SINGAPORE — More final-year male students at two polytechnics are attaining the silver or gold standard in the National Physical Fitness Award (NAPFA) after the schools introduced fitness programmes.

Singapore Polytechnic (SP), which piloted a programme called Sports for Life two years ago, saw 41.5 per cent of its final-year male students who are National Service (NS)-liable clinching the gold or silver award this year, compared with 37.1 per cent in 2011. The programme allows students to take a sports module of their choice such as swimming and rock climbing.

An SP spokesperson said the improvement in the NAPFA test results could be due to “the increased awareness among male students (of the need) to stay fit and healthy as a result of the programme”.

At Temasek Polytechnic (TP), 39.4 per cent of final-year male students attained the gold or silver standard this year, up from 36.1 per cent in the 2009/2010 academic year, after its Fitness Training programme was introduced. As part of the programme, students attend 90-minute training sessions and undergo NAPFA-specific training and a NAPFA test.

The fitness of polytechnic students came under the spotlight earlier this week after Second Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing said the ministry was considering requiring pre-enlistees to attend structured fitness programmes a year before enlistment if they fail to clinch at least the silver award in the NAPFA test.

Currently, about 40 per cent of polytechnic and Institute of Technical Education students attain at least the silver standard in the NAPFA, compared to around 80 per cent in junior colleges.

Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) and Republic Polytechnic (RP) were not able to provide official figures on their students’ NAPFA test results, but both have fitness and training programmes in place to prepare final-year male students for enlistment.

RP has fitness workshops and two- to eight-week fitness-training programmes, while NYP requires final-year male students to take a compulsory 30-hour general studies module on fitness and wellness aimed at improving their fitness for NS.

An NYP spokesperson said there has been an improvement in its students’ NAPFA test results since the module started in 2011.

Last month, Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) became the latest school to introduce a fitness programme to help its students get NAPFA- and NS-ready.

As part of the Pre-Enlistee Preparation Programme, its students undergo intensive fitness training spread over four or eight weeks and attend talks about subjects ranging from NS to nutrition. Students can also sign up for boot camps to get a feel for military life.

NP said about 450 students have enrolled so far.

The polytechnic also has a compulsory sports and wellness module for all first-year students and offers an optional fitness module for third-year students.

NP student Kesavan Loganathan, 19, is taking the optional Personal Fitness Management module, which requires him to clock a certain number of hours at the gym in a semester. The third-year student said the module is helping him get ready for his NAPFA test.

“I think it is a very good build-up to the NAPFA. It helps you maintain your form and gives you the fitness you need to go and get a silver during the actual NAPFA test,” he said.