Lasalle, Nafa to set up new private arts university with government backing

SINGAPORE will open a new private arts university by 2025, in a tie-up between veterans Lasalle College of the Arts and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (Nafa).

The decision was framed by Education Minister Lawrence Wong on Wednesday as a move to work with private education institutions to nurture talent in specialised fields.

"The university will draw on strengths from both colleges and drive synergies between them," he noted, as Parliament debated the budget for his ministry.

The new university will be supported by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, and will have degree-granting powers, though it will be a private school and not an autonomous university established by statute.

As constituent colleges, Lasalle and Nafa will remain distinct and independent private education institutions. They will still offer their own courses, and the MOE will continue to fund approved diploma and degree programmes at each school.

But, with the ability to confer its own degrees, the new university marks a step up from how Lasalle and Nafa now award degrees in partnership with overseas schools such as Goldsmiths, the Royal College of Music and the University of the Arts London.

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With the new university, students and faculty will have more opportunities to collaborate across institutions, Mr Wong told the House.

"More importantly, we envisage the university to contribute more to cultural life in Singapore and the region, and offer a stronger value proposition to its students and stakeholders."

He added that the university could contribute to the development of the arts and future economy and "take tertiary arts education in Singapore to greater heights".

The MOE has appointed a pro-tem committee to develop the structure and operating model for the new university. The 17-member committee, which is expected to complete its work by early 2023, will be chaired by Ambassador-at-large Chan Heng Chee.

Singapore Management University president Lily Kong is the deputy chairman, while other members include representatives from Lasalle, Nafa, government and industry.

"We want to retain their distinctive identities," Mr Wong said of Lasalle and Nafa. "At the same time, both institutions recognise the opportunity to come together and forge closer collaboration, and leverage their respective strengths and traditions."

Overall, some 430 Singapore residents enrolled in Lasalle and Nafa degree programmes in the 2020 academic year, according to figures from the MOE.