Three candidates have been awarded the 2022 Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship
Two outstanding candidates were awarded the President's Scholarship on 12 August 2021
Speech by President Halimah Yacob at the 2021 Virtual President's Scholarship Award Ceremony on Thursday, 12 August 2021
OPENING ADDRESS BY MR LEE TZU YANG, CHAIRMAN OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION, AT THE 2021 PSC SCHOLARSHIPS AWARD CEREMONY ON 28 JULY 2021
(L to R) Dr M Premikha and Mr Matthew Lee Mun Hong
2022 LEE KUAN YEW SCHOLARSHIP AWARD CEREMONY
1. In commemoration of the significant contributions made by Singapore’s founding Prime Minister, the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship was set up in 1991 by the Tanjong Pagar Citizens’ Consultative Committee. It is publicly funded and awarded to exceptional individuals who demonstrate a strong sense of commitment to serve Singapore and her citizens.
2. In 2022, three outstanding candidates have been awarded the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship to support their pursuit of postgraduate studies. The awardees are:
| S/N | Name/Age | University/Course |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Dr Hairil Rizal Bin Abdullah Age 41 |
PhD in Clinical and Translational Sciences Duke-NUS Medical School Singapore |
|
2 |
Mr Lee Matthew Mun Hong 李文匡 Age 32 |
Master of Science in Management Stanford University United States of America |
|
3 |
Dr M Premikha Age 26 |
Master of Public Health Johns Hopkins University United States of America |
3. Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship holders may choose to pursue their postgraduate studies in any country and field of study that best develops their potential as leaders. The scholarship holders are expected to contribute actively to better Singapore and her community.
(Image Credit: MCI Photo by Betty Chua and President's Office)
Two outstanding candidates were awarded the President's Scholarship on 12 August 2021. They were Lieutenant Ang Zyn Yee and Miss Wong Chia Ying. The two recipients received their awards in a virtual ceremony graced by President Halimah Yacob.
Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Education and Minister-in-charge of the Public Service
Chairman and Members of the Public Service CommissionGood evening. Every year, the President’s Scholarship is conferred to outstanding young individuals who exemplify the values and ethos of the Public Service, and demonstrate strong leadership traits in their own ways.
Zyn Yee is passionate about the environment and serving the community. She hopes that more can be done to promote social mobility in Singapore. Zyn Yee is actively involved in the Kampong Glam Youth Network, which comprises a group of youth volunteers who aims to make a difference in the community through projects, interest groups and programmes. With her keen interest in the environment, Zyn Yee spearheaded ‘The Tumbler Experiment’, a project to foster a green culture within the community through the use of reusable containers and the reduction of disposable waste. Zyn Yee also founded the ‘Straw Free Singapore’ movement, an initiative to reduce the use of disposable plastic straws. By raising awareness in schools and businesses, Zyn Yee successfully convinced a number of large corporations to embrace the movement.
Zyn Yee will pursue Economics and Statistics at Brown University and will serve in the Singapore Armed Forces.
We have had to make adjustments in our daily lives, including the way we commemorate our nation’s independence. On Monday, we celebrated Singapore’s 56th birthday with a scaled-down ceremonial parade. For the first time in our history, we have to postpone the National Day Parade show segment, which will be held only later, on 21 August.
The COVID-19 pandemic will not be the last we face as a nation. As future leaders, you have to remain steadfast and continue to serve with dedication and humility. Stay resilient and adaptable so that you can create policies that will serve the best interest of Singaporeans. Stay engaged and connected to the community and listen to the views and concerns of our people with empathy and understanding. It is your duty to embody the values of the Public Service, uphold the trust that has been placed in you, and do your part to support Singapore’s continued success.
