Mr Lee Yi Shyan at the "Singapore Education Awards 2009"

SPEECH BY Mr Lee Yi Shyan minister of State for Trade and Industry AT THE “SINGAPORE EDUCATION AWARDS 2009” ON 19 MARCH 2009, 7:00PM ATJUBILEE HALL, RAFFLES HOTEL

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good evening.

1.It gives me great pleasure to join you this evening at the third Singapore Education Awards. We are gathered here to honor individuals and organizations which have contributed to the development of the Singapore education industry.

2.Singapore’s status as an education hub has grown considerably over the years. Last year, we hosted some 97,000 international students from 120 nationalities, an increase of close to 13 per cent from 86,000 in 2007. Compared to the student arrivals of 61,000 in 2003, when we first embarked on pro-actively marketing Singapore as an education hub, we have achieved a growth of over 50 per cent in just five years. The quantitative growth shows that Singapore is becoming a popular and preferred study destination for students from the region and beyond.

Singapore Quality Education

3.However, even more important than quantitative growth, is qualitative growth. In terms of raising the quality of education in Singapore, the journey to excellence is an unending one. Towards this end, we all must work together.

4.Our education providers must continue to invest in content development, pedagogy research and industry exchanges to enhance the total learning experience of the students. Our agencies: STB, SPRING Singapore and IE Singapore offer programmes in new capability development, staff training, facility upgrading and support for international collaboration and student exchange programs. Our Global Schoolhouse vision is a long-term undertaking. It requires our commitment and continual investments.

5.I am heartened that many of our education providers are proactive and progressive. Going forward, we can expect more collaborations in the industry. For instance, STB will ramp up its support for the Association of Private Schools and Colleges (APSC) to jointly augment the Singapore’s international reputation as a destination for quality education.

6.Recently, the Ministry of Education has announced its plans to introduce a new Private Education Bill to strengthen regulation of the private education sector. The Bill will provide for an enhanced mandatory registration tier to:

·raise the baseline standards of private education institutions (PEIs);

·introduce a voluntary quality assurance certification framework - EduTrust, for quality PEIs to differentiate themselves; and

·establish an independent Council for Private Education to oversee the new regulatory regime.

We are confident that these measures will further protect the interests of both local and international students. They underscore the industry’s commitment to make the Singapore educational experience a fruitful and enriching one.

7.Now, let me come back to the Singapore Education Awards. The organizer told me that this year, they received close to 2,000 or 50 per cent more nominations than they did in 2008.The healthy increase in the number shows that the Awards are well supported and appreciated by the industry. More importantly, it also reflects the desire amongst our industry partners to be the best in the sectors they represent.

8.Finally, I would like to congratulate all finalists and winners of this year’s Singapore Education Awards. Your outstanding efforts have elevated Singapore's standing as a quality education destination. I am confident that together, we will realize our vision of becoming a true Global Schoolhouse. Thank you.