Maintaining multicultural exchanges essential for promoting societal cohesion, integration: PM Lee
He highlights Hwa Chong Institution's efforts to expose its students to different cultures
By Rachel Au-Yong, The Straits Times, 22 Mar 2019
Hwa Chong Institution may be steeped in Chinese history and language, but the school has taken steps to ensure its students are exposed to different cultures, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
He underlined the importance of having multicultural exchanges in a speech last evening to some 12,000 alumni, staff and students at the school's 100th anniversary gala dinner, held at its campus in Bukit Timah.
"Maintaining such multicultural exchanges is critical to promoting cohesion and integration in our society," PM Lee said in Mandarin.
Hwa Chong, a Special Assistance Plan (SAP) school, has few non-Chinese students. The school has, however, striven to give students the opportunity to mix with peers of different races and backgrounds through various activities, he noted.
For instance, the school partners ITE College West to organise a joint overseas community involvement programme trip, during which students from both schools work and live together.
Besides Hwa Chong, every school should promote the spirit of openness and tolerance because it helps preserve the foundation of Singapore's multiracial and multicultural society, PM Lee added.
"At the same time, we should also strengthen the teaching of mother tongues, enrich the heritage of our society, and further consolidate our country's multiracial, multicultural national identity."
Speaking in both Mandarin and English, he traced Hwa Chong's history, and said it is very much intertwined with Singapore's.
The school, which started with around 70 students in a small building in Niven Road in the Selegie area, has witnessed and participated in many pivotal events, he said, from World War II to the fight for independence from the British in the 1950s and separation from Malaysia in 1965.
For instance, many Chinese students - including those from Hwa Chong - joined anti-colonial protests after World War II.
On the one hand, they were inspired by a movement happening in the world, he noted. On the other, some felt they had been treated unfairly under the colonial system, and wished to rise up against it.
"In the turbulent 1950s and 1960s, Hwa Chong provided the back-drop for anti-colonial and anti-government struggles, and many students were affected by left-leaning thinking," PM Lee said. "It was a time of turbulence."
Enrolment in Chinese-language schools dwindled in the 1970s, as English schools grew in popularity. Nine SAP schools were thus introduced in 1979 to preserve the traditional Chinese school cultural environment.
Hwa Chong was one of the nine. Today, the school is recognised for its high academic performance and bilingual alumni, PM Lee said.
He added that the school has to make a concerted effort on three fronts to continue thriving as an educational institution.
First, it must uphold high academic achievements, even as it continues to emphasise all-rounded education and the cultivation of character and values.
Second, it has a "special responsibility" as a SAP school to promote Chinese traditional culture, values and heritage, and to help students to master their mother tongue.
"This was the reason Mr Lee Kuan Yew introduced SAP schools in 1979. He wanted to revive the spirit of the old Chinese middle schools," he said, adding these schools had "emphasised character development, seriousness of purpose and the spirit of community".
Third, Hwa Chong students must "understand the context of our society, and their own responsibilities within it", PM Lee said. "You must know how Singapore society works, identify with fellow Singaporeans of all races and religions and feel a responsibility for your fellow citizens.
"You need to feel a calling to participate in community and national affairs, to contribute to the society and system that has nurtured you, and to take on leadership roles to help take Singapore forward."
Concluding in Mandarin, PM Lee noted that Hwa Chong is celebrating its 100th anniversary and Singapore, its bicentennial.
The road ahead is full of trials and tribulations, he said.
But citing the school's motto for continuous improvement, he said the country will continue to flourish if it adopts that same approach.
He highlights Hwa Chong Institution's efforts to expose its students to different cultures
By Rachel Au-Yong, The Straits Times, 22 Mar 2019
He underlined the importance of having multicultural exchanges in a speech last evening to some 12,000 alumni, staff and students at the school's 100th anniversary gala dinner, held at its campus in Bukit Timah.
"Maintaining such multicultural exchanges is critical to promoting cohesion and integration in our society," PM Lee said in Mandarin.
Hwa Chong, a Special Assistance Plan (SAP) school, has few non-Chinese students. The school has, however, striven to give students the opportunity to mix with peers of different races and backgrounds through various activities, he noted.
For instance, the school partners ITE College West to organise a joint overseas community involvement programme trip, during which students from both schools work and live together.
Besides Hwa Chong, every school should promote the spirit of openness and tolerance because it helps preserve the foundation of Singapore's multiracial and multicultural society, PM Lee added.
