Character counts as much as grades, Desmond Lee tells students

SINGAPORE – Doing well in school is important, but lessons from Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) and daily life are just as – if not more – valuable, Minister for Education Desmond Lee told a class of Secondary 3 students on July 18.

“Doing well in life means knowing how to empathise... knowing what’s appropriate to say at the right time, how to pull a team together, how to face difficult situations, and having the resilience to adapt and rise again,” he said after observing a CCE lesson at Mayflower Secondary School in Ang Mo Kio.

Mr Lee, together with Senior Minister of State for Education David Neo, attended the CCE lesson in the lead-up to Racial Harmony Day on July 21.

They were joined by Senior Minister of State for Education Janil Puthucheary and Minister of State for Education Jasmin Lau in their first school visit together as political office-holders for the Ministry of Education, following their appointments in May.

During the lesson, Mr Lee and Mr Neo joined students in groups of five to six, where they discussed scenarios involving cross-cultural interactions – such as interracial relationships – and explored how individuals can navigate these situations with empathy and respect.

After sharing initial impressions, each group reflected on ways they could strengthen social cohesion and presented their insights to the class.

Addressing the students, Mr Lee said the strength of Singapore’s education system lies in balancing academic achievement with personal growth.

“I’m sure many of you will do well in the future by not just focusing on your studies, but also placing equal emphasis on growing yourselves as individuals and as a community,” he said.

During the school visit, Mr Lee, Mr Neo, Dr Janil and Ms Lau visited student-run booths showcasing traditional snacks from various ethnic communities and played games such as capteh, congkak and five stones.

Dr Janil and Ms Lau also observed a lower secondary lesson in which students learnt ways to have respectful conversations that will help them better understand other communities.

Fifteen-year-old Danish Khusairy’s key takeaway from the lesson was the importance of accepting each other despite differences.

Multiculturalism is a key part of Singapore’s national identity, he said.

“We should continue to explore different cultures,” he said. “It’s good to have a curious mind, and you should get to know people of other races before making assumptions.”

Danish added that he hopes more young people will go beyond just learning English and their mother tongue, and pick up other languages as a way to connect with others across cultures.