Chairman's Review

The political transition to the 4th generation leadership team in 2024 was a significant milestone in Singapore's history. In his inauguration speech, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong shared how he and many in his 4G leadership team were beneficiaries of the public policies of Singapore’s earlier generations of leadership.

The Singapore Public Service is dedicated to serving the nation and ensuring institutional continuity. It has played a significant role in delivering the public policies that have developed the Singapore of today. Public officers remain agile, providing input to and supporting the policy priorities set out by the political leadership. We need talent in the Public Service who can contribute different perspectives and view the future from multiple angles to build a stronger Singapore.

Nurturing a Strong Pipeline of Public Service Leaders

The Public Service Commission (PSC) is committed to identifying and nurturing talent for the Singapore Public Service.

We need talent who can create opportunities and shape the future. Public Service leaders must not only excel in their contributions, but must demonstrate the values of integrity, service, excellence, and most importantly, the purpose and conviction to serve. This leadership entails responsibility, stewardship, and dedication to the common good. It is encouraging that many of the PSC Scholarship holders go on to senior leadership positions in our public institutions.

In 2024, 54 new recipients of scholarships from the PSC came from a wide range of pre-tertiary institutions. Eight of them will follow the path less travelled to do their undergraduate programmes in France, Germany, and Japan. The PSC encourages our scholarship recipients to pursue their studies in different fields and to gain different precious life experiences, so as to strengthen our Public Service and to enhance the ability to serve different segments of our society in dealing with emerging challenges.

Strength through Partnerships

Building a strong leadership pipeline requires a collective effort. In 2024, we strengthened outreach through partnerships with key stakeholders. We continue to work closely with all schools and pre-tertiary institutions. The expanded Whole-of-Government (WOG) PSC and Public Sector Scholarship Fair attracted over 800 participants, with over 50 public agencies, international partners, and universities featured. Our Alumni Network volunteers, made up of PSC Scholarship holders and public officers from the Public Service Leadership Programme and Administrative Service, helped students in schools and polytechnics learn more about careers in the Public Service and answer their questions. We participated in career fairs organised by the schools, and extended our reach to Year 1 students in the junior colleges. The PSC also actively engaged our overseas university partners to keep abreast of educational developments and to promote the PSC Scholarship to overseas Singaporeans.

With good help from our diplomats, we were able to reinstate the partnership with the Japanese Government on the Monbukagakusho Scholarship (MEXT Scholarship) after a hiatus of 10 years. This will allow our PSC Scholarship holders and other public sector scholarship holders to concurrently hold a MEXT Scholarship, which will assist in their admission to top national universities in Japan. We also launched a preparatory programme with Carl Duisberg Centren in Cologne, Germany to assist PSC scholars in acquiring the requisite German language proficiency and preparing for their undergraduate studies in Germany. We hope these efforts will encourage more students to study in Japan and Germany in the years ahead.

Upholding High Standards of Integrity in the Public Service

Integrity is at the heart of the Public Service’s values. It is essential in a robust governance system and to maintain public trust. In 2024, the PSC saw 234 discipline cases, with a majority being minor cases and managed under the Directions. In instances where public officers fall short, they know that the disciplinary system will deal with them fairly and impartially, regardless of their rank or seniority, and without fear or favour.

Looking Ahead

As Singapore celebrates 60 years of nation-building in 2025, the PSC remains committed to the principles of integrity, impartiality and meritocracy. We welcome outstanding individuals with the right values and purpose to come forward to serve in the Public Service.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my fellow PSC Members for their dedication and wise counsel over the past year. I also wish to express my appreciation to all the staff of the PSC Secretariat for their unstinting support. Let our core values guide us through our future challenges.