Singapore - Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says there are many opportunities for students to move up the educational ladder.
All they need to do is to work hard and the rest will be taken care of.
And scholarships and bursaries are ways to help them level up.
Education is one of the government‘s key programmes to ensure that as Singapore moves forward, its people can also upgrade themselves.
Speaking at the Teck Ghee Citizen‘s Consultative Committee Bursary and Scholarship awards presentation ceremony on Saturday, Mr Lee says every school has some special skills, whether it‘s the arts, music or sports.
And every student who excel in any of these areas can go to the best schools, regardless of which primary school they are from.
Mr Lee says: "If you have talent, cultivate it, work at it, do well and move up. And it can be through many ways, it can be through the Normal stream, through Normal Technical, you can go via the ITE, polytechnic or the university. But do well and after that more doors will open up for you. In Singapore, the chances are there, the openings are there, the encouragement is there, what we need is the students to work hard."
He adds that Singapore has everything in place to help a student reach his fullest potential with its good schools, good facilities and good teachers who must be amply rewarded, to show them that their efforts are valued and respected.
Mr Lee says: "(That is) why recently we had the salary revisions for the teachers to make sure that it keeps up with the rest of society and make sure that amongst the teachers, the one who works hardest and do the most gets recognised. Teachers have to teach because it‘s in their heart, the love for teaching, the love for the pupils. but at the same time if you don‘t treat them well, it‘s difficult to continue and the system will break down."
On the government‘s part, it will make sure that more children will have the opportunity to fulfil their potential by rewarding them with scholarships and bursaries.
Students say they will heed that call.
Nurazlin Noor, Scholarship Recipient, says: "I am aiming for university too so that they can‘t look (down) on Normal Tech students. They think that Normal Tech is not so suitable to go to university, so I‘m trying to tell the world that Normal Tech students can do what they want to do."
Tjong Wei Hui, Scholarship Recipient, says: "I think it will be very fair to those who are poor. It doesn‘t mean that those rich people can get to study. Those who are poor can also have the chance to study.
M Keerthana, Scholarship Recipient, says: "I‘m going to use it to buy books and field trips and stuff."
About 900 students received the scholarship and bursary awards this year.
Organisers say that it‘s the highest number so far and hope that the awards will continue to motivate students to excel in their studies, as well as help them tide over the new school year.
About 438 students received the Teck Ghee bursary awards.
Another 186 received the Edusave Scholarship awards while another 292, the Edusave Merit Bursary.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com (14 Januari 2008)
