Speeches
Speech by Mr Masagos Zulkifli BMM, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Home Affairs, at the School of the Arts (SOTA) Student Development Awards Day 2009 on Monday, 24 August 2009 at 2.00pm, at SOTA Campus
Mrs Rebecca Chew
Principal, School of the Arts
Distinguished guests,
Parents, teachers and students,
Good afternoon
Introduction
I am delighted to be here this afternoon to join you at SOTA’s inaugural Student Development Awards Day. This is an occasion for us to celebrate the achievements of those who have shown outstanding leadership and displayed the traits of resilience, courage, humility and dedicated passion.
Today, we will recognise the exemplary qualities and work of 22 awardees who are receiving the Humility, Integrity, People Centred with Passion (HIP) Leader Award, Service Action in Community (SAC) Award, and Most Improved Student Award. These awardees have made exceptional contributions or significant improvements to the student experience and learning environment in SOTA.
SOTA—a new milestone
The School of the Arts (SOTA) is Singapore’s first pre-tertiary specialised arts school. Started in 2008, SOTA offers a supportive teaching and learning environment that provides a good balance between the arts and the academic.
SOTA’s mission is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of leaders who will shape and impact society as a result of a unique arts education. SOTA’s connected curriculum is a good example of how we can better expand the capacity of our young. The SOTA curriculum reframes students’ perspectives across subject domains to enable them to see connections across many abstract ideas. This “arts way” of looking at common space issues offers students new opportunities to express, discover and experiment with different ways of seeing and learning.
Importance of arts education
Arts education is important in nurturing our young into balanced and well-rounded individuals. A good arts education contributes to the development of the full range of abilities in every child. It encourages creativity, imagination and develops students’ capacity to explore, persevere, think, innovate, improvise and express themselves through different art and music media and forms.
The intrinsic value of arts education lies in the promotion of a life-long enjoyment and an appreciation of artistic works and performances. Exposure to art and music of various cultures develops students’ understanding and appreciation of different cultures and diversity. It also strengthens the understanding of the individual’s national identity by fostering the appreciation of one’s cultural heritage.
By nurturing those who excel in artistic fields, we hope to bring up, among our youths, leaders who will contribute towards shaping Singapore’s unique identity. So, to the students gathered here today, we look to you to lead in developing and enriching the distinctive and creative content of our culture. I urge you, therefore, to look on what you learn during your years in this school as the precious foundation of your training to become leaders of tomorrow.
Making a difference
What then does it take to be a leader? As you train and learn to become a leader, you may garner many trophies and awards. These successes are often accompanied by trials and failures. You may get distracted by these setbacks but to be a leader, you must be unwavering in pursuing your goals. It may mean taking risks and pushing the boundaries. However difficult or discouraging it may get, I hope you will always maintain the discipline of hard work and have tenacity of purpose and resilience to attain your dreams.
A true leader leads with heart. I am glad to see that today’s awardees are already showing traits of such a leader. I encourage you to continue your good work in inspiring others through your words and deeds and making a difference to those who are less fortunate and needy. I also encourage you to draw inspiration from those who strive to make a positive impact on society.
I would like to mention one of them. Nicole Ng Hui Min, a recipient of the Service Action in Community (SAC) Award, actively participated in a community project known as “Rhythm and Movement in Lakeside”. Together with a group of SOTA students, she provided dance and music enrichment activities for children at the Lakeside Family Service Centre. In the course of service, she displayed a high level of commitment and made significant contributions to ensure that the group goals were met. That was why her Service Learning mentors recommended her for the award.
Conclusion
I am glad that there are more than 20 of you who are receiving the Student Development Awards. I commend you for your outstanding character, service and leadership. I hope that your achievements and contributions serve to inspire your peers to emulate you.
I also wish to thank the teachers, parents and the principal for their leadership and guidance in teaching you to be caring and inspiring you to be the best you can be.
Thank you.