SINDA Connections - Jun 2010

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V a d i P VSS ’s

S E C R E T R E V E A L E D! > > page 13

MICA (P) 186/06/2009

Project TeachScores ‘A’s

More Opportunities,More Collaboration

V is or Victory!

Teach the Child andnot Just the Subject

Find out how she went from an F9 to an A1! >>page03 SINDA connections gets a makeover… more stories… more updates on our community

JUNE2010



E v e n t s a t a G

l a n c e

The ollowing error was made in the February2010 issue o SINDA connections. Theeditors o SINDA connections apologise orthe mistake.

Angel Vaishilee d/o Balakrishnan wasreported as having scored 20 points or her

‘O’ level examinations. Her actual score is 11points. Angel is currently pursuing a Diplomain Accountancy and Finance at NanyangPolytechnic. The course only accepts studentswith high aggregate scores or their ‘O’ levelexaminations.

c o n t e n t s

01 Events at a Glance

02 Letter rom the CEO

03 Maximising Educational Opportunities or All

07 Nurturing More Enlightened Families

09 Strengthening Partnerships, Community

Engagement and Outreach

11 Special Feature

13 Celebrity Tips with Vadi PVSS

E r r a t a

J a n u a r y

- A p r i l 2 0 1 0

27 March

CEO’s visit to a Project Teach centre at

Concorde Primary School24 March

Volunteer Circle or volunteers to share

experiences and provide eedback

20 March

SINDA benefciaries and volunteers visit

Resorts World Sentosa

23 April

SINDA Annual General Meeting

6 February

Youth Empowerment Programmebeneciaries visit Chek Jawa, Pulau Ubin

23 January JC Pat hways workshop for students to learn more about and plan t heir academic path to junior colleges and subsequently universities

20 March

Student leaders and young proessionals at

a dialogue session with Minister Tharman on

the Economic Strategies Committee’s Report

17 April

IT workshop or adults and senior citizens

in i-Clickz Club at NorthEast Tampines

West IT Centre

29 April

Members o the online Yahoo! group

Indians-sg visit SINDA to learn more about

our programmes and services

Angel Vaishilee d/o Balakrishnan



02 L e t t e r f ro m th e C EO

“K e ep i n g To g e th e r ”

I believe that it is not sucient tocome together as a community;we need to keep together andwork together. The spirit o thewords “keeping together” reers tobeing united. It reers to strengthin unity. United, we can achieve

the things that smaller units o thecommunity cannot. May it be aamily, a community, an army, acompany, an organisation or evena nation, so much time and eortis spent on team building, amilybonding and national events thatincrease patriotism only becauseproblems will disappear like dew

The title o my messagecomes rom the amousHenry Ford quotation,

“Coming together isa beginning; keeping

together is progress;working together

is success.”

in the morning sun once we all seeourselves as one.

Similarly, it is time or the Indiancommunity to work in unison to acesome o the challenges so that theuture o the community is brighterand we can hold our heads high

within multi-racial Singapore.SINDA alone cannot achieve thetargets o reaching the nationalaverage in Maths and Science. Weseek the partnership o parents andteachers to spur the Indian studentsorward. Educational perormanceis a visible indicator o the health oa community. Success in educationalperormance not only assures apath o progress but also indicatesthat the student is ocused, theparents have their priorities right,the environment provided or thestudent is conducive and all supportstructures are in place.

Family members, especially parents,are powerul orces that bringabout a change in their children’slives. Parenting may be dicult butone cannot give up on a child no

matter how rustrating it becomes.Responsible parenting entailscommitment o the parents till thechild nishes the educational journeyand starts a career.

My appeal to parents is this. Sethigher standards, do not choose

soter options, do not pander to yourchildren’s excuses or not puttingin the daily hours o studying.Focus on what the children shouldpredominantly do during their reetime such as homework, revisionand relevant practice. Work out atimetable, switch o the TV whenchildren are studying, make themgo to sleep on time, wake them upat a decent time during weekendsand stop watching too many movies.Do not discourage them, praise

them when they achieve, encouragethem when they are trying harder,send them to extra classes at school,attend parent-teacher meetings, goor school unctions when invitedand nally, be there or them whenthey need you.

T Raja Segar

Advisor | Mr T Raja Segar, CEO, SINDA

Writers | Orbital Group

Editors | Corporate Communications Team, SINDA

Printer | Stamord Press PTE LTD

Editorial Team

Special ThanksSINDA would like to thank all contributors to the SINDA CPF Fund. Your contributions are

the key driving orce behind the work that SINDA does.



