Transcript of Speech by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at River Valley High School’s 70th Anniversary Celebrations on 16 January 2026 at SAFRA Jurong

Thank you for counting me as a friend of River Valley High School. It's a real privilege for me to be here with the whole RV family, the 70 generations of RVians who are actually here this evening.

I want to give special tribute to RV’s school principals over the years. Mdm Leong Fan Chin was a leader. Not just for River Valley, but in the Singapore school system. Thank you very much, Mdm Leong. And thank you to all the principals, including our current principal, Mdm Choy Wai Yin, who has served now for five years. Each of you contributed in your own way, and kept the River Valley spirit going.

I want to thank all the volunteers, those who have served countless hours on the SAC, in the Alumni Association, in the Parents-Teachers Association, all of you. Thank you, Dr Ng Chin Siau, for leading the SAC 10 years now, and serving as a member for some 20 years.  All volunteers, very impressive.

And I want to thank the teachers and the staff of River Valley. Everyone has contributed to building up River Valley High School. From the time it became the first Chinese middle school in Singapore, to being in the first batch of SAP schools; and then an autonomous school; and an Integrated Programme school.

All of you have built this up. I want to thank you for what you have contributed.

In the remaining few minutes of my remarks, I want to focus on culture, and especially to highlight three ways in which River Valley has nurtured a culture in its students.

First, you have shown how an SAP school can develop students who are not just monocultural but have both cultural depth and flexibility. As a SAP school, you have done well to develop students with a deep interest in Chinese traditions, both traditional and modern, and a flair for Chinese culture. You do it in many ways - such as the Creative Writing Programme, where students develop the ability to express themselves creatively in Chinese; the lunchtime broadcasts in Chinese on current affairs; and being cultural ambassadors to other schools to teach wushu, Chinese dance and other aspects of Chinese culture.  

But you are also developing students with an appreciation for the artistry and beauty in Singapore's multiculturalism. That too is important. You are showing that it is fully possible to develop both depth in your own culture, as well as appreciation for other cultures, through exposure, through interaction with others, and through practice. 

You are doing it through your annual cultural exposure programme, where students in lower secondary do Malay dance and Indian dance, and then even choreograph their own dances using the traditional moves they have learnt. And other ways - like making Wau Bulan, the large, colourful Malay kites; practising Rangoli. 

All this matters, because multiculturalism does not just mean the coexistence of different monocultural groups. It means people with having an interest in and wanting to participate in each other's cultures, and having cultural flexibility.

Second, River Valley has always been determined to develop in students a culture of empathy for others in the community - the whole cross section of people in the community. Not just different races and cultures, but different social backgrounds, different income backgrounds.

Your engagements in Boon Lay, Taman Jurong and Nanyang constituencies have been important to your own mission. It is part of your mission to develop students who ‘uphold virtues and contribute to society’. I commend you for that as well.

And finally, RV’s efforts to develop in students the culture of sustainability as a way of life. I call it the culture, because it's not just a technical issue. It's not just a matter of learning the science. Learning the science is very important, but it's got to become a way of life.

You are doing this through your annual bazaar, so students learn to reuse materials and kinds of items. Through learning the practice of efficient urban farming, both on the rooftops in the neighbourhood, as well as in your campus. It cannot be a textbook exercise. It's got to be practised, so we develop that culture of sustainability in our own lives, and of taking responsibility to help achieve sustainability in Singapore and around the world.

So I thank you for these efforts that are core to your mission - develop both cultural depth and flexibility, develop empathy and responsibility for society, and develop sustainability as a way of life.

I congratulate you on your 70 years. And I wish you many more years, of developing young Singaporeans who are virtuous and who feel for the community.

[Closing greetings in Chinese language.]