SM Goh Chok Tong at the Edusave Awards Presentation Ceremony 2011

Dr Chin Kim Woon, Principal of Tao Nan School
Principals, teachers, parents and students
Residents and grassroots leaders

This is the 16th year I am giving out the Edusave awards. I am delighted to be here this afternoon to present this year’s Edusave scholarships and bursaries. Let me first congratulate all the award winners. You have done well. Keep it up. But let us also recognise the role played by your proud parents in your good performance. Their love and support provided you with the conducive environment to study hard and do so well in school.

We invest heavily in your education, and this has proven to be one of our most rewarding investments. With a good education, you will have the knowledge, skills and values to get a good job and take care of your families. You will be able to stand on your own feet anywhere.

However, a good education does not mean only good grades. Character-building is an essential part of education. I spoke on this last year, so I shall not elaborate. I shall only make one point. Between grades and character, I put more importance on character. A smart person without good character and sound values will not go far in life. Few people will trust him.

Today, I want to touch on another important aspect of education – teaching and nurturing love. I am not talking about boy-girl relationships or sex education. I will leave that to the experts. I am talking about love for family, love for community and love for . These “three loves” bond our society and country together. They also make us happier and feel more secure, especially in times of adversity. I hope our schools will inculcate and our students will imbibe these "three loves".

First, love for family. Parents loving their children and children loving their parents should come naturally, without having to be taught by schools. But the pace of life in is fast. Parents work hard and long hours. Students study hard, spend long hours in school, and attend tuition classes and CCAs. Young people nowadays also spend more time online playing computer games and on social networking sites than actually physically interacting and talking to their brothers, sisters and parents. It is important for students and parents alike to constantly make time for each other, to have meaningful face-to-face conversations, and for students to show their care and concern for their parents and other family members. Hence, schools can remind their students not to take family love for granted.

Second, love for the community. Our young must not become too self-absorbed in their quest for personal achievement and fortune, and forget about contributing to the community they live in. It is not just about helping the less fortunate members of their community, like the frail and needy. Of course, this is very important. But it is also about actively helping to strengthen community bonds. And you can do this in small ways. For example, you can join a Residents’ Committee or you can contribute a small sum of $5 or $10 out of your Edusave awards to a charity, starting now if you have not done so already. Every small act of kindness will add up to a big well of kindnesses when done by thousands of students.

Love for the community also means being sensitive of the ethnic, social, and religious differences within the community. We have come a long way since independence to build harmonious relations between the various ethnic groups. But to ensure that this happy state will always remain requires constant effort.

This is especially so because there are now two additional challenges. One is the widening income gap. Economic growth must benefit all members of the community. Hence, we emphasise inclusive growth. Otherwise, our community may be divided by differences in income levels within it. Second is the need to welcome newcomers to our community. With our low birth rates and fast ageing population, we have to supplement our workforce with newcomers from other countries. We should be welcoming of new citizens and new members to our community because we need them, and they help grow our economy and make a better place.

And lastly, love for Singapore. History has also dealt us a weak hand of cards to play with – a small island without natural resources. But fortunately, we have able, hard-working people, from whom strong, able and honest leaders emerged. Together the Leaders and the people worked hard to make as good a home as possible.

One day, it will be your turn to build . You must try your best to make better. When you do so, you will acquire a sense of ownership. You will love even more because you are a part of it.

Once again, I congratulate the Edusave award winners and I hope you will bear in mind the “three loves” I spoke about long after you have left this hall.