54 earn PSC scholarships, with some heading to varsities in countries other than US or UK

SINGAPORE – Mr Mohammed Aizam Abd Rahman wanted a career in the public service after serving as the president of Nanyang Polytechnic’s Community Service Club from 2021 to 2022.

He pioneered an initiative that connected seasoned veterans of the club to less experienced members to advise them on how to plan their own community service projects. This led to an uptick in virtual and hybrid events being launched by his fellow students.

On July 17, Mr Mohammed, 25, who graduated with a diploma in business management with a perfect GPA, was one of three polytechnic graduates among 54 recipients of the Public Service Commission (PSC) Scholarship.

He will begin his studies in liberal arts at Northwestern University in the US in September. “I want to study a mix of economics, social policy and communications. When I enter the public service, I can craft policies with empathy, perspective, and an understanding of the realities on the ground,” he said.

Before entering polytechnic, he studied for a Higher Nitec in service management at the Institute of Technical Education.

Presenting the awards at a ceremony at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre on July 17, Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing said: “To lead this country is not for the faint-hearted.” 

He added: “The mission of the public service is to build a thriving Singapore full of opportunities and hope. To build is to actively do something, not passively react to changes or wait for things to happen. To build is to create opportunities.”

Warning the scholarship recipients against growing complacent about Singapore’s success, he said what the previous generation of public officers achieved had to be followed by the new generation addressing problems that Singapore is currently facing, such as an ageing population and climate change.

The scholarship recipients come from a variety of junior colleges, Integrated Programme and International Baccalaureate schools, and polytechnics. Four are mid-term university students.  

Most will be studying in overseas universities, with 31 going to the US and Britain.

Upon completion of their undergraduate studies, scholarship recipients must serve a bond of four to six years

Speaking at the event, PSC chairman Lee Tzu Yang said he was pleased to see more recipients heading to study in destinations that are “not the norm for Singaporeans” – noting that three will go to Japan, three to France and two to Germany. 

He emphasised the importance of diverse educational experiences and international exposure for Singapore’s future public officers.

Of the 15 studying in local universities, he said: “If they go on to do master’s courses, we will insist these are undertaken internationally.”

He added: “It is important for our public service that we do not restrict our contacts to the familiar, tried and tested. Our talent must not fear new things, whether these be technology, ideas or people.”

As sustainability is an important area the public sector has to address, the PSC introduced a sustainability scholarship in 2023 to help Singapore cope with climate change, he added.

Four PSC Sustainability Scholarships were awarded in 2024, up from three when it was introduced in 2023.

Ms Judith Ko Wen Hui, one of the recipients of this scholarship, will begin her fourth year in environmental studies at the National University of Singapore in August.

The 22-year-old hopes to work in the National Climate Change Secretariat in the Prime Minister’s Office to help steer the country’s climate trajectory.

She said: “I see a lot of potential in regional power grids or international carbon credits in Singapore’s sustainability sector. These are areas that can positively impact Singaporeans as they contribute to economic resilience, which links closely to social development.”

Ms Ko, whose father is a doctor and mother an assistant professor, said she has always strived to improve social equity. In 2021, the Hwa Chong Institution alumna co-founded JCStarterpack, a non-profit educational organisation that provided free academic assistance to students in the form of A-level study notes collected from about 20 high-performing junior college students.

Mr Mohammed, whose mother is a laboratory assistant and his family’s sole breadwinner, said: “I did not expect to receive the scholarship. My family, my teachers and the community that I grew up in have shaped me into the person that I am today.

“So I think the PSC Scholarship represents a promise that I will do right by them.”