---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: 'MOE DGE (MOE)' via ALL_ICON <all_icon@moe.edu.sg>
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2023 at 6:02 PM
Subject: From DGE's Desk (Mar 2023) - It takes our children to raise our village
To: MOE-Professional-Wing <MOE-Professional-Wing@moe.gov.sg>, all_CES@schools.gov.sg <all_CES@schools.gov.sg>, all_icon@moe.edu.sg <all_icon@moe.edu.sg>, MOE-IS SIS SS <MOE-IS_SIS_SS@moe.gov.sg>, MOE-Officers Secondment <MOE-Officers_Secondment@moe.gov.sg>
From: 'MOE DGE (MOE)' via ALL_ICON <all_icon@moe.edu.sg>
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2023 at 6:02 PM
Subject: From DGE's Desk (Mar 2023) - It takes our children to raise our village
To: MOE-Professional-Wing <MOE-Professional-Wing@moe.gov.sg>, all_CES@schools.gov.sg <all_CES@schools.gov.sg>, all_icon@moe.edu.sg <all_icon@moe.edu.sg>, MOE-IS SIS SS <MOE-IS_SIS_SS@moe.gov.sg>, MOE-Officers Secondment <MOE-Officers_Secondment@moe.gov.sg>
Message Classification: Restricted
Dear friends,
The aim of Singapore education is to nurture the whole child AND the citizen. This is the basis by which we design education policies and systems, resource and teach.
Might we have tipped a bit too far to the left over time? I know we have National Education and our revised Character and Citizenship Education ties in the contributing citizen more tightly with our values, social-emotional competencies and our school programmes. We also have Values in Action that brings out student agency and application of our students' abilities to the needs of the community. All these are indisputably good. But I think what we need is to develop our students' reflexes and instinct to think of the community first.
Last week was Mr Lee Kuan Yew's death anniversary – 23 March. He passed on 8 years ago. Like many of you, I have deep respect for him. His whole life was given in service to build Singapore and a Singapore society. His intellect, tremendous drive, keen insight with startlingly clear articulation, force of character paired with his frugality and simple living make him an uncommon giant of a statesman. I re-read some of his speeches and interviews last week. May I share this with you:
"But whatever it is, ultimately the result that we want – and I am sure you
must want this – is to produce a community that feels together …… You know,
on certain things it responds together: this is my country, this is my flag; this is
my President; this is my future. I am going to protect it.
Secondly, we cannot produce the kind of pupils we did before. All of
them went in for qualities which led to individual survival. You ask any bright
boy what he wants to do. He wants to be a doctor. Why? Because then he can
go anywhere in the world; he will still be a doctor and make money. Or, if he
can't, he will be a lawyer because he also makes money. But you ask him to be
an engineer or an architect or to do something, he says, "Then what happens? If
the country collapses, I can't get another job elsewhere." That must change.
You have to build in reflexes of group thinking: the survival of the
community, not the survival of the individual; which means a re-orientation, a reshuffling
of emphasis, of values. Eventually, we must produce the kind of men
and women who can run this tightly-knit society and who have the determination
to do it. We must have qualities of leadership at the top, and qualities of
cohesion on the ground."
~ Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Meeting with Principals of Schools at the Victoria Theatre on 29th August, 1966.
What does it mean to have a group instinct? To me, it means that I always consider others before I act, decide or even speak. Consider them in the sense whether I am affecting them negatively (then I won't do it) or whether I can take actions to uplift them. We saw this very strong social responsibility during the pandemic. It served us really well. But can we have such a strong social responsibility when there is no national crisis and everyone is busy with daily living? We are still a relatively young nation. We need to keep working on developing this instinct in our students for we are facing an onslaught of alternative values reaching directly into the heart of our students through their internet devices. Often, these social media values are about self. Comparisons that can reach unhealthy proportions instead of honing our instincts to contribute our best selves, pooling our best efforts together for the greater good. Can we teach our students to share with generosity, whether they have little or much? The more we hoard for ourselves, the more impoverished we become over time. It also means that our students would have to learn that many different roles are needed to be done for Singapore to function well. We can't all flood into the same role. But it means respecting and valuing all the roles, recognising their contributions and working together.
Yes, it takes a village to raise a child. But I say, it takes our children to raise our little village of Singapore…if we educate them right.
Serving with you,
Wei Li
Ms Liew Wei Li
Director-General of Education • Tel: +65 6879 6011
Ministry of Education • 1 North Buona Vista Drive, Singapore 138675 • http://www.moe.gov.sg
Integrity the Foundation • People our Focus • Learning our Passion • Excellence our Pursuit
CONFIDENTIALITY: If this email has been sent to you by mistake, please notify the sender and delete it immediately. As it may contain confidential information, the retention or dissemination of its contents may be an offence under the Official Secrets Act.
