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GOOD CAUSE: MrS. Dhanabalan and his wife chatting with Mrs Howe (right) after the launch of the fund yesterday. -- ST PHOTO: EDWIN KOO
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MR HOWE Yoon Chong, a former minister and corporate titan who died last year, did not fuss over the academic scores of new hires, preferring gumption over grades.
Yesterday, that philosophy was enshrined in a new bond-free scholarship aimed at giving average students from poor families a shot at higher education.
PSA International, Singapore's port authority, and Temasek Holdings donated $15 million to start the Howe Yoon Chong Endowment Fund to support the scholarships. About 30 to 40 will be awarded each year.
The chairman of Temasek, MrS.Dhanabalan, said: 'Outstanding students from poor families have no problems getting scholarships.
'But we want to target students who don't do so well but still do well enough to get a place in institutions of higher education. With the help of our endowment fund, they can pursue their dreams.'
Mr Dhanabalan described Mr Howe, who died last August at the age of 84, as a boss who valued people with 'integrity' who could 'get things done', not just academic high-fliers.
Mr Howe is perhaps best remembered by Singaporeans as the man behind the controversial proposal in 1984 to raise the Central Provident Fund withdrawal age. That suggestion was dropped after a public uproar.
A former Cabinet minister who helmed the health and defence ministries, he was also known as a visionary who was unafraid to defy conventional views, Mr Dhanabalan said.
For example, in the early 1970s, Mr Howe went against experts who recommended the construction of a second runway at Paya Lebar Airport to meet Singapore's expanding air-traffic needs. Instead, he pushed for a new airport in Changi.
As chairman of the then-Port of Singapore Authority from 1970 to 1979, Mr Howe built Singapore's first container terminal, again against the advice of experts who said Singapore did not need one, said Mr Dhanabalan.
He also played a key role in building Singapore's infrastructure, leading the Housing Board, civil service and DBS Bank.
The Howe Yoon Chong Endowment Fund will be managed by the Trailblazer Foundation, a charity founded by Temasek Holdings' chief executive Ho Ching. The scholarship will cover tuition and other fees to help students attend any full-time course offered by the universities, polytechnics or the Institute of Technical Education here.
theresat@sph.com.sg
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