The Tutor Orientation Programme(TOP) held at the Umar PulavarTamil Language Centre on 23 January 2010 brought STEP and

Project Teach tutors together to shareteaching methods and tips. “Teachthe child and not just the subject”was the rallying cry or this TOP.

The ocus o the TOP was onEnglish, Maths and Science.Tutors participated actively indiscussions which were led bySINDA’s curriculum writers andeducationists like Ms Selvarani,a ormer school principal and

Her least avourite subject hadalways been Maths but thatwas until she met her STEP tutor,Mohan. The unassuming Mohanwas a ‘human calculator’ whoshared his love or Maths withthe class. “I wanted to be likehim. To be respected and liked byeveryone around me,” she said.

Malini started working on thesubject on an almost daily basis.She also began to spend moretime on her school work and lesstime hanging out with riends.Time management was the keyas she maximised her days inschool and at the STEP tuition

MaximisingEducation

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Mrs Rani Mano, Master Teacher(Maths), School Cluster West 3.

During the session, tutors wereencouraged to amiliarise

themselves with the new initiativesintroduced by SINDA whichincluded revised curriculummaterials and Interactive Tutor Tools.

SINDA’s training o tutors doesnot end here though. To urtherenhance the teaching practicesin STEP and Project Teachclasses, all tutors will undergo10 to 15 hours o specialisedtutor training courses in 2010.

She was a disobedient youth,constantly getting into troublebecause o her many ear piercingsand sloppy uniorm. “I wouldn’taccept any o the school rules,”she says. In act, her teachersand discipline masters wereconcerned about her uture.

In Secondary 3, Malini started torealise that her negative attitude inschool was not helping her carvea good uture – she decided thatshe had to ‘buck up’. Althoughshe had never gone or tuitionclasses beore, she decided to enrolhersel in SINDA’s STEP classes.

centre. Amidst this, she also oundtime or leisure activities such assurng the net and using Facebook.

Her eorts paid o when shewent rom scoring an F9 in Mathsto an A1 or her ‘N’ level – shecredits this achievement to thehelp o her tutor Mohan andthe support rom her amily.

“I I can make the near impossible(going rom an F9 to an A1)happen, I am sure I can make

my dream o becoming a crimescene investigator come true,”Malini said enthusiastically.

Teach the child and

no t jus t the subjec tSINDA places gr

ea ter

emphasis on tu tor

training for 2010.

Taking Great STEPsIs it possible to go rom an F9 to an A1 in Maths? In the case oSecondary 5N student Malini, it was.



S T E P T u to r sh i n es a

F u n n y L i gh t o n s t ud i es

04

Wish to bene t from STEP?

Y. Asai thamb y adds humour

to his classes.

What is STEP?SINDA Tutorials or EnhancedPerormance (STEP) is a holistic

programme designed to helpstudents at primary and secondarylevels perorm better in English,Maths and Science. Taught bytrained and paid tutors, STEP is aquality programme that is availableat highly aordable rates.

In 2009, more than 3000 studentsbeneted rom the programme.

Some key features of STEP

6 hours o tuition per weekSmall class sizes o less than15 students which allow tutors toprovide individualised attentionto students

MOE-trained or highly qualied tutors

Regular class tests andcentre-level examinations

Provision o curriculum materialsor assessment books

New Initiatives for STEPin 2010

Flexible choice o subjects – choosethe subjects in which you need themost assistance

Science oered at Primary 3

Reading programme or Primary1 and 2 students

Mass seminars or PSLE and GCE

‘O’ level students

Semester 2 of STEPclasses will be starting on28 June 2010!

Register at any one o the21 STEP centres located islandwideor online by logging on to

www.sinda.org.sg!

For more inormation,call us at 1800 295 4554.

Y. Asaithamby, a STEP tutor since1992, nds his role as a tutor veryullling. Currently, he is tutoring atthe Marsiling Primary STEP Centre.

Sometimes, it is a challenge toget students to pay attention attuition ater a long day at school.However, Asaithamby who teaches

English, Maths and Science, knowshow to keep his students hooked.

“Humour is the secret,” he says.Asaithamby enjoys using humourto help his students relax so thatthey are more comortable inasking questions. His un and light-hearted teaching style has helped

students understand their subjectsbetter as they eel comortableclariying their queries.

