Singapore Government Press Release

Media Division, Ministry of Information and The Arts

36th Storey, PSA Building, 460 Alexandra Road, Singapore 119963.

Tel: 3757794/5

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This year's Convocation is special because we are also celebrating the 60^th Anniversary of NAFA. NAFA is a remarkable institution. Established in 1938 by the Chinese community here, NAFA has nurtured many artists and designers in the region. It has always been an independent organisation. In the colonial days, there was no financial support at all from the Government.

2 In the last 60 years, NAFA has made a big contribution to the development of the arts in Singapore and Southeast Asia. Many of our most important artists like Chen Wen Hsi, Cheong Soo Pieng, Chen Chong Swee and Liu Kang were associated with NAFA in one way or another. Some taught here, many studied here. Collectively, the alumni of NAFA have created a new movement in the development of the arts in Southeast Asia. The Nanyang School represents a creative synthesis of the east and west on Southeast Asian soil.

3 After Singapore became independent in 1965, the PAP Government invested heavily in education - building many schools, technical colleges and polytechnics. Some of these taught courses in the arts and design. In response to heavy Government subsidy of such courses, NAFA, being self-funding, moved into other areas which the state system did not cover. The number and variety of courses offered by NAFA in the last 30 years went a long way to meet the demand not only of the arts community but also of industry and society at large.

4 Today, NAFA has an enrolment of more than 3,000 students in various long and short courses. After graduation, many of these students go on to earn good incomes. Thus, NAFA's contribution to Singapore is not to the arts but also to our economy. I am delighted that NAFA has recently extended its curriculum to cover multi-media. Whether we like it or not, multi-media has become an integral part of our lives and it is very important that our students are fully equipped for the computer age.

5 As we enter the next century, creative services will become a growing part of Singapore and Singapore's economy. More and more of the value-added in products and services is in the knowledge content and design. Raw material content counts for less and less. For example, while a plate of chicken rice in the hawker centre may cost only $2, a plate of chicken rice in a five-star hotel can cost $20. This is a huge difference which cannot be explained by the quality or quantity of the chicken, the rice or the chilli sauce. In marketing terms, the products are entirely different. Whether it is food, or personal services like haircuts, or motor cars, creative services add value in a big way. As Singapore becomes a developed country, it is also only right that we give more attention to the arts.

6 From 1996, the Government provided half-funding for students enrolled in polytechnic-level courses of fine arts and performing arts at NAFA and LaSalle. There is now a proposal to upgrade NAFA and LaSalle to tertiary-level institutions for which major funding support from the Government is necessary. An upgrading committee chaired by Dr Tan Chin Nam was formed in June 97. In August this year, the committee will submit its report to Deputy Prime Minister Dr Tony Tan. The Government will then decide how and by how much to assist NAFA and LaSalle.

7 While it is important for the Government to support NAFA and LaSalle, it is also important for both schools to maintain their own independent spirit and character. Without this independent spirit and character, NAFA will not be NAFA. In May this year, the 280 students in the graduating class exhibited more than 1,000 pieces of artworks in a grand diploma show at the World Trade Centre. These works won public acclaim and the students, who are graduating today, bring pride and joy to their alma mater. The spirit of a school does not reside in the buildings but in its teachers, students and alumni. As you, the graduands, march out from here into the big world outside to seek fame and fortune, I hope that you will never forget NAFA and what it has done for you. Remember your teachers, remember the traditions of the school and always be willing to come back, to teach or to help in other ways.

8 I thank the benefactors of the school, I congratulate the teachers and I wish the graduating students good luck and success in life.

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