Edusave Scholarship & Edusave Merit Bursary Awards Presentation Ceremony at Bishan Community Club

Edusave Scholarship & Edusave Merit Bursary Awards Presentation Ceremony at Bishan Community Club - Speech by DPM & Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng

16 January 2010

Principals,

Community Leaders,

Award Recipients,

Parents,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good afternoon and Happy New Year to all of you.

This afternoon, 258 students from Bishan East will receive the Edusave Scholarship and Edusave Merit Bursary (EMB). Tomorrow, the Bishan East Citizens’ Consultative Committee (CCC) will be giving out in bursary awards to 123 Bishan East students at the Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC CCC Bursary Presentation Ceremony cum Family Carnival.

I congratulate all the recipients of the scholarships and bursaries. You have done well in your studies. You have made your parents proud and I hope that these awards will encourage you to continue to excel in your studies.

Pulling through a difficult year

Last year, the Bishan East CCC presented more than $52,000 in bursaries to students in January and June because Singapore was facing a rapidly weakening economy and recession. The outlook ahead was uncertain then, and we expected families to be affected by job losses or wage cuts as the year unfolded.

The quick and timely response of the Bishan East CCC was part of the collective national effort that helped us pulled through a difficult year. The Government introduced measures aimed at keeping people in jobs through the Jobs Credit Scheme and helping those who lost their jobs find new ones. Companies and Singaporeans tightened their belts. Unions, employers, grassroots organisations and community volunteers chipped in to help Singaporeans in various ways. The bursaries we presented to Bishan East students is one such example. We weathered the difficulties last year because we stood united as a nation and helped our fellow citizens in need.

The outlook has improved and the situation is better today. MTI forecasts that our economy will grow by 3 to 5%, compared to a contraction of -2.1% last year. As the economic outlook improves, we still must continue to take measures to transform the Singapore economy, create jobs and upgrade our workers’ skill. We will continue to invest heavily in education as it provides the foundation for our students to develop their potential to the fullest.

Investing in education, investing in Singaporeans

The Edusave Scholarships and Bursaries presented today are given to students who are Singapore citizens. The bursary awards that the Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC CCCs will be giving out tomorrow are also given to students who are Singapore citizens, or one of the parents must be a Singapore citizen. This is an investment by the Government and our community partners on our people.

In tandem with Government’s effort to invest in our children’s education, we also took positive steps in our community to nurture our young ones. For example, the Bishan East PCF opened a new childcare centre at Blk 178 Bishan East Street 13 in January. Called Hampton Pre-School, the centre was set up by the Bishan East PCF and managed by EtonHouse. This is the first PCF childcare centre in Singapore managed by a private education provider. It provides another choice to meet the needs of our residents. The response was good. It shows the importance parents place on their children’s education.

Conclusion

While the Government continues to invest heavily in education, we can do our part in the community too. As fellow Singaporeans, we should continue to help one another in times of need. Those of us who are financially able can extend a helping hand to those families in need. For example, the CCC bursaries that we will be giving out were made possible because of the strong support for the fundraising efforts by the Bishan East Grassroots Organisations.

There is a Chinese saying "取之社会,用之社会". It means that you should remember to give back what you have taken or benefited from the society. I urged all the award recipients here today to do just that. I encourage you to volunteer your time and help other members of the community in whatever way you can.

副总理兼内政部长,碧山-大巴窑集选区国会议员黄根成

碧山东教育储蓄奖学金及助学金颁奖典礼致词

碧山民众俱乐部

2010年1月16日
下午3时30分

校长、基层领袖、

各位获奖同学及家长们、

先生们、女士们,

午安!

今天,有258名碧山东区的学生领取总额10万6千元的教育储蓄奖学金及助学金。另外,碧山东公民咨询委员会也将在明天举行的助学金颁奖典礼曁家属嘉年华会上,为123名学生颁发2万8千6百元的助学金。

让我祝贺所有获得奖助学金的同学们。

熬过一个艰难的年头

去年,由于全球市场严重萧条导致新加坡经济急剧萎缩,碧山东公民咨询委员会分别在1月与6月颁发超过5万2千元的助学金。

我们能熬过艰难的一个年头,靠的是全国上下共同努力 - 政府推行的各项措施,人人献身尽一份力。碧山东公民咨询委员会如此迅速提供及时的援助就是一个例子。我们从困境走了出来,是因为我们全国一心,向有需要的同胞们伸出援手。

如今,前景已明朗化。随着经济复苏,我们有必要采取具体措施来改革经济,投资教育是其中之一。

投资教育,投资新加坡人

政府的首要职责不外是新加坡人。今天和明天所颁发的奖助学金,只限于新加坡公民的子女所领取。这是政府还有社区对于我们人民的一种投资。

为配合政府推广孩童教育,我们在社区内也积极着手抚育我们的下一代。人民行动党社区基金会(PCF)就在今年1月份在碧山东13街第178座兴办了一间托儿所。这是PCF首个交由私人业者管理的托儿所,为的是给居民提供多一项选择。

托儿所收到良好反应,显现了父母对于教育子女的重视。我们将继续着重栽培我们的子女,为他们人生的起步打好基础。

总结

除了政府,我们在社区内也能尽一份力,在有需要的时候伸出援手相互扶持。也正是因为碧山东基层组织所筹备的募集资金活动得到强有力的支持,公民咨询委员会才得以颁发助学金。

所谓"取之社会,用之社会",意指将从社会获得的利益,都回馈于社会。我鼓励今天所有领取奖助学金的学生们都这么做。

最后,让我向所有筹备这次颁奖礼的基层领袖致谢,也再次祝贺今天所有获奖者学业蒸蒸日上。

谢谢。

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