Speeches
Speech by Dr Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence, at the Official Opening Ceremony of the LASALLE Campus on Wednesday 27 May 2009, at 7.30pm, at LASALLE College of the Arts
Chairman LASALLE Foundation, Mr Peter Seah
Family Members of Brother Joseph McNally
Members of the LaSalle Brothers
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good evening.
It gives me great pleasure to join you here today at the official opening of the new campus of LASALLE College of the Arts at 1 McNally Street. This new campus with its unique and contemporary design makes a strong statement that LASALLE aims to be a premier arts institution in Singapore as well as in the region. It wants to be a leading institute that produces graduates who are highly valued by our creative industries and economy.
Let me use this opportunity to also welcome Mr Peter Seah, Chairman of the LASALLE Foundation, and LASALLE’s new President, Prof Alastair Pearce. I hope that under their leadership the college will be able to seize the many opportunities that will come our way, both locally and in Asia. As the level of wealth increases, so too the potential role and contributions of creative industries and institutions like LASALLE.
A Global Vibrant City
This campus is a significant investment costing $138.5 million, of which the Government funded about $104 million, or 75%. This commitment of resources reflects the Government’s strategic goal to build a vibrant global city. Singapore does aspire to be a cultural city which offers to all its residents a high quality of life. To visitors, we want to be a city with buzz, a must-see city, a must-do stopover. For Singaporeans and PRs, we want this to be a home where they feel safe and privileged to live in; a place where they can fulfill their dreams and in that process, contribute to maintain and improve our way of life. In some respects, we are succeeding.
In January this year, Forbes magazine listed Singapore as among the world’s top 10 “Culture Capitals”. It was an esteemed list which included other cities where “cultural tourism” is a hallmark - Barcelona in Spain, Helsinki in Finland, and Luxembourg, to name a few.
To achieve our goals for Singapore, we have to constantly upgrade our infrastructure as well as our software, our people. In February this year, the Ministry for Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA), launched the third phase of the Renaissance City Plan - Singapore’s arts and cultural master plan for 2008 to 2015. It was announced that the Government would allocate $115 million over the next five years to boost the arts and cultural scene, to make Singapore an exciting international destination for business and leisure.
Our investments to liven up the arts and culture scene are making an impact. The number of art activities has been growing exponentially each year. Over 27,000 arts events were held last year with ticket sales hitting $46 million, and statistics show that one in three Singaporeans attend at least one arts event annually.
Developing the Creative Industries in Singapore
Institutions like LASALLE play an important role in producing the necessary skills and manpower to fuel the growth of the creative industries, the engine that drives the growth of arts and culture. I am happy to note that LASALLE also works closely with various creative industry partners, many of whom are here tonight to show their support.
As with our polytechnics, this intimate interaction that LaSALLE needs to develop with industry is vital so that it can prepare its students to meet the needs and demands of this dynamic and growing sector.
The creative industries presently account for an estimated 3.6% to Singapore’s GDP and 3.9% of employment, or about 115,000 jobs. Over the next few years, opportunities in the creative and entertainment sector will still be there, and even grow despite the global economic slowdown. Our two Integrated Resorts will be completed by 2011. Those who have visited Las Vegas would know that casinos form only a portion of activities. Much more demand is generated from surrounding entertainment, F&B activities and shopping outlets. Our IRs will therefore require substantial manpower for building and maintaining such resorts. A myriad list of skills and occupations will be required that include architecture, interior design, advertising, marketing and product design, creative directorship and theatrical, musical and multimedia productions. LASALLE’s students will be able to find many sectors that will need their creative and artistic talents.
Apart from our IRs and tourism needs, our film and digital animation industries are also gaining momentum. The interactive and digital media (IDM) sector has been growing at an estimated 22% compound annual growth rate since 2005, with about 3,500 new jobs created. Despite the general downturn, the sector grew by 25% in 2008. This is therefore a growth area and, I believe, one that we have not sufficiently exploited. Asians are already making a name for themselves in this industry, and LASALLE needs to be part of this breakthrough effort.
