In Memoriam | Mr Ngiam Tong Dow

Mr Ngiam Tong Dow
Top Civil Servant of Singapore, Beloved Supporter of NUS and FASS
(Economics, ’59)

The NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) is greatly saddened by the passing of Mr Ngiam Tong Dow on 20 August 2020 at the age of 83.

A prominent alumnus of the Faculty, Mr Ngiam graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with First Class Honours in 1959.  As a former civil servant of Singapore, Mr Ngiam contributed to Singapore’s economic development over four decades.

In recognition of his significant contributions to the Public Service, Mr Ngiam has been conferred various national public service awards, including the Public Administration Medal (Gold) in 1971, the Meritorious Service Medal in 1978 and the Distinguished Service Order in 1999.

Mr Ngiam was also actively engaged with the National University of Singapore (NUS).  He had been serving as Pro-Chancellor of NUS since 2000 and was the Chairman of the NUS Centennial Campaign Advisory Board in 2003.  Over and above his service to the NUS community, Mr Ngiam has also donated generously to university and FASS.  In 2006, Mr Ngiam and his family across two generations established the Mr and Mrs Ngiam Fook Quee Memorial Scholarship in honour of their parents and grandparents who had migrated to Singapore from China in the last century with nothing but the determination to work hard and succeed.

FASS presented Mr Ngiam the FASS Distinguished Arts and Social Alumni Award in 2016 for his enormous contributions to Singapore’s nation-building efforts and his strong commitment to and support of the University and the Faculty. In 2019, NUS bestowed upon Mr Ngiam the prestigious NUS Eminent Alumni Award.

FASS Advisory Board Member Mrs Chua-Lim Receives Public Administration Gold Medal 2020

NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences’ Advisory Board Member, Mrs Chua-Lim Yen Ching, was conferred the Public Administration Gold Medal at this year’s National Day Awards by the Prime Minister’s Office for her numerous contributions to education in Singapore.

Mrs Chua-Lim is the Deputy Director-General of Education (Professional Development) and Executive Director of the Academy of Singapore Teachers Directorate at the Ministry of Education (MOE) of Singapore. This latest award follows the Public Administration Medal (Bronze) she received in 1999, and the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2017.

Her career in education spans 37 years, during which she has served as a teacher, principal and policy maker. Highlights include her leadership, as Deputy Director of the Sciences Branch of the Ministry of Education of Singapore, in the development of primary to pre-university curricula for mathematics, science, technical and physical education from 1998 to 2002, and the pivotal role she played as the founding principal of the NorthLight School, an institution offering enhanced vocational education from 2006 to 2011. She is now helming advancements in the professional development of teachers in Singapore.

At this year’s National Day Awards, Mrs Chua-Lim joins the ranks of illustrious NUS notables such as Former Deputy Prime Minister and current Senior Legal Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Prof S. Jayakumar, who received the highest Order of Temasek (with High Distinction) honour, and Prof Wang Gungwu, FASS Professor and former Chairman of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy as well as the East Asian Institute, who was awarded The Distinguished Service Order.

Other FASS awardees include the following:-

Public Administration Medal (Bronze)
Prof Lionel Wee Hock Ann, Vice Dean (Research) and Professor, Department of English Language & Literature

Commendation Medal
Ms Loo Bee Bee, Associate Director, Department of Psychology

Efficiency Medal
Ms Jane Ong Pei Hoon, Management Assistant Officer, Department of Sociology

Long Service Medal

  • Prof Ong Chang Woei, Department of Chinese Studies
  • Assoc Prof Loon Seong Yun, Department of English Language & Literature
  • Ms Sakinah Bte Yusof, Management Assistant Officer, Department of Geography
  • Ms Jasmine Sim Bee Lay, Management Assistant Officer, Department of History
  • Assoc Prof Chen An, Department of Political Science
  • Assoc Prof Irving Chan Johnson, Department of Southeast Asian Studies
  • Assoc Prof Narayanan Ganapathy, FASS Associate Dean, and Associate Professor, Department of Sociology