Racial Harmony Day

As part of our National Education efforts, Innova Primary School commemorated Racial Harmony Day (RHD) from 17 July to 21 July through activities and discussions to enable students to gain a deeper appreciation of racial harmony, multiculturalism, and social cohesion. The theme, Singapore's Multicultural Mosaic, highlights the strength in Singapore's cultural diversity, and the vibrant heritage of our society.

We started off the commemoration with an assembly program on 17 July, to remind us about the events in 1964, which led to many casualties due to two communal riots. There were also recess activities for the pupils as they had a chance to play traditional games.

Classroom activities, which involved pupils in making a multicultural mosaic of our local traditional food, games, and attire, were crafted to suit the needs of the class. Although we are all different in our own way, food is a common thread that binds us all as Singaporeans. We all celebrate our local festivals together, and we all love our delicious local food.

Throughout the week, the pupils actively engaged in learning about each other's diverse cultures, fostering a sense of proactive curiosity. As our students acquire knowledge, they simultaneously develop a profound respect for and enjoyment of these cultural differences.

By the end of the week, our pupils had internalized the vital lesson that harmony among different races and religions stands as a foundational principle of our nation. This week-long commemoration allowed us to not only celebrate our rich diversity but also to mutually share in one another's customs and cultures, strengthening the bonds that unite our community.

Racial Harmony Day is an annual event held on 21st  July to commemorate the communal riots of 1964 and teach students the importance of maintaining racial and religious harmony in Singapore’s multicultural and multi-ethnic society.

Our school commemorated Racial Harmony Day (RHD) via Zoom on 21st July 2022. The theme for Racial Harmony Day this year is “Singapore: Our Multicultural Mosaic”. A video of the students’ shared experiences and what they had learned during the Mother Tongue Fortnight, was shared to show the unique culture of each race as well as the importance of remaining open and inclusive even as our society becomes increasingly complex and diverse.

Pupils learned that in Singapore, people are treated equally regardless of their race and religion, and students should appreciate the different cultures that make up Singapore.

Pupils were reminded to make friends with different races, so that we can learn about one another’s culture, practices and beliefs. They were reminded to express good wishes and attend each other’s festival celebrations. One of our shared experiences involved students donning the various colourful ethnic costumes to celebrate the different races living harmoniously together as a nation.

Students also learned more about RHD via CCE and Social Studies lessons. In alignment with the RHD theme this year, teachers conduct the activity “Our Multicultural Mosaic” during Social Studies lessons. Each student is given a square piece of paper in which they will draw/ design the different aspect from the different races / various cultures such as food, costumes, festivals. All the collated square pieces of paper will then be pasted on a banner to form the map of Singapore.

On top of that, the P4 students also went through the Orange Ribbon project to promote harmony among the races and they officially became the Racial Harmony ambassadors at the end of the Social Studies lesson. The P3 students, on the other hand, planned for the budget Racial Harmony Day posters and snacks as part of financial literacy. The CCE lesson were also packed with activities touching on the different aspects of the different races in Singapore

Our school commemorated Racial Harmony Day (RHD) on 19th July 2021. The theme for RHD this year is ‘Common Spaces, Connected Communities’. Pupils were reminded of RHD’s importance and what we can do to promote racial harmony in Singapore as Singapore is a multicultural and multi-ethnic society.

This year, Nanhai Guicheng Foreign Language School joined us in our commemoration of RHD. A virtual assembly programme was conducted due to the current safe management measures implemented during this pandemic. Our guests were given a warm welcome before the RHD speech by our Vice-Principal, Mrs Ang. The programme showcased the different food from the various races as well as common spaces like the school and other public places. The RHD commemoration ended with a modified version of tiktok on children of mixed races. While the students enjoyed watching the videos, they also learnt about how our shared experiences and values connect us all as one Singapore.

One of our shared experiences involved students donning the various colourful ethnic costumes to celebrate the different races living harmoniously together as a nation. 

Students also learned more about RHD via CCE and Social Studies lessons. Through CCE lessons, lower primary students learnt about building friendships through greetings, donning traditional clothes and the common local food from different communities. Middle primary and upper primary students learnt more about building and strengthening friendships through role play and discussions.

During Social Studies lessons, the students went through the activity on ‘Connecting through Local Delights’. Primary One to Primary Six students were given paper plates to design their own plates of local delights by drawing or pasting coloured papers of their favourite local food. These paper plates were then displayed outside the classroom.

Each pupil also received traditional games to play with their family members at home as part of family time. 

Through the e-assembly programme and the various activities, students learnt about the importance of appreciating the different cultures that make up Singapore. Students also learned that in Singapore, people are treated equally regardless of their race and religion.