Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing's Speech at the National Camp 2024

1.Good morning to all of you, and welcome to the National Camp.

2.It's a unique opportunity for you to get to know one another, make friends across the different schools and different Uniformed Groups (UG). I was once in a Uniformed Group, Scouts.

3.Today, let me tell you three stories of what I've learnt during my days in Scouts, and I hope you would have your own stories to tell in time to come.

4.First, we must learn to take care of our fellow men. By looking out for one another, we ensure the success of our mission. I learnt this lesson during my time in Scouts when I was in Secondary School.

1. I initially had no intention of joining the Scouts. Coming from a humble background, I resisted joining the Scouts to avoid unnecessary expenses. Fate, however, had other plans. My friends invited me to join them for the first activity, a run around East Coast Park. The second activity, however, was a culture shock to me. We had gone to MacRitchie for a cross-country run, covering a distance of about 10-12km. During that time, there were no park connectors, so our seniors relied on a map and our own resources to complete the run. What struck me the most was the absence of a teacher in charge. The seniors organised the activity, and the juniors went along.
2. This experience taught me a valuable lesson - the responsibility to care for one another lies with us. Seniors must look out for juniors, and in turn, juniors will care for future juniors. We cannot depend solely on others to take care of all the safety, logistics and administration for us. In the UG, you learn as part of your leadership, as part of your service, to take care of one another.
3. This principle remains true in your career later. Taking care of those around you is essential for the success of the mission. If you focus solely on the mission and neglect the people around you, your progress will be limited. So, take care of the people around you, and together you will take care of the mission. If you can do that, one day you will take care of Singapore and Singaporeans.

5.The second story is about my time in Scouts, specifically the Venture Obstacle Course. It is a series of exercises and puzzles akin to the situation awareness test in the military, designed to challenge participants to overcome various scenarios. Often, there were no clear solutions, and at times, there might not have been a solution at all. It was very good training. People with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and abilities, worked together to find solutions to the challenges presented by their seniors.

1. In life, we must all learn to appreciate the diversity of ideas. It's important not to believe that one person has all the ideas or the best idea to solve all problems. Just as in the obstacle courses, different challenges bring forth different perspectives. By carefully listening and combining these perspectives, we can always arrive at a better solution.
2. The key to overcoming challenges of any kind is to listen to one another, appreciate diversity, and respect differences. This is the second lesson - to embrace diversity, respect differences, and work together to overcome challenges, whether in life, in school, or beyond.

6.The last lesson is that even the best-laid plans may not be executed as envisaged.

1. In the military, it is said that the plan is good until the first bullet comes your way. At that point, adjustments must be made, and one must learn to evolve and adapt. That is something that I hope all of you will embrace.
2. Life is full of uncertainties and untidiness. Never fail to plan, because if you fail to plan, you will plan to fail. But having planned, don't fall in love with the plan, but always remember this saying - the plan is but a basis for change.
3. When circumstances change, we must change, and we must evolve. This applies to overcoming challenges in school and in life. When faced with change, it's important not to complain or question why the world is not going according to plan. The world rarely goes according to plan, but it can become a better place if we learn to adapt.
4. This is where your UG training comes in. Your time in UG exposes you to various scenarios and experiences, providing diverse data points. When unexpected events occur in the future, you will have a wealth of data points to inform your new solutions.
5. In life, the winner is not the strongest or fastest. In life, the winner will always be the one who can evolve the fastest and pick themselves up when they are down.

7.In conclusion, these are the three lessons in life that I've learnt from my time in UG. First, learn to take care of your fellow men and women. Secondly, respect and appreciate diversity, and see things from different perspectives. Thirdly, as the Scouts say, always be prepared. Life will present many challenges, but you have the agency and ability to overcome them. Never lament life's uncertainties or untidiness. We can all overcome them, and our job is to equip you with the skillset to evolve faster. Only then will we continue to grow, strength to strength. In time, when you take over the leadership of this country, you will lead our people and our country forward.

8.On that note, I wish you all the best for the camp. Make lots of friends, learn from each other, learn to appreciate the diversity, take care of one another and together, be bold and courageous to face the future

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