Singapore, 27 April 2016 (Wednesday) – Three students who are pursuing the Master of Tri-Sector Collaboration (MTSC) Programme at Singapore Management University (SMU) are the first recipients of the Post-Graduate Scholarships in Social Sciences (Scholarships) established by The Ngee Ann Kongsi.

The students are Ms Chia Hee Lan, Manager (Planning & Operations) at Special Needs Trust Company Limited, Mr Mui Zhiming, Assistant Director at Lutheran Community Care Services Ltd, and Ms Renjala Balachandran, Head Agency of SINDA Family Service Centre.

The Scholarships were established in recognition of the need for more trained professionals as the Singapore population ages rapidly and to attract talent to join the social services sector. Up to 12 such Scholarships will be offered annually to Singapore citizens or permanent residents pursuing a post-graduate programme in social sciences at Singapore Management University, National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore University of Technology & Design, Singapore Institute of Technology and SIM University.

The recipients were presented their Scholarships at a presentation ceremony today graced by SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer and Mr Tan Kien Lip, President of The Ngee Ann Kongsi. SMU faculty, staff and students, as well as Committee Members of The Ngee Ann Kongsi also attended the ceremony.

(from left) Mr Goh Kim Hock, Chairman, Education/Scholarships & Bursaries Sub-Committee, The Ngee Ann Kongsi; Mr Tan Kien Lip, President of The Ngee Ann Kongsi; SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer; with the three Scholarship recipients Ms Renjala Balachandran, Mr Mui Zhiming and Ms Chia Hee Lan.

The Scholarship will cover the recipient’s tuition fees of $40,660. There is no bond associated with the Scholarship. The awardee shall undertake to complete the MTSC programme and secure employment in the relevant profession upon graduation and commit to work in the said profession for at least two years.

SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer said, “I would like to congratulate the inaugural recipients of The Ngee Ann Kongsi Post-Graduate Scholarships in Social Sciences, and convey our sincere appreciation to The Ngee Ann Kongsi for their generosity. SMU and The Ngee Ann Kongsi have a close and longstanding relationship stretching back to 2007 when SMU became the first university in Singapore to receive an endowed contribution from the philanthropic foundation and named an auditorium and lecture series after them, namely The Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium and the Ngee Ann Kongsi Lecture Series.  

“We are looking forward to the opening of our School of Law building next year. A key feature of the new law building is the Kwa Geok Choo Law Library to which The Ngee Ann Kongsi has made a generous donation. It will be a rich repository of knowledge resource and will provide a comprehensive collection to support the teaching and legal research needs of the SMU School of Law. The Kwa Geok Choo Top Law Student Award set up by The Ngee Ann Kongsi has inspired many law students to strive for a holistic and enriching education at SMU.

“We are very glad that The Ngee Ann Kongsi shares SMU’s vision and mission. The award of The Ngee Ann Kongsi Post-Graduate Scholarships in Social Sciences to our three MTSC students today demonstrates the strong and collaborative relationship between SMU and The Ngee Ann Kongsi, as well as the quality and rigour of our MTSC programme, the first of its kind in the world. We look forward to the continued support from The Ngee Ann Kongsi so that current and future generations of SMU students would continue to benefit from this fruitful and impactful partnership.”

Mr Goh Kim Hock, Chairman, Education/Scholarships & Bursaries Sub-Committee, The Ngee Ann Kongsi said, “Since our founding in 1845, Kongsi has been committed to the education of our young people. Today, we are pleased to support three mature candidates in their pursuit of greater knowledge and skills in meeting the changing needs of our society. They are already contributing to the social service sector and we believe with the education received at SMU, they will make greater contributions upon graduation.”

Mr Mui Zhiming said, "I am thankful for this scholarship which provides the platform for me to be better equipped in serving in the social service sector. The scholarship validates and affirms my belief that it is important to enhance our competencies to respond to the diverse and rapidly changing needs in our society. It is encouraging to know that there are organisations like The Ngee Ann Kongsi who are passionate about building the capacity of the social service sector. Personally, I feel empowered and challenged to explore innovative ways to better meet the needs of the vulnerable groups of people in our society."   

Ms Renjala Balachandran said, “I would like to thank The Ngee-Ann Kongsi for giving me this scholarship. This award has taken a huge weight off my shoulders and has motivated me and given me a huge amount of confidence. Not only is this scholarship a recognition of the professional work that I have undertaken in my role as a registered social worker, it is also a recognition of the contribution that I can continue to make upon graduating from the Master of Tri-Sector Collaboration at SMU. As I continue to challenge myself both in the professional and academic arena, this scholarship will serve as a constant reminder of what I am capable of achieving.” 

Ms Chia Hee Lan said, “I receive The Ngee Ann Kongsi Post-Graduate Scholarship in Social Sciences with much gratitude. Being new to the social service sector, I see great potential to advance collaboration between the public, private and people sectors to rationalise, streamline, and eliminate duplication so as to chart a sustainable and scalable development of the social service sector in Singapore and beyond. No one sector can achieve this alone. By working together, we as a nation can attain both economic and social impact benefitting the lives of many.”

Master of Tri-Sector Collaboration (MTSC) Programme

Developed by and taught in SMU, the MTSC is the world’s only advanced degree programme in professionalising partnership development and management. It empowers emerging leaders from the private, public, and people sectors to work together to develop sustainable solutions to the world’s big problems. This integrated programme provides a toolkit of collaborative and management skills to deal with a future of increasing complexity and scarce resources. Interdisciplinary training will come from both academic faculty and professional practitioners. Modules provide rigorous training in topics such as partnership mindsets, global trends, personal leadership, leading change from the middle of an organisation, futures methodologies, and complexity science. Students undertake capstone projects that address real-world challenges requiring tri-sectoral collaboration to solve.

For more information, please contact:

Teo Chang Ching (Mr)

Senior Assistant Director, Corporate Communications

Office of Corporate Communications & Marketing

DID: 6828 0451

Email: ccteo [at] smu.edu.sg