11 March 2002

SPEECH BY DR. NG ENG HEN, MINISTER OF STATE FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER AT THE NATIONAL ARTS EDUCATION CONFERENCE ON MONDAY, 11 MARCH 2002, 9.00 A.M AT ANGLO-CHINESE SCHOOL (INDEPENDENT)

Mrs Chan Jee Kun, Director, Curriculum Planning and Development Division,
Ministry of Education,

1. I am pleased to join you today at the opening of the National Arts Education Conference (NAEC) jointly organised by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the National Arts Council (NAC).

2. This is the first time that MOE and NAC have collaborated in organising a national event of this scale. So the theme 'Breaking New Ground' aptly describes the first National Conference on Arts Education organised for art and music teachers.

3. 'Breaking New Ground' invokes an image of a farmer tilling the land to prepare the best environment to nurture his crops. The theme also conjures up the image of a pioneer embarking on a journey of discovery, exploring new worlds and finding new possibilities. This dual imagery of nurture and venture vividly describes the work of educationists in preparing Singaporeans to live, work, play and thrive in the global environment.

4. The world we live in today is vastly different from the one most of us grew up in as children. The rapidly changing economic landscape and major developments in science and technology have presented us with fresh challenges for the future. In order to meet these challenges, we need to maximise our human capital by increasing the overall capacity of our people. We need to equip young Singaporeans with the necessary skills to compete in the global marketplace and foster in them a sense of rootedness and commitment to Singapore.

5. In a knowledge-based economy, creativity and innovation are the key driving forces to progress. In this post-industrial economy, our students will need not only the skills to apply the knowledge they have acquired but also the ability to create new knowledge. Our educational endeavours must develop our students' imagination and creativity.

6. Arts Education has a significant role to play in fostering and nurturing these qualities in our students. In recent years, major figures in both educational and psychological research have illuminated our understanding of creativity and intelligence. Dr. Elliot Eisner, professor of Education at Stanford University in an article entitled Arts Education for a Changing World commented:

" As we reform our schools for the challenges of the information age, we cannot afford to ignore the arts. In vital areas - Workplace preparation, interdisciplinary studies, cross cultural learning, technology skills and understanding…arts education can provide a strong footing for the kind of education that will prepare our children to reach their full potential in the rapidly changing times ahead."

Although the experts have conceptualised what they consider important for education from different perspectives, they are consistent in advocating that the arts are essential components of education for the twenty-first century. This is because the arts offer multiple ways by which our students can perceive-and-understand-the-world.

7. Recognising this, MOE announced the initiatives for the 'Enhancement of Arts Education in Schools' last September to help create and sustain a vibrant arts culture in our schools. The enhanced arts education programme aims to develop and harness the full range of our students' talents through curricular and co-curricular programmes so that they can stretch beyond the frontiers of their own abilities and imagination. What are some key features of this programme?

8. We recognise that partnerships with our stakeholders in education benefit schools as well as the community. MOE sees the vital role organisations such as the NAC play in the education of our young. NAC has been a key stakeholder in Arts Education since its inception in 1991 and understands that schools are nurseries for the development of future artists and arts patrons. Through its Arts Education Programme, NAC continues to complement and enrich the arts programmes in our schools. Linking up with arts organisations enables schools to draw on the expertise and resources available in the-wider-community.

9. In order to facilitate this linkage with arts organisations and help schools in their planning of arts programmes, MOE has set up the Arts Education Website. This website provides schools with consolidated and updated information on available arts events and programmes. A calendar of events together with programme synopses provide teachers with easy access to useful information on subsidies, resources, list of contact persons together with hyperlinks to the websites of arts organisations and their ticketing services.

10. However these initiatives that I have just touched on can only take root and grow if school leaders believe in the role that the arts play in education. Cluster superintendents and school principals can lead by giving schools and teachers a vision for education in which the arts have a coherent role. They can encourage them towards a vision for arts education which is in line with and in support of the school's vision and inspire them to take ownership of their ideas. As architects of Singapore's education, your leadership is about nurturing an environment of creativity and innovation in our schools. It is about harnessing and mobilising your teachers' energies and drawing out the best in them so that they can be effective in the classroom. I am heartened that so many of our principals are here today. Your enthusiasm and interest augurs well for arts education in our schools and attest to your vision and foresight.

11. Our conference participants, as art and music teachers are at the frontline of action and well poised to translate the arts education initiatives into good practices. What you do in your schools will have a great impact on your students and their attitudes towards the arts. As engineers of the mind and heart, your role is pivotal to the development of arts education in Singapore.

12. Students will look to you to model creativity and innovation in the way you teach. What this implies is that you will need to keep abreast of the latest development in your fields of expertise and employ different strategies and approaches in the way you reach out to different students. Professional upgrading and life long learning must be your maxims if you are to remain relevant in the classroom. Increasingly, you will need to 'think out of the box' in the way you seek out creative ways to make your lessons more interesting and meaningful. Even as you strive to expand the horizons of your students, you must seize every opportunity to expand your own.

13. Teachers grow and develop professionally when they interact and exchange experiences and ideas with other practitioners. Professional development is best initiated through a spirit of camaraderie and mutual support. As such it is important to build a fraternity of professional practitioners for the sharing of good practices as well as for mutual support and encouragement. It is through discussion and dialogue that innovative ideas are generated and multiplied. A community of art and music teachers will provide a more fertile environment for the nurturing of innovation and creativity in our schools.

14. This conference provides an ideal platform to bring about these outcomes. We are very privileged to have two distinguished scholars as our keynote speakers. Professor Judith Burton, Director of the programme for Art and Art Education at Teachers College, Columbia University and Dr Samuel Leong, Director of Music Education and Musicianship Studies at the University of Western Australia are experienced educationists of international repute and experts in their respective fields of research. We look forward to having them address us.

15. Besides our overseas speakers, we are also pleased that local lecturers, artists and musicians - stakeholders in arts education have agreed to conduct workshops for our teachers. I understand that some of them have been working in partnership with our schools and will be sharing their experiences with our teachers. I trust that these workshops will provide teachers with useful ideas for their classroom practices.

16. In conclusion, Arts Education should be seen as part of the broad-based holistic education we give to every Singaporean child. An ability driven education nurtures every child's talents and equips him with the skills and confidence to excel in the Knowledge-Based Economy. In order to achieve this, teachers will need to embrace the attitude of life long learning and take every opportunity to upgrade their knowledge and skill. I am confident that this conference will provide the necessary environment for professional growth and camaraderie. I congratulate the organisers from MOE and NAC and wish you success.