless of race, language of religion can shine.

On that note, I wish St Nicholas all the very best and I look forward to celebrating your 100th anniversary with all of you. May you be inspired to go on to greater heights towards your 100th anniversary:

饮水思源, 莫忘初心, 方得始终

姐妹同心, 卓越你我, 奉献大我

感恩先贤,代代传承,辉煌千秋

Thank you very much.