Through the years, Asaithamby hasseen many students rom dierentbackgrounds benet rom the STEPprogramme. He eels that studentswho are seen generally as trouble-

makers need extra guidance tochannel their energy into studies. Heconstantly motivates these studentswith success stories o his ex-students.

Asaithamby is one o the manydedicated tutors who haspositively impacted the liveso STEP students.

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M r T h a r m a n S h a n m

u g a r a t n a m, M i n is t e r

f o r F i n a n c e a n d C h a i r m a n, S I N

D A B o a r d o f

T r us t e es, i n t e r a c ts w

i t h a s t u d e n t d u r i n g

a v is i t t o W o o d l a n ds

R i n g P r i m a r y S T E P C e n t r e

o n 5 M a r c h 2 01 0.

Y. Asaithamby



When Mohd Imran was in Primary6, seeing ‘C’s and ‘D’s on his reportcard was normal. “I used to eelrustrated when my classmatescompared their marks and gradeswith mine.” School was starting tobe a drag and Mohd Faizal, his

riend and classmate, elt thesame way.

This was until both Imran andFaizal were selected to attendProject Teach, SINDA’s school-based remedial tuition programme.It was during these classes that

the two boys experienced awhole new way o learningrom their Project Teach tutorMrs Chandran. Mrs Chandran’sprimary aim was to ensure thatthe academic perormance oher Indian students improved.

However, these better results also yielded a bonus – sel-condence.

Mrs Chandran did not just teach us,she motivated us to excel and gaveus more condence!” said Faizalenthusiastically.

My parents are really glad that Ienrolled in the Project Teachprogramme. Thanks to theprogramme and dedicated teacherslike Mrs Chandran, my grades haveimproved greatly!” added Imran.

Faizal and Imran, both currentlystudying in Secondary 2 atBendemeer Secondary School,credit their good perormance atPSLE to Mrs Chandran and themoral support rom their amilies.Till today, they remain in touch withMrs Chandran, who provides themwith constant encouragementand motivation.

MaximisingEducation

al OpportunitiesforAll

P roj e c t

T ea ch

S co r es S

Impro ved results boost students’ con fdence.

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“

“

My parents are really gladthat I enrolled in the ProjectTeach programme. Thanks

to the programme anddedicated teachers like MrsChandran, my grades have

improved greatly!Mohd Imran, Ex-Project Teach student



06

Project Teach is a school-based programme that targetsprimary school students who

score below average gradesin English, Maths and Science.The programme is conductedeither beore or ater schoolhours by specially trained andpaid acilitators. In 2009,more than 1000 studentsbeneted rom the programme.

About Project Teach

Some key featuresof Project Teach

Small class sizes with a tutorto pupil ratio o 1:7

Special emphasis on motivatingstudents to perorm better

Intensive engagement o parents

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Whether you are a Math-a-phobic or love Maths, these 5 tips will show you howto get that tricky Maths problem right at the rst try.

Practise,practise,practise.

Practice doesmake perect!Think o it likekeeping yourselt. You need todo Mathsproblemsregularly to train your mind justlike you need

to exerciseregularly tostay healthy.

Two minds arebetter than one.

Get a study-buddy! It’seasier and moreun to work outMaths problemstogether. Plus, you can teacheach other what you know.

Don’t reer backto the textbookimmediately.

Read throughormulas andmethods rom your textbookbut don’t reerback when youwork on a buncho questions.This gives youa chance torecognise howmuch youreally know.

Be honest with yoursel.

When yougrade yourselat the end oeach exercise,be honest about your mistakes. I you’re with yourstudy-buddy, gethim or her tohelp you grade

your answers.

Don’t give up when youmake a mistake.

Select at leasttwo other Mathsproblems that aresimilar to the ones you’ve gottenwrong. The goalo studying orMaths is to tryto get all youranswers 100%correct. Don’tgive up!

5 Tips to be Awesome at Maths

Source: eHow.com

Mrs Chandran with Mohd Imran (let) and Mohd Faizal (right)

Maths Mischief!

Student: “What is seven Q plus three Q?”

Teacher: “Ten Q.”

Student: “You’re Welcome!”

Mrs Saraswathi Chandran has been involved in ProjectTeach since the early days othe programme. She has taughtin Bendemeer, First Toa Payoh,Greenwood and StamordPrimary Project Teach schoolssince 2003 and has positively

impacted many students likeImran and Faizal.



i s f o r v i c t o r y !

