124 NOCs paired with 224 local schools as part of YOG programme
By Patwant Singh, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 27 November 2009 1825 hrs

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SINGAPORE: To date, 124 National Olympic Councils or NOCs have been twinned or paired up with 225 Singapore schools as part of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Culture and Education Programme.

Some schools like Jurong Junior College have gone the extra mile by visiting the country they are twinned with.

21 students from Jurong Junior College, accompanied by six staff, visited Russia in early October.

During the ten-day trip, they visited schools and places of historic significance.

Cultural immersion was very much on the agenda, as the students interacted with their Russian counterparts.

Alan Chee Wei Feng, Jurong Junior College student, said: "The fact that we brought our traditional games, and costumes and food over to Russia for them to try out, it really got them to understand and get a feel of what Singapore culture is really like."

The students also learnt more about the Russian economy and social norms there.

Tee Yang, Jurong Junior College student, said: "Actually Russians marry at a very young age. Most of the people we interact with are aged about 19 to 22 and they are already engaged or married."

Russia's emphasis on sports was another aspect that caught the eyes of the Singaporean visitors.

Jurong Junior College's history teacher, Hendri Adviadi Rizal, said: "We went to the gymnasium....the kids (there) were aged 4 years, 5 years...all the way from that age to teenagers to even adults, all of them were training together."

The Culture and Education Programme is an important feature of the YOG, allowing participation beyond sports.

More importantly, it gets young people from around the world to understand each other better.

For the students of Jurong Junior College, the trip has resulted in lasting friendships as they still keep in touch with the Russians by using the Internet.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) said another school, Yuying Secondary, made a similar trip to Nepal in March this year.

The programme works both ways.

Students from a school in the Philippines also visited their twinning partner in Singapore.

For now, though, the MOE is organising a Friendship Camp in December together with the Singapore Sports School. Hundreds of athletes from around the world are expected to attend.

- CNA/ir