MICA (P) 115 ⁄ 08 ⁄ 2010

JUNE2011 $500,000 Relief Package Unveiled at the SSC Launch (P11)

COMMEMORATING 20 YEARS

ContentsCEO’s Message (P1)

Blazing the path to University with SINDA (P02)

STEPping Up in the Next Decade (P03)

Aceing the A’s with Saadhana (P04)

Amazing Race @ The Zoo (P05)

Young Agents of Change (P06)

Breaking Record @ Family Day (P08)

Community Matters: Your Views Matter (P10)

$500,000 Relief Package Unveiled at SSC Launch (P11)

V is for Volunteer (P12)

Indian Businessleaders Roundtable (P14)

COMMUNITY

STUDENTS

STUDENTS

STUDENTS

FAMILY

FAMILY

SINDA

YOUTH

Advisor: Mr T Raja Segar, CEO, SINDA

Writers & Designer: Green House Design + Communications Pte Ltd

Editors: Corporate Communications Team, SINDA

Printer: Stamford Press Pte Ltd

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Send your home or office address to connections@sinda.org.sg –

(inform us if there’s a change in address.)

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Send your email ID to e-news@sinda.org.sg –

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VOLUNTEER

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LOOK OUT FOR EXCITING

UPDATES ONLINE!

NDA’s now on social media!e you?

NEVER FAR FROM YOU

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Watch SINDA events now! Here’s a video of what we were up to in 2010

ONE MORE QR CODE HIDDEN INSIDE. FIND IT! Hint: It’s DPM Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s speech!

SINDA

Watch videos on your Smartphone! Look out for these Quick Response (QR) Codes in this issue! INSTRUCTIONS:1. Turn on 3G2. Download a free QR code reader to your smartphone3. Scan the QR Code

1

CEO’S MESSAGEMY MESSAGE FOR THIS SINDA CONNECTIONS ISSUE is

an excerpt from the speech I made at the Narpani-SINDA Family Day

at Downtown East on 24 April 2011. I hope to reach more through

this newsletter.

SINDA turns 20 this year. Looking back at the last 20 years,

we see the Indian community progressing well. Thanks to efforts by

schools, families and students who have realised that the path to

progress is via a good education, more are passing PSLE, GCE ‘O’

and ‘A’ Levels and going on to tertiary education. But there is still

room for improvement. There is still a performance gap at landmark

examinations between the Indian average and the national average.

We need to bridge this gap by reaching out to the frontrunners in

the race.

When students fail subjects like Mathematics, many

opportunities are closed to them. Those who qualify for tertiary

institutions tend to choose softer options in terms of courses.

This usually leads to economically less-viable career prospects,

which leave many in the lower income bracket or below the middle-

income band.

Our education system has multiple pathways for those with

varied capabilities and talents. There are still many families that have

not accepted ITE (Institute of Technical Education) as an educational

pathway yet. If they visit the new ITE campuses, they will most

defi nitely change their minds.

Education is a key enabler in upward social mobility and many

amongst us have proven that time and again. For those with a strong

drive for excellence, Singapore offers tremendous opportunity for

career and success. Students and parents need to take that to heart

to excel in their studies and their work and to be recognised. Only

then will we be able to positively contribute to the progress of the

nation and partake in the fruit of that progress.

What is needed is a new approach. A sense of urgency needs

to be felt, in order to jumpstart the action that will once and for all

address the shortcomings of ourselves and our community to leave

behind a life of mediocrity.

A sense of urgency needs to be felt… to leave behind a life of mediocrity.

SINDA cannot do this alone. It needs a collaborative effort

from teachers, volunteers, temples, mosques, churches and

sub-ethnic community organisations to guide our chilldren. Hence,

we invite more of you to come into the picture to ensure that, as a

community, we focus more on doing the right things.

Parents, strive to create a good home environment for your

children. Save more; spend on your children’s education; take action

when you see them underperform and be involved in their schools.

Likewise, Second Language teachers can do more to reach

out to these children. Whether from Tamil, Punjabi, Hindi, Gujarati

or Bengali schools, you have fi rst-hand contact like no other with

the future Indian community. Leaders of community and religious

organisations are also great agents for reaching out, motivating the

community and addressing issues when you see them.

Finally, I appeal to our students to aim high and never give

up. You have the power to create your own future. Seek and seize

the opportunities that are around you. Life is an exercise in balance.

Don’t let time pass you by. Understand that time will not return. Do

the right thing now. Seize the day!

As SINDA plans for the next 10 years, we must function in a

different manner to ensure the community succeeds. Together, we

can stand tall in Singapore.

Raja SegarCEO

Mr Raja Segar (extreme left) with a participating team in ‘Amazing Race at the Zoo’ (P05)

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“MY NAME IS K. PAVITRA KANAIAH.

I have been offered a place at the National

University of Singapore to do a Science

Degree.”

The pride that shines through this

innocuous statement is wonderful. It is

the heartfelt joy of a young girl from a

disadvantaged family, who was once barely

scoring C6 grades in school.

