homeí SATURDAY, MAY 8 2010 PAGE B2

who was proclaimed by the Vatican as pa- tron saint of all teachers in 1950. The La- sallian curriculum emphasises all-round ‘Give tinkerers more excellence, sound moral values and serv- SJI to award ice to others. For a start, 20 scholarships will be giv- en next year and the number will be tri- room for creativity’ pled to 60 in a few years. Places are open to both Singaporean and foreign stu- dents, who will study for four years in SJI BY LEE SIEW HUA was “troublesome”. scholarships and continue at SJI International for two Mr Yeo dished out SENIOR WRITER years. these and other stories The foundation will also be an avenue SPRING chair- from his upstart career for old boys to contribute time, money or at the Fullerton-St expertise by organising mentorships for man Philip Yeo rejoices in being a tinkerer. Joseph’s Institution students, said Mr Sng, former president Leadership Lecture yes- from next year of the SJI Old Boys’ Association. Several In 1977, he bought 110 terday to make a larger old boys have indicated that they will carcasses of A-4 Skyhawk point: Leaders and par- leave money to the foundation in their airplanes that were ents can give more free Lasallian schools in poorer countries in wills, he added. scrapped after the Viet- Boys picked will study the region, working with local communi- Meanwhile, a decision has yet to be nam War and were lying in rein to non-conformists ties. made on whether SJI should cater more the Arizona desert. and tinkerers. at St Joseph’s Institution So far, 20 old boys, including Spring to Catholic boys and those from feeder He asked engineers to These may be the in- Singapore chairman Philip Yeo, Mr Ed- Christian Brothers’ schools or focus more take the planes apart and novators that Singapore and SJI International mund Tie, executive chairman of proper- on attracting top students, he said. This stick new F-18 Hornet en- needs, he emphasised. ty consultancy DTZ Debenham Tie Leung came under discussion at the old boys’ an- gines into them. “Parents scold chil- BY CHANG AI-LIEN (SEA), and Ministry of National Develop- nual general meeting in March. “Buy new planes, and Leaders and parents should give dren for taking things SENIOR CORRESPONDENT ment Permanent Secretary Tan Tee How, Mr Yeo, who was the guest speaker at you don’t learn anything,” non-conformists more free rein apart. How to be crea- have donated a total of $1 million to the the Fullerton-SJI Leadership lecture yes- said Mr Yeo, then the Per- to do their thing, says Mr Yeo. tive?” said Mr Yeo, also ST JOSEPH’S Institution and SJI Interna- charity. terday, recalled how during his time at manent Secretary for De- the special adviser for tional have joined hands to award scholar- Mr Michael Sng, a pro tem foundation SJI, the better students in the class fence. economic development ships to top primary school leavers. management committee member, said: helped the weaker ones. “From that effort, we built up Singa- in the Prime Minister’s Office. About 60 boys will be selected each “Our immediate goal is to set up the schol- “We were a diverse class and all the pore Aerospace,” he said yesterday. “You need teachers and principals who best students had a value system where can tolerate troublesome people,” added year for the scholarships, worth almost arship but the larger objective is to But his tinkering also required a “toler- $60,000 each, that lead to the Interna- spread Lasallian education in Singapore we tried to help our weaker classmates. Mr Yeo, an SJI alumnus. ant and nurturing boss”, in the person of tional Baccalaureate diploma. and beyond.” “The class was not elite but, in the When he was a pre-university student The money will come from the new SJI Lasallian schools were established by a end, 11 out of 22 got scholarships,” he former defence minister and economic ar- in SJI, he and his friends set up a chemis- Foundation, which aims to raise $10 mil- Roman Catholic religious order founded said. chitect , who would laugh try lab in his aunt’s attic in Beach Road. lion and hopes ultimately to set up new by French priest John Baptist de La Salle, [email protected] when he heard complaints that Mr Yeo The boys bought pure acids from China- town, cycling back dangerously with the bottles. To finance the enterprise, he screened movies rented from Cathay Organisation in the school hall on Saturday nights. It cost $25 to rent the movie, and they made $125 from ticket sales to SJI boys, convent girls and other movie-goers. Eleven of his classmates won Colombo Plan scholarships – including Mr Yeo, a Toronto-trained engineer who went on to become chairman and then co-chairman of the Economic Development Board from 1986 to 2006. If he had his way, he said he would bring in foreign scholars at the youngest possible age – and also devote the best re- sources to primary schools, such as talent- ed teachers. Teachers are vital for primary school children who need guidance. By Second- ary 1, students are “more self-learning”, he noted. Leaders too, he said, are critical in building human capital that is Singa- pore’s key to success. Defining the qualities of a good leader, he said no leader is a lone ranger and must build a strong, diverse team. A leader is also a worker, he added. He himself taps out e-mail messages at 3am or 4am. Best of all, tolerate the troublemakers, he said.

