Good character and strong leadership abilities are essential for
a person's future and nation's success, says Senior Minister Goh
Chok Tong.
Speaking at an Edusave Awards ceremony today (eds : 09/01), Mr Goh
urged students to also do well in their Co-curricular
Activities.
He said this is because good academic results alone are not enough
to excel in life.
Saifulbahri Ismail with more
:
Trustworthiness, reliability, integrity, compassion, courage and
loyalty.
According to Senior Minister Goh, these are the qualities which
should be developed in a person.
Mr Goh also said that a strong leader will have the courage to act
according to one's conviction and principles in the interest of the
people, society and country.
He added a good leader will have the ability to rally others to
follow :
"Leaders are not those who observe and exploit popular sentiment by
offering popular but short-sighted and flawed solutions in order to
be elected."
In addition, Mr Goh stressed the importance of character building
at home and in school.
For example, he says, when a student participates in team sports,
he's not just learning about winning and losing, but about playing
fair and doing so as a member of a team.
At home, parents should also pay attention to their children's
character development :
"They should spend time talking and listening to them,
understanding the problems they face, showing by example what are
the right values, and providing a moral compass to navigate through
life."
To help students develop good character and strong leadership
abilities, Mr Goh encouraged students to win the Edusave Awards for
Achievements, Good Leadership and Service or EAGLES.
This award recognises those who have done well in their
Co-curricular Activities.
At the Edusave Awards ceremony, Mr Goh presented scholarships and
bursaries to 153 students at the Marine Parade
area.
17-year old Clara Lee from CHIJ Katong Convent is a recipient of
the Edusave Merit Bursary award :
"I'm still very happy even though I've got it for many years. This
is definitely a motivation for me to excel better and I hope I can
get more of such awards even when I've
graduated.
A total of 57 students received the Merit Bursary award valued
between 150 and 300 dollars.
While another 96 received the Scholarship Award valued between 250
and 500 dollars.
--938Live