Press Releases
MOE Sets Up Youth Sports Academies to Further Encourage Sports Excellence
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is setting up Youth Sports Academies (YSAs) to provide centralised training for talented athletes at the Secondary and Junior College / Centralised Institute levels. The YSAs enable graduates of the Junior Sports Academies (JSAs), and other students in MOE secondary schools, junior colleges or centralised institute to receive a high level of training in their chosen sport. For a start, MOE will set up three academies in April 2010, each catering to one sport. The three sports are badminton, wushu and table tennis.
The YSAs will complement the Singapore Sports School by providing a developmental pathway for students who are talented in sports but enrolled in regular schools in the system. The YSAs will be housed in schools and institutions with facilities or expertise to support the training of these athletes. The hosts for the first three YSAs are listed in the table below.
| YSA | Sports |
|---|---|
| Bedok View Secondary | Badminton |
| Meridien Junior College | Wushu |
| Co-curricular Activities Branch, MOE | Table Tennis |
The athletes will be identified centrally, or by schools, for selection trials for their specific sports in Secondary 1. Those selected will be invited to enrol in the Youth Sports Academies for a two-year developmental programme. Upon completion of the two-year programme, the athletes will need to be re-selected for continued support for the next 2 years. Similarly, those who have completed the second 2-year programme will be subjected to re-selection for the third 2-year programme.
There will be three admission points for the YSAs, at Secondary 1, 3 and Junior College 1/Centralised Institute level 1. This is aligned with the training block of 2 years. The 3-point admission takes into consideration late developers.
Like the JSA programmes, the YSA programmes will be conducted after school hours.
The selection trials for the YSAs will be held in March 2010. For the first year, YSAs will cater to the students in Secondary 1 only.
Background
In 2008, MOE piloted four JSAs. Another eight new JSAs were set up in 2009. The first batch of 144 JSA athletes completed their 2-year training programme at the end of 2009. They are now enrolled in 63 secondary schools including the Singapore Sports School. The table below lists the JSAs.
| Venue | Sports | Start Date |
|---|---|---|
| Henry Park Primary School | Badminton | Jan 2008 |
| Chung Cheng High School (Main) | Wushu | Jan 2008 |
| Singapore Sports School | Netball, Swimming, Table Tennis and Track & Field | Jan 2008 |
| Singapore Table Tennis Association | Table Tennis | Jan 2008 |
| Anglican High School | Badminton | April 2009 |
| Anglo-Chinese (Primary) | Swimming | April 2009 |
| Catholic High School | Wushu | April 2009 |
| Yio Chu Kang Primary School | Soccer | April 2009 |
| Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School | Shooting | July 2009 |
| Nan Hua Primary School | Table Tennis | July 2009 |
| Pasir Ris Crest Secondary School | Fencing | July 2009 |
| Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ (Secondary) School | Table Tennis | July 2009 |