SG Conversation: Clans and students share ideas

By Toh Yong Chuan & Pearl Lee, The Straits Times, 6 Jan 2013

More Mandarin should be taught as early as pre-school, and there should be more emphasis on Chinese language and culture throughout the education system, clan leaders said yesterday.

They called for more classroom time for the Chinese language, saying it could help Singapore's national development as a whole.

More than 100 Chinese clan leaders attended the first Our Singapore Conversation dialogue to be organised by their umbrella body, the Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations.

Federation chief Chua Thian Poh said the Chinese community has always participated actively in nation building.

Deputy secretary-general Perng Peck Seng said: "For the Chinese community, language and culture are closely linked, this is why we have called for greater emphasis on them."

Education Minister Heng Swee Keat, who was at the dialogue, responded by saying that classroom time is finite, and those in other professions, such as doctors and engineers, have also called for more emphasis to be given to their disciplines.

"It is about finding the right balance," he said.

Besides language and values, participants also discussed issues such as population and the economy.

To encourage Singaporeans to marry and have babies, Mr Nicky Ting, 49, an executive council member of the Singapore Foochow Association, suggested bold ideas such as providing guaranteed flats to married couples, and free education for their children.

Other participants suggested easing red tape to give entrepreneurs and the economy a boost.



In the past three months, more than 10,000 citizens have taken part in Our Singapore Conversation - which consists of open-ended dialogues - while a survey of 4,000 is under way to find out their aspirations for the country.

Meanwhile, at Gan Eng Seng School yesterday, about 200 students from various secondary schools took part in a national conversation for school children, sharing their hopes for Singapore by writing imaginary newspaper headlines for 2030. It was held at a presentation ceremony for the annual Edusave awards.

Soh Shee Onn, a Secondary 3 student at Queenstown Secondary, hoped that students from less privileged backgrounds will have more chances to excel in school and life.

There were also suggestions to abolish the certificate of entitlement for car ownership and Electronic Road Pricing, which drew applause and laughter from parents in the audience.

Grassroots adviser Indranee Rajah, who is also Senior Minister of State for Law and Education, said: "These (students) are those who have done well in school, and are going to be the people who will take Singapore forward.

"It is important for them to start thinking about the Singapore they want."

Edusave Award recipients discuss S'pore's future
By Olivia Siong, Channel NewsAsia, 5 Jan 2013

About 200 secondary one to three students from the Tanglin-Cairnhill Constituency engaged in a conversation about Singapore's future on Saturday.

They are also recipients of this year's Edusave Awards.

In a departure from previous Edusave Awards presentation ceremonies, students were asked to discuss what news headlines they would like to see in 2030.

"Some will be future leaders, not all will be in leadership positions. But these obviously are those who have done well in school and they are going to be the people who will take Singapore forward," said Indranee Rajah, senior minister of state for law and education. 

"In another 50 years, I may not be here, the current government may not be here, then who will lead Singapore into the future? It's got to be the people who are in the schools today. So it's important for them to start thinking about the kind of Singapore they want, and the kind of Singaporeans we want to be."

A variety of issues were raised, including more affordable housing, an improved quality of life, and even Singapore's soccer team winning not just one, but two World Cup titles.

"Many of us now are living in the 21st century; we are actually distracted by all the electronic gadgets and all, and we don't really bother about anything else besides our mobile devices," said 16-year-old Claire Faustina Tong, a student of Coral Secondary School.

"So I think schools should actually step up their leadership, so that like our youths, we can inspire other people outside."

The event is also part of the Our Singapore Conversation initiative, which was started last year.

The awards have typically recognised those with outstanding academic results.

But the criteria was changed last year to also reward those who have shown excellence in non-academic areas.

The Edusave Awards include the Edusave Scholarship, the Edusave Merit Bursary, Good Progress Award, Edusave Character Award and the Edusave Awards for Achievement, Good Leadership and Service (EAGLES).