In the film industry, the number of locally-produced films has been steadily growing over the years - from two productions in 1995 to 12 feature films in 2007. This year, the Media Development Authority (MDA) and eight local production companies, including Infinite Frameworks, Monsoon Pictures, Oak3 Films and Upside Down Concepts, participated in the annual Cannes Film Market, promoting more than 20 local productions.
To further enable Singapore to host international media players and large-scale projects, MDA is planning for Mediapolis @ one-north, a 19-hectare self-contained media cluster with an array of soundstages, digital post-production facilities and R&D labs. MDA is targeting full completion by 2020.
These developments present both opportunities and challenges for LASALLE. I have spoken about growing opportunities. What would be the challenges? The greatest challenge for LASALLE in my view, is the risk of attempting to do too much or too soon and lose its focus. The strategic directions that this college takes over the next decade or two must finally be decided by your President and senior management, with the support of your Board. But let me offer some issues and perspectives for your consideration. LASALLE would need to analyse its comparative strengths and weaknesses. At the very least, LASALLE must establish a strong reputation as a competent and quality college whose graduates are highly valued by industry partners and employers in this region. Stronger links that the College has built with industry as part of its strategic plans are steps in the right direction.
But as an education provider, albeit a specialised one in the fields of visual arts and the performing arts, LASALLE must also recognise that it competes with well-established arts institutions in UK, Europe and the US with long histories, larger markets and better resources. What is LASALLE’s niche? Is it optimal, or necessary, for LASALLE to adopt the same practices and compete head-on with these venerable institutions? What are the specific needs of Singapore and the region and how will LASALLE address as well as capitalise on them? I have posed many questions, but whatever your strategies and solutions, it is clear that LASALLE must position itself well against competition from similar providers and to meet the high expectations of its students. As this region grows in affluence and globalisation progresses, there will be greater demand for courses provided by LASALLE. At the same time, more institutions both local and international will enter the arena and try to gain pre-eminence.
For LASALLE and, indeed, for Singapore to succeed as an education hub, we must focus on quality. The introduction of a new Private Education Act provides the legislation to facilitate this process. The PE Act also provides an opportunity for arts institutions like LASALLE and NAFA to position themselves as preferred pinnacle providers in this framework, under the EduTrust scheme. Gaining EduTrust certification will position them well to attract talented international students and faculty from the region. In fact, if LASALLE can demonstrate strong governance and high quality of its academic programs under EduTrust, it should be allowed to play a larger economic role to build our education hub. LASALLE would still need to provide adequate number of places in its diploma programs for Singaporeans to fulfill MOE’s needs. But having satisfied this requirement, we should be prepared to allow LASALLE to market its expertise to the region and admit more full fee-paying international students.
Inculcating a Global Perspective In Our Students
Indeed, LASALLE has already made significant headway in attracting bright talent from around the world. Its international faculty and student population come from over 40 countries. That mix is a powerful creative force for the exchange of ideas and practice of art. LASALLE seeks to give its students a global perspective. For example, the college has student exchange programmes and collaborative partnerships with several arts institutions of renown in Australia, France, Japan, Taiwan and the UK.
LASALLE’s curriculum also encourages cross-disciplinary exchanges, providing students with a rich learning environment that reflects complex real-life work situations. The college has brought in the world’s creative leaders into the classroom - personalities such as film producer and politician Lord David Puttnam (who produced the Academy Award winner Chariots of Fire), American painter & printmaker Frank Stella, Calvin Klein’s Creative Director Kevin Carrigan, Dutch industrial designer Marcel Wanders, and American actor Peter Fonda.
Conclusion
As a specialist contemporary arts institution, LASALLE provides a differentiated pathway of learning for our students. It prepares its graduates for meaningful careers, whilst its art enriches our communities.
On that note, it is my pleasure to declare LASALLE’s new campus officially open. I wish LASALLE every success and look forward to seeing LASALLE go from strength to strength in spearheading tertiary arts education in Singapore, here and beyond.
Thank you.