National Archives Library -5 AUG 1992 Release No.: 27/JUL 03-1/92/07/18

SPEECH BY BG (RES) GEORGEYEO, MINISTER FOR INFORMATION AND THE ARTS AND SECOND MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS, AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF ST MICHAEL'S SCHOOL ON 18 JUL 92 AT 5.30 PM

NOT BY KNOWLEDGE ALONE

Programme A computer But Educate The Child

After the family, the school plays the most important role in educating the young. Like the family, the school not only imparts knowledge, it also imparts values. We can programme a computer and make it do all kinds of wonderful things. But we cannot programme a human being. This is the critical difference between the human being and the computer. A computer does not know right from wrong. It is an amoral thing. Man, in contrast, is a moral being. Without that moral essence, society cannot gel and civilization will not be possible.

2. We must never forget this moral aspect of education. It is part of the arrogance of science to think that science is above morality, that as human knowledge expands in scope, human morality will shrink in importance. Thus we read reports of high schools in New York distributing condoms to students or the city of Zurich offering free hypodermic needles to drug addicts, in order to help slow down the spread of AIDS. In other words, AIDS is a technical problem which can be solved by technical means. Can it? Is there no moral dimension to the problem of AIDS? I am not saying that AIDS 2

is only a problem of the West - indeed it is not. Or that we can solve the problem of AIDS by moral exhortation alone - indeed we cannot. We need science and we need a lot more research into the disease and its spread. We need more knowledge. But we also need morality. In education, we must always address both these needs. We need knowledge to master nature. We need morality to relate to nature and to one another. We must never reduce education to the amoral imparting of knowledge to our young. That will be a disaster. While we can programme a computer, we cannot programme the child. We have to teach and inspire, light a fire in him so that the glow comes from within.

The Tradition And Spirit Of Catholic Schools

3. Catholic schools all over the world are very conscious of the moral aspect of education. This consciousness is of decisive importance to their success. In New York City, it is well known that Catholic schools provide a better education than the city-run public schools, and at only half the cost per pupil.

4. In there are about 40 Catholic schools. They account for some 10% of total school enrolment and are well regarded by Catholics and non-Catholics alike, including many Muslims. A disproportionate number of our judges, political leaders, senior civil servants, SAF and police officers received all or part of their education in Catholic 3

schools, including 7 out of 22 judges and judicial commissioners, 19 out of 81 MPs, 4 out of 15 Cabinet Ministers, 4 out of 18 Permanent Secretaries and 7 out of 13 serving SAF generals.

5. The Catholic schools in Singapore have a history

almost as long as modern Singapore itself. One of the great pioneers of education in Singapore was a French priest called Father Jean-Marie Beurel. He was the man who established St Joseph's Institution. In 1848, in an article in the Singapore Free Press, he expressed his vision for SJI:

"English, French, Chinese and the Malay languages, together with the various branches of mathematics, book-keeping, drawing, etc,

will be taught in the school. The principles upon which it is to be conducted will be as liberal as possibly can be: thus it will be open to everyone, whatever his creed may be; and should, for instance, a boy of a persuasion different from that of Roman Catholics attend it, no interference whatever will take place with his religion, unless his parents or guardians express their wishes to have him instructed in the Catholic religion. Public religious instruction will be given to Roman Catholic boys either before or after the hours for school: but at all times the 4

Masters will most carefully watch over the morals of the whole, whatever their religious persuasion may be."

6. Father Beurel emphasized both knowledge and morals because both are necessary for a good education. It is also right that, in a multi-religious society like ours, Catholic schools should open their gates wide to non-Catholics as well and never seek to impose upon them the Catholic religion. Without exception, the majority of students in every one of Singapore's Catholic schools are non-Catholic.

7. This year, we celebrate the 140th Anniversary of the founding of St Joseph's Institution. In these 140 years, the Catholic schools have made an enormous contribution to Singapore's development particularly in the period of our history before we had a comprehensive national education system. Does the existence of a comprehensive national education systemnow make the Catholic schools less important? It should not and it must not.

