The rapid advancement of new media technologies has disrupted the media industry, but the evolving sector is now also better positioned to play a critical role in education.
With this in mind, Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), with support from the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism, will be organising for the first time a bilingual education forum, the SPH Education Symposium 2017, next Monday at the Suntec convention centre.
The theme is "Reshaping Singapore's Education Landscape in the Future Economy: A Dialogue on Language Learning and Media Literacy in the Next Five Years".
"Aligning with Singapore's vision of becoming a Smart Nation, this education forum hopes to drive meaningful conversation among educators and content creators on the latest global directions of 21st century education, the importance of bilingualism in Singapore, as well as the role of current affairs in the learning of language skills, life skills and values," said Ms Ooi Ching Ya, assistant vice-president of culture, education and new growth at SPH's Chinese Media Group (CMG), who is also lead organiser for the event.
Symposium participants can look forward to a bilingually moderated forum led by Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information, as well as Education, and concurrent sessions helmed by academics from the National Institute of Education (NIE).
Dr Janil will also unveil two new educational technology or EduTech portals by SPH's CMG and The Straits Times. These will make it easier for educators to use current affairs as authentic resources for teaching and learning in their classrooms.
Said Mr Melvin Wang, 32, an educator from Rosyth School who will be attending the forum as well as sharing his experience with other educators in the English concurrent session: "I am particularly interested to hear what experts on the panel will share about the big trends with regard to media literacy, and how schools can better prepare students to be media-savvy in their learning."
• Call 6319-1039 or e-mail cirschool@sph.com.sg if you would like to find out more or attend the SPH Education Symposium.