Carmee Lim, one of Singapore's leading educators, has been named the winner of QUT's Outstanding Alumni Award for the Education Faculty at a ceremony in Brisbane today. She was also presented with a Special Excellence Award in recognition of her outstanding achievements.
Dedicated to preparing children for life and not just exams, Ms Lim has been committed to making education a joyful experience for students for more than 50 years and was an early advocate of computer-based learning.
At the age of 64 after a distinguished career in education she completed a Masters of Education (Early Childhood) at QUT in 2004 where she focused on her passion for cognitive education and mind/body research. She previously obtained a Bachelor Science & Pure Mathematics; Master Education from the University Oregon in 1969.
A respected and visionary educator, Ms Lim has influenced generations of young learners and their teachers, entrepreneurs and civic leaders across Singapore since the 1960s.
Career highlights include her role as Principal of Raffles Girls School (1988-1999), one of Singapore's top secondary schools, where she introduced the study of Philosophy, Sciences, Humanities and Aesthetics to update a curriculum that was designed to prepare girls to become educated wives. In 1997 Ms Lim was recognised by the Singapore Computer Society for promoting information technology at Raffles. She made computer lessons compulsory in 1993 something most schools did not adopt until the late 1990s.
Ms Lim also worked as a Senior Inspector of schools in the Ministry of Education and was the first Executive Director of the Academy of Principals and joint-founder of the business arm of the Academy.
Today she is an author on early childhood education and a mentor principal of the education training organisation MindChamps, an international award-winning mind development institute. The institute has awarded $250,000 in scholarships in her name to underprivileged and deserving children who then got to attend the MindChamps proprietary enrichment programs that equip them with the Champion Mindset and effective study techniques to prepare them for their Primary School Leaving Examination.
Ms Lim is a pioneer in applied brain research and an advocate for music and gymnastics in early childhood. She is the founder and CEO of Jumpstart Kidsports Pte Ltd, which offers a multi-sensory KidzGym program for pre-school children. She is also the founder of Aoede Music Enterprise which aims to give children the "Gift of music for a Lifetime" by integrating music with technology to make music-making fun and enjoyable.
A committee member for the 28th South East Asian Games in 2015, Ms Lim is also collaborating on the opening and closing ceremonies for the Asia Para Games collaborating to design the opening and closing ceremonies incorporating a children's orchestra.
Ms Lim is Chair and member of many Boards including the Parents Advisory Group for Internet, Integrative Learning Corporation, Principals Academy and Board of Governors Raffles Girls School. She is a regular guest speaker on education initiatives, as well as internet safety for children and teenagers, smartphone technology and childhood learning and intelligence.
Media contact:
Amanda Weaver, QUT Media, 07 3138 9449, amanda.weaver@qut.edu.au
After hours: Rose Trapnell, 0407 585 901, media@qut.edu.au
