Speech by President S R Nathan at the 2009 President's Scholarships Award Ceremony on Friday, 14 August 2009, 7.30pm at The Istana

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean

Minister for Education Dr Ng Eng Hen

Excellencies

Chairman and Members of the Public Service Commission

Ladies and Gentlemen

            This year marks the 44th year of our independence. We are a young nation state, with less than half a century of existence as an independent nation. Over that short period, our people have built a modern nation where many opportunities are available to those willing to work hard. Singapore is also a home where people of many races and religions live together in harmony and look forward to a better future for themselves and their families.

2           Life has not always been like this. As a young nation, we had our fair share of tumultuous years – grappling with racial tensions, security threats and economic downturns. We overcame each and every crisis by staying united as a nation. It is during such difficult times that we demonstrated our resilience, adaptability and indomitable spirit.

3           The achievements and successes we celebrate today are also the result of the vision the founding leaders had for the nation, their courage in implementing changes and their passion in serving their fellow citizens.

President’s Scholarship

4           We will continue to need visionary, brave and passionate leaders with the ability and the heart to build a successful and vibrant Singapore. That is the key purpose behind the award of the President’s Scholarship, the most prestigious undergraduate scholarship in the country. They are given to this year’s most outstanding young men and women from our schools. The award recipients are talented and passionate individuals who have excelled in both academic and non-academic achievements. They have also distinguished themselves as top students in their cohort through their leadership qualities, sound character and a commitment to serve Singaporeand Singaporeans.

5           Selecting President’s Scholars is a highly rigorous process. Headed by the Chairman of the Public Service Commission, the President’s Scholarship Selection Board this year interviewed 15 talented and outstanding young men and women. From this year, all candidates being considered for the President’s Scholarships would be put through an Assessment Centre, where they would go through a series of exercises that presented challenges and scenarios related to public service work. The Assessment Centre exercises provided the Selection Board with a better all-rounded perspective of the candidates and added further rigour to the selection process for President’s Scholars.

2009 President’s Scholars

6           I am happy to announce that this year, the President’s Scholarships are conferred on six outstanding young men and women. They are Miss Gan Su Yi, Miss Claire Soon Jing Min, Miss Tan Bao Jia, Mr Jonathan Au Yong Kok Kong, Mr Nicolas Tay Weizhe and Mr Alexander Joseph Woon Wei-Ming. Miss Gan will be reading Economics at University College London. Miss Soon will head for Oxford University to read History and join the Foreign Service when she returns. A PSC China Scholar, Miss Tan will be reading Economics at Peking University. Mr Au Yong, who is a concurrent holder of the Singapore Police Force Overseas Scholarship, will be reading Ethics, Politics and Economics at Yale University. Mr Tay, a Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholar, will be reading International Relations and History at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Mr Woon, who will be reading Law at Cambridge University, will join the Legal Service after he returns. This year’s batch of six President’s Scholars are a good mix of male and female scholars and going to a good spread of universities in the People’s Republic of China, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Roles and Responsibilities of a President’s Scholar

7           The President’s Scholarship demands a commitment from you to serve your nation and fellow citizens, regardless of race, religion or socio-economic background. When you are abroad, bear in mind that you represent Singapore. Continue to do us proud by excelling not just in your studies but in engaging yourselves in university and community life, helping the less able and less fortunate.

8           Broaden your horizons by seizing all opportunities to learn new things about the world and about yourself. By staying in touch with community life and engaging in community work overseas, you will continue to acquire knowledge about, and empathy for, the concerns of ordinary people – something you will need when you return home to serve your fellow Singaporeans as public servants.

Conclusion

9           I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the families, principals and teachers of our President’s Scholars. Their achievements today bear testimony to the good work you have done in their lives, in nurturing them to be who and what they are.

10           Once again, my congratulations to Miss Gan Su Yi, Miss Claire Soon, Miss Tan Bao Jia, Mr Jonathan Au Yong, Mr Nicolas Tay and Mr Alexander Woon. I am sure all of you will do Singapore proud by being good ambassadors of Singapore and by living up to the hopes and expectations we have placed on you. I wish you success in your studies and look forward to you serving with distinction in your careers with the Singapore Public Service.