Pavitra’s story is one of triumph

against tremendous odds. Her father is the

sole breadwinner of the family. He suffers

from heart disease. Her mother requires

regular medical attention and is unable to

work. The family was plagued by fi nancial

diffi culties as she was growing up.

Pavitra shares, “Our only goal and aim

was to pursue a Degree in order to improve

our situation.”

SINDA became involved in Pavitra’s

quest for success when she was in Secondary

1. She had enrolled at the Sengkang STEP

Centre and soon started scoring good

grades. She did well in her “O” level exams,

earning a place at Serangoon Junior College.

Pavitra attributes her good results to her

dedicated and patient tutors who spent their

time selfl essly with students.

However, while at Junior College,

Pavitra found herself faltering in her studies.

By the second year, she was getting “Ungraded” scores in all subjects. She realised that she

needed help and her zeal to succeed saw her enrolling in the Saadhana tuition programme on

a full subsidy. This academic help and the redoubling of her efforts consequently earned her a

place at NUS.

“Even today, my family is still benefi ting from SINDA,” says Pavitra. Since 2005, SINDA

has provided both her and her brothers bursary awards and fi nancial aid. She elaborates,

“There was a point in time when we were unable to pay for my brothers’ ‘O’ Level and my ‘A’

Level fees. SINDA immediately responded with fi nancial help. We would not have been able

to carry on with our education otherwise.”

Pavitra’s two younger brothers are also former STEP students who have done well in the

2010 ‘O’ Levels. Both K. Rohinesh and K. Revinesh are now in junior college. Pavitra is grateful

for the assistance accorded to her family, “My family and I are very grateful to SINDA!”

And SINDA is proud of these motivated young siblings who are rising above their

circumstances to take their place as stars of the future.

“MY NAME ME IS K. PAVITRA KANAIAH.

have been offerefered a place at the National

University of Singaporepore to do a Science

Degree.”

BLAZING A PATH

Model Mathematician Sums Up SuccessMOHANDASS KALAICHELVAN received the SINDA Excellence

Award in 2009 for scoring 8 ‘A’s in his GCE ‘A’ Levels. The 20-

year-old’s impressive college successes include making the Raffl es

Junior College (RJC) Dean’s List and receiving the Prime Minister’s

Book Prize as well as several national inter-school sports trophies.

Mohandass is also an active supporter of non-profi t projects such

as Tapestry 2008 where he helped to raise $50,000 for Singapore’s

visually handicapped.

He will be reading

Mathematics at

Dartmouth College

in the USA from

September 2011 on

the Defence Science

Technology Agency’s

(DSTA) Overseas

Undergraduate

Scholarship.

Join the ranks of students such as Mohandass and strive to be among the top Indian students in Singapore! The prestigious SINDA Excellence Awards now honours students graduating from top overseas universities as well. THE CRITERIA FOR RETURNING GRADUATES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

Students must have obtained a 1st Class Honours or equivalent.

He/she should be a PSC/Statutory Board/Government scholarship

holder or from prestigious universities which are ranked higher than

any one of the local universities (NUS, NTU and SMU) in

The Times Higher Education - World University Listings

(http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-

rankings/2010-2011/top-200.html).

So, if you are a star achiever from a distinguished overseas

university, you might be our next SEA winner!!!

Nithya

nithya@sinda.org.sg

63937230

Dilraaj

dilraaj@sinda.org.sg

63937224

+++MoSu+++++++++++

TO UNIVERSITY WITH SINDA

ores in all subjects. She realised

NDANDA

FOR FURTHER DETAILS & REGISTRATION, CONTACT:

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STEPping Up in the Next DecadeSINDA TUTORIALS FOR ENHANCED

PERFORMANCE (STEP) was one of our earliest

programmes which has proven its success with countless

Primary and Secondary school students for about 20

years. There are now 21 STEP centres island-wide

providing tuition in English, Maths, and Science.

STEP students are now able to opt for two

Maths classes a week, letting them work more on a

subject that has been a concern for them. Besides

simply improving grades, the STEP programme

provides students with opportunities to develop their

self-confi dence and take charge of their life, through

various enrichment activities.

For example, in April this year, 74 upper

primary students from STEP centres island-wide

participated in an invigorating Heritage Trail along the scenic Singapore River.

The inter-disciplinary activity had elements of National Education, Mathematics and

motivational factors infused as the children learnt about Singapore’s unique history.

Aided by high-tech mobile devices, this made for an out-of-the ordinary experience!

At STEP classes, students’ performances are monitored through centre-based

tests and recognised at both centre-based prize presentations and at the Joint-Tuition

Awards Ceremony.

STEP also aids in imparting skills to parents and tutors on how to nurture these

students’ abilities through open communication and regular dialogues.

Best of all, families can now pay even less under the new relief package

(See page 11). There are certainly ample reasons to step into a STEP centre today.

REACHING OUT TO MORE STUDENTS means bringing help right

to the doorstep of schools. Cue Project Teach − SINDA’s quality

tuition that is both accessible and affordable. Conducted within the

schools, these classes work around school hours for the students’

convenience. Small group sizes offer personalised attention, and fees

are heavily subsidised. Project Teach commenced in 2001 at Stamford

Primary School with 13 students. Today, SINDA reaches out to 800

students through Project Teach centres in 40 primary schools.

