Page 40 - NAFA Annual Report 2015/2016

Supporting Dreams and Fulfilling Goals
- The Ngee Ann Kongsi

Founded in 1845, The Ngee Ann Kongsi is a community-focused foundation which has been
actively involved in issues relating to education, culture and welfare. The Kongsi places great
emphasis on building schools and supporting students. It has played a pivotal role in Singapore’s
education sector.
NAFA is privileged to be one of the many educational institutions that have benefited significantly
from The Kongsi’s support. In 2009, The Kongsi donated a sum of $1.2 million to the Academy
to fund scholarships and financial awards. A total of 284 NAFA students benefited from
this donation.
In 2015, The Kongsi pledged a sum of $10 million to NAFA to support the construction of its new
building and the award of The Ngee Ann Kongsi Talent Scholarships. NAFA is truly grateful to
The Kongsi for this most generous donation. It is one of the largest donations which the school
has received since its founding in 1938, and will support a total of 36 students over 16 years.
The Kongsi’s continuing advocacy for education and its strong support for the arts and NAFA
is further demonstrated with The Kongsi’s introduction of The Ngee Ann Kongsi Gold Medal,
an award first given out at 2015’s NAFA Convocation. Presented to the top diploma student in
a cohort, the medal recognises all-round achievement. Recipients are those who show a strong
academic performance; possess good attributes including discipline, diligence and leadership
qualities; and make significant contributions towards their class, NAFA and the arts community.
The recipient’s degree course is also fully funded by The Kongsi.
The recipient of the first Ngee Ann Kongsi Gold Medal is Kevin Wijaya, who graduated with
a Diploma in Design & Media (Graphic Design) in 2015. Kevin is currently reading his degree
at NAFA in Graphic Communication. In his own words: “It is a great honour to be the first
recipient of The Ngee Ann Kongsi Gold Medal Award. This award affirms all the hard work
and effort I have put in all these years. It will propel me to work harder, to experiment and
experience more and continue to push the boundaries of design.”

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