Coming Out o His ShellBeore joining Senior Victory, Nelson, aged 15, ound it dicult tointeract with his group mates during a project. “It was hard or me tocommunicate because I didn’t really know how to get along with manypeople,” explains Nelson. However, joining the programme gave himthe opportunity to engage in team-building activities which improvedhis communication skills. Nelson now enjoys working on team projectsand nds it easy to make riends with many students in his school.

A New Outlook on LieAt rst, Nathish was reluctant to join Senior Victory because he was notsure o what to expect. When he ound out that the activities were targetedat helping students build lie skills and set goals, Nathish became open tothe experience. “The activities they conducted made me realise how certainthings happen in lie. For example, there are games that show you howmiscommunication can hurt someone. I’ve also learnt how to respect theeelings o others,” he says. When asked about this eye-opening experience,Nathish states, “We are taught to see what the important things in lie are.”

Heartening WorkLolita Pillai, the Senior Victory acilitator or both Nelson and Nathish, isone o the hearts o the Senior Victory programme. She challenges students

to grow positively and develop their individual identity. What drives herpassion is knowing that she has the ability to infuence students to make asignicant dierence to their lives. “As we interact with them, we help themprocess lie experiences so they can grow emotionally and gain the innerstrength to stand on their own.”

Senior Victor y helps students triumph.

Fancy an advertising campaign inwhich car decals were designedto resemble bird droppings? Thisis just one example that illustratesthe creativity needed to reachout to and get the attention o your desired target audience intoday’s world that is fooded with

advertising messages.This was just one o many tipsshared by Palani Pillai, CEO oCrush Advertising and a well-known gure in the advertisingeld at the SINDA Youth Club’s In

Conversation Series (ICS) held on10 March 2010.

More than 50 students rom MilleniaInstitute, Jurong Junior Collegeand Pioneer Junior College wereentertained and inspired by the talkabout the protable yet demandingindustry o advertising.

Many expressed interest or similaruture events. Durga rom MilleniaInstitute remarked, “Getting to knowabout the journey o the speaker inadvertising was very motivational.”

NurturingMo

reEnlightenedFamilies

Project Victory and Senior

Victory a Quick Glimpse

Project Victory and Senior Victory areschool-based motivational programmesor Indian students rom Primary 4 toPrimary 6 and secondarylevels respectively.

Some key featuresof Senior Victory

Well-trained and paid acilitatorsguide students through planned and

structured activities that help themredirect their ocus toward education

The programmes are conductedin two hour sessions, every week,or a period o 8, 16 or 24 weeksdepending on the schools

Facilitators regularly update parentswith their children’s progress andaddress any concerns that the parentsmay have

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Inspiring InConversation

Palani Pillaigives studentsa peek into theadvertising world.

Want to be abetter Dad?Get some heartfelt advice

from a proud father.

>> Read more on pages 11 and 12.



08ITE Students Inspired

by Road Show

About 300 students rom all ITE collegeslocated islandwide attended SINDA’ssecond ITE Road Show titled ‘Secretsto Success’ on 26 February 2010 atthe sprawling ITE College East campus.Popular artiste rom Vasantham, VadiPVSS, hosted the show and kept thestudents engaged throughout.

ITE is a world-class organisation deliveringexcellent vocational education. Withacilities that rival most universitiesaround the world, ITE oers a unique

opportunity or students to crat a pathtowards a successul career. However,not all students see their ITE educationas a stepping stone to a successuluture; there are students who drop outin their rst year or various reasons.

Thus, the objective o the road show wasto convince students that they are at theright place and motivate them to stayon and nish the course even i it is nottheir chosen eld o study. To reinorcethese points, three students rom pastcohorts shared their experiences in ITEand answered questions posed by theirjuniors - all three o them emphasised thatno knowledge they gained was wastedand that they have all moved on to reapthe benets o a quality ITE education.

Host Vadi PVSS, motivated the students toocus on their studies through his sharingo anecdotes, personal experiences andmotivational videos while VasanthamStar 2009 winner Vickneswaran andMediacorp artistes Rameshwara Dancersentertained with song and dance numbers.

The SIND A-I TE road sho w held on 26 Februar y

re vealed the secrets to success in studies. Kathaminisa BteHaji GulamGraduate ITE College West(Clementi Campus)

Kathaminisa is no strangerto hard work. In act, shewas working till 9pm thenight beore starting her rstday at Temasek Polytechnic,where she is now pursuinga Diploma in Leisure andResort Management.

