I am heartened to read that the amount of litter left by partygoers at the National Day celebrations this year has significantly decreased ("Far less litter left by NDP partygoers this year"; Aug 29).

While this is most certainly a good sign of progress in our move towards being a clean city, instead of a "cleaned" one, there is still room for improvement, as partygoers had to be reminded to bin their rubbish.

Social awareness is essential in the building of a more gracious society, and we should strive to make it an innate trait in every individual.

The Government and various stakeholders have put in a lot of effort to encourage Singaporeans to keep the country clean and green, such as encouraging patrons of food and beverage outlets to return their trays and getting students involved in cleaning their school.

These efforts are commendable but will not succeed without cooperation from the public.

Any campaign or activity must be done with active participation by parents to inculcate desirable social values in their children.

Only then will subsequent generations of Singaporeans instinctively clean up after themselves, without the need for reminders, thereby advancing our goal for Singapore to be truly clean.

Tan Jin Wen, 16,

Secondary 4 student

CALLING YOUNG READERS: If you are 21 or below and want to air your opinion on any report or letter in The Straits Times, e-mail your letter to stforum@sph.com.sg, with the header "Voices of Youth". Do include your age, educational level and contact details, and the headline of the report/letter you refer to.