New Town Sec Sch students introduced to the READY BAG

IN New Town Secondary School, the approach towards the promotion of national education (NE) is to align school’s effort to a wider context. By leveraging on the community’s expertise and effort, the school is able to help students appreciate the importance and relevance of NE.

2009 marks a significant milestone in Singapore’s Total Defence effort as our nation commemorates 25 years of Total Defence. The key message this year is that total defence is our shared responsibility and that security is the foundation for Singapore's continued success.

This year is no different. With the support of the Community Engagement Directorate of the Ministry of Home Affairs, we were able to promote and support this year’s theme "It's personal. Play your part." Together with the teachers, the school’s student leaders put up a memorable assembly programme on the 13th February 2009

Our music teacher, Ms Yvonne Chong led the school in the singing of the Singapore United song to reinforce the idea that Total Defence is our shared responsibility and that all of us have a role to play in strengthening Singapore’s resilience as a nation.

Prior to the assembly, Ms Chong has been using the music lessons to teach her students the lyrics of the song and make meaning out of it. Ms Chong also screened the winning entries of the N.E.mation competition to liven up the singing session.

Next, the student leaders came on to share with the school the concept of a READY BAG. The focus of their sharing was to stress on the importance of being prepared at all times and that a READY BAG should be customised to suit the needs of the occupants, be it at home, office or school. They rounded off their presentation by encouraging their fellow school mates to take up the New Town READY BAG Challenge 2009. The idea behind the challenge was to give students an opportunity to respond to the message of Total Defence in a purposeful and tangible way.

Be Prepared: A READY BAG is useful in time of crisis.

Raymond Ma was one of the student presenters at the assembly. Reflecting on his experience, Raymond had this to say. “I always thought that having a first-aid box at home is good enough. However, having found out and understood the importance of preparing a READY BAG, I will definitely talk to my parents to prepare one for our home!”.

During the assembly programme, Vice Principal Mrs Lim Wen Yih was invited to give away the prizes for the school’s Total Defence Day Cross-word puzzle competition. The prizes are 15 adorable “SUnny Bears” sponsored by the Home Team.

Finally, some reflections were gathered with regard to the impact the Total Defence commemoration this year has created. Ms Yvonne Chong, the music teacher shared that through working on the Singapore United song segment, she has discovered that there are many NE resources readily available on-line that teachers can use. The Singapore United song and the N.E.mation clips are just two examples.

NE coordinator, Mr Tan Say Pin shared his reflections upon the school’s effort in promoting Total Defence this year. “I was reminded many years ago when we first formed our school’s Harmony Circle (HC) involving students, parents and teachers. When asked to share his experience as a member of the HC, one of our students described the HC as a fire extinguisher. He explained that a fire extinguisher is an item that is always available although people do not take notice of it. However, in times of an emergency, it becomes a life-saver! In many ways, his analogy is apt for the READY BAG concept."

"Thanks to the Community Engagement Directorate of the Ministry of Home Affairs, we have the chance to bring this important message of packing a READY BAG to the students and teachers. Whilst we can never be totally prepared for an emergency, we can say with confidence that we have taken one big step forward today!”

Continuous Engagement: Students were able to learn more about the concept of the READY BAG at the specially set up booth.

READY BAG for Everyone: Teachers were also interested to find out how they can assemble their own READY BAG.