Press Release - Excelling Beyond the Classroom

News Release No. 02/23

ITE honoured more than 400 students at its annual ITE Student Achievers’ Awards Presentation Ceremony held at ITE Headquarters this morning. These students were recognised for their holistic achievements and excellence in the arts, sports, co-curricular activities, and technological innovations.

Of 416 students, 47 of them received the prestigious Lee Kuan Yew (LKY) Awards – namely, the LKY Model Student/Trainee Award, the LKY Co-Curricular (CCA) Award, and the LKY Technology Award. A brief on the LKY Awards can be found in Annex A.

The other 369 students received the ITE Arts Excellence Award, ITE Sports Excellence Award, ITE CCA Medal, ITE Student Commendation Award and Keppel Care Foundation Scholarship.

In attaining the award, recipients have given their all, putting in blood, sweat and tears. Each recipient has a story to tell. It may be a tale of courage on personal breakthroughs, a pursuit of aspirations, a resolution to give back to society or simply acting on a desire to improve the world. Every student award winner has achieved success in his or her own right.   

Life is What You Bake It

Muhammad Fariqiel Jannah Bin Ghabi is one of nine students who won the LKY Model Student Award this year.

Unlike his peers, 31-year old Fariqiel took a longer academic route but is now on the right track to realise his dream of being a pastry chef. In his late teens, he completed a Nitec in Western Culinary Arts at ITE and a Diploma in Fine Arts (Photography) at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. After serving National Service, he worked in the Food & Beverage line for several years and rose from being a service crew member to an Assistant Manager. When work came to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he took time to recalibrate his life.

Recalling the inviting aroma of cakes freshly baked by his mother, especially during birthdays, Fariqiel decided to bake. It brought to mind his Nitec days when he particularly enjoyed the Pastry & Baking modules. It dawned upon him that he could carve a meaningful career out of baking. At the age of 29, Fariqiel successfully reignited his interest in baking by enrolling in ITE’s Nitec in Pastry & Baking course.

Motivated by passion, Fariqiel performed exceedingly well in his course. He was even selected to represent ITE in the FHA Culinary Challenge 2022 (Artistic Sculpture – Chocolate) and came under the tutelage of Global Pastry World Champion 2022 and ITE lecturer, Dexter Lee. Inspired by his love for the arts, Fariqiel chose to illustrate the evolution of arts in his chocolate showpiece. He did ITE proud by winning a Silver Award!

Out of the kitchen, Fariqiel displayed strong leadership qualities as the President of ACE Club, Class Chairman and a student mentor. To deepen his skills, he has since progressed to the Higher Nitec in Pastry & Baking course. To Fariqiel, he is just a step closer to realising his dream of opening a café in future.

Courage in the Face of Adversity

Another deserving LKY Model Student Award recipient is Malcolm Chew Jia Rui. Malcolm's story is one of inspiration and hope.

Growing up, his family faced financial challenges on a daily basis and struggled to make ends meet. As the oldest sibling with two younger brothers and a single mother, Malcolm felt a deep sense of responsibility to take care of his family and prioritised their welfare over his education. He paused his studies for a year after his 'N' levels to work, before doing his National Service (NS).

Despite facing obstacles, Malcolm demonstrated unwavering determination and resilience. He worked hard and excelled in his NS, earning the Best Soldier Award. During this time, he started volunteering to befriend elderly residents who lived alone. Through his interactions with them, he realised that healthcare was a practical and essential way to help them.

Malcolm’s big heart and willingness to help others led him to pursue Nitec in Nursing in ITE, while working part-time. While juggling his studies, leadership role as President of the Singapore Nurses Association (Student Chapter at ITE), family commitments, and a part-time job, he still achieved outstanding grades.

At graduation, Malcolm was conferred the Top Nursing Student Award for his cohort, the Top of School Award and the ITE College East Outstanding Student Award. He is now pursuing the Diploma in Nursing course at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. Malcolm is truly a role model for his peers. He has shown that with perseverance, one can overcome difficult circumstances and achieve success.

Smart Firewatch

Under a collaboration with Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), a team of three students from ITE College Central, comprising Evan Lim, Boo Kyler and Tan Ding Han, looked to propose smart solutions to decrease fire watch rotation by firefighters.

After a fire has been put out, firefighters would be deployed at the incident site to protect the property and its dwellers. To reduce manpower required for this task, the SCDF sought ways to leverage technology. This collaboration between ITE and SCDF resulted in a new device that can detect potential signs of embers.

The team created a device that can be mounted on a ceiling or wall of the incident site. It is fitted with sensors that measure the surrounding temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide and particulate matter levels. Through its built-in wireless connectivity, the device can transmit data captured from the environment to a cloud dashboard for monitoring and analysis. This supports a more efficient fire management, through the use of technology.

Recognising the fact that this innovation can improve efficiency and impact manpower planning, the SCDF has since worked with ITE College Central’s School of Electronics & Info-Comm Technology to produce 24 sets of this device for an operational trial. 

For their project titled ‘Smart Firewatch IoT System’, the team is one of ten group winners of the LKY Technology Award this year.

Profiles and Winning Projects

Profiles of the LKY Model Student/Trainee Award and CCA Award winners can be found in Annex B [PDF, 274 KB]. Details of the LKY Technology Award winning projects can be found in Annex C [PDF, 266 KB].

Annex A

BRIEF ON TOP AWARDS

Lee Kuan Yew Model Student/Trainee Award (9 Students, 1 Trainee)

The Lee Kuan Yew Model Student/Trainee Award is presented to students and trainees who have performed consistently well in their courses and have displayed outstanding conduct and attitude worthy of emulation by their peers. The Award serves to inspire students and trainees to display exemplary behaviour in training, develop high moral values and show care and concern for others.

Lee Kuan Yew CCA Award (3 Students)

The Lee Kuan Yew CCA Award is presented to students who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and organisational skills, and have contributed significantly to the improvement and enhancement of campus life. The Award also serves to give recognition to students who have contributed and achieved excellence in sports, games and the arts.

Lee Kuan Yew Technology Award (10 Teams)

The Lee Kuan Yew Technology Award is presented to students who have developed excellent projects that embody quality, technical innovation and creativity. The projects are also expected to have industry applications. The Award serves to inspire students to develop a zeal for challenges, creativity and competition.