MINDEF/SAF AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS TO LARGEST GROUP OF RECIPIENTS AND FEMALE SCHOLARS

A good commander is one who not only leads from the front, but also looks out for those at the back.

And 2nd Lieutenant (2LT) Vijeykannen Ng Hui Yan s/o Vijayaratnam has a heart especially for full-time National Servicemen (NSFs) who struggle to cope with their National Service commitments and family or personal troubles.

"Sometimes people fall through the cracks and are struggling to get by. (For example, they) dropped out after primary school to work and support their families," explained the 20-year-old Guards officer, who is currently a Project Officer in 7th Singapore Brigade.

"As commanders, it's our responsibility to talk to our men and build a partnership with them, so that they can trust us with their problems. Even if we're not the ones who help them directly, we can help them find the means to seek help. This way we can help to make their time in NS more worthwhile," he said.

On 27 Jul, 2LT Vijeykannen was awarded the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Merit Scholarship from Defence Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen.

He hopes to use his position as a commander to strengthen the SAF's culture of leaving no man behind: "As someone who has benefitted from the system, I feel that it's up to me to give back, especially to people who are struggling. I want to pass on this command philosophy to other commanders under my charge."

This year, a total of 47 scholars were awarded Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and SAF scholarships at an awards ceremony at the Istana. They comprised seven SAF Scholarship recipients, three SAF Engineering Scholarship recipients, 23 SAF Merit Scholarship recipients and 14 Defence Merit Scholarship recipients. This is the largest batch of MINDEF/SAF scholarship recipients to date.

Twenty scholarships were awarded to females, the highest number of female recipients so far.

Speaking to the scholars and their families, Dr Ng reminded them to carry on the good work of their predecessors. He also noted that "it is vital to remember that high standards of integrity and moral courage are required of all scholars".

"Even when no one is looking, recognise that you must hold to high standards. Much has been given to you and much will be expected of you."

Like 2LT Vijaykannen, Midshipman (MID) Danyon Low Ming Loon believes that every individual soldier is important and should not be overlooked.

Said the SAF Scholarship recipient: "While you have to achieve mission success in operations, one important aspect that we shouldn't neglect is the people. Above and beyond taking care of their well-being, I believe that we need to aim for people development. I want to see how I can nurture the people that I lead, so that hopefully when I meet them again in the future, I can see how far they have gone."

The 19-year-old Naval Officer was inspired by his teacher in Hwa Chong Institution, who led his Student's Council charges by example.

"One of my role models is my teacher-in-charge when I was the President of the Student's Council. He holds himself to high standards, just as he maintains high expectations of the people he leads. This kind of discipline is very prevalent in the SAF as well. I can see how it pushes us to be more responsible and work hard together as a team without compromising on our morals."

New scholarship for aspiring military engineers

In his speech, Dr Ng also highlighted the new SAF Engineering Scholarship, which was introduced in April this year. The scholar aims to attract young soldiers interested in contributing to the SAF as military engineers under the Military Domain Experts Scheme.

"This specific Scholarship for Engineering signals the importance that the SAF gives to attract top scientist and engineers as we do for commanders in the military because you need both types of leaders, and these Engineering scholars are groomed to lead the Military Expert Corps. Together, they enable the SAF to be a superior force," said Dr Ng.

Among the first batch of SAF Engineering Scholarship recipients is Military Expert (ME) 4T Ho Yan Jing, who is also its first female scholar. While she felt the pressure of being a pioneer, she was determined to be a good example for future female engineers in the SAF.

"Knowing that people are looking up to me also spurs me to perform better and set the bar higher so that the quality of our future batches of scholars will get higher and higher."

The 19-year-old Air Force Engineer had always been interested in engineering and military technology; she developed an interest in planes after attending Republic of Singapore Air Force Open Houses and airshows as a child.

Thus the new engineering-focused scholarship was right up her alley: "Signing on as an SAF engineer blends my interests in both defence and engineering."

Fellow SAF Engineering Scholarship recipient ME4A Justin Goh Shu Hao agreed. He had previously signed on with the officer track, but made a switch to the Military Domain Experts Scheme after the scholarship was introduced.

"I've always been interested in engineering and, at the same time, I've always wanted to sign on with the SAF because I really like its people-centred culture.

"I didn't have a clear idea of my preferred vocation. Fortunately, the engineering scholarship was introduced and it made my choice clearer," said the Army Engineer in the 3rd Army Maintenance Base.

He added: "The introduction of this scholarship as one purely for engineers is a strong signal from the SAF that it is looking at engineers as a core group of people in the workforce. The increasing importance placed on engineers is something that pushed me to try for the scholarship."