Too competitive, too results-focused; experts say primary school sports needs to change

SINGAPORE — When Kwok Shuyi was 10, she signed up for netball co-curricular activity (CCA) trials at her primary school, but was turned away by the teacher-in-charge because she was too fat.

Undeterred by the encounter, she tried out for volleyball instead, and went on to represent her school, De Le Salle School, in the sport.

While Ms Kwok laughed at the childhood memory, she recalled being “a bit scarred” then.

“I was quite a big-sized kid and weighed about 60kg to 70kg then, and I was in the TAF (Trim and Fit) club,” said the 27-year-old.

“The teacher told me they needed fitter girls in netball and, since I was in the TAF club, I wasn’t suitable. I was quite upset and told my mum, but she laughed it off and said I should go join another sport.”

It was only in Secondary 1 that Ms Kwok finally got a chance to play netball. She went on to represent her polytechnic and university in netball, before earning a call-up to the National Under-21 team in 2011. A year later, she was promoted to the national squad, and competed in the 2013 and 2015 Nations Cup.

A self-confessed late bloomer, Ms Kwok’s story is not a unique one. A number of local sports officials, youth coaches, and athletes TODAY spoke to have experienced or come across similar incidents in the past.

Some pointed to the competitiveness of school sports, pressure from parents, and limited resources — in terms of budgets, coaches and manpower — as factors that have affected the school sports scene at the primary and secondary school levels.

Ms Kwok, who is now a full-time netball coach, said: “A lot of players I observed are really talented in Primary 5 and 6 but, because of the competitiveness, they don’t enjoy playing the sport and drop out quickly.”

Mr Adrian Chong, who has coached junior rugby since 1993, has encountered similar situations. “Unfortunately, with our education system, all schools have key performance indicators (KPIs),” he said. “Some principals will go as far as to say, ‘If I start the sport, can we get into the top four (in inter-school competition)? If we cannot, then we won’t do it’.”

REVIEW ON THE CARDS

Those whom TODAY spoke to were happy to hear that the Ministry of Education (MOE) will be embarking on a major review of the national inter-primary school sports competitions, which currently features 21 sports.

This was announced by Education Minister (Schools) Ng Chee Meng at the opening of the National Schools Games on Jan 24. Under this review, the tournaments will be revamped to reduce the “perceived stakes” in sports contests, and increase playing opportunities for children.

As part of the review, primary school rugby will use a two-tier competition system in place of its current structure, where schools compete in a round-robin format, with only the top two schools advancing to the next stage.

Under the new format, schools that are knocked out will compete in the second tier, which will increase the number of games and playing opportunities.

Industry insiders and experts however, warned that the review may not be enough to transform the deeply-entrenched mindset of schools, teachers, coaches, and parents focused on winning, and meeting KPIs when it comes to school sports competitions.

Youth netball coach Justin Teh said: “There are a lot of people with good intentions but, if the ideas are not carried out properly, things can go awry.”

“For me, I’m stuck in the situation: if I have to win, I have to put in my best players. At this point, coaches’ hands are a bit tied. The intentions are good, but I’m not sure about the implementation.”

Mr Teh added that there have been suggestions for netball teams to rotate players every quarter to give the children more playing opportunities. But he said the idea will only work if all teams adhere to the rules.

Agreeing, Ms Kwok said: “Everything has to change, and it has to be holistic. Everybody wants to win. At the primary school level it is outcome focused, but it should be about enjoying the game.”

INCREASING TALENT POOL

Getting more playtime, enjoyment and instilling a love for sport should be the goal for primary school children, said national sports association (NSA) officials, coaches and athletes. That way, they will not burn out so easily.

And with more people playing sports, Singapore will also have a larger talent pool to choose from.

Singapore Athletics president Ho Mun Cheong said: “It will help increase our talent base...but we also don’t want early specialisation as we don’t want them to get tired out.”

Mr Ho added that SA’s youth events are adapted to the children, as they feature modified equipment and shorter distances, such as an 8x50m relay race.

Building a talent base for sports excellence is important, but the focus at the youth level should be “about exposure, not results”, said Singapore Sailing Federation president Benedict Tan.

Mr Tan said: “Over emphasis on results can be damaging and counterproductive to the child’s progress and development. If a child doesn’t make the team, he or she should still be allowed to play…it requires resources but it is a good investment for the future as at least we’ll have healthy adults.”

While industry insiders say the move to get more children playing sports is a good one, Mr Chong warned that the push for quantity should not compromise quality.

He said: “It’s about the right formula of quality and quantity. It goes down to the standard of coaching…if nobody goes down to help the coach, then you get quantity but not quality. It has to go hand in hand.”

Despite the challenges, some are hopeful that the review will be a catalyst for change in sports at the primary school level.

Mr Teh said: “If implemented correctly, everyone understands and embraces this, it will be a good move.

“I don’t think we expect a change overnight, it will take time, but we have to take a positive step towards it.”