Striking a balance in school activities

We thank the writers of recent letters on co-curricular activities (CCAs) in school for sharing their views.

As part of holistic education, CCAs provide an important platform for the character development of our students. Through CCAs, students acquire attributes such as grit, determination, resilience and teamwork.

The Ministry of Education recognises the importance of balance in providing students with holistic development opportunities.

Apart from time spent in schools, students need to have time for revising school work, family bonding and rest.

CCA time is planned to allow for students' meaningful participation and development.

The ministry's guideline for CCA hours in secondary schools and junior colleges/centralised institutes over a 30-week calendar is an average of five to six hours per week. This includes both lull and peak periods, in accordance with the calendar of CCA events at the national level.

As each school has its own distinctive student profile, schools are given the flexibility to implement their CCA programmes to cater to the breadth of their students' interests and in accordance with the schools' niches.

Hence, there could be some variation in implementation from school to school. Nevertheless, schools have been advised not to go overboard in terms of time spent on CCAs.

We will continue to work closely with our schools to strike a good balance in the various school activities to ensure the overall well-being of our students.

Liew Wei Li (Ms)

Director

Student Development Curriculum Division

Ministry of Education

This article was published on April 16 in The Straits Times.

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