1. Racial Harmony Day (RHD), which falls on 21 July, is commemorated annually by schools to enable students to gain a deeper appreciation of racial harmony and social cohesion. The theme 'Our People, Our Tapestry' reflects how Singapore's diverse cultures interweave to form our unique social fabric, through mutual understanding and respect of our ethnic and religious communities.
2. Minister for Education, Mr Desmond Lee, Senior Minister of State (SMS) for Education, Mr David Neo, SMS for Education, Dr Janil Puthucheary, and Minister of State (MOS) for Education, Ms Jasmin Lau joined students and staff at Mayflower Secondary School to commemorate RHD on 18 July.
3. Minister and SMS Neo visited the 'Woven Together As One' exhibition, comprising a mural collaboratively created by students featuring cultural stories and traditions, and spoke with students participating in the 'Bricks of Unity' activity where students constructed structures symbolising harmony. They also engaged parent volunteers at the booths featuring traditional snacks from different ethnic communities. SMS Janil and MOS interacted with students at booths showcasing traditional games such as chapteh, congkak and five stones.
4. Minister, SMSs and MOS then joined students in their Character and Citizenship Education lessons. Minister and SMS Neo observed an upper secondary lesson in which students discussed the values that had shaped their interactions across cultures, as well as how individual actions could strengthen Singapore's social cohesion. SMS Janil and MOS joined a lower secondary lesson on building the skills to engage in conversations to clarify their understanding of other communities in a respectful way.
5. Following the classroom discussions, Minister engaged students from the graduating cohort in a closed-door dialogue on their aspirations, and how we can continue to promote racial harmony and social cohesion in Singapore.