Bursary enables Tembusu student to do more for community

Posted on June 5, 2013February 19, 2020

Article extracted from NUS Development Office website. For original article, click here.

Second Year student Valencia Ng won the National University of Singapore (NUS) Student Achievement Award this year. But not so long ago, she was plagued by fears of having to worsen the financial strain on her parents by making them pay for her education or the prospect of heavy debts on graduation.

However, thanks to the SR Nathan Bursary, those days are behind her. She says, “When I received the Bursary from kind and generous donors, I was really touched and filled with gratitude. It has helped to supplement my allowance so that I no longer have to worry about living expenses and tuition fees. More importantly, my parents now do not have to worry about my school fees.” The SR Nathan Bursary was set up by the Community Foundation of Singapore, on behalf of the S R Nathan Education Upliftment Fund.

Bursaries are critical tools in NUS’ endeavour to encourage upward social mobility. Gifts to bursaries have far-reaching impact on improving the lives of students like Valencia and their families, many of whom are from Singapore’s lowest per capita income households. Bursaries help to level the playing field for these students. They can reduce the amount of part-time work they take on and focus on their studies and improve their grades. And by incurring a lower debt burden, they can immediately improve the wellbeing of their families when they start their first job.

Valencia, who is very interested in community work, originally wanted to pursue a degree in social work. However, she went ahead with a degree in Chemistry with a minor in Human Services on her parents’ advice.

Valencia continues to be involved in various community projects. In 2012, she was the project director for Operation Smile Carnival, which sought to raise awareness of the cleft lip condition in children, locally and globally. The project won the Silver award for the Pitch to SHINE grant by the National Youth Council, which funds youth projects that encourage contributions to the community.

Valencia’s contributions to society were highlighted at this year’s Student Achievement Awards, organised by NUS’ Office of Student Affairs. The Awards recognise students and groups who have excelled in activities outside the classroom, making significant contributions to society and bringing honour to NUS.

“When Professor Tan Chorh Chuan commended me, I finally realised the significance of the community projects I’ve done. I feel that a lot of times, we gauge the success of an event by the amount of recognition we get or the scale of the project. What I learnt was to gauge the success by the intention, and only then can we really feel the impact that we are making, however small it may be.”

With her financial worries taken care of, Valencia, who lives on campus in University Town’s Tembusu College, is able to engage in meaningful work and activities. She has initiated a mentoring programme, TMentors, which encourages NUS students to give back to society through teaching students of the nearby New Town Secondary School and introducing them to diverse interests and skill-sets. Come this summer break, Valencia will also be taking up a teaching position at the Asian Women Welfare Association.

Valencia expresses her thanks to NUS for giving her the opportunity to use her time to do meaningful work. She says, “With the financial load off my shoulders, I am able to concentrate better on my studies and use my time to realise my passion for community service.”

 

Tembusu Globetrekkers Featured on Straits Times

Posted on May 27, 2013February 8, 2021

Speech at the 2nd Asia-Pacific Water Summit by Prof. Tommy Koh

Posted on May 27, 2013February 19, 2020

Speech by Ambassador Tommy Koh

Chairman, Governing Council, Asia-Pacific Water Forum

 

 

Your Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen

 

 

                  Seven years ago, in March 2006, the then Prime Minister of Japan, Hashimoto Ryutaro, had a vision.  He wanted to bring the countries and people of the Asia-Pacific region together in order to find solutions to the region’s water issues.  He convened a regional meeting of our water ministers, at the Fourth World Water Forum, in Mexico.  They adopted a declaration calling for the establishment of the Asia Pacific Water Forum (APWF), “to work in complete solidarity to identify and adopt solutions to water issues in the region.”  When Mr Hashimoto passed away unexpectedly, the mantle of leadership was taken up by another former Prime Minister of Japan, Mr Mori Yoshiro.

 

First Asia Pacific Water Summit

                  Six months after that meeting in Mexico, APWF was born, in September 2006, at the Asian Development Bank, in Manila.  Fifteen months later, the First Asia Pacific Water Summit (APWS) was held in Beppu, Japan, in December 2007.  The deliverables of APWS included the Policy Brief, the Message from Beppu and the Asian Water Development Outlook.  Six years after Beppu, the Second Asia Pacific Water Summit is being held here in this beautiful city of Chiangmai, Thailand.  What has the APWF achieved in the past six years?

