Students have benefited from after-school support: Maliki
Gear-Up programme has boosted confidence and attendance of more than 6,700 secondary school students
An after-school scheme where students are given close support and supervision has seen positive outcomes of improved attendance, and higher confidence and self-esteem levels among participating students, said Second Minister for Education, Dr Maliki Osman, yesterday.
He told reporters after observing programme activities at Admiralty Secondary School in Woodlands: "We hope to actually expand Gear-Up to more schools with the right infrastructure, right support and the right programming."
MORE SCHOOLS
The Guiding & Empowering students for Affiliation and Resilience to Unlock their Potential (Gear-Up) programme has benefited more than 6,700 secondary school students to date.
More schools are offering the government-funded initiative, from 60 in 2019 to about 120 currently.
The scheme is part of the Ministry of Education's efforts to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds, along with its Uplift (Uplifting Pupils in Life and Inspiring Families Taskforce) initiatives, to tackle long-term absenteeism and provide support for families.
"We acknowledge that their backgrounds may inhibit their ability to perform well in school," said Dr Maliki.
"It's really not just academics, but also their well-being, growing up well, (being) supported, having strong self esteem, understanding their strengths. We want to make sure we continue to safeguard social mobility."
Besides providing a space for students to study independently, after-school programmes create opportunities for them to interact with their peers through activities like music and sports.
Activities can be run by teachers or community partners.
Madam Karen Tay, Admiralty Secondary School's teacher-in-charge of its Gear-Up programme, said students were asked about their interests while sessions were being devised.
"They told us things like art, cooking, badminton - so we planned such activities. We also assigned teachers to be their mentors, so they would have a constant adult to turn to," she said.
Close to 10 teachers are involved in Gear-Up, which is held on different days for students from different levels.
Secondary 4 student Nicky Ching, 16, enjoys art activities like acrylic oil painting and learnt how to use GarageBand, a music creation platform, at Gear-Up. He takes part in the 11/2-hour programme once or twice a week.
"I also prefer studying in school as I'm more productive and there are teachers around me to help.
"Sometimes we also talk about how we're doing in school, like if we're stressed about exams," he said.
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