After-school support in secondary schools has helped boost student attendance: Maliki Osman

Second Minister for Education Maliki Osman visiting Admiralty Secondary School on March 9, 2021. ST PHOTO: KHALID BABA

SINGAPORE - An after-school scheme in which students are given close support and supervision has seen positive outcomes of improved student attendance and higher confidence and self-esteem levels among participating students, said Second Minister for Education Maliki Osman on Tuesday (March 9).

Dr Maliki told reporters after a visit to observe programme activities at Admiralty Secondary School in Woodlands: "We hope to actually expand Gear-Up to more schools with the right infrastructure, right support and the right programming."

The Guiding & Empowering students for Affiliation and Resilience to Unlock their Potential (Gear-Up) programme has benefited more than 6,700 secondary school students to date. More schools are offering the government-funded initiative, from 60 in 2019 to about 120 currently.

The scheme is part of the Ministry of Education's efforts to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds, along with its Uplift (Uplifting Pupils in Life and Inspiring Families Taskforce) initiatives, to tackle long-term absenteeism and provide support for families.

"We acknowledge that the backgrounds that they come from may inhibit their ability to perform well in school," said Dr Maliki. "It's really not just academics, but also their well-being, growing up well, supported, having strong self esteem, understanding their strengths.

"We want to make sure we continue to safeguard social mobility."

Besides providing a space for students to study independently, after-school programmes create opportunities for them to interact with their peers through activities like music and sports. Activities can be run by teachers, community partners or volunteers who act as mentors to the students.

The Gear-Up scheme has seen some initial success in terms of student attendance, which is closely monitored, said Dr Maliki. "If students can come to school, the school can create support for them. But if they're not coming to school, then that's the greatest challenge."

He said students' self-esteem had also changed, with the mentoring aspect of the programme intended to instil confidence. He added: "The moment you start focusing on your strengths, then you begin to feel that you are valued and you value yourself too.

"That's the kind of environment we want to provide for our students, particularly those who come from very challenging backgrounds."

Madam Karen Tay, Admiralty Secondary School's teacher in charge of its Gear-Up programme, said students were asked about their interests while sessions were being devised.

"They told us things like art, cooking, badminton - so we planned such activities. We also assigned teachers to be their mentors, so that they would have a constant adult to turn to."

Close to 10 teachers are involved in Gear-Up, which is held on different days for students from different levels.

About 50 students, identified at all secondary levels, take part in the programme, which the school started last year.

"The students also engage in meaningful projects like planning an appreciation day for non-teaching staff like the cleaners, and making cards for them," said Madam Tay.

"The impact on students' lives will take time. But anecdotally, they are more willing to stay back after school, instead of going home to play video games. We see them more excited to be in school, to serve the school community, and take greater ownership of their lives."

Secondary 4 student Nicky Ching, 16, said he enjoys art activities like acrylic oil painting and learnt how to use GarageBand, a music creation platform, at Gear-Up. He takes part in the 1½-hour programme once or twice a week.

Secondary 4 student Nicky Ching. ST PHOTO: KHALID BABA

"I also prefer studying in school, as I'm more productive and there are teachers around me to help. Sometimes we also talk about how we're doing in school, like if we're stressed about exams," he said.

"The teachers talk about their experiences too, so it helps that they know how we feel as students."

LISTEN TO THE BIG STORY PODCAST

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.