13 students receive Lim Kim San Memorial Scholarship

SINGAPORE - When Mr Raulinder Singh was 17, his father died of a sudden heart attack. It was about 1½ months before his second attempt at the O-level examinations.

His father’s death motivated the student, who was then more engrossed in video games than his schoolwork, to work harder and to also try to fill the void left by his father, “the glue of the family”.

Mr Singh, now 28, said this drive spurred him through his polytechnic studies and ultimately led him to be awarded the Lim Kim San Memorial Scholarship on Aug 7 at a ceremony held at SPH Media.

The final-year history student at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) was among 13 recipients, out of 60 applicants. 

The scholarship, funded by SPH Foundation, provides financial aid to exemplary students from modest family backgrounds. Now in its 20th year,

the bond-free annual award has supported more than 190 recipients since its inception

. Recipients have their tuition fees fully covered and are given a $3,000 allowance per year. They may also take up internship opportunities at SPH Media if they are keen.

The scholarship will relieve Mr Singh’s worries about funding his university tuition fees. He was unable to secure a bank loan, as he could not find a suitable guarantor, and had to rely on his sister’s Central Provident Fund monies.

To support himself and his 68-year-old mother, Mr Singh worked throughout university, though it was at times hard to juggle his school work with his two part-time jobs. Thankfully, his lecturers were understanding and provided extensions on his assignments when needed, he said.

Apart from the financial help, Mr Singh is also excited about the opportunities the scholarship brings.

“Although I am still deciding on what to do in the future, I am glad that the scholarship allows me to explore an internship with SPH, and potentially open up new doors that I did not even know existed,” he said.

NTU final-year student Charlotte Seah, 24, who received the scholarship in 2023, was at the award ceremony, working as an internal communications intern with SPH Media. The linguistics and multilingual studies undergraduate will complete her 13-week internship in August.

She said the role has allowed her to try many different things, including writing an internal series of articles featuring employees who had won awards or achieved outstanding results. “This particular project made me feel like I was doing a journalism side quest.”

One criterion for the scholarship is a monthly household income of $5,000 or less. Recipients must have stellar academic performances and pursue either language, linguistics or humanities in a local university.

The scholarship was established in 2006 in honour of the late Mr Lim Kim San, a former Cabinet minister and former chairman of the then Singapore Press Holdings.

It aims to continue Mr Lim’s legacy of fostering education and leadership among young people. To reflect his belief in contributing back to society, scholarship holders are encouraged to engage in community service.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Mr Patrick Daniel, chair of the scholarship selection committee and board director of SPH Foundation, said: “This scholarship is grounded in one, and only one, belief – that those who’ve been uplifted will, in turn, uplift others.

“Like Mr Lim Kim San, who gave so much without fanfare, we hope our new cohort will use your talents and serve others, especially those in need.”

Another awardee this year was NTU linguistics and multilingual studies undergraduate Janella Ching Si Hui, 21, who is passionate about language and hopes to intern with SPH Media as a journalist. She wants to effect positive changes through her work, and to inform people about things that matter. 

Ms Ching is a regular volunteer with Boon Lay Youth Network’s kidsRead programme, where she helps children from lower-income families improve their literacy through storytelling and crafts. She said she enjoys the volunteer work as it takes place in her neighbourhood, Boon Lay.

“Knowing that these kids are growing up in the same place as me, and being able to teach them how to read and instil good habits in them makes me feel that I am making a difference in their lives,” she said.