Mr Lim Chuan Poh,
Second Permanent Secretary

Mr Wong Siew Hoong,
Chairman, Singapore Schools Sports Council

Mrs Tan Peng Eng,
Chairman, Singapore Primary Schools Sports Council,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1 I am pleased to join you at this Singapore Schools Sports Councils’ 45th Anniversary Celebration this evening. Tonight’s event marks a significant occasion for the Schools Sports Councils that have been serving as effective channels for the promotion of sports and games in schools for the past 45 years.

BACKGROUND

2 In the early 50’s, inter-school sports and games competitions were organised by seven different schools’ sports Councils. In 1959, the seven Councils were integrated to form the two schools’ sports Councils we have today. The primary objectives for the formation of the two Councils were to:

• Develop sporting skills and CCA interests in our pupils;
• Identify talented pupils and further develop their potential; and
• Encourage mass participation in sports.

3 Over the years, there has been a steady increase in the number of students taking part in the 26 competitions organised by the two Schools Sports Councils. Last year, 32,000 secondary school students and 19,000 primary school students participated in the competitions organised by the 2 Councils.

WHY SPORTS MATTER

4 Sports and other rugged activities play an integral role in the education we seek to provide our young. They develop life skills that matter long after a student has left school and forgotten his theorems and facts. Every teacher and principal knows of students who took their sports seriously, excelled in it, and have gone on to make a mark in their professions or in enterprise, and as leaders of society.

5 We have to prepare our young to have the greatest advantage in a future that will be both challenging than the past, and richer with opportunities. To do this, we have to give them a strong foundation of knowledge in school, and an appetite to learn continuously. That’s fundamental, no matter what we do in education. But a future of frequent and often unpredictable challenges will call on more than academic abilities. It will require a ruggedness of mind among our young, that will allow them to stride confidently and with sturdy hearts, not falter when faced with the unexpected. That allows them to ride the changes that come, look for opportunities in every downturn, and venture out to seize every advantage. And that allows them to bond together as young Singaporeans. These character traits will be as important as intellectual skills. They will do our young well in the future, and do Singapore well.

6 This is why we have to redouble our efforts to provide our students with a holistic and broad-based education, with an emphasis on activities that develop tenacity and strength of character among our young. Sports and other rugged activities lend themselves most naturally to building these qualities. They provide opportunities for students to challenge themselves in gruelling practice, to train and sweat for years with their team-mates, to think on the move, and to win with humility and lose with grace. They also give us experiences to cherish long after we leave school, the warmest memories that we recount with fellow schoolmates and that we pass on to our children. These are the experiences that build loyalties.

7 We are not alone in recognising this. Most of the best schools abroad place great importance on sports and a range of outdoor activities. This is so in the best schools in the US, and is the direction being taken by several top schools in China. I was surprised to find that even in France, which has a stern academic tradition in training its elite, that there is now a strong emphasis on sports at Ecole Polytechnique, which is one of the top 2 universities in the country and produces many of its leaders. Every second year student has to spend 6 hours a week on a sport as part of a compulsory programme. (This comes after spending 5 months in the field on leadership training in their first year.) They pick one sport from a choice of 16. The Director-General of Ecole Polytechnique, General de Nomazy, explained to me that they made the students do this so as to develop their character as well as thinking process.

PROVIDING FOR BROAD-BASED PARTICIPATION IN SPORTS AND RUGGED ACTIVITIES

8 Our current CCA Framework provides for a range of rugged activities such as outdoor pursuits, camping, sports and games, as well as Uniformed Groups.

9 I am heartened to note that a number of schools have embarked on an array of ‘creative’ ways to engage the large majority of their students in sports and rugged activities. For instance, Kranji Primary School adopted a Modular CCA system to complement the existing CCA structure to engage students who were not involved in CCAs. Under this system, a Kranji Primary School student would have had the opportunity to experience at least 4 games, 4 aesthetics and 4 clubs or uniformed groups as CCAs in the modular system after 6 years of education. Participation of P3 to P6 students in CCA has increased by 47% since the implementation of these strategies this year.

10 Another school, North View Primary School, decided to adopt a structured sports programme for different levels. Gymnastics was offered to all primary one students, Swimming at primary two and Aerobics or Line Dancing were compulsory CCAs for the primary four to six students who did not take up a CCA. CCA participation of pupils in the upper primary classes in North View Primary increased from 52% in 2001 to 100 % in 2004.

