Formal Recognition of Student Participation in External Activities Not Offered by Schools as Co-curricular Activities to Support Diverse Student Interests and Talents

37 Ms Valerie Lee asked the Minister for Education whether the Ministry will consider allowing students who participate regularly and intensively in structured co-curricular activities (CCAs) outside school, particularly those not offered by their schools, to have these activities recognised as their CCAs, given that the Ministry already recognises external activities under the Leadership, Enrichment, Achievement, Participation and Service (LEAPS) 2.0 framework and seeks to cater to students' diverse interests and talents.

Mr Desmond Lee: Schools design their Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) programmes to support students' holistic development. Beyond helping students discover their interests and strengths, CCAs provide authentic settings in which they develop character and put into practice values learnt in the classroom, such as teamwork, resilience, empathy and leadership.

CCAs also bring students together, enabling them to forge friendships and develop a strong sense of belonging to their school community. While students may pursue their interests through external activities, it remains important for them to participate in and benefit from a school-based CCA.

For students interested in CCAs that their schools do not offer, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth have introduced several strategic partnership CCAs that are open to students across schools. Some schools have also partnered to offer multi-school CCAs where there is insufficient demand to sustain such activities within a single school.