Forum: Students’ holistic development in sports is supported
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We thank Mr David Chang for his views on early specialisation in sports, and its potential links to LEAPS 2.0 and Direct School Admission, or DSA ( Pitfalls of specialising too early in school sports
We acknowledge that some students might specialise early in specific sports, but there are existing measures to promote their broad physical development and well-being in the early years.
Our students learn a range of physical activities and sports through physical education lessons. Our teachers overseeing sports co-curricular activities (CCAs) work with coaches to design developmentally appropriate programmes.
In the National School Games (NSG), we have introduced more developmentally appropriate competition formats for primary school students. These measures also foster lifelong enjoyment and participation in sports.
At the secondary level, LEAPS 2.0 promotes holistic development by recognising students’ co-curricular involvement across the participation, achievement, leadership and service domains. While students are encouraged to remain in the same CCA to allow for progressive skills development, this is not a requirement for achieving the maximum number of bonus points for post-secondary admission.
DSA provides an alternative pathway to secondary school admission by recognising a more diverse range of talents and achievements. While DSA may have inadvertently led to early specialisation for some students, our selection trials are designed to mitigate this by considering students’ potential and personal qualities beyond their demonstrated performance.
We assure parents and students that specialised training, such as private coaching or enrichment classes, is not expected for DSA consideration.
We recognise that students develop at different paces and benefit from more opportunities to participate, compete and develop their sporting interests. We have revised the NSG rules for many sports to allow more students to be registered. Schools also organise friendly matches to provide additional opportunities for students to participate in various sports.
MOE is reviewing DSA and CCAs to ensure that they continue to meet their objectives. We will continue to work with our schools to enhance opportunities for students to discover and develop their talents throughout their education journey.
Eugenia Lim
Divisional Director, Student Development Curriculum Division 2
Ministry of Education
