ADDRESS BY MS INDRANEE RAJAH, MINISTER, PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE, SECOND MINISTER FOR FINANCE AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND PRESIDENT, SINDA, AT THE SINDA EXCELLENCE AWARDS ON SATURDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2024, AT SINGAPORE POLYTECHNIC

Members of the SINDA Executive Committee;

SINDA CEO, Mr Anbarasu Rajendran;

Distinguished Guests, Award Recipients and Family Members.

Opening

1. Good afternoon everybody. I am really very delighted to join all of you at today’s SINDA Excellence Awards, or SEA.

2. I think as Mr Anbu mentioned just now, SEA has become so big that we can’t just have one ceremony, we have to double it. And that is really important because it means that the number of Indian students who are doing well, whether in academics sports or arts, have increased. That is something we can all be happy about and celebrate.

3. The SEA honours the achievements of all our Singaporean Indian students across several fields, including the academics, arts, and sports. When our students excel in their pursuits, it signals to us that the community as a whole is doing well and it contributes to the community’s overall betterment.

4. For the students here today, just remember that you achievement is not just about what you have achieved, but what you have achieved is making other’s proud, it makes the community proud. So, well done all of you.

5. All the recipients today have achieved truly remarkable and you should be very proud of your accomplishments. You have worked especially hard, and SINDA honours your resilience and determination today, as you forge your very own path towards success.

Evolving Definition of Success 

6. When we look at the definition of success in Singapore’s context, this has certainly evolved beyond just good grades. Good grades are important, but it must go together with other things – whether it’s achieving holistic growth, gaining new skillsets and knowledge or excelling in a pursuit. And of course, the kind of individual that you are, whether you are caring, whether you help others, whether you have a social conscience or whether you do good. That is important as well.

7. Our education system also encourages students to select from a very wide variety of pathways so that you can best align with your interests and abilities. It is very important to remember, especially for students it’s not a single path or single destination and a single outcome. We’ve created over the years and education system that has multiple pathways that allows you to explore different things. Even if you start out in one pathway, you can if you work hard, end up on other pathways depending on where you want to go.

8. And for some, success would also mean that you have surpassed your own expectations, doing better than you expected. So, don’t settle for less. Aim to push the goalpost further, see how far you can go, aim for better performance and reach for greater heights.

Singaporean Indian Students’ Performance

9. The recognition you receive today reflects your tremendous efforts to achieve the goals that you have set for yourselves. And your success is bigger than you think – it is your hard work that propels the community forward and towards even greater progress.

10. Which is why every community’s performance matters. According to the recently published Education Statistics Digest by the Ministry of Education^[1], Singaporean Indian students have shown very good performance in their national examinations, as of 2022:
    • Close to 96% of the Primary 1 cohort progressed to post-secondary education;
    • The percentage of PSLE students who scored AL 1 to 6 was close to, or surpassed the national average in all subjects;
    • Over 84% achieved at least 5 GCE O-level passes; and
    • Overall performance of GCE A-Level students has improved.

11. This year’s SINDA Excellence Awards numbers also reflect these national upward trends. Compared to a decade ago, today’s ceremony sees:
    • A 107% increase in the total number of SEA award recipients;
    • Close to a 3.5-fold increase in the number of PSLE recipients;
    • A four-fold increase in the number of GCE O-Level recipients;
    • More than double the number of GCE A-Level recipients; and
    • More than ten-fold increase in the number of local university recipients.

12. Collectively, these statistics tell us that Indian students are doing very well at the national level.

Highlight Recipients

13. Each one of you is a high-achiever with a truly unique life story, and I would like to highlight some recipients here with us today.

14. Among our recipients is 19-year-old Vikram Ramanathan, who is receiving the award for NUS High Diploma. Vikram has always been awed by the fundamentals of how things work, particularly in the scientific arena. However, his educational journey was not very smooth as he was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at an early age. This made communicating difficult for him, and he became more introverted, finding it tough to cope with interactions in class.

15. Things changed when Vikram started learning Science and going deeper into it. He was full of questions and fact-checking. His hunger for knowledge pushed him to engage in conversations, actively participating in discussions and improving his communication skills. Gradually, his academic knowledge grew along with his capabilities.