On 16 April 2011, SINDA President Ms Indranee Rajah and

members of the Executive Committee and Board of Trustees visited

Project Teach at Boon Lay Garden Primary School. Project Teach

students, their parents and tutors shared their views on the education

of Indian students and the Project Teach programme in general.

Mrs Christina Shirley, a Project Teach tutor of eight years,

observed, “I’ve built bonds with each child, their parents and the

school coordinators. It’s been a blessing indeed. Some of them are

now in Sec 3 and 4 and I’m teaching their younger siblings − it really

strengthens my commitment!”

SINDA continues to look for opportunities to commence Project Teach centres in

more Primary schools. To know more about Project Teach, log on to http://www.sinda.org.sg or write to us at project_teach@sinda.org.sg.

More than just Tutorials

Thought SINDA’s education

programmes are just for the kids?

Think again! We don’t just help

our children with their schoolwork,

we make sure that their tutors

and families give them the right

support as well. It’s all part of

SINDA’s holistic approach to giving

education a boost.

For the Tutors...

The Tutor Orientation

Programmes held in January and

April proved to be fruitful and

engaging sessions for SINDA’s

STEP and Project Teach tutors.

New initiatives were introduced

and tutors benefi ted from the

sharing and exchange of ideas.

They also learnt useful training

strategies for the classroom.

For the Parents...

Across 19 STEP centres,

500 parents attended the

Parent Orientation Programme

emphasising the importance of

their children’s education. It was

a rewarding session for parents

as they had the opportunity to

meet their children’s STEP tutors

and centre principals. This was an

opportunity many parents took

to discuss how the children could

improve their performance with

STEP. Parents also learned about

the various activities organised in

their respective STEP centres.

For the Students...

An exciting e-Learning initiative

was launched on 27 April for

STEP students at Woodlands Ring

Primary School. For these students,

studies have become interactive

and fun, even at home!

e-Learning is part of SINDA’s

mission to provide quality

educational programmes.

PROJECT TEACH: Study Help at Hand

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ACE-ING THE WITH SAADHANA

Cost (after 50% discount for Indian students)

Date Time Subjects

JC1 For the next 16 weeks, you only pay:1 subject - $1232 subjects - $2463 subjects - $369

Every Saturday18 June to 1 October(16 weeks)

2-hour sessions: - 0900-1100- 1115-1315- 1400-1600

· Maths (H1,H2)· GP (H1)· Economics (H1, H2)· Physics (H2)· Chemistry (H2)· Biology (H2)

- Classes for other subjects such as Geography/History available if a minimum of 6 students sign up- Max. 3 subjects per student

JC2 For the next 20 weeks, you only pay:1 subject - $1652 subjects - $3303 subjects - $495

Every Saturday18 June to 29 October (20 weeks)

Help your kids mind their maths

TIP 1: Build your child’s interest in Maths from young. When your child is interested, half the battle is won.

Strategy:Expose your children to ‘Real World Maths’ to stimulate their thinking. Use everyday objects such as clocks, measuring cups and counting blocks, books, etc. to introduce general mathematical concepts. Develop their interest further through simple and fun Maths articles and investigative projects from the Internet.

TIP 2: Work with your child’s Maths Teacher to identify his/her strengths and weaknesses.

Strategy 1:Talk to your child’s school teachers at the start of the new academic year, to identify areas of concern. They would be able to offer follow-up actions for parents to help address the issues.

Strategy 2:If your child requires extra time and individualised attention, you can consider enrolling him/her in SINDA’s STEP classes or the Collaborative Tuition Programme run by the self-help groups. You can also engage a tutor with good credentials and experience.

Strategy 3:Alignment with the school’s curriculum will provide consistency for your child to grasp the concepts fi rmly.

Strategy 4:Monitor your child’s progress. If your child is confused or is not benefi ting from the extra help, step in to rectify the problem.

TIP 3: Practice makes perfect.

Strategy:Try modifying the questions in school assignments and test papers to create more practice for your child. Rope in siblings and relatives to help!

TIP 4: Help your child learn from mistakes.

Strategy:Revise papers with your child to understand his/her mistakes. Make him/her do ‘corrections’ a few times. You might want to create your own worksheets with errors and get your child to identify the mistakes.

TIP 5: Foster good time management skills.

Strategy:Daily practice within stipulated time frames will help your child ace his/her Maths examination.

TIP 6: Cultivate a climate of high achievement at home.

Strategy: While you inspire your child to aim for high goals, remember to set realistic

targets in consultation with the subject teacher. Celebrate every success! Verbal and non-verbal affi rmation (like putting up a “Well Done” card) will motivate your child to better the performance.

A supportive home environment is crucial in a child’s academic and social development. Believe that your children can excel in Maths, and reap the rewards with them!