From the age o 15, work andstudy was ‘the norm’ as shestrived to supplement the amily

income. Following her ‘N’levels, she pursued a NITECin Service Skills (Oce) andscored a GPA o 3.8 beoreattaining her Higher NITECin Business Administration.

The lure o cash mightencourage many secondaryschool students workingpart-time in the retail industryto quit school and take on aull-time job. However, shesays “The thought has nevercrossed my mind. Moneycomes and goes but aneducation never leaves you.”

She looks orward to pursuinga degree which she admitswould be dicult nancially.“I I can get a scholarship aterI nish my diploma, it willbe ideal. I not I’m planningto work or two years, saveup and go to university.”

How does this determined young lady balance studies,work and even travelling toHong Kong and China or anITE exchange programme?The key, Kathaminisa believes,is strong amily supportand time management.

22 February

Visit b y Da ybreak FSC

Workshopsheld forparents andstudents(Top Row)

Visits byrepresentativesof externalorganisationsto the SINDAFamily Service

Centre (FSC)to share bestpractices(Bottom Row)

23 February

Visit by National University o Singapore

(NUS) Social Work students

21 Januar y V isit by st udent s f r om St T homas Univ er sit y , Minneapolis

6 Februar y

Dollars & Sense Workshop or

mothers rom SINDA programmes

to learn more about budgeting and

managing their fnances

26 March

A parenting talk for parents and

motivational workshop for students were

held at St Margaret’s Secondary School

13 Mar ch V alues- Based P ar ent ing W or kshop pr ov ided mot her s w it h t ips on ef f ect iv e par ent ing



Chairman of Narpani optimistic about SINDA-

Narpani partnership

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Strengthening

Partnerships,CommunityEng

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SINDA and Narpani Pearavai unveil 2010 plan t o f orge st ronger t ies.

A Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) was signed between NarpaniPearavai and SINDA in 2009 to primaril y work in partnership to address the continuous skills trainingand emplo yment issues faced by the Indian communit y.

Background Information

More Opportunities,

More CollaborationWhether you are re-entering theworkorce, looking or a newcareer path or learning skills or

the rst time, the SINDA-Narpani(People’s Association Indian ActivityExecutive Committee’s Council)Engagement Forum held on the 20February 2010 has rearmed itscommitment to enhancing your employability.

Since 2009, more than 1000Singapore Indians have attendedthe career road shows and jobairs organised through theSINDA-Narpani partnership.The community can look orwardto more job airs, career skillsworkshops and even jobpreparation and career explorationprogrammes in 2010.

The Chairman o Narpani Pearavai,Thirunal Karasu PBM, is condentthat the SINDA and NarpaniPearavai partnership will serve theIndian community. “SINDA has theresources and Narpani Pearavai hasthe richness and depth o the Indiancommunity,” says Thiru.

The two organisations are comingtogether to orm one big amily. “Thisallows us to better serve the interests

o the Indian community.”

Thiru elaborates on how SINDA-Narpani continues to explore moreways to help the community, “Forinstance, we hold dialogue sessionsto understand what the citizens

require so that we can tailor ourprogrammes to their needs.”

Thiru is positive about the potential othe SINDA-Narpani partnership. TheIndian community can look orwardto more eective uture eortsinvolving the two organisations.

The Chairman of Narpani Pearavai, Thirunal Karasu PBM,

shares his views about the SINDA-Narpani collaboration.

SINDA is doing“Narpani” (goodwork) and Narpani isdoing its part in Indian

development. In alarge and practicalway, we overlapconsiderably. This

partnershipis powerful!T Raja Segar, CEO, SINDA

SINDA has the resources and Narpani Pearavai has therichness and depth of the Indian community. This allows us to

better serve the interests of the Indian community.Thirunal Karasu PBM, Chairman, Narpani Pearavai

SINDA beneted rom the strongpresence o the Indian communityat Narpani events. Through the

extensive Narpani network ograssroots associations locatedisland-wide, SINDA was ableto reach out to the residents orespective districts.

2010 plans are ongoing tocontinue reaching out not onlyto the job-seeking segment o theIndian community but also childrenand amilies via exciting eventsand motivational talks.

A new initiative to integrate locals,new citizens and PermanentResident (PRs) via nature andheritage trails is also underway topromote a more uniedIndian community.



