Speech by RAdm (NS) Lui Tuck Yew, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, at the Official Opening & Dedication of the Anglo-Chinese Junior College Faith Centre for Performing Arts and Launch of the West Zone Centre of Excellence for Language Arts on Friday, 23 May 2008, 10.00am, at Anglo-Chinese Junior College

 

Bishop Dr Robert Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore

 

Mr Richard Seow, Chairman, ACS Board of Governors

 

Mrs Kelvyna Chan, Principal, ACJC

 

School Principals, Teachers, Students,

 

Distinguished guests,

 

Ladies and gentlemen, 

 

Good morning, 

 

1          Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) belongs to the family of ACS schools with more than a hundred and twenty years of tradition and a well-deserved reputation for offering a progressive and enriching educational experience to students.

 

2         Today is a significant occasion as we gather to witness the launch of the West Zone Centre of Excellence for Language Arts. It is a double celebration for ACJC as we commemorate the Official Opening of the long-awaited Faith Centre for Performing Arts in ACJC.

 

 

English Language – Core Strength

 

3         English Language has been a core strength of the College through which an enriching educational experience is provided to her students. With this foundation, ACJC emphasizes the teaching of the various 21st century literacies as the College believes in the importance of equipping students with the skills and tools required to deal with the complexities of the new millennium. Effective communication is a vital component of this set of 21st century skills, and being able to speak a standard of English which is understood internationally is extremely important for greater global participation.

 

4         The College is recognised for achievements in EL-related subjects like General Paper, Literature and the Humanities. The percentage of passes and distinctions at A-level GP has been above the national average for the last five years. It has also sustained 100 per cent passes in A-level Literature for the last four years.

 

5         Similarly, EL-related co-curricular activities have been the collegeÕs forte, and the studentsÕ passion and dedication have spurred them on to win many awards. Building on its reputation and tradition of excellence in English Language and Literature, ACJC was chosen as one of three English Language Elective Programme centres in Singapore in 2007.

 

 

COE (Language Arts)

 

6         ACJC has been chosen as the host for the West Zone Centre of Excellence (COE) for Language Arts. COEs are an excellent way in which we have leveraged on specialised resources and expertise in a particular area to raise the overall quality of education in our schools. ACJCÕs efforts and achievements will be a useful example and an important benchmark in the language arts, and its best practices and pedagogies should be more widely shared with other institutions in the zone. Likewise, there will be other schools within the zone which have conducted their own experiments and developed their own niche expertise in finding creative and interesting ways to stimulate interest in and to teach the English Language and they too, will have valuable experiences to share.

 

7         With the establishment of this COE, more opportunities will be available to students to further develop their flair for language and acting to showcase their talents. For the educators, I hope that the COE will spur further sharing and collaboration and raise the levels of teaching in the English Language and Literature in the West Zone schools.

 

8         I understand that a few activities are already in the pipeline following the launch of the COE. These include the ACJC Intercollegiate Debate Tournament, the ACJC Inter-Secondary School Oratorical Competition and a workshop by ACJC Literature teachers for Secondary School Literature teachers to share on selection of appropriate teaching materials. With these planned activities and more programmes to be introduced in time to come, I am confident that, over time, both students and teachers in the zone will benefit from the sharing of expertise that this brings.

 

 

Excellence in Performing Arts

 

9         The Performing Arts has an established place at the heart of an ACJC education. It forms an integral part of the CollegeÕs commitment to providing an all-round education of the highest standards. There are opportunities for diverse artistic experience and expression through a range of co-curricular activities for the performing arts - Dance, Theatre, Concert Band, Choir, Chinese Orchestra, Guitar Ensemble, Harp Ensemble and String Ensemble. These groups have maintained consistently high levels of achievement at national and international platforms.

 

10       As an academic complement to this, ACJC has been offering the MOE Music Elective Programme, since 1997, and the Drama Elective Programme, since 2006. In 2009, ACJC will be offering English Language as an A-level subject as one of three English Language Elective Programme centres. Together with the vibrant art education, all this endows the college community with an aesthetic experience that is both unique and diverse.

 

11        ACJC is widely recognised in the area of the performing arts, winning the Sustained Achievement Award for Aesthetics for the sixth time in 2007, a result of her Performing Arts groups winning the Gold and Gold with Honours awards at the Singapore Youth Festival over consecutive years. I note that ACJC has also won numerous accolades in the international arts scene, like its band clinching the Gold Award and AdjudicatorÕs choice for Command Band at the 17th Australian International Music Festival in Sydney, Australia in 2006. The achievements and high standards of excellence, in turn, feed the enthusiasm of the college community for the arts.

 

12       In order to sustain the arts scene in ACJC and to provide the foundation for arts development in Singapore, the College provides the arts groups with facilities to support their craft. The ACJC Faith Centre for Performing Arts (CPA) will be the centre piece of the CollegeÕs vibrant performing arts programme. Allowing for on-site rehearsals and performances, the Faith CPA, Mrs Lee Choon Guan Theatre and the Tan Chin Tuan Learning Centre will be home to many of the CollegeÕs outstanding musical and theatrical productions and will be their crucible for creativity and confidence.

 

13       The facilities would not only contribute to the creation of a great College resource, but it would also serve to ensure that the next generation of artistes has the opportunity to develop their craft. I thus hope to see more alumni such as Glen Goei, Adrian Pang, Hossan Leong and Ovidia Yu, in your  midst, continuing to make a mark in the performing arts.

 

14       Finally, I wish all schools in the West Zone and ACJC all the best as you set out on the next phase of this language and performing arts journey.

 

15       Thank you.