CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES (CCA) SYSTEM (Review)

The following Question stood in the name of Mdm Ho Geok Choo -

Mdm Ho Geok Choo: To ask the Acting Minister for Education (a) how can his Ministry review its Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) system to include students' active involvement and participation in grassroots work as part of the CCA curriculum; and (b) how can his Ministry review its overall curriculum on holistic character development of its students through a more practical approach of linking project work to the community setting on a longer term period and for a greater number of students.

Dr Lily Neo (Jalan Besar): Question No. 8 , Sir.

Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam: Mr Speaker, Sir, community service, which includes working with grassroots organisations, has always been a significant part of the CCA programme in schools. This component has been given a renewed emphasis following our review of the CCA Guidelines and Grading Scheme in 2002. This scheme is known as "LEAPS" in our secondary schools, standing for Leadership, Enrichment, Achievement, Participation, Service. It recognises students' involvement in community work as a separate category; in other words, they can obtain recognition for the number of hours they put into community involvement and earn CCA points. A similar scheme exists at the Junior College/Centralised Institutes level, recognising students' voluntary work with the community organisations.

Mdm Ho also asked about linking project work in schools to a community setting. The project work that our pre-university students are engaged in requires them to collect and evaluate information from the real world. Their projects typically involve them collecting data through observation, by interviewing people, or through surveys. The design of the project work curriculum therefore helps keep them in touch with the issues and concerns of the community in which they live. At the primary and secondary levels, schools also engage their students in a whole host of projects, including those which involve working with the community.

As part of holistic character development for students, many schools have embarked upon Service Learning. Service Learning is an extension of the Community Involvement Programme (CIP). Service Learning integrates the objectives of the school curriculum, both the academic curriculum as well as the CCA curriculum with community service and project work. By applying the knowledge and skills they learn in schools to their community projects, students engage in activities that benefit the school community and the community at large.

Dr Lily Neo: Could I ask the Minister whether his Ministry could ensure that the CCA does not increase more stress to our students as the present load is already very high?

Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam: Sir, the inclusion of community projects does not lead to an increased load of CCA but increased breadth of CCA. It provides students with the opportunity to get involved in things outside the school and that develops in them quite valuable skills as well as valuable attitudes which they will take into life.