A replica of the famous Giant Buddha in Sichuan, China, sitting in the open space in front of Ngee Ann City. The face of the sculpture will be unveiled today at the official opening of the two-day Vesak festival, called Passport to Happiness, at Ngee Ann City’s Civic Plaza. ST PHOTO: DESMOND LIM TOMORROW IN Seven wonders of the world – Buddhist style

TODAY and tomorrow, shoppers in Or- The “seventh wonder” is a booth stances into opportunities”. The weekend event is expected to chard Road will be able to visit the “Sev- where youths will introduce Buddhist To celebrate Mother’s Day tomorrow, draw more than 20,000 people. en Wonders of the World” – from a Bud- teachings using the Internet. Buddhist monks will perform a blessing Buddhists believe Vesak Day marks dhist perspective. The display is part of an annual ceremony for mothers. the birthday of the religion’s founder, Models of six famous Buddhist sites two-day Vesak programme that compris- Held two weeks ahead of the Vesak Gautama Buddha, and the day he from around the world are on display at es exhibitions, talks, a vegetarian food Day holiday on May 28, the festival – achieved enlightenment. the Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza. They in- fair, and open-air concerts. now in its sixth year – is organised and SBF’s president, Venerable Kwang clude the Mahabodhi Temple in India, Organisers said they hope the event, funded by the Singapore Buddhist Feder- Sheng, said he hoped the celebrations the Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar and Passport to Happiness, will encourage ation (SBF), with volunteers and staff will “inspire everyone to ponder on the the Tripitaka Koreana Temple in South visitors to “face difficulties in life posi- from the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See meaning of true happiness and pursue it Korea. tively and to transform adverse circum- Monastery. earnestly”. Make a pledge – to bond with family FUR-GET BY BRYAN TOH

MR RYAN Lim loves nothing better ME than taking his wife, two young daughters and parents out to theatre performances. These outings, says NOT the 35-year-old director, allow him to spend quality time interacting Not likely, with his family. for He said: “You have to invest in your family and the biggest expres- today’s sion of love is giving your time to them. lucky pets. “Our outings allow us to interact and bond as a family.” Many Mr Lim’s desire for family time – including with the grandparents – is owners what the National Family Celebra- tions 2010 wants to instil in all fami- are willing lies here. The event this year, which will to spend carry the theme of Live, Love & Play on luxuries Together!, will be from May 25 to June 26. like Mr Lim Soon Hock, chairman of The biggest expression of love is giving your time, says Mr Ryan Lim, 35, seen here the National Family Council and one with daughter Sarah, three, and mother, Mrs Sue Lim, 59. ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA spa of three co-chairs in the event’s or- ganising committee, hopes that this Pledge Movement. Being held for the NTUC FairPrice, is confident that sessions year’s event will draw at least first time, it will encourage Singapo- the new initiative will be a success. 400,000 participants. and reans to make a personal commit- He said: “People are more likely To achieve that, at least 250 activi- to stick to their commitments if they ment to their families. ties ranging from gaming competi- are written down and made public. I daycare tions to museum visits have been With already 100,000 pledges to am sure that we will hit our target of planned. date, Mr Seah Kian Peng, another 250,000 pledges.” services One of the celebration’s high- co-chair in the organising commit- Visit www.nfc.sg for more information lights will be the Singapore Family tee and chief executive officer of regarding the event and its activities.