Inaugural Batch of NEW Scholars Set to Make Their Mark on the Water and Environment Scene

Inaugural Batch of NEW Scholars Set to Make Their Mark on the Water and Environment Scene.

Scholarship aims to groom aspiring young talents with a passion for environmental sustainability

18-year-old Pan Ju Khuan is used to making her mark. The fiery Raffles Junior College has led a few rebellions in her time in school, all for a good cause. She is now turning her attention to contributing towards environmental sustainability. Her hope is to one day set up a Singaporean branch of Engineers Without Borders, a non-governmental organisation for engineers to collaborate and find engineering solutions to problems facing less developed countries.

Likewise for 21-year-old Aylwin Low Wen Xi, whose interests span a wide spectrum including music, art and the sciences. However his passion remains singular – to make a difference and contribute in whatever way he can to ensure that generations to come can enjoy livable environments and clean water.

These are just two of the students who will receive The National Environment & Water (NEW) Scholarship on 5th June 2009. The recipients of the NEW Scholarship come from varying backgrounds, but share one other striking feature apart from having straight ‘A’ grades – the passion to make a difference to the environment and the world we live in.

The NEW Scholarship, a joint undergraduate scholarship offered by PUB, Singapore’s national water agency and the National Environment Agency (NEA), led by the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) will be awarded to the inaugural group of 16 scholars by Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, in conjunction with World Environment Day.

This first batch of recipients of the NEW Scholarship went through a stringent selection process and were selected from a pool of more than 800 candidates. They were chosen based on excellent academic/CCA records, psychometric tests, activity-based exercises and interviews.

Out of these 16 scholars, five of them took part in the NEW programme, an internship stint that was launched in conjunction with the NEW Scholarship in 2008. The NEW Programme is open to Junior College students, including those who are still in the first year of study. Offered by NEA and PUB, the objective of the programme is to identify talented young people with an interest in environment and water issues, and to nurture this passion through work-based learning activities. Students who show promise during the internship period will have a chance to be offered the NEW Scholarship. One of the interns of the NEW programme , Ms Jennifer Wu Shuang, from Hwa Chong Institution has been offered the NEW Scholarship even before completing her A levels at the end of this year.

“We are happy that we have seen keen interest in both the NEW scholarship and programme since its launch. Even more heartening is the fact that more and more of our young have started taking an interest in the world they live in and want to make a difference for the environment and water cause. We hope that with the NEW Scholarship and NEW programme, more students will be encouraged to look at the environment and water sector as a growing industry - one that they can make a difference and play their part in for generations to come,” said Lawrence Tan, PUB’s Director of Human Resources.

The scholars will be developed for leadership roles in the fast growing and dynamic environment and water sectors. Upon graduation, NEW scholars can choose to work in either the National Environment Agency or PUB, the national water agency and be involved in a diverse range of portfolios including addressing climate change, encouraging energy efficiency, developing Singapore’s water resources, fostering industry and technology development and engaging the People, Private and Public sectors. The scholars can look forward to making vital contributions in ensuring sustainable development for Singapore.