Saadhana is an annual ‘A’ Level tuition project spearheaded by the National University of Singapore Tamil Language Society (NUSTLS)

and supported by SINDA and Singapore Indian Education Trust (SIET). This year’s Saadhana kicked off on 12 March. The subsidised

programme will see our Indian ‘A’ Level students giving their all in pursuit of an university education.

The programme runs from March to October each year. Don’t miss this opportunity!For more information, visit www.nustls.org

Saadhana commenced on 12 March 2011. Students are still welcome to register for classes. The fee structure below is for those who join us after 18 June.

Parents, you can help your children score in Maths. Mdm Sivakami Alagumalai nee Mrs Segar, Senior Maths Teacher at Evergreen Secondary School, offers the following tips and strategies for parents.

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WHAT WERE NEARLY 100 students

racing (and horsing!) around the Singapore

Zoological Gardens for? It was all in the

pursuit of education, of course!

Besides solving Maths challenges,

Science Quizzes and English Puzzles, these

Primary 5 and 6 students from fi ve schools

had a day of team-building and confi dence-

raising fun as they defi ed the morning heat

and afternoon rain to hunt down answers to

numerous quizzes through various games.

This motivational activity held on

19 February was organised by SINDA in

collaboration with the Raffl es Institution

Junior College Indian Cultural Society,

as part of SINDA’s Project GuidE.

AMAZING RACEat the zoo

P1 STARTERS‘A RIGHT START TO A BRIGHT FUTURE’

- that’s what 50 parents pledged for their

children when they attended the P1 Starters

seminar on 26 March at SINDA.

SINDA’s Senior Director, Mrs Sarojini

Padmanathan; Principal of Fernvale Primary

School, Mdm V Balakrishna; and Nascans

Winning Strategies for PSLE Students

Views and ideas were abundant as 50 Junior

College students came together at the LASALLE

College of the Arts to consider paths to success

through Junior College and beyond. There to

inspire them were three exemplary Indian youths

who have excelled in their respective fi elds: LTC

Gaurav Keerthi, Air Force Pilot; Mr Joel Arun,

NUS medical student; and Ms Lingehswari Eisvran,

Teacher at Bukit Panjang Government High School.

Views and ideas were abundant as 50 Junior

College students came together at the LASALLE

PLANET JC‘Where to... after Junior College?’

It was well worth the effort for about 200 students who

turned up at Cheng San Community Centre on a Sunday morning.

Under the motivational coaching of Mr Vijayan Nambiar on 20

March and 5 June, this Primary 6 cohort of Indian kids tackled tricky

Maths questions with renewed confi dence.

Maths was no longer tedious work when a winning mindset

was adopted, and by the end of the day, it was bright smiles all

around as most participants showed remarkable improvements in

their post-test results.

Learning is always more effective when coupled with fun, and

with SINDA, learning is always exciting!

More than 100 Primary 5 and 6 students had a whale of a time

at SINDA’s Project GuidE motivational workshop on 16 April. Held at

Republic Polytechnic, trainers and facilitators from Nascans Pte Ltd

taught them how to maximise their potential with skills such as self-

understanding, self-motivation, goal setting and time management.

They also benefi ted from fun English, Mathematics and Science

enrichment activities.

A GuidE to Excellence

Pte Ltd’s Principal Consultant, Dr Chris Koh

gave tips to the parents while the graduating

kindergarteners enjoyed Maths and Science

games in another room.

Parents took home key lessons on

building strong bonds with their little ones

and easing their transition from kindergarten

to primary school. “It was indeed very good.

We should have more such workshops,”

enthused participant Ravichandran.

ect GuidE.

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CHANGEYoung agents of

Developing the next generation of youth

leaders has been an aspiration of SINDA,

and under our fl agship SINDA Young Leaders

Programme (SYLP), there are currently 11

young leaders actively engaged in community

building projects.

One on-going endeavour is SYLP’s ‘Act

to Change’ programme, in which participants

initiate, design and implement a local

project based on an actual community need.

Complementing this is a requisite overseas

study trip, (see other story, Learning at Kerala). ‘Act to Change’ has seen SYLP participants at

SINDA’s STEP centres since January to study

how Indian parents can motivate their children

to achieve their best. SINDA is proud to

champion these young leaders’ efforts.

If you are between 17 and 25 years of age and are interested in contributing to Singapore’s Indian community, do get in touch to fi nd out more about the SYLP. Contact Ramesh at 6393 7256 or ramesh@sinda.org.sg

LEARNING AT KERALA

In Conversation Series

INDIAN YOUTH ARE NOT SHYING AWAY from issues of

community responsibility. On the contrary, 60 tertiary students

and young working professionals took full advantage of an

opportunity to engage Dr Maliki Osman, Senior Parliamentary

Secretary, Ministry of National Development, in a lively debate

on 11 April.

The event, centred on ‘Community Matters - From

Service to Leadership’, had Dr Maliki sharing his experiences

in the social services sector while the youths brought their

concerns and offered fresh perspectives. The ICS is a regular

SYC dialogue with prominent community leaders and

outstanding industry professionals from various fi elds.

