Stay focused and committed to S’pore’s future: Chan Chun Sing to pre-university students

SINGAPORE – Nearly every hand in the 550-strong student audience shot up in response to the minister’s question.

Education Minister Chan Chun Sing had asked the participants at the Pre-University Seminar 2023: “How many of you today think that we will be celebrating SG100 on 9 August 2065?”.

But in response to their confidence, he reminded them that Singapore had been under the leadership of other nations before it gained independence in 1965. As a young nation, how could it ensure its sovereignty for future generations?

Mr Chan told his teenage audience, who came from 30 pre-university institutions, that it is important for young people in Singapore to anticipate future challenges and work together with leaders to overcome them.

An annual event, the Pre-University Seminar this year was held at the Lee Kong Chian Lecture Theatre at the Nanyang Technological University.

Co-organised by the Ministry of Education and Jurong Pioneer Junior College, the four-day seminar invites participants to imagine new possibilities for Singapore in the next two decades before it turns 75 in 2040.

They will discuss ways in which they can actively lay the foundations for the future they envision for Singapore under three sub-themes – Living Together, Innovating Together, and Thriving Together.

They are also to develop an understanding of the complexities of issues such as the Singapore identity, as well as the future of work and education.

In his opening address on Monday, Mr Chan engaged his audience through dialogue and questions.

Using Mentimeter, an interactive presentation software, to encourage live participation, Mr Chan asked the audience to use one word to identify a driving force of change that will shape Singapore from now until 2040.

When the responses were displayed as a word cloud, certain ideas such as international relations, technology and information took precedence over others.

Mr Chan asked the participants to consider if these presented challenges or opportunities with regard to Singapore’s future.

He also discussed the future of the global economy, society, and climate change and sustainability.

With the erosion of rules-based institutions and order as a result, for instance, of the current Russia-Ukraine conflict, Mr Chan asked students to ponder what it would be like if this situation persisted for the next 50 years.

Mr Chan encouraged participants to invest in Singapore’s future and emphasised the importance of staying focused on Singapore’s challenges and being committed to overcoming them.

To do so, Singaporeans must be able to lead and act collectively to meet the different needs and aspirations of the future.

“Your generation will need to find the right leaders to take the country forward,” said Mr Chan as he called on participants to be agents of change and stay rooted to Singapore.

One participant, Swaroop Kannan, 17, a first-year junior college student from Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), said that Mr Chan’s address further steeled his resolve to think of solutions to mitigate the impacts of technology on societal cohesion.

“We have seen the way technology has caused change in a bad way. But I’m sure that technology can be used as a catalyst for change in a positive way,” added Swaroop, who said he understood that Singapore’s success is not guaranteed.

Ms Eliana Khong Woon Yan, 19, a second-year junior college student from Jurong Pioneer Junior College, said she was one of those who immediately raised their hands when Mr Chan asked if Singapore would be celebrating SG 100.

She said his address reminded her that nothing should be taken for granted.

She and other students in her team will be exploring the future of Singapore’s community ties.

She added: “I think it’s very important for us to try to encourage more cohesiveness among the people in the community. We do need support from one another in order to get through this hard time and for us to build on a better future for all of us.”