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By Goh Chin Lian, Senior Political Correspondent
More than one in five of the top students from the 1996-1999 A level graduating cohorts are not working in Singapore today.
And of those from the same batches who went on to universities overseas without a scholarship bond, more than one in three are today carving out careers outside the country.
Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong gave these statistics yesterday to illustrate the urgency of getting young Singaporeans to sink roots here even as they become more entrepreneurial and break out into the global economy.
'If more and more of our bright students do not return, this begs the question whether our success in giving them wings to fly far and high will result in our eventual decline as a nation, especially as we are not even reproducing ourselves.
'No nation will be able to sustain its growth and prosperity without sufficient talent, much less a small country like Singapore without natural resources,' said Mr Goh.
He was speaking to more than 1,000 guests at the 70th anniversary dinner of Chung Cheng High School last night.
He urged schools to help students retain their emotional bonds to Singapore, 'so that they think of Singapore as the home which nurtured them, and want to contribute in some ways to the country of their birth'.
To do this, he suggested that schools inculcate in the young certain values, such as being appreciative of those who help them advance in life; and not taking for granted the academic, sports and arts programmes they can enjoy here and abroad, when many children elsewhere cannot.
Mr Goh hoped that the end result of such teaching would be students who have strong links with their schools, close ties with their friends and a strong sense of responsibility to their families - even if they choose to live, work and even settle down overseas.
Switching to Mandarin, Mr Goh said: 'I hope Chung Cheng and our schools will give two lasting bequests to our children. One is strong wings; the other, deep roots.
'Like wild geese that migrate each fall, young Singaporeans should be equipped with the courage, strength and adaptability to venture to distant lands in search of opportunities. But when spring returns, they will come back, as this is their home.'
Indeed, Mr Goh further argued in English, helping young Singaporeans stay rooted here was the most important challenge facing the Education Ministry.
This is because the number of young Singaporeans working overseas will grow, given that the education system is producing more and more students equipped with the right skills to go global.
He noted: 'Our continued investments in schools have produced more bright students with each passing year. In 1996, the number of local students with at least 4As and a B3 in General Paper was 541. By 2008, this number has more than doubled to 1,263.'
Even as he made it clear that he supported the push to equip the young to go global, he said: 'But here we face a conundrum. When we prepare our students to be entrepreneurial and world-ready, we are also growing wings on them.'
Mr Goh's remarks are a reminder of a point brought up in April last year by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, when he also touched on the brain drain and how it could adversely affect the country's survival.
Mr Lee noted that about one in four, or about 150 out of 600, top A-level students yearly work overseas after their studies.
This trend presented a big challenge to find successors, particularly for politics, PM Lee said then.
Speaking to The Sunday Times last night, the principal of Chung Cheng High School (Main) Mr Lo Chee Lin said that one way the school keeps its students rooted is by emphasising the need to remember one's roots.
This was a key tenet of the school's culture, he said.
It helped too that students could see the examples set by an active alumni, he added.
These include people like top banker Wee Cho Yaw and Hougang MP Low Thia Khiang, who were both present at the anniversary celebration last night.
This article was first published in The Straits Times.
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