Singapore Government Media Release

Media Division, Ministry of Information and The Arts,

140 Hill Street #02-02 MITA Building, Singapore 179369.

Tel: 837 9666

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ENGLISH TEXT OF PRIME MINISTER’S NATIONAL DAY RALLY 2000 SPEECH IN MALAY

 

The Knowledge Revolution is upon us.

  1. It will throw up winners and losers. To be winners, we must shift gear to become a Knowledge-based Economy or KBE. We must try to be winners, both as a country and as individuals.

  2. As a country, we have to go beyond our present industries. Besides improving on what we now do, we shall focus on new growth areas like e-commerce, life sciences and financial services.

  3. Unfortunately, as we upgrade our economy, some people who cannot or do not retrain themselves may lose their jobs. This is the phenomenon of structural unemployment. Many developed countries are suffering from this. Their retrenched workers do not have a sound education, and hence, have difficulties fitting into the new jobs created in new industries.

  4. We must prevent our children from ever meeting such a fate when they grow up. They must study useful subjects. They must do well in them and go on to learn lifelong employable skills.

  5. The Malay MPs and I are most concerned that many Malay Singaporeans still do not fully realise the impact of the Knowledge Revolution on their children’s future. They do not fully appreciate the need for their children to have some form of post-secondary education in the KBE.

  6. Not as many Malay students as we would wish are proceeding to post-secondary education. This is most unfortunate because the higher their educational level, the brighter their future.

  7. In 1990, the year I became Prime Minister, only 36% of the Malay Primary One cohort were admitted to post-secondary institutions. By last year, this figure had more than doubled to 77%! The community has made tremendous progress. You can be proud of this.

  8. But I want you to do even better.

  9. For this decade, I want the Malay community to make another big effort to get more of their children to go beyond basic secondary education.

  10. Though the 77% figure is good, the equivalent national figure is 89%. I would like to see, by 2010, 90% of Malay Primary One students go on to pre-university classes, polytechnics or institutes of technical education.

  11. This is a big challenge. We must have the resolve to lift up the bottom 23% of Malay students to go beyond secondary education.

  12. We can make it if we do all we can to help our children. Parents should seek advice and assistance if necessary. The Government, Malay MPs and community leaders will help you and your children to achieve this goal. I am confident you can do it.

  13. Let us give our children a strong educational foundation. Let us help them to become winners in the KBE.

  14. Thank you.

 

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