16. Vikram also represented Singapore in the 2023 Asian Physics Olympiad, where he achieved a bronze medal. Let’s give him a round of applause. Today, he is pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Physical Natural Sciences at Cambridge University, aspiring to make a difference to society as a physicist. Well done Vikram!

17. We also have with us today 19-year-old Aslam Abdullah Idris, a GCE A-Level Award recipient, who will go on to the pharmacy programme at the National University of Singapore.

18. Aslam is driven by his passion for healthcare and helping others, which arose from caring for his father, who suffers from rapidly progressive dementia. This has required him to administer medication to his father daily through feeding tubes and watch over him when no one else is at home. These daily responsibilities would have been overwhelming for many, but Aslam’s determination and love for his family pushed him to carry on.

19. Even in the face of his great responsibilities, Aslam not only maintained his academic excellence but also found purpose in his challenges. His compassion and dedication to serving others grew stronger, leading him to spend his free time volunteering at elderly homes and engaging in healthcare-related activities. His experiences caring for his father instilled in him a deep empathy for those who suffer, and he is now committed to improving the quality of life for others, particularly the elderly and vulnerable.

20. Aslam’s journey is a powerful reminder to us that even in the face of life’s greatest challenges, one can rise above and aspire to create a lasting, positive impact on the world. Well done Aslam!

21. And on the other end of the spectrum, I would like to highlight 48-year-old Sinha Shilpa, who is receiving the SEA award for the NIE Postgraduate Diploma. Shilpa is a dedicated teacher and mother of two, who has had to balance her academic goals with the heavy responsibilities of raising her children and caring for her mother-in-law who was battling cancer.

22. Managing medical bills, her children’s expenses, and course fees was not easy, yet, Shilpa’s dedication to her professional and academic growth never faltered. With the support of her family, Shilpa actively sought out and completed numerous advanced pedagogy courses, striving to consistently enhance her skills and knowledge. Her drive for excellence has resulted in greater benefit for her students, and they enjoy a dynamic and creative learning environment where they can reach their full potential.

23. The stories of Vikram, Aslam, Shilpa and the recipients from the video we watched earlier are all inspiring in their own ways. Importantly, they remind us that anything is possible as long as we believe in the power of our innate abilities and continue to strive towards excellence.

Government Support for Students

24. As you move forward in your journey, remember, the Government will continue to support you. Several initiatives are already in place to support student growth and cater for varied learning abilities. These include:
    • Subject-Based Banding for primary and secondary students and the revised PSLE scoring system to reduce marginal differentiation in young students’ academic results;
    • There’s also the ITE progression award to help ITE graduates upskill to a diploma much earlier in their careers. For those of you who are not sure what that is, if you are an ITE student, and you have a Nitec or a Higher Nitec, but you progress to a diploma, the government will give you $10,000 when you complete your diploma, that goes into your CPF and it is really intended to help you with housing later on in life when you start to fill up your CPF savings.
    • Then, there is the guaranteed admission to a relevant polytechnic course for ITE students with a GPA of 3.5 or above, starting in 2027. That’s part of our efforts to create multiple pathways and allow people to upskill as they go along.

25. In the recent National Day Rally, our Prime Minister Lawrence Wong also emphasised several ongoing efforts to enhance students’ learning environment and related infrastructure, such as funding for disadvantaged students and greater access to high-ability programmes for more students, reinforcing our commitment to continuously better our education system.

26. These efforts, together with those of community organisations like SINDA, will collectively ensure that you are well-supported, equipped with the necessary resources and motivated, to thrive in the future economy.

Closing

27. So, do remember that there is a whole ecosystem and a whole community cheering you on in your climb upward. This award also pays tribute to everyone who has supported you on your educational journey – your loved ones, your parents, your educators, schools and organisations who have all shaped you into who you are today. I hope that you acknowledge their impact in your lives and find the time to say thank you to them.

28. I look forward to each one of you reaching new heights at every step of the way. Keep aspiring, excelling and continue making us all proud.

29. Thank you.

^[1] Ministry of Education, Education Statistics Digest 2023, https://www.moe.gov.sg/about-us/publications/education-statistics-digest