MCYS SPEECH NO: 27/2008

DATE OF ISSUE: 15/05/2008

SPEECH BY MRS YU-FOO YEE SHOON,MINISTER OF STATE FOR

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS, AT ACCEPTANCE
SPEECH BY MRS YU-FOO YEE SHOON, MINISTER OF STATE FOR
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS AT THE PRE-
COMMENCEMENT DINNER, 15 MAY 2008, 6.00 PM AT AT WHEELOCK
COLLEGE, BOSTON, USA

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ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS
Pls note that the speech was delivered on 15 May 2008, 6pm (Boston Time).
Thank you!
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Senator John Kerry

Ms Kip Tiernan
President Jackie Jenkins-Scott
Members of the Wheelock College Board of Trustees
Graduands
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

A very good evening

Introduction
It is a great honour for me to be here to receive this Honorary Doctorate from
Wheelock College. It is also an honour for my country, as it recognizes our
national commitment to the development of children and families.

2 Singapore is a small and young nation. We gained independence only 43

years ago. We have a population of 4.6mil living on 270 sq miles on an island. I
believe you have about 4.4mil living in a 4,674 sq miles of land you call the
Greater Boston area.

Developing our Human Capital

3 But unlike Boston or the US as a whole, our only resource is our people.
How we nurture our children will ultimately determine the kind of adults, society
and nation we will have in the future. For this reason, our pro-child and pro-family
policies help us ensure that our children are nurtured to be the best that they can
be.

4 Research has shown a clear link between psycho-social characteristics

and achievements in the later years. This has spurred many Governments,
including Singapore, to support greater investment upstream in the early
childhood years. In Singapore, we spare no effort in our provision of early
childhood education, which we believe is fundamental to the social, psychological
and intellectual development of our children.

Improving Quality of Childcare

5 To ensure that every child has the opportunity to attend pre-school, my
Ministry work closely with the Ministry of Education in Singapore, and local
grassroot leaders to conduct door-to-door outreach. The outreach scheme has
achieved 97% attendance rate with children below the age of 7 years attending
either a kindergarten or a child care centre.

6 As research has shown that children tend to make better intellectual

progress in centres which have better qualified staff, both my Ministry and the
Ministry of Education announced new training requirements in March this year, to
raise the academic entry points of early childhood teachers as well as the
professional calibre of those teaching at pre-school levels.

7 A perfect public policy for families and children is however a moving target.
We need to continue research into the demands and challenges of families in
Singapore so that we can formulate policies which will address these challenges.
Towards this end, my Ministry is also overseeing the setting up of a Family
Research Network1[1], to spur research, build research capabilities and foster
collaboration on family related issues. It will foster closer relations between
government policy-makers and research professionals in academic and people
sectors.

Synergy with Collaboration

8 The early childhood profession in Singapore cannot work in isolation. As
we move forward to embrace new challenges, it becomes increasingly essential
to foster and facilitate a network of partnerships with other early childhood
institutions and experts both regionally and internationally.

9 In this regard, Wheelock College has played a critical part. Our

collaboration with Wheelock College started in the early 1980s when the early
childhood landscape in Singapore was being shaped. The close collaboration
and professional exchanges between Wheelock College and Singapore was very
much driven by the commitment and tireless efforts of one key person –
Professor Joan Bergstrom.

10 Professor Bergstrom has been a key resource person on matters relating

to early childhood care and education for my Ministry, which is the Ministry of

1[1] The Family Research Network is targeted to be setup in mid 2008. The
objective is to develop research capabilities and foster collaboration on issues
related to the family. The Family Research Nerwork will help create avibrant
market-place of ideas to better anticipate and address the challenges and
opportunities facing families.
Community Development, Youth & Sports. She was one of the two UNDP
consultants assisting my Ministry with our child care programme in the late
eighties and nineties. She also worked closely with the community and
commercial child care centres and those under the National Trade Union
Congress in Singapore. She helped set up our Regional Training and Resource
Centre. Professor Bergstrom, thank you for your many years of untiring support.

Conclusion
11 I would also like to thank President Jackie Jenkins-Scott for her vision and
leadership in helping Wheelock College embrace both a mission and a set of
values that uphold a long lasting commitment and dedication to all children and
their families. These are values we share dearly. Once again, thank you College,
for conferring me with this Honorary Doctorate. There is still much work to do in
the area of child-development in Singapore. In doing so, we look forward to
continuing our very fruitful collaboration with the College. Thank you.