 

APWF’s Achievements

 

                  First, APWF has become the region’s indispensable network on water.  Its membership includes governments, both at the national and local levels, international organisations, water providers, the private sector, academia, the media and the civil society.  APWF is open and inclusive and welcomes any one with a genuine interest in water and sanitation.  APWF is democratic and makes all its decisions by consensus.

 

Independent, Non-Political, Not for-Profit

 

                  Second, APWF has been faithful to its guiding principle, to be an independent, not-for-profit, non-political network.  As a result, APWF is respected for its credibility and integrity.

 

Rational, Efficient and Consistent

 

                  Third, APWF has organised its work in a rational, efficient and consistent manner.  It focuses on three priority themes, namely, water financing and capacity development, water-related disaster management, and water for development and ecosystem.  Next, it has established five key result areas, which are the concrete means by which APWF and the lead organizations seek to achieve the targets set under each of the priority themes.  As the Asia Pacific is a large and diverse region, it is divided into five sub-regions, each with its coordinator.  The matrix is like a pyramid, with the three priority themes at the top, the five key result areas in the middle and the five sub-regions at the base.

Ministers For Water Security Initiative

 

                  Fourth, APWF and its partners, the Japan Water Forum, the UN Economic and Social Commission for the Asia-Pacific, Asian Development Bank and Network of Asian Basin Organisations have successfully launched the Ministers For Water Security Initiative in the Asia Pacific.  In addition, the APWF has made valuable inputs from the Asia Pacific, to the Fifth World Water Forum in Istanbul and the Sixth World Water Forum in Marseille, the Stockholm Water Week and the Singapore Water Leaders Summit.

 

Asian Water Development Outlook

 

                  Fifth, APWF and ADB have produced two editions of the Asian Water Development Outlook, 2007 and 2013.  The 2013 edition provides the first quantitative and comprehensive view of water security in the countries of our region.  It also contains a framework to measure water security as a foundation for creating a water-secure future for our people.

 

17 Regional Water Knowledge Hubs

 

                  Sixth, APWF has created a network of seventeen regional water knowledge hubs, covering a broad range of issues and geographies.  Each hub is a centre of excellence.  Together, they collaborate to generate and share knowledge and develop capacity in more than a dozen knowledge domains.

 

Water and Climate Change

 

                  Seventh, APWF has produced a Framework Document on Water and Climate Change Adoption.  It is a practical and actionable guide to action in this challenging area.

 

Conclusion

 

                  To sum up, over the past six years, we have made significant progress on water security.  For example, the percentage of our region’s population, which enjoys access to safe drinking water, has risen to 91%.  However, 380 million of our citizens, especially the poor, still do not enjoy this basic human right. The Beppu target that by 2025, all the people of our region will enjoy such access is therefore achievable if we have the political will to do so.  This is not the case with sanitation.  Only 58% of the people of our region enjoys access to basic sanitation.  Nearly 800 million people still practise open defecation, with all the deleterious consequences for human dignity, public health and the environment.  I also note with regret that 80% of our rivers are in poor health.  Many of these rivers are the main sources of drinking water for millions of our citizens. It is an imperative for all riparian communities and states and other stakeholders to manage our region’s river systems in a cooperative, equitable and ecologically sustainable manner. Man’s unsustainable development and urbanisation, compounded by climate change and the loss of biodiversity, are doing enormous damage to our ecosystems. Violent storms, floods, droughts and other forms of water-related disasters are on the increase.  We should also focus on the new nexus between water, food and energy. We must therefore not become complacent as there is still much work for us to do.

 

Expressions of Gratitude

 

                  Let me conclude by expressing my gratitude to the President of APWF, Mr Mori Yoshiro, for his leadership and guidance.  I would also like to thank the JWF for serving as the secretariat of APWF.  I would like to thank my two co-chairs: Amb Erna Witoeler and Raviji Narayanan.  It has been a pleasure working with them.  Finally, I would like to thank all the members of APWF for their cooperation, friendship and kindness.

 

                  Thank you very much.

 

 

 

 

. . . . .

Art Science Residency Program 2013

Posted on May 13, 2013February 19, 2020

The Arts and Creativity Lab & the Interactive and Digital Media Institute, the NUS Tembusu College, and Singapore-ETH Centre’s Future Cities Laboratory are pleased to announce the 2013 Arts/Science Residency program at the National University of Singapore. Selected artists will be invited to spend 4 months living on the NUS UTown campus, engaging with students, faculty and researchers as they conduct projects exploring and making connections between art and science.

Deadline for proposals: June 2nd, 2013.

