World Book Day and Literature Under the April Sky 2022 Opening Ceremony

世界书香日暨文学四月天开幕典礼 2022

More than 450 secondary and pre-university students from 21 schools participated in this year's "World Book Day and Literature Under the April Sky" opening ceremony onsite. Co-organised by the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning (CPCLL), National Library Board and Hwa Chong Institution (HCI), the annual event aims to instil a culture of reading among youths.

2. This year marks the first time in three years that the event is welcoming a large in-person turnout of students since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Held under the theme "漫漫疫情，书香怡情", the event aims to highlight the importance and wonders of reading as a source of solace and inspiration during the pandemic and reflects upon how we cope and overcome the difficulties encountered.

3. At the opening ceremony, Minister of State for Education and Chairperson of the CPCLL, Ms Sun Xueling, graced the event as Guest-of-Honour, where she launched a student publication《写在疫情蔓延时》, a compilation of outstanding essays written by students under the Author-in-Residence Programme¹ . Overseas author and educator, Ms Sung Yihui (宋怡慧), and renowned local author, Mr Denon Lim (林得楠), also delivered keynote addresses on the importance of reading and their experiences as authors. More than 400 students and members of the public tuned in to the live streaming of the event online.

4. Ms Sun presented awards to 28 secondary and pre-university students who received the 2022 Chinese Language Elective Programme (CLEP) Best Improvement Award. Introduced in 2015, the award recognises students for their marked improvement in Chinese Language subjects, their passion in learning the language,

as well as their good character and active contributions to the CLEP. The list of award recipients can be found in Annex A.

5. In the lead up to this year's event, students from more than 110 primary and secondary schools participated in "World Book Day@Schools", a month-long programme comprising activities that aim to promote the joy of reading among students. A series of virtual guided reading sessions is organised for students for the first time, with the sessions held from March to May. Students from HCI led interactive reading sessions for primary school students, while local writers and publishers were invited to share with secondary school students.

6. In addition, complementary activities were organised to promote professional development among Chinese Language educators, such as an online exhibition showcasing the Teacher Reading Ambassadors Programme² activities, designed by nine secondary schools. The list of schools can be found in Annex B. There are also events intended to pique interest among wider public, such as various reading activities organised by local reading clubs, from now till 31 May 2022.

7. For more information on the World Book Day activities, please visit the official event website www.wbd2022.sg or www.cpcll.sg.

Footnotes

1. The Author-in-Residence Programme (驻校作家计划) is an initiative to inspire creative writing in Chinese among secondary school and junior college students.
2. The Teacher Reading Ambassadors Programme (教师阅读大使计划) is a biennial programme that trains participating Teacher Reading Ambassadors to design and implement reading activities in schools. It also creates platforms for the sharing and promotion of good CL reading practices among schools.