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SPEECH BY RADM (NS) TEO CHEE HEAN, MINISTER FOR

EDUCATION AND SECOND MINISTER FOR DEFENCE AT THE

123RD ANNIVERSARY SPEECH AND PRIZE-GIVING DAY OF

VICTORIA SCHOOL ON 24 JULY 1999 AT 4.30 PM

Dr Ong Chit Chung, Chairman, Victoria Executive Committee Members of the Victoria Executive Committee Principal, Distinguished Guests, Teachers, Parents, Victorians

I am very happy to join you at your 123rd Anniversary Speech and Prize-Giving Day. Victoria School has a long and illustrious history. It has produced many outstanding individuals who have made their mark on society and contributed to the development of our country. They include politicians, senior civil servants, corporate leaders, Page 1 tch19990724d academicians and sportsmen – well known personalities in Singapore.

But more importantly, I am glad to note that the Victorian vision is to nurture every one of its students to become a sportsman, a professional and a gentleman who will contribute to family, community and nation. In its 123 years, Victoria School has educated thousands of loyal and upright Singaporeans who are good citizens, employers, employees, husbands, fathers and sons. While we look to the past to draw both strength and lessons, for an institution to remain progressive, there must also be a vision for the future. What are the features that make your institution distinctive and stand out from others?

You already have certain strengths. Victoria School is already one of the top schools in terms of academic achievement. The challenge now for your school is to see how that academic focus could be broadened so that Victoria will be identified as a name that stands for more than academic excellence.

Your Art Elective Programme is a good example where your pupils have the opportunity to study and experience the finer points of art and craft. Victoria was also one of the 22 schools identified as an IT Demo School; and it has taken advantage of this to help develop the creativity of pupils. There is also a strong Design & Technology Department in the school which encourages pupils to experiment and to innovate. These are individual programmes. There may be others that the school can develop in sports or in community service. Taken collectively, and guided by a clear vision and concept, these programmes define the unique contribution that your school can make to your students and to the society that sustains and supports you.

To meet the challenge of bringing up future generations of distinctive Victorians, the school must draw further on the strengths and resources of the wider community of old boys who have benefited from their education at Victoria. Victoria School, with its history and traditions, has evolved a strong old-boy network which is a significant part of the Victorian community.

Ties and friendships formed during school years are important. In a small country like Singapore, the bonds forged during our years in school form an important part of the social glue that holds us together. Our interlocking circles of relationships with our family, our classmates and schoolmates, fellow NSmen and colleagues give us a sense of identity, and sense of community as a nation. When these ties are strong and robust, then we will have strong foundations for a cohesive Singapore which Singaporeans will regard as home.

The ties formed during our formative years in secondary school and pre-university are perhaps the most enduring. This is a time when we begin to discover our own identities, and learn to take responsibility for ourselves and for others. The bonds built up during this period last a lifetime.

In the past, bonds could be forged through 6 years of secondary and pre-university Page 2 tch19990724d education in the same school. Older Victorians will remember Pre-U classes in the school. With more young people going to pre-university, it became more efficient to set up junior colleges to offer the necessary resources, faciliities and teaching methods appropriate to pre-university education, like the lecture-tutorial system and greater variety in subject combinations.

While our students make new friends when they go to the JCs, they may lose touch with friends made in school. Even if friends from the same secondary school choose to join the same JC and continue with their friendships, they lose the opportunity to interact with their juniors from school. This is a pity as there is so much which pre-university students can share with the younger cohorts. Indeed, in the old Pre-U classes, the seniors took on leadership positions and played mentor to younger students, thus fostering among the seniors a greater sense of responsibility.

Recognising this, MOE is working on measures to strengthen cross-cohort bonding between students of affiliated schools and JCs, for example through joint activities between students. To facilitate this MOE will plan for affiliated schools and JCs to be co-located. This co-location will make it easier for JC students to continue to interact with their juniors from school.

Hwa Chong Junior College is already next to The Chinese High, from which it draws many of its students. The Victorian community has asked for Victoria School to move closer to Victoria Junior College so that these two institutions can provide better mutual support. I am happy today to announce that Victoria School will be moving to Marine Parade Road, not quite next to Victoria Junior College, but close enough to facilitate meaningful integrated activities.

For the same reason, the Government had also earlier approved plans for Raffles Junior College to be re-sited at Bishan, next to . The wheels are in motion, and both relocations will take place in about three years’ time. MOE will continue to explore other measures which will help promote bonding among students.

In closing, I wish to congratulate Victorians who are receiving prizes and awards today. I would like to urge you to use the opportunities and resources offered by the school to develop your potential to the fullest so that you will become a sportman, a professional and a gentleman, someone who will do your school, family and nation proud. ------

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