8. The reason is what I have mentioned earlier. We are human beings, not computers. The Education Ministry can provide the funds, build the schools, post the teachers and prescribe the textbooks, but the Education Ministry cannot by itself breathe life into the individual schools. For a school to succeed, it must receive the support of parents, old boys and benefactors. There must be commitment by the principal, 5

by the teachers and by the students themselves. There has to be a sense of community and a civic spirit. With such a tradition and spirit, the school will survive even if there were no national school system. Without such a tradition and spirit, the most elaborate national education system will yield at best mediocre results.

9. Take the example of SJI during the Second World War. When the Japanese occupied Singapore, they converted SJI into Bras Basah Boys' School. The brothers were gradually phased out. When food was scarce in Singapore at the end of 1943, the brothers moved to Bahau in Negri Sembilan where many fell ill. When the war ended, the brothers immediately returned to Singapore. With the assistance of parents, teachers, students, old boys and benefactors, they were able in a few short months to get the school going again with minimal support from the British Military Administration which was then still struggling to bring life back to normal in Singapore. When the new British Governor visited SJI in May 1946 after civilian administration was restored, he was astonished at what had been accomplished in the short span of time.

The Challenge Before Us

10. The lesson is clear. With tradition and spirit, the school will not die even if the buildings are reduced to rubble. The school will live on in the many minds and hearts 6

who are associated with it. The buildings can always be replaced.

11. It is for this reason that the Education Ministry is gradually giving more autonomy to schools so that each will develop its own character and following. No amount of planning and execution from the Ministry can create the tradition and the spirit of a good school if the old boys show no loyalty and the parents are indifferent.

12. We should make use of this greater autonomy to raise the Catholic schools in Singapore to higher levels of achievement. SJI is already independent. We may or may not want other Catholic schools to be. All Catholic schools should, however, make better use of the autonomy they already have and try to be at least semi-independent. We should continue to draw students from a wide range of backgrounds. While we encourage the more able students to excel and win scholarships, we should also look after the less able ones because that is our God-given duty. If we only look after the strong, we become unworthy of the moral standards we set for ourselves. It is right that some of our schools should be reluctant to go completely independent because of the fear that poorer and weaker students will be neglected. But at the same time, while helping the poor and the weak we should not become mean in spirit and pull down the strong. We have to strike a good balance. 13. That balance has always been a part of the Christian Brothers' tradition. All over the world, the Christian Brothers are well-known, not only for educating the downtrodden so that they will have at least the basic skills to live a full life, but also for producing outstanding students who go on to become leaders in the public and private sectors. Such is the precious legacy of St John Baptist De La Salle. The system works because those who are more successful feel an obligation to help those who are less successful. Without such moral values, the system will break down because there may be no economic incentive for the strong to help the weak. There is only a moral incentive and that must always remain at the heart of our education system in Singapore.

14. St Michael's School was conceived in 1952 to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the first arrival of the Christian Brothers in this part of the world. It is scarcely 40 years old today. But St Michael's already has a strong tradition and spirit. We should keep pushing the School forward so that each year will see an improvement. Having new buildings only puts a heavier responsibility on us to work harder. But we must always work in humility because, without God's grace, nothing is possible. In the words of St Ignatius of Loyola, we should work as if everything depended on us, but we should pray as if everything depended on God. ANNEX A

LIST OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLSIN SINGAPORE

A) PRE-UNIVERSITY Catholic Junior College Our Lady of Lourdes School

B) SECONDARYSCHOOLS BOYS SCHOOLS St Joseph's Institution St Patrick's School St Gabriel's Secondary School Montfort Secondary School Boys' Town Vocational Institute Assumption English School Maris Stella High School Catholic High School Our Lady of Lourdes School St Teresa's High School Holy Innocents' High School

GIRLS SCHOOLS Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus - Toa Payoh St Nicholas Girls' School St Theresa's Convent School St Joseph's Convent Katong Convent St Anthony's Convent Secondary School Marymount Convent School Hai Sing High School

