More students in uniformed groups to learn life-saving skills under updated Total Defence programme
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Girls’ Brigade member Sim Zhi Yu (left) and Boys' Brigade cadet Bryan Wong (right) performing CPR/AED at a practical emergency preparedness demonstration.
ST PHOTO: THADDEUS ANG
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SINGAPORE - More secondary school students will learn life-saving skills and be involved in volunteer work in the community under an updated Total Defence programme announced on Monday (Feb 7).
They will also have the option of learning psychological first aid and be certified in it.
Under the refreshed Total Defence Badge Programme, student cadets of uniformed groups in schools who complete a course on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and how to use the automated external defibrillator (AED), a device used to revive someone from cardiac arrest, will get certification for it.
The certification, together with volunteer work, is now required for the students to obtain the programme's gold badge.
The Ministry of Defence announced this on Monday, ahead of Total Defence Day, which is commemorated every year on Feb 15.
About 30,000 students from Secondary 1 to Secondary 3 across nine uniformed groups, such as the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and the Girls' Brigade, undergo the Total Defence Badge Programme annually, although it is not compulsory.
The programme, introduced in 1995, aims to promote awareness of and participation in total defence.
Student cadets who fulfil certain requirements earn bronze, silver or gold badges under the programme.
An optional psychological first aid certification, a pilot effort, will be offered to students after they complete the CPR and AED module.
This refreshed curriculum, which will be implemented progressively in schools from this month, places greater emphasis on self-directed learning and active citizenry through volunteering in programmes such as the Community Watch Scheme.
A digital education learning platform has also been launched to guide students to reflect on the importance of Total Defence, a national framework comprising six "pillars" of defence: military, civil, economic, social, psychological and digital.
To obtain a silver badge, student cadets now need to submit a storyboard for the annual N.E.mation Total Defence animation competition.
The CPR and AED certification is run by Nexus, a central agency for Total Defence, in partnership with Temasek Foundation.
"We want to return to the core message of Total Defence - getting every Singaporean to play a part," said Senior Lieutenant-Colonel Psalm Lew, during a media briefing at the NCC headquarters in Amoy Quee Camp, in Ang Mo Kio, on Monday.
He added: "Previously, we introduced the concept of appreciation and advocacy. Now, we plan to take one step further, which is application of important skills in the community."
The director of Nexus, Colonel Jerica Goh, said the updated Total Defence Badge Programme reflects the changing needs of society.
"Through the programme, we hope that our cadets will become advocates of Total Defence, contribute to the community and play a part for Singapore," she said.
Jayden Ting, 16, a Secondary 4 student from Kent Ridge Secondary's NCC (Land), said: "Generally, I find this revamped programme to be really meaningful and quite practical. Previously, I've mostly learnt about the skills in theory. Now it's applying the skills."
He added: "Learning the life-saving skills was stressful, even tiring. But I think once I remember lives are on the line, these grievances just disappear."
There will be other events to commemorate Total Defence Day, including a special exhibition at the National Museum of Singapore to mark the 80th anniversary of the fall of Singapore, digital defence webinars hosted by the National Library Board, and a Singapore Stories film screening at the Singapore Discovery Centre.
For details of the events, visit this website.
This article has been edited for accuracy.
