1 June 2004

BROADENING THE CCA EXPERIENCE
 
 Co-Curricular Activities (CCAs) are an integral part of the holistic, well-rounded education that we seek to provide for our students.  In particular, CCAs help nurture in students qualities associated with Innovation & Enterprise (I&E) – specifically, a certain ruggedness characterised by qualities like resilience, tenacity, confidence and perseverance, which will better prepare them to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing world. 

2. Based on feedback gathered from parents, teachers, students and former students, we have decided to broaden the current CCA policies and grading schemes (LEAPS and PEARLS ) to introduce greater flexibility and recognise students’ participation in:

 (i) Sports and rugged activities;

 (ii) Student-initiated activities (SiAs); and

 (iii) Community-based activities.

The recognition for SiAs and community based activities were announced at the CCA Conference 2003, and the emphasis on sports and rugged activities was announced during the FY2004 Committee of Supply Debate.  We are now providing details of how they will be implemented in our schools.  The details will be announced by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Ag Minister for Education, at the Singapore Schools Sports Council 45th Anniversary Celebration on 1 June 2004.

(i) Sports and Rugged Activities

3. Sports and rugged activities are particularly well-suited to developing in our students qualities like resilience and tenacity, and there has been a decline in student participation in these activities.  MOE will strengthen incentives to promote sports and rugged activities, so as to encourage broader participation in  these activities. 

Formation of New Uniformed Group

4. MOE has initiated the formation of National Civil Defence Corps as a new CCA.  This is to raise Uniformed Group (UG) membership and to provide students with another choice of rugged CCA.  The new UG CCA will be jointly run by MOE and MHA, and will be piloted in 8 schools starting from 2005.

Sports CCAs

5. We will enhance LEAPS and provide enhanced incentives to encourage secondary school students, particularly those not involved in competitive sports, (e.g. students in CCAs such as performing arts and clubs) to take up sports.  The enhancements are as follows:

 To motivate students in performing arts and clubs to take up sports and games as their second CCA, we will broaden LEAPS to award Participation and Representation points if these students take sports as second CCAs. 

 Students can also earn more Representation points for sports as the main or second CCA, if they represent their school, combined schools or the nation at local, regional or international competitions respectively.

Funding for Uniformed Groups

6. To encourage more student participation in UGs, MOE will increase funding for the six  UGs by increasing the per capita funding.

Volunteer Adult Leader (VAL) scheme

7. To encourage schools to engage non-staff like parents and ex-students to help conduct activities in school, MOE will allow schools to extend the Volunteer Adult Leaders scheme that is currently in place for Uniformed Groups to other CCAs.  We hope that more adult volunteers would come forward to help schools with their activities.  For example, they could be advisors for SiAs and see to the daily operations of SiAs.  Such involvement would promote home-school-community partnerships and enable schools to tap a broader range of expertise and resources, in order to strengthen and develop their niches of CCA excellence.

(ii) Student-initiated Activities (SiAs)

8. Students who are keen on an activity not offered in school can launch an SiA by gathering interested peers and obtaining a teacher’s endorsement for the activity.  SiAs encompass all activities with a reasonably large impact that are proposed by a group of students for possible implementation.  They may be ad hoc activities or one-off events (of at least eight hours of involvement), or a new CCA or activities that are structured and likely to be sustainable.
 
9. As with all CCAs, SiAs should be geared towards teaching a skill and at the same time cultivating desirable values and social attitudes in the individual, while providing for healthy recreational activity.  Students can initiate and carry through their own unique activities so as to expand the range of available activities in school, as well as to give individual students the chance to pursue their specific interests or ideas.  SiAs should also provide opportunities for students to build team spirit, as well as a greater appetite for risk-taking and experimentation.

10. Students interested in initiating an activity should submit a proposal and make a presentation on the goals/objectives of the activity, its workplan, team composition and resources to their schools.  Once approved by the school, the students can earn points for involvement in the activity.  By recognising students’ proposals in LEAPS, we are encouraging students to exercise greater initiative and a willingness to do things differently.

(iii) Community-based Activities

11. To further expand the scope of CCAs, we will extend recognition of CCAs to students’ participation in community-based activities.  Such activities not only provide scope for nurturing the spirit of social enterprise, they also enhance students’ links with the community at large.  These programmes will encourage the forging of friendships, a sense of belonging to the community, enhanced intellectual awareness, and close interaction and bonding within the community.

12. LEAPS will be enhanced to recognise students’ participation in community-based committees, such as a Community Club’s Youth Executive Committee (YEC) or a Residents’ Committee Youth Club (YC), as a second CCA.  Similarly, services rendered for activities organised by the community clubs and residents’ committees can be considered as CIP hours.

Implementation Timeframe

13. All the above changes will take effect from 2005 for secondary and JC/CI students currently on the LEAPS and PEARLS systems respectively.  Please refer to the Annex for a summary of the changes and enhancements to the CCA framework.

Conclusion

14. While MOE provides an overall CCA framework that guides schools in the implementation of their CCA programmes, we recognise that schools are in the best position to structure the nature and range of CCAs, depending on their individual strengths and resources.  These changes and enhancements will enable schools to broaden CCA opportunities and support their efforts to provide a holistic education to their students.
 
15. Furthermore, although we have broadened recognition and made some adjustments to the awarding of points within LEAPS and PEARLS, our main emphasis is not on the accumulation of CCA points, but to create an environment in which students feel comfortable to try out new activities or even initiate their own activities, so that they can pursue their passions to the fullest.  Schools also constantly remind students that CCA participation is not about grades, but is designed to help build character, develop healthy habits and cultivate lifelong interests.

16. Enhancing our CCA policies and grading schemes will align the focus of parents, students, schools and the community on the importance of a well-rounded education.  Together, we can help our students to develop into more rugged and resilient individuals, better prepared to take on the challenges of tomorrow. 

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

Annex

Summary of Changes and Enhancements to the CCA Framework