"At the same time, we should also strengthen the teaching of mother tongues, enrich the heritage of our society, and further consolidate our country's multiracial, multicultural national identity."
Speaking in both Mandarin and English, he traced Hwa Chong's history, and said it is very much intertwined with Singapore's.
The school, which started with around 70 students in a small building in Niven Road in the Selegie area, has witnessed and participated in many pivotal events, he said, from World War II to the fight for independence from the British in the 1950s and separation from Malaysia in 1965.
For instance, many Chinese students - including those from Hwa Chong - joined anti-colonial protests after World War II.
On the one hand, they were inspired by a movement happening in the world, he noted. On the other, some felt they had been treated unfairly under the colonial system, and wished to rise up against it.
"In the turbulent 1950s and 1960s, Hwa Chong provided the back-drop for anti-colonial and anti-government struggles, and many students were affected by left-leaning thinking," PM Lee said. "It was a time of turbulence."
Enrolment in Chinese-language schools dwindled in the 1970s, as English schools grew in popularity. Nine SAP schools were thus introduced in 1979 to preserve the traditional Chinese school cultural environment.
Hwa Chong was one of the nine. Today, the school is recognised for its high academic performance and bilingual alumni, PM Lee said.
He added that the school has to make a concerted effort on three fronts to continue thriving as an educational institution.
First, it must uphold high academic achievements, even as it continues to emphasise all-rounded education and the cultivation of character and values.
Second, it has a "special responsibility" as a SAP school to promote Chinese traditional culture, values and heritage, and to help students to master their mother tongue.
"This was the reason Mr Lee Kuan Yew introduced SAP schools in 1979. He wanted to revive the spirit of the old Chinese middle schools," he said, adding these schools had "emphasised character development, seriousness of purpose and the spirit of community".
Third, Hwa Chong students must "understand the context of our society, and their own responsibilities within it", PM Lee said. "You must know how Singapore society works, identify with fellow Singaporeans of all races and religions and feel a responsibility for your fellow citizens.
"You need to feel a calling to participate in community and national affairs, to contribute to the society and system that has nurtured you, and to take on leadership roles to help take Singapore forward."
Concluding in Mandarin, PM Lee noted that Hwa Chong is celebrating its 100th anniversary and Singapore, its bicentennial.
The road ahead is full of trials and tribulations, he said.
But citing the school's motto for continuous improvement, he said the country will continue to flourish if it adopts that same approach.
Hwa Chong Institution celebrates its 100th year
12,000 alumni, staff and students get together for Hwa Chong Institution centenary
By Sue-Ann Tan, The Straits Times, 22 Mar 2019
Spirits were high despite the pouring rain as more than 12,000 alumni, staff and students of Hwa Chong Institution turned out in force to celebrate the school's 100th anniversary yesterday.
The date is also the school's Founders' Day, when it was started as The Chinese High School in 1919.
One of the many alumni who flew back from abroad especially to pay tribute to their alma mater at the centennial dinner was Dr Sim Choon Kiat. The 51-year-old is an associate professor of the sociology of education at Showa Women's University in Tokyo.
"I flew back because it is to return to where it all began for me and to catch up with old friends," he said. "I want to know that they are doing well and are healthy and happy."
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was the guest of honour at the centennial gala dinner, together with Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Ng Chee Meng and Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu.
Hwa Chong Institution, then known as The Chinese High School, began with 70 students in a small building in Niven Road in the Selegie area. Its notable alumni or former board members include businessman and philanthropist Lee Kong Chian and playwright Kuo Pao Kun. Music composer Liang Wern Fook was also an alumnus of Hwa Chong Junior College.
Dr Liang also composed a ballad specially for the centennial.
The centennial celebrations are centred on the message: "To strive ceaselessly for self-improvement; to serve virtuously for communal growth."
Mr Robson Lee, chairman of the board of directors, said: "Singapore is a multicultural and diverse country with various races and religions. The Government has worked hard for many years to provide a harmonious, prosperous and stable society. It has not been easy.
"So to the bicultural students of Hwa Chong, you must remember and be grateful for the support that the Government has provided the school."
He added that students should remember the motivations of their founders and serve Singapore well.
Together with the centennial, the school is also launching the Kuo Chuan Centennial Art Gallery Project. The gallery will house the works of pioneer artists who were Hwa Chong teachers such as Liu Kang, Chen Wen Hsi and Chen Chong Swee.
The artists blended Eastern and Western styles to create a distinctive "Nanyang style" art form, contributing to Singapore's artistic heritage and culture.
