ADDRESS BY MINISTER INDRANEE RAJAH, MINISTER, PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE, SECOND MINISTER FOR FINANCE AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND PRESIDENT, SINDA, AT THE SINDA EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2023 ON 30 SEPTEMBER 2023

SINDA Board of Trustees and Executive Committee Members;

CEO, SINDA, Mr Anbarasu Rajendran;

Guests, Award Recipients & Family Members;

Ladies and Gentlemen.

Introduction

1. It is my great pleasure to join all of you here today. Thank you so much for coming, making the time for this, and celebrating together with us at the SINDA Excellence Awards.
2. I want to take the opportunity to extend my warmest congratulations to all 851 recipients, at this ceremony now and at the earlier session. It is your dedication, your hard work, and relentless pursuit of excellence that has brought you this far to this prestigious stage.

The SINDA Excellence Awards

3. As we celebrate your achievements today at SEA, let me ask all of you – what is your personal definition of excellence?
4. We know that excellence is more than just a goal or an end state; It’s more than just academic results. It is about improving consistently, setting new standards, never settling for mediocrity, and as we saw earlier in the video, it is about the journey, it is about the process at which you get to be where you want to be. Because that is the process through which you learn, through which you become stronger. If everything was just very easy, you wouldn’t be as strong as somebody who had to tackle obstacles and challenges along the way. And, it is that overcoming of the challenges and the difficulties that makes for excellence.
5. That applies for all facets of your lives, whether it be in your studies, whether it be in sports, or later on when you go out and work, whether it be in your career, and in your own life goals. But it is also very important to set your own standard of excellence. You must know what you can manage. And it is different for different people. So, you must know yourself and learn to find your goal and work towards that.
6. So, chart your own path, be fuelled by your passions, your ambition, your beliefs and your cause; chart a path that is unique to you – one that you can find meaning in and importantly, when you have reached this stage of excellence, don’t stop. Keep striving, keep learning new skills, gain new knowledge, keep hungering for more excellence.
7. We’re proud and encouraged to see many of our recipients do just that, and that is why each year, we see the number of recipients at the SINDA Excellence Awards consistently growing.
8. Pursuing excellence is not easy. You have to keep outpacing yourself, go beyond limits and stay the course when things get challenging. Sometimes, along the way, you will fall down, you will get roadblocks. There will be times when you wonder “Can I do this? Am I good enough?” But, what we want you to remember is keep going. Keep going because eventually, you will overcome those challenges. You will reach your goals. And all of you who are here today, obviously did just that.
9. You’ve overcome challenges. And with sheer determination, you have brought yourselves here, and the SINDA Excellence Awards acknowledge these by presenting you with the honours that we are conferring today. We are proud of you as an individual, we are proud of you and your families, and we are proud of you as part of the community. Because for the Indian community, the achievements that you have today sets a good signal for the others. When you achieve something, other Indian students will know that they can achieve it too. So, by getting today’s awards, you are in your own way, being an inspiration to others who will come after you.

All-Round Excellence

10. We mentioned before that this year is the highest cohort of awardees, 851 recipients. And, this has seen an increase not just in terms of the number of students, but across most pathways.
11. So for instance:
    1. Our polytechnic diploma recipients are markers of this growth, with 42% more students being recognised today as compared to 10 years ago; and this is testimony to the fact that the polytechnic pathway is being increasingly popular and delivering value and both students and parents are recognising that.
    2. In that same time period, our local university graduates have performed exceptionally well. We have four times as many university graduates receiving this award this year, as compared to previously.
    3. And, I also want to acknowledge our PSLE students with over 100 more PSLE students receiving these awards, compared to 10 years ago.

12. So these increases represent just some of the leaps that our students have made in recent years and these achievements are testament to your remarkable ability and we look forward to seeing growth in this in the years to come. Because that does mean that Indian students are doing better and better each year.

