Speech at The 18th Sinda Excellence Awards Ceremony
Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister , Nanyang Polytechnic Auditorium
Dr Balaji Sadasivan, President, SINDA
Members of the SINDA Board of Trustees and Executive Committee
Distinguished Guests
Good Afternoon.
Introduction
1. It gives me great pleasure to be here today at the 18th SINDA Excellence Awards Presentation Ceremony to recognise achievements of Indian students. Since its formation in 1991, the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) has not wavered from its key strategy of recognising outstanding students to serve as role models.
The Indian Community's Improved Performance in Education
2. I am happy to note the significant progress made by the Indian community in education, narrowing the gap between Indian students and the national average at the PSLE and "O" level categories significantly between 1998 and 2007. 96.2% of Indian students passed the PSLE in 2007, a marked improvement from just over 90% nearly a decade ago. What is even more commendable is that we have seen an almost 13% increase in the number of Indian students who attained at least five "O" level passes between 1998 and 2007.
3. Another cause for celebration – is a 28.2% improvement in the P1 cohort who gained admission to post-secondary institutions during the same period. Today, nine out of 10 of our Indian students have found places in ITEs, Polytechnics and Universities. The skills and qualifications they will receive will open up great opportunities in the job market. It reinforces Singapore's vision of being a home for individuals to develop their potential and fulfill their aspirations.
4. Mr Veenoth N. Balakrishnan, who graduated from the Nanyang Polytechnic with a merit in Diploma in Accountancy and Finance, is a role model for the community. In 2002, Veenoth dropped out from Nanyang Polytechnic. As he considered his career options during his National Service, he realised the importance of an academic qualification to achieve his aspirations. Veenoth enrolled himself in a private accountancy course and performed well. After his National Service, he returned to Nanyang Polytechnic where he graduated with a near perfect GPA score of 3.8 and earned himself a place on the Directors' List. Veenoth is currently pursuing his Association of Chartered Accountants qualification under a Kaplan scholarship. Could you stand up, please, Veenoth? Well done!
Inclusion of the Non-Academic Awards Category
5. Singapore's educational landscape is constantly evolving. President S R Nathan, in his parliamentary speech earlier this year called for new pathways and programmes to cater to students with different aptitudes, interests and learning styles to build more peaks of excellence.
6. In line with this, SINDA has extended the SINDA Excellence Awards to non-academic categories. This year, 49 students who have excelled in non-academic areas such as sports and the arts will be recognised. Among them are seven recipients of the Tertiary Sports award, a new category which was introduced this year.
7. 26-year-old Sikhander Singh is one of them. In 2007 and 2008, he received the Sportsman of the Year and the President Sports Award respectively from NUS. Sikhander also represented Singapore in several triathlons and even in the SEA Games for the duathlon category. Besides distinguishing himself in sports, Sikhander successfully balanced his academic pursuits. He graduated this year from NUS with honours in Bachelor of Arts.
Alumni of SEA Recipients
8. As we honour our young recipients' achievements and the promising careers that they can look forward to, I would also like to take this opportunity to urge each of you to step forward to give back to the community. Your invaluable experience will inspire our youths and help us build a well-educated, resilient and confident community to contribute to the progress of multi-racial Singapore.
9. SINDA has set up an alumni of SINDA Excellence Awards' recipients to give back to the community. Three-time recipient and lawyer Shobna Chandran is a proud member of the alumni and has been a volunteer since 2007. Our alumnus have allowed SINDA to develop meaningful programmes for youths, fulfilling their roles as inspiration for our next generation.
10. I am happy to note that several amongst you have already indicated interest in becoming volunteers with SINDA, and I encourage more of you to come forward.
Conclusion
11. My heartiest congratulations to all of you. Your determination and desire to create a better future for yourselves have made you a role model to the community. Press on and stay committed to your goals. I wish you success in all your endeavours.
12. Thank you.