Look out for our next session with Mr Moonshi Mohsenruddin, CEO of CommGate Inc. Mr Moonshi will recount his journey of self-improvement from being a 14-year old school dropout to attaining his current success.

FROM 15 TO 20 MARCH THIS YEAR, seven of our Youth

Leaders embarked on a community engagement and study

trip to Kuchapuram, Kerala. Visiting the K. E. Carmel Central

School opened their eyes to the importance of non-school-

based support for under-achieving students.

Kerala has one of the highest literacy rates in Asia.

Leveraging on existing partnerships between Singapore’s

Ministry of Education and Kerala’s educational institutions, the

SINDA Youth Leaders Programme (SYLP) participants aimed to

generate ideas and identify processes that can be modifi ed for

our own SINDA STEP pupils.

The interaction with the Kerala community proved

insightful, and our SYLP participants will subsequently conduct

a comparative analysis between Kerala and Singapore as part

of the ‘Act to Change’ programme (see article below - ‘Young

Agents of Change’).

A ROUSING ROADSHOW AT ITEWHAT MOTIVATES STUDENTS TO GIVE THEIR BEST AND ACHIEVE THEIR AMBITIONS? Four Institute

of Technical Education (ITE) graduates shared their inspiring success stories at the ITE Roadshow on 15 April.

The 260 ITE students in attendance also heard from Mr Moonshi Mohsenruddin, who transformed from school

dropout to tech company CEO. In addition, Vasantham artistes entertained the students at the event held at ITE

College East.

Internationally lauded, ITE is at the cutting edge of vocational institutes. ITE students can look forward to a

bright future on successfully completing their courses, with one in four expected to advance to the polytechnics by

2015, and 90% of job-seekers fi nding employment within six months. The encouragement from the roadshow will

certainly motivate our ITE students further!

16 TEAMS OF INDIAN SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

battled it out at the SINDA-TRC Futsal Fiesta on 26 March

2011, in an exciting display of skill and fi tness.

This was the fi rst time that SINDA, through our Youth

Club, has been a partner in the Tamils Representative

Council (TRC)’s annual futsal competition, allowing us to

reach out to more students for our STEP Tuition Centres

and other youth based activities.

“The event was amazing!” exclaimed Jeremiaah

George, 17, from the winning team, Stadio C. “We didn’t

expect to win the trophy today. It was defi nitely a pleasant

surprise.” His team beat Stadio A to bring home the

challenge trophy and a $500 Sportslink voucher.

Mr Inderjit Singh, SINDA Term Trustee & Member of

Parliament (MP) for Ang Mo Kio GRC gave away the prizes.

Fun-tastic Futsal!

What did the well-received programmes, DraMaths, Amazing Race and Study Smart have in common? They were all organised by the Raffl es Institution Junior College Indian Cultural Society (RIJC ICS). To encourage their continued journey with SINDA, the President of SINDA hosted the young Gryphons to an appreciation dinner themed “Footprints”, in April. We look forward to these young volunteers becoming long-term champions and supporters!

Little Steps, Big Footprints

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WHAT A CELEBRATION! The

Narpani-SINDA Family Day was a grand

event, with more than 7,000 people at

Downtown East on Sunday, 24 April.

The occasion was graced by His

Excellency President S R Nathan, who called

it “a very special event for all of us in the

Indian community”.

As part of SINDA’s 20th anniversary,

we partnered PA’s Narpani Pearavai for the

fi rst time in the Family Day event, which

was organised together with the South East

and North East Indian Activity Executive

Committees (IAECs).

Both President Nathan and SINDA

CEO Mr Raja Segar urged each family and

the Indian community to work harder to

eliminate the academic underperformance

of Indian students. Mr Raja stressed, “We

all know that education is a key enabler in

upward social mobility.” He added, “A sense

of urgency needs to be felt... to address the

shortcomings (and) lack of vibrancy.”

The day’s exciting programme

included 1,741 participants coming together

to earn a place in the Singapore Book of

Records for the ‘Most Number of People

Painting at One Location’. Among them

were Indians from all walks of life, capturing

the spirit of the event tagline, ‘A Brighter

Future, Together’.

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FAMILY DAYFAMILY DAYFAMILY DAYFAMILY DAYFAMILY DAY

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OTHER HIGHLIGHTS included the donation of

computers to 20 needy students, as well as a

stage version of the popular “Enna Nadakuthu” or

“What is happening?” Tamil television programme.

Visitors were delighted to interact with popular

Vasantham artistes from the “Uncle Taxi”

variety show, and enjoyed an Aarokkia Aattam

demonstration, besides other games and fun-fi lled

activities promoting active and healthy living.

‘Edu-tainment’ for the children came in the form

of a ‘MAD’ Scientist and MatheMagician, while

SINDA offi cers manned booths reaching out

to parents to enrol their children in the various

educational/ enrichment programmes. Participants

also took advantage of the good weather to

enjoy free entry to the WildWildWet and Escape

theme parks.

We, as family and community, need to motivate our children and youth so that they would aspire for greater success in education and the attainment of success as they embark on careers.

