Badminton teacher-coach’s hands-on approach a smash hit at Xingnan Primary School

SINGAPORE – Just as her student-athletes have improved and progressed on the badminton court, Denise Yap has made leaps and bounds in her journey as a teacher-coach at Xingnan Primary School.

When the physical education teacher first took charge of the co-curricular activity (CCA) in 2021, it had over 80 pupils playing the sport.

While it was a popular recreational programme, the school did not have a competitive team.

To build on the strong enthusiasm for badminton, Yap was tasked with developing the students.

At the time, Yap’s only experience in the sport was a year spent playing in her primary school’s CCA. But she was determined to improve to ensure she was well-equipped to guide her charges.

First she joined an interest group to hone her on-court abilities, and immersed herself in the sport by watching competitions like the Singapore Open, a Super 750 event on the Badminton World Federation World Tour.

“It’s been a journey of growth for both my students and myself. There were a lot of challenges when we first came on because the CCA was very big, it was over 80 students, with just a single training session without any coach,” said the 33-year-old.

“When I took over, I realised that the kids were very highly encouraged, they wanted something more intensive and competitive. Straight away, I engaged a coach and worked with him, and we redesigned the structure (of the programme).”

Yap was speaking on the sidelines of the opening ceremony for the 2026 National School Games (NSG) at The Kallang OCBC Arena on Jan 27. The current edition runs from January to September.

A record 69,000 student-athletes from more than 300 schools will compete across 29 sports in 2026. More than 66,000 student-athletes featured at the previous NSG.

Noting that NSG participation has “steadily increased since 2023”, a Ministry of Education spokesperson said in a statement: “The increase can be attributed to a revision to NSG rules for many sports that allowed more student-athletes to be registered, and more schools participating in some sports.”

Xingnan’s badminton players will once again be part of the action in 2026. The introduction of a structured programme in the primary school, which is located in Jurong West, has led to the rapid development of its badminton CCA.

The girls’ and boys’ senior teams now compete in League 1 and 3 respectively at the ongoing NSG, having climbed up from League 5. It has also produced several singles and doubles champions across the Tier 2 and 3 levels in the junior category of the annual inter-school competition.

A classification and league system was introduced to selected sports in 2023, replacing the traditional zonal and national competitions to give students more opportunities to compete.

Training sessions are now held twice weekly, instead of once a week, with programmes tailored to meet the needs of the school, recreational and junior teams.

Beyond in-person training, Yap also supports the athletes with online learning resources, such as teaching them how to conduct video analysis.

While the school’s achievements have been notable, results are not the main measure of success for Yap. Inspired by the dedication of the coaches she encountered while in netball, football and the outdoor adventure club CCAs as a student, she wants to help hers improve, regardless of whether they play the sport competitively or recreationally.

She is heartened to see students taking the initiative to practise on their own, bringing their rackets to play during recess or after school.

As a new season begins, Yap is carrying the same approach, stressing that the focus is on “effort, teamwork and resilience”.

Education Minister Desmond Lee, who was the guest of honour at the ceremony, said in his speech: “Through this exciting and intense competition season, I’m sure all of you will put in your best after months and months of training.

“You will show determination and grit, but I’m sure you will also have opportunities to learn life lessons, both big and small.”

Also excited for the start of the season is Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) rugby player Jaryl Lee, who was one of the torchbearers at the ceremony.

The 17-year-old had a standout season in 2025, clinching the A Division rugby title, before winning a silver at the Asian Youth Rugby Championships with the Singapore School Sports team.

His season culminated in him receiving the Singapore Schools Sports Council Best Sports Boy Award for Rugby in 2025.

The Year 6 student said: “I’m looking forward to spending time with my teammates on the field, my brothers and my coaches.

“The ACS (I) brotherhood is very special, I’m just looking forward to spending my last season with them and to end it on a high would be amazing, if we could.”

Netballer Sridaya Venkatesh, meanwhile, will compete in her first NSG, having only joined the CCA in 2025.

The Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Secondary School student, 15, said: “Netball is not a one-woman sport, so communication is important and I hope that I can have that with my teammates and have a great season.”