For more information, see: http://anclab.org/Art.Science.2013

Summer module with USP on Participatory Social Development in Southeast Asia

Posted on April 15, 2013February 19, 2020

 

This summer, during Special Term 2 (June 24 – August 3), a few Tembusu students will have the opportunity to take part in the module “Participatory Social Development in Southeast Asia” (USE2315). This USP module includes a fieldtrip to Chiang Mai, and involves working under the guidance of Dr Peter Vail from the University Scholars Programme, and together with USP students, students from Chiang Mai University's Regional Center for Social Sciences and Sustainable Development, and possibly also students from the College of Alice & Peter Tan.

Students will be selected through an application process, in which they submit a CV and a cover letter explaining their interests in the course. If demand is strong, applicants may be subject to an interview process. Given that the module includes an overseas trip, there will be costs involved, but Tembusu College will provide a subsidy for Tembusu students who have been selected to take part.

For more information and to apply, please go to the USP website: http://usp.nus.edu.sg/curriculum/modules/soc-eco-pol/use2315/index.html

Application will be reviewed as they come in, so the sooner you apply, the better. The closing date for applications is May 15.

For inquiries about costs, please contact Foo Junhong at rctfj@nus.edu.sg.

Prof. Sir Geoffrey Lloyd awarded Dan David Prize

Posted on April 9, 2013October 7, 2020

Tembusu wishes to congratulate our first honourary fellow, Professor Sir Geoffrey Lloyd on being awarded the Dan David Prize.

 

Sir Geoffrey Lloyd is currently Senior Scholar in Residence at the Needham Research Institute, a centre for the study of the history of East Asian science, technology and medicine, and at the University of Cambridge, England. His many books have opened the subject of Greek science as a major field in the history of classical philosophy. Lloyd’s many publications, starting from his 1966 book Polarity and Analogy, are widely cited by scholars in diverse fields of contemporary studies, as well as by classicists.

 

Prof. Sir Geffrey Llyod was conferred honourary Tembusu fellowship in January 2011.

 

For more information, please visit the Dan David Prize webpage.

China and Japan: Friends or Enemies?

Posted on April 9, 2013October 7, 2020

China and Japan: Friends or Enemies?

by Prof. Tommy Koh

Published in Lianhe Zhaobao on 2nd April 2013 and the Straits Times on 9th April 2013

 

 

Having just visited Japan, I came away with the disturbing impression that most of the Japanese public intellectuals I met had a negative attitude towards to China.  They perceived China’s rise as a threat to Japan.  They thought that as China grows in power it will seek to impose its will on its neighbours.  They believed that China has abandoned Deng Xiaoping’s policy of “tao guang yang hui”.  Instead, they believed that China is seeking to impose its hegemony on the region.

 

My Chinese interlocutors, on the other hand, blame Japan for causing the current tensions.  They feel that by nationalising three of the islands, Japan has violated the understanding reached by Prime Minister Tanaka and the China’s leaders in 1972.  They are angry that Japan is not willing to acknowledge the existence of a dispute.  They suspect that Japan is being made use of by the United States in an alleged attempt to contain China

 

In this essay, I wish to remind the leaders of China and Japan not to allow the current impasse over the Senkaku/Diaoyu and the passion generated by the accusations and counter-accusations to blind them to the many affinities which they share and the common interests which bind them.

 

Geography, History and Culture

Geographically, China and Japan are destined to live next door to each other until the end of time.  Since there is nothing they can do to move away from each other, they have no choice but to learn to get along as good neighbours.

 

Historically, relations between China and Japan go back at least two thousand years.  For most of that time, the two countries lived at peace with each other.  The four exceptions were: i) the war between Tang China and the Paekche, a tributary of Japan, on the Korean peninsula in 663; ii) the two unsuccessful attempts by Yuan China (under the Mongols), to invade Japan, in 1274 and 1281; iii) the Japanese war against Qing China in 1894 – 1895; and iv) the Japanese war against China from 1931 to 1945.

 

Culturally, there has been much mutual learning.  In ancient times, Japan received from China the Chinese written script, kanji, Confucianism and Buddhism.  In the past century, however, Chinese students and intellectuals have gone to Japan to learn science, medicine, engineering, and how to re-make China into a modern state.  At present, there are more than 69,000 Chinese students studying in Japan, comprising more than 50 percent of the foreign students in Japan.

