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MM Lee: Meritocratic schools drive Singapore

Joy Fang | my paper | Thu Jan 13 2011

Mr Lee was speaking at RI's Gryphon Award Gala Dinner, where he was presented with the inaugural Gryphon Award.

MM Lee: Meritocratic schools drive Singapore

SINGAPORE must preserve meritocratic government schools to keep up the standards of schools and universities here, and enable the brightest and the best to rise to the top, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew stressed last night.

Such schools "are the drivers of Singapore's advancement", he said.

Mr Lee was speaking at the Raffles Institution (RI) Gryphon Award Gala Dinner held at the Ritz-Carlton Millenia hotel, where he was presented with the inaugural Gryphon Award.

Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, Transport Minister Raymond Lim, billionaire investor Peter Lim and St James Holdings chief executive Dennis Foo were among the 800 who attended the dinner.

The award, named after the mythical half-eagle, half-lion creature that adorns the school's crest, seeks to honour the most outstanding and distinguished Rafflesians who embody the school's ethos by contributing to society or exhibiting leadership and social responsibility.

Raising RI as a fine example of a meritocracy-based school, Mr Lee said he was "fortunate" to be a product of the school's system, which emphasises merit and accepts students regardless of their wealth, race or religion.

Mr Lee, who attended RI from 1936 to 1940 before going to Raffles College and the University of Cambridge, called those his "formative years".

Click on thumbnails to view media.

RI, he said, is very different compared to some schools in Singapore, "which give preferential treatment in admitting children of alumni or students from wealthy families who can afford their high school fees".

"These schools create a different kind of social network later on in life. Their alumni support one another because they come from the upper strata of our society," he added.

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Keywords: MM Lee , award , Gryphon , meritocracy , Raffles Institution

Readers' Comments

A cleaner here takes home SGD 400. Works very hard for the boss(local).
Can't pay her more bcos if that happens Many Many Many Civil Serv. will quit their jobs and do cleaners. Then there will be many many many well educated civil-S are cleanerS! stress stress!

Posted by moneySGalive on Sat, 22 Jan 2011 at 09:44 AM

The donation of $20K from MM Lee is a pittance compared to his annual MM income. Not even 1%.

Posted by seabees76 on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 at 07:31 AM

Singapore has always taken great pride in having a multi-cultural , multi-racial population, free to enjoy their religion and their cultures.
So whose imbecilic idea was it to stop age-old Thaipusam religious observances that have always been a fabric of the Indian culture?
Do you think anyone asked MM his opinion before suggesting this ruling.
I believe not. He would be livid.
But dont ask the ST.
They see no ball.

Posted by allnonsenseatst on Sat, 15 Jan 2011 at 01:37 AM

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