Outgoing Education Minister Heng Swee Keat paid tribute to the education fraternity in a farewell note addressed to them. 

Excerpt from letter:

If there's one word that describes our educators, it is not that you are a professional, or content expert, or master of pedagogy, curriculum design or assessment. If you ask me for one word that describes our Singapore educators, it is HEART. That you teach with a lot of heart.

I see this heart in your belief that every child can learn, every child can succeed, regardless of his starting point. I see this heart in your tenacity and resourcefulness to keep finding better ways to reach out to each child, to help him develop confidence, to motivate him to learn. I have met so many students who told me how you have transformed their lives. Across these stories, one thing stood out - that you believe in them.

I see this heart when you tell me that you are not just teaching a subject, but that you are teaching a child. Exams and grades are useful to help us gauge how well each child has learned the basics, but you see that the broader purpose of education is to help each child go on to lead a meaningful and fulfilling life. Not everything important and meaningful can be measured. That is why you put values and character education at the front and centre of what we do.

It is this heart that drives you to develop each child beyond the academic subjects, to help each one develop holistically. There is no school system in the world that I know of where teachers, across all schools, spend so much time in CCA and CCE activities, and now, ALPs and LLPs, to create the many rich learning experiences to develop the whole child. In this way, each child can find his strengths and interests, and go on to learn for life and excel in his chosen pathway and peak of excellence.

It is this heart that drives you to learn, so that you can teach better. I have been very inspired by the many educators who spend time and resources to go for further education, to come together in schools, at AST, at EXCEL festivals and other conferences, to learn from one another.

It is this heart that motivates our teachers to open their classrooms to one another, so that you may learn from and mentor one another. This is something very special that we should treasure and nurture. I hope that our PLCs/NLCs and our latest innovation to promote teaching excellence at YISS will make an impact.

Mr Heng Swee Keat leaves the Education Ministry to take up his new portfolio as Finance Minister. 

 http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/minister-heng-swee-keat-pays-tribute-to-educators-in-farewell-message#xtor=CS1-10