Teo Chee Hean is a politician from
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At , Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast...
. A member of the governing
People's Action PartyThe People's Action Party is the leading political party in Singapore. It has been the city-state's ruling political party since 1959...
(PAP), he is currently the country's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, and a
Member of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators. Members of...
for the
Pasir Ris-Punggol Group Representation ConstituencyPasir Ris-Punggol Group Representation Constituency is a six-member Group Representation Constituency in the north-eastern region of Singapore. The constituency consists of Pasir Ris, Punggol, a small part of Hougang and the eastern part of Sengkang...
(GRC).
Teo previously served as Singapore's
Minister for EducationThe Ministry Of Education is a ministry of the Government of Singapore that directs the formulation and implementation of policies related to education in Singapore.-Statutory boards:...
from 1997-2003, and Minister for the Environment from 1996-97. Prior to entering politics, he was an officer in the
Republic of Singapore NavyThe Republic of Singapore Navy is the naval component of the Singapore Armed Forces , responsible for the defence of Singapore against sea-borne threats and protection of its sea lines of communications. Operating within the crowded littoral waters of the Singapore Strait, the RSN is regarded as...
, and served as Singapore's Chief of Navy from 1991-92.
Teo was educated at
Saint Michael's SchoolSaint Joseph's Institution Junior is a Catholic primary school for male students in Singapore. Prior to 2007, the school was known as St Michael's School.-School History:...
and
Saint Joseph's InstitutionSaint Joseph's Institution is a Catholic secondary school for male students in Singapore. It was founded in 1852 as St. John's Institution, and is the 3rd oldest educational institution in Singapore Saint Joseph's Institution (Abbreviation: SJI) is a Catholic secondary school for male students in...
.
Teo Chee Hean is a politician from
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At , Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast...
. A member of the governing
People's Action PartyThe People's Action Party is the leading political party in Singapore. It has been the city-state's ruling political party since 1959...
(PAP), he is currently the country's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, and a
Member of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators. Members of...
for the
Pasir Ris-Punggol Group Representation ConstituencyPasir Ris-Punggol Group Representation Constituency is a six-member Group Representation Constituency in the north-eastern region of Singapore. The constituency consists of Pasir Ris, Punggol, a small part of Hougang and the eastern part of Sengkang...
(GRC).
Teo previously served as Singapore's
Minister for EducationThe Ministry Of Education is a ministry of the Government of Singapore that directs the formulation and implementation of policies related to education in Singapore.-Statutory boards:...
from 1997-2003, and Minister for the Environment from 1996-97. Prior to entering politics, he was an officer in the
Republic of Singapore NavyThe Republic of Singapore Navy is the naval component of the Singapore Armed Forces , responsible for the defence of Singapore against sea-borne threats and protection of its sea lines of communications. Operating within the crowded littoral waters of the Singapore Strait, the RSN is regarded as...
, and served as Singapore's Chief of Navy from 1991-92.
Early life
Teo was educated at
Saint Michael's SchoolSaint Joseph's Institution Junior is a Catholic primary school for male students in Singapore. Prior to 2007, the school was known as St Michael's School.-School History:...
and
Saint Joseph's InstitutionSaint Joseph's Institution is a Catholic secondary school for male students in Singapore. It was founded in 1852 as St. John's Institution, and is the 3rd oldest educational institution in Singapore Saint Joseph's Institution (Abbreviation: SJI) is a Catholic secondary school for male students in...
. He enlisted in the
Singapore Armed ForcesThe Singapore Armed Forces is the military arm of the Total Defence of Singapore; as well as the military component of the Ministry of Defence. The SAF comprises three branches: the Singapore Army, the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the Republic of Singapore Navy...
(SAF) in 1972 and received his commission as a naval officer at the
Singapore Armed Forces Training InstituteThe SAFTI Military Institute is a tri-service military training institution for officers of all ranks of the Singapore Armed Forces . Located within an 88 hectare campus in Jurong West, it was officially opened by the former prime minister Goh Chok Tong on 25 August 1995...
in 1973. He was awarded the
President's ScholarA President's Scholar is a recipient of the most prestigious class of university undergraduate scholarships awarded to Singapore citizens by the government of Singapore...
ship and the SAF Scholarship in 1973 to study Electrical Engineering and Management Science at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, where he graduated with a
Bachelor of ScienceA Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years ....
(First Class Honours) degree in 1976. He continued with his studies at
Imperial College LondonImperial College London is a British university in London specialising in science, engineering, medicine and business....
, obtaining a
Master of ScienceA Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in a large number of countries...
degree (with distinction) in Computing Science in 1977.
Naval career
Teo held various command and staff appointments in the Republic of Singapore Navy and the Joint Staff. He pursued postgraduate studies at the Kennedy School of Government at
Harvard UniversityHarvard University is a private university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1636 by the colonial Massachusetts legislature, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and currently comprises ten separate academic units...
in 1986, where he graduated with a
Master of Public AdministrationThe Master of Public Administration degree is a professional graduate degree in Public Administration. The MPA program prepares individuals to serve as managers in the executive arm of local, state/provincial, and federal/national government, and increasingly nongovernmental organization and...
degree and was named a
Lucius N. LittauerLucius Nathan Littauer was a U.S. Representative from New York.Born in Gloversville, New York, Littauer moved with his parents to New York City in 1865.He attended the Charlier Institute, New York City....
Fellow.
Teo assumed command of the Republic of Singapore Navy as Chief of Navy in 1991 and was promoted to the rank of Commodore (later re-designated to Rear Admiral) in July 1991.
On 7 December 1992, Teo left the SAF to seek elected public office.
Political career
In a
by-electionA by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections...
in December 1992, Teo was elected as an MP for the
Marine ParadeMarine Parade is a town and an urban planning area in Singapore directly to the east of the Central Area, Singapore's central business district.-Location:...
GRC. Thereafter, he served as a Minister of State in the ministries of finance, communications and defence.
In April 1995, Teo was concurrently appointed as Acting Minister for the Environment and Senior Minister of State for Defence. In January 1996, he was appointed Minister for the Environment and Second Minister for Defence. In the January 1997 general election, he was elected as an MP for Pasir Ris GRC and thereafter was appointed Minister for Education while continuing as Second Minister for Defence.
In the November 2001 general election, Teo was elected as MP for the Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC and re-appointed as Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence. On 1 August 2003, he was appointed as Minister for Defence.
Teo was once again re-elected as the MP for the Pasir-Ris Punggol GRC at the general elections in May 2006.
On 26 March 2009, the
Prime Minister of SingaporeThe Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of government of the Republic of Singapore...
,
Lee Hsien LoongLee Hsien Loong is the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore. Lee Hsien Loong is married to Ho Ching, who is the former Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the government-owned Temasek Holdings...
, appointed Teo as one of two Deputy Prime Ministers with effect from 1 April 2009.
Personal life
Teo is married to Chew Poh Yim. She was born in
PerakPerak is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is the second largest state in Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor southward and to the west by the Strait of Malacca.Perak means silver in...
, West Malaysia and went to
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
for her higher studies. She graduated with a BSc (Hons) degree in Biochemistry from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (1977). She is a marketing consultant to a major supermarket chain in Singapore and she also teaches Marketing Management at the Nanyang School of Business,
Nanyang PolytechnicNanyang Polytechnic is Singapore's fourth polytechnic located in Ang Mo Kio next to Yio Chu Kang MRT Station, Singapore.- History :*Established on 1 April 1992....
, on a part-time basis. They have a son and a daughter.
Teo has served as the president of the
Singapore Dragon Boat Association (SDBA).
External links