Speech by Second Minister for Education Dr Maliki Osman at Cialfo's Global Headquarters Relaunch

Mr Rohan Pasari, Mr Stanley Chia, and Mr William Hund, Co-founders of Cialfo

Distinguished guests, ladies, and gentlemen,

1.Thank you for inviting me to join you on this happy occasion. I was heartened to learn about Rohan and Stanley's journey that led to the Cialfo of today: From when they met at an entrepreneurship programme in Nanyang Technological University (NTU) more than 10 years ago, acting on their idea to help students like themselves to discover universities to apply to, and then winning the confidence of investors and expanding Cialfo globally.

Singapore: a hub for entrepreneurship and innovation

2.In its own way, I think Cialfo's story is a reflection of the Singaporean entrepreneurial spirit. Over five decades since Singapore's independence, we have worked hard to continuously upgrade and restructure our economy to meet the challenges of the times. The world knows Singapore as a place that is open, digitally connected, and stable. We embrace research and innovation. We make it our value proposition to help build connections across cultures and economies, enabled by our respect for the rule of law and intellectual property. In recent years we introduced industry transformation maps to help every sector sharpen their competitive edge, deepen skills, and adapt itself for the digital age.

3.These factors have contributed to the vibrancy and diversity of our economy. Today, venture capitalists and big tech companies like Google and Facebook have operations here. After three years of going through COVID-19, biotech and pharma companies are making major investments in Singapore too.

4.Our start-up scene has also blossomed. If we asked Singaporeans to identify successful local entrepreneurs and start-ups twenty years ago, many would have only mentioned Creative. Today, we have established players like Breadtalk, Razer, and Charles & Keith, with newer faces like Homage, Aspire, and even Doctor Anywhere coming on the scene. To support and encourage our young entrepreneurs to dare to try something new, we must have an extensive incubator system. Block71 led by NUS Enterprise now not only resides in Ayer Rajah, but also overseas, including Jakarta, San Francisco and Suzhou. Our local ecosystem is flourishing as well, with incubators like Entrepreneur First, NTUitive, Pollinate, Startup X, and accelerators like EduSpaze who is also here with us today. The government provides dedicated resources to help local entrepreneurs succeed. For example, Enterprise Singapore connects startups to established corporates, investors and potential business partners, including those in the edtech sector. There are also seed grants and assistance to help local startups accelerate the development of innovative solutions, and break new grounds in markets ranging from Southeast Asia to China and India.

5.We hope to encourage entrepreneurship among young Singaporeans. Our universities and polytechnics have played a critical role in nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit in students, providing students exposure to global start-up hotspots, from Shanghai to Silicon Valley. For example, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) offers a course in Aerospace Engineering with a Second Major in Entrepreneurship, where students will get a hands-on experience in technopreneurship through experiential learning, and a 20-week local/overseas internship with startups, venture capital firms, or other entrepreneurship-related organisations. We have also seen the fruits of the partnership between Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) and the Action Community of Entrepreneurship (ACE), providing opportunities for NP students to take up internships within ACE's community of 500 start-ups.

6.Along with NTU and NP, almost all our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) offer students with the opportunity to flex their entrepreneurial muscles. We are also sparking this entrepreneurship spirit in our youths starting from secondary school via the applied learning programme in entrepreneurship, where students get opportunities to collaborate and innovate with enterprises.

The EdTech Landscape: Potential and Challenges

7.I would also like to commend Cialfo's achievements in the edtech space. Technology opens up many new ways of learning, including expanding students' access to knowledge, greater customisation of their learning experience, and facilitating collaboration even across geographical boundaries.

8.As the education landscape continues to change rapidly, many are also re-examining the value and mode of education. For example, whether to pursue a university education immediately after graduation, or to gather work experience first. Perhaps pursue a master's degree, or to sign up for online courses instead to acquire the desired skills.

9.In the years ahead, as we make the push towards providing more Continuing Education and Training (CET) programmes such as stackable micro-credentials or skills-based upgrading pathways in our IHLs, our youth and adult learners will have many more options to choose from when it comes to planning one's education journey. This could potentially be another venture area for businesses like Cialfo.

Conclusion

10.The Singaporean startup ecosystem needs the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit that all of you here today share. You have our support to continue developing and growing, and I hope your efforts will go on to inspire the next generation of aspiring entrepreneurs to make their mark, and make a meaningful difference in the world.

11.Congratulations to Cialfo once again on the opening of your new office in Singapore. I trust this is just the beginning of another milestone for your company. In closing, I leave you my well wishes based on your namesake: May you go Faster, Higher, Stronger. Thank you.

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