8/9/2019 Sports School offers IB to retain top students
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BY LEOW SI WAN
NOTHER avenue to further their stud-s without compromising on sporting
ursuits.This is what Secondary 1 students
arting next year at the Singaporeports School (SSP) can look forward to.
From 2010, academically inclined stu-ents will be able to take advantage of ax-year International Baccalaureate Di-oma Programme (IBDP), which will en-
bles them to bypass the O-level exami-ation.
Addressing reporters at the school yes-rday, SSP’s principal Deborah Tan saidthrough-train programme will benefit
oung athletes who wish to attain higherualifications.
Rather than leaving SSP to enter a jun-r college to sit for their A-level exami-
ations – a move that could potentiallysrupt training and sporting potential –
top students can now stay on in theschool and “pursue sporting and academ-ic excellence concurrently”.
SSP students graduating at the end offour years now have three options: at-tend a junior college, or stay on in theschool to study in through-train pro-grammes with Republic Polytechnic andthe School of Health Sciences at theAuckland University of Technology.
Mrs Tan added that a handful of stu-dents leave the school to study at otherinstitutions.
Explaining why the school opted for
the IBDP, she said the choice was madeafter conducting a thorough study of themost widely used university qualifica-tion examinations here, including A lev-els.
The IB programme, unlike the A lev-els, offered two sittings – one in Mayand another in November.
She said this offers flexibility for ath-letes who have to take part in majorsports meets at certain times of the year.
The programme is also internationallyrecognised, she added.
Minister for Community Develop-ment, Youth and Sports VivianBalakrishnan said that with this full suite
of services, the SSP will probably be thebest sports school in the region and thatit will benchmark itself to sports schoolsat an international level.
Dr Balakrishnan was at the school yes-terday, participating in its Youth Olym-pic Games Countdown Run.
He added: “For too long, athletes inSingapore have been forced to choose –either you just focus on your work or youfocus on your sporting career...I don’twant to make our athletes face such com-promises in the future.
“This is about flexibility...providing
options and allowing the child to matureand develop his or her talent in his owntime.”
Indeed, some former students and cur-rent SSP students, who are not eligiblefor the IBDP, expressed their disappoint-ment.
Said Gail Chia, a SSP alumnus who isnow studying at Raffles Junior College:“When I first heard about the pro-gramme, I was like ‘I missed it! Why arethey only offering it now?’
“But on further thought, I am notvery sure if I would have chosen to stayon in the sports school even with the IBprogramme because coping with sports
and studies is not easy.”The 18-year-old jumpe
national jumping records aJunior Championships in 2her training had to take a cause of her studies.
For SSP student Shahrir16, not being able to studygramme is a wasted opport
The Sec 4 student, who top sprinter, added that byplevels would help in a yprogression into a national
More teachers will be
the new diploma programexact numbers have not bThe school is looking at a msize of 20 for its first batch
To parents such as Mr Y47, the IB diploma option point for the school.
The engineer is considehis 12-year-old son, who plnis, in the school.
He said: “It is excellentprogramme is similthrough-train offered by noso now there are more opble.”[email protected]
Sports School offers IB
to retain top students
r Balakrishnan (fifth from left) taking part in the YOG Countdown Run, which involved 365 students running 365 laps around the school’s 400m track over 365 mesterday and was expected to finish at midnight, in time to start the 365-day YOG Countdown.PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Through-train will allowhem to pursue sportss well as studies