10K e y D ri vi ng Fo rc es b ehi nd SINDA

SIND A Liaison Ofcers (SLOs) pla y ke y role in helping SIND A reach out.

Keeping the CompetitiveSpirit AliveGunavathy Ponniah is a passionateSLO who encourages students to stayon track with their education.

Gunavathy is dedicated to helpingneedy students who cannot aordprivate tuition. “I want to encouragethem to remain competitive,” shesays. “And SINDA’s programmesare convenient or students becauselessons are conducted within theschool premises.”

Gunavathy is passionate abouthelping weaker students keep up withthe education syllabus. She sharesher knowledge with other teachersand acilitators about students’learning capabilities to improve thespeed o the students’ progress.

Going the extra mileRatha Pichai Odayar, a dedicatedSLO since 2002, is condent o thebenets o SINDA’s programmes.“There are many meaningul activities

provided by SINDA and I eel thatstudents are missing out on theseopportunities. So I create as muchawareness as I can.”

One o the challenges Ratha acesis trying to reach the parents o thestudents. She goes the extra mileby helping illiterate parents with theadministrative procedures. Whenparents are too busy to come downor talks, Ratha takes the time topersonally call them to share moreabout the programmes.

“I want to help uplit the Indiancommunity so I eel I should do what Ican to help,” says Ratha.

Reading Centres undergo a revamp.Changes to Co me The Reading Centre Programmeis a collaborat i ve venture betweenSINDA and People’s Association Indian Activity E xecutive Committees (IAECs). This year, the programme is moving orwardby re vamping its operations rame work to beneft t he studentso the Reading Centres.

SINDA and IAECs held a networking session on 10

April 2010 to discuss changes

to improve the programme’scomponents. Plans include enhancingtraining or volunteers and changingthe types o resource materials used.SINDA will handle the training o

volunteers and provision o resourcematerials or students while IAECs willhandle the registration, recruitment and day-to-day operations o the Reading Centres. IAECs willalso ensure 80% Indian students’participation in each centre.

Special Thanks We would like to express our sincere thanks to all our SLOs or promoting our

programmes and or participating in our activities.

About SLOsSLOs are school teachers appointedby principals to serve as a point ocontact between SINDA and theschool. Introduced in 2007, theSLO scheme enables SINDA to tapon teachers to educate and createawareness among students andparents on SINDA’s programmesand services.

Weaker students are identied bySLOs and given the opportunityto participate in programmeswhich can help them improve.Many students and parentshave beneted rom the timelyintervention provided by SLOsand SINDA.

Ratha Pichai Oda yar

Gunav at hy Ponniah

About Reading Centres

The Reading Centre Programme helpscultivate the reading habit in childrenbetween the ages o our and nine.

Some key features ofReading Centres

Small group reading session witha volunteer to child ratio o 1:5

Classes are conducted or one totwo hours weekly and run or at least six months

Creative and un methods areemployed by volunteers toencourage reading

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Special Feature

SINDAco

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Whether you’re a young, old or aspiring father,

this section is for you. Read on!

Fa th e ri ng Sp ecial

>> f rom Pag e 0 7

As a dad, when you are moreinvolved in nurturing, playing andspending time with your children,they are more likely to

•HavehigherIQs• Havefewerbehaviouralproblems• Havehigherlevelsof

academic perormance• Havehigheraspirations• Abstainfromsubstanceabuse,

truancy and stealingin adolescence

These are just some o the manybenets that your child willreap rom a quality ather-child

relationship. However, more thananything, by playing an active rolein your children’s lives, you impacttheir lives orever and builda strong riendship and bond thatlast orever.

“Appa, You are an unsung hero.You are our greatest hero and willalways remain so. Words are myonly help in describing the impact you have had in my lie. With orwithout mentioning, we have beentaking your lie as a lead to handleour challenges.”

Second son who is a Managerin a private nancial services rm

“Thanks or the aith in me Appa!You have been telling our riends,relatives and the rest o world thatI will not lie... so much so thatI started believing that I am notable to lie! Thanks or the mentalconditioning, you are a greatpsyche!’’

Eldest son who is hosting talk shows and

acting in Tamil lms

“Appa has not been a next doordaddy who commands respectand talks with an upper hand. Hehas always been a riend. He hascreated the kind o relationshipwhere we could talk aboutanything under the sky with him.”

