Inclusion of Drama or Theatre Studies in Core Primary School Arts Education

Ms Usha Chandradas asked the Minister for Education (a) whether the Ministry has considered including drama or theatre studies as part of the arts education component of its core primary school syllabus; and (b) if so, what have been the outcomes of such considerations.

The Primary school curriculum focuses on providing children with a strong foundation in the early fundamentals of learning, particularly in literacy, numeracy and social-emotional competencies.

All Primary 1 and 2 students participate in the Programme for Active Learning during curriculum time, which has a Drama module to help students develop social-emotional competencies through role-play.

While drama is not part of the primary school curriculum beyond lower primary levels, it is one of the pedagogical tools that teachers across subjects can adopt to enhance learning. For example, speech and drama activities can be employed to develop communication skills in English and Mother Tongue Languages.

Some schools also offer Drama as a Co-Curricular Activity or as an enrichment programme. The Ministry of Education will continue to review how Drama can be used in schools to support the holistic development of students.