Speech by Mr David Chong, SIF Governor, at the Launch Ceremony of the Enhancing Competency in English Language Communication Project in Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Mr K. Shanmugam, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Law of the Republic of Singapore
Honourable General G.A. Chandrasiri, Governor of Northern Province
Mrs Yogeswary Patgunarajah, Mayor of Jaffna
Mr Eliyathamby Narasinghan, Vice-President of Singapore Ceylon Tamils' association
Dr. T Chandroo, Chairman of Modern Montessori International
Singapore International Volunteers,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning. It’s wonderful to be here, surrounded by friends from Singapore and Sri Lanka, at the launch of the Singapore International Foundation’s (SIF) Enhancing Competency in English Language Communication in Jaffna project.

At the SIF, we strongly believe in the value of friendships and the endearing good that can come out of such meaningful relationships. The project we are launching today bears testament to this. Not only are we here to celebrate the outcomes harnessed through friendships between SIF and the Jaffna Public Library we are also celebrating the tenacity and efforts of our Sri Lankan friends in rebuilding their communities.

As a friend and neighbour, we are heartened to see you grow from strength to strength and want to support you further in your course of recovery. We remain grateful for the trust the Jaffna Public Library has in SIF as a developmental partner and are delighted to be working together again. In fact, the SIF has worked in partnership with many other Sri Lankan institutions towards the country’s development over the past 20 years, in areas including medical education, social work education, as well as post tsunami rehabilitation, and we remain committed towards deepening people-to-people ties between our two countries.

This latest project – Enhancing Competency in English Language Communication in Jaffna - will be a year-long, multi-faceted collaboration that provides learning resources in English as well as strengthens the capacities of Jaffna’s English language teachers and librarians - all geared towards the goal of enhancing competency of English Language communication among Jaffna’s youths.

Why English - you may ask. Not only is it a universal instrument of communication, a vehicle to access research and information outside of the country, it is also a crucial life skill vital in facilitating upward social and economic mobility and empowerment.

SIF has mobilised groups of Singapore International Volunteers or SIVs, the Singapore Ceylon Tamil community and Singapore businesses and institutions to pool together resources and contribute towards a brighter future for the youths of Jaffna. Taken together, we hope that our collective efforts support the Jaffna Municipal Council in meeting the community’s aspirations to acquire English skills and proficiencies.

In closing, I like to take this opportunity to express our deepest gratitude to our partners for their support - the Jaffna Municipal Council, the Jaffna Public Library, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore, the National Library Board, Singapore, our sponsors for their generous contributions – Modern Montessori International, the Singapore Ceylon Tamils' association, the Prima Group and Pacific International Lines.

To our SIVs who have stepped forward to extend a hand of friendship, we are deeply grateful for your dedication and generosity in sharing your expertise. Your contributions will surely be fondly remembered by our friends in Jaffna – teachers, librarians and youths alike.

On this note, I’d like leave you with a Tamil couplet from the Thirukkural, one of the most important works in the Tamil language. It says “learning is wealth that no one can destroy, and it can give you genuine joy”.

With that - thank you for joining us on this very joyous occasion, and have a wonderful day ahead.