Singapore Education Awards Honours the Industry's Best

On Tuesday, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) honoured 17 exemplary individuals and organisations for their contributions to the education services industry, and in ensuring the successful assimilation of international students.

Held at the Raffles Hotel Jubilee Hall, the 2008 Singapore Education Awards presentation ceremony was officiated by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports and Second Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts. Over 370 guests, comprising members of the diplomatic community and key industry partners, attended the event.

The key objectives of the Awards are to recognise the exceptional contributions of members of the Singapore education industry in strengthening Singapore's position as an education hub and global schoolhouse, and to establish the benchmarks for service excellence in the various areas of education services provision.

The Awards also serve to recognise individuals and organizations that have made a difference to the lives of the international students living and studying in Singapore, particularly in advancing their assimilation into the local community.

Building on the momentum of last year’s inaugural Singapore Education Awards, this year’s awards were expanded to include three new categories to acknowledge a wider pool of individuals and organisations for their contributions to the growth of the education sector. The new award categories include the Best Media Coverage for Singapore Education (both Print and Broadcast), Best International Marketing Effort (both Public Educational Institution and Private Educational Institution) and Best Host for International Students Studying in Singapore (both Hostels and Schools). The expansion led to a four-fold increase in nominations to over 1,300 this year.

Emerging as this year’s winners are:

Friend of International Students – Mr Ilung Pranata
Best Educational Event Organised by a Public Educational Institution – Bowen Secondary School
Best Enrichment Programme – Lorna Whiston EAL School
Best Host for International Students Studying in Singapore - Schools – National University of Singapore
Best International Marketing Effort by a Private Educational Institution – SIM Pte Ltd
Best International Marketing Effort by a Public Educational Institution – Singapore Management University
Best Media Coverage for Singapore Education - Print – Ms Tiur Santi Oktavia (Indonesia)
Best Media Coverage for Singapore Education - Broadcast – Mr Nguyen Minh Bao (Vietnam)
Best Singapore Education Specialist Overall Winner – Mr Nelson Nay Lynn Phyo and Mr James Aung Kyaw San
Best Singapore Education Specialist - China – Ms Liu Wen
Best Singapore Education Specialist - Indonesia – Ms Vita Octavia
Best Singapore Education Specialist - Korea – Ms Juyeon, Julia Park
Best Singapore Education Specialist - Malaysia – Ms Francesca Tham Yok Chen
Best Singapore Education Specialist - Myanmar – Mr Nelson Nay Lynn Phyo and Mr James Aung Kyaw San
Best Singapore Education Specialist - Vietnam – Ms Nguyen Thi Anh Khue
Best Singapore Education Specialist - Thailand – Mr Nithiwat Chaichanasiri
Best Singapore Education Specialist - India – Mrs Krishna Niyogi
Best Host for International Students Studying in Singapore - Hostels – Tied, no winner

In addressing the guests at the awards ceremony, the Guest-of-Honour, Dr Balakrishnan, highlighted Singapore’s achievements in entrenching its position as a quality education hub. “Apart from the strength of our educational offerings, we also set ourselves apart from the competition by ensuring that international students have a memorable and enriching educational experience here,” he said.

In addition to extending hospitality to international students in Singapore, initiatives are in place to further extend Singapore’s multi-cultural appeal to youths who pursue their education in Singapore. In his speech the Minister announced one of these key initiatives, the ASEAN Youth Festival which is organised by a group of enthusiastic young leaders from the ASEAN Youth Caucus in Singapore. Slated to take place later this year, the festival will be a platform to encourage interaction and cultural exchanges, discuss key issues relating to the ASEAN community, and cultivate long-lasting friendships among youths from ASEAN, China, Japan and Korea.

Making a significant contribution to Singapore’s foray into these markets are the eight outstanding Singapore Education Specialists who were recognised for their dedication and commitment to provide education counselling to international students intending to study in Singapore. These individuals, who have been trained and  certified by STB, possess a deep knowledge of the various education options in Singapore.

Expressing his appreciation upon winning the overall honours for the Best Singapore Education Specialist, Mr Nelson Nay Lynn Phyo from Myanmar said, “We are very proud to have received this award which places a great responsibility on our shoulders. We live in an age of knowledge where one needs to focus on his or her  education or risk being left behind. We believe in Singapore’s vision and capabilities to become a global schoolhouse and we devote ourselves to supporting and achieving that goal.”

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