RSIS Signs MOUs with Six Religious Institutions in Singapore

02 February 2017

RSIS Signs MOUs with Six Religious Institutions in Singapore

SINGAPORE — The Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies (SRP) Programme at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) will be signing Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with six research and academic institutions in Singapore on 2 February 2017 at Marina Mandarin Singapore.

To formalise partnerships with the religious communities in Singapore, RSIS will be signing MOUs with these six institutions: (i) the Buddhist College of Singapore (BCS); (ii) the Hindu Centre; (iii) MUIS Academy (MA); (iv) the St Francis Xavier Major Seminary; (v) the Taoist College (Singapore); and (vi) Trinity Theological College (TTC).

Under the Memoranda of Understanding, RSIS and each of the six institutions will collaborate in a number of areas. These include the development of courses on religion and inter-religious encounters for teaching at the post-graduate level; the inter-change of faculty members; holding public lectures and seminars involving visiting scholars; research into religious resources and the religious life of communities; and the sharing of information that can enhance religious harmony and expand common space.

Mr Ong Ye Kung, Minister for Education (Higher Education & Skills) and Second Minister for Defence will witness the MOU-signing ceremony. He will be accompanied by Mr Eddie Teo, Chairman of the RSIS Board of Governors. The leaders of the six religious communities will also be present at the ceremony.

The Memoranda of Understanding will be signed by Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, Executive Deputy Chairman of RSIS; Ven Sik Kwang Sheng, Rector of BCS; Dr N. Varaprasad, President of the Hindu Centre; Dr Albakri Ahmad, Dean of MA; Rev Msgr Ambrose Vaz, Rector of the St Francis Xavier Major Seminary; Mr Ling Kin Huat, Vice Dean of the Taoist College; and Rev Dr Ngoei Foong Nghian, Principal of TTC.

The leaders of the six religious communities will also be present at the ceremony. They are Ambassador R Jayachandran, Chairman of Hindu Endowments Board; Dr Mohamed Fatris Bakaram, Mufti of Singapore; Bishop Dr Chong Chin Chung, Vice President of the National Council of Churches; Archbishop William Goh; Venerable Seck Kwang Phing, President of Singapore Buddhist Federation; and Mr Tan Thiam Lye, President of Taoist Federation (Singapore).

Annex

Collaborations between RSIS and the Six Institutions

RSIS has been collaborating with six religious academic and research institutions through the Studies in Inter-religious Relations in Plural Societies (SRP) Programme.

The SRP Programme is one of the newest components of RSIS. Inaugurated by the President of Singapore, Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam, in June 2014, the Programme was created to study various models of how religious communities develop their teachings to meet the contemporary challenges of living in plural societies. It is committed to deepening the study of inter-religious relations, formulating models for the positive role of religions in peace-building and producing knowledge to strengthen social ties between communities. The SRP Programme seeks to be at the forefront in the development of scholarship and applied knowledge on inter-religious relations and conflict in plural societies today.

Among the collaborations between RSIS and the six partner institutions are the joint development of two courses for the RSIS MSc (Asian Studies) programme with Trinity Theological College (TTC). The courses “Christianity, Violence & Peacebuilding” and “Christianity & Religious Diversity” will be taught by TTC faculty. One of the faculty members from the St Francis Xavier Major Seminary had also delivered a lecture for another MSc (Asian Studies) course “Violence & Peacebuilding in World Religions”. Muis Academy also collaborated with the SRP Programme to conduct a 10-day workshop on “Islamic Thought in Context” for new local graduates and students of overseas Islamic universities. Later this year, the Hindu Centre and the Buddhist College of Singapore will separately work with the SRP Programme to organise short courses on promoting inter-religious relations for their respective religious leaders.