ITE graduate Marcus Chia dreams of going to university some day to study nursing and join the United Nations in disaster relief work.

He is one step closer to his dream, having finished his first year at Ngee Ann Polytechnic for a diploma in nursing.

The 21-year-old represents how Singapore has been able to uplift those who are less academically able through the Institute of Technical Education (ITE).

Making this observation yesterday, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said: 'It's one of the success stories of Singapore to be able to uplift the academically less advantaged 25 per cent and use their other skills - hands-on skills and ability to improvise - to give them that added value.'

MM Lee, making his first visit to an ITE campus, noted that the hallmark of a good education system is one that takes into account the fact that not everyone can take the usual academic route.

'What a good educational system has to do is to find out quickly what is it they are good at, maximise it and find a way in which in today's modern IT economy, they would be able to make a contribution to society and make a good living.'

Singapore's move to provide a flexible education system began in earnest in the late 1980s, when it had more resources to cater to people who did not fit into the mainstream school system, said Mr Lee.

Today, Singapore has a Sports School, Arts School and NUS High School of Mathematics and Science.

Universities and polytechnics, too, offer different specialities and modes of teaching.

The result is a national education system that is 'more variegated' and 'sensitive' to the different strengths of students.

The Minister Mentor made these points after a two-hour tour of ITE College East in Simei, the first mega-campus to be built in 2005.

Details of a second mega-campus to be built in Choa Chu Kang in 2010 were unveiled on Monday, while a third in Ang Mo Kio is planned for 2012.

Mr Lee's first stop in his tour was the Experience ITE Centre, where secondary school students are given hands-on assignments to get a taste of learning ITE-style.

Students also gave a presentation of their projects in automation technology, such as using SMS to control lights in a house.

He also sat in on a class for trainee nurses who were practising on high-tech humanoids that blink, breathe and behave according to the medicine administered.

During the tour, he quizzed students on subjects such as the schools they had studied in, the distance they had to travel to their ITE campus and their plans for the future.

Later, speaking to a group of students and ITE staff, Mr Lee recalled Singapore's longstanding policy of making English the first language and stressed the importance of being able to read and write in English.

He also told reporters the ITE had done a good job, producing a number of graduates who have become successful entrepreneurs and businessmen.

'It shows that there are many paths to success - and never give up,' he said.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Feb 22, 2008.