11 There are many examples amongst secondary schools as well, schools that have gone the ‘extra mile’ to promote sports at both the competitive and recreational levels. Let me give the example of Yishun Secondary. They not only offer a good spread of Sports, but also ensure that students have ample opportunities to take part in sports at the recreational level. For instance, there are currently 181 students in Badminton CCA, most of whom are playing the sport at the recreational level. The students get a chance once a week to enjoy playing the sport they prefer. The school also organises mini-leagues for its pupils, normally run by the students themselves. In fact, the annual track and field meets and inter-house games competitions are mostly organised by the senior students with some supervision from the PE teachers. For enrichment, Yishun Secondary also conducts basic rock-climbing courses for the entire secondary cohort. With all these strategies in place, student participation in the school’s track and field meet has hit 100%, and the percentage of students with no core CCA has dropped progressively from 4% in 2002 to 1.3% this year.

12 Schools like Yishun Secondary are inspiring. Yishun is not unique. But we have to spread such good practices amongst our schools, and encourage our students to take an interest in sports and rugged activities.

13 Our schools and principals themselves have noticed some trends over the years that suggest more has to be done to promote participation in sports and rugged activities. About 70-80% of students used to take a sport as a CCA in the early 90s. It has fallen steadily since then, to 40% currently.

14 Further, if we look at student participation in uniformed groups (UGs), we find fewer schools meeting the MOE target of at least 1 in 3 students being involved in a UG. About 35% of our secondary schools currently achieve the target, compared to 44% in 2000. While a high concentration of UG participation in some schools has kept the overall figures up over the years, we have to encourage more UG involvement in other schools. Another example is the types of bands in our schools today. Marching bands used to be very common and their activities were tough and demanding, such as drill exercises and camps to prepare students for their marching performances. Over the years, we have seen a decline in the number of marching bands, which require not only skill in playing musical instruments, but the physical challenge. For instance, in the Singapore Youth Festival, 11 schools sent marching bands to participate in 2004, down from 23 in 1998.

15 I mentioned in the COS debate in Parliament in March this year that we will place renewed emphasis on the participation of students in sports and games, besides rewarding students who do well in national competitions. MOE has two broad sets of strategies to promote participation in sports and rugged activities. First, we are trying to create more opportunities for broad-based participation at the school and zonal levels, amongst students who may not have the ability to excel at national competitions. Second, we will provide incentives to encourage participation in sports and rugged activities by students. I should emphasise that none of these initiatives will mandate participation in sports and rugged activities. We will encourage, provide greater opportunities and incentivise, but not compel students into these activities.

Creating Opportunities

16 At the broadest level, we will be revising our school ranking system from this year to give greater recognition to schools that put effort into developing their students holistically. In particular, the rankings will include physical health, the criteria for which will place emphasis on breadth of participation. This will recognise schools that allow a broad base of students to take a sports CCA for recreation even if they are not of exceptional ability and are unable to represent the school.

17 A second initiative that we have taken is to form Sports Development Committees at the zone level. These committees were set up to promote sports as fun and enjoyable among students who are not representing their schools in sports, so that they too will develop a lifelong interest in sports as a healthy recreation. I’m glad that the zonal Sports Development Committees have taken off, and will be organising a range of activities that will cater to 15,000 students (who are not involved in interschool competitions) in our primary and secondary schools this year.

18 Another important platform for providing students with the experience of sports is the PE periods. The PE programme provides opportunities to play a wide variety of sports and games. Schools should ensure that the PE periods are used principally for the teaching of sports and games skills and not dedicate solely to physical conditioning and preparing for the NAPFA test.

19 MOE will also encourage schools to provide every secondary school student with at least two residential camping experiences during his or her secondary school years. One of these may be a "camp on campus" within the grounds of the school. MOE is also scouting for new campsites so that every student in every school can have the experience of camping outside of school at least once during his or her secondary years.

20 We have worked out some approaches to support schools in its efforts to broaden students’ experiences in sports and rugged activities. To beef up manpower and expertise for the CCAs, MOE has decided to extend the current Volunteer Adult Leaders (VAL) scheme for UGs to all CCAs. To give parents the assurance that the well-being and safety of their children are looked after, teachers will still supervise overnight activities and activities that have high elements of risks, for instance, outdoor activities or overseas trips. In such events, the teachers would continue to take overall charge and the VALs would assist the teachers.

21 Several schools have already been involving parents in CCAs. Si Ling Primary School in collaboration with CCAB embarked on a pilot project called Project Ballpark. The objectives of the project were two-fold: to increase sports participation among pupils who are not involved in sports competitions and to encourage parental involvement in a friendly and carnival-like atmosphere. Since it started just a month ago, a few parents have come forward to train a total of 126 pupils who are not in the school soccer team. Similarly, in Princess Elizabeth Primary school, a “Family CCA programme” was launched in March this year, to encourage parents to spend time with their children by engaging in CCA together. Since the launch of this programme, the school has been able to increase its pupil CCA participation rate, and even seen the introduction of cricket. I am certain that more schools would be able to engage their parents, the alumni and other stakeholders in assisting them in sports and rugged activities under the VAL scheme.

