Individuals can succeed despite family background: PM
January 13, 2014 Leave a comment
Individuals can succeed despite family background: PM
SINGAPORE — At 11, Ong Yong Jie understands that money is tight at home and has set his mind to work hard in school so he can provide for his family when he grows up.
BY AMANDA LEE –
5 HOURS 19 MIN AGO
SINGAPORE — At 11, Ong Yong Jie understands that money is tight at home and has set his mind to work hard in school so he can provide for his family when he grows up. He makes use of the free time before his co-curricular activities — Art and Taekwondo — to eat a quick meal and do his homework “so I can save time when I reach home and do all my necessary things such as revising homework”. His efforts have paid off. Last year, he won a bronze medal in the National Mathematical Olympiad of Singapore and a silver medal in the National Taekwondo Poomsae Championships.Yesterday, Yong Jie, who is in the top 10 per cent of his cohort, was one of the 914 recipients of the Teck Ghee Edusave Merit Bursary awards. The Townsville Primary student received three awards: The Edusave Scholarship award, Good Character award and Book Prize award.
Commending Yong Jie, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is Member of Parliament for Ang Mo Kio GRC and was Guest-of-Honour for the ceremony, said he is an example of how one can succeed, regardless of family background, as long as the person works hard.
The Government will help those who make the effort to do well, he added. “Regardless of your family background, doesn’t matter whether you’re rich or poor, where you live, who your parents are, what race you may be, as long as you make the effort and try to do well, we will help you to do well.” Mr Lee noted that the Government is rolling out measures to create a better future for Singaporeans, especially for young people so they can realise their dreams.
Mr Lee stressed Singapore cannot be a society where the winner takes all. Highlighting that one’s success is also due to the help given by others, Mr Lee said: “You owe a responsibility to them to help them, to care for them and to work together to give back to society, so we can progress together.”
Mr Lee cited two other inspiring students Edusave Scholarship and Good Character awards recipient Dinesh Ganesan, 13, started volunteering at Primary 4 — he would offer to take care of the children when kindergartens held events at his school — while Edusave Scholarship award recipient Soh Jing Zhi, 16, organised a spring cleaning of his school after a learning trip to Japan last year. “(The Japanese students) took it upon themselves to make sure their environment is clean … I thought it was a good idea so I brought the practice back to my school,” said Jing Zhi.
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