In March 2015, tens of thousands of people gathered with leaders from around the globe to attend the funeral of Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of modern Singapore. Lee held official ministerial positions for 52 successive years and was the prime minister of Singapore for the first three decades of its independence. Described by former US President George H. W. Bush as ‘one of the brightest and most effective world leaders that I have ever known’, Lee is credited with transforming Singapore from an impoverished nation with no natural resources into an economic powerhouse, with a higher GDP per capita than the USA and the UK.
Lee Kuan Yew attended Raffles Institution, a highly selective school for the top 150 students in Singapore. In addition to his studies, he played cricket, tennis and chess, and also got involved in debating. In 1940, he came first among all pupils at Raffles Institution, earning a scholarship to the prestigious Raffles College (now the National University of Singapore). However, his university education was interrupted by the Second World War and the Japanese occupation of Singapore from 1942–45. During this period, Lee learned Japanese and worked as a translator.
Your organisation does not have access to this article.
Sign up today to give your students the edge they need to achieve their best grades with subject expertise
Subscribe