Reframing the View of Success

13. The growth also comes from the many pathways that are available – academic excellence is not the only pathway. Excellence also includes many other things. The government has introduced plans for different avenues for students to excel. There’s sports, there’s arts, there are many kinds of interests and many options that you have available to you in school today. I was just remarking to some of the other members of the SINDA Board, that when we were in school, in our time, we didn’t have these opportunities that you had. And it is so remarkable to see the wide range of things that you can do.
14. Another significant change has been the progressive introduction of the Full Subject-Based Banding in schools since 2020. So essentially, that does away with streaming, but instead, students are grouped together according to subjects, recognising the fact that different students have different strengths and you may need help in some, whilst other subjects may be easier for you.
15. What this has done, is that it has opened up new horizons for you to pursue your strengths, your passions and your interests, and with 2024 coming soon, more schools will adopt this model, which means that more students will be able to benefit from this.
16. So these are some of the strategies that the MOE has put in place to give you the fullest range of opportunities and I encourage you to make the most of them.

Highlighting Excellence

17. Several of our recipients here today have already begun charting their own paths. So here we have today with us 13-year-old Prakul Pirabu. Prakul is receiving his award today for exceptional performance in his Primary School Leaving Examinations, but his road to this point was not without challenges.
18. Prakul was diagnosed with a blood-related condition, haemophilia, at a very young age. This meant that he couldn’t take part in many of the sports or physical activities that his peers could participate in. Prakul’s morale also took a hit as he initially found it hard to make friends in school, and his condition made him aware of how he differed from his peers.
19. However, despite these setbacks, Prakul chose to take his challenges as motivation. He channelled his energy into embracing mentally-challenging games, such as chess, where he not only excelled, but also found comfort and purpose.
20. Prakul’s determination stretched to his academics as well, and he went on to achieve stellar results in his years at primary school. Aiming to research cures or treatments for his condition, Prakul aspires to become a haematologist one day, so that he can help others in his shoes. His resilience, drive and positive attitude serve as inspiration, reminding us that life’s obstacles need not define us. Instead, they can also fuel our determination to excel and to break out of the boundaries that seek to hem us in, and allow us to live the fullest of lives.
21. Also with us here today is 19-year-old Kaashi Amar Rai. From a young age, Kaashi had set her sights on pursuing medicine as a career. Her mother, a doctor herself, served as an inspiration to her. Kaashi oftentimes tagged along to her mother’s clinic, watching as her mother treated patients to the best of her ability, going beyond her call of duty to make the lives of her patients better.
22. Today, Kaashi credits her mother as the catalyst for her achievements, and the inspiration for her hard work. Her consistent efforts and drive enabled her to gain admission to the NUS High School of Mathematics and Science. Her single-minded focus, coupled with a strong passion and discipline, have brought her to this stage today. And beyond just academics, Kaashi has made a special impact of her own.
23. In her adolescence, she had the opportunity of witnessing the expertise and care of doctors first-hand, as they cared for her grandparents who were grappling with various health conditions. This experience left a deep impact, as she developed a passion to focus on elder-care in the years since. So, Kaashi volunteers regularly with multiple welfare organisations, befriending and supporting the elderly in various ways.
24. Such volunteering has helped shape her life experience. The joy of helping those in need, and understanding of how she can play a larger role in the community despite her young age, will serve Kaashi well in her future pursuits. Her commitment to the welfare of others reflects excellence towards serving and strengthening the community.
25. The stories of Prakul and Kaashi, and those of the recipients we watched in the video earlier, illustrate the impact that determined focus and passion have on excellence. Their values and beliefs will serve them well on their journeys, and I’m sure that their stories will equally inspire all of you.

Appreciate Your Supporters

26. Today is not just about individual achievements; it is also about the achievement of the community that surrounds you, and that you rely upon. Behind each student who has excelled, is a network of support, sacrifice, and motivation, comprising your family, your teachers, your schools and community organisations such as SINDA. So, this is very much a collective journey of a community of people that support and believe in you. So I urge you to express your gratitude to them, for their unwavering belief in you and for playing a pivotal role in your life.
27. To the parents and family members present here today, please continue to support your children, continue to be their pillars of support, so that they can continue to succeed and achieve excellence throughout their lives.

Conclusion

28. To all recipients – let this moment not be an endpoint, but a milestone in your life journey. Use this recognition as a launchpad for your future accomplishments.
29. We hope to see you back, back not just at these awards, but back to volunteer for the community, to serve, to help others and we hope that you will be standing tall amongst the community’s achievers and I wish you all continued success. May your determination, resilience, and innovation lead you to even greater heights.
30. Congratulations once again and thank you very much.