Community Outreach
At SMU, our students are encouraged to take up internships, community outreach projects, and international exchange programmes. The purpose is to broaden their outlook and deliver a holistic undergraduate educational experience that will develop them into broad-based, creative and entrepreneurial leaders for the knowledge-based economy.
For the past five to six years, SMU students have been involved in several community service projects in China. These include our undergraduates sharing with under-privileged students the basic business, innovation and accounting skills. SMU students have also reached out to a number of primary schools in rural China to develop confidence in the children, acquaint them with arts, and introduce them to other enrichment activities.
Since 2011, SMU has sent students on cultural exchanges to the city of Kashgar in China's Xinjiang Province. Our students have set up three cultural centres to help preserve the ethnic cultures there, and also helped trainee teachers in Kashgar on their conversational English. In August this year, during Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's visit to China, SMU and Kashgar Teachers College (KTC) agreed to co-organise an annual English Festival to promote international exchange and to cultivate conversational English ability of KTC students.
Conclusion
What I have just shared demonstrates a commitment by SMU to broaden and deepen our ties with China to encompass more areas of collaboration as we develop new strengths in research and education. We believe this will help contribute to knowledge creation and talent development for both Singapore and China.
Today's Forum is the first of what we hope would be many to be organised in the years to come. We plan to have such an annual gathering of minds, alternating between Singapore and China, and to discuss topical issues about China which are of interest and relevance. We hope that by working with our academic and corporate partners through the China Forum, research collaboration, exchange programmes, as well as training and development, SMU will be able to develop linkages, expertise and knowledge on China and Asia so that we become a partner of choice for universities, institutions and the business industry.
On behalf of SMU, I would like to thank our Guest-of-Honour DPM Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Professor Justin Lin and the panel members for taking the time from their busy schedules to join us this morning in their strong support of SMU's efforts.
It is now my privilege to invite our Guest-of-Honour, DPM Tharman Shanmugaratnam to share with us his thoughts and observations on China.
Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming DPM Tharman on stage.
Thank you.
(Source: sg.xinhuanet.com)
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