In Singapore, a co-curricular activity (CCA), is a non-academic activity that all students must undertake as part of their education. Introduced by the Ministry of Education (MOE), CCAs are strongly encouraged at the primary and post-secondary level but compulsory at secondary level. Students can choose from 4 categories: clubs and societies, physical sports, uniformed groups, and visual and performing arts. They may also start their own activities with the school’s approval. Anyone offering enrichment activities to schools must be registered with the MOE.
Structure
CCA choices vary widely from school to school, although schools at each education level are required to conform to national standards prescribed for that level. Joining a CCA is strongly encouraged in the primary and post-secondary education level. However, in secondary schools, CCAs are treated more seriously. Students are required to pick at least one Core CCA to join in Secondary One,[1] while being able to choose a second CCA if they wish. If the student excels and achieves results in their CCA, 1 to 2 'O' Level points are removed from the examination aggregate (a lower aggregate indicates better marks) at the end of the fourth/fifth year.[2]
The activities available as CCA choices can be divided into 4 key categories:[1]
Clubs & Societies
Physical Sports
Uniformed Groups
Visual & Performing Arts
Competitions
Many CCA-related competitions are held in Singapore, creating a competitive environment which provide CCA groups an objective to work towards.
The Ministry of Education organises competitions for competitive sports at the zonal and national level, respectively the yearly Zonal and National Schools Competitions. MOE also organises the biennial Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) for the Aesthetics CCAs.
In some schools, instead of separate clubs for Language, Debate and Drama (and even Culture), these domains are grouped under the heading of Language Debate and Drama Societies, an example of which is the English Literary Drama and Debate Society (ELDDS).
