Research centre to spur infocomm use

NAN Chiau Primary School (NCPS) and the National Institute of Education (NIE) have joined hands to set up an on-site research centre for education.

Called the Centre for Educational Research and Application (Cera), it is aimed at developing the use of Information and Communication Technology in schools here.

Located in Sengkang, the centre is the first of its kind to be launched in a primary school, and will explore teaching and learning methods such as the use of handheld devices and computers in classrooms.

It will also work with teachers and pupils on implementing and testing the new initiatives at the school.

At the signing ceremony between NIE and NCPS yesterday, Mr Tan Chun Ming, the school's principal, said that the integration of Cera would provide researchers with a 'ready test-bed for research initiatives'.

'The coming together of practitioners and researchers will develop critical insights into the use of educational technology and better align research to actual classroom practices,' he added.

Several integrated learning initiatives have already been rolled out by the school as part of the project.

These include the use of software tools on iPod Touch devices for Primary 1 and 2 pupils, as well as a Seamless Learning programme for Primary 3 classes involving 3G mobile phones, which allows pupils to explore activities outside the classroom.

Professor Lee Sing Kong, the director of NIE, stressed that practical applications are the most important offshoot of educational research.

'The true impact of educational research lies not in publications and conferences, but in whether it results in classroom practices that bring about new forms of learning and improved learning outcomes among students,' he said.

GOH YI HAN

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ACS(I) spoil Raffles' party

ANGLO-Chinese School (Independent) thwarted the Raffles family of schools' attempt to repeat their 2008 sweep of all divisional titles at the Schools National Swimming Championships when they won the B and C Boys' crowns yesterday.

ACS(I) entered the final day of the competition at the Singapore Sports School with 103 points in the B Boys' division. They were behind the Sports School by a point, with Raffles Institution third on 93 points.

The ACSians had a 35-point cushion over RI in the C Boys' standings. It meant they were staring at a possible double title win.

Said ACS(I) B Boys' captain Tay Aik Wen: 'Winning both titles was a goal, but it wasn't a sure case in the B Boys' division. So that motivated us to go for it.'

And they delivered. They won three of their four races yesterday to clinch the B crown with 167 points, 29 more than RI.

And they took the C crown with a tally of 226 points, leaving RI a distant second on 165 points.

But, despite ACS(I)'s double, this year's meet was still dominated by the Raffles family of schools.

Raffles Institution (Junior College) took the A Boys' and Girls' crowns, while Raffles Girls' School won the B and C Girls' titles.

Five new records were also set yesterday. ACS(I)'s Lionel Khoo and RI(JC)'s Ng Jia Hao rewrote their C Boys' 50m breaststroke and A Boys' 100m breaststroke records respectively.

Lionel, 14, won in 30.27sec to break his own 30.81sec mark, while Jia Hao, 17, clocked 1min 5.16sec to erase his 1:05.80 record.

Shana Lim (Hwa Chong International) clocked 1:03.96 in the B Girls' 100m backstroke to break the record of 1:04.64 set by Tao Li in 2007.

ACS(I) and RI(JC) also raised the bar in the C Boys' and A Girls' 4x50m freestyle relays respectively. ACS(I) won in 1:43.02 (old record: 1:43.89), while RI(JC) finished in 1:52.20 (OR: 1:53.04).

The records took the final number of new meet marks set at this year's championships to 24, double the number set last year.

Some coaches had feared that the shift of this year's meet from its traditional July date to April to accommodate the Asian Youth Games in July would hurt their charges' record-breaking abilities.

Said Swimfast Aquatic Club's David Lim, who coaches several swimmers from the top schools: 'I think most of them are still fresh from the National Age Group Championships in March and this month's Asean Inter-Club Age Group Swimming Championships.

'So, a lot of them continued to train, and stayed in competitive form.'

Unfortunately, the day's proceedings were marred by glitches in the electronic timing system during the A Boys' 100m freestyle and B Girls' 50m freestyle finals.

That left 16 frustrated swimmers without final timings, although their final positions were announced officially later.

Said RI's Nicholas Sim, who won the A Boys' 100m freestyle race: 'I wanted to see my time as I'm going for the South-east Asia Games time trials in June. It's so disappointing that the glitch had to happen.'

At times, the scoreboard also failed to show the split timings for some races and displayed wrong positions for others.

Kelvyna Chan, the principal of Anglo-Chinese Junior College who was the event's national convener this year, said: 'The electronic timers were faulty but the results in terms of positioning were clear. There were no complaints lodged.

'The committee will review the matter and make improvements next year.'

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Big benefits for Singapore

SINGAPORE can reap the benefits of enhanced sporting venues, long after the Asian Youth Games (AYG) and the Youth Olympics (YOG) are staged here.

The upgrading of existing sports facilities will bring them closer to international standards - boosting the chances of hosting world-class events here.

Ordinary Singaporeans will also be able to enjoy the enhanced facilities, which include the brand- new running track at the Bishan Stadium and the upgraded diving platform at the Toa Payoh Swimming Complex.

Mr Teo Ser Luck, Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Community Development, Youth and Sports), made these points yesterday when the organising committee of the two events provided updates of their preparations.

'We don't want to organise the Games and then forget about them after that,' he said. 'They are not just another meeting or convention. They are multi-sports Games that hopefully we can leverage on to build a sports culture.'

The Singapore Sports Council (SSC) is managing most of the venues for the AYG and YOG. Although the SSC did not want to reveal figures, it is estimated that the council will be spending up to seven times its usual upgrading budget per year to prepare its facilities for both events.

Some of the enhancements include boosting the lighting at the Bishan Stadium to meet international broadcast standards and upgrading the dressing rooms for athletes and the public toilets at the various venues.