President S R Nathan

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COMMUNITY MATTERSAFTER 20 YEARS OF RAISING the educational and socio-

economic profi le of the Indian community, SINDA is re-assessing

its position in the Indian community and charting the way forward.

As we gear up to do more, we have reached out to hear the views

and opinions of the community.

Sixteen Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) held from January

through May this year yielded valuable feedback. The groups

comprised of various educational, family and community stakeholders,

involving parents, students, teachers, social workers, media personnel

and benefi ciaries, as well as community and religious leaders. Mr Bimel

Ram, one of the FGD facilitators, remarked, “It was a rare opportunity

to get a fi rst hand glimpse into the psyche of various sub-ethnic

groups of the Indian Singaporean community”.

In addition, two Dialogue sessions were held in April. SINDA

consulted community leaders and professionals in retrospect of the

last 20 years and in planning the initiatives for the next decade.

So, what are some of the perspectives from the ground? Let’s hear it from two of our FGD facilitators...

MR BIMEL RAM

• On the Focus Group Discussions:“It was amazing how diverse the

perspectives, understanding and thoughts

about the state of the community and the

approaches to handle them were.”

• On SINDA’s performance:“SINDA, given its infrastructure, contribution

from the community and connectivity, was

seen by most, regardless of background

as the organisation that is best equipped

to handle not just educational pursuits

but also the socio-economic issues of

the community.”

MR MAHENDRAN REDDY

• On issues facing the community:“The main feedback shows SINDA’s on the

right path, focusing on education to raise

the standard of the masses; that this is the

area to fund. Another main concern was the

ability of parents to provide a conducive

learning environment for their children.

SINDA needs to provide a programme to

educate and equip parents for the task.”

YOUR VIEWS MATTER

• On what can be done:“The current cohort of Primary 1 Indian

students needs to be nurtured. We’ll have

to provide resources so they can adopt the

needed skill sets for school and life. We will

track their performance (in not just academic

development but also Sport, Music and

the Arts) until Primary 6, and then you’ll

have the results to show for it. The fi nancial

contribution by every Indian Singaporean

could be tagged to a percentage of their

salaries to fund this. It’s a radical idea to

achieve substantial momentum for educational

excellence amongst Indian Singaporeans.”

We engaged more

than 250 members of the

community through the

FGDs and Dialogues.

This interaction has

proved to be a constructive

exercise. Signifi cant themes

were highlighted in issues

concerning parenting, nursery

education, youth motivation, and perception of SINDA. These

qualitative fi ndings will complement a quantitative study done by

professional study teams looking into education and family issues.

The review will allow SINDA to further fi ne-tune our services to better

suit the needs of the community.

Look out for the full report, to be released in September 2011!

FAM

ILY

11

SINDA’S STEP AND TEACH STUDENTS

are among those who will benefi t from

a $500,000 boost as part of the ‘Grow &

Share’ relief package announced by SINDA.

Amidst rising infl ation, families can

breathe a little easier with increased help

from SINDA education bursaries, to the

tune of $220,000. The current 1,650 bursary

recipients from Primary to JC level can look

forward to a monthly $20 top-up to their

current awards.

The bursary criteria has also been

tweaked to allow more students to

benefi t from the scheme, with ‘Nett’

income replacing ‘Gross’ income in the

consideration, and the per capita income

ceiling raised from $450 to $600 for families

with special circumstances.

$210,000 has been earmarked for

students in SINDA’s academic programmes,

STEP and Teach, on top of the existing

subsidies SINDA already offers. Those whose

household per capita income is below $600

will enjoy a full fee waiver, while those with a

higher income will pay only 50% of the fees.

The rest of the relief package goes

towards vouchers, ezlink cards and food

rations for the benefi ciaries of SINDA

Family Service Centre to offset the increase

in the cost of living. This additional family

assistance is valued at $70,000.

Preparing healthy meals for your childThe best way to encourage your children to eat healthily is to set an example by eating well yourself. Try these simple steps:

Whole-grains for a Better FillWhole-grains may not be the most palatable to your child, but they are healthier and keep your child full for a longer time. Have whole-grain bread for breakfast, chapatti for lunch and whole-wheat biscuits at snack time. Use whole-meal fl our when cooking or include brown rice as part of a main meal.

Healthy Snacks For The Growing ChildKeep your fridge stacked with cheese, low-fat milk and yoghurt. If your child is not allergic to nuts, unsalted cashew nuts and almonds work well too. Limit snacks such as potato chips and cookies to special occasions. Bake chips instead of frying them.

Get The Goodness From Fruit Cut fruit of variety of colours into fun shapes and chill them for a nutritious afternoon snack.

Be Creative With Vegetables Be innovative. Include vegetables in your child’s diet by grating them into scrambled eggs or slipping them into sandwiches.

Go For Sugar-Free DrinksCurb your child’s sweet tooth by replacing sugary drinks with plain water. Water is the best thirst quencher!

BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE HEALTH PROMOTION BOARD

The relief package was announced by

DPM Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Chairman

of SINDA, at the offi cial launch of the SINDA

Service Centre (SSC) on 26 March 2011.

