From reflections of kampong play culture to mirrors of modern sport: The development of physical education in Singapore schools

Abstract

The Republic of Singapore is a dynamic and prosperous island state which has seen rapid growth since its independence twenty-eight years ago. It is a multi-racial community that has attracted many immigrants since its emergence as a tiny British colony in 1819. This paper examines the continuation of the traditional kampong play culture into the physical education and sports system of a recently modernised society. Using the oral history archives of the School of Physical Education little evidence is found to support the working hypothesis that the Kampong play culture has provided a contribution to the development of physical education and sport in schools. Rather physical education appears to have been strongly influenced from the outset by the models developed by the British both in elite and vernacular schools. An alternative hypothesis is however adopted, that the play spirit found largely in unstructured sporting contexts was an important element of early post-war physical education which appears to have become lost in the current developments within schools.