Dr Lim Wee Kiak, chairman of the board of governors, said: "It serves our younger generation to appreciate our local arts and heritage.
"As we celebrate... let us remember the lessons from history as they will inform our future legacy."
Hwa Chong's former principal Tooh Fee San, 79, said: "Its flourishing over this century... (is owing to) the collective effort of our board, staff, students, parents, alumni and partners in this journey."
Horticulturist Mak Chin On, 76, graduated more than 50 years ago, and a decade ago, he started preparing plants specially to decorate the school for its centennial celebrations.
"It is my way of giving back," he said.
12,000 alumni, staff and students get together for Hwa Chong Institution centenary
By Sue-Ann Tan, The Straits Times, 22 Mar 2019
The date is also the school's Founders' Day, when it was started as The Chinese High School in 1919.
One of the many alumni who flew back from abroad especially to pay tribute to their alma mater at the centennial dinner was Dr Sim Choon Kiat. The 51-year-old is an associate professor of the sociology of education at Showa Women's University in Tokyo.
"I flew back because it is to return to where it all began for me and to catch up with old friends," he said. "I want to know that they are doing well and are healthy and happy."
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was the guest of honour at the centennial gala dinner, together with Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Ng Chee Meng and Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu.
Hwa Chong Institution, then known as The Chinese High School, began with 70 students in a small building in Niven Road in the Selegie area. Its notable alumni or former board members include businessman and philanthropist Lee Kong Chian and playwright Kuo Pao Kun. Music composer Liang Wern Fook was also an alumnus of Hwa Chong Junior College.
Dr Liang also composed a ballad specially for the centennial.
The centennial celebrations are centred on the message: "To strive ceaselessly for self-improvement; to serve virtuously for communal growth."
Mr Robson Lee, chairman of the board of directors, said: "Singapore is a multicultural and diverse country with various races and religions. The Government has worked hard for many years to provide a harmonious, prosperous and stable society. It has not been easy.
"So to the bicultural students of Hwa Chong, you must remember and be grateful for the support that the Government has provided the school."
He added that students should remember the motivations of their founders and serve Singapore well.
Together with the centennial, the school is also launching the Kuo Chuan Centennial Art Gallery Project. The gallery will house the works of pioneer artists who were Hwa Chong teachers such as Liu Kang, Chen Wen Hsi and Chen Chong Swee.
The artists blended Eastern and Western styles to create a distinctive "Nanyang style" art form, contributing to Singapore's artistic heritage and culture.
Dr Lim Wee Kiak, chairman of the board of governors, said: "It serves our younger generation to appreciate our local arts and heritage.
"As we celebrate... let us remember the lessons from history as they will inform our future legacy."
Hwa Chong's former principal Tooh Fee San, 79, said: "Its flourishing over this century... (is owing to) the collective effort of our board, staff, students, parents, alumni and partners in this journey."
Horticulturist Mak Chin On, 76, graduated more than 50 years ago, and a decade ago, he started preparing plants specially to decorate the school for its centennial celebrations.
"It is my way of giving back," he said.
Book celebrates Hwa Chong's 100-year history
By Rei Kurohi, The Straits Times, 11 Mar 2019
He was Singapore's former president, but Mr Ong Teng Cheong was once also known as a "musketeer".
To be exact, Mr Ong and four classmates at the then Chinese High School (CHS) in the 1950s were referred to as the "Five Musketeers" for standing up to left-wing students and refusing to support their communist cause.
While the quintet would openly defy left-wing students by not taking part in the boycotts or strikes, they would, however, occasionally join in for "good" causes such as helping the victims of floods and fires.
"However, we never supported their communist cause even though we were also anti-British, anti-colonialism, and pro-independence.
"Also - and perhaps more importantly - because we often helped them with their homework, the left-wingers left us alone, and labelled us 'The Five Musketeers'," wrote Mr Ong in private memoirs about his childhood.
This story was revealed in the Hwa Chong Centennial Commemorative Book, which marks the 100th anniversary of Hwa Chong Institution - the product of the 2005 merger of CHS and Hwa Chong Junior College.
Mr Ong Tze Guan, 53, the elder of the former president's two sons, had contributed excerpts from memoirs written by the former president and left behind after his death.
Mr Ong served as Singapore's first elected president from 1993 to 1999 and died aged 66 in 2002.
Mr Ong Tze Guan, who is the chief executive of Singapore-based firm Glowtec Bio, wrote in the submission: "My father's years in CHS were formative ones that had a profound influence on his development.
