By Eddie Teo

What follows is a speech by outgoing chairman of the Public Service Commission Eddie Teo, at the PSC scholarships award ceremony on Thursday, July 18 2018.

Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Trade and Industry, and Minister-in-charge of the Public Service,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Welcome to the 2018 PSC Scholarships Award Ceremony.

My warmest congratulations to the 93 PSC scholarship recipients this year. You were selected because you demonstrated the commitment to serve Singapore and Singaporeans with integrity, empathy and excellence, and we think you have the potential to become public sector leaders.

There are high expectations placed on all scholarship holders. The Public Service, your teachers, your family, and the people of Singapore all expect you to do your best and prepare yourselves to serve the nation with distinction.

While they join you in celebrating your achievements thus far, it is imperative that you have the humility to appreciate that your success is due not only to your own effort, but also to the support and guidance your family, teachers, principals and peers have given you on your journey so far.

Forming Singapore's next generation of public officers

All the scholarship recipients here today form a part of the future corps of public officers, who will help shape Singapore’s future and lead us forward.

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For Singapore to continue to prosper and progress, we need a good spread of talent, with the necessary knowledge, skills and capabilities to tackle our increasingly complex national challenges and keep Singapore exceptional.

The PSC’s responsibility is to recruit the right talent with leadership potential to help Singapore achieve its goals. We do so by maintaining high standards in our selection process which is based on merit.

Seeking scholars who are diverse in backgrounds, circumstances & experiences

To remain relevant and effective, the Public Service must challenge old assumptions, and be open to experimenting with novel ways of tackling difficult problems and delivering services to the people.

We need a Service that is able to connect with Singaporeans from all walks of life, and a Service with different points of view to tackle complex issues. This underscores the importance of having diversity in our leadership talent pool.

We have always kept this in mind each year, as we searched for candidates to award the PSC scholarships.

PSC scholarships are awarded on merit regardless of candidates’ backgrounds. Through a multi-dimensional selection process that focuses on whole person qualities, we evaluate and identify individuals who exemplify the potential to take on leadership roles in future in the Public Service.

Besides attaining diversity by recruiting students with different backgrounds, we also expose our scholarship holders to different cultures and experiences.

I am pleased to announce that this year, we have four scholarship recipients who have chosen non-traditional countries for their studies. I am sure they will bring home different experiences, networks and perspectives which will enrich the Service.

Mr Foo Suon Chuang and Mr Jonathan Koh Jian Yi will be heading to Peking (北大) University in China, while Mr Teo Kai Jin and Ms Nicole Wong Yifei will be studying in Germany. We hope that as they take these less trodden paths, they will enrich and add to the diversity of views when they return to serve.

Diversity of background remains important. This year, the PSC awarded scholarships to seven students from non-IP institutions, including ACJC, PJC, SAJC, and Singapore Polytechnic.

In addition, some of our scholarship recipients come from challenging family and personal circumstances. That they have done so well shows their resilience and determination — qualities that are as vital as high intellect and academic excellence.

Adding more engineers to the public service

PSC is helping Singapore become a Smart Nation, through recruiting talent to build digital and engineering capabilities in the Public Service.

This year, the PSC is pleased to have given out a total of 22 awards under the PSC Scholarship (Engineering) scheme. This is a threefold increase from last year, when we first introduced the scholarship.

I believe this group of future engineers will have challenging and interesting work in store for them, when they return to serve in the Public Service.

They are passionate about engineering and technology, and they are keen to practise as engineers. They are ready to roll up their sleeves, be part of the team re-thinking how to improve the lives of citizens and tackle our urban challenges with the help of technology.

Public servants must "speak truth to power... without fear or favour"

This is my last month as Chairman of the Public Service Commission. It has been a memorable and rewarding experience serving in this capacity over the past 10 years.

One of the joys of this job is that I get to glimpse into the future of Singapore by listening to the views of our best and brightest students. I learn how they feel about themselves and their fellow citizens, how they regard Singapore today and in the future, what they think needs fixing and has to change, and what role they hope to play in making these changes.

I come away hopeful and optimistic because many of our best future public sector leaders show the courage to express their own views, even if they contradict current thinking and existing policies. For we can only improve if our public servants do not blindly follow orders but also question and challenge assumptions, in order to seek the best possible solutions to our problems.

When public servants see that a decision or policy is wrong, they must be prepared to speak truth to power. In discharging their duties, they must act impartially, without fear or favour.

Learn, explore, travel widely, stay tuned to Singaporeans' needs

To the 93 recipients, I would like to remind them that this is not just the start of your scholarship award. It is also the beginning of your career in the Singapore Public Service.

Start by thinking about what skills, experience and traits you need to acquire to be an effective officer in the Public Service. Do not limit your learning to just where you study. Go beyond the classrooms, lecture halls and campuses.

Be inquisitive and explore. Travel widely and as you explore, stay in touch with developments back home and remain tuned into the needs of Singapore and Singaporeans.

I am confident that you will live up to the trust placed in you, and that you will do your part to contribute when you return.

Finally, I want to say a special “thank you” to my fellow PSC members, who have given so much of their time to help me make better and more rounded decisions in selecting, promoting and disciplining public servants. A word of thanks also to the PSC Secretariat — people who work tirelessly behind the scenes, often forgotten and under-appreciated.

Thank you.

Top photo via IPS Commons