2012 PSC Scholarships Award Ceremony: Opening Address

Mr Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister in charge of the Civil Service, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

1       Welcome to the 2012 PSC Scholarships Award Ceremony. Let me first congratulate this year’s PSC scholarship recipients. PSC scholarships are awarded to students who are exceptional not only in their academic achievements, but also demonstrate strong leadership qualities and a commitment to serve in the Singapore Public Service. This year, from a pool of over 2000 applicants, the PSC shortlisted 300 candidates for the interview. Eventually, only 61 were awarded. You are all deserving candidates who have met PSC’s high standards.

2       To the families, principals and teachers of the scholarship recipients, I offer my heartiest congratulations. Their achievements represent the fruit of your dedication in nurturing and bringing out the best in them.

Selection of Scholarship Recipients

3       I am pleased to highlight that this year’s pool of scholarship recipients continue to come from diverse educational backgrounds. A total of 15 schools are represented among you. There are students from junior colleges, polytechnics, schools that offer the Integrated Programme, and schools that offer the International Baccalaureate diploma programme. PSC will continue to reach out to students from different educational institutions and backgrounds in our search for deserving candidates.

4       In addition, the PSC is glad to have 2 mid-term scholarship recipients this year. Miss Clare Chng has been awarded the Overseas Merit Scholarship to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Warwick. Mr Ng Xiang Long has been awarded the Singapore Government Scholarship to read Business Administration and Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. We will continue to leverage on our mid-term scholarship to bring in outstanding undergraduate students into the Public Service.

Choice of Universities

5       I am also pleased to note that the scholarship recipients will be pursuing their undergraduate studies in different universities in different countries. 29 of you will be studying in the United Kingdom, 22 in the United States of America, and 2 in the People’s Republic of China. A number of you have also chosen to study in local universities. The range of experiences, exposure and insight that you gain from your diverse training will be beneficial to Singapore as we face complex national and global issues that require diverse perspectives and approaches.

Go Beyond Academic Excellence

6       Beyond the educational experience that your university can offer you, I also encourage you to be proactive in seeking opportunities to cultivate skills that will make you a stronger public officer when you return. One skill that has become very important for public officers is the skill to empathise with and engage others. Hence, use the next few years to seek experiences that will equip you with the soft skills needed to engage and connect with others. Venture outside your classroom and be in touch with the community. Interact with different people in and beyond your campus. Continue to volunteer and serve in the community. These experiences will serve you well when you engage different stakeholders and formulate policies that impact your fellow citizens in the future.

7       Also, take the opportunity to cultivate networks with your classmates, mentors and professors in the next few years. Be good ambassadors for the Singapore Public Service, and build a wide pool of friends for Singapore. As a small nation, we need all the friends we can find to collaborate and work with, to further Singapore’s interests.

Make Full Use of PSC Development Programmes

8       Of course, we will continue to support you in your journey to prepare yourself for a career in the Public Service. You have recently completed a 2-week Preparatory Course which includes learning journeys to Community Development Councils. You also engaged public officers at different levels to understand the challenges of working in the Public Service. The programme has exposed you to real community issues and given you a snapshot on what it is like to serve the public. There will be other structured programmes coming your way. An example is the PSC Scholars’ Mid-Course Programme conducted during the second year of your university studies. In that programme, you will deliberate and discuss policy issues with senior public sector and community leaders. You will also participate in a Ministry attachment stint.

9       Beyond these structured programmes, you can also seek other developmental opportunities on your own. I would like to share that 2 PSC scholarship holders studying in Princeton are currently embarking on a research project during their summer programme in Japan to better understand how the Japanese government dealt with the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis. Their learning points are relevant to the Public Service, in particular the Ministries of Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs.

Concluding Remarks

10       In short, use the next few years to prepare yourself to be as good a public officer you can be. I am sure you will do us proud by excelling beyond your academic studies. I wish you every success and look forward to your future contributions in the Public Service.

11       Thank you.