 

Normalisation of Relations

Following President Nixon’s historic visit to Beijing, Japan lost no time to normalise its relations with China.  In September 1972, Prime Minister Tanaka visited China and met with the Chairman Mao and Premier Chou Enlai.  Diplomatic relations were established on the 29^th of September 1972.  A treaty of peace and friendship was concluded on the 12^th of August 1978.

 

During the past 41 years, relations between China and Japan have expanded in all spheres of activities.  For example, China is today Japan’s largest trading partner.

 

Japan’s Usefulness to China

In what ways has Japan helped China during the past 40 years?  First, from 1972 until 2004, China was a major recipient of Japan’s official development assistance estimated at over US$40 billion.  Second, Japan is the largest investor in China.  By the end of 2012, Japan had invested US$83.9 billion in over 43,000 projects.  Third, Japan is China’s third largest trading partner.  Fourth, Japan strongly supported China’s accession to the WTO.  Fifth, Japan was the first Group of 7 country to resume high-level contacts with China, following the Tiananmen incident of 1989.  In short, Japan has played a pivotal role in China’s development since 1972.

 

China’s Usefulness to Japan

In what ways have Japan benefitted from China?  First, China is Japan’s largest export market and number one trading partner, accounting for 20 percent of Japan’s total trade value.  Second, China is an important source of tourism for Japan.  In 2011, 1.04 million Chinese tourists visited Japan, representing 17 percent of the total number of tourists who visited Japan that year.  Third, China is one of the largest markets in the world for Japanese automobiles, a key industry of Japan.  Fouth, China is Japan’s biggest national debt holder.  By the end of 2011, China held a total of US$230 billion of such debt.  In conclusion, it would not be wrong to say that China has become an indispensable economic partner of Japan.  Prime Minister Abe’s third arrow is, in part, dependent on the continuation of the good economic relations between the two economies.

 

Relationship Is Mutually Beneficial

The Chinese and Japanese economies are fundamentally complementary and not competitive.  The relationship is therefore mutually beneficial.  Japan needs China and China needs Japan if both are to succeed.  It makes good sense of them to cooperate and no sense for them to view each other as enemies.

 

East China Sea as a “Sea of Peace, Cooperation and Friendship

In a joint statement issued by President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, on the 7^th of May 2008, they pledged to work together to make the East China Sea into a “Sea of Peace, Cooperation and Friendship”.  Today, we have a disagreement between Japan and the Republic of Korea over Dokdo/Takeshima, and another between Japan and China over Senkaku/Diaoyu.  The East China Sea is in danger of becoming a theatre of conflict.  I would respectfully remind the leaders of China and Japan of the commitment made by their respective predecessors in 1978.  They should lower the temperature and tone down the rhetoric.  They should pull back their armed forces because of the risk of miscalculation.  Although China, Japan and the Republic of Korea all purport to uphold the rule of the law and although they have nationals who are judges in the International Court of Justice and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, the three governments seem unwilling to refer their disagreements to arbitration or adjudication.  This being the case, they should therefore explore other non-legal options to solve or manage their disagreements.  The options include negotiating a code of conduct, setting up a sub-regional fishery organisation and applying the concept of joint development to the resources in the areas of disagreement.

 

 

My Faith in India

Posted on April 9, 2013February 19, 2020

My Faith in India

by Prof. Tommy Koh

published 9th March 2013 in the Straits Times

 

 

Growing up in a British colony, after the Second World War, I could not accept the right of the British to rule over us.  I supported the anti-colonial struggle then taking place in Asia, Africa and elsewhere.  I was inspired by the moral crusade of Gandhi against the British in India.  It seemed miraculous that the non-violent struggle led by this man, whom Churchill had grossly under-estimated and dismissed as that “naked Kafir”, would defeat the might of the British empire.  Gandhi was one of my childhood heroes.

 

 

Nehru’s Legacy

 

2                India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, was another hero. His enduring legacy to India consists of democracy, secularism and the rule of law. Nehru had championed Indonesia’s struggle against the Dutch, Myanmar’s struggle against the British, Vietnam’s struggle against the French, and the freedom movement everywhere.  In 1947, two years before India’s independence, Nehru had convened the Asian Relations Conference, in New Delhi, to promote the idea of a federation of Asian States.  He was also an architect of the Bandung Conference of 1955, which sought to unite Asia and Africa.  Nehru was a visionary and a man ahead of his time.  His 1947 statement that “the future is bound to see a closer union between India and Southeast Asia” is coming true. 

