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SINGAPORE: The New Year has heralded a fresh start for two of Singapore's four specialised independent schools.
The School of the Arts (SOTA) moved into its spanking new 145-million-dollar permanent campus at Dhoby Ghaut, while the School of Science and Technology started its first day of classes on Monday.
Students of the SOTA appeared happy to be starting the school year in the state-of-the-art building.
The SOTA opened two years ago and was operating from temporary premises in the former LaSalle College of the Arts premises at Goodman Road.
The SOTA has proved a hit with the youths. In 2009, there were over 1,000 applicants for only 200 places. Three-quarters of the students are girls.
14-year-old Thaddaeus Low is one of the few boys specialising in dance, despite being teased by friends.
Thaddaeus said: "Some of them are quiet, you know, about me dancing because it is a typical stereotype, but most of my close friends are very supportive.
"I used to be very tense, but in this school, the teachers told me and they corrected me and I think I'm slowly improving."
Students at the SOTA go through a six-year integrated arts and academic curriculum leading to an International Baccalaureate diploma. This is Singapore's first dedicated arts school at the pre-tertiary level.
But the government also wants students in mainstream schools to have more contact with the arts.
Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Lui Tuck Yew said: "I think going forward we will continue to make sure that it is not just the SOTA, but how we can grow the amount of time that is spent on the arts in a number of mainstream schools, bearing in mind that this is the direction that MOE wants to move to as well.
"... A much tighter integration between the standard academic curriculum and the arts curriculum, exposing more students to what the arts can bring and how it can help in the creative process and creative thinking."
But even though the SOTA is all about nurturing the next generation of arts practitioners in Singapore, the public will also get to enjoy the school's facilities. For instance, arts practitioners can rent facilities like the recital hall and theatre, which are still under construction. And public performances will be held throughout the year at the concourse.
Innovation is also key at the new School of Science and Technology. The first batch of 200 students spent Monday morning designing bridges as they got to know each other in a relaxed environment.
The school offers a four-year programme leading to the O-levels. It is currently operating out of a temporary site along Clementi Avenue 6, until its permanent home at Clementi Road opens in 2012.
- CNA/sc
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