Mr Chng Heng Tiu, Chairman, Board of Directors, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts

Mr Ho Kah Leong, Principal, NAFA,

Excellencies,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

NAFA is a pioneer among arts institutions in Singapore with a rich tradition and an illustrious history. Established in 1938, NAFA is Singapore's oldest existing arts institution. NAFA, with its distinguished staff of pioneer artists such as Georgette Chen, Cheong Soo Pieng and Chen Chong Swee, has played a significant role in nurturing many of Singapore's leading artists in the 20^th century. They include Ng Eng Teng, Wee Beng Chong and Thomas Yeo, recipients of the Cultural Medallion, and younger artists such as Chandrasekaran, Baet Yeok Kuan and Lim Poh Teck, recipients of the Young Artist Award. I am pleased to note that 2 out of 6 recipients of this year's Young Artist Award, Lim Chin Huat and Hong Sek Chern, are also NAFA graduates.

Over the years, NAFA has built up its strengths and reputation in the visual arts. It has developed the "Nanyang" style of artistic presentation. By bridging the arts of the East and West, NAFA has contributed to the shaping of Singapore's cultural identity and heritage. Indeed, the institution's Chinese name, "Nan Yang Yi Xu Xue Yuan" ("Nan Yi"), bears testimony to the artistic style that it aims to develop and promote.

Nan Yi can take pride not only in its role in the provision of tertiary arts education, but also in its service to the community and to the arts scene. Nan Yi has regarded as integral to its mission the need to promote the arts and to provide upgrading opportunities for working adults. It has organised numerous performances and exhibitions for the public, showcasing the artistic abilities of our local talents. It has also served the public by offering arts appreciation and enrichment courses, nurturing young artistic talents, and providing continuing education courses for working adults.

The Government recognises the importance of the arts and arts education to Singapore. As a result of the Committee to Upgrade LaSalle and NAFA's recommendations, both Nan Yi and the LaSalle-SIA College of the Arts (LaSalle) began to receive substantial recurrent funding from the Ministry of Education (MOE) for their diploma programmes in July 1999. This is in recognition of the role of Nan Yi and LaSalle in providing a greater diversity of post-secondary education opportunities for our students, especially those who wish to develop their talents and interests in the arts.

MOE will provide funding for 90% of the land costs of Nan Yi's and LaSalle's permanent campuses to support the education of diploma students to meet Singapore's manpower needs. MOE will also be funding development projects, including campus development projects in the arts institutions' current and future permanent campuses. This will enable the arts institutions to upgrade their infrastructure and facilities. At the start-up phase, MOE will provide 100% funding for the arts institutions' permanent campus development and other development projects. After the start-up phase, a co-funding arrangement between MOE and the institutions will take effect for development projects, with MOE funding 80%. The provision of development funding is based on norms used in the public sector, which I have been assured, will provide a comfortable but not luxurious standard of accommodation for Nan Yi.

The significant investment of public funding and donations of the wider community is a sign of our commitment to the arts institutions. I hope that this will spur the arts institutions on to develop quality, "best-in-class" diploma programmes for their students. However, such a heavy public investment comes with responsibility and accountability to the institutions' key stakeholders - the Government, the Singapore public, donors, staff and students - for the use of public funds and donations.

It is important for Nan Yi to envision for itself, the kind of first-rate institution it aspires to be in the 21^st century. This will enable Nan Yi to map out its strategic focus and directions for the future while retaining its core values and distinctive identity. With this vision and strategic focus, I can see potential in Nan Yi to contribute to the realisation of our larger shared vision of Singapore as a global city of distinction in technology, business, entrepreneurship, education and the arts.

As the investment of public funds is meant to support the arts institutions in their provision of tertiary arts education, the quality of the academic programmes is an important dimension of the institutions' accountability to their stakeholders. The arts institutions will need to ensure that there are rigorous academic quality processes and administrative procedures which will result in the highest quality and value-for-money in the programmes offered. I am confident that Nan Yi will exercise its stewardship of public funding judiciously.

Nan Yi is an institution which has been nurtured by the wider community through the years. Even with the availability of Government funding, Nan Yi will continue to look towards the wider community and stakeholders in the arts community for additional resources. These resources will be used to provide for additional facilities not paid for by Government, to develop niches of excellence, and in the areas of audience development and community outreach. The flow of resources from the wider community is also a concrete demonstration that the community is interested in the development and growth of Nan Yi.

I am confident that the availability of Government funding will not diminish the level of support from corporate and individual donors, or cause Nan Yi to become more distant from the community which it serves. I am pleased to note the presence this evening of many well-wishers and donors from the arts, business and diplomatic communities, and would like to encourage you to continue with your active support of this worthwhile cause. Nan Yi is also to be commended for taking the initiative to build ties with and raise support from the wider community for its arts projects and programmes.

Nan Yi has been housed at various sites in the city in its 62-year old history. It will finally have a home to call its own when its permanent city campus is completed in 2004. With Nan Yi's strategic location in the city's arts precinct, and with the completion of its new permanent city campus in 2004, Nan Yi will be even more well-placed to fulfil its role as a resource for the arts and wider community. There will also be more opportunities for Nan Yi to work with other arts groups and educational institutions in the vicinity to enhance the vibrancy of the arts scene in Singapore.

It is my hope that Nan Yi will not only establish a presence in the arts precinct as an architectural landmark, but will also develop as a cultural landmark renowned for the strengths of its distinctive arts programmes and its community outreach. However, this can only be achieved with the collective support and involvement of those gathered here this evening and the wider community. Together, we can work towards realising our shared vision of Singapore as a culturally vibrant and creative nation with strong roots and a sense of national and cultural identity.

Thank you.