Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Second OBS campus to be built on Coney Island by 2020

SINGAPORE — A second Outward Bound Singapore (OBS) campus will be built on Coney Island by 2020, as part of a new National Outdoor Adventure Education Masterplan to expand outdoor adventure education to all students.

A second Outward Bound Singapore campus will be built by 2020. Photo: Outward Bound Singapore/Facebook

A second Outward Bound Singapore campus will be built by 2020. Photo: Outward Bound Singapore/Facebook

Follow TODAY on WhatsApp

SINGAPORE — A second Outward Bound Singapore (OBS) campus will be built on Coney Island by 2020, as part of a new National Outdoor Adventure Education Masterplan to expand outdoor adventure education to all students.

Expected to cost about S$250 million, the campus will give more young people a chance to go for outdoor expeditions with OBS.

Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat told Parliament on Thursday (March 24): “To thrive, our young people need a sense of adventure, resilience, and to be ready to challenge themselves to be their best … Activities (on the new campus) will help them build confidence, and develop camaraderie among students from different schools.”

The rest of Coney Island, previously known as Pulau Serangoon, will remain open to the public. More details will be shared by the Education Ministry and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth at a later date.

Right now, OBS operates a 9ha campus on Pulau Ubin.

Coney Island, one of the remaining undeveloped islands in Singapore, is located between the north-eastern coast and Pulau Ubin.

Development plans for the island include reclamation and a link to the Punggol housing estate. Last October, the rustic Coney Island Park, managed by the National Parks Board, was opened to the public.

Educators and parents TODAY spoke to welcomed the move.

Homemaker Adrienne Li felt such outdoor programmes will help her Primary 5 son, who attended a two-night leadership camp recently.

“He learnt to be more responsible like taking care of his belongings and learning how to pack things by himself,” said Mdm Li, 38.

Finance executive Karen Wong, 47, who has a Secondary 4 child, added: “Nowadays, our children are quite protected by their parents and family, but with more outdoor programmes, it can teach them teamwork.”

Clerk Madeline Ang, 43, who has two children aged nine and 13, hopes the outdoor programme on Coney Island will not only teach children life skills but also enable them to learn more about nature.

Punggol View Primary School principal Kelvin Tay said the outdoor education will provide students with  a “richer experience”.

“It helps to build their character through various activities (hosted on Coney Island)… students can (also) be close to nature,” he added.

For example, at his school, under the Programme for Active Learning for Primary 2 students, trash is scattered around the school garden to allow students to identify and collect the litter. This can help students learn how to keep the environment clean and green, Mr Tay said.

A teacher who declined to be named said the new OBS campus will provide more opportunities for students to “develop holistically in the non-academic areas, while schools continue to provide a strong ground for academic excellence”.

“The new OBS campus would provide the students with the much-needed breath of fresh air, with challenges that can safely nudge them beyond their comfort zone, in a safe and controlled manner,” said the 28-year-old.

 

CLARIFICATION: In an earlier version of this story, it was reported that Outward Bound Singapore currently operates a 240-ha campus on Pulau Ubin. OBS has clarified that the campus is 9-ha.

CORRECTION: We previously referred to Outward Bound Singapore as Outward Bound School. We are sorry for the error.

Related topics

budget 2016

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.