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Distinguished Guests, Colleagues, Ladies & Gentlemen,
Boys and Girls,
Thank you for taking time off to
attend the official opening of the Environment Education
Hub. We are indeed honoured to have you here with us on
this special occasion.
The
school’s effort in environment education started in
2002, when we set up an Energy Conservation Learning
Centre (ECLC). The setting up of the ECLC is a
collaborative effort between the school, Singapore
Polytechnic, and National Semiconductor Foundation, and
it focuses on renewable energy.
In 2005,
the school reviewed the ECLC programme and decided to go
beyond energy conservation. The decision was to include
water management and the programme was renamed
Environment Education Programme. We believe that
effective management of these 2 resources will have
great impact on not just the environment, but also
Singapore as a nation. An Environment Education
Committee was formed to conceptualise and implement the
programme through a school-wide effort.
We choose
to build a niche in environment education because of 2
main reasons.
Firstly,
it allows us to develop in our students, staff members
and stakeholders, greater awareness of, and a sense of
responsibility towards, the environment. We want all
Marsilings to be committed to making the Earth a better
place to live in by developing habits that are
pro-environment. These habits include little actions
like ensuring that lights are turned off when a room is
not in use, not wasting food, reducing the use of
plastic and Styrofoam containers, and many more.
Secondly,
the environment provides an excellent platform for
teaching and learning. It allows for the integration of
various subjects to engage students in authentic
learning. For example, our science and geography
teachers came together in 2006 to design an Environment
Education Module (EEM). Today, the 30-week EEM is a
formal curriculum offered to all lower secondary
students.
In
addition, the negative impact on the Earth due to human
activities is not contained within a particular
territory. It is a global issue that requires a global
perspective to tackle. This thus provides our students
enormous opportunity to acquire a global and
forward-looking mindset.
We are
even more certain that we are in the right direction
when, in 2006, the National Research Foundation in the
Prime Minister’s Office identified Environment & Water
Technologies as one of the strategic growth areas for
Singapore.
While the
school may have many ideas on what to do within the EE
curriculum, not all these ideas can be actualized as we
do not have all the necessary resources and expertise.
It is through partnering with educational institutions,
private organisations and the community, that we are
able to offer students a richer learning experience. For
example, the Secondary 3 students get to deepen their
knowledge through the Advanced Elective Modules offered
by Singapore Polytechnic and Republic Polytechnic. The
Environment Champions get an opportunity to contribute
to the community by taking part in the “Change the Light
Bulbs” project organized by the Northwest CDC.
And of
course, the Environment Education Hub that we are going
to open today receives generous sponsorship from our
corporate partner, Applied Materials. In fact, the
school’s partnership with Applied Materials goes beyond
the EE Hub. In last year’s staff retreat, Mr Vish
Srinivasan, Senior Director of Applied Materials, spoke
to the school staff on the development of solar energy
applications. The school is also experimenting with the
idea of learning through game, by using a card game
designed by Applied Materials, called the Bright Future
Cards.
We are
indeed honoured to receive so much support from our
partners, who share the same vision for the environment
as us. As we receive all these invaluable support, we
certainly want to give back to the society by reaching
out to schools and the community so as to involve more
people in environment conservation.
Today’s
event will not be possible without your presence. Most
importantly, I must express my most sincere appreciation
to our Guest-of-Honour, Dr Teo Ho Pin, for making time
to grace the event. Dr Teo has been very supportive of
schools in the northwest district, and has always been a
fore-runner in championing environment conservation.
I also
want to thank my Superintendent, Mrs. Marian Chia, and
my cluster colleagues for supporting Marsiling Secondary
in developing a niche in environment education.
Finally, I
must thank my staff and students, including Mrs. Soh Saw
Eng, HOD/Science, and the Environment Champions, for all
the hard work in developing the EE Hub and organizing
today’s event.
Thank you
and have a nice day.
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