Youngest daughter who is a graduate teacher

Mr and Mrs Go vindaraju

M. Govindaraju, a ather o threesuccessul children, is one suchdad who is reaping the benetso what he sowed during his

children’s childhood years. He isan exemplary ather – someone allathers should seek to emulate.

Dear DadM. Govindaraju, or better knownas ‘Captain’ among the Indiancommunity and as MaGo onFacebook, is a retired army ocerwho is doing relie teaching now.He is the moderator o the onlineYahoo! group Indians-sg and haswritten several articles on parenting

in Tamil which have been publishedin his book ‘Ithu Eppadi Irukku’.

MaGo’s three children wroteheartelt letters to their ather in2009 to express their appreciationor his unconditional love.

Did you know that as athers, you play a very pivotal role in shaping yourchildren’s lives? Studies have shown that children whose athers’ have

played an active role in their lives and served as role models and riends,have done better in school and lie in general.

However, a recent Fatherhood Perception Survey conducted by theMinistry o Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) in 2009revealed a rather alarming act. 66% o our Indian athers almost neveror seldom engaged in school-related work or participated in learningactivities with their children. This is a cause or concern!



When asked or advice to sharewith other athers, MaGo rst

expresses his gratitude or hissupportive wie. “I could not havebeen a good dad without thesupport o my wie.”

MaGo explains that a husband’slove or his wie has a deep eecton the children too. A ather andmother, who respect each otherand demonstrate this respect,teach children the importance oa close-knit amily and provide asecure environment or them. When

children see their parents respectingeach other, they are more likely toeel that they are also acceptedand respected.

MaGo shares another secretto raising children. “Be a rolemodel. Lead by example.” MaGoemphasises that athers are rolemodels to their children whetherthey realise it or not. A girl whospends time with a loving athergrows up knowing she deserves to

be treated with respect by boys.Fathers also teach their sons what isimportant in lie by demonstratinghonesty, humility and responsibility.

He also shared that being a riendand talking to children regularly isessential. This provides an avenueto understand and address anyproblems aced by them. “I childrenknow they can talk to you abouteverything, there are lesser chancesor them to take the wrong path”.

For MaGo, being a ather is not asecond job at home. “I enjoy beinga dad. I let my children grow in theirown way and discover their owntalents. I want them to be happy.”

Spend time with your childrenHow a ather spends his time tells his children what’s important to

him. Kids grow up so quickly. Missed opportunities are orever lost.

Take time to listen to their ideas and problemsOten the only time a ather speaks to his children is when theyhave done something wrong. Begin talking with your kids whenthey are very young so that dicult subjects will be easier tohandle as they get older.

Discipline with loveAll children need guidance and discipline. Punishment should beset to reasonable limits. Fathers who discipline in a calm and airmanner show love or their children.

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As a f at her, you play a very import ant role in your children’s lives. SINDA connections of f ers 3

simple t ips that you can easily st ick t o.

3 Ways to Be a Better Dad12

91%66%o Indian athers

almost never or seldomvolunteered at theirchildren’s school.

o Indian athers

almost never orseldom engaged inschool-related workor participated inlearning activitieswith their children.

o Indian athers almost

never read to or withtheir children. This issignicantly highercompared to the 12%national average.

23%

The Fatherhood Public Perception Survey 2009 conducted

by MCYS in 2009 revealed the following

Interested to know more?For more tips and resources on atherhood, you can visit

www.dadsorlie.sg. Dads or Lie is a national movement to inspire and involveathers to be good infuencers in their children’s lives... or LIFE.

Also, look out or and participate in parenting talks that SINDA organises inpartnership with the People’s Association Indian Activity Executive Committeesat community clubs and SINDA Liaison Ocers in schools.



C E L E B RI T Y TI P S w i th VA DI P V S S

Vadi PVSS, a well-known ace in the Indian community, is a popular local artistewho writes and acts in dramas and hosts variety programmes on Vasantham. Anall-rounded individual who is a role model or young Indians, Vadi taught in a juniorcollege or several years beore deciding to make a career switch. He is currentlystudying law in SMU.

From acting in Caleare on Channel 5 to teachingEconomics, what have you been up to these days?

Currently, I am studying Law at Singapore ManagementUniversity (SMU) and teaching the module ‘Writing orMedia’ part-time at Singapore Polytechnic. I still maketime or acting, hosting and writing scripts or localtelevision programmes.

Looks like the learning never stops! Give us a killerstudy tip o yours.

