Five Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel who are retiring from military service and preparing to embark on their second career have become the first to receive scholarships to study at SMU under the newly-established SMU Warriors Scholarship. The Scholarship is the first-of-its-kind and has been established to recognise the contributions made by Singapore’s military personnel to the country and to promote talent development for the nation.

On 14 January, SAF Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant-General (LG) Ng Chee Meng visited SMU to sign a Memorandum of Agreement about the SMU Warriors Scholarship with SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer. Under the agreement, SMU will sponsor up to 20 postgraduate scholarships annually, for a period of three years. The scholarships, which are multi-disciplinary and currently cover some 18 postgraduate programmes at the University, are bond-free. It is estimated that the total scholarship value will be approximately S$1 million per annum.

SMU President, Professor Arnoud De Meyer said, “Learning at SMU takes place not only through knowledge imparted by professors and books but more importantly through intellectual discourse and sharing among students. Through this Scholarship, we want to help you succeed in building on your illustrious military careers with new knowledge and skills that will prepare you for the dynamic global environment.”

He added, “Thank you for choosing SMU, as this is really a partnership between you and us. We are excited to have these distinguished men and women on board to share their insights and experiences, and contribute to the diversity of ideas and perspectives in their various fields and programmes of choice.”

In his address, LG Ng said, “SMU has challenged many norms and taken a leadership role in shaping tertiary education in Singapore. Today, I am glad to say, they are again breaking new ground in recognising the contributions of SAF servicemen and women who have served our nation. SAF personnel will have much to offer to SMU’s programmes, as they have a wealth of practical experience and leadership skills honed in operations, training, planning and policy roles … I am confident that, upon graduation, those who take up the SMU Warriors Scholarship will do both the SAF and SMU proud, and make significant contributions to their future organisations.”

“This is the beginning of a partnership between SMU and the SAF that will pave the way for us to explore many other possibilities for collaboration. I am confident that we will continue to work closely together to find more continuing education opportunities for SAF personnel,” concluded LG Ng.

The inaugural SMU Warriors Scholars have already begun their programmes at SMU and were present to receive their awards. One has enrolled on the SMU MBA programme and four others on the SMU Master of Tri-sector Collaboration (MTSC) programme. Another 15 scholarships will be offered for the rest of this year.

Lieutenant‐Colonel (LTC) Chua Thiam Beng, Head of Medical Logistics, Headquarters Medical Corps, who is studying on the MTSC programme said “We’re really appreciative that SMU in collaboration with SAF is helping us to upgrade our skills as we transit out of SAF and prepare for new careers.”

(Main photo) SMU President, Professor Arnoud De Meyer (right) and SAF Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant-General Ng Chee Meng, at the SMU Warriors Scholarship MOU Signing Ceremony.

Inaugural recipients of the SMU Warriors Scholarship (left to right): Major (MAJ) Goh Chong Tong, Colonel Lim Seng Hock, MAJ Velayuthum Vijaya, Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) Lai Chyh Jau and LTC Chua Thiam Beng.

Four of the inaugural recipients of the SMU Warriors Scholarship celebrate with friends and family. Seen in uniform (left to right): Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) Lai Chyh Jau, LTC Chua Thiam Beng, Major (MAJ) Goh Chong Tong and MAJ Velayuthum Vijaya.