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First Batch of Students Graduate from Revised Junior Sports Academy Programme

Published Date: 20 May 2017 12:00 AM

News Press Releases

Close to 400 student-athletes from more than 100 primary schools will be graduating at the Junior Sports Academy (JSA) Graduation Ceremony held at the Singapore Sports Hub (OCBC Arena) on 20 May 2017.

2. Team Singapore athletes, such as sprinter Shanti Veronica Pereira, will be present to share stories of their own sporting journeys as a form of encouragement to the JSA graduates, as well as present certificates of participation to them. This marks the graduation of the first batch of students who joined the JSA, following the revisions made to the programme in 2015.

3. The JSA programme has seen an enrolment of about 3,500 students in total, since it was introduced in 2008. Annually, around one per cent of every Primary 4 cohort, or about 400 students, will be selected to join the JSA. From this year, MOE will partner the National Youth Sports Institute to increase each cohort capacity to about 800, so that more students will benefit from the programme. The batch with the increased cohort will start their JSA programme in July 2017.

4. Students on this two-year developmental programme from Primary 4 to Primary 6 are selected based on their overall physical and sporting abilities. The selection trials for the JSA take place every March and is open to all Primary 4 students, regardless of their sporting backgrounds.

Objectives of the JSA

5. The JSA programme was introduced by MOE in 2008 to provide opportunities for students with budding sports talents to develop and strengthen their competencies.

6. At the end of the programme, students would have gained more awareness and knowledge of their own sporting strengths and passions, and they may choose to further develop their skills and interests by enrolling in secondary schools with strong sports programmes.

7. When the JSA programme was first introduced, students underwent training in specific areas of sports1, which they had demonstrated potential in. In 2015, the JSA programme was revised to allow students to participate in two to four different sports, out of the 16 sports modules offered2. With a broader sports training that is age-appropriate and aimed at developing students’ athletic abilities for the long term, students are given more opportunities to explore, discover, and develop their own areas of strengths and interests.

8. Following the review, students also now take part in sports education modules, equipping them with added knowledge of athletic development in the cognitive, physiological and psycho-social domains.

9. There has also been an increase in the number of JSA centres, from four in 2008 to 11 JSA centres and two additional venues with specialised facilities [Singapore Sports School and MOE (Evans Road)] today3.

Footnotes
  1. Seven sports were offered in 2008, including Badminton, Fencing, Swimming, Shooting, Soccer, Table Tennis and Wushu.

  2. The 16 sports modules include Basketball, Football, Flippa Ball, Floorball, Badminton, Table Tennis, Tennis, Volleyball, Bowling, Fencing, Shooting, Softball, Gymnastics, Taekwondo, Track & Field and Wushu. For more information on the revised JSA programme, please refer to this link: https://www.moe.gov.sg/news/press-releases/developing-budding-sports-talents--revisions-to-junior-sports-academy-programme

  3. The 11 JSA centres for the JSA programme are Bedok View Secondary, Bendemeer Primary, Bukit View Secondary, Guangyang Secondary, Meridian Secondary, New Town Primary, North Spring Primary, River Valley High, Sembawang Primary, St. Gabriel’s Secondary and Yishun Secondary. The venues with specialised facilities include Singapore Sports School for Bowling, Fencing, Track & Field and MOE (Evans Road) for Flippa Ball, Gymnastics, Tennis and Track & Field.