Scholarships And Study Awards From EW Barker Endowment Fund Uplift Student-Athletes

Temasek Foundation has been a steady supporter of Singapore Sports School since 2011, through programmes to develop sport excellence and produce all-rounded student-athletes. The Foundation funds and supports education and professional development programmes, aiming to nurture talent and foster learning, especially for youths in areas such as music, arts, sports, math, science, engineering and technology.

In 2019, Temasek Foundation launched the EW Barker Scholarship and the EW Barker Study Awards. Funding for these stems from the EW Barker Endowment Fund, named after Mr Edmund William Barker, a Singaporepioneers who was a former law minister and an ardent champion for sports.

Then-Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam launched the EW Barker Scholarship at Singapore Sports School’s 15th Anniversary Celebrations cum Awards Night 2019 on 13 February 2019.

The EW Barker Scholarship is awarded to as many as 24 outstanding student-athletes annually, who have shown exemplary conduct, exceptional sport achievements, and exhibited potential to become high-performing athletes.

Eighteen student-athletes were among the first batch of recipients of the EW Barker Scholarship in 2019, including swimmer Clydi Chan (IBDP Year 5), runner Shan s/o S Anandan (DBS Year 1), netballer Raeka Ee Pei Ying (IBDP Year 6), Izaac Quek Yong (Secondary 3) and shooter Shirlene Hew Yun Ting (Extended IBDP). Another 23 were recipients in 2020, including wushu exponent Kimberly Ong Li Ling (Extended IBDP), bowler Nur Irdina Hazly (Secondary 2) and ice skater Trevor Tan XuXuan (Extended IBDP).

Kimberly, who had transferred to Sports School mid-stream in 2018, said she was surprised and happy when she first heard she was a recipient of the scholarship: “I had read about this scholarship in the newspapers the year before, but I did not think that I could be a winner of the scholarship one day. I am very thankful, because I have been given many opportunities and recognition for my efforts since transferring to Sports School, such as  this EW Barker Scholarship. I am motivated to give my all in both my studies and my sport.”

As part of the Scholarship, student-athletes receive partial to full subsidy of school fees for two years. Scholars are also expected to contribute back to society by planning and performing community services work.

“The scholarship does help many athletes feel reassured that they are supported in this alternative pathway to success, hence I am very thankful for these initiatives to spur on more young athletes to achieve their dreams,” said Kimberly, who won the 2019 Singapore Schools Sports Council Best Sportsgirl award for Wushu, and was the champion in the Changquan event at the 10th Asian Junior Wushu Championships that year.

Apart from the scholarship, the EW Barker Endowment fund also supports the EW Barker Study Award, an annual cash award aimed at providing financial support to eligible secondary and post-secondary student-athletes with the marked potential to excel in their sport, exhibit good conduct and achieved satisfactory academic results. To qualify, recipients must have a gross monthly household income not exceeding $12,000 or per capita income not exceeding $3,000.

A total of 19 student-athletes received the study award in 2019, and these included Secondary 3 student-athletes footballer Muhammad Rifqi Matin Muhammad Andre, netballer Megan Low Wen Qi and gymnast Asher Pua. In 2020, a whopping number of 90 student-athletes were recipients of the Award. These included Secondary 4 student-athletes shuttler Remus Ng and bowler Jerlyn Lam Si Ting, Secondary 3 shooter Soh Yi Wei, and pencak silat exponent Nur Shaqira Sheik Alau'ddin (Secondary 2).

Remus, who is in Singapore Badminton Association’s National Intermediate Squad and has been shortlisted for the Asian Youth Games this year, was grateful for the EW Barker Study Award he received last year: “I felt honoured and happy about receiving the award, as it shows that my hard work has paid off. The Award helps me in my academics and sports by funding the necessary equipment for schooling and training, such as stationary, shoes and rackets.”

The shuttler recently emerged champion, together with fellow schoolmate Kimi Ng In Qin, in the Boys Doubles Under 17 at the 2021 Papago Badminton Carnival, a Singapore Badminton Federation-sanctioned Tier 2 tournament held in March.