SPEECH BY GUEST OF HONOUR, MR CHAN SOO SEN, MINISTER OF STATE, MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, AT THE WORDS+ART 2004 AWARDS PRESENTATION CEREMONY AND BOOK LAUNCH OF “WORLD IN MY HANDS – EXPRESSING IDEAS THROUGH SCULPTURE”, ON TUESDAY, 28 SEPTEMBER 2004, AT 5.30 PM, AT THE ESPLANADE THEATRES ON THE BAY (RECITAL STUDIO)

 
Teachers, Parents, Students

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good evening

1.       It gives me great pleasure to join you this evening to present the awards to the twenty-four winners of the third WORDS + Art Creative Writing Competition.

2.      What a joy to see our young expressing their ideas and feelings through stories, and at the same time, learning about well-known sculptures around Singapore.

3.       For the first time this year, the competition is open to secondary school students as well.  It is encouraging to know that over 2,600 students submitted entries to this competition, and students from as young as Primary One were encouraged to express their ideas about the “World In My Hands”, the theme for this year’s Competition. 

4.       “World In My Hands” is an exciting theme as it holds out the possibility of many different views and perspectives.  For young Singaporeans, this is a relevant topic at a time when these young people are carving out an identity for themselves, in the midst of myriad changes taking place in and around Singapore.

5.      With the help of sculptures created by international artists, the WORDS + Art programme has enabled the participants to be exposed to a bigger world outside of their usual environment.  Students are led to explore their imaginations and feelings behind the artistic creations, and are further invited to creatively express through stories their own emotions, aspirations and views on the family, environment, peace, national progress and the power of imagination.  Greater exposure to, and participation in, artistic creations, will help students to better understand their inner feelings and spirit.  I hope that it will also enable them to come to terms with themselves and make them stronger and more confident to face the challenges ahead.

6.      Our schools have the responsibility of preparing our pupils for the world of the future.  Schools try to provide our students with a balanced and well-rounded education, one that offers adequate diversity and choice to cater to their different interests and talents, while at the same time equipping them with the essential skills.  There are several ways to prepare the young for the new and more complex future, which is full of uncertainties and also abundant with opportunities.

7.      One way is, collaboration between private enterprises and government agencies, such as this between Marshall Cavendish and the National Arts Council, which gives our youth varied experiences, encourages them to ask questions outside of their school and home environment, and to discover their interests.  A nation-wide writing competition also helps build confidence in the students, and encourages them to be better writers.

8.      I am glad to note that the interdisciplinary and holistic approach in developing literary talent and educating the students in the arts has enabled our students to explore their imaginations and express their ideas through a creative writing experience.  For example, several of the winning entries were based on Fernando Botero’s “Bird” sculpture.  I am amazed at how this piece of art has unleashed a whole array of ideas.  Steve Shen from Xingnan Primary creatively writes a story on how every night, without anyone’s knowledge, the “Bird” statue rids the world of darkness by flying to Afghanistan and even Iraq to destroy mines and explosives.  Colleen Goh Li En from Singapore Chinese Girls’ School, on the other hand, writes a story on how the statue inspired a girl to pursue her dreams, regardless of her situation.  These examples illustrate how ideas can be generated using forms that may be overlooked in our everyday life.  Schools participating in this competition also found it useful as it gives the children the opportunity to be exposed to art, instead of confining them to just objects found in the classroom.  I hope the organisers will continue to have such competitions so that our students would be able to sharpen their writing skills and at the same time appreciate the beauty of art.

9.       Finally, my warmest congratulations to the winners of this year’s WORDS + Art Creative Writing Competition.  Your parents, teachers and schools are very proud of you and I hope that you will continue to build on what you have achieved today.

Thank you.