SPEECH BY MR HAWAZI DAIPI, PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF EDUCATION & MINISTRY OF MANPOWER, AT THE PRIZE PRESENTATION CEREMONY OF “THE UNIQUE TALE OF SINGAPORE” DRAWING COMPETITION ON SATURDAY, 5 JUNE 2004, AT 1:00 PM AT THE MOUNT FABER CABLE CAR STATION

Mr Soo Kok Leng, Chairman, Singapore Cable Car

Distinguished guests
Teachers and students

Good afternoon

Introduction

It brings me great pleasure to be here this afternoon to present prizes to the winners of “The Unique Tale of Singapore” Drawing Competition.

“The Unique Tale of Singapore” Drawing Competition

2.      A drawing competition such as this is another avenue where our primary school participants can express their creativity outside the classroom. By portraying, through their drawings, the various scenic views from a cable car, our young participants are given opportunities to think out-of-the-box, exercise their imagination, and translate creative ideas onto paper. I also see this competition as another platform for like-minded youths who are interested in art to mingle and share ideas. Their coming together generates synergy and dynamism, and can spur them to achieve greater peaks of excellence. I commend the Singapore Cable Car for coming up with this exciting and fun-filled event for our primary school students.

Creativity and an Education in Art

3.      Art has been known to be an avenue where one’s creativity and imagination can be expressed freely. The works of world-renowned artists like Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet all exhibited their unique creative talents. The spirit of creativity, innovativeness, and the ability to adapt to rapid changes, are core traits we want to inculcate in our young, especially in the context of today’s knowledge-based economy. If our students only gained knowledge from school textbooks, and remained inert at exploring this knowledge to develop new breakthroughs, they will not be able to thrive in the fast-paced world of the 21st century. The challenge for our education system today is to produce students who are passionate about the things they do, who will challenge tried and tested methods, and venture boldly beyond defined perimeters. Thus, our educational endeavours must provide our students with platforms where they can develop their imagination and creativity.

4.      The provision of Arts programmes in our primary schools is one such means to see that this materialises. Such programmes develop and harness the full range of our students' talents, contribute to their overall development, and help to imbue students with a sense of aesthetics. Through Arts programmes in school, we hope to build up the self-esteem of our students so that they have the confidence to question assumptions and take on challenges that come their way.

5.      Our schools see the importance in promoting Arts Education as part of the broad-based holistic education that we give to every student. They have provided their students with numerous opportunities to explore the different aspects of the Arts through the formal curriculum and co-curricular activities. Staging musical concerts, plays, or allowing students to participate in drawing competitions such as this, for instance, have become the norm in our schools' calendar of events.

6.      However, our schools cannot work alone in their quest to promote a vibrant and stimulating environment that will nurture the artistic talents of our young. External art agencies and community organisations also need to play their part by collaborating with our schools to plan and implement arts programmes that will widen our students’ artistic experience. I am thus pleased that Singapore Cable Car has invested time and effort in organising this drawing competition for all our primary schools. Such efforts bring our schools closer to achieving the desired outcomes of educating our children holistically.

Tourism in Singapore

7.      This competition is also a means for our young participants to learn more about the attractions of Singapore, and to raise their awareness of Singapore’s tourism industry. Tourism is a key driver of our economic growth, and knowledge of Singapore’s tourist spots among our students will help them serve as our tourism ambassadors as they play host to their foreign friends in future.

A Word to the Prize Winners

8.      Allow me now to extend my congratulations to the prize winners of today's drawing competition. Your accomplishment moves you up the ladder of success. You should persevere to refine your skills in sketching, painting and drawing, so that you can perfect the talent you have been blessed with. Indeed, some time in the future, I hope you will join the ranks of veteran artists, impart your skill to the generations that will come after you, and ignite their interest in art. Like the late Liu Kang, who pioneered artworks that combined Western and Chinese artistic techniques, I hope that you too will eventually carve out your niche area in art, continually improve your skills and make every effort to become better artists that Singapore will be proud of.

Conclusion

9.      In closing, I wish to congratulate the Singapore Cable Car once again for organising this drawing competition. It has given our students an added opportunity to compete with some of the best budding artists in our primary schools, and also helped them to demonstrate and exercise their creativity. I hope the success of this event will serve as a springboard for the Singapore Cable Car to organise more of such activities in the near future.
 
10.      Thank you.