Breakdown of Students' CCA Participation Hours in Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Levels
Ministry of EducationSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Ms See Jinli Jean’s inquiry regarding average student Co-Curricular Activity (CCA) participation hours and whether increasing these hours would improve students' mental health and resilience. Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing clarified that the Ministry of Education does not track specific CCA hours, as schools maintain autonomy to adjust schedules based on learning outcomes and student needs. For students with low attendance, teachers provide personalized support to address individual challenges rather than enforcing strictly increased participation quotas. Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing noted that increasing CCA hours may be counterproductive given students’ competing demands and instead emphasized holistic mental health strategies. These measures include the Character and Citizenship Education curriculum, peer support networks, school-home partnerships, and participation in outdoor adventure learning camps.
Transcript
51 Ms See Jinli Jean asked the Minister for Education (a) whether there is data on the average Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) participation hours for students at (i) primary, (ii) secondary and (iii) tertiary levels from 2021 to date and, if so, what are they; (b) what percentage of students of each level recorded below-average CCA participation hours and whether steps are made to reintegrate them into CCAs; and (c) whether measures will be considered to increase CCA participation hours to strengthen students’ emotional, physical and physiological resilience for improved mental health outcomes.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: Schools have the autonomy to vary Co-Curricular Activity (CCA) hours to cater to different CCAs’ learning outcomes and their students’ needs, interests and well-being. For example, a CCA offered at a competitive level will typically have more practice hours than a recreational CCA. The Ministry of Education does not track the CCA participation hours of students, but for the small percentage of students with low attendance rates, our teachers reach out to them to understand their challenges and provide timely support.
CCA is an important part of holistic development that contributes to students’ mental well-being and resilience. However, increasing CCA hours may not be the best way to achieve this as students face many competing demands on their time. Instead, we seek to enhance student mental health and resilience through various measures. These include enhancing students’ mental health literacy through the Character and Citizenship Education curriculum, providing an ecosystem of support for students through peer support and close school-home partnerships, and participating in outdoor adventure learning camps.