Closing Remarks by President Halimah Yacob at Temasek Foundation-NUS Programme for Leadership in University Management (Plum) 10th Anniversary Gala Dinner

NUS Board of Trustees Chairman, Mr Hsieh Fu Hua

NUS President, Professor Tan Eng Chye

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

My warmest congratulations to Temasek Foundation and NUS, on successfully hosting the Programme for Leadership in University Management (TF-NUS PLUM): 10-year Anniversary Summit!

PLUM was conceived in 2012 as a platform for university leaders to build social capital and capability through the development of university governance and management. Since then, including the leaders in attendance at this summit, close to 300 participants from over 30 top universities across the 10 ASEAN countries have been a part of PLUM.

As the signature university leadership programme co-hosted by Temasek Foundation and NUS, PLUM is an excellent avenue for Singapore to reaffirm our commitment to Southeast Asia, and for ASEAN university leaders to bolster ties, exchange insights as well as best practices, and grow together as a region. After two years of global travel restrictions, this 10-year summit also affords the perfect opportunity for us to reconnect in-person, to strengthen existing relationships and to forge new friendships with our regional partners in higher education. 

In an increasingly competitive world, the value and importance of maintaining our collaborative and tight-knit ASEAN community ties cannot be understated. Our relationship with our neighbours is and has always been a major priority, and we continually strive to find ways and opportunities to build and strengthen these bonds for the betterment of our region as a whole. The development of our ASEAN community through cooperation in higher education, is one such way, and the gathering of our esteemed ASEAN university leaders through PLUM, is one such opportunity. 

The disruptions and emergent challenges that we have collectively faced over the last two years have underscored the critical need for nations to be able to respond and adapt to rapidly changing circumstances. We must anticipate how these elements will change the way we work, learn and interact. More importantly, we must transform to educate our students and our communities broadly, so that all may lead productive lives.

Even as we innovate and transform, we must not forget that development must progress in a way that is sustainable in the long run. As members of the higher education fraternity, we should continue to inculcate a mindset of sustainability through our curricula, research, campuses, cultures and communities. Capacity building that integrates sustainability into all these aspects of the higher education infrastructure will empower our staff, students and all learners to take meaningful action to ensure a thriving world.

‘Transformation of ASEAN Higher Education’, ‘Innovation & Entrepreneurship’, ‘Sustainability’ – these are the themes you have covered over the last three days. I hope that you have found value not only in the content of these sessions, but also in the connections you have undoubtedly formed over the course of the Summit. May these ideas and connections result in meaningful advancements and collaborations within your institutions, countries, as well as across our region.

I hope you have enjoyed your stay in Singapore, and we look forward to welcoming you back soon. To our continued partnership! Thank you.