Nationwide LEAP Award honours 12 teachers who put students before self

• 5 primary school, 5 secondary school and 2 special education teachers awarded
• 5 schools saw their first ever LEAP Award

31 Aug 2023, Singapore – Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan (SHHK) today honoured 12 exemplary teachers with the annual LEAP Award. Guest-of-Honour Mr Heng Swee Keat, Deputy Prime Minister & Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, presented the LEAP Award to the five primary school teachers, five secondary school teachers and two special education teachers at the annual Teachers’ Day Appreciation Dinner cum LEAP Award Presentation Ceremony.

The LEAP Award, which stands for Listening Educator for Advancement and Progress Award, was launched by the late President S R Nathan in 2011 and awarded by SHHK annually to recognise exceptional teachers who have made a positive impact in nurturing their students from the heart. The naming of the award signifies a leap of faith for a teacher to believe that students have the potential to excel beyond their capabilities.

Mr Thomas Chua, President of SHHK, said, “Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan has always been at the forefront in supporting education and we recognise the significant role teachers play in this endeavour. Dedicated teachers who can connect well with students can make a world of difference to students’ schooling and growing experiences. The LEAP Award honours 12 teachers for their unwavering commitment to educating the future pillars of our society and we hope they will inspire fellow teachers to keep making a difference.”

This year, the Award received a total of 222 nominations from 145 schools – 95 primary school teachers, 106 secondary school teachers and 21 special education teachers, with each school limited to a maximum of two nominations. Five schools saw their first ever LEAP Award recipients, namely, Presbyterian High School, Raffles Girls’ Primary School, Waterway Primary School, Zhenghua Secondary School and Zhonghua Secondary School.

All nominees will receive a certificate of commendation from the organiser as a recognition of their outstanding commitment. The organiser hopes that more schools will come forward and nominate deserving teachers for the LEAP Award next year.

LEAP Award 2023 Recipients (in alphabetical order):

1. Miss Michelle Goh Jia Ying – Presbyterian High School
2. Mr Goh Tze Mian – Zhonghua Secondary School
3. Mdm Koh Meng Geok – Ngee Ann Secondary School
4. Mrs Lee Weiqi – Zhenghua Secondary School
5. Ms Lim Zi Hui – Raffles Girls’ Primary School
6. Mrs Lorraine Anne Alcantra – Tao Nan School
7. Mrs Lu Li Ting – Waterway Primary School
8. Miss Shazawani Begum Bte Abdul Karim – NorthLight School
9. Mdm Sim Puay Hoon – Nan Hua High School
10. Ms Tan Rui Ting, Edel Alica – Nan Chiau Primary School
11. Miss Jerene Yeo An-Ching – APSN Tanglin School
12. Mr Yeo Chi Kin Shawn – Yu Neng Primary School