22 Students can also play a role in promoting sports amongst their schoolmates. We launched the Students Sports Coach Course and the Students Sports Official Course earlier this year. These courses are aimed at providing more opportunities for student leadership development. They will allow athletes with a high level of sports skill to coach beginners or students who are not in any sports CCA. MOE has started training these student leaders. The target for this year is to train 100 student sports coaches and officials in 4 games, basketball, netball, soccer and touch rugby. Over time and with experience, we hope to widen this programme to other sports and games.

Uniformed Groups

23 UGs are another important area of activity, which can foster robustness in our students. Some schools have given us feedback that having more options for UGs will help in expanding student participation. We will start a new Uniformed Group, the National Civil Defence Cadet Corps, as a new CCA starting next year. The new UG will be jointly run by MOE and MHA, and will be piloted in 8 schools.

Extending More Resources

24 To step up the support for the 6 existing UGs that are not fully funded by MOE, MOE will also be increasing the per capita funding (from $6 to $8 per member) for these UGs next year. This will enable them to plan more interesting or broad-based activities for their members.

RECOGNISING AND INCENTIVISING STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN SPORTS AND RUGGED ACTIVITIES

25 Students who spend time and effort on sports and other CCAs also deserve recognition for it. The most important shift in this regard comprises the changes we announced earlier this year to the system of admission to secondary schools, JCs and universities. The changes will give the institutions more leeway to select students with achievements outside of their examination performance. This is a major reform, being undertaken in steps. From 2006, our independent schools will be able to select up to 20% of their students on their own basis, independent of PSLE aggregates. Autonomous schools will be able to select up to 10% of their own students. Other mainstream schools too, who are able to develop a niche of excellence, will be able to select up to 5% of their pupils. This reform in school admission sends a clear signal to students with an interest and talent in a CCA that they can take it seriously and not give it up too quickly.

26 To further incentivise participation in sports and rugged activities, we have also reviewed the CCA framework in consultation with schools. The CCA grading schemes have been broadened to introduce greater flexibility, and to recognise students’ participation in sports and rugged activities, Student-initiated Activities (SiAs), and community-based activities.

Encouraging broader exposure

27 The LEAPS system, for example, would be enhanced to motivate students, particularly those in Performing Arts, Clubs and Societies, to take up sports as 2nd CCAs. The intent is to enncourage students without any sports experience to pick up basic sports and games skills.

Encouraging community involvement

28 To further expand the scope of CCAs, recognition is being extended to students’ participation in community-based activities. Such involvement provides the scope for nurturing the spirit of social enterprise, and also enhances students’ links with the community. The “Partner in Sports” programme that Victoria School (VS) initiated is one such example. VS, a school with a strong sporting culture, invited primary schools in the East Zone to take part in the Victoria Sports Nursery, a partnership programme. This programme caters to the primary 3 to 6 pupils who may not have the opportunity to train in the sport they wish to pursue in their respective primary schools. At the same time, it provides an avenue for the Victoria boys to be involved in community–based projects while they sharpen their skills in training and coaching their younger charges.

Encouraging Student Initiative

29 Similarly, students who are keen on an activity not offered in school can launch a Student Initiated Activity (SiA) by gathering interested peers and convincing a teacher to endorse the activity and gain CCA points for their efforts. They may be ad-hoc projects or one-off events of at least eight hours of involvement. Some SiAs that are structured and likely to be sustainable could even be considered as 2nd CCAs with the support and endorsement of the respective schools. As with all CCAs, SiAs should be geared towards learning a skill and at the same time cultivating desirable values and social attitudes. They should also provide opportunities for students to build team spirit.

Recognising Achievements

30 While we are giving students recognition for participation in sports on a recreational basis, we have to give adequate recognition for those who excel in sports and take on leadership in UGs. Students who spend long hours in training for competitive success in sports will deserve this recognition in the CCA grading scheme. We will refine the CCA grading system to achieve this in steps, starting from next year.

CONCLUSION

31 Before I end my address this evening, I would like to pay tribute to a special group of people who have contributed immensely to the development and promotion of the various sports and games programmes of the Councils. They are the coaches, teachers, HOD CCAs and Principals. In their different capacities as officials, games convenors and office-bearers of the Councils, they have carried out their duties with zest and a deep sense of commitment. Despite their heavy work schedules and school responsibilities, they still found time to be actively involved in the implementation of the Councils’ sports and games programmes. These are the individuals who make our school CCAs what they are.

32 Finally, I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations and thanks to all the awardees for their support and contribution towards the Councils all these years. I look forward to their continued support and contribution towards the Councils.

33 Have an enjoyable evening and thank you.

__________________