I read the Ministry of Education's Forum letter with some concern (MOE exploring other approaches to CCA allocation, March 19).

While the ministry recognises "the importance of letting students take up the CCA (co-curricular activity) of their choice, without selection trials", it says there are trade-offs, with one being some schools offering fewer CCA options because of limited resources.

I have always believed that the primary objective of CCAs is to provide every child with the opportunity to cultivate his interest and personality, and that this should never be compromised.

I am also concerned that as schools focus on their premier CCAs to improve their reputation, more children are going to be deprived of the opportunity to receive a truly holistic education.

That would be undesirable.

Perhaps schools with established CCAs could consider outsourcing their programmes.

For example, schools with reputable Chinese orchestras could consider engaging the Singapore Chinese Orchestra to train their students and prepare them for performances and competitions.

This would allow the schools to pay more attention to other CCAs.

Cheng Lian Seah