29 November 2006 - Speech By Mr Leong Keng Thai, Deputy Chief Executive / Director-General (Telecoms), Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore At Infocomm Club 1st Anniversary, Hwa Chong Institution Auditorium.
Speech By Mr Leong Keng Thai, Deputy Chief Executive / Director-General (Telecoms), Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore At Infocomm Club 1st Anniversary on 29 November 2006, Hwa Chong Institution Auditorium.
Mr Hon Chiew Weng, Deputy CEO and Principal, Hwa Chong Institution (High School Section),
Teachers,
Infocomm Club Students,
Ladies and gentlemen,
A very good morning.
Introduction
1. I am pleased and excited to be here today for the Infocomm Clubs' 1st Anniversary Celebration. In just over one year, the Infocomm Clubs have put in a sterling performance many of us can be proud of. In the last two days, over 200 Infocomm Club members were engaged in different activities, expanding your knowledge of infocomm and the possibilities it can bring to better our lives. From interactive dialogue sessions with leading infocomm professionals, field trips to infocomm companies or from just the exchange of ideas with your fellow club members - it looks like many of you had a good time!
Our Achievements in the Last One Year for the Infocomm Club Programme
2. As the Infocomm Clubs were only launched early this year, many of you can be proud that you are the pioneers of this programme. Through the Infocomm Clubs, we want you to find out how exciting infocomm can be. We hope that you will one day make infocomm your career of choice.
3. I am very happy to bring some good news on this first birthday celebration. Infocomm Clubs is beginning to emerge as a CCA of choice among students. Today, there are 81 schools offering infocomm clubs with a total of 3,500 members. We are way ahead of the targets set and I am confident that these numbers will grow to reach our final target of 150 infocomm clubs and 7,500 members before March 2008.
Infocomm Clubs Making Waves
4. The 3-Day bash is a fitting finale to this high-achieving year for the Infocomm Clubs. Indeed, there are many talented individuals amongst you today who perhaps will go on to be future infocomm leaders in Singapore. For a start, I would like to highlight a few outstanding achievements made by Infocomm Club members this year. Raffles Institution won the highest ranked Platinum award at the International Cyberfair 2006. The team built a website titled "Living Singapore - Our lives, dreams, hopes." Using fictional diaries of three Singaporeans, one young, one middle-aged and one elderly, the website featured many aspects of Singapore which included our transport system, media and education. As it was an international competition, students all over the world could read about Singapore's way of life.
5. The Infocomm Club at Punggol Secondary School also did well. They used Podcasting to capture events in school using Mandarin. In doing so, other fellow students could download the clips and appreciate Mandarin better in a more interesting way. Not to be outdone by more senior students, Bedok Green Primary's Infocomm Club created videos on anti-littering to educate their fellow classmates on civic consciousness and environmental issues. These are all great examples of the potential of infocomm clubs and talents that are present in our student population.
6. These are but just a few of the projects created by Infocomm Club members. There are more projects displayed at the exhibition and I am looking forward to viewing them later. I am very proud of you all.
7. The months ahead are going to be more exciting for the Infocomm Clubs. On 11 December this year, a new Infocomm Clubhouse, called iSpace, at the Science Centre will be ready for Infocomm Club members' use. There will be competitions organised, talks by renowned infocomm experts or you can just have fun interacting with your fellow club members at iSpace. You may have an opportunity to showcase your work there as well. So students, please make full use of this facility to enhance your experience and fun as Infocomm Club members.
8. For some of you today, you will be receiving your appointment as Infocomm Club Ambassadors. Handpicked from 11 schools, these ambassadors will be the voice of the students. They will also be our eyes and ears, and will help us make the activities at infocomm clubs all the more interesting and fun for all of you.
Recognising the Best in the Infocomm Clubs
9. Finally, I am pleased to announce that we will be organising an Infocomm Club Awards next year. The objective is to recognise Infocomm Clubs that have done exceptionally well in harnessing infocomm to benefit the economy or society. We hope to encourage new ideas and innovation in the application of infocomm and to spur students to excel in their contribution to the clubs.
10. We are still planning out the details and more information will be released in March next year. I wanted to share this idea with you early so that you can start preparing and know that more exciting things are coming your way. I encourage all of you to power up and continue to help take Infocomm Clubs to an even higher success.
Infocomm as a Career Choice
11. It is talent like you, who will help Singapore use Infocomm to transform our economy, society and communications landscape. Infocomm is a key enabler that empowers and enriches how we live, learn, work and play. As we can see from the many projects mentioned, infocomm has become very much a part of our lifestyle. It allows us to break down traditional barriers like distance and time, and provides us with new opportunities to define the future. Dedicating your talent in infocomm in contribution to our economy and society can be a very enriching experience. Later on, you will hear from one such person, Mr Stephen Yeo, who will share his experience on his infocomm journey with us.
12. It is the passion and dedication of infocomm professionals like Stephen that the outlook for the infocomm industry continues to be bright. With a vibrant infocomm sector, a talented Infocomm manpower pool is key to Singapore's continued economic success in a world that is increasingly digital and connected. Singapore-based infocomm enterprises must continue to move towards higher value-added infocomm activities and create intellectual property that is "Made in or Made by Singapore".
13. I would like to thank all of you who have been behind the great work in pioneering the success of Infocomm Clubs. These are our principals, teachers, students and industry partners. I am particularly happy to note that we have now some 13 industry partners with us and their partnership and contribution in Infocomm Clubs are vital to the Clubs' vibrancy and relevance. May I also thank Hwa Chong Institution, who has been a most gracious host for the three-day Infocomm Club bash. All of you have made this celebration exciting and rewarding.
14. Thank you.
.webp)