Opening Remarks for Minister of Education, Mr Chan Chun Sing at WorldSkills Competition Lyon 2024 Sending-Off Ceremony at Nanyang Polytechnic Auditorium

1.Good morning, everyone.

2.Let me share with you a story. When I participate in competitions in the past, I used to remember this saying, from perhaps a national athlete.

3.He said something to this effect - "I don't aim to be a champion, but if I do the right things, and I do things right, being a champion is inevitable."

4.This saying has helped me remember that we shouldn't just be focusing solely on results. I hope in your journey, be it for this competition or other things in life, you will also remember this simple tip. Let's focus on what we can do right and let the results take care of us. The more we focus on the results, the more it will distract us.

5.Today, I have three wishes for you, and that is my first wish - to focus on surpassing yourself rather than surpassing others.

6.In Singapore, we are a very competitive society. But in life, it's more important to surpass ourselves by being better than who we were yesterday.

7.Now, the second thing that you can achieve in Lyon is for you to learn something beyond what you already know. When you go to Lyon, you will have the chance to see how their society is like, experience a different culture, and make friends. When you come back, share with me one thing that you have learnt in Lyon. When you are there, have a keen sense to observe what is around you and not focus only on the competition.

8.Wherever I bring my children overseas, we always play this game when commuting from the airport to the hotel. They will tell me three things that are similar to Singapore and three things that are different. This habit is perhaps one way to allow us to learn from people of different cultures, understand them and find more chances to work with people in the future. So go forth, explore beyond what you know, beyond the competition, and bring that back to Singapore. If everybody goes overseas and bring back one good idea to Singapore, then Singapore will be a better country in time.

9.And my third wish to you is I hope you will make lots of friends there. You are ambassadors of Singapore. You have the chance to wear the blazer with the Singapore flag. Be proud and let others know about our country. In time to come, maybe some of them could be our future partners. In Singapore, we always appreciate partners from all over the world to work with us. Our successes are never due to just our hard work, it must also be about working with other people to build a better world.

Conclusion

10.In conclusion, remember the earlier saying, "Don't aim to be a champion, but if I do the right things and do things right, being a champion is inevitable." Let the results show for themselves and always work towards surpassing yourself. Second, you can always learn something new in Lyon and make full use of this opportunity to bring a new idea back to Singapore. Finally, you are the ambassadors of Singapore. You carry our flag high and how you carry yourselves will leave a lasting impression in the minds of others there. That makes you a true champion, regardless of your accomplishments. So, on that note, I wish you all the very best. Thank you.

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