Located at Jurong Point, the SSC is a more

accessible one-stop information and referral

point for families living in Western Singapore.

JUST TWO MONTHS OF TRAINING was all it took for two

SINDA teams from Project Athena to bag an award each at a

LEGO robotics competition in January. Of the 37 competing teams,

SINDA’s “Brilliante Challengers” won the Rising Stars award,

while “Commando Machiners” won the Creative Quality award. 16

awards were given out in this FIRST LEGO League (FLL) event.

Ms Baonee Tham, the volunteer who coached our teams,

won the Best Mentor award.

1

2

3

5

4

$500,000 RELIEF PACKAGE Unveiled at SSC Launch

SINDA KIDS WIN

UST TWO MONTHS OF TRAINING was all it took for two

SINDA teams from Project Athena to bag an award each at aS

LEGO LEAGUE AWARDS

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Turn on 3G

2. Download a free QR code reader to your smartphone

3. Scan the QR Code

Want to watch DPM Tharman’s speech?

{

A RECIPE FOR KINDNESS

For some people, doing what they love is all the more satisfying when it is for a good cause. Take celebrity chef Mrs Dorothy Krishnan, who has dished up more than just recipes with her latest publication, ‘The EZ Cookbook’ − she’s stirred up a good deal of compassion for the less fortunate too. Mrs Krishnan has donated 300 copies of her cookbook to raise funds for SINDA’s annual fund-raising campaign, Project Give.Get a taste of her culinary creations and

help the underprivileged at the same time,

by purchasing her cookbook today! Copies

of The EZ Cookbook are still available at

$25 each − call 6298 5911 to purchase. All

proceeds go towards Project Give.

At a Cairnhill Community Club event held on 16 January, Chef Dorothy raised $1000 for Project Give through sales of her book.

VO

LUN

TE

ER

12

VV is for Verve... Vibrancy... Vitality... V is for Volunteer!VOLUNTEERS HAVE CONTRIBUTED largely to SINDA’s success in the last 20 years.

As we look forward to the next 10, we hope

there will be more of you who will share our

aim of reaching out to the less privileged

members of the Singapore Indian community.

Our volunteers are key to the success

of our programmes; from reading to children

at our Reading Circle programme at centres

islandwide to mentoring youth. They

distribute gift hampers to families during

festive seasons. Lawyers offer free legal advice

to families with issues. Of different ages and

walks of life, they give freely of their time to

assist those who need help.

There’s never a time like now to take

that fi rst step to be a volunteer. SINDA is

constantly on the look out for enthusiastic,

committed individuals to join our

team. Having twice won the National

Volunteerism Award for our Volunteer

Management System, SINDA is well

placed to help translate your good

intentions into action. Students, you too

are welcome to fulfi l your Community

Involvement Programme (CIP) hours

with us.

Every effort is valued, and we

do our part to keep our volunteers

motivated, honouring them through our

appreciation tea events.

Log on to www.sinda.org.sg to learn about how you can help. Call: 1800 – 295 4554

Email: volunteer@sinda.org.sg

{ }V

OLU

NT

EE

R

13

ALL FOR THE LOVE OF READING

Mesmerising Entertainment for the Little OnesWhat does it take to keep 80 young children

rapt in their seats? A master story-teller! On

26 February, children from SINDA’s reading

programmes were captivated by the story-

telling skills of Ms Rosemarie Somaiah. The

free session was conducted in collaboration

with the Asian Storytelling Network. A big hit

with the children, such events will go some

way in spurring on their reading efforts.

I think that Project Read is one of the best projects that SINDA has initiated. We open up a whole new horizon when children can read...

IT IS THIS STRONG BELIEF THAT DROVE JACINTA to be involved in Project Read,

despite her busy schedule as a legal counsel with the Agency for Science, Technology and

Research (A*STAR). For more than a year, she has been working with children from a family

that resettled here from India. Project Read has given her an avenue to contribute her time

productively and work with children too, something that she enjoys.

Jacinta’s young charge Fatima is older than the rest of her Primary 4 cohort at school

and she has two siblings − Karim, a younger brother in Primary 2 and Shahul, an older brother

(pseudonyms are used for benefi ciaries). Most Saturdays, Jacinta helps Fatima and Karim

with English and their schoolwork. She even introduced phonetics to help fi ne-tune

Karim’s reading skills.

Jacinta always fi nds new ways to make language learning interesting. She once bought

Fatima a hardcover book with decorative stones on it; Fatima has been recording new words

and meanings in the book. From time to time, they also discuss newspaper articles.

Jacinta has developed a good rapport with Fatima’s family. Knowing that one’s time

goes towards a useful purpose is fulfi lling in itself, but to be appreciated and to see results

is the icing on the cake. Recently, Jacinta was heartened to learn that her students’ oral

exam results have improved. She also observed that the children were starting to cultivate

good reading habits, encouraged by their mother. These things spur her on in her journey

of volunteerism.

... You need commitment to be part of a project like this. Once you have engaged a child, keep going. When you see that the child can read, you will feel a great sense of fulfi llment.

