Inspiration

At the 2009 Convocation, NTU presented honorary degrees to Dr Lee Seng Gee and Prof Linda Darling-Hammond, in recognition of their outstanding contributions in the fields of education, business and philanthropy, and for their ties with the university, which have helped strengthen the academic standing of NTU in the global arena. These are excerpts from their acceptance speeches.

Dr Lee Seng Gee
Chairman, Lee Foundation
Degree of Doctor of Letters (honoris causa)

EDUCATION HAS always been a mission close to my heart. I share this love of learning and the importance of education with my late father, Mr Lee Kong Chian. We both believe that education has the power to make society more equal for every member of society.

Philanthropic leader: Dr Lee Seng Gee with NTU President Dr Su Guaning and Dr Della Suantio Lee.

Education plays an important role in helping people learn to be responsible members of society. Responsible individuals and citizens feel compelled to contribute to the well-being of the communities they are a part of. When we look after those who are less fortunate in our society, we help our country prosper.

Today is a very special day for me. Not just because of this honorary doctorate you have so kindly conferred, but also because today is my beloved wife Della’s birthday.

I have been able to continue my duties as Chairman of the Lee Foundation, and to carry on the legacy of my late father, because of Della’s devoted care. So I want to dedicate this doctorate to Della. Happy birthday, my beloved wife, I love you.

I would like to congratulate the NTU Board of Trustees and the university staff. You have been excellent in taking NTU to such heights, now it stands as one of the world’s respected universities. Its ranking is well-deserved.

Prof Linda Darling-Hammond
Charles E Ducommun Professor of Education at Stanford University
Degree of Doctor of Education (honoris causa)

I AM VERY HONOURED to be recognised by this great university – a university created by the people and for the people of Singapore, to build opportunity in this nation that is so eager for learning. NTU has, over the last 50 years, become a great global university, reaching out to the United States, Europe and Asia, operating in the multicultural tradition that is one of the great strengths of the Singapore education system.

Learning vision: Prof Linda Darling-Hammond speaking at NTU’s University Awards Dinner on 23 July.

I am also greatly honoured to be recognised by NTU’s National Institute of Education [NIE], a critically important part of this great university and this nation.

In today’s world, individual and societal success increasingly depend on our capacity to learn, and societies rely, as never before, on our capacity to teach. So I want to take a special moment to acknowledge the great work of teachers – both the many teachers in all of the branches of NTU who helped you get to this wonderful launching point where you are today, and all the teachers in the years of primary and secondary school who helped you reach the university prepared to think, invent and create.

My favourite moment of the ceremony this morning, was the presentation of the teachers of the University Scholars. And I think we ought to recognise them once again.

In my work, I often receive examples from teachers of the unpredictable ways in which students receive their teaching efforts. Students frequently apply their own logic, and it is often both amusing and interesting to see what they make of what they are taught.

For example, on a 5th grade science test in one school district in the United States, the question was asked: “What are the four seasons?”

One student replied: “The four seasons are salt, pepper, mustard, and vinegar.”

When asked: “How do you keep milk from turning sour?”

Another student answered: “To keep milk from turning sour, keep it in the cow.”

Students are very smart, but they need a little help learning what we intend for them to learn. And finally, in response to the question: “What is thunder?”

A student noted that: “Thunder tells you how close lightning is. If you don’t hear it, you got hit, so never mind.”

So teaching is invariably complicated work, and we are all greatly indebted to the wonderful teachers who have, with patience and perseverance, lit our path toward understanding.

Creating a dynamic learning environment that is always adapting and responding to new challenges has become a national quest in Singapore, and one that I much admire. Our new president in the United States, President Barack Obama, has issued a similar challenge to us, pointing out that the source of America’s prosperity – indeed the source of any nation’s prosperity – is not how we accumulate wealth, but how well we educate our people. Education is no longer a pathway to success; it is a prerequisite.

As an advisor to President Obama on education, I have tried to convey to my colleagues in the United States what I have learned from studying education systems around the world that have created high and equitable levels of achievement. Singapore is a nation from which I have learned a great deal. In addition to your schools’ emphasis on investigation and inquiry; the integration of technology; and preparing students for entrepreneurship and invention; Singapore – especially NTU and NIE – is thinking about how to create a good world for the future.

The American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr, noted more than 40 years ago, in a point that is equally true today: “Our scientific power in the world has outrun our spiritual power. We too often have guided missiles and misguided man… Ultimately, we must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

We will need all of our know-how, ingenuity and ability to learn to solve the problems of humanity, to create a better world for our children, and our children’s children. In this area of learning, as in so many others, Singapore, through you, can help lead. As King urged: “Whatever career you may choose for yourself… let me propose an avocation to be pursued along with it… Make a career of humanity… Commit yourself to the noble struggle for human rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.”