(chuckles) Killer study tip? I suggest really listening toeverything your teacher says in class. Then revise yourwork immediately each day. It saves you time.

What do you think is the secret to success?It is hard to dene success…I think I am still on my waythere. For me, a strong amily background was the key.My ather was very enlightened about education andthe arts. That gave me the drive to do well in school. Theother important point is to have thick skin. We cannotsucceed all the time but also, we cannot ail all the time.What’s essential is that we should always learn rom ourmistakes and move on.

You hosted the ITE road show. What were some o thethings you shared with the students?

I spoke to the audience about time management andbalancing their interests such as dance or drama withstudies. Also, students should never be araid to askor help. Parents play an important part in motivation.Schools and agencies like SINDA can oer study help.

The students ound your talk very motivational. How did you manage to keep their attention?

I elt the ITE roadshow shouldn’t be a teaching or

preaching event. So I used movie clips such as a scenerom a Vijayakanth lm to get the point across. Yes, his

movies can be quite unny but I think using these popularmedia products to talk about sel-motivation and amilyvalues really make a dierence.

We had celebrities like Rameshwara Dancers, singerand Vasantham Star 2009 winner Vickneshwaran andormer ITE students on hand to be accessible role models.Sometimes, students need to see real examples o whatis possible.

I think in the end, many students elt energised. A ewcame up to talk to me ater the show and mentioned thatthey had genuine nancial concerns about their studies.Through this road show, they really gained awarenessabout the nancial assistance programs available to themand learnt how SINDA could help.

You have been acting since the age o 13. How did youbalance this with studies?

With acting and perorming, there is a shel lie o aew years. I mean, even David Beckham can only playootball or a xed number o years…but an education -that has no shel lie. In act I worked harder at studies;I didn’t want to be let behind at school because o myTV commitments.

I you could rewind time and talk to the young Vadi PVSS,what would you have done dierently?

Exercise more! Actually, to be honest I would have takenup law rom the very start at university. It may have beenvery expensive but I shouldn’t have given up on it. But it’snever too late to chase your dreams and at least nowI can do it.

We cha t wi th celebri t y and educa

tor Vadi P VSS

about balancing work, studies and fame.

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CelebrityTipswithVadiPVSS

SINDAco

nnectionsJUNE2010



U p c o m i n g

EventsSINDA 14

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and suggestions [email protected].

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jUNE

jULY

June Holiday Programmes

Volunteers Tea 2010

Sel-Help Groups Joint TuitionAwards Ceremony 2010

AUGUST

sEPTEMBER

SINDA YouthClub Launch

Project Give Launch

SINDA ExcellenceAwards Ceremony

2010





Board of Trustees & Executive Committee

Patron

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

Chairman, Board o Trustees

Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam

Lie Trustees Proessor S JayakumarMr S DhanabalanMr S Chandra DasMr J Y PillayMr Sat Pal KhattarMr K ShanmugamDr N Varaprasad

Term TrusteesMr Bobby Chin Yoke ChoongMr Ravi MenonMr Inderjit SinghMr Haider M Sithawalla

Mr V ShankarMr M RajaramMr Hsieh Fu HuaBG(NS) Ravinder SinghMr R JayachandranMr Gautam BanerjeeMr Girija Pande

AdvisorsDr Vivian BalakrishnanMr S IswaranMs Indranee RajahMr Hri Kumar Nair

President, Executive CommitteeDr Balaji Sadasivan

Vice President, Executive Committee

Mr Viswa Sadasivan

SecretaryMr Shabbir Hassanbhai

TreasurerMr Subramaniam Iyer

Members - Executive CommitteeMr V P JothiMr R RajaramMr Predeep K MenonMr Aaron ManiamMr Naseer GhaniMr Puvan AriaratnamMr P Thirunal Karasu, PBM

Members - Resource PanelDr Sivasankaran SubramaniamMr Mohamed Abdul JaleelMs Sabanitha ShanmugasundramMr P B DesaiMr Sajen G AswaniMr Sarjit SinghDr Joshua V M KumaMr K V RaoMs M Nirmala

About SINDAVision

To build a strong andvibrant Singaporean Indiancommunity together

MissionTo build a well-educated,resilient and conidentcommunity o Indians thatstands together with othercommunities in contributingto the progress o multi-racial Singapore

ValuesRespect, our culture

Integrity, our oundationService, our promiseExcellence, our pursuit

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Documents

SINDA Connections - Jun 2010