(7 December 2015, Monday) The Ngee Ann Kongsi donated $10 million to the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) for the development of the Academy’s new campus and the establishment of scholarships.
In appreciation of the largest pledge which NAFA has received to date, two of the formerly known NAFA “Galleries 1 & 2” have been renamed to “The Ngee Ann Kongsi Galleries 1 & 2”. $9.4 million of the donation will go towards the NAFA Development Fund to support the cost of building a new NAFA Campus 4 above the upcoming Bencoolen MRT Station. The rest of the donation or $0.6 million will go towards The Ngee Ann Kongsi Talent Scholarships, which will be given out to deserving full-time diploma students in the next 16 years. The first batch of scholarships will be awarded to 6 outstanding students from 2016 onwards.
The Kongsi has also introduced The Ngee Ann Kongsi Gold Medal, an award which will be presented to the very best Diploma student in any one cohort. The medal recognises the all-round achievements of the recipient who possesses strong academic performance and good attributes as well as contributions towards the class, the Academy and the arts community. The awardee’s Degree course is also fully funded by the foundation. The Kongsi will provide as much as $25,000 to the awardee should he or she decide to pursue his or her Degree education at another institute.
Gracing the donation and galleries renaming ceremony was Acting Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) and Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Defence, Mr Ong Ye Kung. He praised NAFA for the Academy’s continuing efforts to nature talents not for the sake of achieving awards or becoming a world-class institute but to ensure that opportunities and pathways for individuals to pursue their passions are provided. This is a worthy spirit for all to emulate.
Chairman of the NAFA Board, Ms Low Sin Leng expressed her deepest appreciation for The Kongsi’s donation. She conveyed that arts and culture play important roles in strengthening the social fabric of the nation. NAFA will continue to inspire and develop with times, providing even greater contributions to the society moving forward.
The Kongsi’s Vice President, Mr Richard Lee reiterated that the expansion of NAFA’s campus is a long-term endeavour and that The Kongsi hopes to attract more young talents to pursue their dreams in arts at NAFA through the giving out of scholarships. Campus 4 is slated to be completed in 2017.
Media: csylpx.com
This article originated from Lianhe Zaobao.
Full article here:
http://www.csylpx.com/showscjy242.html
南洋艺术学院 Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
http://www.fsi.com.my/nafa/
