Review of Singapore Youth Festival Arts Presentation

44 Mr Terence Ho Wee San asked the Minister for Education whether there will be a review of the Singapore Youth Festival Arts Presentation and what is the participation rate and performing standards of past Festivals.

Mr Ong Ye Kung: Since its inception in 1966, the Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) has played a crucial role in promoting the arts in our schools. MOE regularly reviews the SYF, and over the years, the format of the festival has been refined to meet changing needs.

The current SYF Arts Presentation introduced in 2012, is designed to improve our students' appreciation of the performing arts and foster their joy of learning in and through the arts. Almost all our schools register consistent participation in the SYF Arts Presentation across the different art forms. Participation rate has remained steady over the last six years at 5 to 6% on years for primary and junior college/centralised institute level (Drama category) participation and 7 to 8% for secondary and junior college/centralised institute level participation.

Feedback from our judges indicate that performance standards across various art forms have remained consistently positive. Since the introduction of the current format, results show that performing standards on the whole have been stable.