MLS Jan 2018 Local Attachment MLS local report final | Page 43

4.6 Tee Mei Shan
The 4-day work attachment with two very unique organizations,
Kidzania Singapore and Fernvale Gardens School, has truly been rewarding
and enriching. It is interesting to make comparisons between the two
organizations, which similar to mainstream schools, see children as their
key stakeholders, but are vastly different in their mission, nature of
business and operations.
At Kidzania, apart from the team of energized and committed staff
who see to the creation of unique experiences for their little customers, the
range of and attractiveness of external partners are vital to their success in
engaging their stakeholders. The partnership team is always on the lookout
and reaching out to potential external partners to set up establishments in
Kidzania, so that they can design unique experiences that will engage and
educate their customers. The ongoing communication and collaboration
ensures that both external partners and Kidzania are able to achieve a win-
win situation. It got me thinking about how in schools, while it is not our
mission to collaborate with external organizations, there’s no denying that
it is no longer sufficient to rely on in-house resources and support.
Collaboration and partnership with external organizations and our
stakeholders are key factors towards our ability to provide holistic and
authentic learning experiences, and to deliver the desired outcomes in our
students. In fact, in many schools today, partnership has been identified as
one of the key strategic thrusts. PARTNERS Awards are also given by MOE
to recognise schools’ efforts and significant achievements in collaborations.
In view of the growing emphasis and importance of partnership, I see a lot
more opportunities that we can tap on in order to deliver quality education
to our students. For such partnerships to be meaningful and sustainable in
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