The AYG, to be held between June 29 and July 7, will involve over 1,000 athletes competing in nine sports.

It is a key test event for the Youth Olympics, which will feature about 3,500 athletes and 26 sports next year.

Yesterday, the YOG organising committee revealed that the list of competition venues has been trimmed, from 19 to 18. Four new venues have been added, while five others have been dropped.

The new venues are: Jalan Besar Stadium (football), *scape Youth Park (3-on-3 basketball), Sengkang Hockey Stadium (hockey) and The Float@Marina Bay (road cycling).

The Choa Chu Kang and Jurong West stadiums (football), Kallang Netball Centre (3-on-3 basketball), Delta Sports Complex (hockey) and Sentosa (beach volley ball) were taken off the initial list for various reasons.

A few sports have also swopped locations. Shooting will now be staged at the Singapore Sports School, while weightlifting and volleyball have been moved to the Toa Payoh Sports Hall (TPSH).

Table tennis, which was to be held at TPSH, will now take place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

According to SSC chief executive officer Oon Jin Teik, the upgrading works for all the venues are 'on track'.

'The improvements will ensure an enjoyable sporting experience for the athletes and the spectators at the Games and benefit the Singapore community in the long haul,' he said.

tvoon@sph.com.sg

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New YOG venues

FOOTBALL

Where: Jalan Besar Stadium

Replaces: Choa Chu Kang Stadium, Jurong West Stadium and Bishan Stadium

Why: Only six teams each will participate in the boys' and girls' events, so multiple venues are no longer necessary. The artificial turf at Jalan Besar can also stage several matches in one day without wear and tear.

3-ON-3 BASKETBALL

Where: *scape Youth Park

Replaces: Kallang Netball Centre

Why: The Orchard Road location is more hip and youth-oriented, and relieves some of the congestion around the Kallang area, which already hosts archery and tennis.

HOCKEY

Where: Sengkang Hockey Stadium

Replaces: Delta Sports Complex

Why: When completed, Sengkang will have two hockey pitches side by side, which fulfils international requirements. Delta has only one pitch.

ROAD CYCLING

Where: The Float@Marina Bay

Replaces: East Coast Park

Why: Having the start and end points on the floating platform will help showcase Singapore's skyline.

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Sentosa is no longer needed as a venue, as the sport has been removed from the YOG line-up.

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OCBC helps rebuilds quake-hit school

Mianzhu (Sichuan) - Twelve-year-old Ren Yuanxue's eyes lit up as she reached into her new school bag and saw the goodies inside.

She pulled out a set of colour pencils, a cloth pencil case, drawing books and other brand-new stationery items for school use.

'I've never had such nice things for school before,' said the shy, soft-spoken girl who is a Primary 6 pupil at Shi He Primary School in quake-hit Mianzhu, a city in southwest Sichuan province.

Around her, her classmates were less restrained, shrieking with delight over their gift-filled backpacks, delivered personally to them yesterday by a group of 20 employees and customers from OCBC Bank China's Chengdu branch.

Almost a year since the May 12 Sichuan earthquake, some volunteers and donors who contributed to the province's rebuilding effort in the immediate aftermath are returning to quake-battered areas to show survivors that they have not been forgotten.

The magnitude-8 quake killed more than 88,000 people in Sichuan and neighbouring provinces, and left millions homeless.

Hundreds of schools and hospitals were also destroyed.

The new school bags were not the only keepsake for Shi He's 350 kindergarten and primary school pupils.

Staff also handed out 500 handmade cards made by OCBC Bank employees in Singapore and Malaysia, bearing words of encouragement for the children and, above all, the message 'we still care'.

'We hope that our gesture, small though it may be, will inspire the students to continue to work hard to pursue their academic dreams,' said Mr Tan Peng Kok, general manager of OCBC Bank China's Chengdu branch.

The bank is one of many companies and organisations from Singapore that have responded to the quake tragedy through donations and by taking on rebuilding projects for schools, civic buildings and homes throughout the disaster zone.

OCBC and its employees donated 1.16 million yuan (S$256,000) to rebuild Shi He Primary School, which was badly damaged by the quake.

The school's pupils, aged between three and 12, and 18 teachers escaped unscathed.

After three months of classes in hot, stuffy tents, the children moved into their new, spacious two- storey school building last October.

To build a new school for the children, OCBC partnered a Shanghai construction company specialising in Japanese construction methods, using building material imported from Japan.

The new school building is now able to withstand quakes of magnitude-8 and above, said its principal, Mr Xu Taoming, 54.

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Hygiene checks: What about school canteens?

I refer to recent reports on the hygiene ratings of hospital food outlets and would also like to highlight the importance of food hygiene in school canteens.

Recently, my son came down with a bad case of gastroenteritis. We suspected he could have caught the bug from the food he ate at his school canteen earlier. He had said then that the food was not warm.

My main concern is whether we are exposing our children to health risks if they consume canteen food that has been prepared early in the morning, and which is repeatedly heated until late afternoon.

As many students have to stay back in school for co-curricular activities or extra lessons, they would probably have lunch in school.

Are the canteen vendors properly trained and certified by the National Environment Agency (NEA)?

How many of them are graded 'A'? How often are they checked by the NEA?

As children are generally more vulnerable, I would prefer the school canteen stalls to be graded 'A' and no less.

Instead of having individual stalls being tendered out by canteen operators, why can't the food be supplied by a central kitchen operated by certified food caterers?

By so doing, we can be assured that the food is properly prepared and transported to the various school canteens. Fresh supplies could be delivered during the lunch and afternoon breaks.

I hope the NEA can coordinate with the Education and Health ministries to come up with creative ideas on how to improve the level of hygiene in school canteens.

Josephine Koh (Ms)

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