M'SIAN PM'S WIFE SETS SIGHTS ON ORGANISING ASIAN CHILDREN ARTS, CULTURE FEST

SEOUL, April 5 (Bernama) -- Rosmah Mansor, wife of Malaysian Prime Minister
Najib Razak, plans to organise an arts and culture festival for Asian children,
aimed at strengthening ties between children in this region.

"The proposed event would enable our Permata Seni children to showcase their
talents abroad and allow children from various countries to better understand
each other's culture," she said.

Rosmah, who is accompanying Najib on a three-day visit to South Korea, said
this while visiting the Korean National Institute for the Gifted in Arts (KNIGA)
here.

She believed that understanding other cultures would promote tolerance and
mutual respect.

The prime minister's wife also said that further discussions with relevant
departments were needed to establish a student exchange programme between
Permata Seni and KNIGA as mooted by KNIGA director, Professor Lee Young.

Lee reckoned that such a scheme would allow students to share experiences
and skills besides fostering closer ties between the two institutions.

KNIGA has established similar programmes with a Japanese institution based
in Osaka, as well as the University of Music, Drama and Media Hanover in
Germany, said Lee.

Created in 2008, KNIGA comes under the Korea National University of Arts,
and is funded by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of South Korea.

It is a training facility focusing on music, ballet and traditional arts for
students aged between 10 and 18.

KNIGA is currently home to 165 students who had undergone a rigorous
selection process.

The Permata Seni project is an education programme in Malaysia aimed at
developing the artistic talents of children aged between six and 12 from
different races, backgrounds and cultures from around the country.