Saturday, March 20, 2010

巫顺昌 Moo Soon Chong

巫顺昌于1964年毕业于公教高中二。他于2010年3月16日逝世,享年63岁。生前是新加坡体育学校的首任校长。以下是联合早报3月19日报道李显龙总理(也是公教校友)对巫顺昌的评价。

我国需要更多像巫顺昌这样热心献身栽培新一代,而且又能成为莘莘学子楷模的教育家。  
- 李显龙总理

李显龙总理称赞已故的体育学校创校校长巫顺昌,是一位脚踏实地、献身服务的教育家。

他昨天在致给巫顺昌夫人黄瑞娥博士的唁文中,赞赏巫顺昌对华文教学的热忱。在1998年担任学校华文教学委员会委员时,就客观地理解了双语教育政策在日渐普遍讲英语环境中的挑战,协助委员会拟定好一些改善华文教学的建议,包括创设供华文程度较弱学生选修的“华文B”课程,以及建议南华中学成为第10所特选中学。

李总理也表扬巫顺昌协助创建新加坡体育学校,以及在担任该校第一任校长时所制订的正确办学方针。

他说,我国需要更多像巫顺昌这样热心献身栽培新一代,而且又能成为莘莘学子楷模的教育家。


李总理致给黄瑞娥博士唁文

敬爱的巫夫人,

巫顺昌先生逝世噩耗传来,我深感难过。

巫先生在教学专业服务了36年之久,不愧是一位资深教育家。他热爱体育,待师生谦逊随和,执教不倦。人们将永远怀念他。

初识巫先生是在1998年,那年他在我设立的学校华文教学委员会中担任委员。当时,他是圣公会中学的校长。我发觉他是一位献身服务而且脚踏实地的人。他客观理解我们双语教育政策在日渐普遍讲英语环境中的挑战,对华文教学充满热忱。他深知学生在学校该学习什么以及该采取哪一类措施协助学生更好地掌握华文。他的丰富经验和见解,协助委员会拟定出好些建议,包括创设供华文程度较弱学生选修“华文B”课程,以及建议南华中学成为第10所特选中学。

2002年,巫先生协助构想和策划我们全新的新加坡体育学校,并成为这个两年后开课的学校的校长。教育部和社会发展、青年及体育部特地邀请他担当这个重任,就是为了确保体校能够成功而且顺利开办。他在体校从无到有的建设过程中以及为该校制订正确办学方针方面,起着举足轻重的作用。2004年,我在巫先生的引领下参观了体校。他对体校引以为豪,无庸置疑的全体教职员和学生在他英明领导下也深深受到激励。这可从该校做到体育训练与学术教导方面保持平衡的情况,以及栽培出多名杰出运动员的事实中显现出来。

我国需要更多像巫先生这样热心献身栽培新一代而且又能成为莘莘学子楷模的教育家。

谨此致悼


李显龙

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Tan Chin Tiong 陈振忠

Old boy Tan Chin Tiong, who is the President of the Singapore Institute of Technology was in new recently, as reported by Today newspaper on 10 Mar 2010:

Although it is not officially the Republic's fifth university, Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) president Professor Tan Chin Tiong seems certain on the direction his six-month old organisation should take.

In an interview with MediaCorp, Prof Tan said that among SIT's long-term plans is "that we will evolve into a university".

"It will take a while (so) for a start, we will leverage on the foreign universities first ... When we have the capacity, our end point is that we want to offer dual degrees together with the foreign universities," said the 61-year-old, who is also one of the founding academic members of the Singapore Management University (SMU).

"But along the way, we will tweak the equations and get more dimensions to the template."

Things can be said to have progressed quickly since Prof Tan took the helm of the institute, which was formed last year to provide another route for polytechnic students to upgrade and obtain industry-relevant degrees.

Although these programmes were originally slated to start in 2011, SIT and the polytechnics here will launch its first programme for eight degrees in partnership with five overseas universities from August.

According to Prof Tan, SIT is able to start a year ahead of schedule as it has been able to tap on the strong relationships that the Ministry of Education and other ministries and agencies, such as the Economic Development Board, have with overseas educational institutions.

Schools partnering with SIT include Germany's University of Technology, Munich, for electrical engineering and information technology; and the United Kingdom's Newcastle University for naval architecture, offshore and marine engineering.

The DigiPen Institute of Technology and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas - both from the United States - will also team up with SIT to offer degrees in animation and game design and hotel administration, respectively.

Finally, the Culinary Institute of America will also offer a degree programme, although details are not available as yet.

Said Prof Tan: "The five overseas universities that we are partnering in our first wave of degree programmes have a presence in Singapore and are already offering their programmes here or have been receiving polytechnic graduates in their home campuses".

Not only are these partners familiar with the Singapore education system, they also "have confidence that it produces high quality polytechnic graduates who are able to articulate into their programmes", he added.

Education Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen told Parliament yesterday that not only will SIT's unique model bring together these renowned institutions here but "these leading partners will add value and recognition to our polytechnic diplomas as they provide advance standing".

Graduates will also be able to obtain to obtain degrees after two years instead of three to four, said Dr Ng, who is also the Second Minister for Defence.

The participating institutions have been chosen not only because they are leaders in their respective disciplines but also because SIT "wants to create degree opportunities not offered by the other schools. We play a role in offering diversity in the education space", said Prof Tan.

Ngee Ann Polytechnic's director of planning and projects office, Mr Peter Lam, described the new courses offered by SIT as "both affordable and very attractive".

Prof Tan said the challenge is to let polytechnic graduates know that "their route to the universities does not lie only with the National University of Singapore, the Nanyang Technological University or the Singapore Management University". (The fourth university - the Singapore University of Technology and Design - will be ready in 2011.)

Prince Peter Jacob, a 25-year-old who is pursuing a naval architecture degree at Newcastle University, said: "There is a high demand for qualified engineers, especially in the marine industry."