This publication by the Ministry of Culture reproduces a speech by then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew to school principals, given around a year after independence, on 29 August 1966. In this speech, Lee begins by identifying schools as a seminal influence on the young of the nation, and therefore in the ideal position to inculcate in them, and by extension the larger community, a sense of community and nationhood. He proceeds to set out what schools should be like, such as having a sense of identity and character that staff and pupils can identify with, and how they should function in society. In totality, this speech sets out the direction of the education system and how schools and their staff should function within it with dedication. It also indicates the key role of schools in inculcating national identity and for fostering a new generation of leaders.