– Jacinta Mahtani, a SINDA volunteer

IAVE Delegates visit SINDAON 22 JANUARY, SINDA was proud to host 15 delegates from the

21st International Association for

Volunteer Effort (IAVE) World Youth

Volunteer Conference.

With the aim of gaining an insight

into the local volunteering scene, the

conference representatives learnt

about SINDA’s various volunteer-driven

programmes and services. These youths,

who hailed from Canada, Germany,

Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan and

Thailand, observed our volunteers at

work during a reading session, and later

interacted with both volunteers and kids.

The IAVE Conference was

jointly organised by the Singapore

Management University (SMU), the

National Youth Achievement Award

- Gold Award Holders Alumni (NYAA-

GAHA) and the Young Men’s Christian

Association (YMCA).

THE INDIAN BUSINESSLEADERS ROUNDTABLE (IBR) was

established in February this year. A SINDA initiative, the IBR is set to

engage prominent Indian professionals in Singapore on issues relating

to the Singapore Indian community, as well as in fund raising efforts.

Mr Girija Pande, Chairman of IBR, had this message for these

distinguished newcomers, “You may be surprised to learn of the large

needs that exist even in a country like Singapore. The onus is on us to

help (the less fortunate) lead more fruitful lives.” Mr Pande is Chairman

of Tata Consultancy Services, Asia Pacifi c and a Trustee of SINDA.

IBR is the fi rst formal forum through which recently-arrived senior

Indian business leaders and professionals (the cream of the Indian

diaspora now based in Singapore) are brought together. Invited

members range from those serving on public sector boards, to senior leaders in private enterprises and multi-national companies.

They will bring to the table their collective expertise and networks to help contribute to the welfare of the local Indian community.

SINDA hopes to benefi t from IBR’s advice, and leverage on their connections to support its wider mission. IBR promises to be an

enriching and rewarding endeavour for those involved. This is a fulfi lling way for recently-arrived Indian professional talent to contribute

and sink roots in Singapore.

INSPIRATIONAL TALKSTips for parents were aplenty at the workshop “How Parents Can Help Their Children Do Better in Their Studies and Behaviour” on 25 February this year. It was conducted at Beatty Secondary School by Mrs Sarojini Padmanathan, SINDA’s Senior Director. Dr M Andal, a Tamil teacher at the school, shares the feedback gathered from the event:

“The concise and inspirational talk helped parents develop more positive attitudes in their teenagers. The speaker is very knowledgeable and had a good understanding of children. The concept she shared, of knowing your teenagers by getting to know yourself, is very helpful.”

FROM DETRACTOR TO SUPPORTERMr Raghavan Prem Kumar approached SINDA as a beneficiary seeking assistance for his son’s education and other needs. He did not expect to receive much help and has since been touched by the courtesy and genuine concern shown by SINDA’s officers. He says:

“In these troubled times, most of us in the low income bracket have given up hope. However, the people at SINDA, especially Ms Vigneswari and Mr Ragu (both from SINDA Service Centre at Jurong Point) and Mr Saravanan GS (from the Youth Department) have put in their time and effort to make my life better. I really appreciate them from the bottom of my heart.”

YOUR VOICE

14

PLEDGING TO SCORELivesha is a 12-year-old who attended SINDA’s Winning Strategies seminar for PSLE students. It was conducted

by Mr Vijayan Nambiar. Livesha says:“Thank you for having me at the seminar. I really learned a lot of simple methods to solve maths questions and also have made new friends! I will never forget this help and I will prove to you that I WILL get As or A stars for my PSLE!”

Indian Businessleaders Roundtable

15

VISIONTo build a strong and vibrant Singaporean Indian community together

MISSIONTo build a well-educated, resilient and confi dent community of Indians that stands together with the other communities in contributing to the progress of multi-racial Singapore

VALUESRespect, our cultureIntegrity, our foundationService, our promiseExcellence, our pursuit

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

PatronPrime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

Chairman, Board of TrusteesMr Tharman Shanmugaratnam

Life TrusteesProfessor S JayakumarMr S DhanabalanMr S Chandra DasMr J Y PillayMr Sat Pal KhattarMr Tharman ShanmugaratnamMr K ShanmugamDr N Varaprasad

Term TrusteesMr Bobby Chin Yoke ChoongMr Ravi Menon

Mr Inderjit SinghMs Indranee RajahMr Haider M SithawallaMr V ShankarMr M RajaramMr Hsieh Fu HuaBG Ravinder SinghMr R JayachandranMr Gautam BanerjeeMr Girija Pande

AdvisorsDr Vivian BalakrishnanMr S IswaranMr Hri Kumar Nair

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

President, Executive CommitteeMs Indranee Rajah

Vice Presidents, Executive CommitteeMr Viswa SadasivanMr Shabbir Hassanbhai, PBM

SecretaryMr Sarjit Singh

TreasurerMr Subramaniam Iyer

Members – Executive CommitteeMr V P JothiMr R RajaramMr Aaron ManiamMr Naseer GhaniMr Puvan AriaratnamMr P Thirunal Karasu, BBMDr Joshua V M Kuma

About SINDA

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