STATEMENT FROM MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

WE refer to Why Am I Not Top Boy? Eurasian? Caucasian? It's A Mystery by Liew Hanqing (TNP, 25 Nov).

We would first like to extend our congratulations to Samuel Wittberger on his excellent performance at the 2008 PSLE.

His achievement is testament to his hard work and dedication, and we hope that he will be spurred on by this success to similarly excel in all his future endeavours.

We would like to clarify that Samuel was not identified as the top Eurasian student for the 2008 PSLE as his race in our records is Caucasian and not Eurasian.

These records are created when a child begins Primary One education.

Information such as the child's name, citizenship, race and place of birth are verified by the child's parent or guardian before they are formally recorded by the Ministry of Education (MOE).

If parents wish to change the recorded race of their child, they can apply to do so anytime through the child's school or the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority.

More significantly, Samuel's race does not detract from his accomplishments and achievements.

We would like to wish him all the best as he moves on to secondary school.

This article was first published in The New Paper on 27 Nov 2008.