Mess tins, modified badminton and mini-Hyrox: What PE lessons in Singapore schools look like today

SINGAPORE: A class of Secondary 2 students listens with rapt attention as physical education (PE) teacher Karthikesan Kumar outlines the next 90 minutes.

But instead of racquets, balls and cones, this lesson calls for mess tins, matchsticks and tommy cookers.

After a lesson overview and safety instructions, Mr Karthikesan assigns roles to various students: safety in charge, logistics in charge and chef.

The objective is simple: assess risks, and start and maintain a fire. Along the way, students will cook and share a packet of instant noodles in their groups.

The lesson falls under the outdoor education component of the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) PE syllabus, which aims to let students engage with nature through adventure-based learning.

At Yishun Town Secondary, where Mr Karthikesan is head of department for PE and co-curricular activities, outdoor education also covers map navigation and tent pitching.

The idea is for students to build self-confidence during PE lessons, he said.

“It can be through running, it can be through handball, it can be through any active, physical thing they do. They should take away (the fact that): ‘Hey I can do this. If I practise enough, I will get better.’”

MOE develops the PE curriculum through a “collaborative process” involving institutes of higher learning and agencies such as the Health Promotion Board, Sport Singapore and National Parks Board, said Mr Wong Liang Han, a PE master specialist.

The syllabus is designed to be “evidence-informed, developmentally appropriate, current and future-oriented,” he said.

“The curriculum aims to develop physically competent and confident individuals who embrace lifelong, active and healthy living in a safe and responsible manner beyond their school