Speech by Ms Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts & Environment and Water Resources at the Youth Infocomm Day

11 November 2011 - Speech by Ms Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts & Environment and Water Resources at the Youth Infocomm Day, F1 Pit Building

Speech by Ms Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts & Environment and Water Resources at the Youth Infocomm Day on Friday, 11 November 2011, 12.00 pm, F1 Pit Building.

Parents, Teachers and Students,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good afternoon.

1. It is my pleasure to join you today on Youth Infocomm Day. Each year, students gather on this occasion to showcase their IT and creative skills in infocomm projects and I am very happy to see such enthusiasm and excitement in our students participating in infocomm activities.

Infocomm Encourages Creativity and Innovation

2. Youth Infocomm Day plays a key role in generating curiosity, interest and passion for infocomm among students. This year's National Infocomm Club Awards with a theme on "Cyber wellness and Security", attracted a total of 162 entries from 65 schools. This is an increase of 60 per cent from the previous year. Many entries were creative and innovative, taking various forms such as mobile applications, games, interactive websites, flash animations and videos.

3. One outstanding entry is Crescent Girls' School's "The Adventure of Cyberon". In this game, the player takes on the role of a cyber wellness ambassador, called "Cyberon", to fight online viruses and save victims. The girls have presented cyber wellness practices such as protection against virus attacks and seeking help on cyber bullying in a fun and interactive format to engage our young audiences. Our primary schools have also produced interesting projects. For instance, Henry Park Primary School produced a simple and engaging animation video to explain the importance of cyber wellness.

4. The National Infocomm Club Awards thus showcases the works of talented students in the use of their skills in infocomm. Students have demonstrated their analytical skills and creative talents. I am certain that, with every such opportunity to showcase their works, their skills and talents will be developed further.

Strong Government Support to Develop Infocomm Talents

5. The Government provides support to develop and groom Singapore's young infocomm talents. IDA's Infocomm Manpower Development Roadmap aims to equip our talents with sophisticated infocomm skills to keep up with ICT trends and industry shifts. Infocomm Clubs, a Co-Curricular Activity (CCA) in schools is one of such initiatives, and play a critical role to develop infocomm talents amongst our students. I am pleased that the number of Infocomm Clubs has increased from 251 in 2009 to 280 presently, and more importantly, the number of Infocomm Club members has increased by 43 per cent from 2008 to 15,000 members today.

6. Later today, we will be appointing 20 infocomm enthusiasts from the Infocomm Clubs as Youth Infocomm Ambassadors. As Youth Infocomm Ambassadors, they represent the voice of the infocomm clubs community and organise events to engage fellow infocomm club members. I would like to congratulate and encourage them to continue their good work in supporting infocomm learning for their peers.

7. There are programmes in place to support infocomm learning by students. For instance, under the IT Exposed programme, about 600 students from schools such as Nan Hua High School, School of Science and Technology and Methodist Girls' School have attended workshops conducted by some of our tertiary institutions to develop skills in programming and mobile application development. More than 200 students also benefited from the Computer Science Reloaded Programme and learnt computational thinking skills, on topics such as Game Programming and Python Computing. Outstanding students at the polytechnic and university level will also continue to have the opportunity to receive the Integrated Infocomm Scholarship and the National Infocomm Scholarship to pursue their interests and build infocomm competencies.

8. To cap the celebrations today, IDA, together with the Interactive Digital Media Chapter of the Singapore Computer Society, is launching a nationwide infocomm contest for young people. This online contest invites participants to produce a video to share what infocomm means and how it has enhanced their lives. Do find out more about this contest at the IDA booth at the carnival later.¹

Conclusion

9. To conclude, I would like to encourage students to pursue infocomm interests and to participate in current initiatives as there are wondrous opportunities to explore in infocomm education and the infocomm industry. I look forward to learning more about the interesting projects you have submitted, and I encourage you to find out about how you can pursue an education and career in infocomm by speaking to our partners who are present today.

10. I would also like to express my appreciation to the sponsors and partners for their generous assistance and support.

11. I wish everyone a pleasant Youth Infocomm Day. Thank you.

Note to Editor:

¹ The theme of the contest is "Can't Live Without Tech". Two winners will receive the top prize of a week-long trip to Silicon Valley to visit some of the leading infocomm companies, as well as a cash prize of $2,000 each. More information on the contest is available at the IDA Infocomm Talent Portal - infocommtalent.sg.