NE LESSON COMES ALIVE WITH VISIT TO 2 SIR

When teacher Bryan Tan designed a National Education (NE) programme for his students, the 24-year-old had two goals in mind: he wanted to help put into context their history and social studies syllabus, and for students to understand that they have a part to play a part in Total Defence.

For the Combined Humanities teacher, the answer seemed obvious: where else better to expose his students to issues of national security than at an army camp?

With the aid of Nexus, the central coordinating agency for National Education in Singapore, Mr Tan's students from Fairfield Methodist Secondary School were given a rare opportunity to visit the 2nd Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (2 SIR) at Amoy Quee Camp on 13 Oct.

"In combined humanities, my students learn about the 3rd Generation SAF, so I thought it would be good to give them an insight and a real feel of the SAF," he explained.

While serving his national service, Mr Tan had witnessed the Army's transformation. This spurred him on to share his experience with his students.

To show their support to our soldiers, the students filled in postcards with personalised messages of encouragement. These postcards will then be mailed to the soldiers of 2 SIR during their next overseas exercise to lift their spirits.

For Vanessa Koh and her classmate, Keoy Wan Xian, it was a "very interesting and eye-opening experience". The pair, who had never been to an army camp before, were intrigued by what they saw.

"It looks like our soldiers are all specialised in some area, and they look very professional," commented Wan Xian after viewing the various exhibits and demonstrations.

The visitors were treated to a displays showing them various aspects of military life and training. Some tried on camouflage paint, while others tried their hand at firing rifles and machine guns for the first time.

Said Josiah Tan: "I'm looking forward to NS and this visit has shown me more about what to expect. It sounds interesting, and I'm not worried because I know I'm not doing it alone."

Mr Tan's colleague, Steve Ow, said that he was "impressed by the preparedness of the battalion, and the effort of the commanders, officers and men".

"NE is something that the school is always doing. It's good that the armed forces can help support this endeavour," said Mr Ow, who is also Head of Department for Humanities.

"You can articulate the meaning of Total Defence, but it s an abstract concept. Through visits and interactions with full-time National Servicemen and regulars, students can make sense of what they're learning, and this gives them something to internalise."