OPENING ADDRESS BY MR LEE TZU YANG, CHAIRMAN OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION, AT THE 2021 PSC SCHOLARSHIPS AWARD CEREMONY ON 28 JULY 2021
1. Good afternoon.
Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister of Education and Minister-in-charge of the Public Service
My Fellow Commission Members
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
2. On behalf of my Commission colleagues, let me first extend my warmest congratulations to all recipients of scholarships and your families. I would also like to thank your principals and teachers for their patience and support in your education journey. This is a proud day for all of you. The selection of young Singaporeans for public service is an intensive effort and many stakeholders have come together. I would like to express my appreciation to everyone, and this includes my fellow Commission members and the secretariat team.
3. I would have preferred a physical ceremony today. Unfortunately, we are not able to do so owing to the uncertainties and measures these couple of months. Nonetheless, we have endeavoured to make today’s virtual ceremony a meaningful one. We each have the responsibility to ensure good outcomes for Singapore, and in the current circumstances this means not having a physical ceremony, to keep the community and our loved ones safe. In these unconventional times, we must be willing to change in how we approach new challenges.
4. The PSC Scholarship is Singapore’s premier scholarship for school leavers. We aim to bring committed and able young Singaporeans to serve in the Public Service. You are selected for whole-person qualities, with emphasis on character, integrity and passion to serve. Where you come from and your background are less important to the Commission than where we think you are capable of going to and contributing.
5. Of the 75 [1] of you this year, 74 will pursue undergraduate studies and 1 for Masters. You come from different educational pathways and institutions, including Junior Colleges, Integrated Programme schools, International Baccalaureate schools and Polytechnics. You will pursue a wide variety of disciplines at many well-established local and overseas universities.
6. Our development of a stronger and more resilient corps of future public service leaders leads us to search for diverse backgrounds and various perspectives, as the Public Service must tackle many wicked problems with no obvious solutions. This is why, even in a pandemic, we continue to award overseas scholarships. This range in your experience will strengthen your ability to make sense of the world and contribute to Singapore.
7. I would like to offer just two pieces of advice. We must be able to apply learnings from multiple disciplines and seek synergies from them to understand and solve problems. The fight against COVID-19 teaches us that we need this multi-disciplinary approach to tackle challenges. Science and technology are critical, but alone they will not suffice. Societal understanding, economics and business, good communications and building of trust – all these are needed. You should take the opportunity to learn more widely than your chosen courses.
8. Second, follow your curiosity and take courage to venture where it is new for you. This could be in your chosen course, in your choice of Masters, or in your internships or vacations. Wherever you go, you should explore and seize opportunities to engage. Experience more of other countries, especially our regional neighbours, but also, in the private sector and people sector. As a student you have many many more degrees of freedom in how you choose to spend your time. Yes, grades matter, and English-speaking countries may appear more familiar, but the diversity of insights and perspectives which you grow will become your assets.
9. Now in all this, your safety and wellbeing are important to us, and we will continue to look out for you. When the pandemic situation was worsening last year in many parts of the world, the PSC Secretariat worked with other agencies to bring PSC and other public sector scholarship holders back safely to Singapore. As the situation evolved, we provided flexibility to suit needs and circumstances, such as the option to temporarily study for overseas degrees from Singapore. For those who decided to proceed overseas, we provided support. I am happy to say that all our scholarship holders are safe and well, and we have kept in close contact with them. We have engaged professional services to support their well-being, including provision of counselling, advice and services.
10. The PSC Scholarship is the beginning of your journey to prepare you for a career in the Public Service. Later this evening, you will take the pledge as a PSC scholarship holder. It will affirm your commitment to do all that you can to serve Singapore. Ask yourselves – what will you do with this opportunity?
11. Congratulations once again and I wish all of you a meaningful journey ahead. Thank you.
[1] For reporting, the number 59 should be used to avoid double counting. This comprises those who were awarded the scholarships in the 2020 and 2021 selection exercise and are proceeding for studies this year. The figure 75 should not be used for reporting purposes as it includes 16 recipients who had been awarded the PSC scholarships in 2019 but are only proceeding for their studies this year. These 16 had earlier been reported in 2019 based on the previous reporting methodology.
From the 2020 batch onwards, the reported number comprises those who are proceeding for their studies in the same year, regardless of when they were awarded the scholarship.