Professor S Jayakumar

Minister for Foreign Affairs

Minister for Law and Chairman, SINDA Board of Trustees

Mr Dhanabalan

President SINDA

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

1. I am glad to be here this afternoon for the SINDA annual Academic Excellence Awards Ceremony. The Academic Excellence Award is a mark of distinction accorded to Indian students who have excelled in various landmark examinations.

2. I congratulate the 127 students who are receiving awards. You have done your families and the community proud by your commitment and dedication. Special mention must be made of the 30 award winners today who are receiving the award for a second (22 students) or third (8 students) time. Your continued success is a testimony to your consistent work. I hope your example will inspire others to do the same.

3. The Indian Community has made significant progress over the last five years. Indians students have done well to narrow the gap between them and the national average. Most satisfying and encouraging has been SINDA's success in raising the pass rate in mathematics. SINDA set the targets for more passes in PSLE and 'O' level mathematics in 1991. I remember discussing this at the time with Prof Jayakumar and Mr Dhanabalan. Mathematics is a crucial subject for all students, but it is a subject where aptitude is as important as effort. The target therefore had to be challenging, but realistically achievable. Then all students would be encouraged to strive harder to improve, but weak students would become demoralised by the high expectations and give up.

4. The results show that SINDA set the target about right, and more important that getting students to work harder at mathematics makes a vital difference. The success so far gives the community confidence to set new and higher achievement goals, and continue to uplift itself.

5. However, as Prof S Jayakumar, Chairman Board of Trustees, SINDA, noted recently, Indian students still need to improve further in some areas. The proportion of P1 Indian students cohort making it to the Special/Express Streams in Secondary One was 42% in 1997, below the national average of 59%. The percentage of Indian students P1 cohort entering NUS and NTU in 1997 was 10%, below the national average of 20%. As the pass rates get better, each successive increment of improvement takes more effort. The percentages of Indian students entering Special/Express streams and University have improved on average by less than 1% point per year since 1991.

6. The percentage of Indian students of P1 cohort entering post-secondary institutions such as Pre-University, Polytechnics and ITEs have increased from 43% in 1988 to 57% in 1997. This is commendable progress, but I believe we can raise this further as it is still below the national average of 77%.

7. Of particular concern is the number of Indian students enrolling in ITE. In 1998, less than two thirds (61%) of all Indian pupils who were eligible to enrol in an ITE course after completing their secondary education did so. This means that a substantial 39%, or about 400 Indian students per year, chose not to enrol in ITE even though they qualified for admission. They probably joined the workforce to do an unskilled job and earn some money.

8. In the short term, these students and their families probably found skipping ITE attractive, especially when the economy was booming and jobs were easy to find. But in the longer term, their lack of marketable skills will tell against them. They will find it hard to advance in their careers, or to find another job if they became unemployed, particularly in the present economic environment. We need to work harder to persuade Indian students and parents that an ITE education will give students valuable skills that will stand them in good stead in the long run.

9. Fortunately, the Indian community has recognised these issues, and is tackling them. SINDA's recent review has proposed to adjust its current directions, and set three strategic thrusts: to start early with children, work hand-in-hand with the community, and promote skills and knowledge based education. The ultimate objective is to ensure that more Indian students acquire marketable skills before leaving the school.

10. Individual Indian Singaporeans, Indian organisations and SINDA must work hand-in-hand to prepare the community for the challenges of the next millennium. The progress over the last five years testifies to the results that are possible if the community works together. I understand that SINDA intends to continue to deepen this valuable and fruitful partnership, by networking and interacting even more through a consultative forum with other Indian organisations working to uplift the community.

11. In addition, SINDA and all other Self-Help Groups are co-ordinating their activities, exchanging ideas and pooling their expertise to plan and conduct programmes. This will lead to a greater exchange of ideas and more active participation in launching new initiatives and programmes.

12. The next few years will be very difficult ones for the economy. Singaporeans need to master new skills, especially in information technology, to cope with this, and be ready to prosper again when the region finally recovers. The future economy will be driven by technological progress, innovation and constant change. The regional crisis has not altered this. Students in schools now, including today's award winners, must realise that what they learn today will quickly become obsolete. To remain ahead in their chosen careers, they will have to keep on learning new skills all their working lives.

13. The government is doing everything it can to ensure that every child acquires a post-secondary education and leaves the education system armed with the skills he needs. For example, we have increased and upgraded the facilities at ITEs so that a child who does not have the opportunity to go to a polytechnic or pre-university can still learn a useful skill.

14. The community's emphasis on the young and on education is correct. That is where the future lies. The Indian community's success will not only help Indians; it will help Singapore to position itself for the challenges ahead.

15. Once again, my warmest congratulations to all award recipients. As you are recognised today for your outstanding achievements, remember that you could not have done this alone. Your parents helped you , and so did the community, in different ways. You should be role models not just of academic excellence, but of exemplary character and leadership qualities. In time, I hope that you will return as a volunteer to serve the community, and contribute back something to the community that has nurtured you and helped you to succeed.