FY 2007 Committee of Supply Debate 3Rd Reply by MOS Lui Tuck Yew on National Education
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FY 2007 Committee of Supply Debate 3rd Reply by MOS Lui Tuck Yew on National Education Enhancing NE: Strengthening Heartware and Rootedness INTRODUCTION 1. Mr Chairman, as we prepare our students for a future of opportunity, we are also mindful that we need to work on strengthening their heartware and emotional rootedness to Singapore so that they will continue to regard this place as home, and will be committed to contributing towards making this a better home for future generations. 2. Let me thank Dr Lily Neo, Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Dr Amy Khor and Mdm Ho Geok Choo for their interest in and questions on how National Education will be enhanced. Dr Faishal asked how we can deepen the sense of rootedness and patriotism in our young to Singapore. Dr Amy Khor had questions on the teaching of NE, the syllabus, making NE come alive and the relevance of teacher training. These are aspects which the review of NE has covered and which I will touch on in my reply. 3. When NE was introduced in 1997, the objectives of NE then, 1 were to develop national cohesion, the instincts for survival and confidence in the future. The concern was that our younger generation, who had not gone through the struggles of nation- building, would not appreciate or value what it is we have in Singapore, how it was painstakingly wrought by earlier generations over the years. 4. We infused NE in various subjects, particularly Civics and Moral Education, and introduced Social Studies. Through these, we sought to develop a greater understanding of and appreciation for Singapore’s challenges and achievements, heritage and way of life. We also introduced some common NE experiences for all students, through the Community Involvement Programme (or CIP), Learning Journeys and the commemoration of 4 core events, such as Total Defence Day and Racial Harmony Day, to help them internalise important values. 5. Over the past decade, some key events have shocked us out of our comfort zone. The Asian Economic Crisis, the September 11 attack on the World Trade Centre and our subsequent concerns over domestic and regional terrorism, and SARs come prominently to mind. We were tested and we stayed united and cohesive; we responded decisively and we emerged stronger. We must imbue in 2 successive generations these same instinctive responses to crises. Our young will need to be resilient, have a robust sense of nationhood and determination to stay united as one people. 6. Over the past 10 years, we have had more opportunities for more Singaporeans to study, work and live abroad. We expect this trend to continue. So it is vital that as we prepare our young well with the skills and confidence to engage in a globalised world, we also grow their emotional attachment to Singapore so that they continue to regard this place as home no matter how far they journey and how long they are away. It is this context that prompted PM Lee to speak about developing “heartware and rootedness” in his National Day Rally last year and which is also the reason why there must be greater emphasis on ‘emotional rootedness’ as an NE objective. GREATER OWNERSHIP, ENGAGEMENT AND EMPOWERMENT Background 7. The Committee on National Education was set up in August last year to look at how we can enhance NE in our schools and Post-Secondary Educational Institutions, or PSEIs. The Committee was asked to look into how we can better engage our young and 3 encourage them to shape the character and life of our society. We were mindful that the objective was not to do more NE but to make it felt more. 8. We consulted a wide range of stakeholders -- students, school and PSEI leaders, teachers, parents and community groups – close to 1200 in all. We asked them to share with us what worked and what did not work about NE. Let me briefly share some of the key findings. Findings 9. Our educational leaders, teachers, students, parents, community organisations agree that NE is important and the core programmes are sound. They understand the context for, and necessity of, NE. Over the years, these programmes have created better awareness among students of the key messages and some appreciation of the attributes that make Singapore special as a country. But students, especially those older, would like to be engaged in thinking through national issues through open and candid discussions and empowered to give back to the community in their own meaningful ways. 10. Feedback also shows that implementation of NE programmes 4 has been uneven, resulting in differing student experiences. Students shared that while they enjoyed NE at primary school, they became somewhat sceptical of NE at the secondary school level and beyond. A good number found Social Studies which they equated most with NE, as burdensome, boring or worse, relegated it to ‘propaganda’. This affirms the comments by Dr Amy Khor about Social Studies. She used ‘dry’, ‘uninteresting’ which are kinder and milder descriptions. A small minority felt that CIP was more about meeting the required number of hours than about helping others. I would stress that this was only a minority. 11. But where the approach has been holistic, where school leaders have thoughtfully structured programmes, where teachers have skilfully and openly engaged students, NE was well received. For these students, Learning Journeys and Social Studies opened their minds, caused them to re-examine their assumptions and deepened their understanding of the challenges we face, while CIP, they felt, empowered them to care for others and caused them to reflect on how their efforts can make a significant difference. 12. Based on the feedback, one of the conclusions the Committee made is that the present articulation of “love, know and lead Singapore” as the respective NE outcomes for primary, secondary, 5 and post-secondary levels may have unwittingly led to an over- emphasis on one particular outcome at each stage to the exclusion of others. So, as students progressed from ‘love’ in primary school to ‘know’ in secondary school, the intellectual component took precedence. 13. As students grow, we have to engage their minds in ways that do not lose touch with their hearts. For us in the Committee, our realisation is that for some older students, NE has engaged the mind sufficiently but has not warmed the heart adequately. I note Dr Faishal’s feedback; we recognise that there is more that needs to be done to reach the heart. Refinement in approach 14. Going forward, our refinements seek to give greater focus on emotional rootedness as an objective of NE. We need to refine, not increase, our NE programmes; we have to customise them to suit our students’ age, interests and inclinations. As always, the educator is the fulcrum on which our efforts and outcomes rest. 15. To guide us in the next phase of NE, the Committee recommends the “Head, Heart and Hands” framework. You will find a copy of this framework among your handouts. This framework 6 essentially builds on the current desired outcomes of “Love, Know and Lead Singapore” but stresses a continuum in the engagement of Head, Heart and Hands across different educational levels, building on affections formed and knowledge imparted at the earlier stages. 16. In addition, the new framework expands on the outcomes of “Love, Know and Lead Singapore”. If I may draw your attention to words which describe Head, Heart and Hands, you will see that the words Love, Appreciate and Belong describe the concept of ‘Heart’, Know, Think and Understand the concept of ‘Head’ and, Contribute, Create and Lead, the concept of ’Hands’. 17. These expanded outcomes are important to capture the essence of what it means to engage Head, Heart and Hands. In engaging the “Head”, we want students to be actively involved in their own learning; we want them not only to know the facts but to think through issues and arrive at a deeper understanding of the challenges facing Singapore and what it means to be Singaporean. In engaging the “Heart”, we want students to connect emotionally with the Singapore story; we want them to love, appreciate and feel a deeper sense of belonging to this place we call home. In engaging the “Hands”, we want students to give back to society and 7 to want to do their part to contribute to and create Singapore’s future and, where possible, to lead in different fields of society. 18. The middle ring in the framework articulates the principles which underline all the recommendations – they are ownership by all, emphasis on quality and a customised approach for students. One example of a customised approach is that as students progress from primary to secondary level, they should advance from just knowing the basic facts of our nation’s history to understanding how Singapore is evolving in the present and the current challenges confronting Singapore. As they move from secondary to post- secondary levels, it is worthwhile for them to ponder the possible futures for Singapore and the trade-offs that we need to make in each of them. Mr Khaw Boon Wan talked about health and trade- offs we need to make. It is useful for our young to think about these issues, and arrive at their own reasoned conclusions about what future they want for Singapore. 19. The outermost ring indicates the 3 main stakeholders in the NE effort. We will need the commitment and contributions of students, educators and the community for NE to succeed. 20. The Committee has made 16 recommendations grouped 8 under three key thrusts, addressing educators, students and the community.