"The rich and diverse experiences he had in the school helped to shape his world view and mould him as a person of great character."
At a press briefing yesterday, the editorial committee behind the book said the 644-page book containing over 540,000 words is the school's most comprehensive effort to date. It documents the school's history from before World War II to today through the eyes of its alumni, former teachers and principals, and members of the school's board of directors.
Other notable names among the contributors include Singapore Management University School of Law dean Goh Yihan, and the National University of Singapore's provost and senior deputy president, Professor Ho Teck Hua.
The book's 170 submissions by some 200 authors took two years to compile and edit, said Mr Robson Lee, chairman of the school's board of directors.
Besides photographs and personal stories, the book features profiles of notable alumni, accounts of the school's co-curricular activities such as the Chinese drama club, poetry and prose pieces and the authors' aspirations for Hwa Chong's future.
The submissions are mostly in Chinese, but a handful, such as Mr Ong Tze Guan's, are in English.
The book will be available on March 21, the school's Founder's Day, when a celebratory gala dinner will also be held for over 12,000 alumni and other members of the Hwa Chong family.
The public can contact the Hwa Chong Alumni Association after the book's launch to purchase a physical copy, which will cost $60. Sales proceeds will go to the school fund.
The 2.5kg book comes bundled with a collection of the school's badges of various designs through the years. About 1,000 out of 4,500 copies in the initial print run have already been bought by alumni.
Mr Lee said some copies of the book will also be donated to libraries here, and more copies will be printed if there is interest.
The editorial team also plans to launch a free e-book version on the alumni association's website by the end of the year, Mr Lee added.
By Rei Kurohi, The Straits Times, 11 Mar 2019
To be exact, Mr Ong and four classmates at the then Chinese High School (CHS) in the 1950s were referred to as the "Five Musketeers" for standing up to left-wing students and refusing to support their communist cause.
While the quintet would openly defy left-wing students by not taking part in the boycotts or strikes, they would, however, occasionally join in for "good" causes such as helping the victims of floods and fires.
"However, we never supported their communist cause even though we were also anti-British, anti-colonialism, and pro-independence.
"Also - and perhaps more importantly - because we often helped them with their homework, the left-wingers left us alone, and labelled us 'The Five Musketeers'," wrote Mr Ong in private memoirs about his childhood.
This story was revealed in the Hwa Chong Centennial Commemorative Book, which marks the 100th anniversary of Hwa Chong Institution - the product of the 2005 merger of CHS and Hwa Chong Junior College.
Mr Ong Tze Guan, 53, the elder of the former president's two sons, had contributed excerpts from memoirs written by the former president and left behind after his death.
Mr Ong served as Singapore's first elected president from 1993 to 1999 and died aged 66 in 2002.
Mr Ong Tze Guan, who is the chief executive of Singapore-based firm Glowtec Bio, wrote in the submission: "My father's years in CHS were formative ones that had a profound influence on his development.
"The rich and diverse experiences he had in the school helped to shape his world view and mould him as a person of great character."
At a press briefing yesterday, the editorial committee behind the book said the 644-page book containing over 540,000 words is the school's most comprehensive effort to date. It documents the school's history from before World War II to today through the eyes of its alumni, former teachers and principals, and members of the school's board of directors.
Other notable names among the contributors include Singapore Management University School of Law dean Goh Yihan, and the National University of Singapore's provost and senior deputy president, Professor Ho Teck Hua.
The book's 170 submissions by some 200 authors took two years to compile and edit, said Mr Robson Lee, chairman of the school's board of directors.
Besides photographs and personal stories, the book features profiles of notable alumni, accounts of the school's co-curricular activities such as the Chinese drama club, poetry and prose pieces and the authors' aspirations for Hwa Chong's future.
The submissions are mostly in Chinese, but a handful, such as Mr Ong Tze Guan's, are in English.
The book will be available on March 21, the school's Founder's Day, when a celebratory gala dinner will also be held for over 12,000 alumni and other members of the Hwa Chong family.
The public can contact the Hwa Chong Alumni Association after the book's launch to purchase a physical copy, which will cost $60. Sales proceeds will go to the school fund.
The 2.5kg book comes bundled with a collection of the school's badges of various designs through the years. About 1,000 out of 4,500 copies in the initial print run have already been bought by alumni.
Mr Lee said some copies of the book will also be donated to libraries here, and more copies will be printed if there is interest.
The editorial team also plans to launch a free e-book version on the alumni association's website by the end of the year, Mr Lee added.
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