C) PRIMARY SCHOOLS BOYS SCHOOLS St Anthony's Boys' School De La Salle School St Michael's School St Stephen's School St Gabriel's Primary School Montfort Junior School Assumption English School Catholic High School Holy Innocents' Primary School Annex A - Pg 2

GIRLS SCHOOLS Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus - Toa Payoh St Nicholas Girls' School St Theresa's Convent School Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus - Chestnut Drive Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus - Punggol Road Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus - Katong Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus - Kellock Road Convent of Our Lady of Good Counsel School St Anthony's Convent Primary School Canossa Convent Primary School

The table below provides figures for student enrolment in Catholic schools and total enrolment in schools.

Percentage of students in Catholic schools = 9.93% ANNEX B

LIST OF JUDGES AND JUDICIAL COMMISSIONERSWHO ATTENDED CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

Name School attended

1. Justice Goh Joon Seng Holy Innocents‘ English School 2 Justice Chao Hick Tin Catholic High School 3. Justice F A Chua St Joseph's Institution 4. Judicial Commissioner St Anthony's Boys' School G P Selvam 5. Judicial Commissioner Convent of the Holy Infant Lai Siu Chiu Jesus (Malacca) 6. Judicial Commissioner St George's Institution Amarjeet Singh (Taiping, Malaysia) 7. Judicial Commissioner Marymount Convent Judith Prakash ANNEX C

LIST OF CABINET MINISTERS WHOATTENDED CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

Name of Cabinet Minister School attended

1. Lee Boon Yang Montfort Secondary School 2. Catholic High School 3. Mah Bow Tan St Joseph‘s Institution 4. George Yeo St Patrick's School St Stephen's School l St Joseph's Institution

l ANNEX D

LIST OF MEMBERSOF PARLIAMENT WHOATTENDED CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

Name of Ml? School attended

1. Chay Wai Chuen St Joseph's Institution 2. Bernard Chen St Joseph's Institution 3. John Chen Holy Innocents' High School 4. Kenneth Chen St Anthony's Boys' School 5. Chin Harn Tong Catholic High School St Joseph's Institution

6. Charles Chong St Michael's School St Joseph's Institution

7. Davinder Singh St Joseph's Institution a. Goh Chee Wee Maris Stella High School 9. Lau Ping Sum Catholic High School 10. Lee Boon Yang Montfort Secondary School 11. Lee Hsien Loong Catholic High School 12. Lim Boon Heng Montfort Secondary School 13. Lim Chee Onn St Anthony's Boys' School St Joseph's Institution

14. Mah Bow Tan St Joseph's Institution 15. Ow Chin Hock Catholic High School 16. St Patrick's School St Joseph's Institution

17. Wang Kai Yuen St John‘s Institution, KL Catholic High School, KL

ia. St Anthony's Boys' School St Joseph's Institution

19. George Yeo St Patrick's School St Stephen's School St Joseph's Institution ANNEX E

LIST OF SERVING SAF GENERALS WHO ATTENDED CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

Name School attended

1. Cdre Teo Chee Hean St Joseph's Institution 2. Cdre Leo Chin Lian James (on secondment to PSA) St Joseph's Institution 3. BG Teo Eng Cheng Michael St Patrick's Secondary School

4. BG Chin Chow Yoon Catholic High School l 5. BG Lee Hsien Yang Catholic High School 6. BG Wesley Gerard D Aranjo St Patrick's Secondary School

7, BG Chin Siat Yoon (on secondment to MFA) Catholic High School ANNEX F

LIST OF PERMANENTSECRETARIES WHOATTENDED CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

Name School attended

1. J Y Pillay St John's Institution, KL St Joseph's High School, Bangalore, India

2. Yeo Liat Kok, Philip St Joseph's Institution 3. Tan Chin Tiong St Joseph's Institution 4. Tan Guong Ching St Joseph's Institution

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