The mission of the National Heritage Board (NHB) is to promote and create an awareness of the cultural and historical heritage of Singapore and also to help Singaporeans explore it. They organize a wide array of public education programmes to inculcate a sense of unity and nationhood and infuse innovativeness so as to prepare the current generation for future challenges that may lie ahead.

The National Heritage Board (NHB) was formed on 1 August 1993 from a union of the 3 departments under the Ministry of Information, Communications and The Arts (MITA): the National Museum, the Oral History Department and the National Archives. The NHB is now a statutory board under the MITA.

The various institutions under the NHB are Singapore History Museum, the Singapore Art Museum, the Asian Civilisations Museum, the Children’s Discovery Gallery (located at the Singapore History Museum), the National Archives of Singapore and the Heritage Conservation Centre. It now houses over 80,000 artefacts stored in climate controlled environment in the custom built Heritage Conservation Centre.

All of the institutions above are aimed at educating the public regarding the cultural heritage and history of Singapore and Asia.

he NHB works closely with the Ministry of Education to develop a wide scope of educational programmes that complements the national curriculum, that is both enriching and perhaps, inspirational. Their aim is to inculcate a sense of unity and nationhood and infuse innovativeness so as to prepare the current generation for future challenges that may lie ahead. To help in this movement, it runs a school membership programme, which provides free admission to students and guided tours on request.

The wide arrays of programmes offered cater to all ages, no matter one is a student or a senior citizen. Also, trails such as the Civic District Trails and the Fort Canning Trail are created to raise awareness and edcate the public about the history of landmarks in Singapore. The origins of street names are promoted to the public to educate them about their heritage.

The NHB offers a wide range of resources, whether online or at the National Archives of Singapore (NAS), for students, teachers or researchers. The NAS Public Reference Room, houses a wide collection of reference materials available for public viewing which includes films, video and sound recordings, private records from individuals, organisations, associations and clubs and public government records.

Half a million people visited National Heritage Board's exhibitions and attended special fringe activities, performances, educational programmes and special events in 2002 alone.

Visit National Heritage Board's official website at http://www.nhb.gov.sg