Dr Goh Keng Swee (1918 -)

GOH Keng Swee was born on 6 October 1918 in Melaka, Malaysia. Dr Goh Keng Swee is widely regarded as the "economic architect" of Singapore, the man who significantly shaped its financial and economic development during the 1960s. Besides initiating the industrialisation programme which transformed swampland Jurong into a thriving industrial estate, Goh also played a key role in Singapore's defence by establishing the Singapore Armed Forces and implementing National Service. As Minister of Education, he placed an emphasis of curriculum development by setting up the Curriculum Development Institute, and later introduced streaming in schools to encourage students to learn at their own pace.

Highest education attained: PhD in Economics at the London School of Economics, including the William Farr Prize.

Employment before entering politics: Director, Social Welfare Department.

Dr. Goh Keng Swee Political Career:
1959: Vice-Chairman of PAP.
1959: Minister for Finance.
1965: Minister of Defence.
1967: Minister for Finance.
1979: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education.
1970: Minister of Defence.
1973: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence.
1980: First Deputy Prime Minister.
1981: First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education.
1985: Retired from Politics.

After stepping down from politics in 1985, Goh continued to hold numerous leadership positions in the local banking and financial industry, and was the Economic Adviser to the State Council of the People's Republic of China in 1985.