Committee of Supply 2023 debate, Day 7: Edwin Tong on collective action to build an enduring social compact

As Singapore emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is timely to consolidate the gains and unlock new opportunities for the arts and heritage sectors, said Culture, Community and Youth Minister Edwin Tong. Over the past 20 months, the National Arts Council (NAC) and National Heritage Board (NHB) have consulted over 2,000 stakeholders on the next edition of Our SG Arts and Heritage Plans. Speaking in Parliament on Monday (Mar 6), he outlined the key shifts to come. For Our SG Arts Plan, greater focus will be placed on the creative economy. NAC will be looking at new focus areas, such as intellectual property rights, new business models and digital adoption to help artists and arts groups grow and succeed. With the upcoming University of the Arts Singapore, students will benefit from existing and new programmes to meet the needs of the creative economy. Mr Tong said plans to grow the creative economy will create better job prospects and pathways for future graduates. In the next bound, there will be greater focus on increasing access to the arts and creating more occasions for people to share meaningful experiences. This will be done by adopting a data-driven approach to better understand the needs and preferences of audiences, and by expanding partnerships to increase touchpoints. Turning to heritage, Mr Tong said that in the second edition of Our SG Heritage Plan, there will be greater effort to reflect a "more layered" understanding of the Singapore identity. The National Collection will be expanded in the design domain. Like arts and heritage, sport brings people together, said Mr Tong. The Government wants to optimise sporting facilities and spaces to encourage more people to play together. After taking over the ownership and management of the Singapore Sports Hub, it set up Kallang Alive Sport Management Company under the ambit of Sport Singapore. In the coming months, Singaporeans can look forward to world-renowned entertainment events, as well as a suite of activities for everyone, said Mr Tong. To cultivate interest and participation in sports from young, all Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents aged four to 12 years will receive a top-up of S$100 worth of ActiveSG credits. Turning to football, Mr Tong said the Government will expand the number of School Football Academies (SFAs) and increase the programme intake. It is putting in place a national framework to systematically select and develop the best players from this broad base. It will set up a national football development centre as the main training centre for the national youth squads. This centre will be the primary pathway for selection to the national team. To ensure consistency in the training and development ecosystem, a common syllabus is used across the SFAs and the national youth squads. There will also be opportunities for coaches to learn from the best. Suitable footballers will be sent to overseas academies that offer good-quality education alongside the best football training environment. They will come back with qualifications that will allow them to continue studying at the tertiary level in Singapore or overseas. Mr Tong said these efforts to expand the reach of the arts and heritage, as well as promote sporting participation and excellence, aim to foster a caring and active citizenry as part of the Singaporean DNA. He said growing these aspects is “delicate work” that requires the commitment of all Singaporeans. On its part, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth will continue to work with Singaporeans to build an enduring social compact, he added.