MOE's SG50 "Building My SG" LEGO Set

Students urged to treasure SG50 LEGO sets
Education Minister makes call amid news of free sets being traded online
By Pearl Lee, The Straits Times, 14 May 2015

LEGO sets made specially to commemorate Singapore's golden jubilee and given free to students here, are being traded online for as much as $70.

But yesterday, Education Minister Heng Swee Keat urged them to treasure their 244-piece sets.

"This is such a special and unique keepsake. I encourage all our students to keep this and to treasure this, because it will be something very special that they can look back on when they grow older," said Mr Heng, in response to queries from reporters during a visit to West Spring Primary.

He said the LEGO set - named Building My SG: Reflect, Celebrate, Inspire - was a gift to all students here.

The blocks can be used to build three Singapore icons - the Cavenagh Bridge, Changi Control Tower and the Supertrees at Gardens by the Bay.

News of owners going online to trade their sets on Facebook and buy-and-sell platform Carousell surfaced last week.

But a check by The Straits Times yesterday found more interested buyers than sellers, with some potential buyers offering up to $80 for each LEGO set, and looking to acquire 20 sets at a go.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) said yesterday that all students from the primary to tertiary levels - including polytechnics, special education schools, madrasahs and primary-level homeschoolers - will receive their free LEGO sets by National Day.

About 600,000 sets will be given out. Distribution started last month, and some schools, such as West Spring Primary, have received them. While the sets are specially created for Singapore by MOE, the public can purchase them after National Day at a price yet to be fixed.

Mr Heng said primary and secondary schools will also use the building blocks during lessons.

"This is to stimulate imagination and creativity, and to get our students to come together to build a better future. It's really an important metaphor for us in this journey," he said, as he encouraged students to use the blocks to create something new.

Mrs Maria Zahid, 42, who teaches English and social studies at West Spring, said the building blocks lend themselves well to language subjects.

"You can get pupils to write about Changi Airport and build it. When you get them interested with something tactile, the ideas will flow faster," she said.

Primary 2 pupil N. Siivaarajan rebuilt his LEGO set, on the suggestion of his teacher, into a playground with obstacle challenges, such as climbing poles and a zip-line.

"This playground is meant for older children who are Secondary 2 and above. It's more challenging than the normal playgrounds," he said.