More than 1,500 ITE College Central students came together in an art jam yesterday to set a new local record for the largest number of people painting at the same time.

The event supported by government engagement agency Reach and titled SG50: Singapore - Past, Present, Future saw students daubing canvas tiles with images of what SG50 meant to them.

They were joined by about 40 seniors from Thye Hua Kwan Seniors Activity Centre in Ang Mo Kio.

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam, the guest of honour, said: "When we talk about SG50, we have a broad common understanding, but there are obviously individual interpretations."

Mr Shanmugam later took part in discussions with some of the students on topics such as housing, education and national service.

He added: "ITEs represent a key part of our educational ecosystem and of the Government's emphasis on SkillsFuture."

SkillsFuture aims to encourage Singaporeans to develop specialised and industry-relevant skills.

ITE accounting student Ahmad Zaki, 19, chose to paint the National University of Singapore Baba House, a conservation Peranakan house. He said: "We need to grow as a country while preserving what we have as a cultural identity. Not all of us are preserving it."