 

 

Hindu Rate of Growth

 

3                Like many leaders of his generation, such as Nkrumah of Ghana, Nyerere of Tanzania and Kaunda of Zambia, Nehru embraced socialism.  He believed in central planning and heavy industries.  His economic strategy was based on a policy of import-substitution, a fixed exchange rate for the rupee and massive power given to the bureaucracy to control imports and exports.  As a result, the Indian economy grew at a very modest rate between 1947 and 1991, and was barely able to keep up with the population increase.  Indians had come to accept the under-performance of the Indian economy as normal and referred to the low growth rate as the Hindu rate of growth.

 

Second Tryst With Destiny

 

4                An economic revolution took place in 1991.  India found itself in dire circumstances.  The economy was stagnant and the country was faced with a balance of payment crisis.  The country was at a cross roads.  Under the leadership of Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, Finance Minister Manmohan Singh and Commerce Minister P. Chidambaram, India had a second tryst with destiny.  It decided to change course and to embrace reform and to open up the economy.  It decided to unleash the private sector and to enable Indian enterprise and talent to flourish.

 

India’s Achievements

 

5                From 1991 to 2000, the average annual rate of growth of the Indian economy was 5.6%.  For the decade, 2001 to 2011, the economy grew at the average annual rate of 8.2%. In 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2010, the growth rate exceeded 9%.  India’s external trade has increased from US$37.3 billion in 1991 to US$411.4 billion in 2011.  As India’s economic prospects have improved and the business environment has become more conducive, foreign direct investment received by India has gone up from US$73 million in 1991 to US$46 billion in 2012.

 

 

World Class Indians

 

6                Liberated from the unreasonable restrictions of the past, the Indian private sector has boomed.  Several Indian companies have become global champions.  Lakshmi Mittal’s Arcelor is one of the world’s largest steel companies.  Tata has acquired the British steel company, Corus, and owns the prestigious Jaguar and Land Rover.  Bharti Airtel has expanded into Africa.  Wipro, Infosys and other Indian companies rank among the best in the information and communication technology industry.  India’s largest IT company, Tata Consultancy, has a large development centre in Singapore and an even bigger one in China. Bangalore is linked to Silicon Valley.  Talented Indians have headed such leading companies and institutions as Pepsico, Citibank, McKinsey, Standard Chartered, etc.  Indian professors are present at all the top universities of the world.  The Nobel Laureate, Dr Amartiya Sen, is one of the world’s most admired economists. Fareed Zakaria is a global icon in journalism. Narayana Murthy, Nandan Nilekani and Azeem Premji are pioneers of the IT industry and philanthropists.

India’s Challenges

 

7                Although India has made tremendous progress in the past 20 years, it has still a long way to go to become a First World nation.  Hundreds of millions of Indians continue to live in abject poverty, without access to clean water, sanitation, housing and healthcare.  37% of Indians are illiterate.  42% of children under the age of 5 in India are malnourished.  The infant mortality rate is 44 per 1000 live births.  The maternal mortality rate is 212 per 100,000 live births. The discrimination against girls is reflected in the child sex ratio of 914 girls per 1000 boys.  The UNDP’s Human Development Index ranks India No. 134 out of 187 countries.  India will fail to meet several of the Millenium Development Goals and Targets. I hope that Indian leaders will reduce their tolerance for poverty. Law enforcement is weak.  Indian women are not treated with sufficient respect and equity.

 

 

The Journey Is Incomplete

 

8                India’s journey to economic reform and opening is incomplete.  Several sectors of the Indian economy remain closed to foreign participation and competition.  The infrastructure is inadequate.  The bureaucracy and regulators often have a protectionist mindset.  The World Bank has ranked India No. 132 for ease of doing business.  Corruption is pervasive and Transparency International has ranked India No. 94 out of 174 countries.  Approvals could take years to obtain.  To get a judgement from a court could take years and, in some cases, even decades.  Sometimes, changes of policy, legislation and taxation are applied retrospectively.

 

 

Conclusion

 

9                India’s leaders know that, after centuries of stagnation and decline, India has a historic opportunity to catch up with the West.  They also know that India faces many challenges.  They are determined to overcome those challenges.  As an old friend and admirer of India, I am optimistic about India’s future.  I believe that India will succeed in becoming one of the world’s largest economies and a middle-income country.

 

. . . . .

NUS Museum Call for Interns

Posted on April 9, 2013October 7, 2020

Tembusu College wins Inter-Collegiate Debate Shield Finals

Posted on February 22, 2013February 8, 2021