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THE majority of Singaporeans believe in the country and are willing to defend it, said Minister for Education Ng Eng Hen yesterday.
He was referring to results of objective surveys conducted in recent years which polled full-time national servicemen (NSF), NSmen and members of the public.
Dr Ng said: "It is heartening to know that...more than 90 per cent of respondents said that Singapore is a place where they belong, and they would defend Singapore should it come under threat."
He highlighted the key findings at the Connexion Seminar held yesterday at Yishun Junior College in front of about 500 National Education (NE) practitioners.
Similar positive sentiments towards Singapore were also shown in an NE survey conducted this year by the Ministry of Education (MOE) among students.
It revealed that about 95 per cent of them felt a sense of belonging to Singapore.
The survey was administered to about 74,000 pupils and students in Primary 4 and 6, Secondary 2 and 4, and second-year junior college to gauge their feelings towards and perceptions of Singapore.
Sentiments from the poll were similar to those of one conducted in 2008, added Dr Ng.
The most recent survey also showed that more than 95 per cent of the students said that they are proud to be Singaporeans and more than 93 per cent of them are proud of the country's achievements.
"Our students quite openly declare their love for Singapore and are proud of Singapore's achievements," said Dr Ng, who is also Second Minister for Defence.
The survey found that these students value a self-reliant, intolerant-of-corruption and meritocratic society.
In addition, cultural diversity and racial and religious harmony are treasured.
Dr Ng added that there was a strong sense of belonging and that "most importantly, they (the students) believe they have a part to play in making Singapore a better place and in defending what they value about Singapore".
Dr Ng also later shared with reporters what he would defend.
He revealed that his deep conviction that Singapore's system has worked and his willingness to defend it stems from the opportunities he received despite coming from "a humble and poor background".
As a boy who grew up in a three-room flat in Queenstown, being able to train under top surgeons in the United States were "my most endearing and deepest moments", he said.
Citing the MOE survey findings, he said "we have woven a strong, cohesive and resilient social fabric that has stood tests in the recent decade".
He encouraged the audience to "keep on finding innovative ways to directly engage students and all Singaporeans on important matters of national and social concern".
The seminar was first held in January last year and focused on the rising use of new media as a tool for teaching about Singapore's past and future challenges in schools.
This year, Dr Ng highlighted a few initiatives to show the positive impact resulting from using new media for nation-building.
A survey conducted by Singapore Polytechnic last December revealed that at least 64 per cent of youth visited social-media platforms on a daily basis.
"Through the use of new media tools, we encourage more voices, greater participation and ownership in writing a story for Singapore," he said.
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