ADDRESS BY MS INDRANEE RAJAH, PRESIDENT, SINDA, AT THE BACK TO SCHOOL FESTIVAL 2014 ON SUNDAY, 30 NOVEMBER 2014 AT THE SINGAPORE ZOO

My colleague, Ms Grace Fu Hai Yen, Minister, Prime Minster’s Office, Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs,

Members of the SINDA Board of Trustees and Executive Committee,

Organising Partners of the Indian Community Bursary Awards,

Mr K Barathan, CEO, SINDA

Representatives of Partner and Donor Organisations,

Parents and Students,

 Ladies and Gentlemen,

A very good morning to all of you, and what a beautiful Sunday for all of us at the Singapore Zoo today!

BTSF 2014

1. Today’s event is testament to the strong partnership between community organisations and their efforts in rallying together for social good. The Back to School Festival and the Indian Community Bursary Awards Ceremony are annual affairs, to provide financial aid to students from low-income families.

2. About 2,000 students will benefit from today’s event through bursaries and $180 worth of vouchers to purchase essentials for the coming school year.

3. I’d like to commend SINDA, TRC and SIET for their dedicated efforts to ensure that every Indian child is able to reach its full potential without being hindered by their family’s financial background. I am also thankful to the various partners and sponsors who have contributed towards this event. Your involvement has benefited our children and has enabled them to enjoy a fun-filled outing with their family members here today.

4. There has been a significant increase in the number of students receiving bursaries. This was made possible by SINDA raising its ‘per capita income’ or PCI criteria. Previously, families with a PCI of $450 or below were eligible for financial help. The PCI has now been increased to $650 and this has allowed for almost double the number of students to benefit today.

5. To all the students here, I hope that this support you receive from the community will allow you to pursue your every dream, and aim for greater heights.

ASPIRE

6. The educational pathways available to students are now diverse. These cater to our students’ different strengths and interests and allow each one of them to take advantage of the opportunities available. The recent Applied Study in Polytechnics and ITE Review or ASPIRE for short focuses on developing individuals to the best of their abilities, with the understanding that diverse skills and capabilities are essential for our thriving economy.

7. ASPIRE’s Objectives

8. How will Aspire benefit students

9. Pathway options

INDIAN ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

10. Even as there are multiple educational pathways, I cannot underscore enough the importance of good academic performance. The better a student performs in school, the more the options that will be available in the future and also the better the quality of life for him and his family.

11. The Ministry of Education recently released data on the 10-year performance trend of our students. This annual data provides us with feedback on how students have fared over the last decade.

12. Based on the results, I am heartened that more Indian students are continuing their studies beyond secondary school—91.7% in 2013 compared to 85.1% in 2004. This increase bodes well for the community and also implies that our students are acquiring the necessary skillsets and are better equipped for future opportunities.

13. At PSLE level, the national average of passes in 2013 was 97.5%. Our Indian students achieved 96.4%. Over the last 10 years, Indian students’ pass rates have remained constant. But this also means a small percentage are failing PSLE. We should re-double our efforts in the pre-school and primary school sectors to ensure that more is done to prevent this.

14. About 1,800 Secondary 4 and 800 Secondary 5 Indian students sit for the GCE O-level each year. The 2013 pass rate now stands at 93.5 % for at least three O-level passes, and 74.3% with at least 5 O-level passes.

15. For GCE A-Level 89% of Indian students achieved at least 3 ‘A’/’H2’ in 2013. Indian students have surpassed the national average for General Paper or Knowledge and Inquiry and Mother Tongue as well.

16. From the data, we can gather that Indian students have made steady academic progress over the last decade. Yes, we are moving forward, but we can increase the pace of improvement.

17. There is more to be done. More young kids should be placed in pre-schools; our school-going children are settling for average scores despite obvious tough competition. As a result, they are in danger of being left behind.

18. Our youth also need the push to become young leaders and fulfil their potential. It’s easy to feel aimless when you don’t have a concrete goal you’re working toward. Narrow in on what you’d like to accomplish in the near future. Maybe it’s to get fit, widen your interests, or work harder at school. The point is to get specific about exactly what you’d like to do and when you want to do it.

19. When you delay action, you make it harder to identify the things you’d enjoy doing. The only way to learn is to jump into something that sounds right and make adjustments as you go.

20. This is where SINDA can offer a much-needed boost. SINDA’s STEP, Project Teach and other modular programmes offer affordable tuition for all Indians, but the focus at these programmes go beyond the academics. Elements of mentorship, coaching and motivation are weaved in, to provide students with optimal holistic care on their academic journeys.

21. The community through its various grassroots, religious and community organisations has a role to play in ensuring the success of each child in our midst. While SINDA can provide the programmes, community organisations can partner SINDA in outreach, reaching out to constituents to inform them of the initiatives that they can benefit from.

22. I hope all of us—parents, students, youths and senior citizens—will remember that the challenges affecting our students will impact every facet of life in our community. But I’m confident that if we stand together, support one another and work towards our goals, we can overcome it. Let’s turn the ‘cannots’ to ‘cans’ and the ‘nos’ to ‘yeses’. Let us not make excuses for the lack of our progress. By working in unison, we can tackle these issues, improve our lives and the lives of those around us, and soar as a community to greater heights.

Thank you.