Debated in Parliament on 10 Sep 2012.
Ms Janice Koh asked the Minister for Education if the Ministry will (i) review the format of the Singapore Youth Festival so as to moderate any competitive pressure on students to perform for awards; and (ii) introduce some balance by looking at other holistic forms of measurement of a school's artistic achievement that also takes into consideration the students' arts engagement all year round.
Since its inception in 1966, the Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) has played a crucial role in promoting the development of the arts in schools. Over the years, the format of SYF has evolved in step with developments in schools.
In the early years, the SYF was used mainly as a platform for schools to perform publicly to promote the performing arts. In the 1970s, as more performing arts groups were formed, central judging was introduced for schools to benchmark standards. Two-tiered competitions were introduced in the 1990s, whereby schools would participate in a preliminary round of judging in April followed by a second round for selected top performing schools in the July festival.
In 2005, the format was revised to reduce the competitive element of SYF. In the current format, the central judging in April becomes a single-tiered benchmarking exercise. The July festival is non-competitive in nature and features a wide range of schools' performances.
The Ministry is currently reviewing the SYF to ensure that the format will have greater educational value for our schools, while retaining the element of benchmarking which is still useful. We also plan to moderate excessive competitive pressure through the review.
Beyond SYF, in helping schools improve arts education, MOE adopts a holistic approach that takes into consideration the processes and the impact on the student cohort, and not just the results. We collaborate with the National Arts Council on the National Arts Education Awards (NAEA). These awards focus on how schools build a vibrant arts culture by developing students' interest in different arts forms, and the sustained participation of the students in the arts. The outcomes which schools are encouraged to pursue are increased student interest in and appreciation for the arts.
PAPERCUTS