Teachers’ support the key as student-athletes balance sports and studies

SINGAPORE – Having to juggle two sports with his schoolwork, Woodlands Primary School pupil Aniq Shawqi Azri knows full well the commitment he has to make for each.

The 11-year-old has thrice-weekly training with his school’s volleyball team, whom he led to the National School Games (NSG) title in 2024, and also trains four times a week with the Lion City Sailors football academy.

Time management and discipline are key, especially as he tackles the Primary School Leaving Examination in 2025.

“It’s quite hard to manage,” said Aniq, who was awarded the NSG Sportsmanship Award in 2024 for his leadership and commitment to his co-curricular activity (CCA) volleyball.

“But you have to know when to play and know when to study.”

Aniq, who joined volleyball as his school did not offer football as a CCA initially, also knows that sacrifices are par for the course, said his mother Suhailah Satoo, a part-time resource management officer.

When asked about the things that her son has had to forgo, the 40-year-old mother of three said: “He was left behind when we went for a holiday as a family.

“He does feel sad about not being able to go out with friends, but then the teammates are now like a part of his family.”

Suhailah added that all that hard work paid off for Aniq when his team clinched the NSG title and he won the sportsmanship award last year.

To ensure that he is able to balance sports and studies, his teachers check in with him regularly.

Fatin Nazurah Yusof, teacher-in-charge of volleyball at Woodlands Primary School, said: “The way we manage his time is through teacher support, regular check-ins by the form and CCA teachers.

“We also have close collaboration with our coaches.

“They play an integral role to align his athletic and academic commitments.

“I think the most important is close communication with Aniq’s parents because we need to ensure that he has a good home and school environment to align with his academic and athletic goals.”

Fatin also highlighted the school’s target-setting initiative that promotes self-learning.

“Our school has a framework called Soar,” she added. “The students will pick it up by starting, owning, assessing and reflecting on a certain skill set so that they better manage their time.

“For example, for Aniq, he wants to learn spiking, so he starts and manages his own targets and expectations for himself. One good thing about Aniq is that, thanks to all the support that he’s getting from the teachers, the family and coaches, he’s able to better manage his time.”

Aniq’s teachers also help him catch up with his schoolwork if he has to miss lessons because of overseas tournaments.

Aniq, who plays as a goalkeeper for the Sailors academy’s elite team, participated in the Gothia Cup in Sweden in July 2024 and will also be heading to Portugal for the Porto International Cup in April.

Fatin added: “Usually, after he comes back from his travels, he takes the initiative to look for the teachers and we will also provide assistance to make sure that he stays on top of his schoolwork and assignments.”

Aniq and Fatin were speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2025 NSG season at the OCBC Arena on Jan 22, with Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing as the guest of honour.

One of the ceremony’s torchbearers, Sung Ye-jun, is another student-athlete who juggles two sports with his studies.

The NUS High School of Math and Science student, 16, is skipper of his school’s basketball team and also a cross-country runner.

Ye-jun had joined the school’s basketball team in Secondary 1 and a year later, was urged by a friend to compete in middle-distance running after some creditable results from his 2.4km run at the National Physical Fitness Award (Napfa) test.

When asked how he manages his time, Ye-jun said: “Around last year, I think it was a bit harder, because last year I was too set on the target of getting better at running that I didn’t really think much about my academics.

“Now, I’ve been more balanced between my work and my sports. If I have an exam or test coming up, or a lot of homework to cope with, I’ll just prioritise my work first.”

Ye-jun trains twice a week with the basketball team and runs at least 1½ hours daily.

He also credits his teachers for supporting him whenever he needs to miss classes due to competitions, adding: “Whenever I have a race or an event to attend, I’ll send an e-mail to teachers saying that I want to be excused from lessons.

“Then I’ll ask them if there’s any way I can make up for the missed lesson and they will always offer remedial classes.

“So those teachers are always open to help me with guiding me throughout the way.”