The Cultural Forum cum 2013 National Story Writing Competition Award Ceremony

The cultural forum, themed as "Reading and Writing", was held on 19 April at Singapore Centre for Chinese Language. This year, the Centre is honoured to have the famous Singapore writer and Lianhe Zaobao reporter Ms Teoh Hee La and MOE Master Teacher Mr Ang Swee Choon as our guest speakers. The forum was held in conjunction with the "2013 National Story Writing Competition" award ceremony. Gracing the ceremony were Wildlife Reserves Singapore Education Director Mdm. May Luo, Singapore National Arts Council representatives Ms Li Sihui and Ms Amanda Yee. The judges for the competition were also invited to attend the ceremony.

The National Story Writing Competition attracted many entries. Among these entries, 40 were awarded. The first-prize winners from the Preschool-Family category, Primary School-Family category and Secondary School-Student category were invited to share with the audience on their writing experiences. Their sharings reveal that the winners have one thing in common – reading is part of their daily lives. It is through reading that they have had their imaginations let loose and have been introduced to new worlds where they draw their inspirations from. Following the award ceremony, the cultural forum commenced with the talk "A Destiny Entwined with Words – My Journey as an Author and a Reader" by Ms Teoh Hee La. The Singapore writer enchanted the audience with her captivating speech as she led everyone into her world of reading and writing. Ms Teoh emphasized that it was through reading that her interest in literature was cultivated and her writing skills were strengthened, and that in order to be an excellent writer, one must have a keen interest in reading.

While the way to master creative writing is by no means a secret, it is still not as straightforward as it sounds to be. With years of experience as a Chinese language educator and researcher, MOE Master Teacher Mr Ang Swee Choon delivered the second speech "From Reading to Writing – Course Design and its Implementation". As the title suggested, Mr Ang's speech focused on how to connect reading with writing. With specific examples from the primary school textbooks in Singapore, he also demonstrated how to effectively use the texts to improve students' reading and writing skills. Both parents and teachers were entirely absorbed in Mr Ang's sharing session.

The cultural forum concluded with applause from the audience.