Education Minister Heng attributes Royston Tan's success to having right education

SINGAPORE - Education Minister Heng Swee Kiat highlighted the success and passion of film-maker Royston Tan in his FaceBook post and attributed it to a broad and deep foundation for lifelong learning, which is the aim of Singapore's education system.

Mr Heng said Royston Tan might not have found his passion for filmmaking if not for a video he made for his Art O-Levels while his principal had the 'breadth' in personally coached him and even went to school on the weekends to teach him film-editing.

chenj@sph.com.sg

Here is Minister Heng's Facebook post:

The aim of our education system is to provide a BROAD and DEEP foundation for a LIFELONG journey of life and learning. What does BROAD mean? Think of the story of Royston Tan, whom many of us know today as a filmmaker.

Did you know he might never have found his passion for filmmaking if not for a video he made for his Art O-Levels at Zhonghua Secondary?

His principal Mrs Ng-Gan Lay Choo personally coached him and even went to school on the weekends to teach him film-editing. That's how his love for film got sparked. He went on to study visual communications at Temasek Polytechnic, and to make thought-provoking works that have made a connection with many people.

How could Mrs Ng-Gan have known this would happen? She probably did not!

But she embodied BREADTH in recognising the talent Royston had in an unconventional area, and in embracing it. That is what a BROAD education does - it provides opportunities for every child.

We never know what we can trigger in a child when we believe in him. Let's work together to build an education system that lets every child trust that we believe in him, and know that he is worth believing in.