Principal's Message 2025

Principal’s Message 2025

The Librarian of Basra: A True Story by Jeanette Winter

An Unsung Hero

True heroes don’t seek the spotlight. One such hero is Alia Muhammad Baker, a librarian at Basra Central Library in Iraq during the 2003 conflict. Her name may be little-known, but her commitment to protecting knowledge in the face of war is a powerful reminder of how one person’s bravery, resourcefulness, and care for culture and wisdom can make a big difference to humanity.

(Image Above: Librarian Alia Muhammad Baker¹)

The Importance of Knowledge Preservation

To appreciate the significance of her deeds, we have got to understand that for most of history, education and books were privileges reserved for nobles or clergy, with knowledge contained in tomes called “the canon.” In time, innovations like the printing press - and later, digital technologies, including large language models (which I partnered to write this message) - have helped make knowledge widely available. The democratization of knowledge has been crucial to growth and prosperity of nations. Yet, progress in education and learning has never been one-directional. There were the four horsemen of the apocalypse – conquest, war, famine and death – whose coming set progress back. Specifically in modern days, war still threatens to wipe out libraries and halt learning whenever it strikes.

Alia’s Courageous Acts

When war was looming in Basra in 2003, Alia asked the authorities for permission to move the library’s collection. “There are English books, Arabic books and a Spanish-language Koran. There are manuscripts, some hundreds of years old, on the finer points of Arabic grammar and the art of telling time.” After being turned down, she decided to act on her own, ingeniously calling upon friends and family to help. One of them was Anis Muhammad who owned a nearby restaurant. “I can use these curtains to wrap them.” “Here are crates from my shop.” “Can you use these sacks?”

“The books must be saved.”

(Image above: Alia saving the books from the fire during the war²)

Legacy of Preservation

Alia saved the books from the fire during the war! The building of the library was eventually destroyed, but Alia’s secret mission saved thousands of books from the flames. In doing so, she preserved culture and dignity for humanity. Her story, later told through media interviews and in Jeanette Winter’s children’s book The Librarian of Basra (which I quoted), shines a light on an everyday person stepping up in extraordinary circumstances. For us in education, Alia’s actions remind that the freedom to learn and the right to read should never be taken for granted.

YTSS Theme for 2025

Our 2025 theme is “Learn. Care. Excel.”

I share the story of the librarian of Basra to spotlight Alia’s intrinsic drive to learn, her care for a legacy larger than herself, and her resourcefulness par excellence. I hope her story will inspire our teachers, YTzens, and all who read this message. In the uncertain world, Yishun Town Secondary School will be a sanctum of learning, staffed by educators who care, in our relentless pursuit of excellence.

In line with this theme, here are some examples of recent events that will propel us forward into 2025:

(Photo on the left: Embracing lifelong learning - Staff Learning Festival, Dec 2024

Photo on the Right: Caring for YTzens wherever we learn - Overseas Learning Journey to Japan, Nov 2024)

(Photo Above: YTzens excelling holistically as a result - Recipients of our Model YTzen Award, Oct 2024)

In 2025, new possibilities beckon.

Yours in learning,

Mr Ng Teo Heng
Principal