Child’s success depends on holistic education, family support: ESM Goh

TODAY, 2 Feb 2015

What are the enabling factors that can help a child succeed? Based on Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong’s own experience, these are: A holistic education, a supportive family and stability in the country. ESM Goh made this point and offered a glimpse into his years growing up in Singapore as he spoke off the cuff to parents and students at Edusave awards presentation ceremonies in the Marine Parade constituency over the past two weekends.

His remarks are adapted below:

My father died when I was in Primary Four. Before he died, he called me to his bedside and his last words to me were: “Study hard. When you grow up, get a good job; look after your mother and your brother and sisters.” I was the eldest of five children in the family. Those words stuck in my mind and have been with me all the time.

So I studied hard, in a rural primary school called Pasir Panjang Primary School. I did well and went on to Raffles Institution. There, I studied hard, did well and made it to university. In university, I studied even harder — hard is not good enough. I put in much effort, graduated and got a job.

But education is more than just studying hard. Education is holistic; it’s total. It is not only about examinations and getting As. Education involves developing your leadership skills and character, socialising and making friends, and imbibing values.

So in Raffles Institution, I took part in many activities, of course, without neglecting my studies. I was active in swimming — I was a school swimmer and became the school’s swimming captain. I was also active in a uniformed group — I was a boy scout, a patrol leader and then became troop leader. I took part in societies at different times — I was the secretary of the Geography Society and chairman of the History Society. I was also editor for the school magazine.

Looking back, those were instrumental years in developing my character, values and in making friends who have stayed with me through life.

So, our approach to education should be all-rounded beyond just doing well academically, but making friends, sharing stories and memories. That’s the wider meaning 
of education.

FAMILY SUPPORT

The next factor for someone to do well in life is a supportive family environment. I was fortunate. Although my father died at a young age, my siblings and I lived in a home with extended family support. My mother had to work. My grandmother was the head of the household and I was living with my second uncle and aunt. They themselves had a big family. We were not well-to-do — my uncle was working as a production worker at a biscuit factory. His income was shared with everyone. So there was this family support, warmth and security that I felt in my extended family.

So the second point I want to make is that warm family support can help nurture and motivate children to do well in school and life later on. I am glad that parents have come here together with their children to show support for them. Of course, it is not just coming to this Edusave awards ceremony. At home, you have that warm support for your children, and in return, your children give support back to you. Because of that strong bond you build now, when you grow old, your children will quite naturally feel that they should look after their parents.

GROWING ECONOMY

But these two factors alone may still not guarantee that you will have a bright future. The third factor is to have a dynamic and growing economy. Unless the economy grows, the jobs will not be there when the children grow up. You may be very well-educated or a graduate, but you could be an unemployed graduate if good jobs are not there. So you need a growing economy.

I was fortunate again, because when I graduated in 1964 and we became independent in 1965, we had a good Government, which was able to grow the economy quickly. This meant that jobs were much easier to come by. I was able to move into senior positions quite early because the positions were there and there were not enough people to do them.

To have that growing economy, you need to have stability in the country. You need to have people contributing to that stability, to our multiracial and multi-religious harmony, and creating a community where people say this is a good place to invest in. Then the economy will grow.

GIVING BACK

Later on, having graduated and worked for a while, it became quite natural for me to find time to serve the country. That’s why I entered politics, to help the people, because when I was growing up, my progress was enabled by my extended family and by people outside who created the opportunities for me. Because I was a good student, I could tap bursaries to tide me through my school years.

Likewise, when I was in a position to give back, I felt quite strongly that I should enable others to also make progress, so that the future of ­Singapore can be ensured. My personal ambition was to become an academic, carry books around and worry about students. But I had to serve a bond with the Civil Service because of the bursary. Life took another turn later when I was invited to join politics. In my own life, I have learnt that what gives greatest satisfaction is service to others.

The environment in which I grew up decades ago may be very different from the Singapore we know today. But the underlying factors for attaining success and a fulfilling life stay relevant. Having done well for ourselves, we should also enable others to do well. Those of us who come from stable families should not forget to help others who come from weaker family backgrounds. Life is harder for them. This sense of service is also part of education, which is not just to do well for yourselves, but also to help others to succeed.

So to sum up, there are three factors for parents to help their children’s dreams come true and for children to make their own dreams come true: First, have a holistic education, which means studying hard, but also developing yourselves beyond just academic performance; second, build a warm, supportive family where parents must show love for their children and the children must show love for their parents; and third, playing your part to create a conducive, stable and secure environment where your skills and talent can be nurtured and where there are maximum opportunities for you and others to do well.