Pre-University Seminar A Success
2022 Pre-University Seminar
The Pre-University Seminar is back to a physical event this year, with 550 students from 30 pre-university institutions gathering at two lecture theatres at National Junior College.
Co-organised by the Ministry of Education and National Junior College, the event aims to strengthen students’ understanding of Singapore’s identity and values, centered around the theme ‘Service: Forging the Singapore Story’ and four focus areas – Harmony, Kindness, Resilience and Innovation. Students are grouped into various groups under one of these focus areas and are encouraged to engage in dialogic interactions among participants and with invited speakers. They are required to work on a project with their group which demonstrates their understanding of the topic at the end of their four-day Seminar held from 31 May to 3 June 2022.
Six Singapore Sports School student-athletes in the IBDP, Diploma in Business Studies and Diploma in Business, participated in the Seminar and were grouped into various groups under the focus area of ‘Resilience’.
From as early as March 2022, the student-athletes engaged in online and face-to-face discussions and dialogue sessions with their groups where they met academics, senior civil servants, charity workers and other mentors.
Over the four-day physical sessions, they also interacted with other students, embarked on a learning journey, participated actively in project and panel discussions, as well as collaborated on an exhibition on the last day of the Seminar.
The Seminar was fruitful and engaging for our student-athletes. Besides broadening their horizon on topics close to their heart, the Seminar also gave them a fresh understanding of how they can do their parts in building a resilient nation that remains unique and relevant in the global environment. Most importantly, the Seminar was a session of self-discovery as they learnt from people who share different perspectives, and in the process, forged new friendships and bonds.
Quotes
Chong Kar Xuan (IBDP, Year 5) – “In our dialogue sessions leading up to the Pre-University Seminar, we had a sharing by Colonel Goh, who shared her knowledge on how the responsibility to uphold community resilience does not only lie on the shoulders of the government body but also the people of Singapore. And the conversation with Prof Fung has also emphasised the need for mental resilience as a community, and the importance of Singaporeans stepping up to take care of the mental well-being of others during these trying times.”
Ariana Beh Yoke Ching (IBDP, Year 5) – “Having been the group leader of my group, I experienced no shortage of stressful situations, which was stretched beyond my comfort zone. I had to coordinate meetings, boost the team morale, as well as working with people whom I was not familiar with. It was an enriching experience as I learnt a lot from people from other schools who have different world views and perspectives.”
Yoo Zheng Yi (IBDP, Year 5) – “My Pre-University Seminar experience has been enjoyable as it was a fun experience to meet and work with people from different schools. One takeaway from the Seminar is being resilient despite the changes that we experience in our lives.”
Carol Rachmadi (Diploma in Business Studies, Year 1) – “I’m extremely grateful and thankful to be given this opportunity to be part of this year’s Pre-University Seminar. Over the past four days, I have learned many new things, such as how youths like us can help play our part in making Singapore a successful country in future.”
Faithmaria Ifeoma McKevin Lawrence (Diploma in Business Studies, Year 1) – “Some takeaways from the Seminar is that resilience is not about giving up, but it is about how fast you bounce back from difficulties. I also learnt that everyone has a different point of view about what resilience is and how we interpret it. It was interesting to hear from ministers and speakers on how they resonate with resilience through their jobs or life. The friends I made there were very welcoming, and I have never felt happier coming for a Seminar. I would highly encourage others to join as it was a very different experience compared to our sports training or school.
Muhammad Iman Zainudin (Diploma in Business, Year 1) – “Some takeaways from the Seminar are creativity and confidence. Creativity was shown as some of us had the same point of view but we used different ways to bring across our views. Some of us chose to do a presentation while others chose to do a play or a skit. Confidence was also important as we had to interact and share ideas with people whom we did not know well..”
The Pre-University Seminar is back to a physical event this year, with 550 students from 30 pre-university institutions gathering at two lecture theatres at National Junior College.
Co-organised by the Ministry of Education and National Junior College, the event aims to strengthen students’ understanding of Singapore’s identity and values, centered around the theme ‘Service: Forging the Singapore Story’ and four focus areas – Harmony, Kindness, Resilience and Innovation. Students are grouped into various groups under one of these focus areas and are encouraged to engage in dialogic interactions among participants and with invited speakers. They are required to work on a project with their group which demonstrates their understanding of the topic at the end of their four-day Seminar held from 31 May to 3 June 2022.
Six Singapore Sports School student-athletes in the IBDP, Diploma in Business Studies and Diploma in Business, participated in the Seminar and were grouped into various groups under the focus area of ‘Resilience’.
From as early as March 2022, the student-athletes engaged in online and face-to-face discussions and dialogue sessions with their groups where they met academics, senior civil servants, charity workers and other mentors.
Over the four-day physical sessions, they also interacted with other students, embarked on a learning journey, participated actively in project and panel discussions, as well as collaborated on an exhibition on the last day of the Seminar.
The Seminar was fruitful and engaging for our student-athletes. Besides broadening their horizon on topics close to their heart, the Seminar also gave them a fresh understanding of how they can do their parts in building a resilient nation that remains unique and relevant in the global environment. Most importantly, the Seminar was a session of self-discovery as they learnt from people who share different perspectives, and in the process, forged new friendships and bonds.
Quotes
Chong Kar Xuan (IBDP, Year 5) – “In our dialogue sessions leading up to the Pre-University Seminar, we had a sharing by Colonel Goh, who shared her knowledge on how the responsibility to uphold community resilience does not only lie on the shoulders of the government body but also the people of Singapore. And the conversation with Prof Fung has also emphasised the need for mental resilience as a community, and the importance of Singaporeans stepping up to take care of the mental well-being of others during these trying times.”
Ariana Beh Yoke Ching (IBDP, Year 5) – “Having been the group leader of my group, I experienced no shortage of stressful situations, which was stretched beyond my comfort zone. I had to coordinate meetings, boost the team morale, as well as working with people whom I was not familiar with. It was an enriching experience as I learnt a lot from people from other schools who have different world views and perspectives.”
Yoo Zheng Yi (IBDP, Year 5) – “My Pre-University Seminar experience has been enjoyable as it was a fun experience to meet and work with people from different schools. One takeaway from the Seminar is being resilient despite the changes that we experience in our lives.”
Carol Rachmadi (Diploma in Business Studies, Year 1) – “I’m extremely grateful and thankful to be given this opportunity to be part of this year’s Pre-University Seminar. Over the past four days, I have learned many new things, such as how youths like us can help play our part in making Singapore a successful country in future.”
Faithmaria Ifeoma McKevin Lawrence (Diploma in Business Studies, Year 1) – “Some takeaways from the Seminar is that resilience is not about giving up, but it is about how fast you bounce back from difficulties. I also learnt that everyone has a different point of view about what resilience is and how we interpret it. It was interesting to hear from ministers and speakers on how they resonate with resilience through their jobs or life. The friends I made there were very welcoming, and I have never felt happier coming for a Seminar. I would highly encourage others to join as it was a very different experience compared to our sports training or school.
Muhammad Iman Zainudin (Diploma in Business, Year 1) – “Some takeaways from the Seminar are creativity and confidence. Creativity was shown as some of us had the same point of view but we used different ways to bring across our views. Some of us chose to do a presentation while others chose to do a play or a skit. Confidence was also important as we had to interact and share ideas with people whom we did not know well..”
